yes. that's right. someone lobbied for october 25th (picasso's birthday) to be recognized as international artist day. and it's working.
which begs the question: do we need our own day? why? what purpose does it serve? are we that fragile? are we that deserving? what would justify artists "having their day"? it all seems to be a little "look at me - i deserve to be noticed" (oh, and buy some of my art, too!)...i mean it's a list of things to do to celebrate/ support artists:
- visit a gallery and explain why you're there
- purchase a piece of art to support an artist
- visit an artist's studio
- take an artist to lunch and explore their world
very nice. but how does that make us matter (if, indeed, the arts matter)?
i say, let's turn the tables. how will we, as artists, serve our public(s) -- i.e. contribute to society -- on that day?
let's go to the public and share our work, process, passion. let's move outwards. let's reach out. i think international artist day should be purposeful. it should be more than self-aggrandizing and self-celebratory. let's mess up how people perceive artists. let's help them understand us. let's rebuild the bridge between art and people. let's reconnect art and life. let's engage with community.
and then we can celebrate international artist day as something that is more than just about ourselves.
