MAINTENANCE ART

When I was performing the maintenance art around the USU, it felt more like a chore than actual art. I started to feel this way when I saw students not from class walk by and would give strange looks to what the class was doing. I did however feel good that we were picking up the trash around the USU and cleaning up the area.

Mierle Laderman Ukeles cleaning the steps of an art museum and Richard Serra flinging molten lead against the walls of an art museum is different because using molten lead to create art is very dangerous and crazy while cleaning the steps of an art museum is a lot more calm. However, even though both of these acts are completely different both Mierle and Richard were creating art. If we take the idea that art is not only things created on a canvas but instead think of art as physical actions that create “something” that can the creator sees value in, then we can consider the two different styles of action making art.

I feel as Mierle Laderman Ukeles’ Maintenance Art performance at the Wedsworth Atheneum art since it follows the idea that the creator did an action that had value to that person; which in this case she did. I don’t think that it was art because it was at an art museum but more that she wanted to give the idea to others that cleaning can be a type of art.

From my perspective, I find that art is more of the intention of the person performing whatever the person feels is art. Not every action is the same and will have the same purpose when performing a certain action. We have the example of painting a house could be art and could not be art. If a person paints it just to increase the ability for the house to last longer that would be different from a person painting a house to make it look less plain. To the later, the house would in a way be a work of art to that person since they had a thought to make it look nice.

After discussing “women’s work,” I do find it a type of art. I still stand by my point that art is more of the intention and if those that see that cleaning isn’t just a chore but more of a type of art than why wouldn’t it be art? By saying “women’s work,” is putting a set idea on the type of work one would think that women do when women can do jobs that men typically can. It should change to just work and that is something every person can do. Then combine that with the intention of wanting it to be art then yes it would be art.

If I really had to go down and clean the star on Hollywood blvd, then I would have to go with Harrison Ford.