Support The Arts!

On Wedesday night I attended a lecture with guest speaker Blithe Riley.  Riley is an artist and activist who has been heavily involved with the Occupy Wall Street movement, as well as multiple branches off of that movement.  I found her lecture to be very enlightening and educating.  It may sound naïve, but I was completely unaware of how greatly involved New York artists were, and many still today, with the Occupy Wall Street movement.  I left the lecture with so much more knowledge of the art world and what people are trying to do to fix the problems within it.  I was completely unaware of so many of the things that she discussed, like Sotheby’s record profits during a recession and how they locked out 42 of their art handlers/teamsters.  I was incredibly grateful to be able to listen to Riley speak and educate us on art and activism.    

Riley spoke a great deal about the Arts & Labor group, who operates from the Occupy Wall Street movement.  On their website they say, “Arts & Labor is a working group… We are artists and interns, writers and educators, art handlers and designers, administrators, curators, assistants, and students.  We are all art works and members of the 99%.  Arts & Labor is dedicated to exposing and rectifying economic inequalities and exploitative working conditions in our fields through direct action and educational initiatives.”  After perusing their website, I must admit that I am thoroughly impressed by this organization.  They have really taken it upon themselves to unify and fight for people in the art world.  I admire that this organization is educating themselves, as well as other art workers, in order to be able to intelligently fight for the rights of all art workers.  They want us (I include myself in the category because I am an art history graduate student) to be paid for our work, whether it is internships, exhibitions, or writing.  Arts & Labor wants their ideas to be shared and for solidarity to be built among art communities all over the nation.  They encourage people to meet together, to speak their minds about problems and potential solutions, and to educate themselves as well as each other.    

I think that this organization and their beliefs are so important to the art world.  There are so many artists, interns, students, teachers, etc who are not supported or paid for the work that they are doing.  It is important for us to stick together and work as one for the greater good.  Perhaps by doing so, we can take art away from the “cultural elite” and bring it back to the people.  She reminded us in her presentation that the arts should be free for all; it should not just be for those who can afford it.  I believe that the arts need to be brought back into our lives, and the place to do that is in our schools.  Children need to be challenged and allowed to express themselves creatively from a young age.  If it were not for the fact that my school county had a magnet program called the Center for the Humanities where we studied the arts, I would not have found my love for art history.  I would probably be suffering my way through medical school (if I could have gotten in) because that is what my parents suggested I do. 

All of this talk of activism in the art world is good, but the ideas need to be acted upon.  And without the support from our government, we will never see the necessary changes.  I would like to hear a political candidate talk about supporting the arts.  I realize that politicians have an endless number of things that they should support, but the arts are a huge part of our daily life and culture.  I would like to see one of them say that they believe in and support the things that Arts & Labor or other organizations like them stand for.  I would vote for that candidate.   

Visit their website! 

http://artsandlabor.org/