Cultural appropriation

["Shane Wilson Sculpture" <shane@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

This whole discussion has really forced me to think about why 'cultural
appropriation' or 'cultural plagiarism' is inappropriate with regard to
Inuit art.

When white guys first started 'singing' rap, people thought that it was
somehow wrong. The white guys were perceived to be taking (stealing) an art
form invented by and meant to describe the black community's struggle, etc.
and profiting. Multiply that by a factor of 10, and that begins to describe
the situation in this case.

About 50 years ago, Inuit art was recognized as having a fundamental place
of importance in the preservation and enhancement of Inuit culture, in an
age that threatened that culture's very existence. The art has been
fostered, marketed and promoted over the years, to the point where it is
universally recognized as an art form unique to the Inuit people. The
cultural impact on the Inuit people has been so powerful, that the formation
of Canada's newest territory (Nunavut) has been directly credited to their
art. To sell art that looks like Inuit art, without a disclaimer or credit,
is to trade on a world-wide reputation that they have worked hard to build,
and, intentionally or otherwise, cause confusion or fool people into buying
the art because they think it's Inuit art. Having said all this, there are
non-Inuit people who do carve in the Inuit style. And they do sell - and 95%
or more of the time people do think they are buying authentic Inuit art.
Perhaps also, the main reason people buy Inuit art is to touch, in some
small way, an authentic primitive culture. The longing for the 'authentic'
in an age of mass media and illusion is strong in 20th C humanity. To make
art that gives the appearance of cultural authenticity, without the
substance, is 'cultural plagiarism.'

I'm a little worried that all this theoretical talk will be a bit hard on
our colleague with the jury question. I  hope that it helps him understand
the jury's thinking, and enable him to focus his creativity in fresh ways.