A Cultural Complaint

I was recently quoted in print saying, "I don’t particularly like complaining." This came as a huge surprise to many of my friends, who immediately contacted me about what they perceived as a glaring inaccuracy in the article. Of course, I protested that it all made sense in context: I was being interviewed about a music festival I co-curate and produce, and was trying to explain the genesis of the event. I was tired of hearing that there was "nothing going on" in town and decided to make something happen and give the lie to that particular complaint. I’ll admit, though, that anyone who knows me well will have often heard me complain about a number of pet issues. (e.g., Unless you have some time on your hands, don’t get me started on Daylight Saving Time. If you must, ask me about that in the fall, when you "gain" an hour.) However, I stand by my statement: I don’t particularly like complaining.

I have two explanations for this seeming contradiction. One is somewhat legalistic: I don’t like complaining; it’s just that the world too often conspires to force me to do it. The other is closer to the truth: I think that once you find yourself complaining about something repeatedly, you have two options–either do something to create the change you want to see or shut up, OR get used to it and leave the rest of us in peace. Ideally (though this is often not the case) a complaint has a function, like the pain that makes you pull your hand out of the fire. It ought to help you organize your thinking about the world you wish to see and spur you to some kind of action.

One of my favorite recurring complaints regards the visual arts coverage in the Twin Cities. Or, rather, the near complete lack of it. Our local media seem quite happy to repeat, ad nauseam, that we have a strong arts scene, or that the Twin Cities are somehow supportive of the arts. Well, this may or may not be true, but there is a difference between supporting "The Arts" and having any sort of meaningful or engaging discussion of any specific art. This is especially troubling as visual art thrives on discourse and withers in its absence. In some ways the difference between a piece of art and any other object is that the art object is a locus for discourse, an attempt to embody, however tenuously, some kind of idea or meaning, and to engage in some way with the history of those ideas. This means, in turn, that works of art are always contingent objects, and require community and context for their very existence.

Oddly, though the local dailies and weeklies have "Art" sections, this tends to mean CD, film, theatre and dance coverage. Of course, there is nothing wrong with any of these forms, but when I tell people I went to art school, they rarely assume I must therefore be an actor. It’s been somewhat galling to me, as an artist, that the "Art" sections have precluded it’s very namesake: art. It seems odd to me that any day of the week I can find a review of a play, a dance piece, a film, a new album, or even of live music events that have already passed, yet seldom find any coverage at all of visual arts exhibitions, despite the fact that they are on display for a month or more. I was especially troubled this past year (troubled enough to cancel my subscription) when the Star Tribune "Fall Arts Preview" listed exactly four upcoming visual arts events. Of those, three were at the major arts institutions in town, and only one had any local content. The only other visual art related article in the entire section was reprinted from the New York Times.

So, what will follow in my upcoming posts is my attempt to do what little I can to contribute to a change, to be part of a larger conversation, and to put my money where my mouth is. Offered the opportunity to be part of a group attempting to start some discourse about local art, I really couldn’t say no, despite several reasons to be reticent. As a practicing artist, I fear any implication of conflict of interest. Having many friends in the local arts scene, I worry about being either perceived as too partisan or having honest criticisms received as unduly harsh. As a non-writer, I may not be the man for the job. I guess we will see. I am happy to say that my fellow writers here have already given me less to complain about. All the same, I am sure more complaints will follow.