Art and Politics
Fall 2005

In the 5th century B.C., Plato wanted to exclude poets from his ideal republic. In the 18th and 19th centuries, musical performances caused riots that led to revolutions. In the 20th century, artists all over the globe were yoked to the cause of nationalist propaganda. Now that we are firmly ensconced in the 21st century, we need to ask ourselves about the interrelationship between art and politics, and the reasons why we bother to create art at all. It's our century, after all, and if we don't apply ourselves to it, then it will no doubt apply itself to us. "divide #3: Art and Politics" will offer a forum for writers, artists, and thinkers to explore various questions that cluster around this issue, including:

• In this age, what are the values and purposes of art? Is the old phrase "To Delight and Instruct" relevant any longer?
• How have movements in the arts—both currently and historically—either motivated or been motivated by political beliefs and actions.
• What kinds of work worldwide are getting writers and artists into trouble, and causing them to seek refuge in other nations? How does this pressure affect their lives and work?
• With the omnipresent mass media, do artists—as traditionally defined, at least in the 20th century—even have a relevant place anymore? Are "The Simpsons" and "South Park" today's works of art?
• In which cases is the State obliged to fund artists, in which not? Are artists—consciously or unconsciously—obliged to play the tune that the piper calls?
• Are the works of art that cause public furor—"Piss Christ," for example—worthy of the hoopla it generates? Should public tax money have funded it?
• When does art cross over into propaganda? Does it then lose its relevance as art?
• Why does next to no one read poetry anymore? Whose "fault" is that? Or has popular music stepped in to fill the elitist gap that high Modernism and its angry stepchild, the avant garde, created between art and the public? Does the public even matter? Has it ever?
• Can art, as we know it today, be a serious force for social change?

We look forward to lively and surprising submissions in response to questions such as these.