Sick Day! So my own thoughts!

I didn't make it to class this past Wednesday due to my cold. So! This post is gong to be about a couple of thoughts i had regarding my ever changing views about art. I love to learn. Until I hit college I never realized how much I enjoyed discovering new things. For instance, I never would have thought that art history was going to be one of my most favorite classes ever. Usually one associates history especially ART history as boring, but there I was not only learning about ancient civilizations, but how there architecture, and art was so essential to their culture.

                I find that the more I informed I become about an artist or a time period, the most I appreciate it. For instance, I never cared much about Jackson Pollock. I didn’t really understand why he was so famous, until I finally sat down and watch an interview of him talking about his artwork. I also research what art movement was going on at the particular time period. I was blown away. I had a new appreciation for this man’s artwork whom I once scoffed at and thought “What’s the big deal?” I also then discovered all the other artists who took influence in his work as well. Fascinating.

                So keeping that in mind, I wonder if the rest of our society thinks the way I used to about just art in general, because they are simply ignorant to all the history and influence behind art? I look at a museum like the MOCA as an example. When I first went there I thought to myself “What a pretentious pile of bull.” The pieces there made no sense and altogether just irritated me. Why? Because I didn’t’ t know where they were coming from, and why they were even all that important.

These artworks are art of our culture and society. So why not give a little more information to the general public? Why don’t we make our museums a little more interactive, and a little more informative? We such engage viewers, we should want them to say “Oh, how interesting I didn’t know that.” Not “What the hell is this supposes to even be?” Art and History are one in the same with each other. So why not present them in a way that coincides more strongly together. And slapping some paragraph next to an image, or having a viewer actually have to dial a number is not enough. We can make exhibits more engaging and educational. I look at the California African American history museum’s execution. They are on the riht track when it comes to presenting there artwork, with their history. They understand that their history is rich and needs telling, and that the art they display helps tell that story. These are just some thoughts I have always had regarding how we artist can strive to improve the public’s opinion about us, simply by including the public in our process.