Holy Church of Art Sermonette on Commandment I

This begins a series of Sermonettes on the Ten (Art) Commandments

Commandment I: Thou shalt not worship false gods of art

Brothers and sisters in art:
Anything is art, but not everything is art. We must be generous and have grace when we allow visual expression to be art. For expression is the first step to wisdom. The door to art should be open to all who aspire and al who speak visually.

But we fail art if we only ask little of it. We must expect it to be enduring, to penetrate deep, to converse meaningfully with its viewers, to transform. These attributes are not those of the false gods of art.

And this is why Walter Darby Bannard's phrase, "art waiting to be art," has relevance. Anything can be art waiting to be art, but not everything will meet the test of time and culture.