Art Is a Powerful Thing/Do Something Powerful Today

The way I see it, art is a powerful thing. The meme of art was born from the desire of ancient man to create, reshape and control his destiny. It began as a tool for ritual. If a man could carve or paint a deer or a bison, that meant he could have "power" over the animal. He could contemplate it and possess it for himself. These ...artistic rituals of ancient man allowed him to feel more confident about his place in the world and his actions within the world. The ideal result of such artistic interventions in reality was prosperity for himself and/or his community because in those days a felled bison provided food, clothing, and raw materials for tools, more art and even shelter, depending on how the animal's bones and hide was to be used. As society progressed art began to to grow larger - encompassing more, alluding to and touching on every concern that man had about his daily life. It was a means of concentrating and articulating "abstract" thoughts and desires that sprang from real world conditions into something tangible to be worked with, thus creating a feedback loop that's aim was "progress." It went something like this: a problem or a condition arises> a resolution to this crisis must come about forcing man to think critically about his next action> the need for a tangible symbol which embodies the problem and the resolution, wrenching the crisis from the "abstract" world of thought and emotion into (from our point of view) a more physical, directed and manageable existence arises> art is made> once this is accomplished, man can move forward with a clear directive and "progress" ensues until the next crisis arises.

This same process continues today, which is why art continues to be an important part of our culture - although you wouldn't know that if you listen to some of the more staunchly conservative members of our society. Don't get me wrong - I'm all for fiscal conservatism. However, culturally, I'm a liberal. The reason being is that cultural conservatism represents entropy and death. Most conservatives favor "art" that is mired in the status quo. Their version of art is one that denies that there are any problems or concerns in this world for us to face. In place of art that challenges the viewer to grow and shift his perspective, to open up to possibility, conservatives give viewers stale artless art filled with treacly platitudes about life that have outlived their usefulness. Their thoughts are as follows: "Why pursue anything greater than what you have now little man, when you have this charming little Thomas Kincade print to admire with its little cottage nestled in the woods and its vaguely "Christian" undertones to sooth you through life's travails. Admire and adore it, while we gut society and culture for all its woth through the auspices of the military/industrial complex. It's escapism - pure and simple. Personally, I think Jesus would vomit on such a things, but that's just me. The irony is that according to their own orthodoxy, Jesus was a rebel and and as culturally avante garde as any artist today. Actually he was even more of a cultural agitator than any artist I know - he was crucified for his teachings and his acts right? I don't see anyone taking any steps to crucify Damien Hirst; although, the recent controversy over David Wojnarowicz's video "Fire in My Belly" at the Smithsonian certainly has the same sort of undertones. To bad he's deceased already. The reason the conservatives went on the attack against the inclusion of this video in the exhibition of "Hide/Seek" at the Smith was because they new that this piece of art was a deeply felt cry of anguish from a man who suffered under the hypocrisies of the conservative agenda and it's relationship to contemporary Christianity, or "I can have my cake, and eat it to!!!" Christianity. It didn't look good for an American public institution to be highlighting their flawed logic so the video got the ax.

One has to marvel at the perfect mix of idiocy and slick manipulation that underpins the current conservative agenda in this country to abolish and/or "sanitize" all the culturally relevant institutions in this country. To render them obsolete or turn them into pablum. It seems to be working - the NEA, PBS, and NPR are currently hanging in the balance, as well as arts funding in general. However, what are we doing in the arts to truly make a difference and combat this brazen assholery - after all they are attacking our means of expressing an alternatively more progressive view of the world - one that could lead us to change the way we think and live for the better? I for one am mystified because it's a case of David vs. Goliath, and part of the problem is that David's been sleeping with Goliath for quite a while too. What I mean is that art became the handmaiden of money and power a long time ago. So being a successful artist or critic involves pandering to the powers that be, in order to affect the changes one wants, and the system thereby subsumes the prophetic and revolutionary into the power/money machine, either to vilify it or to render it neutered for the masses as decoration. But the smart artist, critic or art appreciator finds more in great art. Its up to us to all individually draw a line in the sand and defend free expression which ever way we can. We must remember that little thoughts lead to larger thoughts and little actions lead to larger actions. One need look no further than the revolution in Egypt. The revolution was set off by one man setting himself on fire in protest over the oppression he and his countrymen faced. I am not one to support suicide as a solution to anything, and I make no light about what he and his country have been through. However, in honor of this man's life, I would say that he created a great work of art. In his despair, he was the light that shined through all the hypocrisy. He was the doorway through which his countrymen changed the course of their nation - whether for good or ill, we don't know yet. Change happened and was necessary, and he was the physical symbol that ignited it.

We all have this power to affect change. We must engage it. We must live up to the promise that is America and not give in to despondency, complacency, narrow self-serving policies and cultural conservatism. Are we not "The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave?" In truth, this notion is partly a fiction. I'm thinking back on the all of the "wrongs" that were made "right' in our country: the prudery, intolerance and cruelty of the Pilgrims, the genocides against the native Americans to covet their land, the enslaving of Africans for cheap labor in order for our country to grow prosperous and then their abandonment by the government upon their release into the marketplace, which amounted to a second enslavement in poverty, the unscrupulous behavior and policies of the robber barons and captains of industry during the Belle Epoque (it was beautiful for them alone and this period of our history mirrors our own), the greed and short sightedness of Wall Street investors that inevitably leads to disaster in our markets and our lives periodically, the wasteful consumption of resources to fulfill the needs of our consumer culture, the empty platitudes and indictments of the religious right (religious only, in name if you look at it in the harsh light of day - an overwhelming majority of the religious right consistently vote for policies that go against the core beliefs and teachings of Jesus Christ). And there's more, but I'll stop here! And say that despite all of these things, this country was founded on ideas, principals and a promise of individual freedom to the world. And this makes all the difference in the world. This means that there is always redemption awaiting America if we choose it. And we have consistently chosen it when necessary. Now is one of those times. We must redeem ourselves through our acts, through our openness to new ideas, new ways of seeing and new ways of being and doing.

We require people with great vision who are willing to express the truth about themselves and ourselves so that we may see our problems and the solution to our problems in clear terms so that we may move forward together, rather than staying mired in shit while divided. My advice, is to look to the creative people around you, and be creative yourself, rather than side with the conservatives. Don't be scared of what surrounds you. Engage in it. Fear is the weapon of the cultural conservatives. Fear of change, fear of differences, fear of a loss of power. Fear equals stagnation and death, and I think we've all had enough of that. Let's continue to make art out of our lives! Do something powerful today! The ripple will be felt, and we will be better for it.

Louisiana Fine Art and Beyond in the 21st Century

Over the past decade, interest in contemporary art has blossomed in Louisiana's larger cities and even some of the smaller ones in new and exciting ways.  One could call the growth in interest exponential.  The same could be said for contemporary art all around the globe.  Museums and art centers worldwide are posting huge attendances for blockbuster exhibitions.  It seems that new museums and art centers are popping up every month around the globe.  Every major city on the planet either has or is clamoring for an art biennial or art fair because of the revenue they generate not only in the arts, but in the tourist and service industries.  Auction houses are reporting record prices for the contemporary art on their blocks.  There are a plethora of contemporary art journals in print and on the web to satiate the interests of the millions of art enthusiasts out there.  Recently, contemporary art staked its claim on popular music through the collaboration of painter George Condo with rap artist Kanye West to conceive of the art for his new album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.  Contemporary art, also made its mark on this past year's cinema with Exit through the Gift Shop, the hilariously cynical documentary/mockumentary about the unchained egos of street artists by the "modern-day Robin Hood with a spray paint can" Banksy - this gem of a movie got a nod at the Oscars this year.  Speaking of the Oscars, that multi-tasking polymath with a bigger brain and endurance threshold than God himself, James Franco, graced the Oscars audience with a contemporary art performance I call Untitled(The Bored and Burnt Oscar Host) for lack of a better title.  It was pretty obvious that his recent initiation into the higher echelons of the contemporary art world (recent high profile exhibitions at Peres Projects in Berlin and the Gagosian Gallery in Los Angeles, along with a screening of an art film he made lampooning the 1970's sitcom Three's Company at the Sundance Film Festival, plus his multifaceted artistic studies at what seems like every elite university in America) left him little time to prepare or be enthused about being in a room full of "low brow" actors and directors kissing each others' asses.  He preferred to document his exercise in celebrity boredom with videos and tweets behind the scenes.  So contemporary art has now hit the mainstream in America (James Franco's "performance art" turn on the daytime soap opera The Guiding Light would be the prime example!  What can I say?  The guy is a one man art machine!) - and the world.
Here on The Visionary Post, we are staking our claim on the art scene in Louisiana, one of the most exciting emerging arenas for contemporary art on the planet right now!  Artists and venues in New Orleans, Lafayette, and Baton Rouge have been quietly building an incredible contemporary art scene for decades and the fruits of this labor are ripe for the picking right now.  Here on the pages of The Visionary Post, one can find reviews, pictures, video, and the behind the scenes skinny on all of the vital contemporary art happenings in Louisiana from the goings-on at the Prospect New Orleans Biennial to the latest exhibition or performance at the Acadiana Center for the Arts in Lafayette to occasional studio visits with artists and everything in between, plus news and reviews from beyond the state.  It's all here for your entertainment, edification, bemusement, and befuddlement!  Bon appetit!

Reggie Michael Rodrigue