Pittsburgh Artist Registry

Artist statement:

What is art (to me)?  Art is a term that I feel has been grossly abused.  In many instances, the bar seems to have been lowered to the point that nearly anyone or anything can produce or become “Art”.  Objectively considered, everybody is not an artist. Just any thing is not art.  The simple declaration of such should not make it so. The term “Art” deserves a special meaning, one that takes it out of the realm of the easy, the banal and the ordinary.  Art should be special; a state of awareness, of learning, involvement, beauty or transcendence.  That is not to say that art can’t be confrontational, controversial, or challenging.  But to rise to the level of Art, the work must possess certain qualities that distinguish it from the background of ordinary experience.  Certainly not all attempts are successful, and a serious artist cannot be afraid to fail.  Investigation and discovery are messy enterprises filled with dead-ends, failures and catastrophes on the way to triumphs.

The history of 20^th century art has introduced the idea that Art can be separated from the corpus and craft of art and need not be the direct product of the hand.  Taken to the extreme, some assert that concept itself is enough and Art need only be a thought, an intent or an outline of process and an enduring physical element is not a requirement.  This is a fine academic exercise but where does that leave us?  It seems to be a dead-end, a death spiral of logic.  And furthermore, how can such ethereal art be sustainable without some form of existential reality or value that incents the continuance of the practice. While the point of concept-as-art may be valid and deserves to be made, what is to be gained going forward by restatement in infinite permutations?    

The mystical experience that humans naturally seek is missing and seems to be an unsustainable path that will be viewed historically as a passing fashion and not as a guidepost to a new artistic truth.  The object and the craft of art are not dead, and all possible statements in physical media have not yet been made.  Seeking that transcendental experience that the best art creates is a fundamental human desire that people seek to fulfill through music, expressive movement, visual encounters and other sensory experiences.  To achieve this level takes practitioners of great skill and discipline to manipulate the tools of their discipline to create Art that speaks to universal truths.

Short version

Carefully considered, everybody is not an artist. Just any thing is not art.  The term “Art” deserves a special meaning, one that takes it out of the realm of the easy, the banal and the ordinary.  Art should be special; a state of awareness, of learning, involvement, beauty or transcendence. Seeking that transcendental experience that the best art creates is a fundamental human desire that people seek to fulfill through music, expressive movement, visual encounters and other sensory experiences.  To achieve this level takes practitioners of great discipline and skill to manipulate their tools to create work that speaks to universal truths in a lasting and meaningful way.