Who Needs Art?

Me for one.

I was awarded a scholarship for a two-day pottery workshop. I learned lots - much of which wasn't on the syllabus. I've got all sorts of ideas and things flying through my head.

One question came up about art education. People put enormous emphasis on "traditional" areas of learning, math, science, reading and such. Art is often looked at as frivolous. Really? Consider what you are wearing right now. Why did you chose those clothes? Why did you chose those colors? That's art.

Suppose you want to open a store and sell wrenches. You have the best wrenches in town and you can't wait to sell them. What about a sign for your store? What about a window display? That's art.

Suppose you want some flowers planted around the house. You want them to look nice, right? That's art.

In the morning, I put granola in a hand-made bowl and drink my tea from a hand-made mug. Some of the peace and talent of the artist is in the bowl and the mug. I need to feel and connect to that peace and that talent.