Performing maintenance art around the USU area went well. It was nice to see the students in our class stand around and work together to clean our campus and the sculpture, while also enjoying themselves with friends and socializing. This was especially true for me since I did even meet a few new people and carry nice conversations. Ukeles cleaning the steps of an art museum is different than Serra flinging molten lead against a wall since Serra’s may seem more intense, however Ukeles may seem to hold less meaning since a general audience may see it as “cleaning” and basic womens’ work. On the other hand, they are similar in the sense that both artists are expressing themselves and ideas through creative means–which is art. Both works are art in that sense. Ukeles’ Maintenance Art performance at the Wadsworth Atheneum is considered art in my opinion, since Ukeles is doing an act that is reflective of the words and ideas in her work. The fact that her performance took place in an art museum does not make it art, however it may clarify it for a general audience. To explain, if Ukeles had been performing anywhere in the public, no one would view the act as art since most wouldn’t recognize it as expressing ideas that she wrote about. But the fact that it was performed in an art museum gives the clarification since it is set up as an exhibit with, what I am assuming, to be some type of information in some format that explains what the artist is doing or reflecting during her performance. Furthermore, if she had merely been performing this job for 6 months it would not be considered art, since she most likely wouldn’t be performing it for alternate reasons besides the fact that it is a job and a part of basic day to day acts. What makes an act art is the meaning, purpose, or intentions behind the making it is given by the creator; acts expressing or reflecting an idea, feeling, etc. is what makes an act art. Based on this, it is the intention of the person performing it that makes an act art, however the acceptance of that act or object as art is mainly up to the general public to spread its meaning and perhaps even give it their own meaning. Therefore, anything can be art, such as a painting of a house or on canvas, as long as someone perceives it in a way to hold meaning. Ukeles and Lopez have made me think a bit differently about “Women’s Work” since I always have valued what women do, but both just took it to another level in terms of the extent of what women do and how much it shouldn’t be overlooked. “Women’s work” is art in certain situations and depending on the person perceiving it. For example, a person may see a child being taken care of by their mother as art in the sense that not every mother has an obligation to their children, but someone else may see that as a basic duty that a women must complete.
A star that I would get down on my hands and knees to clean would perhaps be Robert Downey Jr., since I have always admired him, not only for his role as ‘Tony Stark’ in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but also for his journey as an individual, from being addicted to drugs and overcoming it to become one of the greatest, respected, and most well-known actors in the industry today.
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