The Whole Ball of Wax
In "The Whole Ball of Wax," writer Jerry Saltz poses the question - "can art change the world?" My initial response to this inquiry was absolutely not, how could it? How could some paint or clay possibly fix the current unrest in the Middle East or mend the divide in our country? I figured that since Saltz took the time to even ask the question there must be more to it. I thought about what art means to me. Besides enjoying an occasional trip to the MoMA and wishing I spent more time at the Louvre, other concepts of art that popped into my head were - the painted canvases hanging on the wall in my apartment, coloring mandalas, and the many impressive manmade architectural structures around the world.
Growing up, art class was my favorite subject in school. In my free time, I loved to draw, paint, and play with clay. As a little kid I would always beg my parents to bring me to Michael's for more smelly markers that I just had to get and instead of watching whatever the new Disney Channel TV show was at the time, I somehow always convinced my friends to tie dye a shirt or do some type of art project. Although I still find the time to paint canvases and color mandalas, I no longer look at it as a form of entertainment like I did as a young girl. As someone who struggles from acute anxiety, art for me is therapeutic. I have found that through simply painting a canvas or coloring in an intricate mandala, art reduces my stress, soothes my running mind, and provides me a creative outlet to eliminate angst. So even though art might not drastically change our world through "stopping Iran's president from denying the Holocaust, or halting the spread of AIDS," it changes my own world.
Besides art changing my personal world, art changes the world and how we all see it through famous landmarks. Paris would not be Paris without the Eiffel Tower, much like New York state would not be known as the "Empire State" without the Empire State Building. Landmarks throughout the world are not only artistically distinguishable but make the each country stylistically unique. It adds culture and enriches society.
Growing up, art class was my favorite subject in school. In my free time, I loved to draw, paint, and play with clay. As a little kid I would always beg my parents to bring me to Michael's for more smelly markers that I just had to get and instead of watching whatever the new Disney Channel TV show was at the time, I somehow always convinced my friends to tie dye a shirt or do some type of art project. Although I still find the time to paint canvases and color mandalas, I no longer look at it as a form of entertainment like I did as a young girl. As someone who struggles from acute anxiety, art for me is therapeutic. I have found that through simply painting a canvas or coloring in an intricate mandala, art reduces my stress, soothes my running mind, and provides me a creative outlet to eliminate angst. So even though art might not drastically change our world through "stopping Iran's president from denying the Holocaust, or halting the spread of AIDS," it changes my own world.
Besides art changing my personal world, art changes the world and how we all see it through famous landmarks. Paris would not be Paris without the Eiffel Tower, much like New York state would not be known as the "Empire State" without the Empire State Building. Landmarks throughout the world are not only artistically distinguishable but make the each country stylistically unique. It adds culture and enriches society.
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