What up with ArtWalks?
We took a stroll up Congress Street last evening to take in First Friday art walk. We started our brief journey at the library and viewed the opening of a retrospective on the work of Maurice Sendak. It was a journey through the darkness laden with images of Where the Wild Things Are. It was a fun visit. Later, we continued our venture up the street stopping at various galleries along the way, including a map shop where we found a map of our town in the 1800s. If I can find a places for it here at the homestead, I'll make the purchase. Elenka says I must do this from now on. You see I have this problem of buying stuff and having no place to put it. I've had this 'illness' for many years. Now, the galleries were fine. No problem there. However, the streets were overly-loaded with with people and, let me say this as delicately as I can, "Crap!". There. I hope no one is offended. There were little kids drawing crap on the walkways, one guy burning tin cans and selling them, a fella selling strings of beads for $20, that probably cost $2 tops for supplies, teens wailing away on guitars, that they had no business possessing, a gal selling photographs that she had certainly ripped off the Internet and photoshopped a bit, a poet typing his words, old ladies hawking their knitted wares, a group of young adults wearing animal heads and walking among us, and many, many more card tables loaded with, and I'm being gentle here, "CRAP!"
Bottom line, I really don't know what I saw covering the sidewalk last night, but I do know that MOST of it wasn't art.
To paraphrase the gal in the backseat of Nicholson's car in the movie "Five Easy Pieces", "It was crap, nothing but crap, crap, crap".
Head-shaking, Embarrassing really.
Has art come to this?
Will I return? Of course.
Laughter is good for the soul.
Ho! We did the Rockland art walk last night . . .lots of people but none of the sidewalk wares and wails that you encountered. The galleries: some truly inspiring work and some drek. The prices of the truly inspiring: um. um. 20k. 35 k. Wonder who the buyers are.
ReplyDeleteOne man's crap is another man's Renoir :)))
ReplyDeleteOn our first Friday's we have one downtown street closed off and dedicated to "crap" and the teenagers who tend to hang out along there. I tend to steer clear of that street and head straight for the galleries instead.
ReplyDeleteWe have our First Fridays here also and miscellaneous art fests and such. I like looking but I don't buy. I go mainly to take pics of the people.
ReplyDeleteThere are always people on unofficial edges and there especially is crap, crap, crap.
Lots of people set uo on the streets last night were on the 'official' edges, Yogi. hahahahaha
ReplyDeleteI met a poet today. Had a look at her work. Might post a portrait tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteCrap. too funny. Here's the thing: Portland is very crowded with Crap & Non-Crap. Glad you're going back though... Here are a few official synonyms for Crap: drivel, bunkum, poppycock, hogwash, detritus, trash, dross, rubbish, and my personal favorite: COWPLOP. (Thesaurus.com) Got a chuckle at your "illness." Sounds like you're recovering well!
ReplyDeleteI happen to love these events. I love to see what is in peoples minds and how they express it.
ReplyDeleteI admit that sometimes I wonder why some people buy such "art." But maybe I'm missing something and just don't get it. Maybe.
ReplyDeleteI like wandering through events like this. If it is crap, I consider myself lucky. I am not tempted to buy anything. When it is good I can get in trouble.
ReplyDeletepoet for hire, now that is a new one! about our high school's name http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baron_Botetourt
ReplyDeletewe live in botetourt county. it is pronounced bot-a-tot!
oh, and everyone just calls it LB for short!
ReplyDeleteFunny with the vintage typewriter.
ReplyDeleteGreetings,
Filip