Diane Mead on sat 9 sep 00
This is NOT trying to butter one Clayarter up--
but here it is.
If all artists had a teacher like Vince in their career, we'd have a lot
less of the bullshit. Sadly, many of us are confronted with folks who do
make games from words. i know I spent a good deal of my career in college
wondering "what in the heck was that???" when I read a review or artist
statement.
I think his words regarding writing about art are correct.
I think he hit the bottom line of it all when he said--
"Crappy work" will get no help from no amount of words.
I wish cogent thinking and writing for all of us.
Just read Vince!
diane--3rd post too
>From: vince pitelka
>Reply-To: Ceramic Arts Discussion List
>To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
>Subject: Re: Artist Statement
>Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2000 19:44:04 -0500
>
> > Meantime, I will be required to dodge the artspeak kickball -- thanks to
>my
> > need to make art in the 2-d. A much less practical and grossly more
>mucky
> > world! be thankful you are a potter.
> > Thank God for common sense! Yahoo for potters. May their innate good
>sense
> > rub off on the world of 2-d jargon. Just compare American Craft magazine
>to
> > Art in America....or save yourself pain and don't!
> > diane--dodging the intellectualese at all cost
>
>This may be a record for me - three immediate responses to one post. But
>there is something more I want to say about artist's statements. The DEEP
>intellectual and conceptual are realities in art. They belong there,
>because they are realities in real life. And everything in real life is
>fair game for art. EVERYTHING!! So, if your content tends in that
>direction, then your artist's statement should reflect it. The challenge
>for us common folk is to sort out the substantial intellectual rhetoric
>from
>the artspeak bullshit. Sometimes there is a fine dividing line. One way
>that works for me is to look at the work first. If the most cogent thing I
>can say after viewing an exhibition is "HUH??" then no amount of convoluted
>intellectual justification is going to improve the work. On the other
>hand,
>if I look at the work and am intrigued, drawing my own conclusions,
>experiencing the formal and narrative expression, then the artist's
>statement often provides real insight and enlightenment.
>
>When I taught art appreciation and art history, I always encouraged my
>students to feel perfectly comfortable about interpreting art in their own
>terms. There is nothing wrong with that at all. But when we know
>something
>of the artist and his/her intent, it does expand our horizons, and our
>context for appreciation.
>- Vince
>
>Vince Pitelka
>Home - vpitelka@dekalb.net
>615/597-5376
>Work - wpitelka@tntech.edu
>615/597-6801 ext. 111, fax 615/597-6803
>Appalachian Center for Crafts
>Tennessee Technological University
>1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
>http://www.craftcenter.tntech.edu/
>
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