Why artists need our support now more than ever
By Fola Onifade
Photo by Fola Onifade. Mint Museum Randolph. Charlotte, NC. 2022
It’s officially autumn! The days are getting shorter and cooler (depending on where you live), and this season always reminds me that endings have their place in the natural order of things.
As a country—and world—we’re living through several concurrent endings. In the U.S., we’re witnessing authoritarians grasp at their final vestiges of power to stave off the growing influence of those who have been historically sidelined and marginalized. It’s hard to watch. It’s heavy and frightening to live through.
Look to the artists
At a time like this, it might seem frivolous or shallow to look to the artists, the makers, and the keepers of culture—but the messages and substance of their work are exactly what authoritarians fear. Art can be a refuge for hope and joy when the world is bleak. And in the face of authoritarianism, art becomes dangerous: an avenue to speak truth to power, to express what cannot be said, and to challenge destructive narratives.
The city of Charlotte, for example, has been in headlines recently following the murder of a Ukrainian woman, Iryna Zarutska, on our public transit system. The nation's vice president was in North Carolina on Wednesday to discuss “public safety.” Later this week, the House Judiciary Committee will arrive in Charlotte for a hearing on violent crime. Surely, Zarutska’s horrific death deserves care, attention, and restorative justice, but conservatives have seized upon this tragedy to stoke more fear and hate during an already sensitive, divisive time.
Joining in one another’s traditions
Meanwhile, the international solidarity in our city has received much less coverage. Right now, our annual Charlotte International Arts Festival is taking place in the heart of the city, and lasts for nearly a month. Every year, in the fall, thousands of Charlotteans celebrate the city's vibrant tapestry, the rich cultural heritages of locals, immigrants, and refugees from all across the world who call Charlotte home.
While many law firms, tech companies, media giants, and other corporations continue to capitulate to an authoritarian regime, here, in the South—with its history of resistance against oppression and proving what's possible under the most dire circumstances—we are lifting up our international community, joining in one another’s traditions, and forging the bonds that are a direct threat to xenophobia and nationalism.
Support local arts
This fall, I encourage you to not just support your local arts organizations, whose work will be increasingly crucial as censorship and funding cuts become the norm, but to stay engaged with the diverse communities in your neighborhood. The antidote to these harrowing times will not be found in isolation or retreat, but in solidarity, unity, and strong relationships with the people around us.