Washington Monument
There are more than seven billion people in the world and one person’s view can be very similar to others but I believe that no one’s view will be identical to the other. I consider learning to be the gaining and application of a new perspective. This gives me a wide range of perspective that I could gain from being in the company of people. It also provides an unlimited variety of ways I could perceive my own identity. As a result of living in two countries, I never considered myself as a person with a civic identity or responsibility. Being neither here nor there does not leave much room to participate in community building and public service. Taking this interim in Washington DC reminded me that one thing that I have always been sure about is that I am an artist and I feel most alive when creating. It allowed me to see ways that I can use my identity as an artist to participate in civic action that I am passionate about.
The conversation provided a way for me to see that because of my background, I can create through application of my academic and artistic studies. It may sound obvious to an extent but for me the impact was big because school and art have always been separate. I also observed that taking part in conversations about hot topics is an art that is easier said than done. In an academic setting, I have always known to try and listen to a person with whom I disagree in an effort to understand their point of view. It was really difficult for me to apply this in situations where I was so emotionally invested in the topic. Having difficult conversations is an art that you only get better by practice. Uncomfortable conversations are difficult to seek out.
An abstract ceiling
Through this course, I got to see a lot of people with a vision of how far the arts can impact the community while learning of the impact it had in the past. Growing up, I would always hear of unemployment in the arts and pursuing an artistic career would be considered a suicide mission. This world of opportunities always seemed hidden and I couldn’t be more grateful to have had a chance to be aware of it.
My attitude has developed through seeing the vast opportunities available in the arts. I used to think of people as a collection of their learning and growing experiences. This semester altered my attitude toward this as I saw people make the same art through different ways. I began a new journey of discovering identity. I had a conversation with an artist whose work was focused on the black LGBTQIA+ community. Their movement was motivated by the exclusion of black people from areas that were supposed to be safe for all people. In our conversation, blurred lines came up and we talked about how the attempt to create a space for black people has the potential of excluding people who are racially ambiguous or mixed. Therefore, the need to be included may result in exclusion of people who neither share the same experience nor have a different one. We explored the option of having a space where all would be welcome but were faced by other problems like gentrification. This has been and still is a big issue facing a lot of neighborhoods in DC. This will mean that as the areas keep getting gentrified the people living there will eventually change resulting in the upper class, who are mostly white, being the majority. This will circle back to the black people needing a space of their own where they could feel safe. As much as I would prefer art spaces to be accessible to all people at the same place, it is not as easy as it appeared to me. There is an identity that is more than the results of people’s actions, choices or race. It can be seen through how we make and take in art.
Art hanging from the ceiling
My understanding of democracy is a rule that is by everyone to reach and attend to everyone. The shows that we attended this month began difficult conversations. People with different views got to express them using either characters from a play or performance. A good example of a place I saw this was though She the People by Second City at Woolly Mammoth Theater. They used humor to talk about the very sensitive issues surrounding women in America. This show was a beginning for a lot of conversations that went on throughout the month. During the show they called the White House to send a message on gun control. That was the most direct way I had ever seen the arts interact with the government. Throughout the month, we attended shows that reflected the results of decisions made by the government. As I understand it now, the relationship between democracy and the arts has more impact than I knew. In writing a song, or a play the artist is influenced by their daily experiences. These experiences are a reflection of direct or indirect decisions by the government. They are seen in the production of art. If an artist is able to fly out of the country and paint different locations because of the policies of their home country.
Through this course I have learned that the government here in the United States is doing a lot to support the Arts through funding. I think the effect of this work would go even further if more people knew about it. The adaptation of what the government is doing on a smaller scale is among high schools. It would be very helpful to remind growing young adults of their unique nature and identity. I also think that the more people are aware of the relationship between Democracy and the Arts the more people will use it as a voice. This class helped me in making hard decisions about the direction I would like to take in art.