Art & Culture Auld Lang Syne Frank Stack PS:  Gallery Strength in Unity Hallowe'en Fright I See Nekkid People The Muddy Mural Livin' Large, Kinkade Style Eliciting an Emotional Response www.Art Marie Hunter Out, Damned Spot Danielle Eldred Local Museums Thriving Art in Stephens Lake Park JD King Strike a Blow for Liberty No Vail of Tears Ammanford Sculpture Controversy Bear Creek Larry Young The Lowest Common Denominator A Different Kind of Success Taking Risks Out of Her Gourd Hey, GalleryMan! Harry Potter and the     Superstring Revolution Investment Grade Giving Thanks Auctions One Free Minute Odds & Ends Monkeys with Car Keys Sharon Kilfoyle's Wearable Art Farewell Betty Happy Birthday, Naoma Back to School Take the Pledge Canopy Conundrum Columbia's Stonehenge It takes a Village Hope Springs Eternal Dorrell review Growing Season If the Shoe Fits That's Not Art! Elite Appeal The Hunger Artist Opportunity What Sells Gallery Ettiquette Bookbinding & Conservation lessons learned from this profession Humor ok, I'm not the guy from SNL, but I still have a sense of humor 'Jim Downey' Stories mostly true stories from my adolescence Personal Essays more "it's all about me" Politics I’m at -7.13/-7.33 on The Political Compass.  Where are you? Society observations on the human condition Travel take a trip with me

Published in "Legacy Online" February, 2004 "You can't tell me that's art!" (Honestly, the following actually took place almost verbatim last Saturday.) The nicely dressed woman and her husband came into the gallery expecting a bookstore.  That happens sometimes with our name.  But once inside, they were too embarrassed to just leave. I invited them to enjoy looking around, and told them that our featured show was in the back half of the gallery.  That it was titled "Is that art???" (with emphasis on the word "that").  That it was perhaps more challenging than a show they would see in most galleries.  And that if they found a work particularly intriguing or problematic, to read the artist’s statement, since those go a long way to explaining what the artist thinks about their piece. "We’re just looking," said the woman, pleasantly, but clearly indicating that she hadn't heard a word I'd said.  And they proceeded to make a 30-second lap around the gallery. There were other patrons in the gallery, so I turned my attention to helping them.  A few moments later, I heard the woman exclaim loudly "That's not art!" I went around the divider into the back half of the gallery.  She was standing there in the center of the space, pointing at what to me is one of the more traditional works in the show.  She looked at me and jabbed her finger at the piece again, her voice ringing, "You can't tell me that's art!" "Have you looked at the artist's statement to see what he has to say about the piece?" Eyes wide, she looked at the piece again.  The statement was right there in front of her.  She looked back at me, "You can't tell me that's art!" she repeated, a touch of anger/panic in her voice.  I don't know if she had been frightened by an abstract painting as a child or what, but there was something more there than one would normally expect. "I won't try to." "What?"  she demanded. "I won't try to," I repeated.  "Part of what this show is about is to make people think about is what art is.  Hence the name." "Well, that's not art," she said triumphantly, turning to leave.  She said to her husband as they finished their quick lap of the gallery and headed to the exit, "I know art.  And that wasn't art." "Yes, dear," he said, glancing at me and rolling his eyes as he followed her out the door.