The Art of Pilgrimage

In the reading, the discussion is of how much art has changed. And clearly, just comparing the art of just 20 years ago, it is very different. Especially in the system of America, art is not as appreciated as it was, or is, in other countries. Public schools are even trying to get rid of art programs in order to save money for their sports teams or remodeling their rooms and buildings. And even if the schools have their own programs, the students are encouraged to copy the skills or subject matter of past art pieces, which in my opinion limits their creativity. This just creates clones of past pieces, which is unfortunately in great demand. I think that observing art pieces of the past is great to get ideas and pick small ideas and techniques from them to make it your own work of creativity, but remaking the whole painting or sculpture because the masses demand them is not art. Pilgrimage in art is dying with this demand. If schools and students try to encourage the creativity it takes to make a piece of art, pilgrimage will be salvaged. It would be better to create new things and inspire other people of trying new things than just creating the same master paintings over and over again. Of course, I do not know how the art systems in schools are outside of the US, but I feel like the art system here is lacking. But that's only for the schools, I do see artists trying to break away from the traditional painting and sculpting. If public schools were to show of the less graphic art works, then it would release the students from being exposed to the same images and create things they think.