"All art is political in the sense that it serves someone's politics." - August Wilson
How do we determine the 'politics' of art? Who is served and who is left out? . Culture both weaves and reflects the understanding we have of the world around us, and what we say or - more importantly - don't say in our art tells us a lot about how we believe our world is or should be. By looking at examples from popular culture we can determine what some of those norms and beliefs might be, and who they serve.
Sebastien Labelle is Vice-President for Culture at the Halifax-Dartmouth & District Labour Council and chairs the organizing committee for theMayworks Halifax Festival of Working People & the Arts. Sebastien is also a union organizer for the SEIU Local 2 Branch Nova Scotia and a long-time political activist in Halifax. He has served on the board of the Nova Scotia Public Interest Research Group (NSPIRG), fought deportations with No One Is Illegal - Halifax and is currently a member of Solidarity Halifax. Sebastien graduated from the acting program at Dalhousie University and received Merritt Award nominations for his work with 2b Theatre and Shakespeare By the Sea. He has apprenticed at Bread & Puppet Theatre in Vermont and is a founding member of Puppets Et Cetera.
The site for the Halifax local of The Media Co-op has been archived and will no longer be updated. Please visit the main Media Co-op website to learn more about the organization.