Who Art You
An artist’s social identity shapes their perception. Artists want to create from experience that hits close to their heart to expel passion. A big player in what shapes one’s experience is their identity. Therefore an artist’s social identity, whether it be nationality, race, sexual orientation or gender, is significant in their art practice. An artist’s social identity is made relevant by their preconceived conventions of art and becomes pivotal aspect in their work as they use art as a form to disparage prejudice perceptions and reach multiple audiences. Identity is the way we perceive and express ourselves. Factors and conditions that an individual is born with—such as ethnic heritage, sex, or one’s body—often play a role in …show more content…
The conventions specific towards different social identities are only known to people who have some dealings with it. Because of—but also what sparks—innovate changes, what serious audience members may know about an art piece or a convention may often conflict with what well-socialized members of the society know of the same. Therefore this provides these members an opportunity because, while what makes art great is a matter of opinion, their opinions speak louder than others because their holders had more experience of the conventions in question and so could make finer and more justifiable discriminations (Becker 1982, 47). During the Harlem Renaissance, there existed a heavy focus on re-conceptualizing African-American identity where writer and philosopher, Alain Locke, encouraged artists of the early 20th century to celebrate their race by representing African-American subjects to illustrate a sense of cultural pride and interest. In Erin Mussolum’s analytical article for Trinity Western University on How Art Shapes Identity, pointed out that seeing identity as static, rather than the ever-changing concept that it is, paints people with stereotypes and we cannot see them for who they are. Art is one way to challenge static notions of identity by engaging the viewer in narratives that are unfamiliar to them to challenge their previously held notions (Mussolum 2007). Jennifer Sulewski wrote a scholarly article reporting on expressions about identity, in both artwork and reflective words, of 47 young artists with disabilities who were finalists in the VSA arts / Volkswagen arts competition between 2002 and 2005. These artists utilized art to convey literal or figurative messages depicting their disability or impairment and how they felt about it as a way of processing or understanding the role of disability in their identity (Sulewski 2012).
An artist’s social identity shapes their perception. Artists want to create from experience that hits close to their heart to expel passion. A big player in what shapes one’s experience is their identity. Therefore an artist’s social identity, whether it be nationality, race, sexual orientation or gender, is significant in their art practice. An artist’s social identity is made relevant by their preconceived conventions of art and becomes pivotal aspect in their work as they use art as a form to disparage prejudice perceptions and reach multiple audiences. Identity is the way we perceive and express ourselves. Factors and conditions that an individual is born with—such as ethnic heritage, sex, or one’s body—often play a role in …show more content…
The conventions specific towards different social identities are only known to people who have some dealings with it. Because of—but also what sparks—innovate changes, what serious audience members may know about an art piece or a convention may often conflict with what well-socialized members of the society know of the same. Therefore this provides these members an opportunity because, while what makes art great is a matter of opinion, their opinions speak louder than others because their holders had more experience of the conventions in question and so could make finer and more justifiable discriminations (Becker 1982, 47). During the Harlem Renaissance, there existed a heavy focus on re-conceptualizing African-American identity where writer and philosopher, Alain Locke, encouraged artists of the early 20th century to celebrate their race by representing African-American subjects to illustrate a sense of cultural pride and interest. In Erin Mussolum’s analytical article for Trinity Western University on How Art Shapes Identity, pointed out that seeing identity as static, rather than the ever-changing concept that it is, paints people with stereotypes and we cannot see them for who they are. Art is one way to challenge static notions of identity by engaging the viewer in narratives that are unfamiliar to them to challenge their previously held notions (Mussolum 2007). Jennifer Sulewski wrote a scholarly article reporting on expressions about identity, in both artwork and reflective words, of 47 young artists with disabilities who were finalists in the VSA arts / Volkswagen arts competition between 2002 and 2005. These artists utilized art to convey literal or figurative messages depicting their disability or impairment and how they felt about it as a way of processing or understanding the role of disability in their identity (Sulewski 2012).