Broken
Sunday, 22. December 2019 22:24
America, it would seem, is broken. Every day there is another headline about this or that being broken. It’s to the point that there seems to be nothing that isn’t broken. Here are just a few examples:
- The drug recall system is broken.
- The foster care system is broken.
- Our government is broken.
- Our political system is broken.
- Our criminal justice system is broken.
- America’s asylum system is broken.
- America’s legal immigration system is broken.
- The FBI is broken.
- The US intelligence community is broken.
- America’s campaign finance system is broken.
- Obamacare is broken.
- The U.S. tax system is broken.
- American education is broken.
But these are all political and social systems. We in the arts may or may not be interested in those programs. We should, however, be interested in the following list.
- The art world is broken.
- How we teach literature is broken.
- The Nobel Prize is broken.
- The music industry is broken.
- The theatrical mode for “smaller” films is broken.
While American theatre in not classified as “broken,” it might as well be. In most locations, professional theatre, if it exists, is far from affordable, thus there are websites like BroadwayForBrokePeople.com, which doesn’t secure inexpensive seats, but does provide links to digital ticket lotteries.
For those of us in the arts who do not work on Broadway or have our work auctioned by the big New York auction houses, things sometimes appear to be broken on our level as well. It is difficult to find representation, or paying gigs, or gallery space, or win at the crap-shoot that is the juried show system, or just sell a piece now and then.
The point, of course, is that everything seems to be broken. No matter where we turn, this system or that industry or program is broken. For example, just a couple of days ago, the Wall Street Journal announced that clothing sizes are broken. Clothing sizes! What’s next?
A better question might be, “What’s not broken?” And the answer is “creativity and art-making.” Neither of these is broken. In fact, it’s a good time for those of us who are creative and interested in making art. There is an abundance of material about and from which we can create. And there are people who are interested in what we do, even if they can’t afford to purchase our work. And performers can find outlets; even if they are non-paying or low-paying ones, still they exist.
And while some systems and programs that impact us are broken, the one that is our primary outlet is not. We can still produce art; we can make things; we can perform; we can create. We need to remember that even though giving birth to works of art can sometimes be painful, it is also a great joy. And we need to remind ourselves that we have the power to present a point of view, the power to share our ideas and feelings, the power to make people feel, the power to change minds, the power to change lives. Art itself is not broken, and never will be. And that is something to celebrate!
Category:Creativity | Comment (0) | Author: Jay Burton