Two summers ago, I had the opportunity to visit The Modern Art Museum Fort Worth with my friend, Karla Haynes. I was drawn to this scenario taking place in a side gallery. The young man was slowly moving toward the installation piece on the floor in front of him. The blank walls helped build a sense of isolation and helped me title this piece “Confronting Art.”
I never got close enough to the actual piece on the floor to see who the artist was because I was so interested in the viewer’s reaction. I wondered what he was thinking, if he liked it, and what it meant to him.
One school of artists believes their art makes a statement for the viewer to accept or reject. Others believe that the meaning of a piece is up to the viewer. I land somewhere in the middle. I suggest a story, but it’s up to the viewer to write the ending.
At my exhibitions and art shows, I’ll watch for signs of engagement by the viewer – a smile, a giggle, or a look of surprise or memory, for example – and then I ask what caused the reaction. A couple summers ago, a pair of 50-something women stopped at my booth and smiled broadly while looking at some 5x7 prints of classic cars I had taken at a local car show several years before. When I asked what created that reaction, they told me they used to work in Detroit’s auto plants, and these small images brought back fond memories. They bought the small prints because they completed the stories I began.
For me, that’s the “why” behind my art. I want to hear the conversations. I want to hear how viewers complete the story. I want to hear how they confront art.
Stop by and see me at an art show this summer and finish a story.