Keith Haring and the Dancin' Dudes

I still remember the first time I viewed a piece of Keith Haring’s art. Much like the 1980s New York-ians that first witnessed his art, Haring’s bright colors and abstract images immediately caught my attention. I soon realized that his art was used for more than just art or income, a concept I wasn’t familiar with. He used his very simple art to bring awareness to serious issues gripping the nation in the late 80s like AIDS and crack addiction. I can’t help but think that if his artwork was being created in our more digital age, his activism could have reached even more people. In many ways this was Haring taking a very active role in his civic community by creating awareness to topics he thought were important.

Who knows how much Keith Haring’s protests actually changed the 1980s or 90s. People may have purchased or admired his art without ever knowing the social implications behind it. However, I think that artists have an important duty to use their respective mediums to try and make a change. Artists often have the power to reach more people in a more impactful manner than some random dude walking around vomiting his thoughts and opinions. This is even more true in the digital age with exposure becoming easier and easier, at least among small groups.

As film students who will (hopefully) go on to create works of art, it is important to remember the surreptitious power we wield. We need to try and create works that inspire people or have some greater message or theme. More benign, straightforward narratives are, of course, appropriate as long as they don’t inadvertently lead the audience to view us or our beliefs in a negative light. This got really ramble-y near the end.