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The arts during times of crisis

This week we will be examining the role of art in a time of crisis.

This photograph shows a collage posted on a public tiled wall. It uses a fragment of one of Diego Rivera's mural paintings where a group of soldiers are trying to stop a mass of people on the streets. In this extract a soldier is trying to stop a couple with his sword. The man is dressed in blue dungarees, white shirt and a cap. The woman is holding a crying baby and pushing the soldier with her right hand. Between them there is a cut-out of a modern barrier. Covering part of the man are the initials OWS on a white paper and a 99% sign. On the right of the poster there is a vertical strip of paper with some text.

Task 10

Reading

Schmidt Campbell, M (2006). "The Role of the Arts in a Time of Crisis" Artistic Citizenship: A Public Voice for the Arts. Eds. Mary Schmidt Campbell and Randy Martin. New York: Routledge, pp. 23-32.

Read this text and answer the question below.

1

Defining crisis

According to the author, what exactly is a time of crisis?

The authors speak about the ongoing cultural wars in the United States and the role that artists have in addressing this crisis through their work.Check your answer

Reflection

Now think of responses to the following questions.

2

Current crises

Although written from a US perspective and right after the attack on the World Trade Center, without a doubt we are still in a time of crisis in 2012. What are some of the crises that current UK (and world) citizens face?

Some examples of current crises are:

  • Austerity cuts and their impact on the arts.
  • Rise in fees for education.
  • Lack of varied employment opportunities.
  • Continued disenfranchisement of the working class.
  • Environmental catastrophe.
  • Global debt.
  • Overpopulation.
  • Sustainability of resources.
  • Clean water.
  • Racism, Sexism, Homophobia.

You might have thought of others.

Check your answer

3

The function of art

In your view, what can the arts do during a time of crisis?

This is an open response but you might say something about how art allows for conversations and commentaries to occur about the state of the world. It is through the creation of discourse about a specific issue and its representation in the arts, that art can effect change.Check your answer

Viewing

Watch the TED Talk Can art change the world? (24:09 mins) (opens in a new window) from 2011 by JR to see an example of how some artists are trying to change the world.

Forum

Find on the internet a newspaper or magazine article about a specific global problem. Go to the discussion forum "Problems and artistic solutions" and post a link to the article and your answers to the following questions. Comment on at least one post from another student.

  • What did you learn from this article that you did not know before?
  • What can you do to help? Like JR's idea, can you come up with something that can help draw attention to the problem and an artistic way of drawing the attention?