The gatekeepers of American popular culture use awards ceremonies to bestow approval on artists and the works they produce in the fields of music, film, television and Broadway shows, among others. Recent years have seen increased public scrutiny of the bodies who nominate and judge art and artists and calls for diversity and inclusion abound. Much of this course has focused on issues of power, representation and what happens to artists and their art when they/it are, literally and figuratively, hidden from view.
2021-22 AWARDS SEASON – EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW (https://variety.com/feature/2021-2022-awards-season-calendar-oscars-bafta-sag-awards-grammys-schedule-1235064678/)
First step:
post your own thoughts on issues of inclusion/exclusion as reflected in American awards ceremonies. Has substantive change occurred as a result of the public outcry for recognition of artists/art that are more representative of the rich tapestry that is America? Why/why not?
Second Step:
make substantive comments on the following post (about 2-3 sentences)
“I genuinely do not care for the awards with their superficial political performances. We see art as commoditized entirely; no winner of an Oscar was the foremost that year; this is impossible. The competitiveness is considerably dogmatic, acting with the intent to hinder artists. Modest artists do not win these awards, only the monumental profitable artisans expedited by major labels. Their art is pressed for its usefulness to yield profits infrequently reinvested toward future art. I do not care for the music industry in all its hideous practices. This enterprise, noxious and individualistic, generates honors neglecting proper acknowledgment of excellence. When we see who has been the deciders of what sound art is and the name we can recall is Harvey Weinstein, it is not a good indication. Award shows remain a white man society that sometimes caters whilst under pressure to include and pigeonhole female, black, and LGBTQ+ artists. If you are a black artist, your dignity in being a black artist is stripped away and commercialized. You are a pawn they superimpose to make sure neo-liberal white homogenous families sustain a belief that this media they consume and indulge is “diverse”. Modern America haft has been stricken with the application of bandaid fixes, which are immediate and may resemble immeasurable change; on the contrary, they do jack against the real systemic concerns. Meanwhile, the management pulls together several diverse people to win awards. They are not arranging these wins out of respect for the art.; they use black art as a tool. I want to see the art world led by artists and the people, not the elitist, built upon preexisting wealth and exclusion. I want to see art selected in a vacuum without any factors; however, this is not the most favorable solution. That vacuum still will guide the preservation of imbalance. So I stay away from this topic and hold my initial belief; I genuinely do not care for the awards. “
