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field also has other strategies that fall under the
same umbrella, with names like “Sustainable and
Responsible Investing” and “Environmental, Social
and Governance” screening.
SRI pioneers, possibly taking a cue from the early
Abolitionists’ rejection of the slave trade, created a
movement that was a key in dealing a death blow
to the apartheid regime of South Africa. These investors
are currently dealing with some of society’s
most pressing issues, like the impact of human activity
on the environment, the role of finance in society
and income inequality.
Currently, it’s institutional investors like pension
funds and major non-profits that are largely leading
the SRI revolution. These funds try to foment change
by pooling their shares and voting as a bloc for progressive
resolutions put before company boards.
They use the media to build pressure for change, and
they engage with communities where companies
operate and are headquartered. By using these techniques,
SRI investors can successfully demand inclusion
of those communities into company mandates.
In this sphere, a positive version of trickle-down
economics is becoming increasingly common. SRI
strategies are being adopted more and more by individual
investors. The cutting-edge of the movement
is “Impact” investing, where investors can put
their money directly into projects they find appealing.
The result is something like a merger of philanthropy
and investment – a pairing that at one time
was considered an unholy marriage.
Today, American society faces a choice between
two paths. One path leads to fear, separation, materialism
and violence. The other moves toward an
understanding that humans are part of an interconnected
whole that comprises life on this planet, and
advocates cohesion and environmental stewardship.
Both socially responsible investing and socially
engaged art have a part to play in the second trajectory.
Even if they don’t work perfectly, the intention
of both fields is noble and worth supporting. If
the financial industry can show a soft side through
SRI, socially engaged art can be one of the beacons
that draws participants away from the status quo
and into a less-commoditized, more open and embracing
art world.
My assertion and hope is that, in 20 years, socially
responsible investing and socially engaged art
will no longer comprise a niche investment strategy
but will be a viable part of the global financial
mainstream.
n
THE ARTWORKER
They’re as much a part of our art museum
experience as are white walls and hushed,
expansive interiors. We look beyond them,
moving from one displayed piece to another,
careful to keep a respectful distance.
When we do notice musuem guards, they seem bored,
vaguely disdainful, footsore. Roused from lethargy,
they proffer directions to the restrooms or reprimand
the visitor who tries to touch. They all seem vaguely
By Rowling the same – salaried employees doing a
Dord job that, like any other, is both a grind
and a paycheck.
But Artenol has uncovered one musuem guard who
is not what he seems. He is an artist whose art is a kind
of unending performance, a marathon of tedium spent
in commune with some of the art world’s great masterworks.
He sees his presence as one element that, for
museumgoers, makes great art great. He agreed to talk
about his work, though he asked that we not use his
name or mention where he is employed, saying only
that he is “on exhibit” 40 hours a week at a major museum
in the New York area. Our interview took place
in August during a union-mandated break in his regular
work shift.
I understand that you were trained as an artist and have
a degree from Yale.
Yes, I have an MA in color theory. My thesis was on
17th-century egg tempera pigment variations.
But you’re now a museum guard?
Officially, yes, that’s my title, though I prefer to call
myself a facilitator/collaborator.
A facilitator ... what?
Facilitator/collaborator. I view myself as an artwork
on display along with the more conventional pieces
on the wall and on pedestals. They and I are part of
the overall art environment in the museum. I am an
extension of them, as they are of me.
How so?
My presence confers meaning, signifies a valuation.
I represent a judgment about whatever art is
present in the space with me. The fact that I’m here
tacitly implies to visitors that the work on the wall is
great. And, conversely, the fact that a piece merits a
place in the museum’s galleries imbues my presence
with a gravitas it otherwise would lack. Without
these masterpieces on the wall, I’m just another secu-
FALL 2016