Artists Have Work to Do: A Closing Charge from BurlyCon 2016
The closing ceremony of BurlyCon 2016 offered a call to artists navigating uncertain times. These remarks remind us why art, community, and courage matter.
By Lillith Grey
1. In Times of Crisis, Artists Do Not Go Silent
There have always been entertainers in times of war. There have always been artists in times of crisis.
Even in the depths of despair, art survives. Theatre, poetry, music, and comedy existed in concentration and internment camps. Film, television, and performance flourished during the Vietnam War. Drag, burlesque, theatre, and music helped our communities survive the AIDS crisis of the 1980s. Today, clowns, buskers, comedians, and musicians stand at the borders of Syria as refugees flee for their lives.
Entertainment does not disappear in the face of despair. Instead, it becomes necessary. In moments like these, our work serves two purposes.
First, we provide relief. We create beauty, peace, laughter, solace, and distraction. We offer healing. Second, we critique and provoke. We resist, subvert, expose, and incite. We create revolution.
As Toni Morrison reminds us:
“In times of dread, artists must never choose to remain silent.”
In other words:
We cannot stop.
We will not stop.
2. Grief and Joy Can Exist Together
Grief and joy are not mutually exclusive.
Grief hollows us out. It creates space. That space aches to be filled with something real. As artists, we respond authentically and creatively. However, do not sprint through grief. And do not sprint past joy.
Leonard Cohen wrote:
“There is a crack in everything.
That’s how the light gets in.”
Suffering shapes us. It deepens our work. It lets the light in.
3. Survival Is Political
Your survival is revolution. Your existence is resistance.
Audre Lorde said:
“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is political warfare.”
Marginalized communities have always understood this truth. We care for our friends. We protect our communities. We build spaces to gather, to grieve, and to celebrate.
Therefore, turn toward your people. Nestle into your communities. Cultivate resilience. Gather strength.
As Kate Bornstein reminds us:
“Do whatever it takes to make your life more worth living. Just don’t be mean.”
Be gentle with yourself. Your survival is revolution.
4. You Need a Map. You Need a Compass.
For many of us, BurlyCon marks the creative New Year.
This is the moment we ask:
Who do I want to be?
Where do I want to go?
Now is the time to draw your map.
Your Mission Is Your Map
Your mission statement outlines your broad goals. It serves as an umbrella over the year ahead. Your mission might include:
- Creating space for artists
- Amplifying marginalized voices
- Making art that heals
- Making art that disrupts
- Investing in self-care
- Dismantling white supremacy
- Dismantling patriarchy
- Seeking mentorship
- Offering mentorship
- Surviving
- Thriving
Write it down.
Your Values Are Your Compass
Your values guide how you move through your mission. They may include:
- Justice
- Integrity
- Equity
- Dissent
- Compassion
- Disruption
- Communication
- Boundaries
- Authenticity
- Active allyship
When decisions arise, consult your map. Then use your compass.
Should you accept the gig?
Join the troupe?
Create the festival?
Say yes?
Say no?
Return to your mission. Align with your values.
5. Do Not Look Away
Do not close your eyes. Do not cover your ears. Do not shut your mouth. Do not turn away.
You must see one another fully. Not as tokens. Not as assumptions. Not as stereotypes. See each other as complex, three-dimensional humans.
Say, “I see you.”
Say, “I am with you.”
Listen to each other’s truths.
Say, “I believe you.”
Then speak. We cannot afford silence.
Use your privilege. Recognize that privilege exists in layers. Remember that there is a difference between “not racist” and anti-racist. There is a difference between “not transphobic” and anti-transphobic.
Ally is a verb.
You are returning home to a shifted culture. The problems did not appear overnight. They have always been there. However, something has shifted.
Therefore: Do not close your eyes. Do not cover your ears. Do not shut your mouth. Do not turn away.
We have work to do.
