Feb 15: Adjacency
“Adjacency” by Geraldine M Ysselstein (2023). Watercolour, embroidery floss, and ink on paper.
Art-study
In this art-study called “Adjacency”*, I chose to use watercolour because there is a fluidity and a possibility to adjacency. The stitching is the current situation of the arts sector** existing beside the art and the artist.
What if there was more fluidity like watercolour between, around, and within the arts sector so that the arts and artist can truly transform society?
*I define adjacency as being near/close by.
**I define the arts sector as arts funders, arts organizations, and arts educational institutions in addition to artists, arts professionals, and arts patrons.
Systems and Structures
Within the creating, sharing, and advocating of art and artists, there are many systems and structures* to navigate. These systems and structures impact access, training, funding, resourcing, programming, marketing, governing, advocating, collaborating, and more. Unfortunately, these systems and structures often function around the idea of competition, scarcity, oppression, and fear which makes it a challenging space to work in. It is important to acknowledge this and it is important to not let it limit where artists might lead us with their imagination in disrupting systems and structures.
*I define systems and structures as reference to colonization, white supremacy, capitalism, toxic patriarchy, racism, and oppression (eg. sexism, heterosexism, ableism, classism, and ageism).
Transformation
The arts sector genuinely believes that it is transforming lives by connecting artists and audiences together through the exhibition, presentation, and promotion of an artist’s work.
The reasons for sharing an artist’s work is varied - there might be a local connection, a (topical) theme to explore, an easy sell for entertainment, a strategy for boosting revenue, an alignment in values, or an adjacency to the artist’s identity (more on that below).
There is an assumption in the arts sector that everyone believes the arts is transformative.
Here are three questions the arts sector can ask itself:
How do you define transformation and what does transformation look and feel like?
Who is the transformation for and who is involved in the transformation?
What happens as a result of the transformation?
Design
While the arts sector applauds (and demands) the artist for being creative, taking risks, functioning as an entrepreneur, participating in collaboration, inspiring “out-of-box” thinking, acknowledging societal challenges, and providing a different “language” to relate to; the design of the arts sector is not a mirror of the artist.
The work of an artist happens within a sector that funds competition, enforces silos, avoids risk, lacks connection, privileges certain knowledge, and removes support for an artist who challenges beyond their art.
Here are three questions the arts sector can ask itself:
What is a risk that the arts sector can take right now?
What does the arts sector fear in taking that risk? What might be the unknown benefit?
How can the arts sector become confident in itself being creative, innovative, visionary, and inspiring?
Identity
Sometimes the arts sector takes on the “identity” of an artist and their art as their own identity. This is a false identity because it doesn’t consider all the complexities of these identities.
How does this happen?
An art gallery might exhibit the work of artists living with developmental and/or physical disabilities, a performing venue might feature Black artists during Black History and Futures month, or an education institute might invite Indigenous artists to open up their conference.
It is important that these artists be featured; it is also important that the adjacency to these artists and the intersection of their identities is not interpreted as the identity of an arts organization/funder/institution itself.
Here are three questions the arts sector can ask itself:
What does identity mean to you?
What is the identity of the arts sector?
How is the identity of an artist reflected in all aspects of the arts sector? If it isn’t, what does this mean?
Advocating
It is important that what artists are advocating for in their art-form is also advocated for and practiced elsewhere in the arts sector.
For example, artists may be advocating for policy change, improved access, more representation, diverse ways of thinking, or a discussion about oppression. The intention of their artwork is not that their advocating stays within the art. The intention is that it ignites a change that goes beyond them.
Here are three questions the arts sector can ask itself:
How is the arts sector advocating for and translating the work of the artist into their own operations?
How is the arts sector advocating for the artist to participate in spaces beyond the gallery/performance hall/exhibition space?
How is the arts sector advocating for the work of the artist as a disruption to the systems and structures we currently exist in?
Conclusion
The adjacency to an artist is not enough. It is not enough to present, exhibit, promote, fund, or display the works of artists. At the same time, the adjacency does have the possibility of transforming sectors, institutions, and society to becoming more creative, innovative, relational, inclusive, and visionary in disrupting systems and structures.
“Adjacency to an artist is not enough, but adjacency to an artist does have the possibility of transformation.” -Geraldine
