“On Being the Only ‘American’” for “Revolving Door: ISCP <-> Asia. Chambers Fine Art. New York, NY. 2003.
On Being the Only “American”
By Melissa Pearl Friedling
Of late, being American has announced itself all over the world in campaigns of “shock and awe” and mass displays of patriotism (including protest). A lone American is rescued by her compatriots and sensationally brought back into the safety of our numbers. A singular U.S. citizen who fights on behalf of “our enemy” is interrogated by CIA agents at gunpoint, forced to renounce any former anti-American leanings, and sentenced to twenty years in prison. To be designated the “only American” anywhere these days (i.e. not among the euphemistic “coalition forces”) is not considered romantic or heroic, but rather construed as an admission that our allies are few, our attitudes are atomized, and our aggressive advancements beyond our own borders are unwelcome.
As it turns out, far removed from the front lines of anything, I took on the description of the only “American” (U.S national, that is) participating in the International Studio and Curatorial Program (ISCP) from July-September, 2002. And now, it seems, I am the only “American” in the “Revolving Door” show of ISCP artists. While there is certainly a tradition of esteem reserved for those American artists who have been welcomed in Europe, for example, while enduring neglect at home (Jerry Lewis notwithstanding), I’m definitely not among them. I’m not an exile nor am I a singularly lauded or representative American artist abroad. The irony is that I didn’t have to leave the States to be the only “American” since both ISCP and the “Revolving Door” show are in New York. So, I seem to be the only American in America or, at least, among the lucky few to be (gratefully) thrown one of the few scraps of public funding reserved for American artists.
To be sure, I’m overstating my situation for dramatic effect, but the truth is that while I was at ISCP, of the 25-30 sponsored artists residing there, only one U.S. studio was funded for a period of six months, allowing 2 upstate New York artists selected by jury to enjoy this amazing program for three months each. Up until December 2002, the American studio was sponsored by the New York State Council for the Arts (NYSCA) and administered by Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center in Buffalo. Not surprisingly (following Governor George E Pataki’s proposed 15% cut to NYSCA), this program was eliminated, and currently there are no U.S. sponsored artists at ISCP.
For the corral of international talent residing at ISCP at any one time, the dearth of Americans was cause for some confusion. For example, when I showed up and introduced myself to the Austrian artist down the hallway from my eighth-floor studio, he asked me what all artists at ISCP first ask, “where are you from?” Innocently, I responded, “here, ” pointed towards the ceiling, and further elaborated, “upstate.” For the next month or so, the Austrian artist was convinced that I had just moved down from the twelfth floor. The more I introduced myself to the other residents at ISCP, the more I began to realize that the artists simply weren’t accustomed to seeing Americans in this program. I was almost exotic! The international artists also confessed to me (although, they may have just been being polite) that they found it a bit disappointing to be given the opportunity to work in New York, only to spend most of their working hours with other foreign nationals as unfamiliar with American customs and culture as themselves.
After stumbling through initial introductions, I learned more about the funding circumstances of my international colleagues. Most were sponsored for a full year and many of the sponsoring countries also rented apartments that were furnished and made available to their regular rotation of artists. I learned that every other major industrial power spends 10 to 50 times per capita more than the United States on public support for the arts. I learned that in Norway, for example, artists receive a state salary – a living wage so long as they can prove they are working full time as artists. And in the Netherlands, The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science's staggering $21 billion budget is the largest of any Dutch government agency with $400 million of that spent directly on the arts — about $25 for every Dutch citizen. These national policies may have already changed (sadly, in order to conform more closely to the American system, private-sector-driven approach to cultural funding that tends to emphasize artists' commercial viability over their innovation and ideas), but the very thought of such lavish spending for emerging artists was certainly novel to me.
My experience at ISCP was easily one of the most valuable of my life and I envy the artists who now and in the future enjoy that experience. It is the international aspect of ISCP that makes it such an extraordinary program. It is the fact that one works alongside artists from all over Asia, Europe and the Americas that inspires cultural exchange and encourages exciting creative visions to be realized. To be sure, this is heady stuff and in the U.S., since the infamous culture wars of the 1980s and ‘90s, unresolved creative vision and experimentation are the last things to be considered for funding. Grants for individual artists are given short shrift in favor of equally worthy projects that explicitly pair art with other social “goods” —arts as educational tool, arts working with troubled kids, arts promoting neighborhood improvement. Clearly, the message is that individual vision is not regarded as a social “good” in itself. But (excuse the indulgent grandstanding) governments have a stake in funding the arts, just as they have a stake in funding education and exploration, social justice, and protecting citizens. This stuff is important and it seems that every country in the developed world recognizes its importance – every country but the U.S.
The list of artists participating in the Revolving Door show followed by their country of origin reads like a roster of contestants at a Miss Universe pageant or an Olympic event. The shame is that in this country, a lot more money is likely invested in budding beauty queens and promising athletes than on emerging artists. The consequences of such neglect will become apparent as fewer U.S. artists make a showing in the international art scene. If only out of that “Go USA!!” competitive chant we Americans seem to be screaming all over the place, it would behoove national, state, and private agencies to get with the program and make sure their American hopefuls become serious contenders. If not for that, then perhaps those politicians and patrons with keys to the vault will be moved by another spirit – the spirit of possibility.
Melissa Pearl Friedling received a grant from NYSCA and Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center to participate in the ISCP in 2002. She currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.