Art Crosses all Divides

But why?

Tapping into humanity, taps into our similarities more than our divides. If we know ourselves well, we are more likely to understand other people. Then we know how we are similar and how we differ. We relate how we have reacted to the same situation and we put ourselves in their shoes. We have commonality in our emotions and we have a life tapestry of experiences in which we have connected those emotions to events. So empathising with another person’s experiences isn’t so far off- if we pay attention to ourselves too. We don’t all react to the world in the same way. But we do all have a reaction, even if we don’t have a response.

Good art crosses divides because it is powerful enough to tap into our humanity. It grabs those emotions and takes us on journeys where we live outside our lives, or even, in ways, within our lives. Drama can quite clearly take us on defined experiences. Fashion leaks into every life- as does design. Fine art, on the other hand, stands on the peripheries and speaks when when spoken to. Which is why it needs spaces. Spaces which do not isolate it from people or groups of people.

Putting art where it is needed, can elevate our humanity as a community. It can fuse disparities, whilst also celebrating differences. What divides our spaces and then consequentially our art, divides us as people.