Give Art (back?) to the People!

"Don't tell me what issue you're working on, I want to know what solution you are working towards." ~ Van Jones (paraphrased, I can't find it online)

More information on organizations that are talking about the interaction between art and social issues, especially climate change.

Art in Action -- This is run by a museum called the Natural World Museum. The idea is art as a catalyst for sustainable community, but I don't see any programs that actually increase access to making art (not arts and crafts!!), From the site, NWM sticks to the traditional museum model of exposing visitors to art that other people magically produce. The museum has a blog that sporadically covers issues related to the role of public art in catalyzing social action. It has some interesting initial thoughts; I would like to see what interactive-type projects they might be working on.

United Nations -- So the UN holds an event called Paint for the Planet, and it sounds awesome. But when I looked at the pictures, it looked like a small, closed group in a fancy New York hotel looking at cutesy art made by privileged international kids at private schools. I got a "feels good, does little" feeling. It's a pleasant gesture, but it's not well-targeted for the size of participation that's really necessary to deal with climate change. It's a funny thing about using art to get people to change their thoughts and actions -- you have to actually go make art with people. That doesn't generally happen at fancy hotels or while wearing expensive clothes.

Paired with this was another great idea -- a UN seminar on the way that art can influence the public's ideas about the environment (Through the Art for the Environment Program). One of the sessions had a great title: Art for Change: Vehicles for Environmental Action; it's part of a brand new initiatived called UNite to Combat Climate Change. Great information I'm sure, but again, closed off from any real public participation.

I have this crazy idealist belief that people actually believe in the events and projects they devote their time and money to -- that it's not just lip service, buzz words, fancy dinners, and polite smiles, but I wonder if its possible to get so far from the street that you forget about what really matters to get at this huge mass of humanity (individuals!) who make our lives on this earth. If that's really and truely the target population, you can't get there by inviting the same faces to the solution-making table every time. It would be great to see discussions at this level happening out in public where young, interested people (like me!) can experience them and have productive discussions about successful ideas, projects, and models that they can take to their communities to re-integrate art-making into our culture.