Hello! My name is Jordyn Davis and I was an intern with Arts Connect International for two weeks. I Am a Senior at Codman Academy. Being here has really changed my mind on the art world. As a teenager I did not think my idea or voice could be out there with people who can actually make it come true. Being with ACI showed me that everyone has a voice and it can and will be heard by them. When I first came here, they wanted to know about me and that made me feel important. They also wanted to know if I thought myself as an “ARTIST”. Now that I look back to that question, I say yes. I am a photographer and a singer. Being here gave me hope that if I can come out of my shell and show people the real me, then other real artists could do the same.
I think it is sad that only 34% of artists that are shown in museums are women and that 74% of visual arts graduates are women. It is sad because if there are that many licensed artists out there should be more exhibits and museum showings of women’s work. I hope one day that all artists are treated equally. It should not matter if they are of color or white or a woman or a man. Everyone at the end of the day that is in the art field and wants to do something with it should be able to. There should not be biased people saying you can not show your art because of who you are or what you look like. I want to see a shift in the equality part of art. I want to see that no matter what you identify as you still have all the other rights people in art already have.
I would also like to see a shift in the cultural equity gap because the gap is not being equally fair to people of different races, genders, sexual orientations, people with disabilities, and class backgrounds. I would love to see the gap not be there anymore because at the end of it all, we are all still people who have something in common, which is the art. Art should bring people together instead of dissing people out. Just because people can look different or see themselves as different does not mean that they want to feel excluded.
Art to me feels like an escape from the real world and its problems. I feel like if anyone wants to put their artwork out there that they should at least get a fair advantage of trying. There are different contests and ways to get your art seen. So what I hope to see is for people not to give up but to work harder for what they want to see in life because the future is like a canvas and we are the artist. It is up to us to see what the bigger picture will become as a community.
I know this could be changed if we all work together as one big Art World Society and/or Community to see more of the people who are pushed out because of their differences become included.. You cannot judge anyone by their cover.
Sincerely, Jordyn Davis