While visiting the art show “Megaliths” at UCCS, I was able to get to know art in its purest form more closely. The impact of the visit didn’t directly come from the artworks that the artist made, it was from the ideology of art itself. The artist of the show is Vadis Turner, described as a Tennessee country girl who set out to turn her childhood experience into artworks and was determined to discuss the experience of female roles in the West. The explanation of the artworks was clear, the artist used mixed media to create an artwork that assimilates itself to neolithic megaliths, which is a manually carved boulder, almost like a totem.
Every aspect of the art show went pretty well, except for the fact that I could not relate to the art myself, resonate with nor understand the art piece at all. I couldn’t understand why an abstract, glued, braided landfill pile suddenly makes a grand vision that connects itself to the female experience. As an artist, I couldn’t relate; as an audience, I couldn’t understand.
However, after the confusing art show experience, as I was reflecting on how ideas and opinions are expressed through artworks, I realized that no matter what form \ the art is in, the simple definition of art is the fascinating answer; it is the carrier for all expressions, no matter if it is understood or by how many people. I study art and create artworks at FVS; when you are creating a piece, the central focus will always be yourself and the main audience for the piece would be yourself. Art is also the best media for culture because it is not like a language that you can adapt; when appreciating art, one is immersing themselves in the world. Even if I didn’t understand any of the artworks that the artist produced, I should still respect and appreciate them, as they are a form of expression and exchange of ideas. Through this global event, I learned a deeper and more fundamental ideology of art.