{"id":391,"date":"2024-12-17T10:56:12","date_gmt":"2024-12-17T10:56:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/192.168.10.18\/arslan\/Demo\/GeekyBot\/?p=391"},"modified":"2025-06-19T05:06:21","modified_gmt":"2025-06-19T05:06:21","slug":"art-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/demo.geekybot.com\/index.php\/art-culture\/","title":{"rendered":"Art & Culture"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo source: Henry & Co., Unsplash.com<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n

As a philosopher turned strategy consultant, sometimes I like to begin my analysis of the wide range of data we work with at\u00a0Corona Insights<\/a>\u00a0by stepping back and digging deeper into the key words that tie a set of information together. Understanding the linguistic root of a word as well as the evolution of a word\u2019s definition can help illuminate the underlying assumptions and philosophical perspectives that might otherwise hinder clarity and meaningful interpretation.<\/p>\r\n

Deeply examining key conceptual language is also important to the group processes we run to help identify and clarify future-focused strategies for our clients. Establishing a common understanding of the conceptual language involved in a strategic process is crucial to ensuring alignment and enabling powerful decision-making. Otherwise, trying to make collective decisions without explicit recognition of a shared definition can be like two people playing a game by different rules without realizing it. There\u2019s a reason why people take a moment to establish the rules first before playing a game of \u201cRock, Paper, Scissors\u201d (2 out of 3, go on \u201cshoot,\u201d for example).<\/p>\r\n

The interrelated words \u201carts\u201d and \u201cculture\u201d (and the theme of our\u00a0blog series<\/a>\u00a0this month!) serve as a prime example of what can happen when people use differing definitions for terms and don\u2019t explicitly recognize these differences and the underlying assumptions behind them.<\/p>\r\n

While a\u00a0Google search of \u201carts\u201d<\/a>\u00a0yields this definition, \u201cthe expression or application of human creative skill and imagination,\u201d the evolution of the term suggests it encompasses a much wider range of meaning and interpretation. Original interpretations from the Old French\u00a0art\u00a0<\/em>meaning \u201cskill in scholarship and learning\u201d and the Latin\u00a0artem\u00a0<\/em>meaning \u201cwork of art; practical skill; a business, craft\u201d suggest that the term didn\u2019t always have the connotation related to human creativity but, instead, began as a way of indicating expertise or talent in a craft (Online Etymology Dictionary<\/a>). The notion that there\u2019s a rigid definition for what is art and what is not didn\u2019t begin to take shape until the late 15th<\/sup>\u00a0century, when the term was understood as meaning \u201csystem of rules and traditions for performing certain actions\u201d until sometime in the 16th<\/sup>\u00a0century when it was first used to mean \u201cskill in creative arts.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Anthropologist Susan Vogel,\u00a0in Art\/Artifact: African Art in Anthropology Collections,\u00a0<\/em>highlights the damage that can be caused by culturally-conditioned assumptions concerning what constitutes \u201cart\u201d and what constitutes \u201cartifact.\u201d Namely, the impact is that those who discover an object like an African sculpture end up having as much or more influence than the original artist on determining whether it is, in fact, art. Vogel writes, \u201ca central issue is our classification of certain objects of African material culture as art and others as artifacts. Our categories do not reflect African ones and have changed during this century\u2026we may be misled into believing that we see African art for what it is.\u201d\u00a0 Without explicit recognition of an accepted definition of the word \u201cart,\u201d objects that should be understood as pieces of art end up being described as artifacts because of the underlying assumptions behind an unexamined conceptual definition.<\/p>\r\n

That a complex conceptual term like \u201cart\u201d might have an intricate linguistic history that opens up its definition to broader interpretation and meaning also holds true for \u201cculture.\u201d\u00a0Another Google search<\/a>\u00a0reveals the following definition for \u201cculture\u201d as \u201cthe arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively.\u201d What this definition doesn\u2019t include is the sense of active cultivation, of tending to and promoting the growth of culture as one would a crop (Online Etymology Dictionary<\/a>). The origination of the term in the 15th<\/sup>\u00a0century from the Latin\u00a0cultura<\/em>\u00a0meaning \u201ca cultivating, agriculture\u201d and the stem\u00a0colere\u00a0<\/em>meaning \u201cto tend, guard; to till, cultivate\u201d suggests that culture need not be as strictly defined as our Google definitions might be, as it includes the aspect of being \u201cregarded collectively\u201d as human intellectual achievement. A more conceptually encompassing definition such as this one from the\u00a0Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy<\/a>\u00a0allows for a broader range of human activities to fit since \u201cculture is the product of human activity, particularly those things that are socially transmitted, including beliefs, practices, objects, etc. (Appiah 1994: 111\u2013112; Scheffler 2007: 107).\u201d This less confining definition would make better sense of the trend towards an evolving definition of \u201cculture\u201d noted in the 2017 CultureTrack report.<\/p>\r\n

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Photo source: Ruslan Bardash, Unsplash.com<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n

In a\u00a02017 national survey of cultural audiences<\/a>\u00a0across the United States, La Placa Cohen notes that people are beginning to define culture so broadly the term may not even apply anymore, with the implication being that audiences are both open to new experiences and vary in terms of which activities they define as \u201ccultural.\u201d The report states, \u201cfor today\u2019s audiences, the definition of culture has democratized even further, possibly to the point of extinction. Activities that have traditionally been considered culture and those that haven\u2019t are now on a level playing field\u2026audiences were more likely to consider a street fair or food and drink experience culture than an opera or ballet.\u201d For cultural organizations, assuming everyone has the same definition of \u201cculture\u201d as they did even 5-10 years ago potentially means inadequately responding to the dynamic needs of those you serve.<\/p>\r\n

In both cases, the mistake lies in the assumption that everyone shares a single, fixed definition of a complex concept like \u201cart\u201d or \u201cculture.\u201d Definitions of terms such as these are not only subject to individual philosophical assumptions and perspectives, they are also constantly evolving.<\/p>\r\n

The importance of stepping back and discussing definitions for terms like \u201carts\u201d and \u201cculture\u201d lies not so much in the need to necessarily arrive at a strict, fixed definition, but in the collective experience of taking the time and effort to collaboratively examine the unique philosophical perspectives and assumptions all of us carry, sometimes consciously and other times unconsciously. When we try to combine the words \u201carts and culture\u201d as they are so often presented, the need for focused, ongoing discussions of how we\u2014both as individuals and as parts of larger societal groups\u2013are defining these concepts becomes even more evident. By \u201carts and culture,\u201d do we mean the expressions of human creative skill under the umbrella of collectively-regarded human intellectual achievement? Or do we mean something broader, like the vast range of human activities that indicate a particular skill set and capture the general beliefs, practices, traditions, values, etc. of a group of people?<\/p>\r\n

I don\u2019t have the answer and I don\u2019t think there should ever be a final, \u201cright\u201d answer to this question of how we should define \u201carts and culture.\u201d What does matter, though, is that we make the time, effort, and space we need to have ongoing discussions of evolving concepts like these\u2014to till, to tend, to cultivate them. For concepts that capture so much of what it means to be a human being as the terms \u201carts\u201d and \u201cculture\u201d do, we can learn a lot about each other and, perhaps, come to understand each other on a deeper level when we do.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n

It’s our life mission at Creative Boom to bring you the best new art and design work and explain some of the thinking behind it. But what are you, the audience, interested in the most? On one level, that question’s easy to answer because our website analytics can tell us exactly which articles had the most traffic. \u00a0<\/div>\r\n
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Written By:\u00a0Tom May<\/a><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
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\u00a9 Kate Waters<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
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So as part of The Review, our annual look back over the last 12 months, we’re going to do just that. Having gone back over our stats, we’ve gathered together 10 of the most-read articles in 2021 on art and design. Among our eight million visitors this year, this is the work that really got everyone’s attention.<\/p>\r\nIf you missed one or two of these articles the first time around, here’s your chance to catch up. And even if you read them before, it’s an interesting exercise to look at this work again, with fresh eyes. Does it still excite you a second time around? Maybe, with the benefit of hindsight, you’ll see something in it you didn’t notice before.\r\n

Hyperrealistic paintings<\/a>\u00a0by Kate Waters look like photographs of modern city life<\/h2>\r\nKate Waters’ playful take on hyperrealism is like nothing we’ve seen before. Is it a photo? Is it a painting? Or is it something altogether different from the two? However you perceive her work, these imagined scenes plucked from our everyday lives are utterly entrancing.\r\n
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\u00a9 Kate Waters<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
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Bob Dylan’s lockdown paintings<\/a>\u00a0on show to mark his 80th birthday<\/h2>\r\nTo mark Bob Dylan’s 80th birthday, London gallery Halcyon showcased many of the great man’s paintings this year, including a selection of never-seen-before figurative works. Whatever you think of his music, this art is well worth checking out.\r\n
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\u00a9 Bob Dylan<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n

Why L\u2019Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped<\/a>\u00a0is the most important artistic statement of the 2020s<\/h2>\r\nWhen French artist Christo wrapped the L’Arc de Triomphe in fabric, we called it the most important artistic statement of the 2020s, a statement we stand by today. Read our article to follow our reasoning, and decide whether or not you agree.\r\n
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January 2020, New York City, Christo in his studio, with the large drawing L\u2019Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, (Project for Paris) Place de l\u2019Etoile \u2013 Charles de Gaulle. Photo: \u00a9 Wolfgang Volz<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n

Hundreds of life-size seagull sculptures<\/a>\u00a0by Patrick Murphy take over a French city hall<\/h2>\r\nAnyone looking up at City Hall in Le Havre this September might have mistaken an art installation for the real thing. We explore why British artist and designer Patrick Murphy created 200 life-size sculptures and lined them up along the rooftops of the famed Normandy building.\r\n
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Sense of Belonging \u00a9 Patrick Murhpy. Photography by Pinas Cohen<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n

Jarvis Brookfield on his psychedelic paintings, dream-like states and what it means to be human<\/a><\/h2>\r\nThe pandemic has led many of us to ponder the meaning of life, and if you’re among them, you should read this. Jarvis Brookfield’s psychedelic, acid-trip artworks probe what it means to be human, and this exclusive interview with the artist is full of fascinating insights.\r\n
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\u00a9 Jarvis Brookfield<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n

Colourful new artworks by Dave Towers<\/a>\u00a0take a closer look at the pandemic experience<\/h2>\r\nDave Towers creates eye-catching, hand-painted typographic works that reflect our times in more ways than one. Titled Free, his latest series is playful, ironic and in some cases full of humour, as the artist explores his own lockdown experience.\r\n
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\u00a9 Dave Towers<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n

Morag Myerscough’s ‘endless ribbon’<\/a>\u00a0brings light and colour to Coventry’s high street<\/h2>\r\nThis summer saw a new public artwork by Morag Myerscough transform Coventry’s main shopping street, with its bold simplicity of light and colour. In our exclusive interview, the artist explains the thinking behind the piece and discusses how a community is at the heart of every project she embarks on.\r\n
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Endless Ribbon Connecting Us \u00a9 Morag Myerscough. Photography by Gareth Gardner<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n

Retro-inspired digital collages<\/a>\u00a0by Joe Simpson that imagine a more cheerful future<\/h2>\r\nLet’s face it, 2021 has been a pretty depressing year. But there’s been plenty of light in the darkness, and for upbeat positivity, you can’t beat Joe Simpson’s digital collages. Giving a fresh new twist to retro pulp sci-fi, they imagine a more cheerful future, and we can all raise a glass to that.\r\n
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\u00a9 Joe Simpson<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n

Arlo Parks<\/a>\u00a0on her new album, the significance of its artwork and the vulnerability of writing<\/h2>\r\nMercury Prize-winner musician, songwriter, and poet Arlo Parks is one of the planet’s biggest creative forces right now. Here she chats to us exclusively about her life during the pandemic, the vulnerability of her songwriting, and the significance of her album artwork.\r\n
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\u00a9 Arlo Parks, Alex Kurunis\r\n

Disclaimer<\/h3>This content has been reposted from CORONA INSIGHTS.com<\/a>\u00a0 and CREATIVE BOOM.com\/<\/a> for informational purposes only.

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