I am making a series of comic strips for PBS to promote literacy, specifically in urban areas with great disparity. The coordinator offered to continue to pay me to make the comics even after my internship, if there is funding. I responded with an enthusiastic, "If there isn't any funding, I'll do it as a volunteer."
Truth is, at the end of the day, artists are not just thinkers, but activists. Try as one might, the artist is not the proverbial Athenian philosopher sitting on a rock for eternity. If your art is out there, you are making a difference.
Moreover, no matter how personal or self indulgent or even narcissistic you think your art is, the self centered nature of the piece is instantly evolved into "self AND community" or "self IN community" the moment you show it at a gallery, or get published and distributed, or perform, or even the second you post art onto your public art site. Because society is the muse of the artist, beauty is retroactive to pragmaticism. Parallax. Would Thomas Mann would eat me alive? I honestly don't think so.
So I started thinking about pragmaticism and the bureaucracy regarding creativity in society. It's at art schools, museums, even in the smallest galleries.
Specifically, regarding MY goals as an artist, socio-economic disparity can be assuaged by art and literature and literacy and creativity. No one, including bureaucrats, denies this. Then why is it creative charter schools that are closing the gaps in Hartford are being shut down? Why is there such a stir when Obama wants to pass anything involving art commission on a federal level? It's because we need more creatives going head first into the policy aspect of art in a functioning society. Artists need to work with the bureacrats to be heard. Notice I say "work with" and not "get passed"?
This is part of the reason I want to get into the bureaucracy of art and education. Making art for advocacy and activism is completely necessary because it promotes awareness. But I think we need more creatives in the law/policy aspect of things to mediate between bureaucrats and artists/activists. Someone who speaks both languages. I mean, imagine what this would do for anti-censorship in art? Imagine what this would do for creative programs in education administration? Imagine what this would do for commissions? And on a more individualistic level, imagine what knowledge in the administrative and political aspect of your cause would do for your art? Your pieces would be so much more meaningful. Afterall, Chaucer was a diplomat and John Butler Yeats was a lawyer.
And no time is better than NOW. A weak market calls for bold action. Calls for creativity.
Note that I am not saying that this is the responsibility of all artists. Everyone plays their part. Regardless of your part, keep in mind that beauty does not have to be destroyed by pragmaticism and pragmaticism does not have to be rendered useless with beauty. Instead let them exist side by side, as a paradox.
With that in mind, I have told some friends about some crazy new ways I may possibly want to take my career as an artist to the next level in the distant (distant, distant) future. Well, I don't think it's that crazy, but most of my friends seem to, which I think is a testament to how other people's crazy pales in comparison to mine.
For now, I am focusing on getting into grad school and these comic strips promoting literacy in urban areas. Because, remember, they DO make a difference
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4 comments:
How are they going to promote literacy? Just because you have to read them?
As one with a younger brother who only recently started reading at grade level, i am a firm believer in "tricking kids into reading"
because kids, if left to their own devices, rarely want to do anything that "grown-ups" would consider good for humanity.
so yeah, how Miko... how?
Oh KP, don't you trust me?
Literacy is really just an example and not really what my post is about. But, I am glad that you brought it up, anyway, because it's a topic I am interested in!
"Tricking" is definitely one way to do it. Trust that I have incorporated that tactic into the work. Hiding vocabulary words in dialogue to promote literacy is no different than creating a multi-cultural cast of characters to promote anti-racism. lol
If one is going to promote literacy indirectly, then the piece has to be immediately engulfing. But not just that, it has to be comprehensive enough to appeal to the people who need to be tricked, as well as the people who are receptive to learning. Once these layers are implemented, with the cognitive processes of the developing brain incorporated into the recipe, you have something that will be at the very least, effective. And this WORKS. ie: Sesame Street, Arthur, Magic School Bus, anything by Tommy DePoala or Maurice Sendak. More recently, there is Word Girl or Artopia!
The recipe isn't perfect, however, because it would be impossible to take a "specialty politics" approach to literacy that is comprehensive through one piece. Hence, I chose impoverished urban areas, because my interest is not in literacy per say, but in achievement gaps. And since I love you, I'll probably love your brother, but you guys are from Oakbrook and aren't my target audience. lol.
Moreover, you ask "how?" and that is exactly what I address in my post. One piece of art (television show, comic, painting, song etc) though important and effective, isn't necessarily going to make ALL the difference in any given cause. Just like bureaucracy isn't necessarily going to make a difference in convincing the public as a whole. Which is why I encourage artists, who are interested, to notice that their art is for the community and to get involved with thier cause in other aspects of art than just art-making, but also still keeping in mind how it would benefit their art practice.
.....****I am sure there are tons of spelling errors in this because I had to write this response in 5 minutes... 0_0
and William Carlos Williams was a doctor! This is beautifully written. I would recommend "Essays" by Wallace Shawn about the role of the artist in modern-day society. I think you would enjoy greatly, m'dear.
Jenny!
Yes he was! He excelled as a pediatrician as well as an artist! And his poetry is experiential, so it all wraps up nicely! WCW was quite accomplished and studly.
And thank you for the rec! I love Wallace Shawn!
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