If someone says their work is art, well, we accept it as art (or at least some of us, myself included, do).
But what if someone who says their work is something else? I’m referring to outsider artist Emery Blagdon, who’s featured in today’s Times as an outsider artist and who was included in the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s outsider show several years ago.
He said he was making “healing machines.”
I guess the work can go in the category of shaman art, except his society was a society of one, he, himself and him.
As for his two collectors, they of course say it’s art. But they have a vested interest.
I want to add (on the pro-art side) that seeing the recreation of his shed at the PMA was a memorable experience, although I’m still not sure I buy the art part (maybe I’m feeling a little curmudgeonly today; maybe tomorrow I’ll say of course it’s art).
Just wondering.
