What is art?

What is art? At root, it’s a language that searches for beauty, meaning and understanding in the world. The artist says:

“This is the work I have done.”

“These are the discoveries I’ve made.”

“Look, here is the beauty the world gives up.”

“This is how to be human.”

The forms these artistic responses take come from the forms of expression at work in the culture. When new media arrive, they don’t push older media aside. All adapt, evolve, engage, giving artists all the more means of expression.

The artist’s passion takes form in making, telling, organizing, facilitating, speaking out, performing, community building and more. Artists push what it means to make art and what form art can take.

This often means that the larger society doesn’t keep up with the artist. Art is confusing to many. The artist is socially and financially marginalized. But the committed artist always speaks up through the means he or she must.