• What is identity?

Identity is essentially the fact of who someone is.  (Oxford, 2013).  As such, identity may be formed by many different factors including physical, emotional, and personal characteristics, activities and hobbies, family, occupation, social status, race, gender, religion, group membership, and relationships.  Identity is dynamic and fluid.  One may actively choose to define his/her identity in a certain way, or parts of one’s identity may be imposed upon him/her by society.

• What role does identity play in everyday life?

In everyday life, someone’s identity will determine that person’s actions and decisions.  For example, if a person defines his identity as that of an artist, he will see the world in an artistic way, will create works of art, and will work to share his creations with others.  Identity also influences one’s social and emotional life.  The sense of belonging to a certain social group or of being a partner in a relationship are pieces of one’s identity that affect self-esteem and self-worth.

• What role does identity play in art?

The concept of identity inspires much artmaking, whether it is related to the artist’s personal identity and experiences, identity as a social construct, or the collective identity of different social groups.  In Contemporary art, the artist’s unique identity as an individual often becomes the basis for work exploring personal emotions.

• How is identity defined by race and gender?  

Society has historically been socially stratified by race, with minority groups traditionally held at the bottom.  Thus, a person’s race can affect his/her perceived social status and how he/she is treated.  People can exaggerate the characteristics of their race (physical appearance, stereotypical behavior, etc) in order to attract attention, raise issues, and ask questions about the nature of race and identity. Race forms a part of a person’s identity when they use their racial characteristics to define themselves, or are lumped into social groups by society based upon their race.  Through an investigation of identity, we will hopefully create a generation that treats all races equally (Berger, 1998).
    Similarly, gender is another characteristic that can influence one’s social status. In the past, women have yielded less power than men, yet with more enlightened viewpoints, females have gained social equality.  A person’s gender may form part of his/her identity if the gender’s traits and stereotypes are used to define that individual.