On the Margins of the Art World

In contrast to the prevalent concept of the artist in Western societies as the avant-garde individualist is the sociological art-world perspective, which emphasizes the similarities of artistic and other activities rather than the distinctions between them. Adopting this theory, the contributors to this volume explore answers to such questions as: Who is permitted or required to be an artist? Which objects or events are considered to be works of art? Who is willing or able to be among audiences of these works? What do the processes of creation and appreciation consist of? These questions are approached psychologically, historically, and sociologically. The concept of the art world confronts and undermines the romantic ideology of art and artists that is still dominant in Western societies. By treating the production of art as work and artists as workers and examining the conditions under which these activities take place, this sociological perspective illuminates much that remains obscured by romantic individualism.The art worlds analysis represented in this collection of original studies questions the social arrangements that determine the recruitment and training of artists, the institutional mechanisms that govern distribution and influence success, the processes of innovation within art worlds, and the emergence of new formations around new media or new players. These studies share a focus on borderline cases and questionson actions, transactions, and transitions at the margins of art worlds.Controversies and critical incidents expose many of the otherwise invisible rules and procedures that determine art world practices. Examining transitions across the border into art worlds has much to tell us about aesthetic values and biases obscured by the romantic ideology of artistic genius. Looking at art worlds organized around marginal mediaamateur photography, video, graffitireveals patterns of interaction and evaluation strikingly reminiscent of those found in the fine art mainstream.The research reflected in this volume was conducted at the Annenberg School for Communication of the University of Pennsylvania. By approaching the study of art worlds from within the framework of communications studies, these scholars were free from the disciplinary boundaries that separate the study of art into social, historical, and aesthetic domains. At the same time, they were obliged to follow the threads of their questions wherever they led without resorting to the security of those same disciplinary constraints. These studies reflect the rich potential, indeed the necessity, of interdisciplinary approaches that combine empirical investigation and theoretical analysis for a deeper, more nuanced understanding of the workings of art worlds.