Brock Hinzmann wrote:
>
> Art may be what the experts say it is, unfortunately, but an artist may
> also be what he or she says she is.
>
> Brock
>
This is indeed true. You cannot wait for the establishment to get around
your work and claim it art. If you waited for that kind of accolade, I'm
afraid you'll wait your whole life. The issue here is also about value.
Why will you buy a work by one artist or another. If it only costs what
you can afford and you like it, then you'll probably just buy it. You
wouldn't worry about its resale value. You will probably believe that
this person is indeed an artist because it supplies for you a feeling of
art.
If on the other hand you are a collector, you would probably work with
some people that you trust and get there advice on works you're
interested in. You will weigh the pros and cons of how much you like it,
how much it fits your collection, whether it has lasting value (thats a
nebulous one), whether you can resell it, whether other like minded
collectors are interested in it, who's written about it, what shows has
the artist been in etc.,. To this person whether a person says they are
an artist or not has very little clout. What other people say will carry
more weight. These other people are the experts.
This latter definition causes a lot of pain and frustration int he
world. Many artists make art that is so lovely and brings such positive
value to the world. The collector may never buy this and the experts are
scornful of it. That was way in some of my earlier emails I stressed
language. Language is communal. Art is also communal. It must be shared
and affirmed across groups of people.
best,
-- michael rees SCULPTOR http://www.sound.net/~zedand00/ 1212 w 8th St. Bldg B #2, 816 753 3020 voice zedand00@sound.net KC, Mo 64101 816 753 1542 faxFor more information about the rp-ml, see http://ltk.hut.fi/rp-ml/
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