Intersectionality of Arts and Privilege: Moving Toward Equitable Creative Action

INTERSECTIONALITY OF ARTS AND PRIVILEGE:MOVING TOWARD EQUITABLE CREATIVE ACTION

By Sheila Suderwalla

If an individual engaging in creative selfexpression is marginalized, they are often labeled within fixed categories. Attaching an additional label to artist such as “disabled,” “African American” or “female” perpetuates exclusion. When additional labels are added onto artist, it can diminish their worth. Ethnicity, culture, language, religion, gender, ability, sexual orientation, age, economic/social status and geographic location can all influence what one creates, however, it should not influence one’s access to the arts or determine the validity of their artwork.

Artists First is a nonprofit organization that helps build positive social change through art. Artists First’s mission is to provide a safe, welcoming, accepting, professional space where people of all ages, abilities and life experiences can explore and create art, individually or collaboratively.

Artists First’s diverse, inclusive art studio is open to everyone but intentionally targets disenfranchised populations such as individuals with disabilities. Applying an intersectionality viewpoint, Artists First is proactive in making art more accessible for individuals with different sensory, physical, mental, and or developmental abilities.

Creative self-expression has served as a catalyst for positive social change throughout history. At the Artists First studio art is not only utilized as a way to effectively communicate and build understanding and acceptance among individuals with different belief systems, experiences and backgrounds, it is used to raise critical consciousness.

Therapeutic benefits to the creative process – freedom to express, make sense of the world around us, to share, explore and learn. But, when an artist who has different capabilities creates, it is often viewed as a “therapeutic activity” rather than creativity. This limiting viewpoint is based on general assumptions and can maintain an exclusionist system. Disability is not a barrier to expression or access to art; rather it is an ingrained systematic approach to those with disabilities that is the actual barrier.

The exposure, experience and expression of art in all forms do not belong to a privileged few. It is not meant to be possessed or dictated by any individual, group or institution. Exclusion, derived from power and privilege, can play out in the accessibility of expression and art. Through active cognition and application of an intersectionality perspective, we can move toward building a truly inclusive movement.

www.artistsfirststl.org

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