Who gets represented

The Artdog Quotes of the Week

Who gets represented? In my opinion, that's one of the most important questions any writer, visual artist, actor, or other creative individual can ask. 

So who gets represented in your creative work?

Who wins the final battles? Which character earns their true love's heart in the end? And how does that true love look? Who plays the villain's role? Which characters die horribly and get cast into the outer darkness? 

The stories we tell and the pictures we create matter. Because who gets represented is a vital question for all of us.

Amandla Stenberg quote-image courtesy of the Huffington Post.

Art is essential to our understanding 

There's an essential reason why art matters, in whatever of its many forms and media. It matters because the stories and the visuals that surround us help us define ourselves and our world.

I have blogged before about art creating bridges of understanding between cultures, but it's broader and deeper and far, far more important than simply reaching out between cultures, important as that is.

Sonia Manzano quote-image courtesy of The Huffington Post.

Representation is important

Representation helps people answer the question, "where do I fit in?" This is especially important for children. They understand the world in the way they see it explained to them, both verbally and visually. They respond to the representations they see.

As Lupita Nyong'o has said, when a child sees a representation of him-or herself in a work of art, "We plant the seed of possibility," which may not have existed before. It can unlock doors to complete new realms of potential.

But it really is a question for all of us throughout our lives. Just look at the assorted reactions to the recent "OK Boomer" fad. If people hadn't cared how they were being represented, would they have reacted the same way?

Lupita Nyong'o quote-image courtesy of The Huffington Post.

Who gets represented signals power

Now we're getting to the base-level reason why representation is important. Why the question "Who gets represented?" is so urgent. Representation signals and is an outcome of power.

The power dynamics of representation are too big and important a topic to address in the final paragraphs of this blog post, so look for more on this topic in blog posts to come!

IMAGE CREDITS: Many thanks to The Huffington Post, which published two features that provided all of these posts. They are "18 Times Black Actors Nailed Why We Need Representation in Film," and its sidebar slide show (scroll to the bottom), "16 Times Latinos Were Brutally Honest about Hollywood's Lack of Diversity." 

How quotes about women in the arts . . . mostly weren't.

The Artdog Quote(s) of the Week

In recognition of Women's History Month, I thought I'd focus on quotes about women in the arts as this month's theme.

Yeah, try Googling that phrase under "images." The quote that seemed to come back with just incredible frequency was this one:

Um, EXCUSE ME, but what does that have to do with Women in the Arts?

One image that came up near the top of the search results is a poster visible on the Tate website (but not available for reposting) about the very tongue-in-cheek "advantages" of being a woman artist in 1988. "Advantage" #1, "Working without the pressure of success," gives a taste of how the list is oriented.

Then compare a couple of other quotes that came up several times:

Okay, that's fairly hopeful, if dated, but then there's this:

Well, as they used to say, ain't that a kick in the head? I don't think either gender comes off looking too good, in Beecham's estimation. In the age of Harvey Weinstein, however, it's hard to say he was inaccurate about the existence of "unscrupulous men."

Number one that came up was from an article about conceptual artist Jenny Holzer, and it's not exactly a paean of optimism, either:

I . . . sorry. After spending a stimulating month of February reading engrossing fiction by women such as Becky Chambers, Diana Wynne Jones, Martha Wells, Jennifer Foehner Wells, and Nnedi Okorafor, and having recently delighted in the artwork of Simini Blocker, Karen Ann Hollingsworth, and Jody A. Lee, not to mention amazing new artwork being produced (but not yet posted online) by Lucy A. Synk, I actually felt pretty good about women in the arts.

I genuinely thought I'd find a more optimistic range of quotes. Frankly, sisters, we owe ourselves a better set of quotes. What's on offer is pathetic.

Are things perfect? No. Humans aren't, so human things won't be. But things don't have to be uniformly bleak. Women in ALL of the arts are doing amazing things. If no one else is talking about it, then we ought to begin.

IMAGES: The Helen Rowland quote about bachelors is from Quote HD. So is the Hedy Lamarr quote. The Thomas Beecham quote is courtesy of Quotefancy. The "Rules you live by" quote-image comes from a thoughtful essay by Lauren C. Byrd on her "Make Art History" blog.

Not just a place, but a process

The Artdog Quote of the Week

How do you conceive your goals? What are the attitudes and activities that will make you happiest? What is the meaning of your life?

IMAGE: Many thanks to Positive Psychology for this week's quote by Ed Diener.

Respect for Nature

The Artdog Quote of the Week 

The basic principle of respect for nature, for our fellow living beings, echoes through many wise voices and in many corners of our existence. Observe that all too many infamous murderers start by being cruel to animals. Then consider the words of Jesus: "If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won't be honest with greater responsibilities." (Luke 16:10, New Living Translation).

But respect for nature is bigger than any single religion.

Kayashima Train Station

Consider the Kayashima Train Station in Neyagawa, Osaka Prefecture, Japan, where they built around a 700-year-old camphor tree, rather than cut it down. Read the story of the station and the saving of the tree here. Responsive government and respect for nature: it's a thing!

The Kayashima Train Station has coexisted with a huge, ancient camphor tree in Osaka, Japan since 1973.

Johnson County Courthouse

But not everywhere. Consider the situation in Olathe, KS, a city near my home, where a planned courthouse parking lot has already condemned a neighborhood full of 90-125-year-old historic homes, and may also bring down an enormous, 150-year-old Osage Orange tree, which was designated a "Champion Tree" by the Kansas Forest Service.

This 150-year-old Champion Osage Orange tree in Olathe, KS, may yet fall to add a couple more spaces in the planned parking lot for the new Johnson County Courthouse.

I think my fellow Kansans would do well to step back from immediate economic issues, and consider what the respect for nature (or the lack thereof) in our decision-making says about us. I fear even the appearance of a mystical white snake may not be sufficient for Olathe officials. Yes, we need a new courthouse, and yes, parking is at a premium in downtown Olathe. But surely a balance could be struck?

Surely? Please?

A Happy Epilogue from 2021

"The Olathe tree was spared four years ago in development of the construction site for the new courthouse and incorporated into the project’s northern parking lot. The age of the Osage orange tree at the new courthouse remains only an estimate. It’s believed the tree was a sapling when Johnson County was a toddler.

 

“'We think it’s been around as long as Olathe and Johnson County have been around,' Patton said with a smile. Olathe was founded in 1857. The county was created two years before the city."

 

So, respect for nature prevailed in Olathe, after all. Read the whole story here.

(Update from Jan S. Gephardt).

IMAGES: Many thanks to Sustainable Human, via Green Heart at Work, for the Albert Schweitzer quote image; to Colossal, for the photo of the camphor tree in Kayashima Station (other photos in the article are attributed to Kosaku Mimura/Nikkei or Studio Ohana, but this one was uncredited); and to The Kansas City Star, for the photo of the Champion Osage Orange in Olathe, KS (they list the photo as "provided," but not by whom).

Our part to play

The Artdog Quote of the Week

Only we can do that.

Welcome to April! Once again this year, in honor of Earth Day, I'm focusing on environmental themes this month, this year with particular emphasis on what we can do to preserve the Earth for the future.

IMAGE: This image gratefully uses the beautiful photo from Symphony For Love's "Inspiring nature quotes by John Muir" and combines it with Muir's words from an article in The Atlantic (August, 1897, Volume 80, No. 478, pp. 145–157).

Feeling powerless?

The Artdog Quote of the Week: 

It is always appropriate to speak up, when we see a wrong. It may be hard or inconvenient, but the alternative is far, far worse.

IMAGE: Many thanks to Rescue Her (a group dedicated to fighting human trafficking) for this quote from Elie Weisel.