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KRISTIN SLOAN |
The Graffiti of the Philanthropic Class.
Thought this was a clever way of titling and framing this NY Times article.
Just for the sake of comparison, here is a screenshot of the first row of images that appear when you do a Google Image Search for TAGGING…
Supporters of arts organizations have long had their own method for “tagging” places that are important to them. The article brings up some interesting points…
Arts institutions in the United States, unlike those in most European countries, receive sparse support from the government, so they cannot be blamed for selling the naming rights to expensive new buildings brick by brick. And it is of course only human to desire acknowledgment of one’s good deeds.
But once upon a time a discreet collective plaque or a name in the program seemed to suffice. We live now in a different age. Celebrity has become a luxury product like any other, and the wealthy can purchase a tasteful morsel of the respectable kind through charitable largess.
I would imagine most artists and arts organizations are incredibly grateful for those individuals or organizations generous enough to support their pursuits, and are happy to have a method for recognizing those supporters in a permanent, significant and aesthetically neutral way. I’d also imagine that the increase in this practice has more to do with social and business trends in giving (and a growing need for contributions), and less to do with supporters direct desire for a certain kind of celebrity, as the article suggests. If this method is a la mode, than so be it… until the trend changes or organizations find an entirely new way of acknowledging their donors.
These possessory tags subtly convey the message that culture belongs, first and foremost, to the rich, that artists serve at the behest of an elite privileged class.
This statement makes me think of the Russians submersing their flagin the water under the ice of the North Pole, staking their claim for the land when global warming melts the ice caps. I hope everyone doesn’t feel that way about this standard for thanking supporters. I think it’s just one of the only ways to acknowledge that scale of support that currently exists.
What do you all think?
