To: Artists, Peace-Builders, and Small Family Foundations
Some of us in the creative community seek to build coalition with legacy groups, and younger people's leadership groups on matters of American and global culture and their intersection with American legislative, corporate, and judicial actions. This group explores how we creative peoples find our voices to discuss, decide and act together in the interests of advancing an appropriate American and global culture that embraces incrementally more of us in a rapidly changing geo-economic and geo-political world.
Melvin Hardy Wed 18 Dec 2013 4:14PM
I contend that a preponderance of artists across the spectrum of art and image-making produce works and cultural material (visual, literary, musical, performance) that contribute to the investigation of human values appropriate to their reference body politic. Often, the works challenge the status quo of contemporary civil society structures and rises to the level of high art, civil commentary, and social narrative (not propaganda). To what extent might we view the work as curatorially significant and worthy of more currency in the museum and gallery community?
The recent showings of Kerry James Marshall at the National Gallery of Art, the permanent installation of Judy Chicago's Dinner Party and Wangechi Mutu's Fantastic Journey at the Brooklyn Museum, Hank Willis Thomas's Question Bridge at Jack Shainman, and Dred Scott at Radical Presence NY, all speak to the prowess of political and social change art in curatorial discourse. But what about the rest of us...and what about you? Celebrated Washington Gallerist Charles Krause presents the work of KM Radich whose "Assemblages Take Aim At The NRA", a decidedly assertive appeal to have an American electorate investigate the impact of the NRA on our legislatures, and on the American psyche.
How do we act in the context of these realities? What support exists to have us pursue our creative work that might have real impact on the betterment of the lives of our audiences and constituents?
Melvin Hardy · Tue 17 Dec 2013 11:27AM
I am inviting an initial group of my practitioner arts and humanities colleagues to join the discussion. This group is undergirded by the principles of civil discussion, leading to collegial decision making, and pathing to effective action in our interests and the interests of our colleagues and friends. Please be welcomed.