[Previous entry: "Art Market Past and Present"] [Next entry: "Sacrifice for Cezanne"]
11/24/2008: "SPREADING THE GOSPEL"
As I sit here pondering the news that I got today, I can only think about how far I've come yet how much more work remains undone.
Have you ever tried to write and produce an illustrated art book for "everyday people" using your own resources on your own free time? If not, I can't say I recommend it unless you're possessed by some overpowering sense of mission. It certainly won't be for "the money."
But I digress. My new book, "THE ART OF EVERYDAY JOE: A COLLECTOR'S JOURNAL," has been honored with a National Best Books Award (Art Instructional Category). For me, this is simultaneously meaningless yet overwhelmingly meaningful. Let's face it, awards don't feed you, keep you warm at night or fill your gas tank. My book is the same exact book that it was BEFORE it won the award and I certainly haven't changed. However, maybe the art world will feel a tiny jolt. More on that in a moment.
Whenever I told people (which wasn't very often. I didn't want to bore anyone) that I was creating a series of illustrated, memoir-like books about my love of emerging art and artists, the responses didn't surprise me. I explained to people that the books would be targeted at people who don't know much about art and are intimidated by it or felt that they couldn't afford original art. I wanted to share my experiences and explain to readers that with art, like everything else in life, you've got to start somewhere. No one is born an expert. I'm hardly an authority, but I'm learning everyday. Everything begins with curiosity and desire. I wanted to try to bridge the gap between living, struggling artists and people who might become art collectors but were terrified by art. I think that most artists have absolutely NO IDEA how intimidated people are by them ... or perhaps some artists DO know this and it makes them feel big. Who knows?
Anyway, here are some of the responses that I got about my efforts:
"A book about art? Nobody is going to read it!"
"Oh, that sounds nice, but I don't know much about art!" (Hello? Were you listening to what I just said?)
"I would NEVER walk into an art gallery! I'm too afraid!"
"I like Monet!"
One artist blogger even accused me of trying to "join the ranks" of "established artists." In short, the naysayers came out of the woodwork like cockroaches on a midnight dinner break. It doesn't take much to get a feeding frenzy started. You know, I'm 100% convinced that the human race ALREADY has the answers to EVERY problem that supposedly confounds us. All we have to do is change OUR ATTITUDES. All we have to do is drop the ego and the politics and the greed and get real, but of course, no one wants to do that ... so we continue to bicker over tiny issues and spin around endlessly like a dog chasing its tail. As a species, we've got to outgrow this. We're wasting time.
An art dealer once told me that the art world LOVES of create mystery around art. The art world LOVES to keep art up on a pedestal so that it seems hallowed and out of reach. As we all know, money is the root of this evil. People will pay more for something that seems priceless and rare. I believe that art IS precious and sublime. Art deserves our undying respect and we should preserve it. However ... ART IS FULFILLING ITS MOST IMPORTANT MISSION WHEN IT IS SERVING US, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. If we can get everyday people to understand how art serves us everyday, art would take its rightful place among society's top priorities. Unfortunately, there are too many people out there who are trying to use art to become rich and famous. The art world is often a rat race muddied by tar and selfish intent. There's nothing wrong with trying to make a buck off art ... people DO have to eat ... but there IS something wrong with dishonesty, greed and selfishness.
Which brings me back to my point. I love art. I love writing. I love writing about art and the things of everyday life provide me with artful insights. I believe that this is my tiny contribution to the art world. It's my way of helping to nudge people into an art museum that they're too afraid to visit. It's my way of getting people to gather up enough nerve at an art fair to actually say "Hello" to an artist who is desperately trying to sell his or her work. It's my way of trying to pop the snobbish art bubble. "POP!" There's a whole lotta hot air in there.
It's now 7:21 p.m. Another day is done. This was a good day. I learned today that my book won an award, but my book hasn't changed. Nor have I. Well, I WOULD say that I'm a little more grateful and humbled. At the same time, I'm more confident in the subject matter and certainly the mission. Art has served me well and I'm thrilled to continue writing and collecting and meeting artists and visiting galleries.
Yes, at the end of the day, it's almost like spreading the gospel.
MICHAEL CORBIN IS AN AVID ART COLLECTOR AND AUTHOR OF THE AWARD-WINNING BOOK, "THE ART OF EVERYDAY JOE: A COLLECTOR'S JOURNAL." CHECK IT OUT AT WWW.ARTMAESTROGALLERY.COM
