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This past weekend my wife and I attended the silent auction at a local arts center. I teach kids robotics there and my wife is on the board. Our jobs for the night were to mingle around with the patrons and engage in conversations about the work for sale.
It struck me that there were several great pieces that were great art but not getting any bids. They have meaningful things to say but perhaps were not considered something someone would want to look at everyday in their living room.
For example I was talking with another board member about one of the photographs. I was this perfectly composed image of a double wide trailer split in half due to flooding. I saw all kinds of storytelling and ideas in work - defeat, forces of nature, folly of man etc. I comment that is was something I'd stop and photograph if I saw it. It got no bids and was kind of chuckled at as people said they couldn't image hanging it on their wall, too depressing. All they saw was a run down trailer, the kind they whiz by all the time in this neck of the woods.
The board member even told me I should check out a certain road near his lake house if I'm interested in seeing such run down trailers to photograph. In other words, he just didn't see what this photographer and I saw. You can't just find subjects like this that easy. I guess it takes another photographer to see the value as it got no bids during the evening.
Meanwhile something like an abstract would, gather a ton of bids. We even bid on a won a few small abstract prints.
I guess it just goes to show that not all art is bound for the living room. Some of it is created for a higher calling and is probably more appropriate for a book or museum. It's also hard to judge a single image on its own. If this image was part of a larger theme, like you see in a book or a one person art show, perhaps it would get more respect.
