Building Art Pockets in the Regions
By @ayijufridar
The growth of the art world does not always have to depend on elite government policies that often do not place people who love art in related offices. The presence of minority creative groups that build pockets of art in the regions on an ongoing basis is one of the supporters of the growth of the art world.
Various art events held in various regions, both simply "within the framework" and specifically, need to be held regularly with more professional management and in synergy with various other art and tourism events. The culture of concoction in the world of art must be eradicated by prioritizing professionalism for the advancement of art itself.
That is, among other things, the thoughts raised in a discussion by a number of artists in Takengon, Central Aceh, Saturday (4/3/2023). Present at the non-formal discussion included Salman Yoga S, Purnama K Ruslam, Teuku Aga Renggali, Ana Kobat, and Sabariah Munthe. Apart from Central Aceh, Ayi Jufridar from Lhokseumawe and Raisa Agustiana from North Aceh were also present. Most of them are nationally certified art judges who graduated at the end of 2022.
Aga criticized the still thick culture of nepotism in the art world so that those who are involved in working on an activity are people who are close to the policymakers. "Maybe it doesn't really matter if those involved do have the capacity, but sometimes the concepts offered are not clear, they don't reflect Acehnese art," said Aga who has worked on several colossal dances.
The growth of several art pockets in the regions is driven more by small creative groups as a form of dedication to art. Some of these small groups do not have access to related agencies and are not even known, so they are rarely involved in various activities. However, some of them have national networks and are invited to various arts and cultural activities at the national level.
From these conditions, an idea arose to strengthen regional pockets of art, at least starting with building a triangle of arts that includes North Aceh, Lhokseumawe, Bireuen, Bener Meriah, and Central Aceh. Regardless of anything, art activities in Central Aceh are still the center of arts and cultural activities in the region.
The problem of plagiarism in art in Aceh is still high. According to Salman Yoga S, plagiarism in dance still occurs frequently and is more difficult to detect compared to literature, especially if the dance has never been widely published. He alluded to the sining dance that had happened several years ago.
Certified dance judge, Sabariah Munthe, mentioned her work which was plagiarized some time ago. Ironically, this plagiarism still occurs in the world of education, which should respect copyright more. "In fact, all that's left is to ask for permission or at least mention the name of the choreographer," said Sabariah.
The term "adaptation" in the world of art is also not clearly understood. In some activities, a work that has only been slightly modified already uses the phrase "adapted" from another work. In fact, it is not uncommon for a work to be shown in its entirety, it is said that the work is an adaptation, even though this practice includes plagiarism.
It was agreed that this small discussion would become a routine agenda that will be held in the future with various themes and in various places. In addition to maintaining the existence of artists, these activities are also to strengthen relations and broaden the knowledge of artists in the region.[]
