Thoughts on Art

Taking things for granted is common in our busy culture. Good things are encountered without our thinking of them. A small pause uncovers a moment in which we can capture what we had missed.

Art is like that. How much art surrounds us? Design, form and function swirl about our living space with little attention from us. That’s not all; there are many intersections with art that go unnoticed.

An example of an art moment is this: Nine people gathered 2 weeks ago at our church. They formed a ‘pick-up choir’ to sing an anthem in celebration of Easter. Three short rehearsals; one talented musician leader; 8 volunteers, all amateur singers. And it came together. The music was performed early on Easter Morning this year. It was near perfection. We who sang knew it instantly. So did the congregation. Immediate reaction. And appreciation. The piece registered to most present. It became a part of their feeling, their emotional release of the moment. It was art; it was a transaction.

A transaction? Of what? Perhaps a sharing of meaning, a transmission of ideas from one person to another? Or sharing of feelings in a manner that has transformative power?

I’ve struggled with defining art before. Lively discussions have happened with others who wonder what art actually is. An art exhibit is an experience that calls forth different reactions. Sometimes no reaction occurs. Dull presence of objects without meaning to the observer. Other times the opposite is true: excitement, recognition of theme and form or ideas. Concepts emerge from the act of viewing an object. Some sort of meaning is communicated. Maybe it is a feeling that is communicated or nurtured by the act of being with art.

My recently deceased mother was an amateur pianist. Serious study of music. Serious instrument. Intense practice and exploration of the piece to be played. The result was memories over many decades of her recreating music composed long ago. Worked, memorized, played again and again. Music as transaction, a sharing of meaning, from her to anyone within listening space. A lifetime of playing. For herself, certainly. For others, yes, but not the main intent. Family members were collateral listeners. We heard. We remembered. We took those moments with us wherever we lived and learned. Art shared. Intentionally or not. A chain of creation from the composer to the musician student, to the practiced performer, to the audience of one or 100. Yes, a conversation in so many ways.

I have watched Craft in America, a PBS series that chronicles the human side of creating art, dealing with art, art pulling the person out of their shell to create something external, something to be shared. And the march of this practice of creating art is demonstrated as living art, culture unfolded and shared with a broader audience. PBS proclaims this as humankind’s historical marker of past meeting present. Artisans are shown engaged in their creations. They are not celebrated as artists but the conveyors of cultural pasts, traditions carried forward through generations.

There are moments in Craft in America which are boring until realization hits – this is art with the inner need to be replicated and maintained as a thematic constant. For some reason it must be. We are more because of it.

Somehow that idea is comforting. Handmade furniture, quilting, painting, tool making and so much more take on a different value in my life. This is art; more than function; more than a specific use; really an idea that has meaning. And transcendence.

Art is everywhere to be felt, used and pondered. Embrace it. Let it transform you.

April 3, 2018