Consuelo Hidalgo Roca: The role of art | Columnists | Opinion

February 26, 2021 – 00h01

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Defining a tangible utility to the role of the arts in society is extremely complex, especially in a world that feels very comfortable consuming disposable resources, ideas and information. Perhaps something that many can agree on is the interference that the arts have on education, but what about the rest?

Today many consider, without realizing it, the artist as a ‘product’ of this spectacle society, ready to be consumed, digested and forgotten, quickly moving on to the next. Art can undoubtedly collaborate in many areas of human endeavor, but its main value is its ability to humanize us. Art cannot necessarily change behavior. It is not a pill. Empathy is not produced just by looking at a painting, it implies a work for which art is taking shape, it is a creative process that can take days and even years.

Art cannot win an election or overthrow a president; it cannot stop the climate crisis, cure a virus, or raise the dead. But it is an antidote in times of chaos, a roadmap for clarity, a force for resistance and repair, creating new languages ​​and new images to think with. It is a slow tool, which does not act immediately, but requires experimentation, constant analysis, breaking stereotypes and thought patterns.

These are tough days. Artists, who need income, promote themselves as they can; Museums and galleries try to transmit (mainly through social networks) some message that can make their potential audiences understand the transformative power that art has, its ability to redeem and guide us through dark days.

All over the world, and more often than we ever expect, major theater shows, dance, music events and art exhibitions are being canceled. While the consequences are significant for large institutions and the tourism industry, smaller organizations and independent artists will be the hardest hit, as ticket sales and public funding will decline. Many will likely have to look for a job that is more lucrative and much less attractive.

We must take into account the precariousness of many of our cultural and artistic institutions, and work to support them, as even the most renowned and successful institutions often operate on margins that would surprise those who do not work in the cultural sector. Art is a formidable instrument to give us perspective. But it does not happen automatically, it is a long process, sometimes complex but possible.

Definitely the arts and cultural experiences usually leave us a good dose of sown inspiration. Inspiration is extremely powerful because it pushes us out of those behavior patterns that lead us to always do the same thing. I do not know if this effect prevents wars or bad rulers, what I do know is that an inspired person is capable of infecting their environment, which seems to me a fantastic way to start healing the world. (OR)

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