This interim, while remote, was still a wild ride. Democracy and the Arts turned out to be so much more than I expected; in coursework, museum visits, information, learning, and in all of the knowledge that I gained. Although we were unable to physically travel to DC or meet each other in person, I still feel as though I improved a lot as a liberal arts student and writer in this course. Learning about how the arts affected specific communities, how democracy affected the arts, & vice versa, was a lot more intense than I had expected it to be. Learning from museum curators and DC’s local artists, we learned about the history of DC’s neighborhood murals, the unintended dangers of gentrification, block art projects to help their communities, the history and stored artifacts of the Smithsonian, and so much more that I don’t have space to list here.
We learned amazing new perspectives from DC residents who worked within the arts– not only about the work that they do at their current positions but also about the timelines of their individual career paths. It was a tiny bit worrying yet definitely reassuring to hear that most of the DC artists’ career paths had often been zigzag-like, not laid out in a straight path like movies and media sometimes make post-college out to be. My peers and I also learned that each day working within the arts is never the same as the next– As Trisha Taylor stated during our Washington Performing Arts visit on January 10th, “There is no ‘average workday’ in a job in the arts”. Pursuing a career within the arts often involves lots of flexibility, along with community work and/or government involvement.
Many of the artists we met with worked under government funding and were limited on what they could say politically, often sticking within a state of political neutrality, which I will touch more upon later. However, as a person who hopes to someday work under a museum or institution of art but is (in my personal opinion) not a fan of the corrupt structure of the US government and its law, making even the most basic human decencies into a “political issue”, working under a strict, government-funded museum would be both a dream and a hassle. I believe that many of the political topics that we touched upon with DC artists shouldn’t even be political, frankly, yet many of the artists tried to avoid speaking about these issues during our meetings. Yet, the involvement of politics & democracy within the arts is extremely vital. In my opinion, both the arts and democracy aid one another. As stated by one of the actors from Verbal Gymnastics Theater (John A Johnson, I believe?) during our zoom session on January 26th, “Art is an important aspect of [the human experience] and can be found within every culture…”. Democratically, I believe we must create, view, and/or support the arts and help them thrive, as it will help American art and culture overall.
Touching upon “political” neutrality within government-funded fine arts programs, some speakers we met with this month (ex: the Arts Access Panel from the Kennedy Center) did not want to speak about controversial issues, stating that “…[we] try to remain politically neutral”. While I understand sometimes this can mean this arts institution cannot endorse a particular political candidate, it is ridiculous to try to be “politically neutral” during these times– during a global pandemic. However, some fine art institutions contrast this political aversion, such as shown during our virtual meeting with the National Museum of African-American History and Culture (which tackles the racist, unjust beginnings of America through the stories of one of their most marginalized groups). This branch of the established Smithsonian Institution rightfully does not remain politically neutral, and these government funds offer African-Americans a platform to tell their history of oppression and culture through fine arts exhibitions.
After taking this course, I hope to be more active in voicing my concerns and possible improvements from communities that I belong to, more specifically, the St Olaf Studio Art Department, the St Olaf Theater Department, the student-run theater groups on campus (ex: Red Brick Theater Company), or even the St Olaf Music Department. Diversity is often ignored or not paid enough attention to within St Olaf, and when it is during rare moments, the actions the administration performs come off as performative (ex: the required “diversity training” for students). Additionally, I was thinking that after this course has ended, I may take my finished policy proposal to the SGA’s Ole Tank event: an event where students can propose ideas to improve campus, as their Capital Improvements Fund has $50,000 to spend on improving our community. They are in need of ideas, and I aim to make our campus feel more welcoming towards students of color looking to be involved within the Music Department. I truly would like to see some changes within the Music department in respect to arts policy at the St Olaf community level.
Last but not least, I would also like to add that this course helped me realize how many opportunities I’m given at St Olaf to impact our community for the better– after hearing the stories of improvement, creativity, and community from our virtual visits. By connecting communities with accessible fine arts, it is the first step to improving the communities themselves. I also want to acknowledge that democracy is almost everywhere within the creation of the arts. Ultimately, democracy equals equal representation, participation, and creation within the arts. Democracy was in every institution we virtually interviewed in different forms– with a focus either on accessibility, representation, affordability, or celebration of arts and culture within policy-making. While confusing and complicated at first, this course has eventually shown democracy & the arts to be a building block for communities and a staple for cultures everywhere. I am truly grateful to have expanded my horizons and knowledge much further this interim with the help of Prof. Epstein, my peers, and all of the fine arts professionals we were lucky to meet with during these hectic times. As I’m logging off, I hope everyone has good luck with their policy proposals– this is our last push towards our own individual contributions to democracy within the fine arts!