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In and out of art class the question of "Yes, but is this really art?" often arises. Is drinking dyed milk and then barfing it back up onto a canvas really art? How about buying a urinal and signing it R. Mutt 1917? I faced similar doubts while reading the article "HOW THE ART OF SOCIAL PRACTICE IS CHANGING THE WORLD, ONE ROW HOUSE AT A TIME," which delves into the details of social practice art, ranging from the transformation of abandoned homes into sites for seminars and workshops to drawing awareness to lead-contaminated soil by encouraging kids to decorate fake dollar bills. The scale of the work is often small and temporary, and the success depends heavily on the charisma of the artist, who walks a fine line between art and activism. Yet many of the artists in the field confirm that the “art” aspect is the true intent of these projects. Mel Chin describes his work as having an “invisible aesthetic,” a change that people can’t perceive - such as the decontamination of soil - but a change nonetheless. Rick Lowe sees his role with “Project Row Houses” as both an urbanist and a storyteller, one who can help change the narrative of a place. When he first took over shotgun houses in Houston, they represented the worst of inner-city neglect. Since then, he has transformed them into important symbols of an African American cultural revival.
In my opinion, the artistic aspect of social practice art is found in what is lacking, rather than what is created. The true beauty of social practice art is that it creates very few concrete items or objects. We have enough stuff in our current culture. Social practice art is a true celebration of personal, tangible, face-to-face human relationships. Nato Thompson, chief curator of Creative Time, agrees with me. He thinks that social practice art is a byproduct of our technology-dependent society. “I mean, doesn’t any kind of human interaction that isn’t on the Internet just feel very special?” he asks. Getting out there and working to help the poor or the planet in the name of art is what social practice art is all about - and that makes it a truly amazing form of art, and one that needs to be practiced more often. We need to create gardens in the name of art, perform random acts of kindness in the name of art, and spread love in the name of art. Art can achieve anything and everything.
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DAVIS COFFEY |