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Show Ten O'Clock Whistle I by David Fleisher Editor's Nole: The following special Arts Festival Whistle originally appeared in the August 2, 1979 issue of the Park Record. A brief arts festival euide... Thousands of thousands of people will be here this weekend for the Park City Arts Festival. To many people, it's the most exciting event all year. Main Street will, indeed, be bustling with activity. After attending several arts festivals in my life, I have concluded there are certain things you should and shouldn't do. Don't pretend to understand a piece of art work if you really have no idea what it means. Abstract painting, for example, can be tricky. It is assumed that the artists knew exactly what he or she intended to convey, but this is not always the case. I saw a "painting" once that had one large black line drawn down the middle of the canvas, and that was it. There was nothing else to the painting. The people standing in front of the painting tried to decide what "it" meant. "It means the world is coming to an end and that we must live each day as fully as possible," one spectator said. "It means nothing of the kind," another person replied. "The Dainting is simply a reflection of our entire societv. The black line symbolizes the human race and all of the white space around it indicates hope and eternal happiness." I spoke to the artist about his painting and he told me, "I sat in front of that canvas for hours, trying to think of something to paint. But I just couldn't think of anything. I went through a brief period of depression because I couldn't think of one lousy thing to paint." "So the painting depicts depression?" I asked. "No, it doesn't depict depression," the artist answered. "It depicts a black line coming down the middle of the canvas." "Does that really constitute Art?" I asked. . "It could," he replied, "if you are imaginative enough to dream up a meaning for it." One thing to remember while visiting an arts festival: unless you are looking at a painting of a house, a person, an animal, a country scene or anything else that is concrete, never ask the artist what he intended to paint. Because he assumes you know full well what he intended to paint, even though he himself may have no idea what he intended to paint. Considering the sheer size of this weekend's festival, it will be necessary to wear the right shoes and carry a canteen full of water. For those of you who have never been to Park City's Annual Arts Festival, it is important to know before hand that Main Street will be packed with people, both Saturday and Sunday. You will do a lot of walking and you will undoubtedly get thirsty at some point in time. I recommend wearing tennis shoes and a canteen large enough to sling around one shoulder. And pace yourself. Don't run from one exhibit to the next without paying attention to what you're seeing. This is not only rude to the artists, but there is always the possibility of knocking someone over who is studying a painting that has a black line coming down the middle. Don't be afraid to tell an artist you like his work. If you don't like his work, keep silent. Never, under any circumstances, giggle at a painting in public. Hold the giggles until you are lone. Then again, the painting may genuinely be funny (a ( lown scene for example), In that case, giggle freely, but atch it because you can still never be certain what the artist means. Above all else, enjoy yourself this weekend at what should prove to be the best arts festival Park City ever had. Just come prepared. As I walk up Main Street, I hear the Ten O'Clock Whistle. |