What's Art Anyway?

I live in an Arts focused town. The visual and performing arts are represented in many ways and at many levels from amateur to professional throughout our community. Our bayfront has many sculptures to reflect the importance of the arts here. This sculpture:



is causing a HUGE uproar. It's very tall....26 feet! People are now saying "It's NOT art!"

This artist of this sculpture:



Jonathan Kowal, covered his sculpture in black velvet and chains last week in protest to the inclusion of the other sculpture. He said that this sculpture represents the "dumbing down of art". He detests it.

Recently, the artist who sculpted "Unconditional Surrender", J. Seward Johnson, was in town to defend his work. Defend his work? What is up with that?

I have never had an "art eye"...but I am learning. I know that much of what people consider fine arts makes me say, "Huh?" But, just because it does that to ME does not mean that it is not art to someone else's eye. I have always wondered when I looked at a piece of art that looks like someone spattered paint from a toothbrush onto a canvas is considered so amazing...when I think, "My seven-year-old made that just last week at school." But this does not make me not appreciate different art forms.

One spectator at Johnson's talk put it like this: "Some people don't like brussels sprouts," she said. "That doesn't mean there shouldn't be brussels sprouts."

I just find it amazing that the very people who encourage us to "think outside the box"---and be a bit more "right-brained"---WON'T! Oddly enough, the controversy has sparked interest in many people and has engaged people who may not have been engaged before. So, perhaps this protest has actually backfired in some ways.

It's totally childish, in my opinion, that we can't all "play in the same sandbox." To me, it's simple: if it's art to my eye (but not yours), then it's still art and if it's art to your eyes (and not mine), it's still art...the old adage is true: "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."