It's very easy to forget how fortunate we have been as artists to have been allowed to express ourselves without being persecuted or censored in a world where that is not always the case. Today, three members of the feminist punk group Pussy Riot, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alekhina, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, were sentenced to two years in prison for a performance in a Moscow cathedral last February criticizing Russian President Vladimir Putin. As an artist, it disturbs me to hear of such a blatant disregard for freedom of speech occuring in a country that calls itself a democracy. How close are any of us to that line where we are allowed to say what we want but only within certain guidelines?
Artists perform a primary role in society; to challenge and provoke questions, and to point out what otherwise may go unseen. I truly feel that where this work is the hardest to do, it is the most needed. I have no solutions for any of this, I just wanted to add my voice to the outcry. My thoughts are with these three women and the other members of Pussy Riot who have vowed to continue.
Tara Lee
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