I don’t want to just tell arts stories. I want to create something that empowers artists across the country.
When I applied to the Entrepreneurial Journalism Creators Program, my media project didn’t have a name.
I didn’t have a business model plan or a strategy to grow an audience. All I had was an idea that had been gnawing at me for the past two years — an arts reporting project focused on resistance art in unexpected places.
It was an idea that arose from questions about what arts reporting could be in the future, and how to make work that is accessible and inclusive to those who don’t often see themselves reflected in mainstream media. These are the types of questions I often ponder as an arts reporter for the L.A. Times.
I wanted to create something that shined a light on the radical artists who fought for social justice outside of New York and L.A., in cities where they would face extreme opposition to their work.
Originally, I envisioned this idea could become a website featuring a series of artist profiles. But over the course of the program, I began to both refine and expand my idea.
Over 100 days, I thought more deeply about the connection between artists and social movements. One prime example is Black Lives Matter, an organization whose cofounder Patrisse Cullors is a performance artist. Other movements throughout history, the women’s liberation movement, L.A.’s Chicano Moratorium, the Black Panther Party, all used art to transform the country’s understanding of social issues.
And across the country, there are many more artists, often working under the radar of mainstream media, to activate social movements. These are the people I want to highlight.
To research the needs around my project, I sent out a community survey. Responses from artists helped validate my drive to create this project. They wanted to read about social justice, fair wages, equity, and inclusion in the arts.
When asked how media’s coverage of the arts can improve, one Arkansas-based playwright answered: “Exactly what your project aims to focus on — artists not living in L.A., NYC, or Chicago. Small town. Grassroots. Artists that might not have money but definitely have an audience or a community. More artists of color. More challenging content. The faces and names we haven’t met or seen yet.”
I also developed a name — the art rebellion — signifying a journalism project focused on artists who are rebelling against systemic inequalities even though they might face resistance for such work.
Most importantly, I learned about what it means to add value. And I thought about how my work could not just be extractive but in service to others. In addition to my original vision of reporting and writing profiles, I plan to add a service journalism component, creating guides on topics including grant writing, art advocacy, and finding an artist residencies, to empower artists and activists to make meaningful work, even if they don’t have the backing of a legacy institution. My goal is to make this work freely available and accessible, as the people who it could benefit from it most often work with very few resources
Once launched, I envision building a team, hosting workshops, releasing an annual magazine, making short documentaries, helping to sell artists’ work.
The sky is the limit.
I believe “the art rebellion” will become a community, a place of learning for artists, people who love the arts, people passionate about social justice, art institutions, and policy makers.
And while “the art rebellion” is still in development (check out the launch page here) the Journalism Creators program gave me confidence that my seed of an idea has value and is needed in the world. I’m excited about the journey ahead and bringing “the art rebellion” to life in the very near future.
