I was surprised, not shocked, while reading a discussion about race on www.FineArtAmerica.com.
Among the 45-plus comments was this one:
I read that 95% of black voters were going to vote for Obama, whereas whites were much more evenly divided between the candidates. All things being equal, it seems to me that black voters would be divided as evenly as whites, unless they were voting for Obama because he is black. If blacks are voting for Obama because he is black, isn't it the case that they are not voting for McCain because he is white? Consequently, if blacks vote for Obama because he is black, why can't whites vote for McCain because he is white? Also, it shows that racism is not confined to whites; it is rampant in both the black and the white communities.
Why was I surprised? Because I, like many other people, maintain delusions about ALL artists. I think artists will be liberal and generous and fair and kind and honest. Most of the comments were liberal and support Barack Obama. But there was an underlying reality in the anecdote that started the conversation and in some of the responses.
Judith Roth, on the other hand (see her work below) a friend, liberal, an arts advocate and all-around classy woman, who is always winning prizes when she shows at the Chicago Cultural Center, among other venues sent me a note responding to the blog post about Berenice Abbott; that got me back on race AGAIN!
My question is WHY does it matter if anyone is black or white? I mean really?? Please stop and think. I would be so curious to read your answer.
Hi Joyce -- I love your
work, your website and your BLOG!! So full of interest
and enthusiasm for all you are discovering and sharing with everyone!
Thank you for letting me (us) know of Preston Jackson's show and this gallery
he is showing in -- I hadn't heard of it before and it sounds exciting!
Re: Berenice Abbott -- I knew of her pretty much along with Dorothea
Lange and all the others you had mentioned, associating her with Depression Era
photography, however, I did not realize she was Black! I think that
generally not enough is known about most of the great Black artists, of all
media, and of all our earlier art history. I had to do a lot of personal research
to learn who was who and had to discover it like a secret garden. More needs
to be done to bring to greater public attention the great body of work of
artists of color, especially of the past century.
Judith, like all of us, is conditioned to react to race.
BUT WHY are we STILL having this knee-jerk reaction when classifying people?
How different do we think we are from each other because of some minor characteristics in our physical appearance?
To paraphrase one of the artists on Fine Art America, we are all from the human race...when asked about race I'll check "yes".
The website is free for artists. Think about uploading your work here.
