...Upending Paradigms: Part 3

What is this thing, Art? It is a particular way any given human being (or community) sees the world. It is their filter for Being. It is a summation of their worldview, their ideology. Art is often used to create group cohesion, or it can be used to challenge social views. Like any kind of human convention, art can be used to maintain the status quo or it can be used to subvert social norms:

Witness the huge recent ideological shift in Brazil. Traditionally Catholic country, it has recently shrugged off papal dictates for contraception and now its women are having fewer (or no) children (see "Brazil's Girl Power"). They are experiencing an economic and educational boom like never before. How did this happen? Economists and demographers have pointed to several factors, not the least of which is the female population's recent interest in televised "soap operas". The stories feature independent Brazilian women with small families, making their way in business or other successful economic ventures, replete with modern sexual relationships-- much to the chagrin of Catholic authorities.   

The anti-war songs of the 60s peaceniks like Neil Young , Bob Dylan, were powerful; protesters were fortified and buoyed by the music scene and successfully agitated to end the war by Nixon's presidency. A  similar event in the music genre occurred after 9/11. There were lots of catchy militaristic songs for killing the bad guy, songs for /about soldiers-- particularly within the country-western genre. People wanted to be fired up about their ideology and felt justified waging a war of retribution against the non-western, non-Christian. When the Germans attacked and sunk the Lusitania in WWI, or the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, artists created war propaganda posters and enlistment rose. Women were encouraged to "enlist" in helpful ways by seeking jobs in munitions factories and planting "victory" gardens. Rosie the Riveter was thus born.  Art and stories are powerful forms for social upheaval and can be used for peaceful or warlike ends.

 And what was it about Star Trek that inspired a whole generation of kids to become scientists, computer geeks, and social activists in the hope of creating a shiny modern world that was free of xenophobia and other institutionalized forms of classism? Art and stories possess the ability to unify and inspire people to action.

Art is irrepressible. Anyone can do it; it is democratized by virtue of its accessibility to any and all who want to access it. Some will employ it more effectively than others, but it remains a powerful tool for communication.   

To many in our audiences, Art simply functions as a pretty thing with which to decorate the walls. To others, it is about aggrandizing a collector’s vanity, or it comprises the bulk of their soft-porn collection.  But Art is—can be—so much, much more than a narcissistic pursuit. Art is the signpost by which we understand what is happening in our culture. We, as artists, are conduits that channel and synthesize the meaning within our world. However, since we cannot single-handedly change culture-- it is too big, too wide, and has too much information-- we can contend ourselves with being a part of a flow of shared information. Which flow we choose to associate ourselves with is the question: Are we perpetuating the dominant cultural paradigm that abets power and privilege, or are we going against the flow? Are we naturalizing the oppression of others by making it look beautiful? Are we in financial bed with institutions that undercut our political and personal freedoms? Or do we understand that we need to be creating signs and images that point out the danger and offer alternative ways of seeing and Being?  Are we aware of how powerful this form of communication really is?