What is Art?

• Educator's view -- If you make art only from the wrist down, it is not art, it is design.
• Museum's view -- Art is an intellectual, philosophical and spiritual endeavor.
• Critic's view -- About 95 percent of contemporary art is frivolous and will not stand the test of contemporary culture.
• Collector's view -- Art that is worth something in the future that reflects the beliefs of the culture but still appeals to me is worth adding to my collection.
• Artist's view-- Worry about the above beliefs is like the tail wagging the dog.  Art making should be meaningful to me. 

 Art VRS Culture

• The link between high art and contemporary culture was challenged by Marcel Duchamp with his ready made art pieces.

Where are you in this with your work?  Takashi Murakami challenges this with contemporary theory of "super flat". The theory posits that there is a legacy of flat, 2-dimensional imagery which has existed throughout Japanese art history and continues today in manga and anime. This style differentiates itself from the western approach in its emphasis on surface and use of flat planes of color. Superflat also served as a commentary on post-war Japanese society in which, Murakami argues, differences in social class and popular taste have ‘flattened,’ producing a culture with little distinction between ‘high’ and ‘low’ art.  How does your work fit in the culture of Texas" or are you attempting to make art from the wrist down?