Through non-violent resistance, like Gandhi's Salt Marches and Martin Luther King's Montgomery Bus Boycotts, the oppressed can develop a voice outside of the ruling class and then act from with in to make a change. It is important the people are organized to prioritize experiencing over and their monetary concerns. The greatest difficulty in making change is the resistance, both from the societal leaders and lawmakers. The greater the resistance, the more totalitarian the controlling order becomes. It will exist in this fashion until it is finally changed.
The greatest threat that humanity faces today is not the Iraq War, global climate change, religious zealotry and, believe it or not, the current United States president. No, the greatest threat is a cynical, disenfranchised public that is afraid to speak. The power of the citizen to speak freely has been usurped by the priorities of the private investor and classicist political machine.
Without an empowered and active public voice American Democracy is nothing more than an idealized commodity. Freedom isn't free, right? But freedom is not gained through supporting an unjust war, purchasing offset carbon credits, giving to the church of choice, flag waving or simply casting a ballot. Freedom is gained by the activation of the individual's voice as the result of stepping outside the societal matrix. When people speak, communities are formed and issues like the Iraq War and global climate change can be overcome.
Community makes the difference, it has the ability to foster an environment that empowers people enact change. I believe that there is no better way to get people involved than through community art making, where people gather to share in focused creativity, discussion and socialization. It is through community art making that the seeds for a cultural change will stem. Everyday people are turning from their normal routines to seek experiences that are more fulfilling. Community art makers need to step up to answer this call. They need to hit the streets, parks, beaches, commerce centers, schools and prisons to help activate the voices of the oppressed and inactive. This is the goal of my art making processes.
This question of how to use art to get people to step outside their normal routine and to learn by having a disruption to their reality is very important when considering the role of the artist as being apart of a cultural catalyst, in this case the change is the activation of the individuals voice. With an activated public, it is possible to create great paradigm changes.
The greatest threat that humanity faces today is not the Iraq War, global climate change, religious zealotry and, believe it or not, the current United States president. No, the greatest threat is a cynical, disenfranchised public that is afraid to speak. The power of the citizen to speak freely has been usurped by the priorities of the private investor and classicist political machine.
Without an empowered and active public voice American Democracy is nothing more than an idealized commodity. Freedom isn't free, right? But freedom is not gained through supporting an unjust war, purchasing offset carbon credits, giving to the church of choice, flag waving or simply casting a ballot. Freedom is gained by the activation of the individual's voice as the result of stepping outside the societal matrix. When people speak, communities are formed and issues like the Iraq War and global climate change can be overcome.
Community makes the difference, it has the ability to foster an environment that empowers people enact change. I believe that there is no better way to get people involved than through community art making, where people gather to share in focused creativity, discussion and socialization. It is through community art making that the seeds for a cultural change will stem. Everyday people are turning from their normal routines to seek experiences that are more fulfilling. Community art makers need to step up to answer this call. They need to hit the streets, parks, beaches, commerce centers, schools and prisons to help activate the voices of the oppressed and inactive. This is the goal of my art making processes.
This question of how to use art to get people to step outside their normal routine and to learn by having a disruption to their reality is very important when considering the role of the artist as being apart of a cultural catalyst, in this case the change is the activation of the individuals voice. With an activated public, it is possible to create great paradigm changes.
