Is there a correct way to look at art?

Looking at art:

When you look at art, do you have a specific assessment in mind? As a studio art teacher in a high school, I told my students that I would evaluate their work with a specific assessment plan. They would be graded according to their creativity (how original and how much thought went into it), Craftsmanship (how well they handled the materials) and Design (how successful was the composition). These criteria helped my students to understand how the quality of their art related to certain standards. However, I suspect that when we walk into a museum or art gallery, we have a visceral response to what we see. Instead of an intellectual evaluation of an artist’s work when I look at art, my first response is to the impact of the piece in terms of size, color and content and how it makes me feel as an individual. How do you respond to art?

Work in the Studio:

When working on a piece of art, I try to challenge myself to create a certain effect. There are feelings I wish to express which I hope will be conveyed to the viewer. Sometimes these goals are very specific and sometimes they are general, but there is always a preconceived expectation for the piece as it evolves. In the sculpture shown here, I wanted to include three faces which are connected. The idea was to make a work of art about people united despite their differences. Perhaps the concept came from this difficult time we are going through during the pandemic, which seems to pit one group against another.

Together, Ceramic Sculpture, 9” x 6” x 6”