This is an issue fraught with conflict, but this needn’t be true in art. Cultural appropriation as defined in Wikipedia: “Cultural appropriation is the adoption of an element or elements of one culture or identity by members of another culture or identity.” And the Cambridge Dictionary definition is “…the act of taking or using things from a culture that is not your own, especially without showing that you understand or respect this culture”.
So what does that look like? One contemporaneous example is the case of Adele and the Bantu knots she wore in her hair. Was the appropriation or appreciation? Was it appropriation because she is a popular personality with no roots to the Niger region? Or was it appreciation because she thought the knots were beautiful and wanted to share her feelings? Or did she just do it to be different? Can we define whether or not someone understands a culture – what is the measure?
Let’s first be clear that culture isn’t necessarily predicated on race. Culture is loosely defined as, “the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively”. Or “… the customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of a particular nation, people, or other social group”.
A less contemporaneous example might be art of the Renaissance found to have originated in the 13th and 14th centuries in Italy. Does this mean that none but Italians should use Renaissance style in art? Or baroque which came to be in the 17th century. Or how about Greek architecture from the fifth century to Greek Revival in the US and Europe in the 19th and 20th centuries? Art Deco originated in France around 1910. Does that mean that all the architecture, art, clothing design, etc., that originated in the U.S. was appropriation rather than appreciation? Beatnik art originated in the US in the 60s. Does that mean that anyone who used it must also be a beatnik? After all, what is a beatnik – one generation before hippies? Do we have a complete definition that can give us measures of when this occurs? By the definitions is that cultural appropriation or appreciation?
Art in Japan can be traced back to the tenth century B.C. in forms such as ikebana, shikki, and the rest. Should these art forms be used exclusively by those of Japanese origin? Should only the Chinese use calligraphy? Can art not be created by others out of a pleasure for technique, style, materials, etc.? Not to mention sheer beauty?
Let’s briefly examine the other side. There are abuses and the most glaring perhaps is all the misuses of Native American cultures and art. Faux feather headdresses, tomahawks, bead weaving, moccasins and the like have been used for centuries to make light of the cultures, tribes, and their people. Most egregiously to minimize the value of these cultures, tribes and humanity.
We have the likes of Carlos Nakai and his flute; Mildred Bailey [the Queen of Swing] and her jazzy voice; Brent Michael Davids, a composer and flutist; and, character actress Irena Bedard is Cree, Iñupiaq. These artists all draw from their roots as Native Americans and tribal specific. But, in the cases of Nakai and Bailey at least, they dip into other cultures as well.
All these crossovers represent examples of cultural appropriation by the textbook definitions but are they really? Does work have to be at the level of a fine art to use elements of other cultures? This is an intellectual insult to artists and those that appreciate art. It is both limiting and confining – not what we want our artists’ culture to be. Please know I am not referring to out-and-out copying aka theft of a design. Not only is this appropriation in the definition sense but also illegal.
I don’t want my art appraised by someone seeking to discover where I got this inspiration and is this design a reflection of appropriation or admiration and other such arbitrary and capricious value judgments. I just want to share what’s in my head and my heart.
And so, we end up with more questions than answers. In the meantime, I will go on creating. Should I not pass muster with this group or that, I expect them to pass me by. And I will not let anyone on Facebook be the arbiter of appropriation or appreciation. I would never be disrespectful in my art. Sheesh!