One of the current buzzwords in the cultural world centres around the notion of a rising “Pro-Am class, aka the “Professional-Amateur Revolution.” Some cultural commentators are now asking themselves questions about the phenomenon, including: Is the new leading edge of culture being influenced by professional-amateur art makers?
Charles Leadbeater, a well-known British social critic and cultural writer for Demos, has argued that the 21st century will be shaped by the “Pro-Am Revolution”: those notoriously cultural and gadget-savvy professional amateurs.
“After the rise of the professional in the 20th century we are now seeing this historic shift reversing in the Pro-Am revolution. Enthusiastic amateurs, pursuing activities to professional standards will have an increasingly important role in our society and economy. For Pro-Ams, leisure is not passive consumerism but active and participatory…”
Leadbeater is talking about everyone from the young musicians who get their first CD onto the web and launch a career as rap artists, to amateur astronomers who document exploding stars. With their relatively cheap but quality gear these Pro-Ams are making a contribution to culture and science.
The “YouTube” movement is fast becoming the poster-child of the ‘curatorial me’ movement. It is a recent example of the kind of pop-cultural-meets-high-tech phenomena that have given rise to an exponential increase of amateur-auteurs, and (in this case) their video art works. Many of which are available online, ten minutes after they’ve been made. But is this art? Much of the material on YouTube would be judged excruciatingly banal, peppered by the occasional mini-masterpiece. Either way, legions are uploading their turn, and legions are tuning in.
But is everyone invited to the revolution?
In an article for the Chronicle of Higher Education, Bill Ivey and Steven J. Tepper wonder if ‘amateur’ art making is the equalizer it appears.
They argue that while unprecedented access to (state of the art) technological advances is advancing amateur art-making, it is growing the divide between rich and poor, not living up to its original promise of ‘democratizing’ content.
“Those pro-ams are people who have acquired high-level skills at particular jobs, crafts, hobbies, sports, or art form,” they point out. “Pro-ams typically make their livings in other work but are sufficiently committed to their creative pursuits to view them as a possible second career later in life.”
“Increasingly, those who have the education, skills, financial resources, and time required to navigate the sea of cultural choice will gain access to new cultural opportunities…They will be the pro-ams who network with other serious amateurs and find audiences for their work. They will discover new forms of cultural expression that engage their passions and help them forge their own identities, and will be the curators of their own expressive lives and the mavens who enrich the lives of others.
“At the same time, those citizens who have fewer resources — less time, less money, and less knowledge about how to navigate the cultural system — will increasingly rely on the cultural fare offered to them by consolidated media and entertainment conglomerates.”
Speaking recently at a Child Poverty Action Group event, UK Minister for Culture, David Lammy, advocated for the “intrinsic value of culture” in transforming lives.
“We don’t teach our children to read just so they’ll get a job – we do it but because of that drive to put culture at the heart of our lives. Where once we said access, we now look for ongoing engagement. Where once we were satisfied if a child got to go to a theatre, we now look to young people working with professional actors, learning and taking inspiration from the best in the world. Where once we said that a visit to a museum…was an occasional treat, now we say that it’s essential to ensure that we can understand and respond to the world we live in.”
David Ross, in his paper Insight: Rethinking Child Poverty, identified the widening gap between the middle classes and the citizens of poverty. “Our goal…should be to reduce the “poverty of opportunity” for children and to and end the debate about how many grains of rice a day are necessary to keep a body alive.”
And the Centre of Public Policy at Northumbria University has identified that access to culture can help individuals and families experiencing poverty and privation boost self-esteem, identity and sense of belonging, and increase their potential for social integration and enrichment – a potential that includes art-marking, should they have access to the tools.
The future may well lie with the Pro-Am generation, but it seems greater social equity and awareness is needed to truly fuel the revolution.
