In the weeks leading up to St.Olaf’s Interim term, we discovered that our campus would be shut down and all students would be participating in an online class remotely. Covid had yet again dismantled our lives in a way no one saw coming. For many of the students in Democracy and the Arts that meant no study abroad program, no traveling, and no D.C. On the other hand, this allowed students like me, who are not able to study abroad due to other circumstances, to get a chance to participate in this course. Because I am in the St. Olaf choir and we usually tour during the month of January, I was not originally registered for this course. In fact I was registered for a Biology course that I was taking for the GE credit- and the GE credit only. I basically decided that I would give up my month to take a course that I wasn’t excited about in order to cover a credit that I needed. Needless to say, when we went online, I took it as a sign to change my course and take something that would actually keep me engaged and excited about what I was learning in such a short period of time. Thus came along Democracy and the Arts.
As someone whose life has been defined by the arts from the beginning, this class posed a very important question. Why aren’t the arts more accessible in all places around the world? While I was one of the lucky ones, many kids live in underprivileged areas where the arts don’t survive without outside funding. But who provides that funding? How do the arts get funded in the first place? These are just a few of the questions that raced through my mind when beginning the learning process of this class. This course has posed many opportunities to ask these questions and further our understanding of arts policy and what goes on behind the scenes of an arts organization or non-profit program. With each new “special guest meeting” came new questions and new examples of the positive impact all art forms can impose. Things like community building, history redefining, and accessibility to the arts are themes that stood out to me the most through each of our meetings.
When meeting with speakers such as Randy Cohen from Americans for the Arts we got to see how important advocacy for the arts can be. His whole job is to be an active speaker in the arts community and be that connection and drive to funding and the government. But we also got to experience meetings like the one with Phoebe and Elizabeth from SAAM (Smithsonian American Art Museum) where we got to do a participative activity that simulated what they do as curators for such a large art organization that is heavily funded by the government and the meeting with Verbal Gymnastics Theater where we simply got to experience their art as an audience member. No matter what angle of the arts we were taking a glimpse into- there was something to learn from each person as well as each of my classmates.
I know personally that when I thought of democracy, my mind immediately went to government organizations with politically driven ideals and if I’m being completely honest: Old. White. Men. After meeting with the dozens of arts leaders I quickly discovered that arts policy makers are not that. Every person we met had their own drive and passion towards whatever art form or organization they were working with whether it be a museum or a theater company, and in many cases did not have a political agenda in the slightest. I wish I could give a more concrete definition of what I think Democracy and the Arts means, but if I’m being honest, I’m still trying to figure it out myself. To each person/ organization that we met with, the arts and its relationship to democracy or sometimes even politics directly contained similar ideas but in the end differed. So I guess all I can say to that is Arts & Democracy and their relationship to one another is ever changing. Whether the government is the backbone of an organization or simply just the funder of a scholarship or program or if we are speaking of democracy in terms of how to further the arts and support them, Democracy is in all aspects of the arts- even the ones you would expect or aren’t inherently obvious which is something that I have grown to understand and comprehend.
After taking this course and developing new ideas around what the Arts mean to me or how I want to keep them in my life, I’ve discovered that the arts are needed right now more than ever. People are cooped up and isolated from most things in the world, but art has the power to bring back so much joy. Just this past month I’ve been exposed to so many new forms of art that have brought light back even in this digital world. While the arts may be suffering in many ways, we have gotten to experience the ways in which it has adapted and taken new forms. There is always a way to make the arts accessible to all which is another theme that has been so prevalent in our conversations this month. So much so that it was the basis of my idea for my white paper Policy Proposal. Every person deserves access to the arts regardless of racial or socioeconomic background. STEM is so supported in all aspects of life around the world- but why aren’t the arts treated the same way when they have just as many benefits. I’m tired of hearing that the “Arts aren’t a real job” or “Art is just a hobby”. It’s time that the world embraces and supports the many benefits that the arts have to offer, and how many amazing people are out there doing everything in their power to make the Arts thrive in today’s society.
While this class has only added to my questions, I’ve gotten to further my knowledge and passion for the Arts in every form. Getting to experience this firsthand from professionals is knowledge that I will use for the rest of my life. I guess you could say that I’m grateful for the opportunity to participate in this course- and you know what? Thank you Covid for showing me new opportunities and different ways to engage with my community. And thank you professor and classmates for keeping this month as positive as possible in lew of all the hardships we are all experiencing.