We decided to start a conversation about artists.
“We” in this context is The McKnight Foundation, a foundation based in Minnesota that, among other things, has given fellowships to artists for the last 30 years. Thirty years of support to artists—more than 1,500 awards to 1,100 individuals and counting—should be marked somehow, shouldn’t it? As we plotted what kind of commemoration to make, we were drawn to the irresistible tributaries every discussion about funding for artists inspired. What makes a fellowship successful? Ought artists be obliged to use their talents for social good? Is it harder or easier to be an artist than it used to be? Should fellowships support only artists who don’t find commercial success in the market? Is YouTube a benefit or a threat to an individual artist? What makes someone “professional”? Who decides who’s an artist anyway? What value do artists have in the world?
From all our mental meanderings, we came to two conclusions:
- A formal study of the program over time would likely result in the not-very-radical conclusion that fellowships are good; and
- It is more interesting to engage in a conversation about the future for artists than about the past.
Within the cultural sector, conversations about artists often derail in one of two ways: Either the discussion quickly turns to one about “the arts” rather than artists, spinning unspecific platitudes about “intrinsic value” or building wobbly arguments about the economic benefits of having a big theater next door to your restaurant.
Or the talk is about artists, but becomes rather hyperbolic. We characterize artists as perpetually under attack by the narrow minded and short sighted, by shallowness or prudishness, or greed, or laziness, or evil. Somehow the artist becomes our only chance against mediocrity and meaninglessness. It’s a hefty calling. One wonders that artists don’t crumble under the weight of their own specialness.
Real questions, and real answers, tend to get lost. There is little consistent data, for example, about the lives and livelihoods of artists. What is the starting salary for a sculptor? How has the high unemployment rate affected theater artists? As Bill Cleveland of the Center for the Study of Arts and Community says, “You can find out far more about barbers in your town than about artists.”
So we decided to start a conversation about artists—or perhaps several conversations about artists. In the months to come, we will invite to this space contributors who identify themselves as artists and those who do not, those who are advocates for artists and those who think them scoundrels, those who think the artist’s time has come and those who think the very notion is outmoded, outlandish, or elitist. In the next month, look for articles from Patrick Scully, Laura Zabel, Marcus Young, Diane Ragsdale, Mary Ellen Childs, Bill Cleveland, and others. We’ll also launch a video series by Works Progress, introducing us to a diverse group of artists and the big questions they want to ask.
Welcome to the State of the Artist. Let the conversation begin.
In our next post, artist Patrick Scully writes about “Who Owes Who, and What?”
Laura Zimmermann is program officer and director of artist fellowships at The McKnight Foundation. You can reach her directly at lzimmermann@mcknight.org.
Respectfully, one simple question of each of your selected “conversationalists”. How white is art in Minnesota? I would love to read what each has to say about how we support the culture of our communities by the Artists we chose to fund.
Do they have the insight to answer the question?
Chicano Artist de Minnesota
Great idea. I look forward to following this discussion and joining in.
Yay! I respect the McKnight Foundation and all they do. My son was born an artist. This may seem questionable to some people…but I have PROOF! Right now he is a train tramp (rides the rails, when you get old you become a hobo). He paints trains, is a street artist, has a unique style, and can do nothing else for the rest of his life. Deuce Seven can be found on Google if you enter his name along with Minneapolis artist. Read all about his being crowned the new king of New York graf. He is not organized enough to have a web site. Please search his incredible beauty at Flickr: Ride Dirty or Die. Or Google him at Deuce Seven Minneapolis artist. Thank you and buy art.
Deuce Seven is a widely recognized brand! no wonder you are proud of your son. His art will draw patrons, of one kind or another, because it understands the nature of desire.
Hey. Great idea! Thank you McKnight (and Laura and all of your McKnight buddies) for getting this going! Great resource for all.
Thanks, everyone! We are excited for our new venture!
Jimmy, you raise great questions, ones that will definitely surface in coming posts.
Claudia, I think a parent who is such a fan is more valuable than a fellowship or a grant! I remember seeing a show by Deuce Seven at SooVAC. Glad to hear he is rumbling on.
I like this idea and I look forward to watching it play out.
I hope we’ll find ways to draw people from outside the art world into the conversation. As an artist I’ve long been saddened by what seems to me like a fear of art and artists in American culture. People are scared to ask me questions, or to talk about what they like, or what they think. Among those without any education in art (and that’s, what, 98% of our population?), I hear over and over that they’re afraid they’re going to “sound stupid.”
At some point I’d love to discuss why this is so, and what we can do to make it better. We all need people who are confident enough to engage with us.
My burning question: why is there so little art criticism and publicity in general for fine art in the Twin Cities, and why do local publications shy away from polemics? Secondly, Minneapolis seems to want to be an “art town,” yet most mature visual artists are consistently marginalized. How would it be possible to support mid- and late career artists who are currently underrepresented?
I love it — both the idea (“Real questions, and real answers”) and all the comments, which clearly show a pent up need to get the conversation rolling. I’m excited to see where it goes.
Hi, and thank you for this initiative. I am eager to read upcoming posts and responses. Kim, thanks for mentioning mid- and late-career artists. Ageism in the arts is another topic for discussion.
No such thing as a salary for artists; interesting that you are gathering data and stories from artists. Myself, I think of artists not as moral exemplars but as border scouts: those who are willing to enter territory that most people don’t want to, and who return with news of that territory for those who want it. Border scouts may be good or bad, moral or not; they are valuable not for their virtue but for the quality of the reportage they bring back.
[...] If you’re engaged in Minnesota’s thriving arts scene, there’s a new blog in town you’ll want to add to your reading list. MCF member The McKnight Foundation launched State of the Artist last week, in honor of the 30th anniversary of its artist fellowships program. As program officer Laura Zimmerman puts it in her inaugural post: [...]