We are living in a time of stark contrasts. On the one hand, we celebrated yesterday with the Walk for Peace monks as they reached Washington, D.C., in the culmination of a 2,300-mile walk to highlight peace, nonviolence, and compassion across America and the world. On the same day, a warehouse in a small town near us with the sweetly ironic name of Social Circle has been purchased by ICE. Plans are to house 8.500 detainees in a town of 5000 residents. The contrasts are indeed stark.
How are we to reconcile such daily bipolar events? How are we called to respond as human beings and artists in this moment?
Artists can both cope and serve by responding honestly to what they observe. If the world is raw right now, we can say so. If we see beauty, we can note it. We can draw the emotion on paper, paint it on canvas, sculpt it into form, sing its notes, write it into pages, pound its drum, dance its dance. We do not turn away, but rather we create a way to express our objection or support for the actions of this time.
Artists have always been documentarians of their time. Throughout the ages, this is how they turn heartbreak into sacred action. Now, more than ever, it is essential for art to capture the juxtaposition of good and evil and present it as the sacred act it is.
Draw the emotion
Paint it
Sculpt it into form
Sing its notes
Write it into pages
Pound its drum
Dance its dance
We do not turn away
