How Art and Community Become One
Art significantly impacts the community, and the community provokes creative activities characterized by interaction or dialogue between artists and their environment. Art, therefore, has solid aggregating power, evoking emotions through creativity and promoting social change in the community.
Artistic expression can cater to an artist's well-being socially, emotionally, behaviorally, and cognitively. The community's support, actively and passively, can challenge artists and show them different perspectives translated into their art through creative expression in various forms. To dive into an art project, artists must have newly acquired knowledge of current events and new perspectives driving their creativity.
Art, in any form, has the potential to transform even the most troubled community. Art can build self-confidence and positive identity, be a non-threatening tool to address complex issues, and unify a community by bringing a diverse group of people together for a common goal or purpose. And an artist placed in a society that nurtures and supports artists can explore their creativity to levels they previously could not fathom.
Artists in the community
As part of society, artists are often on the frontline for reform and social change. Most artists believe their work can benefit the community in the same way culture has contributed to their vision. They create art to comment on social problems and join social movements to call for change. Capturing the current state of society in different art forms is an honest way to reach people for a common cause. The frankness is a call to arms that compels viewers to take action.
Art is an essential tool that can be used to shape the future. In the 19th century, Victorian artists used art to address issues like poverty, hunger, and disease, which were increasingly urgent in British communities. Their art changed minds and spurred action, ensuring that ordinary British citizens could live with dignity. Just as artists in the 19th century used their art to impact society positively, artists today are increasingly using their art as a non-threatening platform to express their views on different societal matters.
Artists in the #ENDSARS movement intuitively embraced art as a release for pain and anguish and a tool to influence change. Channeling and communicating painful, solid memories through a work of art transcends aesthetic appearance. While art can camouflage hideous elements of an artist's consciousness, it can also display some measure of beauty, enjoyment, and appreciation.
Artists evoke emotional and aesthetic appeal and response through their works. With the impact of community on their work and thought process, art would be more varied and universally similar. While artists are critical in social change, the community is the driving force behind their creativity. When art and community become one, the artist and society benefit from the relationship between the artist, their creativity, and the social issues being addressed.
