I met this woman a couple of weeks ago, let's call her Bev, who noted that she went to SFMOMA for the first time since living in the Bay Area for 5yrs. A woman with extensive professional experience in the corporate arena, Bev was/is obviously highly educated. But despite said education, Bev's appreciation for art seemed... limited. With a strong preference for the more subdued work of Monet and all other Impressionists, it's no wonder that Gober's wax chest (see above left) would be less than preferable for her. However, Bev's unwillingness to take in the work as something thought-provoking, aesthetically unique, socially relevant, or even comical (if we want to go that route) came as a shock to me. It shouldn't be a surprise that this conversation got me thinking about what we deem as "art" - and how we appreciate art on an individual and personal level. In it's simplest form, I came up with this:
A delicious slice of Mondrian-inspired cake with floral-foamed mochas.
A 10-minute art project using copy paper for my friend Erica.
