One of my grade 12 English teachers said that art shouldn’t be considered a noun, but rather a verb. ‘Art’ is not a piece of music or a painting on a wall, but rather art happens when we hear that song or see that painting and form an opinion of it – that is when art is happening.

 

I finally went to the Mendel Art Gallery to see the Afghani War Rug exhibit that is heading into its final weekend. I know a lot of people have come back with less than stellar reviews for various, mostly personal and I suspect, political reasons. It’s hard to explain the various emotions that one might feel though as the rugs cover a number of topics through various points of the history of the region.

 

The one thing I will say though is that whether we like it or not, wars are happening in other peoples homes and affecting other people’s lives. People are coping in different ways. Sometimes, they’re using art. It’s definitely worth a look!

 

(Note: For those wondering why I took pictures in an art gallery, there was a sign saying that all displays were photographable provided that you didn’t use flash photography. However, this didn’t deter a security guard from stopping some people, but I didn’t bother arguing.)