artnet News: This is an article about art and gentrification, the inescapable topic. I have something new to add—that I think we may be coming to the end of a period where being an artist was synonymous with being urban, unless we are willing to fight for it—but before I start it, let me say that I have mixed feelings about my own conclusions.
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So I had a little trouble understanding this article, mostly because it is revolving around a phenomenon that I haven't really heard of. Being from the suburbs, I didn't really ever know that the "hip" lifestyle was something that real estate market was using in order to drive up the price of a unit. That being said, I am not really surprised. It is my opinion that industry uses art in a way that often corrupts the foundation of that art. Art becomes marketing, it becomes selling something, instead of just sending a message or making a statement. And honestly, this isn't always bad, but when it comes to driving people in unideal financial situations out of their homes, I think that it's very scary that I haven't heard of gentrification before.
While this particular article is rather scattered in its organization, and undermines its critical point with its lack of clarity, it does touch upon one of the most concerning things about art and art culture today. While the article focuses upon the misappropriation of art to justify and perpetuate gentrification, misuse of art is almost ubiquitous today. The constant need to generate "something", whether or not there is a significant thought or meaning behind it is cheapening art as whole. We see this at the movies, and on stage, and in the ubiquitousness of the word "crowd pleaser". It seems as if art's purpose is to push the dollar.
Gentrification - the specific example referenced by the article - is possibly one of the more damaging misuses of art. Not only are the short term ramifications terrible (the removal of families) but the long term implications for art should be avoided at all costs. Changing the demographic of a particular location to be more "hip" necessarily involves the excision of the preexisting culture. Haven't art and culture always walked hand in hand? Finally, what makes art so valuable is its accessibility to all - not just those who are "trendy" or call themselves artists.
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