Something I struggle with daily

      What is the role of the artist in our society?  Ask this question to different people and you will learn about individual ideology, actual intellect, as well as a bit about class and education.  Of course there is “not really a correct answer to the question” although historically groups of artists argued for their ways of thinking as being the only art of the time.  Scholars and critics have come in to attempt to redefine art as the lens of interpretation, and of course the collector or patron who use their money and influence to direct and create their own definitions.     

Why does this even matter as most people I believe view art as something merely decorative created by grand eccentrics or meek introverts who only really have the ability to be an “artist.” This might be true in some ways but this is due to a mass interpretation heavy-handed to us with our historic paradigms of Oligarchic control.  As many know over recent years, probably 40 or so, there has been a real attempt by one side to try to erase thousands of years of history and on the other side to continue pushing the commodity fetish power structure side of things.  With socially engaged and culturally conscious people representing a voice of the avant-garde, where their art is no longer 'art' but something all together different and past the notion of cultural production.  And then there's the other side filled with glitter and jet setting events.

With all of this push and pull it’s more a power struggle of ideology and sadly it’s very often not about the work or what the work is about.  It's more a combination of who fits the profile of the archetype of the projected audience and a moment of social networking perceived to be beneficial by the organizer.  This happens at every level from galley to museum, residency to grant recipient and textbook to blog.  On top of all of this there is the middle ground containing the majority of people and this is an unbelievably gray space.  This is because the taking from both extremes happens here making it very difficult to navigate the real from the fake the truly invested or those merely looking for a sound investment.  What happens is it becomes a popularity contest on both sides of the middle and these people start to define public consciousness of art.