Arts 60 p o r t l a n d monthly magazine images courtesy of the artists cultural landscape had long been dominat- ed by traditional arts, the scales have tipped towards more contemporary modes. May- be it’s the modernist roots of Maine’s tra- ditional art? After all, the Impressionists, Winslow Homer, and even the practice of plein-air painting are all radical and revo- lutionary by nature. B ecause it’s our norm, American culture may be hard for us to see. But to the world, America repre- sents the possibility and poten- tial of societal revolution. We are the proof a society can overthrow powerful oppres- sors to create its culture anew according to its own values. In oppressive regimes, the incendiary power of culture is well known. After Ma- levich and his colleagues of the Russian avant-garde helped lead the effort to re- move the Czar, the Soviets outlawed ab- straction–even though black square paint- er Malevich was the first cultural minister of the revolution. Hitler also took the threat of abstract painting seriously and forcibly seized what he labeled “entartete kunst”– degenerate art. Art, in other words, has long been known to stir social engagement–and pow- erfully. We should also remember that while we largely associate Maine-connect- ed modernists like Edward Hopper, Rob- ert Henri, George Bellows, and Rockwell Kent with painterly appeal, they were seen in their time as politically-charged social realists. Henri, Bellows, and Hopper were members of the rebellious Ashcan School movement. We know this, but we have for- gotten how to connect that to the Maine side of their work. With fewer leading galleries but plenty of expansion among museums and non-prof- it venues, Portland’s art scene has changed. Social media is now a massive engine for the dissemination of cultural efforts. But as the venues have changed, so have the media. In- stallation, video, performance, photography, and various multimedia offerings now ap- pear to outnumber painting in terms of au- dience and local offerings. While offhand I could list dozens of re- gional artists whose work is primarily driv- en by social content, I recently spoke to a few who represent the range and reality of Maine artists who dare to disturb, incite, and stir social engagement. Team (ARRT!), a project of the Union of Maine Visual Artists. I also work with the disenfranchised and those in the men- tal health system. I help those people find their voices, to tap into their full range of expression. In collectively creating pro- test banners, ARRT! also helps marginal- ized groups to amplify their voices and be heard. It’s important to me that I am un- afraid to address social issues directly in my work. What’stherelationshipyouseebetweenyouraudience andthecontentofyourwork? I’m sometimes making nasty jokes about a nasty world. I’m talking about the most se- rious things with a touch of irony, humor, pattern, exuberant color, eccentric configu- rations. It may be simultaneously seen as a cry of joy and a cry of rage–a damning cri- a sickness, an infection within our culture, appearing everywhere in painterly referenc- es to masterpieces, styles, places, and ideas. What’sthesocialcontentofyourwork? I question power and the social order. I’m interested in power differentials–the hid- den mechanisms that control how wealth is distributed. This was my theme for the “suits” series. The “suits” neutralize the in- dividual, depersonalize the role. Even the people who wear the suits are disempow- ered [sometimes], as they too are caught in and chewed up by the system they pretend to control. Isartaneffectivetoolforsocialchange? Yes, of course! The most important work I do now is with the Artists’ Rapid Response “I’m sometimes making nasty jokes about a nasty world.” (Natasha Mayers, continued from first page)