What is art? — Melanie Robertson

Recently while working in The Village Potter’s gallery, a gentleman approached me and asked me to define “art.” A great question, and one that can have a variety of answers depending on who is answering and the interpretation of how it is viewed.

Art and the making of art has, of course, quite a history. Just as the saying, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” suggests a personal take on what is considered beautiful, this is a saying that can also help us understand how we might define “art” and the “artist.”

Every culture in the world, both past and present, has examples of functional artifacts in their societies such as pottery, jewelry, clothing, tools, etc., that clearly demonstrate personal expressions of beauty beyond the actual function or practical need. What about other means of creating and making or producing creativity? Storytelling and music are certainly considered an important part of culture as well. But what about other important tasks that we “put our hands to?”

I believe that “creative expression” is seen in many other forms that are often overlooked. I will go as far to say that the classroom teacher, the gardener, the homemaker, the doctor, the lawyer, the computer programmer.....you get the picture.....all bring creativity to what they are doing and requires creative and innovative thinking in many, if not most cases, and exposes personal expression.

Am I stretching the definition of “art” and “artist?” I do believe that the traditional definition of art and artist encompasses the more aesthetic and skilled mediums painter, potter, sculptor, jeweler, poet, dancer, musician, etc., but what if we could all affirm ourselves as creative beings and yes, even artists?

What if we could celebrate what “we put our hands to” as worthy of being valued as “fine art” and express ourselves as only artists can.