Art for Art's Sake

For those who know me well or for those who have read my posts I often refer to the critical yet delicate balance of quotart and sciencequot of the media industry Today any industry professional must understand amp8211 if not intrinsically be able to channel amp8211 bothYet only art alone can be transcendent Viewing a piece of artwork can trigger an experience so beautiful or profound that you can39t even find words to describe it Art elevates what it is to be human It nurtures the best within us It offers us what novelist John Updike described as quota certain breathing room for the spiritquotThat power is why my wife and I are proud supporters of the Whitney Museum We were first introduced to the Whitney family by Fern and Lenard Tessler amp8212 Fern is a trustee of the museum amp8212and in the past year I39m proud to say we have become more actively involved in this extraordinary resource It was at the opening gala for the Whitney39s breathtaking new home on the West Side of Manhattan that I experienced one of those truly transcendent Updikelike momentsActually several moments Which is exactly the reaction the extraordinary new space designed by architect Renzo Piano is intended to create Nestled near the Hudson River in the Meatpacking District the museum features four terraces floortoceiling windows computerized shades that adjust to the light of the sky breathtaking views and of course equally breathtaking works of art Due credit must be given to Adam Weinberg the Alice Pratt Brown Director of the Whitney Museum the entire professional staff and the Trustees and contributors for their vision and leadership in ultimately getting such a marvelous structure not only funded but builtThe first exhibition features 600 works by 400 artists over the past 115 years selected from the Whitney39s renowned permanent collection and entitled quotAmerica Is Hard to Seequot a nod to a poem of the same name by poet laureate of Vermont and American treasure Robert Frost It is an amazing immersionI also believe that the new Whitney functions as a marvelous metaphor for our industry circa right now quotAmerica Is Hard to Seequot after all celebrates human diversity explores the notion of connectivity and utilizes myriad mediums in infinite expressions Add a buzzword or two and that could just as well describe the modern media ecosystemThere are brands that understand this power brands that do art for art39s sake For obvious reasons I39ll take the diplomatic high road and not name any We all know who they are because they have wings or a bull39seyeThey are the brands who understand as Frost said that quotfreedom lies in being boldquot They recognize and celebrate both the art and the science of the media business Yet they also know when creativity should be unharnessed from commerce when to give their consumers time to wash the dust off their soulsWhen that happens as Piano himself exclaimed at the Whitney39s official opening quotMamma mia What a joyquotThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Media Village management or associated bloggers

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Art for Art's Sake

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Michael Kassan

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Art for Art's Sake

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