| A Publication of the Region 2 Arts Council | Vol. 4 No. 6 | Dec '00/Jan ' 01 |
Art for Art's Sake |
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This is a strange task for me; writing about art in an arts newsletter. I’m not an art critic and I don’t generally think of myself an artist. My professional training and experience are in psychology, human services, community organizing and nonprofit management. I come to this task through a variety of professional and volunteer avenues, not through the art world. For the past eight years or so the arts have played a greater and greater role in my work, my social life and my community. Time and again I come face to face with the power of the arts to help individuals and communities become stronger. As I’m pulled deeper into the art world, I find some concepts hard to grasp. The phrase “Art for Art’s Sake” gives me trouble. I’ve been pondering this phrase since I heard it championed last August at a rural arts symposium. The idea of art as an end in itself; I just didn’t get it. It doesn’t fit with my experience. When I see a work of art, I think about the active process that went into it. Art is a creative process that is essential to human wholeness. I can’t imagine art without the larger aim of personal fulfillment. I like to think of art as a verb; as something a person does, not just the aesthetically pleasing things we look at or watch or listen to. We all need opportunities to actively engage in the creative process. We all benefit from creative self-expression and the reflection that goes with it. Making art makes us stronger and healthier. Everyone deserves to have the opportunity to make art. We must insure that everyone has that chance the same way we try to ensure that everyone has other essential opportunities. Given the opportunity, anyone can learn some artistic skills to express themselves creatively. The way I see it, there is much more to art than “Art for Art’s sake”. When we create we become more fulfilled. Art for the sake of fulfillment seems valid to me. |
Sometimes though, the art world questions the validity of an art experience when it happens outside the art world with non-traditional students or artists. If art is done with, or by, people with special needs or in special situations, there is a rush to say the art is secondary. It is discounted because it is not “Art for Art’s sake”. But, doesn’t the most accomplished and recognized artist do their art for personal fulfillment? Shouldn’t everyone have a the same opportunity for fulfillment; you, me, people in poverty, in nursing homes, in group-homes, people with disabilities, victims of violence? Creating can fulfill them just like any artist. I’m not talking about art therapy, just making art. The topic led me to my son’s textbook on aesthetics. Much of what
I found there also talked about art as an end product; as some thing
to be appreciated for its aesthetic qualities. And, this product is
art because it “exists in the art world” or because someone
– anyone - appreciated it for its aesthetic qualities. So, art
may be art because it communicates aesthetic qualities for others’
appreciation. Doesn’t that make the work of art a tool for communication;
a means to the end of expressing feelings and ideas that are aesthetically
pleasing? Communication is about understanding. Art can be for the sake
of understanding. Shared understanding and shared self-expression bond
people. This artistic communication builds community. Think of the community
that is being built in Bemidji through theatre, the many “coffeehouse”
venues, the sculpture walk, and the art made by our neighbors that is
shown throughout the city. When people communicate at that creative,
artistic level, communities get stronger; especially when the entire
community has the opportunity to share and appreciate one another’s
aesthetic expressions of self. |
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| Serving Beltrami, Clearwater, Hubbard, Lake of the Woods & Mahnomen Counties of NorthCentral Minnesota | |||||
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If you are interested in the rest of this issue, call
us at 751-5447 or 1-800-275-5447 and we will be glad to send a copy
to you.
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