Art and Commerce Manifesto by Ryan W. Zacher

There are some key ideas which must be explained in order to better understand our present situation. The “Culture industry” is a term used to describe an economic system which exploits world resources and relies on the masses to buy large quantities of factory produced goods (“Culture Industry”). Most people are unaware that they are part of this massive system. Almost everything around us has been created by the “culture industry”. We are so immersed in it that the system becomes invisible. We must understand that the “culture industry” is the cause of many problems. Some of these problems include; exploitation of people & resources, permanent environmental damage, health issues for generations to come, and possibly even the de-evolution of human beings. Those are each entire papers on their own which I will get to in due time.

Now, this ugly monster called the “culture industry” is responsible for all of the fun material possessions in your life. One should feel a certain amount of guilt knowing that your luxuries are only possible because someone else somewhere has been robbed of their rights. True happiness has absolutely nothing to do with wealth and material possessions. The “culture industry” is tied in directly to mass production (industrial factory), mass media (commercials and movies), and even pop culture (what people like, right or wrong, becomes popular and infused into the culture forever). So when Johanna Drucker says that “art today is distinguished by its embrace of commerce and values of the mass media”, I must interject (Davis 1). Is she suggesting that art must share values with a henchman of the “culture industries”? Surely she must be mistaken. Drucker digs herself a deeper hole by claiming that “this loss of art’s distinction as an alternative to the media spectacle is not just one of artist’s choice but an existential condition for all artists, and therefore something that should be embraced”(Davis 1). I suppose that she is free to her own opinion but when her thoughts have the potential to influence others opinions on a subject as delicate as this then we must reciprocate like Davis. He defends the values of art by exposing holes in Drucker’s logic. Davis explains that “Drucker overlooks...the unstable, self-sabotaging nature of this ‘complicit’ condition. In debunking the platitudes of her academic peers, Drucker underplays the crisis that the blurring of ‘high’ art and media spectacle represents, and the weird place that art finds itself as a result” (Davis 1). In other words, in these confusing and quickly changing times, we must protect the values of fine art at all costs. Davis and I are supporting an alternative idea to a merge between fine art and the “culture industry”. A contemporary “art economy” should stand up for what is right and challenge the “culture economy”. If we submit to the values of mass production than art will die, and our planet and species will follow closely behind.

The industrial revolution changed the global economy and our ideas of material and visual culture. Capitalism has brought intense competition among products, made a few people rich, and left many people poor. Advertisements are aggressive as they battle for the consumer’s ever-shortening attention span. The increase of visual stimuli over the last 50 years has affected the way that people see. The “culture industry” has increased the demand for designers and artistic minded people, which sounds good at first, but we could actually be adding to the problem. Working for a massive corporation monopoly has some benefits. But you need a pretty cold heart to knowingly contribute to everything that is wrong and unjust in our world. We must be conscious of these “cultural industry” issues and use our power, as new media artists in an otherwise free world, to evoke positive change. Artists must understand the differences between high art and the values of mass culture.

As artists we must act. The values of art (aesthetics, morality, individuality, originality, and even spirituality) can combat the false values (material possessions, status/class divisions, utility, questionably reliability, quick-fix disposable products, and shopping) of the cultural industry. Art is autonomous and makes its own rules. Art is an entity completely outside of the “cultural industry”. Art could be the kryptonite needed to take down the monstrous cultural industries. Art has survived through adversity before and must do something about these issues.
The lack of respect for the Earth has become sickening. I would like to think that most people, in the masses, would make different choices if they knew the truth of the matter and understood their position within it.

The future could go many different ways. Here are a few possible scenarios:

a. Two distinct classes emerge. One class only uses mass produced items, is generally uneducated, and has no appreciation for originality, individuality, or art. The other class will be filled with artists, well educated, and environmentally conscious people. They have amazing resiliency and create what they need with what we have. An elite society with strong values and morals. Well, at least in one of the classes.

b. The world gets on track. Technology gets to a point where the resources of the world are tracked and protected. Virtual grids are created to best optimize the sharing of resources and wealth. Equality, for the first time in human history, will include everybody. Art is seen as a divine gift and artists are seen as key members of the society. Mass production may still need to be part of the world but it will be controlled as to not exploit people and produce unneeded materials.

c. This one is not good. Art dies. Values change. The world becomes increasingly worse until it implodes. Humans de-evolve into mindless consumers and 1% of the people control the other 99%.

MADT 411 - Studio Seminar - Feb.6, 2008