Art as a Collective Activity - Essay Example

? Art as a Collective Activity Art as a Collective Activity Art may be viewed as a communication or expression medium characterized by its content and form, whereby the communication is aimed at creating an emotional link between an audience and a certain piece of art (Becker, 2003). In that sense, real art must have the power to unite people through genuine and clear values. With its capacity to express simple aesthetic ideas or tell complex stories, the notion of art embraces a broad range of human activities in which the artist conveys feelings experienced previously, covering visual, performing and literary arts. The form of art refers to its elements, design principles and the physical materials used by the artist. Content is based on ideas and refers to what an artist intended to communicate, what he actually communicated and how the audience reacted to both the actual and intended communication. Content also includes the way a work of art was influenced, which could be socially, politically or religiously. These descriptions clearly indicate that there are more players in art than just the artist, and this paper will examine the concept of art as a collective activity. The production of an artwork that is truly appreciated involves the artist, an idea, support apparatus, manufacturing and distribution networks, an audience, money, critics, time, training as well as civil order (Thelma 1973). The whole range of individuals contributing to the creation of art is referred to as the art world. Before the 17th century, any mastery or skill was referred to as art and was not distinguished from sciences or crafts (Becker, 2003). However, in contemporary use, where the aesthetic aspect is of paramount significance, art is distinct from generally acquired skills. This means that artists also undergo formal training which involves instructors and fellow artists. For example, in the performing arts, before a performance appears the way it finally does and is staged, many distinct parties have played varying roles. Instruments were invented, built and maintained; artists were taught how to play the instruments; a notation was devised; music was composed; venues and time for rehearsal were provided; advertisements were created for the performance and posted; and an audience was convened. The same activities may apply to visual arts, with instruments being replaced by materials and performance by exhibition. Artistic practices, as collections of specific activities, assume a sense of judgment and appreciation of art, theoretical knowledge and practical skills and abilities. The practices include conception, production, displaying, distribution, promotion and exhibiting an understanding of the works. The practices are developed collectively and practically within collaborative networks. They are initially structured by conventions, financial and technological means, alignments or forms of power, regimes of competence and institutions, and the practices themselves prompt the formation of the structural parameters. Works of art may be regarded as the creation of joint and mutual activities of many people (Alexander 2003). Among the people, some are the artists while others form the support personnel. Although the dependence on joint activities by the artists may limit their scope of artistic possibilities they may achieve, it makes less work of production. Producing works of art calls for detailed forms of cooperation by specialized teams. Such cooperation is guided by previous agreements that form conventional ways of working in the arts. Artistic conventions entail the decisions that must be arrived at with regards to work in a certain art world, although some conventions may be revised to suit certain works. Conventions, therefore, determine the materials that will be used. An example is when a group of musicians agree to found their music on notes in a set of modes (Coser 1965). The concepts to be used to communicate particular experiences and ideas are dictated by conventions. Such concepts include the use of perspective laws by painters to create a three dimension illusion. The combination of concept and material is also determined by conventions as well as suggesting a work’s appropriate dimensions such as proper shape and size of a sculpture or painting and the length of a play or music. The relations between the audience and the artists are regulated by conventions, which specify the obligations and rights of both. The notion of artistic convention has been found useful by literary critics, musicologists and art historians in accounting for the ability of artists to produce art which can influence emotional responses from audiences (Alexander 2003). Composers use conventional organizations of tones as a yard stick to create and control the expectation so of the listeners regarding the sound that will follow. The satisfaction of the audience’s expectations may then be delayed and frustrated by the artist, creating tension which is released when the expectation is eventually satisfied. This shows the nature of art being a collectivity, because it is only due to the sharing of knowledge and experience with the conventions by the artist and audience that an emotional effect is produced by work of art. Poets work along conventional means built in poetic diction and form to add satisfying and clear conclusions to poems. Artists also use visual conventions to generate an illusion in which viewers believe they are viewing realistic representations of worldly aspects. In these examples, it is the being in place of a body of conventions that gives rise to the likelihood of artistic experience in which audiences and artists can refer to and make sense of art work. Another way in which conventions make art possible is by facilitating quick decision making. In that way, plans and decisions are arrived by simple reference to the conventional ways of how things are done, and artists are able to commit more time to their core work. The coordination of support personnel and the artists is made easier and more efficient by conventions. For example, several graphic artists can work together in the production of a single plate by employing conventionalized schemes for modeling, rendering shadows and visual effects. Conventions form a meeting point between sociologists and humanists (Becker, 2003). They are interchangeable with known sociological ideas like custom, shared understanding and rules, which refer to the ideas held in common by people through which cooperative activity is effected. For example, comedians can perform skits they have not rehearsed before because they only need to make reference to a conventional body of skit and allocate the roles. In the same manner, a dance can be staged by musicians who are not familiar with each other without any arrangements made earlier. They only need a dance title and get the tempo by counting off beats. All artists’ work must reach an audience in order for them to earn from it. An art world has a developed distribution system that links it to the wider economy. The system usually involves specialized networks of intermediaries (Kwon 2002). The distribution systems also have a degree of power that can limit and dictate what the artists create, because artists have a tendency to constrain themselves to creating only what they can sell. The distribution systems are capable of accommodating change, and since they exist simultaneously in the same art world in multiple numbers, artists are free to move to any of their choice. The distribution networks greatly influence reputations, and that is why in some art worlds the artists are able to support their livelihoods from the proceeds of their art, while in others they must seek extra support from other earnings such as day jobs, which may have no connection to their skills in art. Another form of distribution is patronage, with governments being a good example by supporting mainstream artists (Billing, Lind, & Ninlsson 2007). Artists who have patrons only need to please their patrons. Within the performing arts, a group or board may be put together as patrons and, although they will not get a tangible role, they have their name included in programs. Selling to the public entails market forces, convincing consumers to buy and being within a distributor network. The networks can be anything from simple galleries distributing only the work of a single artist, to large institutions within the culture industry, such as film. The distributing networks play critical roles in informing the public, shaping their taste and preferences and convince them to invest in the art. Dealers also need collectors in the same way, and the dealer-gallery system has strong ties with museums. Impresarios determine costs for shows and sell advance tickets for performing artists. Because artists in the culture industry often deal with a public audience whose preference or taste is not easily known, they take general ideas from wide range of artists, which usually yields relatively standardized objects. Aestheticians play the role of opinion leaders and construct systems and scales on which art is judged (Alexander 2003). The aesthetes and critics of the art world judge and determine what qualifies to be perceived as art. Aesthetics are tied to conventions and present ground on which work can be judged to be successful or makes patterns that are regular and make cooperation possible. In that view, artwork is considered the work of the whole art world, because its form is the sum of the options picked on by the artists and any other parties involved in coming up with the piece. The resultant artwork arises from a larger set of possibilities. There are terms of aesthetic judgment in art worlds, such as swing, which may not be precisely defined by practitioners, but the participants can make logic and sense from them. Their choices are based on such criteria. Artists respond to ideas the way they anticipate other artists might have done, or by trying to assume the role of another artist. Most of the time, they end up doing what is conventional. Boundaries of acceptable art are created by the art world, sometimes locking out some artists (Becker, 2003). At the same time, the art world opines that there are creativity levels that are beyond artists’ technical craft skills. The supporting personnel may be made up of craftsmen, carrying out the same activities that may bear varying titles at different times. In the art worlds, there are sequences that see an activity changing from being referred to an art to craft, or even craft to art. Generally, craft focuses on the usefulness of created objects, implying aesthetic standards on which products are evaluated. A craft worker usually does his work on behalf and for another person. Changes occurring in art worlds cause changes in art. In the art worlds, changes are constant, with others being slow and others fast. An innovation in art will not be usefully and effectively established without related organizational changes that capture the support networks in existence or create new ones. The changes may be slow because the nature of the innovation may require new skills. The organizational and ideological bases of art worlds are attacked by revolutions, and end up changing conventions. Since conventions entail aesthetics, the changes are also an implied attack on aesthetics and, eventually, on the stratification system in place. However, not everything is changed by revolutions, and they can only be successful when all or most of the art world members are mobilized into cooperating with the revolutionaries. When people join for the purpose of cooperating in projects and making use of new conventions, they give rise to art worlds. On the other hand, when they no longer cooperate in projects or use new conventions, the art worlds disappear. The rise of a new audience also gives rise to a new art world. Artistic innovators help to this end by compiling histories which tie new audiences to arts that are already accepted, while suppressing those that are less desirable. In conclusion, all works of art rely on joint and collective activities of different groups of people, comparable to the division of labor in most human activities (Billing, Lind, & Ninlsson 2007). The artists are at the core of networks of people, each with distinct input but standardized by conventions. It is the joint efforts of the art worlds that determine standards of aesthetics, with some art worlds bearing more influence than others because of their position. The only limitation to what is ultimately defined as art is the content of earlier consensus. References Alexander, V 2003, Sociology of the arts: exploring fine and popular forms, Wiley, New York. Becker, H 2003, Art worlds, University of California Press, California. Billing, J, Lind, M, & Ninlsson, L 2007, Taking the matter into common hands: on contemporary art and collaborative practices, Black Dog Publishing, London. Coser, L 1965, Men of ideas, Free Press, New York. Kwon, M 2002, One place after another: site-specific art and locational identity, MIT Press, Cambridge. Thelma, K 1973, The artist, the printer and the publisher, University of Missouri, Kansas. Read More