Korsmeyer, pp 98-114 and pp 127-131

Artistic Dropouts

In this chapter Kevin Melchionne talks about highschool art classes and how as young artists we consistantly compare our art with other's and ask questions like, why can't my drawing be that good? and why does her apple look so perfect? or how does she get that bottle to shine like that? Melchionne says this behavior is realism anxiety. He states that this is when "the artist becomes aware of the distinction between her "childish scribbles" and the standards of depiction in our society."' You want to create something that is great, and not childish or imaginative. He then goes on to talk about how those childish or imaginative paintings and drawings are the ones that often end up in museums. But yet the viewers around these paintings can be heard saying "I could do that! why is that so great?"
Melchionne then goes on to discuss something he calls "aesthetic health." He says that this health is like that of emotional health, where you have the "capacity to be sensitive to and express one's own aesthetic pleasures and preferences." But an aesthetically healthy person also means to be open to sources of satisfaction. I think that it is interesting that he discusses that in order to be aesthetically healthy you have to be open to new things and appreciate the unique things.

Museums: From Object to Experience

In this chapter Hilde Hein talks about museums constantly changing atmosphere. He discusses that they are becoming more technologically advanced causing us to become further away from "art." Museums are now replacing the works of art with the technology making it more interactive but at the same time less interactive because you are losing the actual artwork. This is sort of contradictory and confusing to me.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial

In this chapter, Danto discusses how art is used in pulic places to create a memory to "remember and mark the reality of ends." He discusses the Vietnam Memorial and how every aspect of its design, process, and purpose is carfully planned out. He talks about how the memorial is reflective and this creates an emotion because when you view it you can see yourself in the wall of "names of the deceased." This memorial is also interactive because when people go to visit or view it they often look up someone's name that they know or maybe they don't know, and make an imprint of it on paper and take it with them.
This is an incredible piece of art and only appreciated by those who take the time to do so.