• Home
  • About
    • diacritical
    • Douglas McLennan
    • Contact
  • Other AJBlogs
  • ArtsJournal

diacritical

Douglas McLennan's blog

Editor’s Picks: Five Highlights From Last Week’s AJ – How To Define Art Edition

July 31, 2016 by Douglas McLennan Leave a Comment

idea_sized-Vilhelm_Hammershoi_1898_-_Interior_med_laesende_ung_mand

This Week: In an age of artists what is the definition of being an artist?… Canadian study says arts workers are most at risk… What is R&D in the arts?… Edinburgh Festival’s success shows the broadening impact of festivals… In the information age our opinions seem to be more arrogant.

  1. We’re All Artists Now (So Maybe It’s Worth Asking What Is An Artist?): We equate creativity with artistry. And in our hyper-creative socially-connected world, everyone seems to have claims on being an artist, and/or a curator. So has the definition of artist become broadened or devalued? Barry Hessenius wonders:“Is artist defined by talent and skill, by length of practice or legacy? Are there common characteristics of all artists beyond the attempt to create? Do we include those only within our sphere or all of those beyond our recognition? If creation alone does not constitute conferring the appellation of artist, can one grow into the post? If art is a process, are you an artist only when you have practiced your ‘art’ for a term? Or is the definition of an artist and art best left to each of us to ponder for ourselves?”
  2. Canadian Study Reports That Arts Workers Are Most At Risk: We live in the gig economy. And maybe it’s more efficient economically. But it’s also more precarious for workers. This Canadian study – of workers across the economy in the province of Ontario – looked at job security and wage security, and ranked sectors. At the very top of the list of workers most at risk are arts and entertainment workers. Perhaps it’s not a surprise because working in the arts has always been precarious. But the study says that wage theft and job security is a big problem and suggests the scale of the issue.
  3. What Is R&D In the Arts? (Because The Term Is Misunderstood): The tech industry is built on innovation, and its success has been attributed to research and development. So now people are wondering why the arts don’t do similar investment. But maybe the tech model of R&D doesn’t fit the arts. “The culture industry is great at discussing things forever; digital is great at whittling down definitions. It’s both admirable and troubling that we in the arts don’t know, or don’t want to know what we mean by R&D. It’s particularly difficult, because artistic or ‘cultural change’ projects are playing by similar rules to product development ones, often pitching for the same cash. But the game we’re playing, and what we’re getting out of it, is totally different. There may be no way of knowing any of the outcomes we’re hoping for before we start. Perhaps, for artists, research projects are development projects. Perhaps we’re all doing R&D whenever we get creative… or maybe none of us are!”
  4. Festivals Are Hot Right Now And Here’s Example No. 1: Festivals are proliferating like crazy. And they’re having big impact on their communities, both artistically and economically. “The value of Edinburgh’s festivals has soared by almost a quarter to £313 million in the space of just five years … They are also now supporting 6,021 jobs – up by 26 per cent – according to findings released ahead of next month’s 70th annual season.”
  5. Why Are People Getting More Arrogant About Things They Think They Know? Our debates about everything seem to be getting sharper and more dysfunctional, even as people have more information available to them. And the problem seems to be getting worse even as the digital world expands. Why? “Intellectual humility relies on the ability to prefer truth over social status. It is marked primarily by a commitment to seeking answers, and a willingness to accept new ideas – even if they contradict our views. In listening to others, we run the risk of discovering that they know more than we do. But humble people see personal growth as a goal in itself, rather than as a means of moving up the social ladder. We miss out on a lot of available information if we focus only on ourselves and on our place in the world. The internet and digital media have created the impression of limitless knowledge at our fingertips. But, by making us lazy, they have opened up a space that ignorance can fill.”
Image: Interior with Young Man Reading by Vilhelm Hammershøi, 1898. Courtesy Wikimedia

Share:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Weekly AJ Top Stories

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Douglas McLennan

I’m the founder and editor of ArtsJournal, which was founded in September 1999 and aggregates arts and culture news from all over the internet. The site is also home to some 60 arts bloggers. I’m a … [Read More...]

About diacritical

Our culture is undergoing profound changes. Our expectations for what culture can (or should) do for us are changing. Relationships between those who make and distribute culture and those who consume it are changing. And our definitions of what artists are, how they work, and how we access them and their work are changing. So... [Read more]

Subscribe to Diacritical by Email

Receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 3,820 other subscribers
Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on TwitterFollow Us on RSSFollow Us on E-mail

Archives

@AJDoug

Tweets by @AJDoug

Recent Comments

  • Sam Hodak on Too Many Artists Or Not Enough Value?: “So what you’re telling me is… make a VR experience” May 12, 00:03
  • Mark on What If Disruption Was Just A Tech Con Game?: “Thank you” Mar 19, 13:15
  • Douglas McLennan on Still Amusing Ourselves to Death: Information as Cautionary Tale: “Hi John: Yes – remember over the last decade how Big Data was going to change everything and drive every…” Nov 26, 07:46
  • John McCann on Still Amusing Ourselves to Death: Information as Cautionary Tale: “I haven’t read this book, yet your review triggered an insight about information shared within organizations and how so much…” Nov 26, 03:57
  • Richard Voorhaar on The UnderTow: The High-flying Oil Industry fears “Demand Destruction.” Should the Arts?: “We have reached the point where the average American has no attention span. A 3-4 minute pop tune is all…” Jun 10, 11:22
  • Alan Harrison on The UnderTow: The High-flying Oil Industry fears “Demand Destruction.” Should the Arts?: “Brilliant piece, Doug. It’s why, in my own columns on LinkedIn and Medium, I may have become more strident recently…” Jun 8, 15:46
  • Tom Corddry on The UnderTow: The High-flying Oil Industry fears “Demand Destruction.” Should the Arts?: “Slick analogy. Social scientists estimate that 95% of everything we do is basically done out of habit, because it’s an…” Jun 7, 21:04
  • sandi kurtz on The UnderTow: Subscriptions are the New Business Model of Choice. So Why are Subscriptions Failing in the Arts?: ““As for seat licenses in the arts – I think it doesn’t work unless demand is so spectacular you can…” Jun 1, 23:19
  • Douglas McLennan on The UnderTow: Subscriptions are the New Business Model of Choice. So Why are Subscriptions Failing in the Arts?: “I think the membership model is an interesting variant. And the web has gone back and forth on labeling its…” May 31, 07:42
  • Douglas McLennan on The UnderTow: Subscriptions are the New Business Model of Choice. So Why are Subscriptions Failing in the Arts?: “Thanks Gary. I originally had a section in this podcast discussing why the NYTs’ success hasn’t worked its way down…” May 31, 07:19

Top Posts

  • If Dance Can't Pay Its Dancers What Does It Mean To Be A Professional Dancer?
  • The Mass Market Ain't What It Used To Be (And What That Means For The Arts)
  • "Art Is Good?" Not Much Of An Argument For Art Is It?

Recent Posts

  • Still Amusing Ourselves to Death: Information as Cautionary Tale November 25, 2022
  • The UnderTow: What the new Edinburgh Fringe Tells us about a Post-COVID World June 26, 2022
  • The UnderTow: The High-flying Oil Industry fears “Demand Destruction.” Should the Arts? June 7, 2022
  • The UnderTow: Subscriptions are the New Business Model of Choice. So Why are Subscriptions Failing in the Arts? May 23, 2022
  • This Week’s UnderTow: Why are Police Playing Disney Songs? And Why did this Orchestra Fire its Conductor for… Conducting? April 23, 2022
July 2016
M T W T F S S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
« Jun   Aug »

An ArtsJournal Blog

Recent Posts

  • Still Amusing Ourselves to Death: Information as Cautionary Tale
  • The UnderTow: What the new Edinburgh Fringe Tells us about a Post-COVID World
  • The UnderTow: The High-flying Oil Industry fears “Demand Destruction.” Should the Arts?
  • The UnderTow: Subscriptions are the New Business Model of Choice. So Why are Subscriptions Failing in the Arts?
  • This Week’s UnderTow: Why are Police Playing Disney Songs? And Why did this Orchestra Fire its Conductor for… Conducting?

Copyright © 2023 · Magazine Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in