Few things inspire hope, change, or freedom like the arts. As the arts and all forms of innovation and design are increasingly threatened in the U.S., so is our nation’s future economy, our health and welfare, and our cultural and moral legacy.

Quincy Jones has started a petition to ask President-Elect Obama to appoint a Secretary of the Arts. While many other countries have had Ministers of Art or Culture for centuries, The United States has never created such a position. We in the arts need this and the country needs the arts–now more than ever. Please take a moment to sign this important petition and then pass it on to your friends and colleagues.

(Photo at right: Obama has notably inspired artists of all kinds. One of the most famed Obama-inspired fashion pieces of this fall’s Paris debut was this yellow sequin dress, a highlight of Jean-Charles de Castelbajac’s Spring-Summer 2009 Ready-to-Wear collection. “I dream of change today”, emblazoned on the back, ignited applause from the audience.)