By Lance Nielsen
When we hear the word artist, many of us picture someone standing in front of a canvas or pottery wheel. Maybe we imagine a musician on a stage or a dancer in a theater. We often think of an artist as someone who makes their living through their creative work.
But what if our definition of an artist is too small? What if being an artist is not about a specific artistic job title? What if it is about the way we see the world and what we choose to do with what we see?
During the NFTA Coffee, Listen, and Learn sessions this past month, this was one of the topics and questions discussed. And when one travels across Nebraska, creativity is everywhere.
You can find it on a building painted by someone who never considered themselves an artist or in a tree stump that someone transformed into something unexpected. It might be a handmade quilt passed down through generations. You can find it in a piece of art made from an old piece of farm equipment or something rescued from a garage. Or in my case, the retired teacher who paints because it brings joy.
Look a Little Closer
Think about your own community. Who makes and builds things? Who repurposes something that would otherwise be thrown away or redecorates their home in a way that tells a story? Is there someone who is creating something simply because they can – a hobby that allows them to make something with their hands?
There is a good chance you know more artists than you realize.
When we expand our definition of who an artist is, we also expand our understanding of what the arts mean to a community. The arts are not just found in theaters and museums. They are found in kitchens and workshops or in garages and barns. You can see art along country roads and in small-town businesses.
So, Who is That Artist Next Door?
Perhaps the person making art in your community does not think they belong in the arts. A professional artist is certainly an artist. But so is someone who creates because they love it. Maybe they have never received an award, had a gallery show, or have never been paid for their work. That doesn’t make their creativity less valuable. In fact, some of the most interesting creative work may be happening outside the traditional arts system. It may be happening quietly, without an audience or a spotlight.
We should pay attention to that.
An example is my brother, who is retired and living on the family farm. He has recently started creating “bottle trees”, yard art sculptures made of metal or wood designed to hold empty glass wine or beer bottles on their branches. Rooted in Central African and Southern folklore, people believed colored glass bottles would trap evil spirits overnight. When he delivered a “bottle tree” for our yard, I commented, “You realize, you are NOW an artist!” When we recognize more people as artists, we begin to see more possibilities for connection. We begin to see creativity as something that belongs to everyone.
And that is a powerful idea.
Nebraska Is Full of Creative People
Traveling around the state following the annual Nebraska Passport program sponsored by Nebraska Tourism, I have been able to travel roads and visit communities I would not normally experience. One of the things I love about Nebraska is that creativity does not look the same everywhere. In one community, it might be a mural and in another, it might be a barn quilt that turns a plain building into a landmark. Somewhere else, it might be a sculpture made from something that was never intended to become art or a renovated old Opera House where music, plays, and showings of old films continue to thrive. It might even be something we drive past every day without realizing that someone created it. We don’t have to decide which of these things are “real art.”
What happens when people are permitted to be creative?
They make creative things.
They tell personal stories.
They connect with each other.
They take pride in where they live.
They make their communities more interesting and more human.
Maybe We Need a Bigger Tent
The arts community should have room for the professional and the amateur. There should be room for the person making art for a living and the person making something just because they enjoy it. There should be room for the trained artist and the self-taught creator. If we expand our view of who an artist is, we don’t diminish professional artists. We strengthen the entire creative ecosystem. We start to see creativity not as something reserved for a select group of people but as something that lives in all our communities. A great example of this is the recent grand opening of Artsworks, an artist co-op gallery and studios, in Norfolk’s River Point Creative District.
So the next time you see a barn quilt on the side of a barn in rural Nebraska, stop and take a look. When you pass a clever piece of roadside art, wonder who made it. You see a local performer performing at a farmer’s market; stop and listen. When someone shows you something they created in their spare time, don’t dismiss it as “just a hobby.” Ask them about it.
Maybe the question isn’t Who is an artist?
Maybe the better question is:
How many artists are already part of our community and have we taken the time to see them?