White House-hosted arts summit explores how to incorporate arts and humanities into problem-solving

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency will pair artists with federal officials overseeing treasured bodies of water in the United States as part of a new initiative to use arts and culture to support water restoration and climate resiliency. The EPA’s artist-in-residence program was announced Tuesday at a daylong summit in Washington on exploring ways to use the arts and humanities as another instrument for problem-solving. The National Endowment for the Arts and the White House Domestic Policy Council hosted the conference with leaders from government, the arts, academia and philanthropy. White House adviser Neera Tanden says the arts help “people to see each other and understand how we’re connected.”