Look at me, look at me...

This semester, I have the opportunity to work with Mark Jackson, who is a noted play write and actor in the Bay Area. He is an innovative artist and pushes the boundaries of the conventional theater outlook. He recently wrote an article in Theatre Bay Area, which is a source for many artists in the area. In the article, he speaks about his experiences teaching students at SF State, where he once attended. He compares the “real world” i.e. the so-called professional world of theatre outside of the walls of a university. Saying that, some of his best work that he has done, has been with students at SF State, that the students are hungry and eager to be a part of this world even thought there isn’t near a well off budget to support what they are capable of.

I can’t do Mark as near enough justice as to how he speaks about our peers and how his words are an inspirations to our work. Knowing that someone is SEEING us.

What's wrong with art?

As all of us know the economy is down and funding for education is far from good. The arts are even worse off. Many people are saying our money needs to be going back to our educators and to help fund new ideas of art and education. But one man believes that the economy isn’t fully at fault for how today’s art world has turned out. Michael Kaiser, President of the John F. Kennedy Center of the Performing Arts, believes today’s generations aren’t taking enough risk.

            Before I read this article I would have said. “No, this man is clearly wrong. We aren't being funded and supported enough.” Maybe the reason we aren’t being supported is because we don’t have worthy enough projects to support. Looking back, its true, there use to be great innovative works of art coming into the world. Martha Graham, breaking the boundaries of dance. Tennessee Williams writing our great classics. Taking what they know and pushing the limits. Taking risks. Thinking about it, a lot of the theatre, or film I see is below entertaining. They are doing what they were taught and not striving to be better and more original than when they first started.

            I have seen some moving, shocking and entertaining pieces of art with a budget of nothing. Then I see work being done with muti-million dollar budgets. When I compare the two, sure seeing giant dragons, like the one in Wicked, are pretty cool to see, but the performances are less than engaging. Sometimes a black-box room can capture your eye more than pyrotechnics on stage. Maybe we are too focused on being innovative and lose sight of what art is really about.

            As Kaiser states. “Is the world short on talent? No.” Maybe artist are loosing sight of their own personal art and worrying too much about doing something for shock value. “[They] are so worried about budgets that they forget that bad art hurts budgets far more than risk-taking does.” Maybe if we got rid of all the awards for irrelevant areas of art, people would start creating things for themselves. I’m hoping that our current generation can see past our money problem and strive to create something new, that fulfill what we feed inside.

Full Article. What's wrong with art? 

Losing the Art

Received this link to a site that is trying to post awareness for the extreme budget cuts to the arts funding in our educational system. If you believe the arts are an important part of our eductional system, please take the time and fill this out. Or call.

Go here and simply fill out the form.

An amendment to cut the NEA by an extra $20.5 million (in addition to the $22.5 million cut already included in the underlying legislation) passed in the House this morning with a close vote of 217-209.

The Passion Play

          Theatre and the arts have been a huge part of my life since I was young. Most people get the inspiration when they are younger to trying something new. For me, I had a crush on the boy in my class who did theatre. This caused me to submerge myself in everything theatre and performing arts I could, with the hope that I would get to be around the boy. Instead, I discovered my love for performing and being on stage. The rush you get from knowing that there are hundreds of people watching you and you not being able to see them. Never being able to be invisible.

I continued my learning through high school where I first experienced the lack of support and funding in the arts. We were given minimal amount of funding and support from the school and other faculty. We had to create our own options and make our own experiences with minimal supplies. Eventually, our theatre teacher was fired for not conforming to the conservative outlook of our community. We all thought, how could anyone get rid of someone who has such an open outlook on the arts and it bring all these wonderful ideas to kids who want to learn and widen their knowledge.

            Moving on to college, I thought that I would enter into a better program where money and support wouldn’t be an issue. Then budget cuts hit. Hard. Many of our great programs were diminished. We had to scrounge up what resources we could and you know what, our product was just as good or even better than before we lost our budget. Because it isn’t about how big you can make your set or what crazy special effects you use, its what you put into your art. Your passion, thoughts and love for the art. So now I don’t do theatre to impress that boy from my class, I do it because it makes me happy. Sets me free.

            Because of this, I have chosen to talk about and research theatre in the younger community. From elementary age through the fresh out of college crowd, because the arts are important, and they are slipping away. People outside of the  art world might not see it, but someday they will. When their children are in school and have no means of a release, no way to express themselves. We need to help keep the arts alive, even the puppet shows kids put on in their kindergarten class are just the beginning of something great.