State of Art

Word is, a sort of Renaissance is in the works in Brownsville. If people are talking like this, great! But this concept is nothing new. It's been on the hearts and minds of many people and, it's already in progression. If you look at the Italian Renaissance, it's beginnings were in the guilds, where simple craftsmen, masons and carpenters were empowered creatively to enhance their surroundings and thus enhance the quality of life and bring Italy out of the Dark Ages! Ofcourse, they had benefactors such as the church and private commissioners who knew how to harness the power of art to influence people. Today this would be called Marketing. And don't you find some interesting similarities between the rise of interest in our local architecture, history and culture and a similar interest by renaissance Italians to revive neo-classical elements in their architecture and culture?

Ofcourse today, we are not in 15th century Italy and artists have more resources and options available to them. An artist does not have to hope for a Lorenzo de' Medici to scoop them under his wings. (Though, wouldn't that be nice?) An artist can have two art agents, be represented by three or five galleries and work on commissions for various benefactors and not just one. Though, what artists are limited by are by the number of locations they can pursue such a career. New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and in closer proximity Houston and Mexico City come to mind when considering such locations.

So my question is, can Brownsville become the place to support artists and their careers? Or are local artists fated to continue their art as an after-five pursuit until our city can develop into a busy urban metropolis like Houston or San Antonio?

Personally, I think we don't have to wait. Look at how small towns like Marfa, Texas and San Miguel de Allende have been able to develop into thriving artist colonies where people travel from all over the world to be inspired. Isn't that the initial pull to art in the first place, a desire to be inspired and to be creative? If we keep our goals on that simple notion, we will realize that Brownsville is not such a dry well after all and that we already have the resources to develop our Florence. Mostly, we just need the drive and ganas to make it happen!