VAIL, Colorado — There are many places in Vail, Colorado where you can learn about the history of, not only Vail, but the sport of skiing. Much of this history is preserved through art.

Have you ever walked into Pepi's Bar and seen all of the pictures on the wall or ventured into the ski museum to glimpse the ski collection? Whether it is photographs, statues, antique skis or old gondola cars, we pride ourselves on the history of this valley and this town and we strive to preserve it. In the big picture, art plays a significant role in creating and documenting history and our culture.

Join Vail Symposium and former chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, Bill Ivey, for a discussion on the current state of art in America and how the footprint of copyright and the lack of concern for arts in public policy are threatening our cultural heritage.

Ivey was the chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts and currently serves as Director of the Curb Center for Art, Enterprise, and Public Policy at Vanderbilt. The center conducts research and “examines the practices, laws, regulations and norms shaping creative enterprise and expressive life in America.” Ivey recently released a book, “Arts Inc.: How Greed and Neglect Have Destroyed Our Cultural Rights.”

The book argues that the copyright industry is threatening our right to our diverse cultural heritage. His book examines the role a market-driven copyright industry plays in shaping history: “Once a movie has ended its run at the Roxy or a record or book dropped from lists of hits and best-sellers, each instantly becomes part of the accumulated body of music, drama, dance, comedy, literature and visual art that constitutes our nation's cultural heritage. And just because some company owns a movie or a record, just because copyright lets it buy, sell or lock away creative treasures, doesn't take away the citizens' right to know that our artistic heritage is secure and preserved for future generations.”

Looking at the music industry, it is generally the music companies that actually own the rights to the songs, not the artists. The same circumstance takes place with other forms of copyright. Ivey has argued for getting the government involved to try and establish regulation in the industry.

Prior serving as chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, Ivey was director of the Country Music Foundation in Nashville, Tenn. He was twice elected board chairman of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and is immediate past president of the American Folklore Society. Ivey holds degrees in history, folklore and ethnomusicology, as well as honorary doctorates from the University of Michigan, Michigan Technological University, Wayne State University and Indiana University. He is a four-time Grammy Award nominee (best album notes category), and is the author of numerous articles on U.S. cultural policy, and on folk and popular music.

Tuesday's discussion will explore what role the arts play in our society, the pros and cons of copyright, and what role, if any, the government should have in incorporating art into public policy. Come join the Vail Symposium at the Arrabelle in Lionshead. Books will available for purchase and courtesy of the Bookworm of Edwards. A reception will be held at 5:30 p.m. before the event at 6 p.m.