What is ART?

So here's the age old question...What is art? I had this discussion at my school recently when a rep from the Springville Art Museum came to train us on some ways to teach art to students. She asked, "What is considered art?" She held up several objects, like a dollar bill, a water bottle, and a replica of a terracotta warrior from China. She gave us a scale from 1-10 to rate these objects on, 1 being the most indicative of art , 10 being the least (or purely function). I think this was an interesting discussion because our views differed so much. A dollar bill is used for the function of buying things, right? But if it's only purpose was functionality, then it could be a simple piece of paper with an amount printed on it. So why are there people, designs, even colors on the bills if it is not also art? With a water bottle, yes, it is for drinking water. But are the curves of the bottle simply for ergonomic comfort or do they have a certain artistic element to them as well? What about a replica of a warrior? Is that art, or a token for remembrance? Even the real terracotta warriors - are they art because they are old and have been dug out of the ground and are displayed in museums? Their function was not to be artistic, they were guarding the Chinese Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi’s glorious tomb. Yet to many, they could be considered as art.

Even within the "art world" there is debate: are Jackson Pollock's flung paint and Andy Warhol's soup cans art? Compared to the masterpieces such as Michaelangelo's David (which is probably the most beautiful piece of art I have ever seen in my whole life) Van Gogh's Starry Night, Degas' The Dance Class, Botticelli's Birth of Venus, and Monet's Water Lilies, how can it be art? Yet it is, somehow. Wikipedia defines art as "Generally art is a (product of) human activity, made with the intention of stimulating the human senses as well as the human mind; by transmitting emotions and/or ideas."

So is everything art? If it is, then does the value of art diminish? Big questions for which I have no answers. But I did find a fun quiz to check whether something is art or not. Check it out: http://www.modestypanel.com/artorcrap/#

Hiatus

I've been thinking about some things in my life that I feel passionately about. One is cooking. It's not just food for me - it's creating something that looks and tastes good. It's taking raw ingredients and combining them to make something pleasing to the eye and the palate. It's hearing that "Wow! This is great!" and tasting that first burst of flavor. I don't really know when I started to feel this way. I've grown up around cooking and cookbooks. My mom has been writing and publishing her own cookbooks since 1984. She's tested recipes and made many a patty for our family to try. But I don't think my romance with cooking necessarily came from her. I know that the summer that I reluctantly agreed to stay home and test recipes for her cookbook opened my eyes to the art of creating with food. But from there it just blossomed... For Christmas one year my sister-in-law gave me what has become one of my favorite presents - the New Best Recipe cookbooks. It is a the dictionary of cookbooks - including wonderful recipes, it's got diagrams, explanations, and lots of interesting cooking facts. This Christmas my collection grew larger with the International Best Recipe book from my other sister-in-law. I can't wait to make the dishes from other countries.

I desperately wish that I could have gone to cooking school. I ache to be formally trained in the art of cooking. Maybe I will someday... I still need to learn to make macaroni and cheese. (The only time I tried it, it tasted like flour.)