Exploitation and Appropriation

Exploitation: To an extent, I agree with what Andrew was saying yesterday. As artists, we make art that we want to be seen. For some of us (not all of us), hope to become somewhat famous because of our art. Anything that is done in exchange for money--not just art, but other jobs and occupations--can be considered exploitative, especially when time, labor and effort are invested in it. Though, I do agree with Rachel and others that another word should be used instead of "exploitation". That word seems to hyperbolize what we do. I think the difference between what we do and exploitation is that we love what we do; art is our passion. And we thus make our passion our career, because we do indeed need to make a living and make ends meet. If artists choose to sell their art, I don't think it is exploitative, since we are not forced or coerced into making the art we make. We make art because we want to or need to.

Appropriation: This was a great addition to our list. It is very interesting how contemporary art today appropriates the art of yesterday or how it appropriates the current world around us. At first, I had some reservations about this, but now, I'm more neutral about the subject. At times, I prefer the art piece that does include appropriation. For me, it just depends on what's going on in the artwork.