After visiting the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures with Professor Turner and the others at AYA, seeing all the fashion and art made me think of how important those things are in our society. The mere fact that there is a museum dedicated to these things demonstrates that we have placed a high value on these things in our society.
I find the ways in which we communicate with one another through things like art and fashion to be an incredibly relevant topic. Art is a way of expression for many, but it is also a powerful tool in society that has been used throughout history alongside the media to bring light to certain topics, groups, or communities. One of the main functions of art and fashion in our society is to spread ideologies and foster culture among the youth. Art and fashion have such a strong grip on culture that just by looking at the certain way something is drawn/filmed—or looking at certain styles and articles of clothing—we are able to tell which generation they may have come from. The way people dress is more than just cloth, it can tell you about the state of a society, its political power, and who sets the trends. It also lets you know a person’s interests, what they value, and who they are. Sometimes art also just speaks to the times instead of promoting ideas. Artists make choices that show parallels to what is happening in our real lives and offer solutions for these problems. This in turn creates strong communities and lets voices that usually go unheard speak up for themselves.
One way that art is used civically in the media is through films. During my visit to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, I was able to see this demonstrated through the various pieces that were on display at the gallery. Walking through the museum and being able to see the different fashions that were used in films and the deliberate choices made by the designers to deliver who and what a character was. This showed the power of fashion in the media. Being able to also see what it took to make a set design, how and why certain sounds are used, and the directorial, artistic decisions made within films demonstrated to me that art is not only a way of expression, but a complex system. By using art and fashion, they are able to capture the attention of generations and communities. Once they have their attention, they are able to communicate ideas and encourage them to advocate for the topics being shown. Art can decide what societies care about and what we choose to focus on. Artists are able to inspire and start conversations about topics that are typically undiscussed and encourage its viewers to converse and raise awareness for the issues at hand. Through art and fashion, we are able to communicate without speaking and foster communities built on strong foundations.
Bringing this back to a more current topic. I think art in the more casual outlets such as social media, news, etc., is still as useful and powerful as things like music and film. People of all age groups are able to share and create their art through social media, as well as express themselves and have their voices be heard. I think the younger generations definitely understand the power that art has and how they can use it for civic engagement. I also think that the older generations know that the youth has a sway on trends and media and deliberately creates things that can be used to exploit the passion and drive of the younger generation. Oftentimes the youth can be blinded by their passion and lose sight of the true fight, which can end with art being turned into propaganda. One thing I was thinking of where art was turned into propaganda was the Cultural Revolution in China during the mid 20th century, which I learned about in my AP Art history class. A group of young people/students known as the Red Guard were encouraged to burn classic Chinese books and works of art. The Movement motivated artists to paint pictures of their leader, Mao Zedong, which led to the painting of him, titled, “Mao Zedong Goes to Anyuan,” being one of the most reproduced paintings in the world. By using art and the voice of young people, a Cultural Revolution was able to be controlled and swayed.
When art loses its purpose of expression, it can turn performative and into a trend quickly. It is important to remember while creating and consuming art not to lose sight of the meaning and purpose. At the end of the day, art should be used to grow communities and bridge the gap of communication so we can connect with and challenge one another.
Communicating Change 