Recently, Ed Sheeran has faced controversy over a decision he made for his United States tour. According to the BBC, Sheeran’s opener, Macklemore, made a speech about Palestine, and stadium owner Robert Kraft told Sheeran he had to remove Macklemore as an opener or he would not be allowed to play in his stadium.
People now wonder: Should artists be political?
Here is what Keene State students had to say.
Brianna Lopez, who is a first-year theater and dance major, responded with a yes. She said that, “They are human beings just like the rest of us, so it [being political] doesn’t make them any different than someone who is not a celebrity.”
First-year marketing major Charlotte Cole said, “Art is political, so yeah!” When asked why she responded that way, she said, “A lot of art was made for when you couldn’t safely protest, so you would make art to influence that you don’t like what’s going on and teach others about it in a subtle way.”
A theater major, first-year Shea Tully, said, “I think [artists] have a right to [be political], I just think it should be separate from their art. Artists completely have a right, everyone has a right to have their opinion, but I feel like if you’re a producer of a product or something creative, you should probably keep your brand separate from your personal opinions.”
Charlie Latham, who does not go to school at Keene State but was inside the library, said, “Kind of…yeah. It’s up to them. They’re still people, and everyone can be political.” Even though he does not go to Keene State, he is part of the Keene community.
Business management major Emma Sabin, who is a first-year, said, “Yeah, why not! I mean, if you don’t stand for anything, who are you? Stand up!”
Jada Lucas, who is a first-year business marketing major, said, “I think artists should stand on their political beliefs and show who they are, especially with today’s climate,” even though she did not know about the Ed Sheeran situation.
A first-year film major, Olivia Sposato, said, “I think art is and will always be a little bit political no matter how hard you try, so to not be political as an artist of any type, painter, musician or something like that, is difficult. It’s difficult to not be a little bit political because art really comes from yourself and your own opinions, and a lot of your opinions are political.”
Sadie Hill, a first-year sustainable product design and innovation major, said, “I think that they all should have a voice, but I don’t know because it’s a concert.”
First-year Isabel Brito, a physical education major, said simply, “Every artist should have a voice.”
All of the students who were asked if artists should be political had some variant of the answer “yes,” even though they all had different reasons for it. Whether that be because they are human beings, or because everyone should be political or because of the state of the world, Keene State students collectively agreed that artists should be political.
Alex Perry can be contacted at
alex.perry@keene.edu
