Art for Art's Sake

The Matter of Time, Richard Serra. Courtesy of Wikipedia, 2008.

Today was a long day at work, mostly because I came home late from campus last night. After finishing up my sculpture class, I heard about a lecture discussing Richard Serra's "work makes work" concept and decided to stay longer to hear a refresher discussion. The intimate lecture took place in the clean fabrication studio with soft lighting that peered in from other rooms. As I looked around, I noticed that the audience included about 12 honors students in the undergraduate art program. The honors group branches out by taking field trips, meeting with artists, participating in more critiques, and taking advantage of the resources available to students--not only gallery representation and grants, but also in engaging a better rapport with the faculty. I remembered being in the group a couple of years ago and realizing the power and responsibility that came with artmaking. When I joined honors, I freshly switched from economics and marketing into the art program, so aestheticism and art history were foreign subjects that I had to absorb quicker to understand the other art students.

While attending the lecture, I could not help but notice a few students fidgeting with their cell phones. I have to admit that one of my cardinal pet peeves is when people play with their phone--it annoys the hell out of me. I try my utmost to keep my phone on vibrate so that I can focus on dialogue, especially during a class or when speaking one-on-one to a friend. What bothers me more than an actual phone ringing is when people look down at their phone to either view a text message or quickly type one up. I love gadgets as much as the next person, but texting is definitely a nuisance. Thank goodness that it is now illegal to text/check emails on cell phones and drive in Virginia.

Anyways, I wanted to make sure that the students at the lecture felt more passionate about their artmaking. Perhaps we can follow the ideal of "Art for Art's Sake" rather than completing assignments for classes in order to just obtain our creative degrees. By saying this, I do not claim to be an art guru of any sort, but I do know about the real world and the adversity that comes with it. Sure, artmaking sounds romantic, but there are several questions to consider:

• What is my point of view and what type of message would I like to send?
  
• What medium should I use to express this idea?
  
• Who is my audience?
  
• Where can I create or display this piece?
• Should I make a series?
  
• How can I fund this project?
  
• Where do I purchase/acquire the materials?
  
• When should I begin and when do I decide that the piece is finished?
• Why am I doing this?

Next week, a few other graduates students and I will be attending their critique to discuss the creations. The majority of the students appeared interested in drawing, painting, and printmaking. A few students were into photography, mixed media, and graphic design. Overall, it was a nice mix but I wish I knew more details about their thought processes and mediums. They seemed like a quiet bunch but I hope they feel inspired and think about their portfolios and resumes on a grand scale. I wonder who will be making art after undergraduate studies. When I graduated, I thought I would never make chairs again. However, I knew that my life never goes according to plan--and maybe that is the actual plan.