Dulé Hill chats with THR on the red carpet at The Creative Coalition Inaugural National Arts Advocacy Summit in Las Vegas and talks about why it's so important to advocate for the arts right now. Plus, he says he hopes "what we do here will have a domino effect in keeping art alive."
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00:00Why is it important for you to be here at this summit and be a part of this?
00:03You know, I think art is extremely powerful to our humanity, to our connectivity,
00:08and the only way art stays alive is if we stay engaged.
00:11So getting together with a group of people who are passionate about keeping art engaged,
00:15keeping art alive, keeping art funded, keeping art available for our communities,
00:20the least I could do is to show up right now.
00:22You know, I often say, I can talk a long time.
00:26I often say, if I do all I can and you do all you can and we do all we can,
00:30then we can accomplish a lot.
00:32So it's not a big ask for me to come here and be together with some people
00:34who are trying to keep art moving forward.
00:37I love that.
00:38Why do you think it is so important to advocate for the arts right now?
00:41I feel that art is something that builds bridges.
00:43I think art can reach people in ways that words necessarily can't.
00:48I think art allows us to tap into our humanity.
00:50And I think we're at a crossroads.
00:52We are losing our humanity.
00:54Art gives us the ability to see the life of you in the life of me and vice versa.
01:00You know, I turn and I look at you and I see somebody who doesn't deserve my respect.
01:04But art is a way that can build that,
01:06that can make people realize that we're all in this together.
01:09It seems like, especially right now, we do really need it.
01:12There's been so much division and even an attack on the arts,
01:15it kind of feels like, with this current administration
01:17and what's been going on with the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
01:20What's your take on that?
01:21And how do you hope that this event helps move the arts forward?
01:25What I hope with this event is that we can formulate some ideas that can make a difference.
01:31You know, if we come here and we hang out and we spend time
01:34but nothing happens outside of it, then what's the point?
01:39That's my hope.
01:41And even beyond what is going on at the Kennedy Center or anywhere else,
01:44the main thing is that what we do here will have a domino effect to keeping art alive,
01:48to keeping art funded.
01:50You know, for myself, I'm an actor, I'm a tap dancer.
01:53I started dancing at the age of three.
01:55Art has been a journey of a lifetime for me.
01:57I'm approaching 50 in May.
02:00If there can be some children that can be exposed to art now,
02:03that can send them on the journey of a lifetime,
02:05that hopefully their journey can affect the world in a positive way,
02:09then that's what we need to do.
02:11We need to support that.