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Even as children, Americans are assured that they hold the power to make a difference in society. Whether it be donating money to various charities, raising awareness for a worthy cause, dropping off used clothing at a local Salvation Army store, signing petitions, donating blood or internal organs, attending charity walks or "walks for the cure," adopting homeless animals or a highway, spending time with a child, volunteering, or even simply giving a few dollars to a homeless man on one's morning commute, any individual can make a positive impact on a community and thus, the face of humanity.
One of the most influential means of positively influencing a community as well as stimulating a sense of universal unification and independence is through the use of art. Art has been one of the most primitive philosophical and developmental resources for mankind yet it is simultaneously the most significant. From the ancient cave paintings of Lascaux, France, to Robert Indiana's iconic "LOVE" sculpture in Philadelphia, art has always carried a universal message which seems to break all boundaries of language and customs.
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Art has reformed entire communities around the world from the ground up, fighting poverty, discrimination and crime whilst improving education and the economy. However, one must wonder, how is art used to positively impact communities? Art is used by non-profit organizations and individuals alike to positively impact communities in many ways including public art contributions, art education, community projects, parks and recreation programs, non-profit organizations, urban art, and art museums.
Prior to the late 1400s, art has been, for the most part, a means of expressing religious views and establishing divine ascendancy rather than to be aesthetically appealing, and thus, lacked creativity and sophistication.
However, as of the late 1400s, many of the dignified men of Europe had started experimenting with different techniques of creating art and making it realistic.
Eventually, these new techniques led to some key historical revolutions and advancements in not only the arts but in science, philosophy, religion, government, literature, society and culture which would change the face of the western world radically. Art had a seemingly third dimensional look and feel and it was used for many purposes rather than religion. Artists studied anatomy, to improve their paintings of the human body and botany to improve their paintings of flowers. Also during that era of human history, there was a renewal of classic Greco-Roman culture, literature, government, philosophies, art and humanities which all lead to Europeans placing a much stronger priority on education of humanities and arts. There were also many scientific and geographical discoveries as well including the discovery of the Americas. This era of technological and philosophical advancement is known as the "renaissance." The renaissance was one of the most important periods of mankind because it led to countless discoveries which have paved the path for the modern world.
As time moved on and the hustle and bustle of the renaissance died down, art continued to progress and spread not only into the realms of painting and other aesthetic products but also literature and poetry. It was far after the discovery of the new world and the American Revolutionary War, and new genres of literature were being made left and right. It was the Romantic era; a time when familiarized and societal customs started to be transformed from the ground up, mainly through the use of art and literature. This was the time when great writers and works were produced such as Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein", Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe's "The Sorrows of Young Werther", Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter", Victor Hugo's "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame" and Herman Melville's "Moby Dick." A large percentage of the authors, journalists, novelists, essayists and poets of the romantic era happened to be women which at the period, broke numerous gender roles and consequently made romanticism a significant cause for the feminist movement. There are many different lessons people can learn from the romantic era but one of the most overriding yet subtle lessons is that art and imagination possess the capability to stimulate imperative changes in society.
After the romantic era came to an end, the essence of independence that it produced still lingered on and artists added on to that. It was the 20th century art has started to be used in advertising and the media. New inventions and technological breakthroughs in family entertainment such as the television and radio have made way for the rise of the music industry and the glamorous golden age of Hollywood. Graphic design, film and music have become prime examples of art just like painting, sculpture, literature and poetry. The film and music industry has played such a large role in the characterization of society that even in the middle of the great depression the film industry was in its glory. Art started to diversify in the 20th century into many different forms, and within those forms it branched out into many different genres. The 1970s are a great example of this because they were a time when music was used for political purposed as well as for entertainment and thus, it became just as diverse as the opinions of the people. Various "hippy festivals" took place around the United States of America where people would listen to music and relax. Music, film and graphic design have started to shape the face of western culture drastically.
One of the most important art movements is the Harlem Renaissance; a movement from 1920-1930 during which time a group of African-Americans created a large amount of literature in the four major genres of poetry, drama, fiction and essay. According to Paul P. Reuben, Professor of English at California State University, "HR [Harlem Renaissance] was more than just a literary movement: it included racial consciousness, "the back to Africa" movement led by Marcus Garvey, racial integration, the explosion of music particularly jazz, spirituals and blues, painting, dramatic revues, and others. "[Reu11] At the time, black people were thought to be illiterate and otherwise incapable of creating such literary works thus many stereotypes were disproven when blacks started to create works of literature comparable to that of the great William Shakespeare. Great black authors such as Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Nella Larsen, Wallace Thurman, and many others flourished during the Harlem Renaissance. It was definitely a time of great literary, artistic and academic achievements in the black community which influenced the civil rights era and it showed the rest of society the impact art has on communities.
Ever since the end of the Harlem Renaissance, people in America have known that art can be used to change society and so around the country, artists have created public statues, art galleries and other forms of art for the aesthetic taste of the public. Such public art contributions give an atmosphere of prestige and honor rather than the reality of hopelessness and the incapacity for improvement. Some people who do not possess the proper respect for art will say that it only masks poverty and does nothing but make an area pretty however in reality, they are completely correct, to a certain extent. Art is based on aesthetic values and thus it absolutely does mask poverty by making urban slums more visually appealing, however, humans have an instinctive susceptibility to "think like their surroundings." For example, take two African American newborn babies, put baby A in an urban slum and put the baby B in a prestigious upper middle class home. In eighteen years, compare their everyday lives. One would expect to see baby A having become a significantly economically inferior individual in comparison to baby B and thus, feel much less "worthy of success." With that mindset, baby A will grow up believing that by living in a ghetto, he/she will never be successful and thus will never try whereas baby B, having grown up around successful people, will have more confidence in his/her own ability to become successful. It would also be possible that baby A will be associated with gangs, prostitution and/or distribution of illegal paraphernalia. In a world where public art has successfully "masked" the same slum where baby A grew up, baby A would have grown up in a more prestigious environment and therefore he/she would grow up to be somewhat prestigious himself/herself. Therefore, art has the potential to create a positive impact on many individuals and can enhance many communities exponentially.
Art is not limited to the forms of painting and music; architecture is also a form of art. Mount Rushmore, the St. Louis arch, the Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower, Burj Al Arab and even Walt Disney World's Epcot Center are amazing works of art in the form of architecture. Interestingly enough, each of the areas where these works of art reside have substantially better economies when compared to areas which don't have such works of art.
One of the most common forms of public art contributions is statuary. Statuary is the most common way in which art is used to enhance communities because of its potential to represent so many ideals and historic events. Sculpture, like canvas-based art, can be made to resemble anything, however, unlike Canvas-bases art, it is in a third dimensional form and thus it can possess even more details like depth perception. Sculpture has always been used by humans to portray events and can be traced all the way back to the ancient Egyptians, Sikhs, Mayans, Native Americans, Greeks, Mesopotamians and the Hindus. In the 60s, sculptures have branched away from religious purposes and have taken a more abstract form. There were many artists who stuck to past traditions of sculpture such as Richard Miller. Richard Miller created a famous sculpture of a nude woman reclining back on her left hand while her right hand rest below her knee. Miller himself was known among his peers as a Soho figurative artist. Figurative art in and of itself was unusual during the 1960s. Most artists of that time were concentrating on abstract works. In this way, Miller's work, like the Diane Seated, is quite different from other art of the period and could hardly be termed representative. In fact, much of the art world did not even consider Miller's work an art form. This is because his work failed to branch out and cover new ground in terms of style, subject matter, and material. Simply put, Miller was considered to be too traditional.[Chr97]
Art wouldn't be so influential without young bright minds that have been properly educated in art appreciation and art history. Art is full of symbolism and art education teaches individuals to look past the aesthetic persona of a piece of art and see the message that the artist is trying to portray. Art education is vital to enhance communities. Luckily, most public schools have art classes however; art is often one of the first things which are cut when the education budget is cut because it is not as important as math or literature. This is a very unfortunate outcome which often stems from a lack of appreciation for art. This lack of appreciation of art trickles down through future generations much like racism. If a child doesn't appreciate art, he teaches his children that art is useless and his children teaches their children that art is useless and their children teach their children that art is useless and so on. This domino effect of artistic illiteracy is a poison which halts the advancement of intellect in youth. The youth of America needs to have some form of art in their everyday curriculum.
In order to positively change communities, there needs to be some form of art which all youth can be involved in. Many organizations across America have community projects in struggling communities where everybody can join in and help. Organizations like the Pomegranate Center have helped countless communities to improve and have inspired many individual artists to go out and sponsor their own community projects. Cities like Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles and Buffalo have changed drastically in the past few decades due to community art projects and will continue to change. Community Art projects are a great way to keep youth preoccupied so that they won't end up doing drugs or joining gangs. "Animating Democracy, a program of Americans for the Arts Institute for Community Development and the Arts, fosters arts and cultural activity that encourages and enhances civic engagement and dialogue. It is based on the premise that democracy is animated when an informed public is engaged in the issues affecting people's daily lives. The arts and humanities can contribute unique programs, settings, and creative approaches that reach new and diverse participants, stimulate public dialogue about civic issues, and inspire action to make change." Lyz Crane states in an essay "As the Social Impact of the Arts Project suggests cultural participation generates a unique set of social networks, building a sense of collective efficacy within neighborhoods and building diverse links across geography, ethnicity, and social class.
Place-based social development focuses more on community engagement, on building community, social, and civic capital, and on community-wide agendas such as affordable housing and public well-being rather than on other social development agendas such as education, health, or social justice. These agendas also often focus on the changing community by exploring the history of a place, mediating tensions around identity and population changes, and engaging as many diverse voices as possible in arriving at a common vision for the future of the community. One civic sector pioneer of harnessing the community-building power of the arts is the Local Initiative Support Coalition (LISC) of Chicago, which, with a writ mandate of community development, has created the multiyear demonstration program Building Community through the Arts. These programs have encouraged dialogue on community history, diversity, and identity, in addition to incorporating arts processes and actors into neighborhood development initiatives.
For example, LISC of Chicago helped to seed the School Engagement Initiative in Humboldt Park, which paired artists and teachers around issues such as gentrification, identity, and violence. They developed murals, festivals, and other arts activity as strategies for youth development and the transformation of the community."* Milenko Matanovic, a self-described artist and executive director for the Pomegranate Center, states in one of his many yearly reviews, "These are remarkable achievements, especially in our current charged civic situation where acrimonious blaming and complaining are the norm. Our projects demonstrated that given the opportunity and under experienced leadership, people are capable of remarkable accomplishments. It is good to remember that, typically, similar projects take years of planning and unrealistic budgets. Our intensive, streamlined process unlocks a surprising amount of positive energy because the process moves quickly and people can actually see their ideas taking shape on achievable budgets that are complimented by volunteer work and in-kind donations of materials and equipment. In addition, because our projects offer an easy opportunity to deposit care and artistry, they become a stark contrast to the anger and violence that dominates the news and our public awareness. Our model works because there are so many ways for different people to be involved. But mainly it works because every neighborhood has people who have a keen awareness of how things ought to be and they jump at the chance to realize such potential. Today, when most municipalities have no resources for such projects, our model provides a powerful alternative."
One of the most influential Community art organizations is the Pomegranate Center. Founded in 1986, the Pomegranate Center is committed to enhancing communities all across America through the use of Community Art Projects. In the year 2011, the Pomegranate Center mixed four hundred and seventy three bags of cement. Placed one hundred and thirty-four thousand pounds of rocks, spread eighty-one cubic yards of soil, painted forty-five thousand dots on banner. Carved three hundred and fifty sq. feet of cedar, installed five hundred feet of paths, polished, bent and twisted five hundred feet of stainless steel flat bars, constructed forty-four benches and planted five hundred plants. The organization definitely leads by actions rather than words and it has definitely paid off as the Pomegranate Center has effectively facilitated hundreds of communities throughout the United States and around the globe to prepare for the future using collective creativity, meaningful engagement and powerful collaboration.
Ever since the popularization of social media like Facebook, YouTube and MySpace, community art projects have become much more impactful. This is due to the opportunity for community artists to utilize social media to communicate to the public about their progress in real time. As part of what GAFFTA executive director Josette Melchor calls these "standard issue tactics" and virtual "cost of entry" for organizations looking to expand their visibility and networks, she will be using Vimeo and iTunes to syndicate video content that highlights exhibitions and participating artists. "As a new media arts organization, we're excited about building collaborative and data-driven artworks that are directly informed and shaped by human data and activity," she said. "By incorporating social media into our actual art projects, we will not only be telling a compelling real-time story, but we're also working to make these projects pre-disposed to spread using the same platforms." Today, an American cannot walk to the local coffee shop without seeing signs saying "Follow us on twitter" or "Like us on Facebook!" Social Media has officially become an iconic feature of western society so it is no surprise that art has adapted to take advantage of its availability and networking capabilities.
In conclusion, the evolution of art has always been parallel to that of mankind and thus is one of the most basic tools used in advancement of mankind. Art improves not only communities but civilizations in the forms of science, technology, morality, philosophy and politics. Communities without any forms of art will crumble into utter bedlam and distortion as people will not have the sense of civility and morality which is established when art is customary. History has produced many examples of art being put to use to improve communities and it shall continue to do so for as long as there is humanity. Museums, public art, community projects and other displays of art are some of the most common methods of implementing art to improve communities but as art has no limits, neither do its applications. In other words, artists will continue to rethink the very infrastructure of art and make art delve into many other genres of media and other applications. Nobody knows the true limits to what art can truly accomplish but considering what it already has, mankind has probably only seen the beginning of it.
A Discussion on the Evolution of Art in The Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey. (2023, Apr 24). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/a-discussion-on-the-evolution-of-art-in-the-philosophy-and-opinions-of-marcus-garvey-essay
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