Approximately 100 Boston artists gathered Monday night at the First Church in Roxbury to discuss how to move forward with their work under Donald Trump’s presidency.
The discussion, which was facilitated by the artist organization Creatives Talk, allowed participants to split up into groups to answer overarching questions that could affect their artistic lives amid the current social and political climate.
Ashe Gordon, one of the discussion’s organizers, said the talk aimed to provide space for artists to voice their opinions and to stimulate public awareness on issues affecting artists.
“We thought that we should come up with a group that we should try, as artists, to come up with a new kind of language to talk about this with allies — with those who are feeling like they don’t have the words or the emotions to speak about it,” Gordon said. “Be curious, and help foster social curiosity.”
After about 45 minutes of discussions in smaller groups, attendees convened to express the results of their discussions.
Juan Williams, a comic artist, said during the discussion that reflecting upon one’s self and truthfulness is imperative to generating thoughts on the current political situation.
“[We need to] take time as artists to kind of reflect on ourselves and kind of say, ‘Who am I?’ Not just as individuals, but also in relation to everything that’s going on,” Williams said. “[We need to] use mediums that we are best suited for, not only within our community, but for also as a way to put up a flag as self-care and to also have better conversations.”
Maria Finkelmeier, one of the discussion’s organizers, wrote in an email before the event that Creatives Talk began to organize the discussion two weeks ago as a way to discuss artists’ needs to respond to the election results.
“We are all concerned about the new administration, and feel that providing a space for reflection, discussion, and brainstorming would be a positive first step in moving forward,” Finkelmeier wrote.
Dan Lewis, one of the discussion’s organizers, wrote in an email before the event that he suggested holding the discussion, which was inspired by a New York-based composer who organized a similar event the day after the election.
“We want our event to focus on action, and to give people a chance to talk through ideas. Most importantly, we want to encourage people to network,” Lewis wrote. “There are a lot of creative people in the Boston area who, like me, have never been involved in activism before, and we want to empower everyone to participate in whatever way they can or want to.”
Several attendees said the discussion was helpful for artists to gather and openly and freely discuss their thoughts.
Abby Neale, 25, of Jamaica Plain, said the election affects her job as an arts educator to younger students.
“As an educator, I work with younger children and it just kills me to see someone that is being elected that is going against everything that I teach students about inclusion, not being a bully,” she said before the discussion. “The fact that your voice matters just as much as the next person and that everyone should feel empowered and that their voice matters.”
Scott Mizrachi, 27, a volunteer coordinator for the music and arts organization ZUMIX, said the discussion was important, since it brought together people in similar situations and sought for solutions.
“Now is the time people are asking a lot of questions,” Mizrachi, of Jamaica Plain, said after the discussion. “That’s good to be in a curious frame of mind and kind of work towards finding solutions or work towards finding positive outlooks for social change.”
Brittany Thomas, 24, a ZUMIX radio station manager from East Boston, said after the discussion that a big takeaway for her was that this isn’t an individual problem.
“My main takeaway was how much there is already going on, and I think, at least in my small group discussion, it was a big desire to connect all of these events that are going on,” she said. “They don’t feel like such individual pursuits, but that’s it’s actually a part of a bigger, stronger thing. I think that was one of the goals, and I think they were successful.”
Breanne is a former editor-in-chief and city news editor. She is a senior in the College of Communication and an oxford comma enthusiast. Follow her on Twitter @breannekovatch.
