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One does not have to be an artist to appreciate art. I am not an artist. I appreciate and value art.
Appreciation for art can indeed be taught.
And not meaning to be condescending or anything, but as an artist, I would bet most of the people who buy your work or view your talent (if you are a performing artist) are not artists themselves.
What exactly are we arguing here?
The bottom line is that if you really appreciate art, then nothing is going to stop you. Of course you don't have to be an artist in order to appreciate art, being a minority is not going to stop you from visiting an art museum. Come on now..
Like I said earlier, art might be one of the cheapest hobbies, a pencil, a piece of paper, your hands, and passion. All you need to get started.
The bottom line is that if you really appreciate art, then nothing is going to stop you. Of course you don't have to be an artist in order to appreciate art, being a minority is not going to stop you from visiting an art museum. Come on now..
You and rick stated that parents are how people get an "appreciation for art." Also that people who don't go to museums don't go primarily because they don't have an "appreciation for art." Mrs. Obama stated that many people in neighborhoods near museums don't feel comfortable going to those museums.
I said I understand her sentiment. I felt uncomfortable going to museums. Art and museums are associated with rich, snobby people. Many people feel unwelcome or uncomfortable attending them due to that reason and they sell themselves short of experiencing art. You mentioned artist having a passion for art. I am not speaking of artist. Pretty much all kids draw, but that doesn't mean they appreciate other art or that they feel comfortable going to an art museum with rich, snobby paintings/etc. Good outreach programs, free museum days (which I am glad are more commonplace now), and teachers/educators who are interested in and share an appreciation for arts with kids will make them see and appreciate that art is for everyone to enjoy.
Mrs Obama did not mention say that museums discriminated against or stopped anyone from attending museums. Only that some people, including herself at one point, may doubt whether they "belong" in an art museum. Like I said, many associate them with rich/snobby people. Most people are not rich (many are snobby though lol) and they may not feel they are welcome to attend. Or they will feel they are being judged for not being the "art museum" type.
Hopefully you can see that Mrs. Obama did not say that museums discriminated and she was pointing out how art is indeed for everyone to experience. Rick doesn't like Mrs. Obama and he criticizes everything she does and makes everything she says into a racial issue because he is kind of obsessed with race. I don't think you are and I think you can understand my point of view on this matter.
It doesn't begin with the parents. I appreciate art but my kids don't for instance lol. They find art museums boring.
Mrs Obama also didn't say that museums "discriminate." You really do read a lot into things that are not said or written.
She was not speaking of herself.
For kids it can be appealing to them if they are shown art that interests them by people who are interested in the arts.
Maybe she wasn't speaking for herself, but we ALL know what she implied.
Most kids find art museums boring. That's nothing new. But take them on an Intrepid tour, to the Museum of Natural History, the Skyscraper Museum, Hayden Planetarium, (all in NYC) and they love it. It's not to say they will go back over and over but it could be inspiring. I don't think art has much to offer in an inspiring sense.
The only "art" that many kids were interested in was graffiti. Don't know if it's still holding their interest.
This is the entire speech. She never said anything about minorities or about discrimination and ironically (because I didn't read the entire speech before writing it) basically said what I said in that museums open up the world of art and make people feel more comfortable and at home by providing outreach and educational programs to the communities of which they serve:
Quote:
"This is a bold, very hard question. And this exhibit isn’t trying to provide any kind of definitive answer. Instead, it’s doing something even more important -- it’s inviting us to answer this question for ourselves, each of us reflecting and rethinking our assumptions as we walk through these galleries. And I think that will be an incredibly powerful experience for anyone who comes here to visit. But it will be particularly powerful for our young people.
"You see, there are so many kids in this country who look at places like museums and concert halls and other cultural centers and they think to themselves, well, that’s not a place for me, for someone who looks like me, for someone who comes from my neighborhood. In fact, I guarantee you that right now, there are kids living less than a mile from here who would never in a million years dream that they would be welcome in this museum.
"And growing up on the South Side of Chicago, I was one of those kids myself. So I know that feeling of not belonging in a place like this. And today, as First Lady, I know how that feeling limits the horizons of far too many of our young people. "And that’s one of the reasons why Barack and I, when we first came to Washington, we vowed to open up the White House to as many young people as possible, especially those who ordinarily wouldn’t have a chance to visit. So just about every time we host any kind of cultural event, a concert or performance, we ask the performers to come a few hours early and host a special workshop just for our young people.
"The message we’re trying to send is simple. We’re telling our young people: The White House is your house. You belong here just as much as anyone else in this country. We’re telling them: Make yourselves at home in this house. Be inspired by the artists and performers you see. And start dreaming just a little bigger, start reaching just a little higher for yourself.
"And with this inaugural exhibition, the Whitney is really sending the same message to young people and to people of every background across this country. You’re telling them that their story is part of the American story, and that they deserve to be seen. And you’re sending that message not just with the art you display, but with the educational programming you run here. You’re reaching out to kids from all backgrounds, exposing them to the arts, showing them that they have something to contribute.
"One of those young people said this about the Whitney -- and this is a quote we pulled -- said, 'Having gone through the program, I’ve felt like the museum is home to me. Even if I’ve never been to a particular museum before, I just know how to be in [that] space.'
"Another young person going through one of the programs said, 'I could rise above the negativity I saw around me every day within my community.' Because of the work that you do here, that’s the impact you’re having on kids every day.
"And in the end, that’s why I’m here today, and I know that’s why we’re all here today. I’m here because I believe so strongly in that mission, and because I think that every cultural institution in this country should be doing this kind of outreach and engagement with our young people every single day."
Maybe she wasn't speaking for herself, but we ALL know what she implied.
Most kids find art museums boring. That's nothing new. But take them on an Intrepid tour, to the Museum of Natural History, the Skyscraper Museum, Hayden Planetarium, (all in NYC) and they love it. It's not to say they will go back over and over but it could be inspiring. I don't think art has much to offer in an inspiring sense.
The only "art" that many kids were interested in was graffiti. Don't know if it's still holding their interest.
Read what I posted of her entire speech. Nothing was implied except what she said - that the museum is offering great programming that makes youth feel welcome and that it is a great thing. Had nothing to do with discrimination or racial issues. Race or discrimination was not mentioned at all.
I guess anytime a black person speaks of themselves and their experiences some people will automatically make it a racial issue since black people cannot speak of universal/shared experiences??
I grew up in a very integrated neighborhood. Most of the whites I knew thought and still think that they are less than others because they dont' have a college degree and live in a certain neighborhood or they don't have a particular career. They don't feel "welcome" at certain places. Everyone, no matter their racial background has felt this at one time or another.
She's the same moron who felt that a short white person asking a tall black person to reach something for them is racist.
She's a loon.
I was in the grocery store the other day. I saw a sign that said crackers! Can you believe that?!! Apparently people who look like me aren't welcome there.......
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