ArtRandom Musings

One day, not long ago, a professor asked his art history graduate students to come up with a definition of the word art. It seemed a simple enough task, but it turned out to be impossible to reach a consensus. Does a creator make that determination, or a viewer? Does it matter if a centuries-old vase created solely for functional purposes is displayed as a work of art by today’s museum director? Does cultural context play a role? The passage of time? Does it have to be a physical thing, or can it be an ephemeral experience?

The professor posing the question was Philippe de Montebello, Director of The Metropolitan Museum of Art for 31 years, and his point had been elegantly made. The concept of art is so fluid that it would be difficult to provide one definition that would cover every situation and satisfy everyone.

In some ways, ArtRandom was born in that classroom that day. At least the idea that art could be random, and involved perhaps more than we had previously “ever dreamt of in our philosophy”. The ArtRandom program helps children grow their visual worlds by realizing that art can be found all around them.