Bad Art Night
The Wabasso Public Library hosted Bad Art Night, an evening of wild inspiration and crazy crafts that was open to adults, children, and families. Patrons were given access to a wide array of materials, fabrics, crafts, and small pieces of junk, supplemented by regular art supplies such as paint, clay, glitter, canvas, and glue. Patrons were encouraged to create bad and/or ugly art using these materials and their own "skills." Participants (as well as the general public) were/are given the opportunity to vote for who they thought created the "best" bad art, along with categories.
36 participated
Artistic skills relating to paint, sculpture, and others will have an outlet by which they can be freestyled and practiced. This will work to give individuals more experience and skill in a craft of their choice. Community attitudes will change through the display of what fellow community members were able to create. By having an opportunity for individuals to create and hone their skills, their beliefs in themselves and their own artistic merit will change. Additionally, the experience of creating something intentionally ugly with fellow participants will likely result in the modification of their preconceptions of art - that is, they will ask themselves and others about the big questions relating to aesthetics - what is art? What is beauty? Are these ideas universal, or based on individual tastes? The cultural benefit will include participants engaging in art together in a playful, non-competitive environment, whereby they can also engage each other in discussion or by offering each other suggestions. Participant evaluations and anecdotal responses will be collected.
31 pieces of artwork in total were created, each showing different artistic modes that people had opportunities to experiment with, such as sculpting, painting, crafting, and weaving. The voting period for "Best Bad Art" and other categories, which began the night of the program and which lasts for a week, prompted participants to discuss what constituted bad art that is good, and bad art that is bad. This will continue to prompt discussions and changes in attitudes towards art and aesthetics as the community continues to vote during the next week.
Many individuals were enthusiastic during the program, and socialized freely with each other by commenting on their handiwork, laughing, or offering suggestions or ideas to spark inspiration. Many also voiced their desire for another similar program in the future, especially one geared towards adults that could be done in a bar/grill setting. Some individuals were so excited during the program that they inquired about the Clean Water, Land, & Legacy signage that was being displayed, and showed real support and interest in how the Legacy Amendment was helping to fund artistic and historical programs in libraries throughout Minnesota.
Wabasso Standard, KLGR Radio Station