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1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW SOU grads' salaries lowest for state schools ... Medicare makes it tougher to get equipment ... Chris Honoré: Random political thoughts ... SOU grads' salaries lowest for state schools ... Medicare makes it tougher to get equipment ... Chris Honoré: Random political thoughts ... GUEST OPINION Guest Opinion: 'Gather' is appropriate and worthy Comment By Rochelle Newman DailyTidings.com By Rochelle Newman Posted Sep. 23, 2015 at 2:00 AM Updated Sep 23, 2015 at 10:17 AM By Rochelle Newman Posted Sep. 23, 2015 at 2:00 AM Updated Sep 23, 2015 at 10:17 AM » Social News I taught art at the college level for over 30 years, so I do not write this as a layperson but as someone who has engaged in dialogue with persons innocent in the language of the visual arts. I support having the sculpture “Gather” by Susan Zoccola set in the Gateway island. It is site-specific. It brings together culture and nature in a different dynamic. It is thought-provoking. It reaches an audience that is broader than a local population. It takes the dialogue about art to another level. It requires a different mindset. Ashland is a particularly word-conscious culture — defined in great part by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and the eloquence of William Shakespeare. Fluency in visual language, however, is not so straightforward. Words such as “ugly,” “beautiful” and “abstract” are thrown about but are never defined. It is assumed they mean the same thing to every person. Not so. Art functions at the “edge,” and edges are always dynamic and fraught with friction. Look at the history of art and you will find that works we now treasure were vilified and scoffed at with the same vigor and apprehension I see happening at this moment with this sculpture and this city. It is easier to say no than it is to say yes, and naysayers always shout louder. People’s responses are visceral/emotional before they are conceptual/intellectual. They are gut-driven and, while valid, are not complete. No artwork exists in a vacuum. There are layers of meaning to be peeled back for a fuller understanding. And always there is a mystery at its core, one that can be experienced by thoughtful engagement but not necessarily explained. A response should be more than “I like it," or "I don’t like it.” Or, "It costs too much" — in relation to what? Or, "My child could do that. Just glue together a few recycled things and we’ll have a sculpture." When looking at art, the first layer is cultural — when and for where has the work been produced? Why has it been created? What is its audience? Who has defined the elements of Ashland’s “vibe?” People talk about it, but it has not been defined as far as I have been able to discern. “Gather's” title suggests that Ashland encompasses a variety of viewpoints, people and cultures, not a parochial attitude. Its abstract form suggests multiple connections, not one small idea. It is meant to provoke dialogue. Dialogue occurs only when the viewer is open to experience the not-so-simple. A work of art is confined by its frame. The context of a museum or a gallery is very different than that of an outdoor space. This type of work is not constrained by walls, floor and ceiling. It is open to the green landscape around it, the sky above it and the movement by it. To exist in this environment, the work needs to be bold, simple and larger than usual. It needs to be viewed from different angles and perspectives. It needs to be experienced by those driving by as well as those standing still. It needs to have interest at these very different levels. The details can’t be too fussy. It also requires skillful engineering and fabrication subject to safety and environmental concerns. It is not built in a day. The artist has spent at least a year refining and creating the proposal and model. It will take another year to construct it. This all costs money and time. Shouldn’t an artist get paid as well as a plumber, chef, lawyer? Ashland is not an island. It is part of a state, which is part of a region, which relates to a coast. To think that an artist who lives elsewhere is somehow foreign, alien and not worthy of creating art for the city is absurd. Art lives in a much larger context than “seven square miles.” Art is more than pretty. It is an aspect of a person’s education. It is part of the fabric of learning if we are to create a whole cloth of culture. Rochelle Newman of Ashland, a professor emerita of visual arts, taught at Essex Community College and Merrimack College in Massachusetts. By Rochelle Newman DailyTidings.com By Rochelle Newman Posted Sep. 23, 2015 at 2:00 AM Updated Sep 23, 2015 at 10:17 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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