So, here I am, burning up perfectly good brain cells pondering the public value of culture, how audiences attach value to the creative experience, and how arts organizations can make a better connection…and along comes this little tidbit to throw it all akimbo:
A grilled cheese sandwich is now for sale on eBay, with a current bid of $18,000 $16,000 $7500 $15,000 $28,000 (the price took a dip shortly after this post, but then made a healthy recovery later on).
The sandwich, which appears to have an image of the Virgin Mary grilled onto it, was put up for sale last week, then pulled by eBay as a probable hoax, and then reposted when they decided it was a legitimate item for sale by its current owner (who seems to have taken a bite out of it before seeing the divine image).
The sandwich is a cultural artifact, I suppose…either for the image of a toasty face, or for the hype and public attention that now surround it. But how come someone will pay $18,000 $16,000 $7500 $15,000 $28,000 for a grilled cheese sandwich, and others complain about a tiny bump in an arts organization’s ticket price?
May the blessed sandwich guide and protect us all.
UPDATE (11/22/04): The eBay auction closed on the sandwich, with a winning bid of $28,000. Someone’s going to have a whopper case of buyer’s remorse when the UPS package arrives.
