The arts and the good life: The first Lyceum Lecture of the year

by Chelsea McKanna

A little before 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 9, room 115 in the Center for Biblical and Theological Studies opened its doors to Cedarville University students for the first Lyceum Lecture of the year. A line formed outside the room, leading almost to the building’s front door. As the seats filled, students began to sit against the back wall, in between seats and along the aisles. 

Students attended for many reasons, whether Lyceum Lecture students, those there for personal enjoyment or students seeking extra credit.

These lectures are put on by the Lyceum at Cedarville, a student community from the Humanities and Liberal Arts departments. 

The Lyceum aims to cultivate academic excellence, scholarship and solid creative thinking with a biblical perspective. Lyceum Lectures offer thought provoking lectures from some of the foremost thinkers in a variety of disciplines. 

Dr. Mark Caleb Smith, dean of the School of Arts and Humanities, opened the evening with a statement about the purpose of the program.

“The Lyceum is meant to highlight the full range of what it means to be human…[and] how the arts make us better people,” Smith said.

Jay Nordlinger, an award-winning journalist and fellow of the National Review Institute, led this month’s lecture. His topic? The Arts and The Good Life.

Nordlinger is the author of two books: Peace, They Say and Children of Monsters. He has spent a lifetime enjoying and writing about the arts and their implications for everyday life.

“People should have an acquaintance with a broad range of the arts,” Nordlinger said.

Nordlinger stated that repeated exposure to various forms of art, such as ballet, opera, and classical music has led to his tastes changing over time. He wove together stories of his personal experiences with art as well as wisdom for how students should interact with them in their personal lives.

One example he gave was how at one point he could not have sat through a whole ballet. Then, at one point, something changed and he saw ballet in a new way. Nordlinger explained that now Giselle is his favorite ballet and he has seen it multiple times.

Nordlinger encouraged students to not let others shame them out of being interested in art.

“The gardens of art need to be tended,” Nordlinger said. “They go through fallow periods.” 

Those fallow periods, Nordingler stated, are caused by those who shame others for their love of the arts. 

Nordlinger posed a question to the students, “What are the arts good for?”

“[The arts] give you a richer mental life and therefore a better life all together,” Nordliner said. “The arts add color and sparkle to life.”

Nordingler believes that without an appreciation for the arts, the mind is impoverished. He desired for the students in attendance to walk away remembering one thing: arts is valuable and worthy of being appreciated. 

“[The arts are] excellent vehicles to praise, worship and glorify God,” Nordlinger said.

As this was the first Lyceum lecture of the year, students can look forward to many more thought provoking lectures to come. For more information on the Lyceum, students can follow this link.

Chelsea McKanna is a junior Professional Writing and Information Design major with a minor in Missions. She spends her free time with friends or sipping coffee with a new book to read. 

*photo taken by Chelsea McKanna