Pointe of Art
Talk Too Much - 2/04
by Robert Maniscalco
The other day a friend took me aside and told me
I talk about art too much. Why didn't someone tell
me sooner? I could have saved everyone a lot of time
and grief. I mean, who wants to be preached at about
something we all know is essential to being human.
See, there I go again. I just can't help myself.
This was the same friend who also suggested I write
an article that never mentions the word art. I thought
about what I'd write for an arts column that didn't
have anything to do with art. It got me thinking about
why I write. I've heard it said that people write
about what they know. For me it's about having something
to say, and, since I seem to have so much to say about
art, that's what I write about.
I have to admit though; I do take this art business
awfully serious. I sometimes forget that creativity
and self-expression are not the primary pre-occupations
of most people. Frankly, I find that hard to imagine.
After all, we spend so much time in school learning
how to read and write. Why bother? I mean, why go
through all that trouble? We're assigned essays and
told it's good for us to learn grammar and spelling.
We drag our heels, kicking and screaming, "why
do I have to write another essay, Mom?"
What is the point of writing if you have nothing compelling
to write about? Is it to translate something we see,
hear and feel into something we can all understand,
as if to say words can somehow distill our senses
into manageable bits? It's as if we are trying to
provide a solution to some big sensory puzzle, which
is impossible. Is it to express a response to what
we experience? And aren't words in this context even
more obtuse a conveyance than the subtle complexities
of our senses? Was not that last sentence, in fact,
a perfect example of an obtuse conveyance?
So really, do words really say anything? I mean, they're
so left brained, so literal, so last century.
Of course, words can also be powerful. Take the famous
nineteen words from President Bush's State of the
Union address, last year. We're still trying to get
to the bottom of that one. And to be fair, what is
the definition of "is" Mr. Clinton?
My artistic obsession has taken me on a more political
path lately. In between painting a number of rather
satisfying commission portraits in recent months,
I've been doing some advocacy, which I've just learned
is "the process of educating someone else on
a specific point of view or facilitating an action
in favor of your position." This definition is
provided compliments of Marete Wester, from the recent
Michigan Artsletter, published by MACAA. She probably
stole it from a dictionary but I thought I'd credit
her so she might know at least one person read, with
interest, her recent article called, "Making
Advocacy a Habit."
Warning, this habit is definitely habit forming. I
like to think of myself as a pretty powerful guy,
particularly when I go a day or two without a bath,
which isn't all that often, thank you very much. But
seriously, I am happy, indeed proud to report my advocacy
efforts are actually bearing fruit.
I have in my hands a signed letter from my congresswoman,
Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, in which she thanks me
for my letter, "encouraging me (her) to cosponsor
H.R. 806, a bill that will allow artists and writers
who donate their works to take a fair market value
deduction on their income tax." She has promised
to do just that.
That makes me a powerful advocate for the arts and
not just a blowhard who likes to talk about art, whatever
that is. Guess what? You too can be an arts advocate.
It's fun and it's fast. Just go to http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/,
type in your zip code and let him/her know you want
them to support this non-partisan bill, which will
correct a 35 year old error made when Congress came
down on Richard Nixon for deducting his papers for
several million dollars - just one more thing to hate
Nixon for. The new law corrects the problems with
the old law and prevents abuse. The bill is referred
to as the "Heritage Act," because it will
encourage professional artists to donate more public
art and support local charities. The Senate has already
passed similar legislation. H.R. 806 enjoys over 90
cosponsors, so far, but still needs more support in
order to become law.
I want to publicly thank Congresswoman Kilpatrick
for stepping up to the plate and restoring my faith
that someone out there is listening to the cries of
artists who have carried this burden far too long.
Well, talk about self-expression. The next time someone
says I talk too much about art I will simply show
them my framed letter from my Congresswoman. It's
a lovely picture that paints a thousand words.
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