The Seven Salmon-on-Rye
Casey tackled the role of art in society last winter, “As the Useful Becomes Useless, It Becomes Art“. Anything that puts “art” and “useless” in the same sentence immediately gets my back up but that doesn’t mean he’s not on to something - perhaps when art becomes commodified, it changes the source of its value. I believe art has a very real and important role in community and communication, but when it’s bought and sold it becomes a private transaction instead of a public conversation. That’s not necessarily good or bad, I mean, artist gotta eat, right? It’s just different. The art I’m interested in is the kind that gives the creator a voice, an outlet, a platform for expression that he might not have had otherwise, but that also opens a door to relating to and reaching out to others… even ‘others’ that will never ever know. That’s why my Monday routine includes a visit to Postsecret, this morning a high school art teacher left a comment about a postsecret-inspired project she did with her students:
…We attached the 300 secrets to a 4-foot by 9-foot background to create a “Veil of Secrets” that was hung in the main area of the school. Not ten minutes later, an administrator ripped it off the wall saying, “I cannot imagine a viable learning experience in public art education that could justify the inclusion of such things.”
Though I was criticized for this lesson, I know that it was indeed a viable learning experience for the students. Art is about communication and adolescence is a crucial time for individuals to have an outlet in which they can express themselves. Releasing a secret was therapeutic for many, while seeing another card with the same confession was a relief for others…This project offered some different points of view, got the students talking, and most importantly caused people to feel more connected.
I agree with her emphatically and for that reason think art belongs in our public buildings - schools, city halls, town parks, everywhere. That said, I give huge snaps to the Portland (ME) Public Library for hosting an annual International Edible Books Event there are two rules: entries must be book related and they must be completely edible… and in Portland, anyway, consumed promptly upon judgement. Puns are very popular and I thought my mom deserved higher marks for The Seven Salmon-on-Rye. Art doesn’t have to be weighty and profound to be powerful to its consumers, it can be fun and silly, experienced collectively… and taste great on toast.
