This article made me think about how gatekeepers distort the arts. It’s easy to overlook these interest-laden interventions since the sole contact most people have with the arts is at the point of sale. How many talented people have been blocked from pursuing their artistic vision because they didn’t fit into some powermongerer’s agenda?

While looking around for commentary on rankism in the arts, I found this interesting experiment. The organizers of Art-O-Mart are trying to help new artists slip under the gate and make direct contact with their market. That’s not to say that the market itself won’t harbor tastes and opinions that set unfortunate limits on artistic possibilities. However, perhaps the advertised Art-O-Mart mission will encourage potential patrons to think about where and why they’ve set their own boundaries:

At Art-O-Mart any artist can display work, even if they aren’t shown in a professional space. For creative types it means no gallery-owning gatekeepers, no professional critics. For art lovers, it means a chance to discover something new.

Where there are people of good will trying to help emerging artists get a foot in the door, there’s hope.