Art for Supper: Investigating Working Class Arts Access
I am a working artist and a community organizer. I grew up on a farm in rural Oregon and had relatively little exposure to arts and culture other than through children's literature. We lost our farm in the recession, and I eventually landed in Portland.
In a way, in moving to the "big city" and finding a job and a place to live, I've "made it". Portland seems provincial to some, but not to me. We have innovative development, a thriving food industry, a budding film industry...our poetry scene is booming, and we have the sixth most public parks per capita. What's not to love? We have an active and engaged Regional Arts and Culture Council, the Arts Tax, and the Arts for All program, whereby anyone who gets food stamps through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and has the Oregon Trail Card can buy $5 tickets to many of Portland’s best arts events.
Yet arts engagement for the working class is at a historic low. The National Endowment for the Arts faces possible elimination. Low-income individuals are significantly less likely to have access to the arts than their wealthier peers. We see in study after study that exposure to the arts improves a child's lifelong outcomes. Art education and access increases the likelihood of graduating from high school, attending and finishing college, and registering to vote. Having access to art and cultural resources improves key aspects of social well-being in disadvantaged neighborhoods, according to a recent study by the School of Social Policy & Practice at the University of Pennsylvania. Knowing this, I became curious about why my working class peers were not engaging with arts and cultural events as much as could be expected.
In January 2019, I began a project of consuming art in lieu of food for supper.
My intention is to do this 2-3 times per week for 1 year. I take the money that would have been spent on groceries or eating out for dinner and spend it instead on attending arts and cultural events that offer free or low-income ticket options. As a student of data science, I'll be logging and analyzing my own personal experiences and comparing them with raw data, mined or freely given, from large arts and cultural institutions.
My intention for this project is to personally investigate the value of art and culture to the working class and expose financial and other barriers to accessing art spaces. I catalogue learnings and observations, writing about class on social media to incite meaningful dialogue in my community by engaging key decision makers at cultural institutions. I hope to support support policy makers, urban planners, grantmakers, and government bodies in forming a stronger and clearer vision for the future of Oregon's art and culture scene.
My research and time are available for free to anyone who would like to discuss this topic. Never has it been more crucial to establish integrated policies and plans that promote collaboration and innovation. Our city is growing and diversifying. Portland is reckoning with the racist and classist urban planning choices of our past. In order to become the best city we can be, we need to understand how to manage change and growth, and what can be done better to serve marginalized audiences.
Poorly-considered barriers to arts access for the working class include:
A working-class-friendly performance or exhibit is both intersectional AND tolerant and inclusive of:
Contact me if you would like to discuss this topic more. I believe we all have a role in shaping our city to create a better future. Everyone has a voice in this essential conversation.
—JRW
In a way, in moving to the "big city" and finding a job and a place to live, I've "made it". Portland seems provincial to some, but not to me. We have innovative development, a thriving food industry, a budding film industry...our poetry scene is booming, and we have the sixth most public parks per capita. What's not to love? We have an active and engaged Regional Arts and Culture Council, the Arts Tax, and the Arts for All program, whereby anyone who gets food stamps through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and has the Oregon Trail Card can buy $5 tickets to many of Portland’s best arts events.
Yet arts engagement for the working class is at a historic low. The National Endowment for the Arts faces possible elimination. Low-income individuals are significantly less likely to have access to the arts than their wealthier peers. We see in study after study that exposure to the arts improves a child's lifelong outcomes. Art education and access increases the likelihood of graduating from high school, attending and finishing college, and registering to vote. Having access to art and cultural resources improves key aspects of social well-being in disadvantaged neighborhoods, according to a recent study by the School of Social Policy & Practice at the University of Pennsylvania. Knowing this, I became curious about why my working class peers were not engaging with arts and cultural events as much as could be expected.
In January 2019, I began a project of consuming art in lieu of food for supper.
My intention is to do this 2-3 times per week for 1 year. I take the money that would have been spent on groceries or eating out for dinner and spend it instead on attending arts and cultural events that offer free or low-income ticket options. As a student of data science, I'll be logging and analyzing my own personal experiences and comparing them with raw data, mined or freely given, from large arts and cultural institutions.
My intention for this project is to personally investigate the value of art and culture to the working class and expose financial and other barriers to accessing art spaces. I catalogue learnings and observations, writing about class on social media to incite meaningful dialogue in my community by engaging key decision makers at cultural institutions. I hope to support support policy makers, urban planners, grantmakers, and government bodies in forming a stronger and clearer vision for the future of Oregon's art and culture scene.
My research and time are available for free to anyone who would like to discuss this topic. Never has it been more crucial to establish integrated policies and plans that promote collaboration and innovation. Our city is growing and diversifying. Portland is reckoning with the racist and classist urban planning choices of our past. In order to become the best city we can be, we need to understand how to manage change and growth, and what can be done better to serve marginalized audiences.
Poorly-considered barriers to arts access for the working class include:
- lost income from taking time off work
- money to pay babysitters/in-home carers
- time and money for transit to and from shows
- tiered pricing
- ease of purchase
- when and where shows are promoted
A working-class-friendly performance or exhibit is both intersectional AND tolerant and inclusive of:
- kids and babies
- bags, backpacks, packages, luggage
- audience participation
- singing along
- whistling
- feedback
- singing along
- phones and devices
- snacks
- late arrivals and early departures
- a diversity of styles of dress (no formal dress code)
- a diversity of access/ability levels
Contact me if you would like to discuss this topic more. I believe we all have a role in shaping our city to create a better future. Everyone has a voice in this essential conversation.
—JRW