Artist gives birth to vaginal painting

[marions ghost]

160. Meh, I give no approval or disapproval

and I can't educate anybody who's not open to dialogue.

People can take it or leave it. I can only argue my side of the issues. I try to make what I say on this topic accessible to others, because there are a LOT of people who are mystified about art these days, and I don't blame them. It's an esoteric subject, and if you haven't been exposed to it much, you might have some questions about it. (rhetorical "you"--do I need to say that?)

But you choose to take my effort to be all-inclusive as dumbing it down to you personally. That doesn't seem logical to me. I don't have any need to do that nor do I think you're an "uneducated buffoon." You must be a professor so you can't be uneducated. All I know about you from this is you have a bee in your bonnet about "what art is." I really don't. I just enjoy chatting about it with anybody, and I hope more people--especially intelligent liberals--keep an open mind about it.

Nowhere in this thread have I set myself up as an authority. I just make the case that art professionals--curators, critics, art writers, museum directors, galleries, educators, etc--have a weight of authority on their side about "what is art." They do get to define it within the cultural institutions they inhabit. They do get to select. They do get to validate it, with proper documentation and explanation. You may not agree with their choices and that's your right. Sure there are bad movies, bad books, bad art. But it's still film, literature and art. I am suggesting to critique it, but not resort to the lame "it's not art" put-down just because you don't personally like it.

Saying you "don't believe it's art"--sounds authoritarian for no good reason.

If there's anything more to say, say it. Otherwise let's let it go. It's only art. Can't hurt ya.