Yes, But is it Art?

The rumor of my death has been over exaggerated. The excuse for my absence in the blogosphere has been debated. They range from; too busy making art, lack of creative energy, or self-doubt and procrastination. The last two are the most evil yet the easiest to squelch. So I’m sticking to the first excuse; I’ve been too busy making art. The first leads to the second, it’s not merely that I lack creativity, it’s that the creative energy has been used to fuel the art.

So what is the art? This creation that I speak of is locally known as the Chester County Studio Tour. A tour of local talent weaved throughout our county. Studios are found in between the rolling hills, winding roads, and cow dotted pastures. It’s a pleasant weekend in mid May where our doors to the ivory towers of creation are opened for the curious. Opening the doors to one studio isn’t a problem. I have coordinated ten studios to open their doors, not only to share the owners’ creations but to also share other artists’ creations too. In total it becomes 25 artists sharing their love, passion, and hard work with anyone willing to drive to their door.

This is more than an open studio; the inner workings are more like a cat wrangler. The performance actually takes place three months prior to the event. That is when decisions are made, when the “brush strokes are laid” (if I were to compare it to the creation of artwork). Back in the 70”s this might have been considered a “happening.” Yoko Ono might be seen pacing back and forth trying to convince participants to hammer a nail into a piece of wood. For her it worked, yet, some might conclude that piece of art broke up the Beatles because it was there that she met John. Now I’m not trying to break up any boy bands or start a revolution. I’m just trying to introduce some art to some local people. But I can’t help to think of the bigger picture; just for two days everyone has the opportunity to experience art. I even made catalogues and posters to document the experience. Maybe I’ve just worked too hard and my delusion of grandeur is over exaggerated.