Justin Spainhour-Roth

Building Empathy Through the Arts

BY JUSTIN SPAINHOUR-ROTH

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view ... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.” — Atticus Finch, from “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee It’s been about a decade since I read “To Kill a Mockingbird” in my freshman-year English class, but this is a quote that has stuck with me ever since, and I find myself returning to it constantly. Books, like any form of art, have a way of beautifully articulating an idea for us. We better understand the spirit and meaning behind something when it’s presented in a bit friendlier or more digestible way, like a book, a play or through a piece of music. I don’t think this is sheer coincidence. At Elm Street, we believe the arts give us the ability to empathize with situations, stories and people who are different from us, by allowing us the chance to step into their shoes and see the world from their perspective. “Freaky Friday” is a great example of that — quite literally! Teenager Ellie doesn’t relate to her mother, Katherine, and vice versa. It isn’t until they swap bodies, walk in each other’s shoes, and see things from the other person’s eyes that they begin to understand each other. I think there’s something so powerful about that. We developed the Lantern Series to do the same, by bringing in an eclectic mix of genres, sounds and cultures to build community around music. To date, we’ve had groups play in the style of Afro-Celtic funk with Soulsha (think bagpipes and African drums all behind a dance beat); cellist-singer-songwriter Shana Tucker’s seamless blending of chamber music with jazz, funk, rhythm and blues, and more to make ChamberSoul; and the warmer weather in March will welcome Time for Three to our stage on the Elm Street Event Green. This trio brings together Americana, modern pop and classical music, with their acoustic chamber set and captivatingly rich harmonies. Aside from entertaining us, the arts allow us to think, and, most importantly, to feel. When we give ourselves permission to see the world from someone else’s perspective, only then do we truly connect with that person, and with the world around us, in unimaginable ways.

Justin Spainhour-Roth, marketing manager for Elm Street Cultural Arts Village, has a bachelor of arts in communication in musical theater from Bowling Green State University.