WMV Music Web Log

Marilyn and I have been chatting with some gallery owners this week (Marilyn is finally becoming interested in finding a commercial gallery to represent her work). Clearly the art world is not in a good place. There is such a feeling of depression and cynicism permeating the business of the arts, apparently in the visual arts as well as classical and contemporary music, with which I am more familiar. Not only are sales slow, but intelligent critical review is lacking, cronyism rules, and the public is frightened of art.

I am sick of the desperation and cynicism in the arts, and it occurred to me that we have lost the exercise of our rights as artists. We don't have access to the press, to public spaces, or even to peoples' walls anymore. What we need is a lawyer! A constitutional lawyer to explain to us what rights we have and have failed to properly exercise. Since Jesse Helms and the destruction of the NEA, the death of public funding for artists, the terror of anything vaguely disturbing anywhere on anyone's artistic horizon, and the exploitation of arts by politicians of the right, things have descended to an intolerable place. We need to talk to a constitutional lawyer! I think I'll invite someone to speak at a future WMV event. I will develop a list of questions. It really doesn't feel like we have a free exercise of artistic speech any longer, and I want to find out why.