Art Access for Minorities: A Thought Space
It’s becoming clearer that we are all given different, and unequal opportunities. Often this conversation is placed in the context of going to college, securing a job, or basic living and eating necessities. We have a tendency to steer this conversation to the basic necessities of poor people because, it’s true, poor people need basic living situations and opportunities.
I don’t want to talk about that today.
I want to talk about beauty. Minorities are not only deprived of simple needs, but also creative outlets that many have access to and use and share without much thought.
Lately I have had such a bizarre feeling while scrolling through Instagram.
I see sproutings of aspiring photographers, models, and makeup artists. When looking at the posts of these individuals I felt happy for them, seeing success and talent at such young ages from my friends. However I couldn’t place the “after taste” feeling. It wasn’t jealousy. What could it be?
The realization that privilege wears many coats, and this was one of them.
I longed to have the fashion, photographs, the makeup freedom to express myself and my creativity. But I do not. Many of us don’t.
Artists are wonderful, but what we see is a sifting of all of the art that could be out there. Those who have parents that can buy the cameras, the paint, those who have the jobs to reserve savings for frequent makeup and clothing buying. They experience a different reality and different access to art platforms, particularly on social media.
The Facts
Art not only gives us a way to express, but can link directly to our wellbeing. In a two year study done at University of Pennsylvania, art drove up the social well being of individuals in less advantaged neighborhoods. In fact, areas with access to “cultural resources,” had a, “14% decrease in indicted investigations of child abuse and neglect, an 18% decrease in felony crime rate and also a 17–18% increase in the number of students scoring at the highest level on standardized Math and English tests.”
Making physical art is not only a privilege, but can steer the course of people’s living situations.
Will I end up in jail?
Will I do okay in school?
Will I die young?
Of course art cannot determine every adding aspect of life and inequality, but serves as more of a reflection. If people and certain areas of cities can afford art community centers and materials and education, what does it say about the area? That there is less homelessness, less neglected children, less crime.
The uneven distribution of these institutes and centers tie directly to race and class. And race and class are a well worn pair of socks to begin with.
Help an Artist Out
Support your wealthy friends that are getting into photography, makeup tutorials on Youtube, drawing and painting. Go ahead, do it. More importantly, fiercely support your lower income friends in their artistic pursuits. The ones who aren’t “broke” (until next month when their parents replenish their checking account.) We love them too, but the significance isn’t there. If you are a lover and believer in the importance of art education at all, share art materials with you friends who are minorities. Follow their start-up accounts when they are trying to share their art with us. Give them, give us, a break for not being as far along as our more privileged friends. Our starting out points are not equal.
Art has many mediums, and so I ask you to share your different forms of art and tag @byovoice on Twitter and Instagram. If there are so many mediums, there are even more minorities to support in all the different kinds of art. Feel free to share the cost of your materials and time put into it. Perspective can change everything.
My Poem for Thought
We applaud our young artists
Making art at such a young age
12, 15, 21
But this is not to say that all young people
Can’t be artists
They can[‘t] be artists
The ones we applaud
Have such access:
materials, money
Parental support
For backups, when it doesn’t work out
When it doesn’t look too pretty
The ones who don’t,
We do the best we can
But I think, what if we all had access to the same
Education, paint, cameras, makeup, tools, clothes, opportunities?
What is the art we are missing from those less privileged?
What beauty are we missing?
It is not that only few of us have the angel’s kiss of creativity
Soft and urgent
Pasted online
But only few of us have the chance