It’s All About Our Base
By Barbara Goldstein
Original published 6/29/2016 in Americans for the Arts “ArtsBlog for Arts Professionals in the Know”
Photo by Quang Nguyen Vinh from Pexels
Like most urbanized parts of the U.S., Boston’s demographics have changed dramatically in the last 30 years and so has tone of conversation. Anyone who attended this year’s Americans for the Arts conference could see and feel the change. Boston is no longer a majority White demographic, and it has embraced its diversity. So has Americans for the Arts. Whereas 25 years ago, our annual conference demographics were primarily middle-aged white administrators, attendees at this year’s convention were far more diverse culturally, racially, and in age. While we still have a long way to go, the theme of this year’s conference, which explored the role of the arts in creating and sustaining healthy, vibrant, equitable communities, resonated with national concerns about who we are as Americans.
Here are a few of my takeaways from the convention and public art pre-conference:
Cultural Equity is a sensitive subject.
Margie Reese led a discussion of Americans for the Arts’ Cultural Equity statement, which reads:
“To support a full creative life for all, Americans for the Arts commits to championing practices and policies of cultural equity that empower a just, inclusive, equitable nation.”
This statement provoked a lively, frank and sometimes painful discussion about whether the term “racial” should have been included in the statement, and a discussion about how each community might employ the statement to build a more inclusive cultural sector. Racial equity continues to be a significant issue in most urban communities throughout the United States and in rural communities other cultural issues may come into play. It’s clear that cultural equity is a critical part of our jobs as arts advocates, and discussing the new framework was a great place to start.
The arts must be embedded in the work of our government.
In addition to the work that we all do supporting arts institutions and individual artists, arts administrators and artists belong at the table in all elements of civic life. This concept was amply illustrated by Boston’s Mayor Marty Walsh, who has created a cabinet-level Chief of Arts and Culture and embedded artists in residence in three City departments. Artists-in-residence, which were pioneered in St. Paul and Seattle during the 1990s, also were celebrated in a number of projects recognized by the Public Art Network’s 2016 Year in Review.
Artists have a role as cultural activists:
Beyond the work of government, individual artists have a significant role to play advancing the national conversation on issues from immigration, to homelessness and police brutality. Example of this work were elegantly demonstrated by Vijay Gupta’s work with Street Symphony, which brings music to LA’s Skid Row; Ana Teresa Fernandez’ activist work “Erasing the Border”; and Jorge Ferreira’s performances that examine the relationship between African Americans and the police. Ferreira, who is a hip hop artist, playwright and actor, is transforming law enforcement in Alameda County, California, by his decision to actually join the Sheriff’s Department. These types of conversations are rolling out throughout the United States in projects such as Anna Deavere Smith’s Pipeline Project, Guillermo Gallindo and Richard Misrach’s “Border Cantos” exhibit at the San Jose Museum of Art, and Gregory Sale’s work with the Phoenix prison and re-entry system.
Memorials should be thoughtfully created.
This is a conversation that we’ve been having in public art for many years, and it is evolving. In Boston we saw informal memorials, such as Cedric Douglas’ street sign memorial, Dev’s Zone; formal memorials including Stanley Saitowitz’ Holocaust memorial; and we experienced how the Museum of African American History is bringing important African American memorials and cultural sites to life. In addition, a panel on Public Art Noir (art that deals with challenging subjects) involved an in-depth conversation about how memorials to tragic events—like the Pulse massacre in Orlando—could perhaps evolve in phases from “informal” to interim to long term.
Think globally, act locally.
Donna Brazile described the current political climate and crisis thinking as a work of theater that could be described as a “National Tragedy” and yet we continue to see effective change happening at local levels. As artists continue to engage in public dialogue, serve youth, the aged and marginalized communities, there is hope. Our job as artists and arts administrators is to continuously engage the public in conversation about the future of our country—its neighborhoods, education, public safety, and environment. We have the tools to deliver effective messages and stimulate dialogue through visceral and evocative art.
The National Endowment for the Arts is advancing the conversation.
Director Jane Chu has been active in traveling the United States listening to the role the arts play in our diverse communities. The NEA’s programs will continue to focus on community building through programs such as Challenge American, Creativity Connects and Our Town. As the U.S. economy transitions from industrial to knowledge-based, the NEA recognizes the role of the arts in building healthy, sustainable 21st century cities.
Let’s keep the conversation going!