Not to sound like some kind of socialist, but is it possible that some rich people in this country simply have too much money? We would never begrudge anyone for working much harder than everyone else, which is obviously the only way to get a lot of money, but it seems like there are several big issues in play when someone can afford to throw $10 million—more money than most people would see in several lifetimes—at some cool art. That’s exactly what Kanye West apparently committed to doing recently, with The Wall Street Journal reporting that the lucky art in question is the Roden Crater Project, a series of tunnels cut into an extinct volcano with strategic slits cut into the ceilings to create special effects with light. Sometimes we buy the generic Pop-Tarts because the real ones are too expensive, but sure, Kanye West should go find whatever sparks joy.
The Roden Crater Project is the brainchild of 75-year-old artist James Turrell, who has been carving tunnels into the volcanic crater since 1977, and he has been struggling lately to get the funding needed to turn the crater into a “creative campus with an amphitheater and residencies.” The plan is to open the site to the public in five years, but West was able to get a tour of the crater with Turrell in early December and was so impressed by the experience that he went back a few days later so he could show it to more people. Since then, West has donated $10 million to Turrell’s $200 million goal, saying in a statement that he hopes the site can be “experienced and enjoyed for eternity.”
And okay, we get it, supporting art is a good thing and it’s better that Kanye West throws his money at this than a private season of Rick And Morty where they hang out with their new friend Kanye West, but still. $10 million is so much money, and it’s a drop in the volcano for how much money Turrell needs. Really, we’d be willing to let this slide if he would just buy us some name-brand Pop-Tarts. The blueberry ones.