I’d like to thank the anonymous artist for the inspired penguin installation on the Guilford Green last month. Seeing Guilford come alive with friends joyously reacting to this timely, thoughtful, and simple yet impactful work of art was a beautiful reminder of the transformative and unifying effects that the arts can have on a community. After almost two years of isolation and seemingly endless disconnection, our town has been united through a unique shared experience on what could’ve been just another stormy winter day.

In the spirit of this uplifting event, I encourage your readers to support the vibrant arts community in our town—attend the impressive concerts put on by the Music Department at the high school, and buy tickets to see the theater club’s spring musical. We should take the time to enjoy the art shows in the library, and ask children what they’re working on in art and music class at school. We should encourage kids to step on a stage as often as we encourage them to step on the field. We should take advantage of the incredible free performances at the Guilford Performing Arts Festival and seek out the many makers of beautiful objects who live throughout the shoreline when we’re in the market for a gift. We should pop into the shop and gallery space at the Guilford Art Center, or better yet, sign up for a class!

The arts have a unique power to enrich communities that we shouldn’t take for granted. A town that values and supports the arts is a place where people are invited to express themselves and connect through shared experience. Today more than ever, we need the arts to remind us of the bonds we share that make Guilford a culturally rich and inspiring place to live.

Lindsay Gilberto

Guilford