Letters to the Editor

Letter: The importance of the arts

Thank you to Diane Kaplan and Enzina Marrari of the Rasmuson Foundation for reminding us that a thriving arts and culture sector is essential to maintaining a well-rounded and elevated quality of life in Anchorage and Alaska (“Why we must make a case for the arts — Alaska style,” May 30). The arts and culture sector is an important primary driver of Alaska’s economy through the many thousands of persons it employs, but equally as important, it supports our economy by creating beauty, joy, elegance, good will and intellectual growth that make Anchorage a much more desirable city in which to locate a business and otherwise create sustainable growth.

Thank you to the Rasmuson Foundation and the many other private foundations, corporations, families and individuals whose donations have supported the arts through the pandemic. And many thanks to those musicians, dancers, artists, actors, curators, boards and staffs who have kept the arts alive for us through the magic of imagination and technical ingenuity. Your audience appreciates your artistry and eagerly awaits being able to enjoy your work live and in person — and, I hope, soon.

— Al Alvarez

Eagle River

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