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1.13.2010

creativity and culture

I was in a Critical Writing for Artists and Designers class yesterday. There was an interesting video shown at the end from Ken Robinson about how schools kill creativity

I wish more people in the world realized how creativity is as important as literacy like he has. It just reminded me how governments can kill creativity too...almost like in that movie Equilibrium.

Art is essential to culture. It makes culture. It should be funded and heavily supported.

I went to a talk on Monday, part of the Craft Talks series (supported by both the Ontario Crafts Council and OCAD). They were reviewing Unity and Diversity, the Canadian pavilion from the Cheongju International Craft Biennale in Korea - "the largest and most outstanding fine craft-based biennale in the world," an event with over 500,000 visitors that I was very fortunate to be part of.

It just stressed to me the importance of the government and media to keep the arts alive. Not a single media outlet from Canada would come to Korea for this show, a show that has been described as "a landmark in Canadian Craft." This is so disheartening when in Korea all art institutions are free to attend. Galleries take a commission of 10% rather than 50%.  There are advertisements for craft on the subways and their artisans are considered national treasures. they even place contemporary work in the same cases as the ancients - they consider them to have equal value! It would be so amazing to be immersed in a culture like that.

and their landscape is breathtaking. they have trees that are woven as they grow, their architecture is beautifully worn, and even their burial mounds looked amazing (above), who knew that a burial mound could be beautiful too?

when me and my friends left the talk, all we wanted to do was go to Korea. it helps that they also have delicious food.

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