Meaningful Conversation

I just finished reading Richard Polsky's book I Sold Andy Warhol (Too Soon). On the whole I found it a bit kfetchy, (winy if you will), and cathartic in the sense that Polsky spends the entirety of the book recounting the history of the rising value of Warhol's Freight Wigs to ultimately make the point that he could have made more money had he been patient and not sold the one he owned so quickly. (A story not unique to the art world, after all everyone has a should have, would have could have story...)

With exception to the book's great cover, the only other part of the book I found valuable was the following line: "Most paintings are like one-liners; once you get it, that's the end of the experience. The best works of art...reveal something fresh whenever you look at them (p.237)."

On that note, Mitch and I have begun what I'm calling "virtual collections." This means we've created photo albums on Facebook that contain images of works of art that speak to us in some way - images we are happy to look at again and again because of their aesthetic, symbolic, or narrative qualities. We're hoping this idea will be contagious and that many people will start creating virtual collections...

My father pointed out virutal collections are a form of "disruptive innovation." Disruptive innovation is Clayton Christensen's theory that innovations disrupt existing markets by creating products or services that are more accessible, and though they are often less powerful they are still good enough to get the job done. So, while virutal collections may not be as moving or inspirational as seeing the real works in say a museum, for most people they might be good to get the job done, good enough to encourage them to think about art!

Perhaps the best part of virtual collections are that they can provoke conversations that start with, "Hey, I saw that new piece you posted... What do you like about that piece? What's that piece about?" As apposed to, "Saw you hit up another party last week..."

After all, there's nothing better than meaningful conversation - supposedly it's the key to happiness!