I have deliberately avoided exposure to art theory, criticism and history. My interest in in direct experience with art, without those filters. That gives me more pleasure than analyzing art.
I do agree that it can be helpful for artists to study art history to inform their making, and that although there have been great successes by untrained artists in the modern age, there have been more failures.
One of the most interesting processes in contemporary art is how it expands its boundary, the boundary between art and not art. Arts writing is an important part of that process.
One of the grand dames of the art writing world is Lucy Lippard. She is known for recognizing some key trends early and writing on them for almost 50 years. She is a curator of over 50 exhibitions and is a prolific author. So it would be interesting to hear what she has to say about social practice art, given her background in political art movements, including a recent focus on local ecology and the land.
And you can have a chance hear Lippard, who lives in a small New Mexico town, by teleconference lecture tonight as part of the PSU MFA Lecture Series pdx.edu/art/mfa-lecture-series. In the Shattuck Hall Annex, 1914 SW Park Avenue, at the corner of SW Broadway and Hall on the PSU campus. 7:30PM Free
