This morning I listened to a discussion about engaging men in the arts
Yet, once you get past the marquee banners outside those institutions and the million-dollar prices in auction houses, there are less men involved.
Particularly when you go beyond leadership roles or anything that might convey status.
And it was obvious in the Zoom session that, aside from the panel and one gender-ambiguous name, I might've been the only male in the audience.
In fact only three of four men promoted as being on the panel showed up!
So I asked a few pointed questions about the opportunities for men to engage with the arts and hoped to get a conversation going.
For example, I questioned whether education is to blame as a lot of the exercises I see in primary schools are largely paint-by-numbers-type activities rather than processes that encourage reflection.
It's the way that practicing art prompts me to acknowledge my emotional well-being that I think points to the greatest benefits of promoting creative activities.
I mentioned how liberating it is to make art in a regional area and also shared my favourite quote:
“Amateurism,” says Sharifullin, “is what defines provinciality. On the other hand, it’s hard to stay professional when you’re surrounded by philistine stereotypes. People think you’re a weirdo if your happiness doesn’t depend on the size of your bank account. So you must have balls of steel to do arts. It’s not that bad if you have a few like-minded people around, though.”After the Zoom session ended and I'd been for a walk, I reflected on the subject by thinking about my sons.
There's a distinct difference between the oldest and the youngest when it comes to creative practice.
One of them is an active writer and singer, while the other has hated art since he started school.
Then it occurred to me the former is less self-conscious and perhaps more confident in making art, while the latter has often looked for approval from peers.
As I pondered this I returned to the idea that "you must have balls of steel to do arts."
Could it be that men don't engage with the arts because they don't feel confident?
It brought to mind the powerful observation from bell hooks in her book The Will to Change:
The first act of violence that patriarchy demands of males is not violence toward women. Instead patriarchy demands of all males that they engage in acts of psychic self-mutilation, that they kill off the emotional parts of themselves. If an individual is not successful in emotionally crippling himself, he can count on patriarchal men to enact rituals of power that will assault his self-esteem.
