“Why Does Art Matter?” Final Report Blog Post
Mackenna Mantia #007
In “Why Does Art Matter?” Section X of Question Everything, by Peter Catapano, a collection of essays approaches the significance of art within the modern world. All of the pieces within this section come from notable faces within the art world, whether it be literature or design, they all have a significant position within the initial question presented. As an artist myself, reading this portion was very gratifying. Seeing successful artists explain their different passions beyond the mediums themselves was fascinating.
The following quotations come from the eight pieces presented within the text:
I. Five Theses on Creativity by Eric Kaplan
May 29, 2020
Author: American television writer and producer
“Creativity Makes Something New”
“Creativity can fail.”
My Takeaway:
This piece personifies creativity in a manner beyond that of sadness and happiness, instead a much more complex analysis is made. Kaplan incorporates different ‘theses’ as a way to attach different connotations to the word itself. By making the definition itself an emotion, each statement feels more realistic. You are able to imagine a world with different lenses of creativity, and see “something new,” perhaps.
II. Art Is a Different Kind of Cosmic Order by Brian Greene
May 20, 2020
Author: Notable physicist and Prof. of physics and mathematics
“Art matters because it primed our very capacity to survive.”
(art) “Distinctly human response to the world.”
“...the patterns of art matter because they speak to qualities of reality that exist within us.”
My Takeaway:
I am from Math. A wild statement to make, but somehow Greene is able to justify the juvenile claim. This piece analyzes just how significant creativity is in science and humanity, and how with this very creativity, we all come from math.
III. What We Believe About Storytelling by Ini Archibong
June 1, 2021
Author: Nigerian American artist and designer
“Within the luxury goods industry, story is everything.”
“I would never be all the things that others believed me to be.”
“Tell myself my own story, again and again, in whatever voice I chose.”
My Takeaway:
This piece really emphasizes the significance of storytelling within advertising and marketability. A traditionally analytical field that, through the piece, is proven to be dependent on storytelling and creativity.
IV. A Cog in the Machine of Creation by Wes Studi
May 31, 2020
Author: Native American actor and film producer
“Creation is an act of art.”
“Cog in the larger machine.”
“If sculpting makes me a sculptor, then so be it.”
My Takeaway:
This piece has an overarching message of pursuing what will truly make a difference over what others want you to pursue. The author has participated in many mediums of creativity, all with the means to create something special and enjoy the life he was given. I really enjoyed reading this section.
V. Naming the Disappeared, Raising the Dead by Doris Salcedo
May 25, 2020
Author: Colombian activist, artist, and sculptor
“Art allows us to recall.”
My Takeaway:
This piece had the biggest impact, in my opinion, over most of the others due to the ability to see each piece she mentions. While reading I was able to scroll through each of her works and learn how influential they were to their relative movements. To see her work be recognized on such a large scale and to listen to her appreciation for the medium and its ability to speak out was beautiful. I would definitely encourage other readers to check out some of her pieces.
Doris Salcedo, Untitled, 1989–2014
VI. I’m Not “Mrs. America.” That’s the Point. By Cate Blanchett
May 21, 2020
Author: Australian actress and producer
“It teaches us about one another.”
My Takeaway:
This piece was interesting because it was the first time I had actually heard Cate Blanchett outside of her character acting. To listen to her care for the subject as a professional and then hear her point of view as a mom was very cool. You can tell through her care in language that she truly has a passion for creativity and hopes others are able to recognize it to the same capacity.
VII. What We Believe About Culture by Shahzia Sikander
May 25, 2021
Author: Pakistani-American visual artist based in NYC
“Our voices tell stories from many perspectives, helping to give a more complete view of both history and the present.”
My Takeaway:
This piece was beautifully written, especially when she wrote about the racist tendencies often woven into traditional art in critically acclaimed spaces. While she pursued art and a career in her passion this piece emphasized just how integral it was for her pieces to go against this expectation. Her pieces specifically show her culture and ideas the way she wanted, not how others expected them to look.
VIII. Art Never Dies by Sonny Rollins
May 18, 2020
Author: Influential American jazz saxophonist
“We’re not here to live forever, humans and materialism die. But there’s no dying in art.”
My Takeaway:
An idol of his time, this author spoke with a love and appreciation towards the craft, recognizing the magic creativity carries that very few are able to recreate. He mentions the ability art has to transform and transport. Though the artist may have passed on, their work is still present and still has an impact. It was very inspirational to hear such a talent look to others for inspiration and meaning.
Questions:
- What was the main connection that led all of these people to speak up about arts importance?
- Does art and creativity play an integral role in society?
- What systems are in today's society that actively pushes against the support for artists and their significance?
You had a format issue with the questions at the end, which I've fixed.
ReplyDeleteWhat's your own view of art? Do any of these essays mention John Dewey's book "Art as Experience"? Do you have a reaction to this quote from that book? "When artistic objects are separated from both conditions of origin and operation in experience, a wall is built around them that renders almost opaque their general significance… Art is remitted to a separate realm, where it is cut off from that association with the materials and aims of every other form of human effort, undergoing, and achievement... In order to understand the esthetic in its ultimate and approved forms, one must begin with it in the raw; in the events and scenes that hold the attentive eye and ear of man, arousing his interest and affording him enjoyment as he looks and listens: the sights that hold the crowd — the fire-engine rushing by; the machines excavating enormous holes in the earth; the human-fly climbing the steeple-side; the men perched high in air on girders, throwing and catching red-hot bolts. The sources of art in human experience will be learned by him who sees how the tense grace of the ball-player infects the onlooking crowd; who notes the delight of the housewife in tending her plants, and the intent interest of her goodman in tending the patch of green in front of the house; the zest of the spectator in poking the wood burning on the hearth and in watching the darting flames and crumbling coals."
A small but important point: Catapano is the editor of Question Everything, not the author.