Musician Rosanne Cash was named MacDowell’s 2021 Edward MacDowell Medalist —  the art organization’s top honor.

In honoring Cash, MacDowell notes: “The totality of her role as an artist, a woman, and the responsible courier of a storied cultural legacy means Cash is a rare artist with many outlets. All of these point toward the same end: Her belief that art and culture are a vital, shaping force in society.”

Belatedly, I read her acceptance speech — a wonderful confirmation of the role of the arts in society. Among other things, she said:

“Artists are in a service industry, the premier service industry for the heart and soul. We are bound by an imperative to create, connect, reveal, and to practice subversion.”

I’m listening to her music with renewed enthusiasm now.

I also encourage you to read her 2017 editorial in the New York Times, Country Musicians, “Stand Up to the N.R.A.”