"Artists are here to disturb the peace." – James Baldwin
“All of that art-for-art’s-sake stuff is BS. What are these people talking about?...All good art is political! There is none that isn’t. And the ones that try hard not to be political are political by saying, ‘We love the status quo.’” – Toni Morrison
In our current political age, it is easy to feel helpless when those in power do not seem to care about our rights and well-being. It was a particularly scary time when Trump was elected president in 2016. The day after, my friends and I went to our classes very unhappy and scared for our future. Thankfully, one of my classes that day, Writing for Stage and Screen, was taught by my academic advisor, who gave us a passionate speech about how we can still fight back and use our art to do so. I am not doing his speech justice, but it left many feeling empowered. He was right. Art is a powerful political tool and we can use art to fight back.
I understand that sometimes as an artist one may wonder if they are doing enough in the fight for justice. I know I have sometimes questioned whether being a playwright/director is enough. But then I realize that my work is inherently political and deals with social and political issues of the time, and if my work is lucky enough to be produced, it can hopefully make a difference.
Art has been used as a form of political action for a very long time. Shakespeare utilized his plays as a commentary on leadership, government, and the aristocracy. Oscar Wilde’s works addressed homosexual issues in a time when homosexuality was a punishable crime. Frank Wedekind’s controversial 1891 play, Spring Awakening, criticized the education of children and dealt with issues of sexuality, abortion, and abuse. You can see why these works would have angered leaders at the time they were produced. Thus, artists have long been feared by those in power.
If the government was not threatened by artists, then why did the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), established in 1945, target artists in Hollywood and on Broadway? HUAC was created in order to combat Communism in the United States. Communists are people who want to overthrow or destroy the government through force or violence. The Committee feared that artists were Communists and began their attacks on writers in Hollywood. Think about that. The Committee feared that artists wanted to overthrow the government and would utilize art to gain followers. I think this tells us how much artists are feared if people went to great depths to stop us.
If those in power did not think art was a powerful political tool, they would not have attacked artists or utilized art for their own political gain. During WWII, Nazis took control of German cinema, controlling what could or could not be produced. Take the Nazi propaganda film, Triumph of the Will, which was commissioned and utilized by Hitler and the Nazi Party. This propaganda film stands out from the rest because of its cinematography and use of music. The propaganda film became cinematic, purposefully executed to gain followers and ignite passion amongst the German people. Those in power knew the power in art.
If you are an artist and you are saddened and angered by the times we live in, use your art to fight back. Do you know how artists fought back against the HUAC hearings? Well, Arthur Miller wrote the play, The Crucible, which compared the HUAC hearings to the Salem Witch Trials. Do you know how artists fought against the Vietnam War? Megan Terry wrote the musical Viet Rock, a criticism on the war. How did artists fight racism? Alice Childress wrote Florence, a play that addresses segregation and is used to empower black women. Alvin Ailey choreographed Revelations, a seminal dance piece that utilized African-American spirituals, song-sermons, gospel songs, and holy blues to “explore the places of deepest grief and holiest joy in the soul.” How about women’s rights? Wendy Wasserstein’s play, The Heidi Chronicles, deals with the struggles and sexism that women face. How about the AIDS crisis? Tony Kushner’s Angels in America is a heartbreaking play that tackles the AIDS crisis and homosexuality. The list of political and social art is endless. Many of these works are still being produced today, and unfortunately, the themes and topics still relate to present day issues.
Art brings people together, which is powerful in and of itself. I am therefore calling upon all my fellow artists to not give up and continue creating art. All art is political, and we can use our art to make real change.
October 7, 2018
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