Clifford

James Clifford ON Collecting Art and Culture

In On Collecting art and culture, James Clifford discusses Art, what is considered art, art collection and the categories of art and how culture is affected. By citing the James Fenton’s poem ‘The Pitt Rivers museum’s he explores the historical aspect of art and museums. He describes ethnographic collections as intriguing and forbidden objects and museum viewers as being child-like with curiosity. I found it interesting how he broke down the poem to illustrate how westerns look at “exotic collections” like a “Journey into otherness leads to a forbidden area of the self.”(p. 95) As if to say whether westerners view primitive art or the “other” as something natural, pure and idealistic or merely as something that they can made better has more to say about the westerners than the “Other”.

He talks about Westerners as being obsessed with collecting things. Their possessions define them and are extensions of their self-worth whereas some cultures accumulate objects not for self but for the redistribution. Children in western society are taught early to collect things whether it is toys or certain experiences we are taught to hold on to things. We are also taught to place these Items on display like shot glasses from ever city you have traveled or snow globes all on display so you can have visual for anecdotes. It concludes that the obsession would extend out and touch other cultures. The affect it has however somewhat damages the other culture. Items from other cultures are taken out of context and labeled art whether it is a tribal mask or ceremonial relic it is considered art collectors. The Item then becomes a symbol of a culture even though it is a miniscule part of the culture and to me that reduces the culture, a culture that is much more than just a tribal mask, fertility doll or maracas.

I appreciate that this article touches on everything from the discrimination, moral, economic and political aspect of identifying what an artistic object is. Why some objects are considered works of arts while others have to meet a certain criteria to earn that tittle. Why does African art need to be an artifact or ceremonial object to be considered “Art” or “primitive art” why can’t it just be Art? I also appreciate his breakdown of the “The Art-Culture System” and how a piece or a collection can one day be considered a masterpiece and the next not so much. And at the same time how something not once considered art can move into being a piece of art.