ART
The
Power of Art In Society
All
societies and cultures have limits on what is acceptable behavior and what is
allowable in the way of personal expression, yet the arts remain a relatively
free space in which to create more complicated forms of public interaction.
The world is open to integration and interpretation more than ever before and
the effect that art has on us as individuals and as a society is now reaching
beyond the borders of any given culture. Mass communication -- via
television, the Internet, and cinema, along with cultural syncretism and
networking between nations and even continents-- has enabled us as human
beings to see beyond ourselves and our own boundaries. Art can have an impact
on consciousness. It allows for ways of looking at and thinking about life
that may not be tolerated in the social and political paradigm of a given
society, and this freedom to converse and reflect allows artists to bring
public attention to areas of concern. Art and artists can - and do - make
contributions that help focus awareness on needed social changes. This is not
to say that art is highly effective as a mode of direct political action. It
isn't! It functions best as a site where personal critical consciousness can
be developed, and is one area where the preconditions of direct political
involvement are formed. To see art not as a product but as a process of value
finding, is a currently new evaluation of aesthetic effect.
Photo,
below: Geopoliticus Child Watching the Birth of the New Man. Salvador Dali.
1943
Recent
art theory and criticism reflects a shift of emphasis from the object to the
experience of the viewer. In the past, the object always fit into theoretical
emphasis and formal content. Now there is a suggestion that art can, through
intimate identification, create empathy. This means art that challenges the
viewer not just visually or through the intellect, but through their whole
emotional, spiritual, ethical, intuitive and psychological being. To find
empathy, requires us to reach beyond our differences to a point of shared
humanity. Art communicates on a much deeper level than the written word and
can challenge and encourage critical thinking. Certain types of art can also
be used to build awareness within a society about given issues, but it must do
so from a place of affinity for, and with, the viewer. Art that empowers the
viewer immerses both the artist and the audience in a conversation where
subjectivity is tested, and agreement sought. It requires artwork that
respects the personal dimensions of resistance to transformation that each of
us has and which can help build community by presenting shared experiences
(including difficulties or suffering) in such a way that empathy for self and
others is created. Empathy begins with the self reaching out to another self,
an underlying dynamic of feeling that becomes the source of activism. As an
artist who addresses issues regarding children, I have often reflected on how
my work relates to the idea of "artist as activist." My intention in my
creative process is to catch attention by creating a visual dialog that the
viewer can intimately identify with, and the challenge for me, as an artist,
is to go beyond the internal barriers that separate us from each other. What I
want is for my art to act as a "reflection of self" in such a way that it
awakens a glimmer of understanding and compassion both for the "child within"
and, by extension, for children everywhere. I approach my work not as a
politician, or as a social worker, but only as a mother, and an artist
interested in drawing attention to children's issues.
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