Hluch - Kevin A. on tue 9 apr 96
It seems I'm having trouble getting my posts to the list...If anyone has
seen this post (below) let my know....Sorry it's late if you do receive it.
(Gee, this is like regular mail, one is never sure if it will really arrive).
Kevin
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 2 Apr 1996 16:57:54 -0500 (EST)
From: Hluch - Kevin A.
To: Ceramic Arts Discussion List
Cc: Multiple recipients of list CLAYART
Subject: Re: Competitions/Insurance/Expenses
Clayartists,
I'm so glad to discover that only quality art is accomplished by bonafide
"risk-takers". Now all I need to do is determine who has taken the
sufficient quotient of risk to come to a conclusion about the "quality" of
the expression.
God forbid that the role of the artist should change from the present
enlightened conception.
Apparently, if risk-taking is the prime ingredient of today's artistic
expression then we must admit that driving while drunk is a supreme
aesthetic statement.
I've seen so much "broken ground" lately that I'm beginning to imagine
the art world as a plowed field.
Kevin A. Hluch
On Tue, 2 Apr 1996, Vince Pitelka wrote:
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> Matthew -
>
> Regarding your statement: "I would like to point out a couple of historic fact
> about art, craft, and such like." Where are you getting these "historical
> facts?" You make some generalizations that misrepresent the situation I and
> many other artists/craftspeople find themselves in. Read on.
>
> "Throughout history, the artist has also been a craftsman. A 'laborer' if
> you will. Someone who learned the skills of a craft so that they were able
> to make a living by selling the fruits of that labor."
>
> Throughout history the role of the artist has changed almost constantly, and
> never more than during the 20th century. Although I agree that the artist
> SHOULD BE a fine craftsperson, what you describe here is a very antiquated vie
> of what an artist is.
>
> "If a person wishes to sell their product, then they had better either cleve t
> fashion, or create one of their own."
>
> >From the standpoint of mercenary capitalism this is certainly true, but what
> does it have to do with artists, and what does it have to do with the
> discussion at hand? True artists work from the heart and soul. If their work
> sells, they are indeed fortunately. In the fine craft world there is certainl
> more tendency to be steered by fashion, and I certainly do not begrudge those
> who do so in order to make a decent living, but what makes the world of art an
> craft so lively and worthwhile is the risktaking - the true original
> innovation, which may or may not find favor in the marketplace now or ever.
>
> "Much of what we see today, even things that move us strongly in the moment,
> will not stand the test of time. The only thing that we can do is make sure
> that what we do stands the test of our own eyes, minds, and hearts."
>
> I agree 100% here, but again I must ask, what does this have to do with the
> discussion at hand? My post referred to work I do which has been very well
> received in certain venues, but is so different from almost all of what is
> being done in ceramics today that jurors are baffled by it and cannot fit it
> into their "concept" of a unified exhibition. This happens to both sculptors
> and vessel makers all the time when their work is completely different from an
> of the stylistic directions currently in fashion. It is a very destructive
> trend, because it has the effect of supressing risktaking and radical
> innovation. If that is in fact what is happening, it reflects very badly on
> our society and our media.
>
> At some point we have to question the purpose of many of the competitive local
> national, and international exhibitions in the fine craft world. Very few of
> them seem to deal with work that really takes risks. Is it because show
> presenters and jurors don't have the guts to commit to work which is radically
> different? Or, to state it another way, is it because the show presenters wan
> an exhibition which is "safe" and devoid of controversy? Or is it because the
> trend is towards exhibitions with a very specific "theme" rather than
> exhibitions which celebrate work that breaks new ground in an exciting and
> innovative way? The presenters of competitive exhibitions need to carefully
> examine and define what their motive and mission is, and act accordingly in
> designing and promoting their exhibitions.
>
> Vince Pitelka - wkp0067@tntech.edu
> Appalachian Center for Crafts - Tennessee Technological University
> Smithville, TN
>
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