Art opens up conversation
If I were to stop you on the street waving a leaflet and asking for a minute of your time, we’ve all been there, chances are you’ll just walk on by.
Art on the other hand has the opposite effect. It draws people to the exhibit, the more people it attracts the more it ignites people’s curiosity to come and take a look. By making a visual statement – as they say ‘A picture paints a thousand words’ – even the time poor viewer can be reached in this way.
With the barriers lowered and the audience gathered we are able to communicate these important issues with each other and create that all important conversation.
I witnessed many people at the festival taking photos – our exhibits may be packed away but the art has the ability to live on through digital conversations. Through workshops leading up to and during the festival, educational material has been given in a happy, creative atmosphere. JOY I believe promotes learning.
Art brings issues to the fore
How many of you on your daily journeys have looked around you and noticed the litter on our streets? Bill Bryson likened litter to background noise. Most of the population hates litter but have gotten so used to it that they become immune.
Art has the effect of bringing these important issues to the fore. Just talking about litter with visitors to the festival has brought it back into view. Tomorrow your brain will start to make the connections and subconsciously you will be looking for litter and noticing it once more.
For some the festival will just have been a jolly good day out and tomorrow perhaps a distant memory. A good day for me then, is the best of days, it’s my hope as an artist that if I have reached just a small percentage of the young with my educating workshops or the conversations sparked, then I will walk away knowing that my art has made a difference.