Throughout human existence, individuals have spoken through their arts.
By studying a culture’s uncovered arts, we discover clues to their spiritual beliefs, daily lives, traditions, and human relationships - to name just a few benefits.
Therefore, artists in today’s world can bring forth these same revelations. An artist has a chance to make social commentary (to me the most important), statements on spirituality, celebrate life, question the unanswerable, and reconcile their struggles.
By communicating visually, the artist traverses the cultural/lingual divide.
No one needs to know your race, religion, or gender in order to view and interpret your art.
Ideally, art can be the great connector. I believe expressing yourself also sends energies into the Universe – thus communicating with all forms of life.
It is of vital importance to express yourself in some creative manner (all liberal arts are inclusive in expression) in order to avoid repression and illnesses of mind and body.
Written August 2000 for Advanced Sculptural Form, University of West Florida, Professor John P. Donovan’s class.
Post Script - "Note on SOLE MATES, above":
Assignment was for a found object/recycling project:
I utilized junk from the trash pile at my favorite antique/junk store in Niceville, FL - the legs and an old cabinet door was part of my loot. I wanted to reassign the purpose of objects as well, thus changing a door into a table, etc. While working on this project my favorite pair of boots literally fell apart while I was working in the studio. It was a pair of "parachute" boots I had purchased while engaged in 1990 (so they were 10 years old by this time). I was so mad, they had molded to my feet and were like working in bare feet, but safe! I was ticked and was dropping them in the trash can (something I would NEVER do since) when I glimpsed some ART? on the sole of the boot . . . I quickly retrieved them and found this amazing rubber stamp design on the sole - in fact it was THE SOLE of the boots! A gorgeous global map with "leave footprints of peace" or something like that . . .
I had been leaving those footprints for 10 years, completely unaware of my effect on my environment. It was what we consciously and unconsciously do in our daily lives that effect the world around us.
I now try to be aware and choose the footprints I leave behind. I still re-cycle/pre-cycle my garbage, as any view of my studio can attest . . . you NEVER know when you can use/re-use something.
For Art's Sake,
sher