What does art have to do with aggregates?
As a prime influencer of the cultural zeitgeist more than you think.
The other night I sampled “Yellowstone”, a modern TV Western. The show just entered its third season setting record ratings and was the number one most-watched cable premier of 2020. By combining our current era’s mythology with the age-old “good vs. evil” theme, a rich rancher is pitted against land developers and the corporate interests of oil, natural gas, lumber, and mining.
In full disclosure, I turned it off after the initial anti-industry sermonizing, so it’s possible I’m being too harsh about its heavy-handed messaging.
But too often only a singular point of view is represented in art exhibitions, TV shows, movies, media, and books. People mostly don’t follow policy discussions, but millions partake of the biases displayed in arts and entertainment. When such claims are asserted as facts, and reinforced by mass and social media, a SARS-type social virus can be created that too often becomes government policy.
So the next time you see an exhibit at your local art gallery or museum that claims destruction of the earth by natural resource industries, contact the curator and ask to talk about another side of the story at a discussion or docent walk. You might find that your audience will be interested and influenced by a different point of view.