A CALL TO ARMS -- AND LEGS AND PEN AND BRUSH AND CAMERA

I thought all the bad news would be behind us in 2021. But here I am writing again about what is going on in our country from an artist's perspective, instead of writing about color-mixing, or collecting art, or... anything else. This is now becoming a long slog through a dark night. The pandemic has become the ever-threatening background crisis to the ongoing chaos of a political crisis -- there is no place to rest.

As an artist, I have my viewpoint about what is happening within our country and it has to do with culture. Over the length of the Trump presidency there has been a an ever-growing list of complaints from his followers. It started with Colin Kaepernick's kneeling during the national anthem. People claimed that he was disrespecting the flag. These same people then complained that others didn't support the police. They complained that others weren't patriotic for this reason and that reason. They concluded that everyone else was a Socialist wanting to give all their money away to undeserving people. But, eventually, they flipped on all of these complaints. They gave away billions of dollars to people who didn't need it. Since Keapernick, they have introduced all kinds of flags that represent them: Blue Line, Confederate, 3%, and on and on. When the police have tried to create peace and stop or redirect them, they have turned on the them.

There has been one complaint they haven't flipped on. The only consistent complaint has been about a culture of plurality that is taking over the country. They have not flipped and suddenly embraced people of color or people of a different sexual orientation, or even the diverse experiences of women. As our country's population continues to become more diverse, it is only natural that our culture would diversify. It is only natural to expect that the rights and privileges written in our nation's defining documents should apply to all citizens of this nation. But it hasn't always been this way for all citizens. One group of citizens has benefited more than others, have had their rights upheld and opportunities extended beyond those of others, often through threat of violence. They have come to believe that their culture is the true American culture. But the lie to that assumption is becoming obvious. America is not about any one culture but is about the idea of the equity of rights and responsibilities.

As an artist, I welcome a diversity of cultures. I enjoy that our cities and rural areas represent different cultures, become known for those cultures and provide opportunities for education, entertainment and engagement in a variety of forms. I want diverse restaurants. I want diverse theaters. I want every person to have an opportunity to share their story and be heard. I am happy to get to know my neighbors and my fellow citizens. We all deserve to build our culture in peace and security.

There has been much written about the emotional make-up of those who view themselves as victims while bullying others. There has been much written about the toxic mix of men, guns and God, those who justify acting on their anger and greed while blaming others. But I still can't help but believe that most people can be called to a culture that lifts up and values everyone. Right now, that is drowned out in these people's lives by the lies of manipulators and those who are devoid of compassion. Art can be the means to share a different message -- it always has been. It can be a message of hope but also a message of a practical openness, of observing one's environment without prejudgement. Good art shares a view of people without the filters and facades. I truly do believe that art can change the world within a person, which means it can change the world of our broader community.

But this doesn't come easy. For the artist to reach that tipping-point of humanity in others, the artist has to do hard internal work and log years of practicing their craft. The best make our humanity easy to feel and understand, as if it is simple for them to do. But it is not easy. As artists, the time is here to up our game, to focus even harder on reaching people through our work. A time to make people cry, make them gasp, make their hearts swell from beauty, and put a lump of recognition in their throats. It is art that captures the universal in the mundane, that holds a mirror to our soul that reflects all souls. Art makes individuals experience intimacy as a group revealing the small internal moments that can cascade across a nation. It is art that inspires us to be better, to love more, to care more, to be as fully human and humane as we can possibly be. This is a call to arms...and legs, and pen and brush and camera and brain and heart. A call to work together to be better more effective artists. For in the act of coming together to become better artists, society becomes a better place for all.