I must admit, the first question, about whether art should bear witness or foment change, struck me as somewhat nonsensical; art should do whatever the artist wants it to do, and, perhaps more importantly, should affect the viewer in whatever way it affects the viewer. Art, in my opinion, which corresponds most closely to that of Laylah Ali in this passage, seems currently to bear witness, but it is not my place or the place of anyone to generalize as to what art is most suited for. Furthermore, there were some quotes that particularly struck me in this reading, particularly a quote by Mel Chin in which he stated that, "Old-school formal aesthetics can be excellent partners in social commentary. Formal design has been underutilized in favor of more predictable (and now historical) and acceptable agit-prop styles." (164) As an artist myself who primarily utilizes classic or formal esthetics, I found it reassuring to be told that not only were formal design principles appropriate for political commentary and generating change, but excellent. Personally, I use solely aesthetic with very little political commentary or message, although I hope to change that. Directly contrasted from my own work is the type of art discussed by Adel Abidin (which I have seen at a number of VCU art shows) that "position themselves as political but neglect aesthetic considerations."(164)
The article also brought up the role of media and technology in modern political art: not only how it effects the formation of art, but how it effects the artist (166). This importance of media and technology seems related, if not directly, to the influx in political artwork. Chagoya mentioned that there have been "many more artists dealing with political content since 9/11...just look at how many issues are making us anxious in our country and in the world: political and economical corruption...the rise of xenophobia, ethnic cleansing wars, discrimination towards women..." (165). All of these examples are true justifications and inspirations for political art. However, corruption, nativism, racism, and sexism have been rampant for hundreds of years; the rise of the media and how technology works with the media has created an atmosphere to raise awareness, and this has effected artists.
The reading has some connections to the Connect post written by Alex Norman about Soviet Realism Propaganda. She discussed the complexities of commissioned art, propagandists, and the connection between art and history: "art and history are so deeply rooted in one another that attempting to segregate the two only takes away from the experience and interaction one could have with the art -- an evaluation of now and then." This applies to art now, except instead of history, modern times are irrevocably tied to art, and modern times are irrevocably tied to politics.