Engage | Collect

Art is the ultimate artifact of culture; visual art should be more than tertiary. Most of us enjoy bringing music and cinema into our space, and have archives of both. Like these other forms, visual art is both mirror and legacy; it speaks to us now, and for us in the future. It can only be cherished if it is preserved.

The relevance of objects is being reconsidered today (app's/experiences over objects), but it is wrong to disregard collecting artworks as hierarchical, and reductive to dismiss it as an indulgence of personal vanity. Collecting is a vital aspect of culture; I argue for engagement, especially to Millennials. Yes, some acquire for investment and vanity, but most real Artists survive on too little patronage, and most real Collectors engage the practice as an art form in itself. Collecting is a way to express personal philosophy.

The Artist (particularly contemporary) represents the sort of things Millennials champion: an unfettered voice, the hand made|locally produced object, the freedom of individualism, and quest for self-awareness. To own an artwork is not only to support and sustain its channel, it is an experience that can be enjoyed daily; we echo the Artist every time we engage their work and share it. Reassess what visual art really is. Rethink your position to the objects you surround yourself with. If you want things with consciousness- Art is the answer.

This text was written in reaction to a New York Times story: Object Lessons: New Museum Explores Why We Keep Things.