Q: How did you feel performing Maintenance Art in the area around the USU?
A: At first I didn’t know I was “performing.” I thought I was just cleaning up the NOW sculpture, but after discussing the definition of cleaning with the class, I understand that I was performing. I felt uncomfortable at first, because the public was looking at us weird for cleaning the sculpture, the more I performed, the more comfortable I go.
Q: How are Mierle Laderman Ukeles cleaning the steps of an art museum and Richard Serra flinging molten lead against the walls of an art museum different? How are they the same? Are one or both “art”? Are one or both “not art”?
A: Both acts are simply art. The only difference between the two is that one maintains art while the other creates the art. Ukeles cleaning the steps of an art museum was similar to our Maintenance Art performance. We were cleaning someone else’s art while creating art by our actions. On the other hand, Serra flinging molten lead against the wall was opposite of what we did. He was creating art, making a “mess.” In both performances, they were making art.
Q: Was Mierle Laderman Ukeles’ Maintenance Art performance at the Wadsworth Atheneum “art”? Did the fact that her performance was at an Art Museum make it art? What if instead, she had simply gotten hired as a janitor at a factory somewhere and performed that job for 6 months? Would that have been art? What makes an act “art” or “not art”?
A: Ukeles’ performance is still considered art. She cleaned the steps freely and was not hired to clean it. Because she cleaned it at a museum doesn’t mean that it is automatically considered art. If she were to clean the steps of another random building, it would still be considered art because she did it with free will. If she got hired as a janitor to clean the steps, then it wouldn’t have been considered art because she was asked to clean the steps. What makes an act “art” is the chose to freely create. Ukele’s freely created a performance in cleaning.
Q: Is an object or an action Art or Not Art because of some intrinsic property of the medium? Or because of the intention of the person performing it? Are all paintings on canvas art because paintings on canvas are exhibited in art museums? Is all house painting not art because we don’t exhibit painted houses in art museums? Can a painting on canvas ever be not art? Can painting a house ever be art?
A: Because an art piece is not in a museum, it does not mean that it can never be art. The best thing about art is that it can never be a specific action or object. I could stand still for 5 minutes and that would be considered art. Art in museums only display one type of medium, because it is one of the types of arts that can be captured and shared to the world. Actions are considered because there is a purpose. A person protesting is considered art because they have a purpose. Art can be anywhere including inside our homes. Anything made or acted is always considered art.
Q: Has Mierle Laderman Ukeles, or Jennifer Lopez, made you think differently about “Women’s Work”? Is “Women’s Work” ever art? If yes, when? If no, why not?
A: Despite how degrading it sounds, “Women’s Work” is considered art. Ukeles or Jennifer Lopez has changed my perspective. When people usually think of the term “Women’s Work,” they apply it to stereotypical women work like house work or secretaries, but I believe people think of that term because of the art they’ve been exposed to. Lopez’s music video has changed my perspective because she displayed “Women’s Work” in a positive way. She broke the stereotype of work that women do and portrayed to be an empowering act of art. By displaying these acts, she convinced me that “Women’s Work” is truly art.
Q: In class we discussed the woman who cleaned Donald Trump’s Star on Hollywood Blvd. Whose Star would you get down on your hands and knees to clean?
A: I would get down on Mickey Mouse’s star and clean it. Even though he is not a real person, I would get down on my hands and knees and clean his star.
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