In my blog entry for June 6th, I reported on a meeting of community artists. I described how the participants noticed that, out of political demoralization, we had silenced ourselves in the public arena, not even bothering to state our case. Unlike earlier times, we artists weren’t promoting a cultural policy agenda for the presidential elections, nor mobilizing to use our talents to dissent from destructive actions taken in our names. Now that we’ve awakened, I encouraged you to stay tuned for signs of life. I’m thrilled to bring one to your attention so soon.
The Artists Call for Cultural Policy is an online petition addressed to all presidential campaigns, calling for democratic cultural policies and adequate support for cultural diversity, creative expression, and community cultural development. We are looking for endorsements from both organizations and individuals. Please click on the link and sign it today, then ask your friends and colleagues to do likewise.
Very soon, I’ll be posting information here on the second initiative to come out of the community arts meeting, so please continue to watch this space.