I had interviews with 3 more people this week. The first was Shannon Bingeman, the curator for the government-initiated Traveling Exhibition Program (TREX), which is produced by Alberta Society of Artists (and other organizations). This program makes art more accessible for citizens and students throughout Alberta by providing art exhibitions that circulate to various venues and classrooms. These exhibitions include a variety of contemporary and historical art, though not much of it is very traditional. Some of the recent exhibitions focused on weaved tapestries (contemporary), performance art (not theater), and a collection of photographs from the 1920s. While paintings were included in some of the exhibitions, there weren't very many compared to the number of alternate pieces. (I haven't actually seen the exhibitions, just the catalogs from them).
Anyways, it was pretty interesting to talk to Shannon because she studied a lot of art history and has a deep appreciation for traditional art, but she generally selects more contemporary art for the exhibitions. For the questions I used for the interviews, see my previous post. Here are some of the things she said in the interview (paraphrased by me because I can't take notes that fast):
- Traditional art: historical, landscape paintings, etc.
- Non-traditional art: multidisciplinary, immersive, engages public (for example, video and performance art)
- [when asked about art that is popular today] Everything goes through phases/cycles; new media comes and goes, but usually handmade materials are valued
- Mediums and techniques go in and out of style, but can take years to do so
- Good art usually depends on aesthetics, what speaks to the viewer, and the message conveyed
- Artists shouldn't necessarily depend on fitting the style or what's popular right now because that will change. Focus on what appeals to you as an artist.
I also interviewed artists Peter Deacon and Linda Craddock (at the same time). Peter Deacon does a lot of mixed media/collage artwork, while Linda Craddock does mostly painting. Here's some of what they had to say:
- Traditional art: what is local/native; historical, representational
- Painting is becoming less common due to technological developments (digital prints), which creates a "democratization of creativity" but also prevents art from being unique and lasting
- Digital art leads to mass production and loss of originality; it is mostly about grabbing attention
- Art has more (cultural) value if it has tactility
- Art cycles (revisits/repeats past styles)
- Contemporary art is any art that is being made now, includes a wide variety of styles and techniques
As far as my understanding of contemporary art and the level of traditionalism it retains, things are becoming a bit clearer. Art is always changing, but history repeats itself. Painting can go out of style for a bit, but it always comes back, as do a lot of other mediums. Digital art is hardly a replacement for physical art, which still has a higher standing in the art world. As for subject matter and level of abstraction/representation, the lines are a bit more blurred. I've noticed that there aren't many realistic pieces in galleries or museums unless they're from a century ago. The most realistic I've seen so far is similar to impressionistic or pointillist paintings. Even my painting is slightly impressionistic (though not much). My point is that the majority of art today is in middle ground between traditional and non-traditional, and most people seem to like it that way.
As for what I've been working on this week, I haven't been able to do a lot of my own work because some family members asked me to paint a mural for their children's room. It took a lot longer than I expected, and it turned out pretty well, even though I believe anyone could have done it. That's kind of the life of an artist though. Whenever friends or family have a task that requires a little bit of creativity they want you to do it. Not that that's a bad thing. But it sort of is because you don't get paid. Just kidding. It was fun. Also, more pictures of artwork will be uploaded soon.
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