ARTIST MEMBER Kyle Whitney

What does it mean to be an artist?

I can see at least, three different meanings.

One, would be to be a creator of great works of art, such as Van Gogh, Michelangelo, Degas, etc. A second, would be simply someone who works in the visual arts, as opposed to an actor, dancer or musician.

The third gets a little deeper, and was best expressed by a character in an Agatha Christ novel.

(Art) “… isn’t a thing you set out to do and succeed in. It’s a thing that gets at you, that nags at you—and haunts you—so that you’ve got, sooner or later, to make terms with it. And then, for a bit, you get some peace—until the whole thing starts over again.”

Fortunately, Arts Center East simplifies the issue a bit. Just send them $25 and hope they don’t throw your application in the trash.