THe Reticent Mugger

“An exercise in art dissemination”

 Last Thursday night I chose a mug from my motley collection of thrown pieces. The one I chose most worthy to be let loose on the world outside the studio was more bowl-like in appearance with three handles to choose from (after all it’s always nice to have choices!). As Nancy and I entered the coffee shop I was anxious to get the whole thing over with and Nancy spied a couple she knew. Perfect… let’s do this. I was so uptight about getting the activity over with that I didn’t really take advantage of the whole experience.

 I have a hang up with pushing my taste in art on someone else. I would never assume that you would appreciate the same aesthetic as I. That is part of what makes art so interesting. We each bring our own set of standards, beliefs and personal history to an art encounter. All of these things color our understanding and reaction to the work and therefore no two people will experience or appreciate a work in the same way. That is one of the reasons why we are always arguing about what is art and whether it is good or bad.

So did the people I give the mug to “appreciate” it or did they see it as an example of “bad” art? I have no idea but it is a good exercise to put yourself out there either way.

                                                                                                    Lori

A much more relaxed me about to enjoy my coffee with a classmate.