preview

Social Responsibility Of Art In Art, Art And Art

Decent Essays

Art has been around for thousands of years. It is a way of expressing oneself and making a personal connection to the world around us. Art is much more than a brush stroking against a canvas—it is a part of our imagination come to life in the form a film, drawing, music, and literature. Because of how much art can impact society, we must have a social responsibility as a community to enforce the learning and practice of the arts. Art can be used as a way of reaching out to preach about racial prejudices. “Excuse Me, Can I see Your ID?” is an art exhibit created by Lonnie Lee. Lee is an Asian-American woman who designed this museum as means of showing the harsh truth Asian-Americans face on the daily. ““Excuse Me, Can I See Your ID? is not intended for the white gaze.” (Frank). This exhibit shows what the white-dominated art world does not. Each piece of work tells the story of different individuals and their struggles of what it is like conforming in America where Asians are viewed as “perpetual foreigners”. From one medium to another, the Black Arts Movement, which lasted from 1965 to 1975, was a great impact on society. Following the assassination of Malcolm X, black people came together to protest their liberty. While it had the most effect in theatre and poetry, African Americans spoke their minds through literature, visual arts, and music. Not only reaching cultural recognition and economic success, the Black Arts Movement brought about modern-day hip hop and spoken word.
The arts have a way of bringing a community together by having people discuss a certain topic or controversy currently going on in the world. The arts open minds and hearts to something previously overlooked or bashed on—it breaks barriers. “When we sit in that darkened theatre or walk through a well-lit gallery, it opens us to experiences different from our own—pasts and futures we’ll never experience in our lifetimes. It opens us to compassion. It opens us to dialogue, new ideas, and new understanding.” (Robinson). In cities filled with crime, violence, and poverty, artists Dre Urhahn and Jeroen Koolhaas were able to bring a community of people together. These two men traveled all the way to favelas—slums in Brazil—to transform

Get Access