Stone Army

The Great Chinese Emperor had an army constructed in preparation for his life beyond his existence here on Earth. The artistry and time it took to create these masterpieces is staggering. Seeing them in real life, quietly standing in line and at attention awaiting their orders is almost eerie yet completely awe inspiring at the same time.

What I found breathtaking is the fact that those who want to be remembered in History resort to the arts and craftsmen to preserve that legacy. Every great monument, the works in cathedrals, crowns and jewelry, clothing, and even the bound and masterfully illuminated books from times gone by were all made. The way people are remembered is through the things people DID to leave a lasting mark, a constructed and created impression that the sand in the hourglass could not erode away from the minds of men simply because they were *that* grand and unforgettable. What boggles me more and more is how the arts in general are the first thing cut when funding and budgeting becomes and issue. My question is who will be the Makers, the Craftspeople, that are equipped and enabled to create History if we as a society no longer deem their education and apprenticeship worthy of a line in the final budget sheet?