Make Art Accessible

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showThe art world seems to be socially stratified as some ‘selected group’ of individuals decide what is art and what is not, who is an artist and who is not. The elitist fame of art is not a new trend. It has been like that for many years not only in art acquisition but in art education. No wonder why it is marginalize from the education system. If people can’t find a practical purpose for art education it will always be the first thing to be cut away when funds are limited. Let’s have something clear, when I speak about ‘education’ I am not talking about formal academic education alone but knowledge. When I speak about practical purpose I am not referring to art as objects you can use but knowledge you can expand to different domains. The problem is that only a ‘selected group’ get to understand the ‘mysteries’ of art like it is something out of this world. Some explanations appear to be in a language from another planet to which some people can’t relate to. The opportunity to reach people gets lost in translation. Even a trip to space begins with training on earth. You don’t take people outside our atmosphere to then teach them how to wear the helmet that would keep them alive.

Yes, art has a language of its own. Yes, art should speak by itself. No, we should not explain a piece of art to people. Yes, there should be a connection between the art piece and the individual for it to be meaningful. However, it requires sensibility and wisdom to help people relate to  what they are feeling and thinking in a tangible way because after all art is about human experience not reserved for the ‘elite’ but for all. Art is an experience to be shared by humanity. We are all born with artistic tendencies but we only grow up to pursue these tendencies and appreciate them when given the chance. It also takes courage to engage people in the creative process and to be creative themselves. Yes, art is not for ‘everyone’ in a sense but who are we pick and choose to whom it is for? Why not letting people decide if art is for them or not?

Do not misunderstand me. I am not talking about giving away our creations for the sake of art. That might just ruin the purpose of making art accessible. People should always pay the fair value for a piece of art. When people have a connection with specific artwork they will find a way to get and that would make them appreciate it more. What I am talking about here is about opening the doors and make art accessible and inviting people to engage in the arts with words and actions they can relate with. If only the ‘elite’ can acquire art pieces, that is fine by me, let it be an opportunity for artists to keep creating. Let us keep what makes it art: the human experience.

Let Art Speak

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Back in November 2014 I wrote How to Explain Your Art and it became very popular not only in the blog but also in Ezine Articles and Fine Art America. In several discussions in LinkedIn I believe the article was misunderstood by some. The article was never intended to explain a specific piece of art but our general intent in creating art. Each individual piece should speak by itself. At least that is what I aim for as I explain in my artist statement:

“I am inspired by the fluidity, dynamism, and power of the human body.
I experiment with techniques and media that allow me to portray the figure in its balance between vivacity, emotion, strength, and sensibility.
I aim to provide each piece with its own soul, a life, and a story to tell on its own.”

A few years ago I painted a face of a lady with a crown of flowers and a very colorful background. The day I posted the picture on Facebook I received two comments from two different ladies. One of them expressed how happy the painting made her feel. On the other hand, the second lady expressed how sad the painting made her feel and how she cried when she saw it. The same painting was speaking in two different ways to two different individuals. The painting had no meaning in itself, or better said, no intended meaning. However, these two ladies found meaning by themselves.

muses

In my current exhibit closing January 24 the torsos speak differently to different individuals even though there are no faces. The body itself communicates to the viewer without explanations. Each piece can tell a story to the viewer and even more important, each viewer can create their own story. If I explain each piece I am stealing from the viewer to find meaning on their own. I would be also limiting the story to one instead of leaving it open to interpretations and an unlimited amount of stories as the viewers can find.

Photo Aug 27, 9 46 00 AM copy

I would preferably let art speak. Maybe it wants to tell you something if you just listen. Stop and observe. What domes to mind? What is it trying to tell you? How are you letting art speak to you? Words are not always necessary. You can feel it too without trying to articulate it. Just feel.

Process and Product

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10898002_10150521048914956_6592592532872143244_nOh, the delight of sculpting! Even when my hands are cramping after modeling the clay for so many hours and my body is slightly feeling the exhaustion there is nothing like seeing the sculpture take shape. Attempting to articulate the feeling of bliss I feel is almost futile. The experience is ethereal. Time seems to stop. The world fades away. The process transports me to a different place.

Between process and product I prefer the first. It is an adventure. Exploring possibilities. I like to begin with just a basic idea and just flow with it. Making sense of the direction of the sculpture is the most important aspect of the sculpting. The process belongs to me. That’s my time. Many of my sculptures don’t make it to shows. I’m always happy when they do. However, once a sculpture is out there it doesn’t belong to me anymore. The product is the end of it. Detachment comes fast after that.

The product belongs to them. The experience of conception, creation, and experimentation is now a memory. The sculpture is now exposed, vulnerable, and there is nothing I can do to change that. The sculpture is now abandoned waiting for a new home. In fact I decided for it to be there. People ask all the time if it makes me sad seeing them go. The answer is ‘No’. On the contrary, once the process is complete I am detached from the sculpture. That doesn’t mean I’m giving it way.

Comedy and Philosophy

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image-2Once upon a time I was funny. Since a very early age I participated in school and church plays and town events always as the funny kid. After graduating high school I began working as a radio announcer and thought that I found my ‘seriousness’. To my surprise people began inviting me more and more to host events as master of ceremonies from which I began introducing myself as stand-up comedian thanks to a friend who inspired me to do so. That adventure went on for about 14-15 years. In 2006 I decided to quit comedy and immerse myself in pursuing a philosophy doctorate in education while returning to create art. I thought I found my seriousness once and for all. When I went to Uganda, Africa the kids gave me the nickname ‘Munakatemba’ (the funny guy) which confirmed how wrong I was about my seriousness. The fact is that philosophy only fueled more jokes into my head than ever before. Not because of the pursue of knowledge but how people behave trying to validate themselves by proving a point as irrefutable. They are hilarious! After all comedy and philosophy are not so different.

Comedy and philosophy are trying to make sense of our existence rationalizing behavior and intentions in their own special way but neither one is more insightful than the other if you pay attention.  Both are seeking an interpretation of life. The funny of comedy is no different from the cynical of philosophy. The thoughtfulness of philosophy is not more valuable than the sincerity of comedy. Comedians and philosophers seek their paths with passion and risk mockery in the pursue of truth. Both are also largely misunderstood and alienated in a simple-minded, power-thirsty society seeking only self-serving entertainment.

An open-minded audience enjoys both and relate the message to their realities as they also try to cope and understand human behavior. There is always someone who tries to criticize the philosopher or being funnier than the comedian. It is always easier to lash critiques hiding in the crowd than exposing yourself standing on stage. It is always easier to say, ‘Why don’t you post an intelligent question?’ instead of posting an intelligent question. Everyone has an answer, comment, or critique after a question or point of view is presented but very few are capable to initiate a thoughtful and reflective discussion on their own. It is always easier for people to pass judgement as to the merits of the traveler’s path and intentions than to begin  their own journey. Know this: The traveler will keep walking and pass by in search for a new destination.

Visual Intelligence

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There are three classes of people:
those who see, those who see when they are shown, those who do not see.

Leonardo Da Vinci

Howard Gardner proposed in Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences that intelligence as ‘one thing’ is too limiting to account to the broader range of human abilities and capabilities. He separates intelligence in nine modalities (I’m sure that the list will continue growing):

  • Linguistic intelligence
  • Logical-mathematical intelligence
  • Spatial (Visual) intelligence
  • Bodily-Kinesthetic intelligence
  • Musical intelligence
  • Interpersonal intelligence
  • Intrapersonal intelligence
  • Naturalist intelligence
  • Existential or spiritual intelligence
Look Up

Look Up by Iván Tirado

It is possible that the first group of people coming to mind when one hears ‘visual intelligence’ is artists. Not only people who can draw, paint, sculpt, or design have visual intelligence. Visual intelligence is extended to sports. Court vision in basketball is important to shoot and pass the ball. The same applies in football, baseball, and boxing. Dancers too require that sense of space when they perform. Even today’s video games require visual intelligence with those virtual words that make me dizzy about five minutes into the game.

I do believe that artists have visual intelligence indeed. I also believe that artists share bodily-knestetic intelligence too in order to transfer their vision into a tangible creation. Bodily-knestetic intelligence is not only for sports and dance. I believe we can call it ‘technique’.  Artists also share logical-mathematical intelligence. Moreover, artists are also existential or spiritual intelligent. Why it seems like I’m focusing in artists and visual intelligence? Well, I am an artist. I also stink at music and most sports. The fact is that my favorite aspect of visual intelligence because it is not about what we see with the eyes.

Blind people develop visual intelligence to make sense of their environment. Is that perception of space that goes beyond the world we see. Visual intelligence can inform the other intelligences allowing us to become aware of a different kind of world. We can close our eyes and see it. Our senses become consumed with it. This intelligence allows the development of problem-solving skills, capturing and interpreting information, and perceived the world we see with the naked eye and the world not seen. Leonardo Da Vinci called it ‘the reflective eye’. Leonardo believed that ‘the artist sees what others only catch a glimpse of‘.