And I am asking Socially, Politically, Spiritually, as well as Personally.
We all know Art can create change. Art can heal. Art can explain. Art can inspire. Art can give hope. Art can be miraculous. At a time when so many are asking for help, there is a Haiti art-a-thon developing through Jerrys Artarama. Should I get involved? Can I organize a local fundraiser? Will painting for 24 hours straight be an inspired way to raise money? Is that what I should do? Artist are always asked to volunteer their time or donate their work. I have to pay my own bills and supply the basic living needs for my kids and myself and not rely others. But basically I am incredibly lucky... I live in the USA, I have a roof over my head and family nearby. I have a few gifts. I want to share my talent. Why is it so many people in our society are afraid of
art? Why are so many galleries sterile depressing confusing places? What role do artist's play in keeping them that way? (Just thinking of my recent attempts to write my "artist statement" and fill it with airy fairy intellectual mind boggling incredibly important sounding descriptions!) I'm not cut out for all of this. Is working outside the galleries more in line with my artistic responsibilities? Can my studio be a center for hope and instruction? I love revealing my adult student's talents. This week there have been two young visitors to my studio. One came to see how I work and another to share her art development. I want to be approachable, inspiring, encouraging, and appear as an adult whose life is full of promise, adventure, awareness.My friend, and artist, Moira K. points out that if you have a talent you have a responsibility to be true to it. To listen to it and not paint for a market or sell yourself for a profit. Is that the responsibility? Could it be that simple?
My work definitely carries a message and I do feel compelled to deliver that message since it's very important to me emotionally, philosophically and politically. Yet, as an artist, I have only recently touched on the issues so important to me. Why has it taken me so long? I'm not sure but I expect it was a certain lack of courage to deal with the issues head on. I worried that I would be lost in an emotional abyss that would prevent me from going forward. Yet, I suppose that it dawned on me that I had a responsibility to my subjects as well as to myself to delve into these issues and produce the best artwork I could. And now that I have started to do the work, I realize that it was what I should have been doing all along.
ReplyDeleteI think it is that simple. But simple is BIG. I think the Artist has the responsibility to take a look at what that means to themselves.The decision to commit to that responsibility is simple but the responsibility is the biggie. Each Artist is an individual and with that there unfolds the unique path and responsibility. I don't separate my Art from my life. They are united, simultaneous and as I said in another post, Art is now my spiritual practice, like the way another one might go to church, or meditate.
ReplyDeleteYour question is interesting: "what role are Artists playing in keeping galleries sterile and depressing? ....and trying to fit into that traditional paradigm of writing smartypants Artist statements doesn't make a lot of us feel good- I feel the same way as you. I do believe as we have been hearing on the DPG that we are creating a new landscape as daily painters who blog and sell for ourselves. I think it's my responsibility to energize this grassroots effort for other Artists to know that they can show and sell their work without being rejected by galleries. I know it is more simply said than done but I am one who has done it. And now I like to help and encourage other Artists to do the same or to find their "tribe" to support them in what they want to do as Artists.