As an artist who went to a fine arts college I quickly learned the Arts is not welcoming to working class/lower income folks But as high brow as it wants to be, the industry doesn’t get a say in whether you are an artist or not. You’re still a creative if you say you are, no matter how you got here - ThreadSky

samanthamash.bsky.social • 112 days ago

As an artist who went to a fine arts college I quickly learned the Arts is not welcoming to working class/lower income folks

But as high brow as it wants to be, the industry doesn’t get a say in whether you are an artist or not. You’re still a creative if you say you are, no matter how you got here

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imustachechu.bsky.social•112 days ago

I remember once asking how much a certain person made in our industry that we were studying to be in and I got yelled at by a senior girl (from money) that was an inappropriate question that I should never ask how much people make. (It was an art department dinner and on topic.) in front of everyone

imustachechu.bsky.social•112 days ago

I was used to that being a question that you could ask under certain circumstances. But I guess if you actually have money you don't want people asking.

The elitism was unreal, even some of the teachers acted like we'd amount to nothing. No daddy's money to fall back on I guess.

norisj.bsky.social•112 days ago

I knew that even before I went to art school but it was still a painful reality.

elliotthebird.bsky.social•112 days ago

This is so important

shaenon.bsky.social•53 days ago

People can't stop you from making art. They can just not pay you for it, which admittedly sucks butt.

smolldin0.bsky.social•112 days ago

Thanks for talking about that art school always stay closed for me because I needed to work part time and couldn’t spend all my money on expensive art stuff used one time. They made it really clear that I wasn’t welcomed because of my class origins

denowylie.bsky.social•112 days ago

Omg I can't stand all that snobbery, it's the worst. Never felt so out of place as when I tried to make it in fine art and get higher education, I hated it.

nsgrant.bsky.social•112 days ago

Thanks for clearing that up. 💜

upongoblinhill.bsky.social•112 days ago

As someone who both went to a fine arts school and am now employed by an arts museum; the stratification gets worse and worse- most contemporary artists with success come from wealth already, and the arts c-suite place their unemployable friends/fam into high places. Velvet Buzzsaw was right.

athreadoflife.bsky.social•112 days ago

I also found this to be the case in any sort of art. A lot of my colleagues were really well-off while my parents had money and supported me throughout my years, I was on a budget most of the time. People stopped inviting me to places because I always had to say 'no' because I couldn't afford it.

athreadoflife.bsky.social•112 days ago

What is really funny about the art industry is that it's not only welcoming to working/lower income folks; the industry also pays little so you are always stuck in that certain income while also being very demanding.

mimothy.bsky.social•112 days ago

This is so true! I grew up in rural poverty and learned very quickly how unwelcomed I was in gradschool. It's a rich boy's club. It's up to the working class artists to offer resources to other poor/working artists. I plan on opening a non-profit artist residency here in California!

tuonenkalla.bsky.social•112 days ago

It's interesting to hear about your experience. It's so different compared to my year in folk art school, where I basically learned anything can be art. Glue menstrual pad to a wall and paint with glitter? Art!
I was shocked at first but so very thankful to see the boundaries of art differently

tuonenkalla.bsky.social•112 days ago

Of course higher education can teach a lot of useful stuff like technique or analysing but money shouldn't dictate what is art and who is artist. It's frustrating.
Art is created from the soul, and most of us humans have it, free of charge.

samanthamash.bsky.social•112 days ago

I mean they said anything can be art. Heck someone made a menstrual blood soaked mirror that was shattered and turned into a US flag. However there was a barrier between who and what qualified as the ideal of an artist—which often required a large backing of money and creating non-commercial work

samanthamash.bsky.social•112 days ago

During my childhood my mom was a waitress, my dad worked at IKEA. Money got real tight as I got older. I got to go to college due to a large scholarship and I was so excited to be around people who liked art and were more open minded

But weirdly I dealt with more classism in college than back home

brinkmage.bsky.social•112 days ago

As an artist who went to community college I got a similar impression. That getting anywhere in 'fine arts' is about who you know and if you're not already part of that group you might as well stay a hobbyist.

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