Write a 1,400- to 1,750-word paper, discussing the role of art in America since the Gilded Age.

The Role of Art in America since the Gilded Age
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Art has played an important role in shaping the American society since The Gilded Age. Many transformations in the industry have taken place, but art remains relevant to date. Artists have the opportunity to record history through art and pass these aspects of a community to the next generation. Over the years, art has played an important role in shaping the society and bringing about necessary changes. For instance, during the social justice movement of the twentieth century, art worked closely with the movements to bring about the changes that the American people enjoy today. Such changes include the minimum wage, the roles of women in the society as well as environmental laws among other policies. The development of arts has often been affected by diversity, but in the current generation, diversity is seen as a strength rather than a destructive force in art creation. Art continues to be a relevant transformational force in the society today. However, artists need to find ways to engage the society more in their development of artwork to expand the roles of art in the society.

The Role of Art in America since The Gilded Age
The Gilded Age saw a great development of many sectors of the American society. The economy of the nation grew tremendously, and the roles of women in the society began to change into what is seen today. Art grew greatly during this age and many artists accumulated great wealth in America during this age (Grams & Farrell, 2008).

The increase in economic gain and disposable income allowed people to participate in art and purchase various items considered elegant and for the wealthy. The rich in the society wanted their portraits to be hung in their houses as a show of prestige. As a result, artists gained a lot of recognition thus leading to a great revolution in the art industry. In addition, art was used to show the world that America had come of age and the society was just as affluent as the European nations. The increase in the number of immigrants to America from European nations also influenced the quality of art in a great way. European artists brought their idea of art to America and helped grow the talent of the natives.
Art was used to reflect the society at The Gilded Age in America, and the same aspect has continued to the present day. Due to the rapid economic growth and increased number of immigrants in America, poverty crept into the society. Art was used to differentiate the wealthy and the poor. One could tell the status of people by visiting their houses because the wealthy had their portraits hung on their walls, which was not common among the poor. Moreover, painters helped people to understand the realities of urban life and the exponential growth by painting overcrowded cities among other materials. According to Pohl (2012), art was used to communicate to the people the glories and failures of industrialization and the effects that immigration was going to have on the society. Art was used in every aspect of life including religion, history, science, and politics. Religious leaders employed the skills and knowledge of artists to create materials that helped the society relate to the religion of the day in a better way. Additionally, the political leaders used art to remind the society of the victories and failures of the past thus propagating unity and peace in the nation. Winslow Homer is one of the renowned Gilded Age artists, and his works are a great example of the roles of art in America especially during the Gilded Age (Pohl, 2012).
Art has been a reflection of the society from time immemorial. During The Gilded Age, art represented the transformation of the society by showing the affluence of the American people through music, drawings, and sculptures among other artistic devices. Glamor and color were added to visual art to reflect the opulent American society at The Gilded Age. Art has continued to be a reflection of the society but a few details that focus more on engaging the society rather than acting as its mirror have been added into the modern art (Morello & Piga, 2013). During The Gilded Age, art also played an important role in educating the society about the dangers of lifestyles they had adopted. Visual art representing crowded cities helped to warn people of the impending danger of industrialization and status in the society. Art speaks to the society by provoking thoughts, adding emotions to life and playing with the subconscious thoughts (Milbrandt, 2010). Over the ages, art has been a catalyst for a change in the society whether social, political or economic change.
Art has played a great role in helping people accept different cultures in this globalization age. Acceptance of different cultures allows people to live in peace and art a major role in helping people understand those from varied societies. According to Grams & Farrell (2008), art allows people to view cultural differences as strength and not a dividing force. Moreover, art helps to unite the different classes of people in the society including the elite, the masses, and the political leaders. The consumption of art brings people together regardless of their classes thus promoting unity.
Art has been used throughout the ages to signify the dangers of war, to encourage nations to defend their borders and to stimulate change in the society. As much as art is a reflection of the society, it plays a major role in shaping the society as well by encouraging people to take certain actions (Pohl, 2012). For instance, the hope painting by the street artist Sheppard Fairy influenced the decision of the people in choosing the then American president Barrack Obama. During the Renaissance period, art was used to signify the powers within the society both temporal and spiritual. Artists used their skills and talents to personify power during The Gilded Age. The Guernica painting, an antiwar artwork is an ideal example of how art reflects and shapes the society. The artwork helped to warn the society about the dangers of war and to encourage peace in the society. The works of Eugene Delacroix acted as an encouragement to the military to respond to the Turkish barbarism.
Art also contributed into shaping the American society during the social justice movement of the twentieth century. Artists collaborated with the movements to propagate the social justices and discourage the leaders from carrying out various acts that were considered unjust. The movement saw the end of social injustice, corruption, and inequality in America. Moreover, laws allowing women to hold a certain position in the economic world, minimum wage and laws protecting the environment were adopted as part of policy in the policy (Milbrandt, 2010). Artists helped to communicate to the larger society about the social injustices, used their creativity to criticize the strategies of the movement, and helped to deepen commitment to the cause both internally and externally. Additionally, artists used their talent to set emotions and include elements of pleasure to the add issues. As a result, the once thought as radical ideas transformed into working policies against overwhelming odds. The changes have been adopted in the current world as the new principles of operations.
Diversity has had a great contribution to the development of arts throughout history. During The Gilded Age, cultural differences played a major role in determining the success of artists (Grams & Farrell, 2008). Artworks made by the people of color were not highly regarded, and this led to the slow development of artists from non-white communities. Moreover, this race difference affected the nature of the works created by the artists themselves. However, as years went by, black artists began creating organizations that allowed them to exhibit their work with the support of the grassroots. The organizations were not very successful because very few donors were willing to invest in firms that exhibited artworks from the people of color. The wave has changed in the last century, and today all people have similar opportunities to create art and exhibit their works in the major museums. Women of color are considered possible ballet members today, which was highly unlikely in the past (Milbrandt, 2010). Additionally, women artists are highly regarded in the society today, a profession has been male dominated historically.
Art has remained relevant to the society to date. Artists have the opportunity of shaping social, political, and economic aspects of the society through their talents and skills. Art has a way of communicating hard truths to the larger society in an effective way leading to a social transformation in the community (Morello & Piga, 2013). Moreover, art continues to warn the society about the vices that people often take for granted. Reminding people of the history and the possibility of issues repeating themselves if the society is not keen to avoid past mistakes is a role that art continues to do in the world today. In addition, art helps to propagate peace in times of turmoil and bring societies that would have otherwise never united by provoking thoughts and adding real emotions to the situation. However, artists can make art more relevant by coming up with ways that enable art to engage the society rather than reflecting it.
Art has had a great contribution in the transformation of the American society since The Gilded Age. Art has been able to united people, promote social change, eliminate discrimination, and warn the society of impending danger over the years. Today, art remains relevant to the society and a continuous development will help to make artworks more effective in bringing change within the communities.
References
Grams, D. & Farrell, B. (2008). Entering Cultural Communities: Diversity and Change in the Nonprofit Arts. New Brunswick, N.J: Rutgers University Press.
Milbrandt, M. (2010). Understanding the Role of Art in Social Movement and Transformation. Journal of art for life, 1 (1), 7-18.
Morello, E. & Piga, B. (2013). Envisioning Architecture: Design, Evaluating, and Communication: Eaea-11 Conference 2013, Politecnico di Milano. Roma: Edizione Nuova Cultura.
Pohl, F. (2012). Framing America: A Social History of American Art. New York, N.Y: Thames & Hudson.