Arts & International Affairs: Volume 2, Number 2 | Page 44

As an international relations major and theater director, I study the power
of art within society. In measuring impact, lowbrow artforms are the most
significant aspect of any culture because they influence so many people.
Modern millennials, like myself, learned family values from Boy Meets World,
racial tolerance from That’s So Raven, and even bioethics from Teen Titans.
Television, once considered to be the procrastinator’s pastime, has grown
into a means of reinforcing values, perspective, and ideals.
If future artists wish to create art that is impactful, it is important that we
recognize those art forms, which have already captured the attention of
society and examine why they have been so successful. Economic accessibility,
format, and even stylistic traditions are all ways in which commercial art
has managed to stay relevant and influential within society. What is often
criticized as ‘pandering to audiences’ is actually an important process of
exploring how society prefers to consume its entertainment. When we write
off lowbrow entertainment as a lower art form, we undermine the power of
its reach. Commercial art is typically regarded as base and inauthentic, but it
often communicates in a language that audiences understand. Rather than
expecting viewers to catch up with art that some deem to be worthy of their
attention, we as artists must meet our audiences halfway in order to create
art that is truly impactful and contributes to a more cultured society.
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