The democratization of art

by María Alejandra Pérez Cruz 

(6th semester Social Communication and Journalism Faculty, Democracy, Citizenship and Education elective)

To be perfectly honest I am absolutely scared of how this paper/reflection will turn out, well, not scared of it itself, but scared that my opinions and reflections will not be understandable. I start this with notes by my side, an idea in my head but perfectly knowing myself and how much I tend to think and to ramble around the things that amaze me, scare me, sadden me and just make me wonder. I honestly think this introduction is already going off-topic and coming off as tangled and complicated, but I wanted to warn you that my ideas and perspectives are quite a lot, I tend to contradict and debate myself even though I am not that illiterate about this topic. At least I am passionate, and I hope that is somehow enough. I hope this is not boring for you!

Now, thinking about what to write was complicated at first, I thought of starting with something close to me and my experiences that are the LGBT+ rights and the issues that revolve around gender, then I considered consumerism and how capitalism and communism are terrible ideas, I also thought about this recent fascination I got with anarchy and maybe how it could work (which has nothing and everything to do with democracy). But in the end, Paul’s chat [Paul Stewart, guest speaker in the elective] ended up captivating me and creating endless questions in my head which I will present here although I’m not sure I can promise an answer to all of them.

How art has been taken away from us

Who is art for? This is an actual question that many people think has a simple answer, but nothing is farther from the truth. Personally, I think this question should not even exist. I consider art is made for everyone, yet not many people believe this. For most people, art is something that belongs in museums, something kept from the rest of the world in crystal cases. Art is pretty, historical, expensive, aristocratic, just for “educated” people, just for the ones who “get it”. We have a distant concept of art, of what “true” art means and it ends up meaning that art is something exclusive when it should not be.

The truth is that we are never educated in the importance of art in our lives. As adults we even think of it as something childish or something that is “only meant for artists or creative people”; it is often dismissed as unimportant and vain. We are taught that those are pretty things, yet not actually valuable. Kids everywhere around the world are discouraged when they say they want to pursue a career in the arts, and as adults are ashamed of doing so.

So, art is either something extremely valuable that we cannot touch or something vain and stupid that is not worthy of our attention. Both problems end up in people believing that art has nothing to do with them, and in this context we can establish that art is not a democratized concept. Is that a problem? Yes, a big one, I think.

What art “truly” means

What is art and who is it for? People who are very important in this area might say that art is not for everyone, people like art critics or high caliber artists could say that art is not something everyone can do or understand. Thoughts like these reinforce the idea that art just belongs in museums and that it only concerns a very specific part of society.

Now, why is this a big problem? First, let’s quickly look at some definitions of the word art. The fourth definition of the Merriam-Webster dictionary says: “the conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects''. The Lexico dictionary, powered by Oxford, offers this definition: “The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power”. I personally like the second one better. Art is a complicated word to define because it involves something as complex and powerful as the human soul and its emotion.

From that point it is important to explain that effectively, the art is human itself, and it concerns every human from an almost natural instinct. We react to everything that moves us from the interior, just like art usually does. Art carries a message, a message that is not related to how cultured we are: it has to do with how our soul reacts to it.

So is art only for certain people when it has so much to do with our inner self and our most human part?

Why art should be democratized

Should art be taught at schools, at home, in universities, in the streets? I think yes, it should be everywhere, not only with a design/aesthetic purpose. As I said before, art has so much to do with our inner self, so it connects with our sensitivity to the greatest degree.

Art makes us sensitive.

We get more empathic and thoughtful when we connect with our sensitive selves. We become more human, dare I say. That is why we need to normalize and spread the concept of art. Art has power, as a message, as an opinion, as a collective thought, and as a humanizer. Art makes us thoughtful and compassionate, and shouldn’t something like that is taught everywhere and be accessible for all of us?

An individual process took to democratic action

Paul struck me with a matter that took me by surprise. He said, “can art be really democratic when it comes as a result of an individual process?”. I didn’t understand at first, then I got it. The problem is that art is something normally done by individuals. Of course, there are projects made by several people, but it is still a common thing that art is done by one person. So, how democratic is something done by someone by themselves?

It is funny because lately I have been thinking about the role of the individual in a democratic society. I think that in the end, we are all individuals trying to get along and figuring out what is best for everyone.

Being aware of us as individuals is important for everyone else. When we think of ourselves as important, when we recognize our rights, we get to see ourselves reflected in others. Just like the topic of sensitivity and how art makes us more sensitive, this being applied to us as individuals is important. We get recognized, by ourselves and by others, and that has the power to encourage us to work for that, for us and for a community.

In that moment I was at a loss of time and words talking with Paul, but now I recognize that individuality is not an antonym of democracy, it is an important part of it.

Art as a political intention

One of the most important aspects of art is the potential to convey a message. Art is a powerful vehicle of significance, and it is usually used by individuals so it can spread information, or educate about a topic, even make people uncomfortable, because art is not always meant to be pretty and appealing, the intention goes beyond and tries to connect with a feeling, and the power that holds is immeasurable.

Here in Colombia many artists use their work to convey political and powerful messages like Doris Salcedo. Not only her but many graffiti artists in the streets of the city who try to claim their culture, to expose their stories, to expose their problems; ot also musicians that express the struggle, the unfairness, the beauty and the claim for change in their songs and compositions; there are also amazing writers poets that display in their verses the truths that many are afraid to say out loud, or that will reach places far away from home carrying this power and this intention. Artisans that preserve and live from their culture, spreading their art to the rest of the country. Children that learn about their history, about their communities through these expressions.

Art is a very powerful tool to carry emotion and to end up in something bigger, in something collective, in a place to learn and to feed.

For communities

We can also consider art as a preserver and a claimer. I think that everyone should be able to share their wonderful work into the world for everyone to admire, especially when this brings a spotlight to those communities that are often dismissed as unimportant or worthless.

Art is an eternal story-teller for the future generations, for people to be reminded of their roots, of their place of origin and of what is worth preserving in this world that keeps running forward. Art has a special ability to save in time all that sometimes we want but shouldn’t forget.

Also, art should be a very important part of education. Regardless of the age and of the career, everyone should learn about art and about the importance of keeping it alive inside of us. If we start teaching children about this, about how art can be their most effective and powerful, not weapon, but tool, they will develop this special care for themselves, for their emotions, for their history and for others.

How to take action

How can we give art the place it deserves among us? I think it would be important to start at home. Right now I’m thinking of my little cousin, and how much I value technology and its potential, but how much I want him to get his hands dirty with some paint, how amused he gets with colors and how great it is that his parents are musicians and that he’s constantly trying to play some instruments with them. Every kid should be like that.

We can start encouraging people to be creative, to learn how it is impossible to make mistakes when it comes to art. Kids who like to draw, to paint, to sing, to sew should be proud of it instead of thinking it is a worthless ability that won’t be worth it in the future. Sure, I think that art should not only exist in museums, but I think they are highly valuable places that everyone should know and visit. We should go to museums and support independent art. We can help someone by telling them how good their art is, we can teach how a piece can be for everyone, we can support our movements with art.

 

I think there are many things we can do with art and for art, because in the end art is something almost natural to humans, we should embrace it and use it, we should all have access to its power and beauty.