Art: What Is It Good For? Empathy

After the national election, people continue to divide themselves into camps of red and blue and make broad judgments based on skin color and religion. We define others by what is pushed at us from hateful false news sites. We appear to be in a downward spiral taking us nowhere fast.

What’s the answer? For a situation as complex as the current state of our society, there is no one answer, but we believe art is a big player in creating solutions. Our belief might not surprise you, after all, we are writing an art column, but art has been used throughout history to change people’s minds. From the 17th century the “Rape of Persephone” sculpture to “The Golden Rule” by Norman Rockwell in the 1960s, art has worked to narrow the gap between the world as it is and the way we want it to be.

Art is a powerful form of activism, and a powerful form of expressing feelings and emotions.

Art can build empathy. Art has the power to lift our spirits, to heal, and to transform. Art has the ability to turn fear into understanding. Art can promote a culture of awareness and acceptance.

We are not alone in our beliefs. Here are some ways people around the country are using art to work through painful and complex issues.

Cyrus Aaron, a playwright and actor, was inspired to write “Someday” after he read about Sandra Bland who died in 2015 while in police custody. “Someday” is a stage play about the pain and psychological plight of being a black man in America. Aaron is an artist of intention—the intention to make people laugh, cry and feel.

Yoko Ono unveiled her “Skylanding” sculpture in Chicago as a message of hope and peace. Ono has devoted her life to promoting peace from early conceptual pieces in the 1960s to her more recent “Imagine Peace Forever” installation.

Culturunners is an international network of artists creating art and telling stories to explore interconnectedness between the United States and the Middle East. An artist’s road trip crisscrossing between the Middle East and the United States is proving to be a great way to connect people.

There’s even a 17-year-old boy, Nenous Thabit, in Iraq who is fighting ISIS with art. As ISIS destroys centuries-old archeological sculptures and art, Thabit replicates the sculptures.

On a local level, artist J.m. Hunter creates art about social causes. J.m. Hunter is an artist/illustrator whose media are comic/graphic design, cartooning and painting. When we asked Hunter, “Why art?” he said, “Growing up, there were a lot of gangs around me and I can see why. I was profiled and harassed for looking a certain way, but I was fortunate enough to have art and comics to distract me. I poured my pain and anger into my work whenever something bothered me. Art is how I problem solve and it keeps me centered.”

Art could very well be the saving grace for kids today who are filled with fear from seeing news clips of hate and polarization. Now is the time to raise your voice in unison and let art be the weapon you use to change minds and open eyes. Art is more than just a pretty picture on a wall. Art is the nonviolent way to change the world.