The separation of art and politics
A big and important thing
I was speaking to a family member over the weekend and he mentioned that he likes that I “don’t get into politics” in my newsletter. I know that he meant well, but I’m also not entirely sure if this was a compliment or a request. It’s true that I don’t speak much to domestic or foreign government in this newsletter. Just as I don’t have to paint an American Flag for my art to be political, I don’t have to explicitly write about politics for my writing to be political.
Flags are political. Consumerism and consumption are political. Having a body and taking care of it is political. Arts funding and programming are political. Creative spaces are political. Reclaiming attention by getting offline is political. Speaking to your neighbors is political. Sharing economies are political. Deep listening is political. Fatherhood is political. Being a woman is political. Being queer is political.
If you don’t view these things as political, perhaps your identity or your body haven’t been the subject of supreme court rulings, or you haven’t felt that your personal autonomy was being challenged or limited by the powers that be. But I know that you’re a human being, so I know that you have been, are currently, and always will be impacted by political decisions, whether or not you choose to be a political person.
I’m not using the word politics as a generalization. I’m talking about identity politics and legislative decisions that impact rights, funding, access, and quality of life. We fail to see race, gender, sexuality, art ecosystems, and community ecosystems as political when we are out of touch with the fact that all of these things are interconnected and impacted by actual legislation.
