Money talks.  But if it could – if it really, really could – what would it say?

Well, the U.S. dollar would probably say something like, “Associate with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for it is better to be alone than in bad company.” – George Washington, First President of the United States

A Colombian 2000 peso note might say, “There is so much to paint, but the tears come to my eyes and I cannot do it like I would. I was very bold, but you start to wear down with the years.”- Débora Arango, Revolutionary Painter and Feminist

In Japan, a 10,000-yen note would say, “In its broad sense, civilization means not only comfort in daily necessities but also the refining of knowledge and the cultivation of virtue so as to elevate human life to a higher plane.” – Fukuzawa Yukichi, Meiji Era Philosopher and Founder of Keio University

New Zealand’s 100-dollar note may add, “All of physics is either impossible or trivial. It is impossible until you understand it, and then it becomes trivial.” – Lord Ernest Rutherford, Physicist and The Father of Nuclear Physics

And a Danish kroner, of any denomination, might say something like, “I’m a bridge.” – A Danish Bridge

Now, while the great majority of nations choose to depict monarchs, political leaders, and founding fathers on their currency, there are many that use banknotes to, instead, celebrate their country’s greatest intellectual, cultural, and philosophical contributions.

The first time I came across a banknote celebrating a champion of the arts was in the Czech Republic.  There, in addition to a 5000 Kč note depicting the founder of Czechoslovakia, there are bills depicting philosophers, poets, and historians.  The 5000 Kč note pictures Emmy Destinn, a 19th century opera singer.  This bill re-framed the way I viewed the Czech Republic. This, I thought, was a nation in love with its cultural heritage. By defining its national identity this way, I felt its soul.

And while many nations use currency to celebrate the arts (Armenia, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Nicaragua, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, and Uruguay), others sport (Barbados), and some science (Colombia, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkey), there do remain a great number of countries that depict a single person – usually the first president of the nation – on every denomination of currency (Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Oman, Pakistan, Thailand, Vietnam).

However, the question of who gets depicted on banknotes, in any instance, is an interesting one. After all, they do say you always put your money where your mouth is, right? Are the faces circulating between our hands every day those of great learners, teachers, philosophers, and thinkers?  Are they brave warriors? Are nations celebrating unique contributions and people who helped construct national identities? Or do they shy away from this? Is placing champions of the liberal arts on currency controversial?

As a worker in the arts, I look at our annual budgets, and I form my own opinions on what my nation chooses to value and celebrate – and that which we don’t.  But when I come across Andrew Jackson on a $20 bill, I can’t help but think, “How is that not controversial?” The U.S. was home to the likes of Thomas Edison, Clara Barton, Charles Lindbergh, and Edith Wharton – to name a few.  We have so much to be proud of, and yet, we are defined by political dynamism and mass culture.

I am interested in exploring this a bit through Comparative Policy this semester – in various forms – so forgive me ahead of  time. But it killed me to think, if we put an artist on a U.S. banknote, would it have to be Andy Warhol?  And if so, what does that mean about America?