FOR me, art remains a sacred ritual; an attempt to create an aesthetic which inspires people. Even in its lowest moments there is an elegance to life. Artistic expression is meant to wake us from our slumber, to make us question,  and to call us to action. Artists share the life of the mind, soul, and emotions with complete strangers and this is an act of courage. I believe that producing art can be more significant than healing the sick, defending the oppressed, negotiating peace or any service to humanity. For art can, and has, healed, defended, and served humanity globally. I have seen this with my own eyes. It is a powerful ability which carries with it certain responsibilities. Such a gift should be shared.

My work as an artist-scholar has been to identify important social issues in the world, to understand the relationship between creativity and the social culture of the art world, and to produce thought-provoking permanent works which capture the spirit of the times on our homeworld. Traveling, participating in artist residencies, collaborating with artists, scholars and communities in the U.S. and abroad has provided a privileged opportunity for me as an artist to come to terms with the perversities of our age and to play an active role in making and exhibiting art, teaching in a university, writing about and participating in cultural debates, and developing community-based programs.  We are all political beings. The older I get, the more I realize that my responsibility to this world increases with age. Always, there has been this sense of urgency in me, that art exposes truths and makes us advocates for a more peaceful world in which resources are more equitably shared. Finding a way to seal the breach between social science, life, art, and our role and responsibility as creative people will be the most important work for artists in the twenty-first century.

Robin M. Chandler