Art is a mindset that is realized, an emotion that needs to be expressed, an energy that needs to be released and a spirit that needs to be calmed.

Art is expressed in many different ways: Painting, drawing, sculpting, carving, singing, writing, performed, played, danced, spoken, and many other avenues.

Art changes and is shaped through personal hardships, achievements, environments, location, understanding, confusion, emotions, time, ages, gender, status and many more influences.

Everyone is capable of creating and/or expressing an artistic form of some sort. Even if you convince yourself that you are not capable of doing so. However, art manifests itself in every single human being on the planet, even though you may not realize it or acknowledge it.

Art can be healing, empowering, beautiful, influential, inspiring, motivational, provoking, stimulating, introspective, personal, social, exciting, suppressive, oppressive, intimidating, constructive, and the list goes on and on.

It is said, and I believe, that “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” therefore “Art is in the eye of the beholder”, so if I see something or relate to something within a piece of art, then I am seeing a part of myself. So I ask myself, “What is it that makes me like or dislike what I am looking at?” It is deeper than it is off center, the colors are wrong, I don’t understand it, it is beautiful, or it is a strong piece. What makes me notice that it is off center, why do I see the colors to be incorrect, why don’t I understand it, why do I see it as beautiful, and what is it that makes it strong?  

Art is a human condition.

   —Henry Frank, WJA Programs and Communications Assistant