Burnaway

Carolyn Rose Milner, Art Institute of Atlanta, and BURNWAY board member
“True art, art that comes from the center of a people, from their very core,  is inherently political.”  Beverly Smith
Photos of terrorism, photos of lynchings, photos of starving children are all studied with great fascination in any basic History of Photography class. Photography itself had to fight a battle to even be considered art. The Art of Photography can bring the viewer to a very realistic place of understanding the power of the political machine. In the past week, the arena of photography has given us a murky idea of what we have become as Americans: terrible hypocrites. We believe we have stood for honesty and family value. We believe we stand for tolerance of religion. We are all proud of our ethnic pasts. Our family pictures are framed and put in the centers of our homes. What are the pictures we have seen of the leaders of our country now? Are they family friendly? are they tolerant? Are they filled with spiritual peace or are they divisive, soft pornography, bullying, misogynist? The photo does not lie. Neither does art.

Craig Dongoski, artist, Atlanta
ARTISTS need to quit assuming the (conscripted) roles of journalists & editorialists.
ARTISTS need to give up being corporate-content makers, lite entertainers & technology fetishists and return to exploring the realms of alternative models that exist outside of these unbearable constraints.
ARTISTS need to go all-in focusing on the task of making life worthwhile which has sadly been diminished through agendas of obfuscation.
The image, like language allows us to lie, misrepresent, exaggerate, etc.
We don’t need any more things no matter what the intent.
You can’t critique all of this without participating in it.
If this outcome hasn’t convinced one of the flimsy comfort of constant unchecked snacking of information, analyses & predictions that are provided by (social) media then let’s accept we are content with what just happened.
I’m optimistic that one or two of you that know what I’m talking about here will awake to enlightened & unpredictable reactions.

Mary Addison Hackett, artist, Nashville
I would have supported a paper hat in this election, but I truly felt Clinton was one of the most qualified candidates we’ve had in any election and I was looking forward to everyone rallying around whoever won the Democratic primary. Fast forward. I was devastated at the outcome. I wept. I had friends who wept. I’m angry and I’ve stopped listening to the news. I hashtag everything on Instagram with #NotMyPresident.
The arts? The Obamas made a point to place contemporary work by minorities and female artists in the White House. With a Clinton administration, I envisioned a future in which support for the arts would gain even more traction. Nothing about Trump’s campaign suggests anything but disdain for the arts. We’ve been here before. It was called the “Culture Wars” and every single issue is up for grabs again. The NEA has been under attack since the ’80s, and Gingrich attempted to wipe it out completely in the 90s. It’s 2016 and Gingrich is one of Trump’s cabinet picks. Joy.
I doubt a Republican Congress will be funding art that is critical of its own regime and if there is funding, everyone will have to play it safe. But not to worry, because there won’t be funding. To that end, I project we’ll see more politically and socially motivated art, along with art that addresses beauty and abstraction. Maybe irony will make a comeback. Who knows. We’re in uncharted waters with an inexperienced person in a leadership position. See what I did there? #NotMyLeader
I think we’ll start seeing more artists helping one another out. Artists hosting shows out of their homes and studios, and crowdfunding in place of waiting to be validated by grants. I’ve been thinking about running film/video screenings in an empty swimming pool and pop-up shows in my living room. Two days after the election I was pissed off enough to finally paint and patch a shed in my backyard and offer it up as a mural for other artists who want to make a statement. I’d like to budget for an honorarium in the future, but this month I donated my expendable income to Planned Parenthood. As artists we’re going to have to pull together and be more socially conscious either directly or indirectly. I think there’s potential to see artists as spirit-guides for the political and cultural landscape. We might ask if we can make art that heals? I don’t even know what that means right now. Maybe it’s too early. It is for me. I’m still feeling my way through this. This is no time for complacency.

Jessyca Holland, Executive Director, C4 Atlanta
While we cannot involve ourselves in partisan politics as a 501 (c)3, nonprofit, C4 Atlanta’s Advocacy Committee is keeping an eye on policies and legislation at the local and national levels that may affect the careers of arts workers, such as the CREATE Act. This proposed legislation would make subtle changes in existing programs and policies benefiting entrepreneurs to include artists. It is my hope that arts workers reach out to local, elected officials to have a dialogue about our community, its needs, and its people. C4 Atlanta lives by a strong commitment to equity, inclusion, and diversity. Our arts community is comprised of so many wonderful people and those people give me hope everyday. Our team looks forward to being in service to the wonderfully, talented people who work hard everyday to make this world a more interesting place in which to live.

Megan Murdie, writer, Atlanta
I am a 24-year-old woman who until now has lived in a liberal bubble of people under 30 who post really progressive and thought-provoking articles on Facebook. I’m college educated. I’ve never voted for anyone who isn’t black or female. I am the future, I hope. But what is the future of art? Will it continue to be seen as unnecessary, a symbol of excessive wealth?  Am I naive to believe that art has the power to change the world?
It feels trivial to worry about what will happen to the art world in America when people’s mothers could soon be facing the reality of deportation, and it is… but maybe that’s the problem. Why is art reserved for the elite? Those who, like Trump, have millions of non-taxed dollars to spend on *priceless* works of art? While American artists drown in student debt and an utterly uninterested culture…I digress…
Creation exists innately within human beings, from the pyramids of Ancient Egypt to Damien Hirst’s shark-in-tank thing—we did that! Why? It is fundamental to human existence to artistically manifest our creative urges in any way we can, and a privilege as Americans to have platforms with which to share that experience. Being an artist has never been easy (insert “starving artist” joke here) and it will certainly not be getting easier in the next four years. Some art historians hypothesize that in times of peace and prosperity, artists tend toward realism, and during times of unrest and hopelessness, tend toward abstraction. I’m curious to see how this hypothesis plays out.
In an already culturally impoverished nation, I fear that under this Republican regime, the federal government will defund the arts completely. It will be up to local governments and individuals to fund the arts in their communities. After all, if American citizens are undeserving of something as basic as health care, why should they have access to a museum or art education? The National Endowment for the Arts has an annual budget of $150 million while the US Department of Defense spends $590 BILLION annually, with Trump projected to increase the military budget to $1 TRILLION. Art vs. war, creation vs. destruction—it is more obvious now than ever what the American people value.
The Orwellian inside me wants to argue that art changes the way people see things, literally and ideologically. Art is beautiful and powerful in its many forms. So, of course an oppressive, militarized government would want to take that from us… Like they deprive us our right to education, healthcare, and non-cancerous food—unless, like art, you can afford it. When did basic human needs become luxury items?
So while it may seem inconsequential when compared to the possibility of losing your health insurance, losing federal funding of the arts is a big deal too. The reality is: art is capital, but it is also a symbol of free thought—it is free thought in physical form. A country built on the principle of free thinking has now elected a government who will most likely oppress and defund our opportunity to access that… I don’t know about you, but the thought alone scares me.
Where I got my numbers:
www.arts.gov/open-government/national-endowment-arts-appropriations-history
http://archive.defense.gov/home/features/2015/0215_budget/FY2016_Budget_DOD_Press_Release_Final4.pdf

Akacorves, artist
In my humble opinion, it seems that throughout recent history, political climates definitely have an effect on creative aesthetic. I’m not sure how or why…
But in my personal taste, I prefer visual art, music, fashion and all kinds of creativity that came out of democratic periods. It’s edgier, more colorful, more unique, more daring.
Not only has our political leadership changed, but technology will continue to develop at a rapid rate. Both will definitely bring about change for artists and the creative industry.
The changes will be subtle, but long-lasting. We need to continue evolving, adapting, and staying ahead of the game to ensure our collective success.
We must not lose focus, and keep our eye on our long-term goals and not get caught up in short-term results…
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