Calling All Curators

Heard a quote last summer which has recently, for one reason or another, made itself at home in my head:
The great need of this generation is for art curators (Kevin Twit).

We are bombarded by art these days... music, movies, books, advertisements, fashion, paintings, photography, architecture, etc, etc, etc. Though I do not propose (nor did Twit) that we everyday folks should stop stretching our creative muscles, I do wonder what it would look like to see more individuals investing great time and energy not in the creation of art but rather in its study and exploration. A sort of altruistic artistic immersion in order to help others think about, enjoy, and judge what is truly good art. I fear our generation is overstimulated and undereducated about what we see, hear, and experience. We know only what we like but have little to no vocabulary or knowledge to serve as a context for our own personal tastes.

Is art good because I like it? Or do I like it because it is good? Is it possible for me to like something that is "bad" art from a technical perspective? How exactly do we define excellence of craft? I am not saying that we have to tell people what to like, but is it not imperative to think about what is going on in art, both in technical aspects, as well as in the rather grey realm of meaning. After all, art tends to ask more questions than it ever answers. But then again, most days we do not realize the practical questions we are asking about life, truth, God, relationships, and reality. Art helps us put color and texture and sound to the questions intrinsic to the human condition. We cannot begin to find true answers until we know what we are asking. Obviously, the discussion of art's function and place in a culture is a HUGE topic. I do not pretend to even toss a drop in the proverbial bucket here.

On that note, this NY Times article is an interesting review of the movie Where the Wild Things Are which I saw a few weeks ago. Thoughtful social and cultural dissection.

And, if you are really interested in these issues, I highly recommend Kevin Twit's 4-part podcast series on Christianity and the Arts (source of the quote above). I heard him give it live this summer at RUF Summer Conference but you can listen to the whole thing (plus access the handouts) here. Just scroll down until you see the links.

In the words of Andrew from the artistic masterpiece (in my opinion) Garden State, Good luck exploring the infinite abyss.