COLLECTING ART
Life is a mystery. A mystery that binds us with eternal questions such as: How did the universe begin? Why are we here? What is love? Who or what is God? To this list of life's seemingly unanswerable questions we can add one more that is equally as perplexing - What is art?
For this purpose of this essay I will define art simply as, any creative expression or object that 'feeds, awakens and inspires the human spirit'. It is essential to the balance and well-being of the human being. It is as valuable as the air we breathe. It is scared. It is life-affirming.
Noting this, one can ask the question, if art is so significant to our being, why is it that we spend so little of our time and attention enjoying and interacting with it?
The influence of art on our senses, thoughts and imagination cannot be overlooked. The enjoyment and preservation of art through a collection demands special attention.
Why must art be collected?
Art reflects how we feel about ourselves, physically, mentally and spiritually. It documents what we are currently experiencing, what we've experienced in the past and what our dreams are for the future.
Every community develops, in time, a unique identity that distinguishes it from its predecessor, while it lays a foundation of inspiration for the next generation. Maintenance of a cultural identity is one of the primary reasons we must collect the unique artifacts that define us.
To survive and thrive in our daily reality, we need the inspiration, reinforcement and support that art can provide. Art is an investment in ourselves, in our physical, mental and spiritual well-being. Our failure to identify the beauty, mystery, potential and distinctness of our art creations threatens to gamble away irresponsibly the aspiration, inspiration and dreams of future generations. If the children of tomorrow cannot look back and draw on our experiences and thoughts through art, then what value would our lives and experiences have been worth?
Art inevitably is not just about us living in the present - it is also about the future. This being the case, we must treasure and secure it as a gift for our children and their children.
So why must art be collected? Because we need it to share our stories, accomplishments and aspirations with future generations.
(End of Part 1 of 3)
For this purpose of this essay I will define art simply as, any creative expression or object that 'feeds, awakens and inspires the human spirit'. It is essential to the balance and well-being of the human being. It is as valuable as the air we breathe. It is scared. It is life-affirming.
Noting this, one can ask the question, if art is so significant to our being, why is it that we spend so little of our time and attention enjoying and interacting with it?
The influence of art on our senses, thoughts and imagination cannot be overlooked. The enjoyment and preservation of art through a collection demands special attention.
Why must art be collected?
Art reflects how we feel about ourselves, physically, mentally and spiritually. It documents what we are currently experiencing, what we've experienced in the past and what our dreams are for the future.
Every community develops, in time, a unique identity that distinguishes it from its predecessor, while it lays a foundation of inspiration for the next generation. Maintenance of a cultural identity is one of the primary reasons we must collect the unique artifacts that define us.
To survive and thrive in our daily reality, we need the inspiration, reinforcement and support that art can provide. Art is an investment in ourselves, in our physical, mental and spiritual well-being. Our failure to identify the beauty, mystery, potential and distinctness of our art creations threatens to gamble away irresponsibly the aspiration, inspiration and dreams of future generations. If the children of tomorrow cannot look back and draw on our experiences and thoughts through art, then what value would our lives and experiences have been worth?
Art inevitably is not just about us living in the present - it is also about the future. This being the case, we must treasure and secure it as a gift for our children and their children.
So why must art be collected? Because we need it to share our stories, accomplishments and aspirations with future generations.
(End of Part 1 of 3)
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