Massachusetts offers something for every taste in its arts scene - world-class museums and local galleries alike are among its many highlights.
Morris has set her sights on activating Franklin Park with cultural programming that transcends racial and socioeconomic barriers - in other words, she wants Franklin Park to become Boston's Elma Lewis!
Museum of Fine Arts boasts an expansive library, Japanese art, and hundreds of historic musical instruments; while Company One Theatre pushes narrative limits by emphasizing marginalized stories.
The Arts are a Vital Thread in Massachusetts’ Identity
Arts can have more than just an entertainment value; they have the power to significantly alter our daily lives and the communities where we reside, uniting people together while making us think differently about our environment.
An artist like Bullock could, for instance, use public art to channel his or her anger over rising housing costs into something socially conscious and counteract the narratives surrounding Gentrification. Furthermore, architecture could serve as an invaluable tool of social justice by designing spaces that break down barriers and foster community joy.
Craft culture can also omit or obscure certain histories and communities, like those associated with barbecue: its history has its roots in African-American plantation culture but today its status as an "authentic craft" can largely be attributed to white pitmasters' exceptional taste and skill - even though people of color were often employed as laborers in its creation! Unfortunately, its craft culture often excludes such vital narratives.
Therefore, artists, curators, and advocates must continue their search for ways to democratize the arts. With recent financial support coming from private donors, local governments, and foundations bolstering arts sectors alike - it is up to all of us individually to ensure that arts reflect all segments of our communities.
Theater
Theater refers to all activities involved in producing live performances. Drama, or plays, are among the most prevalent forms of theater productions, where stories are performed before audiences onstage. But other forms of theatrical performances exist as well, including operas, ballets, and puppet shows. A typical theatre production requires contributions from playwrights, directors, stage managers, and technical production teams in addition to actors themselves.
The artisanal food movement has quickly taken hold across the United States, offering us bean-to-bar chocolate and single-barrel whiskey; heritage breed pigs and ancient grain breads; as well as $8 mayo made from scratch. But most craftspeople responsible are white; craft culture often glorifies authenticity while regularly marginalizing or exploiting people of color involved in creating these small pleasures.
Arts can play an essential role in combatting racism through artistic expression. Jha D, is an activist artist renowned for challenging perceptions and disrupting the status quo through her art practice. Her projects often deal with themes related to social justice, identity, and power - for instance "Rebuilding the Gwozdziec Synagogue" at POLIN Museum of Polish Jews utilized an immersive installation comprised of both archival materials and immersive installation to address cultural trauma caused by Nazi genocide.
Jha D understands the value of art through its ability to shape social and metaphorical space. Beyond her art practice, she designs buildings and public gathering spaces; leads a weekly open mic night at The Hive in Dorchester called "If You Can Feel It, Speak It", and produces public gatherings featuring poetry readings by local residents.
She emphasizes the need for those working in the arts to build community and trust through shared practices - such as working with fire and tending kilns, sharing nonverbal communication in fiber or glass art, or simply sitting together and watching films. As an example of this principle at work in Boston-based artist Tory Bullock is given as an example. Bullock began his career acting locally, landing roles with companies such as Company One and SpeakEasy before wanting to make more of an impact through visual art.
Music
Craft culture has profoundly transformed how wealthier Americans think about the food and beverages they consume over the past two decades. Craft culture values what is traditional, handcrafted, and specific; while rejecting what is engineered, mass-produced, and originless. Craft culture tends to attract white people; its founders typically hail from legal or banking backgrounds while frontline staff in custom denim aprons often come from these same backgrounds, and clients sipping $10 beers at microbreweries and old-school butcher shops tend to be white too.
Craft culture lacks one crucial element. Given how outspoken its proprietors are about where things originate, it seems odd that many don't care to learn or share stories of those who first mastered these crafts.
This is an untrue statement that persists, though. Making beer or chocolate or bread or quilts requires others, such as weavers to teach each other threading looms; glass artists rely on fellow workers to watch out for safety risks; musicians require other musicians in order to perform and record songs together.
Anjimile's story speaks for itself, which explains their overwhelming victory at Boston's hip-hop equivalent of NPR's Tiny Desk Contest in 2018. They have already made waves as an independent recording artist - their single "1978" earning national nods earlier this year - but Anjimile may yet make even greater waves with their efforts promoting local businesses as part of their art.
Sarah Morris' work exemplifies how art can play an essential part in civic life. As an arts organizer in Dorchester and Roxbury, Sarah's efforts focus on using art to address issues related to gentrification and community building; additionally she's a multimedia artist whose pieces explore intergenerational connections as well as how history and place shape identities.
Visual Arts
Fiber, glass, or acrylic figurative painting artists use their mediums to tell stories and share cultural experiences through visual narratives. Their art challenges social perceptions, questions our identities and makes us think in new ways about our world.
Recently, many local artists and cultural organizations have received significant investments. These new infusions of money have contributed significantly to creating an environment that allows more artists to experiment, take risks, and expand their practices. Over the past couple of years alone, Boston City invested over $487,000 directly in individual artists while over $5 Million went directly into arts organizations through Boston Foundation/Barr Foundation LAB grant program grants.
Jha D, an artist specializing in theater set design and host of an open mic night in Boston, believes in using her practice to foster social equity and justice. She draws inspiration from her mother's prolific quilting and grandmother's tactility as sources for her design approach - using these same techniques when designing sets to make sure that built environments become characters themselves on stage.
Susan Terrio's compelling narrative offers a different genre: it explores the intricate world of French chocolatiers. These family businesses face fierce global competition as well as pressures of modern capitalism; Susan's account weaves ethnography, history, and theory together to explore both their challenges and rewards in this traditional industry.
From tending kilns to weaving on looms, all artists require the assistance of others to produce their art. Therefore, they form what could be called a "craftsman's guild." "Whether threading the loom or working with glass," states Veronica Gonzalez Pena of Rockypoint Press and SVA MFA Art Education Program, in this video from the Portraits of Identity series produced by SVA Diversity Equity and Inclusion.
The Massachusetts Arts Curriculum Framework articulates rigorous, developmentally appropriate standards for creating, presenting or performing, responding, and connecting in dance, media arts, music theatre, and visual art disciplines. This Framework meets the social-emotional learning needs for all students including English learners (ELs). Furthermore, this curriculum instills a deep appreciation of the arts' intrinsic value in people's lives and cultures around the globe.
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