Not a submission, just wanna say, love the post you wrote in response to the Beyonce line. Many people act as if art education is less rigorous than other majors, but being in the thick of it at the moment, these are the types of issues that are discussed all day in depth. I’m not sure why people think artists should shy away from political and social issues; this scares me. Especially since Beyonce is such a product of the capitalist forces of entertainment: pop music. I do think one of the best things about feminism is that it is a pluralistic movement (as opposed to male-dominated, hegemonic movements often accompanied with a manifesto or constitution), which is another way to say that there as many types of feminists as there are women, and their own lived experiences form their socio-political identity in the public sphere.Â
Anyways this is one of my absolute favorite blogs, for the witty commentary, institutional critique blogging, and sometimes bullshit that is art school, and I also love hearing your political views as well.Â
Aww shucks, y’all gonna make me blush! This was sent to me a few weeks ago by 36negatives, and I apologize for the late posting - I’ve been traveling some and am catching up on correspondence.Â
It’s really great to hear that others are as involved in this discourse as I hope them to be. This ongoing divide between art and social issues - a divide that is knowingly perpetuated by the market - really is dangerous and I’m glad that others see the need for shades of grey. I’ve been thinking a lot about this in the past couple days especially - there’s an article in the September issue of ArtForum that talks about Carrie Mae Weems*, lamenting that she was pushed to the back of the Guggenheim’s secondary galleries during her mini-retrospective there, with no other major New York museum giving her space, despite a 30+ year career and a recent MacArthur “genius” grant.
All of that to say, these issues are alive and well, and pervade in every crack of society. They exist despite whether or not New York or the market or the tastemakers that curate contemporary culture into mass consumption want to address them. Stating the obvious, I know. And that doesn’t even touch the aspects of entertainment and the gatekeepers of that devastatingly far-reaching impact. Yet it’s the exposure and the conversation around them that help expand the current dialog and dismantle the institutions that harbor such notions. I’m really glad, in whatever small way, that this blog or my words can add to the chipping away of that.
Anyway. Y’all should check out 36negatives. Some really great work there. And I always welcome feedback and conversation. Please feel free to send messages or submissions!
*this article in ArtForum will be available to the public starting November 1st, 2014. If you’re already a subscriber, you can log in to read. It’s worth it.Â
