I am currently the president of the Bucks County Guild of Craftsmen here in Pennsylvania, USA. I wrote this article for our newsletter to get involvement by our membership. I'm posting it here, because this site is about community. Thanks Brigitte for a great site!
“ART plays no clear role in our culture.”
“ARTISTS have little direct contact with their audience”
“ART MAKING is indulged, but rarely rewarded.”
Ted Orland in “The View From The Studio Door”
I’m currently reading Mr. Orland’s book and those are some very harsh words that he has to say. He is discussing the value of art in our society today and how artists (and people) survived in the past. In the past art was part of society and the community expected artists to make art as part of every day life.
In today’s society, you are expected do something of more value than art. Our society and the communities we live in don’t expect art to be part of their every day life. But, we do have a community that does expect us to make art. It brings us together with like minded individuals who see the world the same way we do. I’m speaking of the jewel that we hold in our hands—the Bucks County Guild of Craftsmen.
Communities survive by banding together and supporting the individuals that make up the community. The support for our community, the chapter, can take many forms—running for office, helping out at a show, even coming to meetings. This year we have a more expansive schedule than in year’s past. We are looking to expand the opportunities that we can offer our community.
But all of this comes at a price. The people who have handled much of the arrangements for these opportunities have families and jobs, and I believe that they occasionally like to make art, too. These people understand the value of the jewel that we have. They understand that the community we have cannot survive without the involvement of its members. They are working at polishing this jewel that we have. Come help polish this jewel, the Bucks County Guild of Craftsmen.
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