In what sense of the term is it art and are there senses of the term in which it isnt art?

Go out into the real world and find an object, performance, event, practice, or idea (Ill abbreviate this list as “thingy” below) that you believe is an artwork. Drawing from the readings weve done so far, write a coherent, unified essay in which you address the following themes (dont write a paper that just answers these in a list–thatll be uninteresting):

Why do you think this thingy is an artwork? How were you able to identify it as art? In what sense of the term is it art, and are there senses of the term in which it isnt art? When do you think it was possible for this thingy and other thingies like it to become art, and could it be art in other, very different cultures? If somebody were to claim that it isnt art, what would you say to them?

Documentation: if you use sources outside the class readings (which theres really no need to do), you need to give me the full references. Otherwise, page numbers alone will suffice.

Formatting:

1. Standard fonts and margins, typed and double-spaced, about 350 words per page. Feel free to avoid calibri, as it sucks.

2. No MORE than three pages. I wont read anything on a fourth page.

3. You need to submit this paper in two ways. First, a hard copy is due in class. Remember, if you dont have a hard copy when you walk in, its late. Second, you need to upload a file here on ilearn. See instructions below for acceptable file types.

Submission