What is Response Art?
Who gets to define a piece of art? The artist or the admirer?
It’s a question that frequently arises in the creative arts space. A common response is both, yet I'd like to disagree. In a world where people now have the ability to share their thoughts and opinions on happenings in the world in an instant, art can easily be interpreted through one person’s lens. But who’s to say that interpretation is an accurate depiction of what the artist meant for it to convey?
Art is a form of emotional expression. And when an artist creates a work of art, it is their experience that guides them to the idea and their emotional output that brings that art to life. Should an artist decide to share it with us, we in turn have sensations and feelings that reverberate within us and connect our own experiences to what we see in the art. Neither the experience of the artist or the admirer should overshadow one another, they should strive to co-exist.
What should you do the next time you experience art that sends tingles through your body? Create response art! Used within the expressive arts therapy field, response art is a tool therapists use to support their clients, yet it can be used by anyone. Response art is a process in which art is created that serves as a reflection of one’s experiences and emotions to an artwork that they have resonated with.
Shit Covered in Gold, Chalice Nelson, March, 2023
This artwork here is what I created in response to an art piece created by artist identified as J.T., entitled “J.T.’s Brown.” I gravitated to the story told that led to “J.T.’s Brown” and connected to a feeling I had been experiencing in my own life. Allowing my feelings to guide me, I used collage to help me understand my own feelings in the moment. I thought of the song “Shit Covered in Gold” by Mac Ayres and that further inspired my work. In painting the canvas brown, scribbling on it with gold leaf and cutting out images of gold I found flipping through magazines, I gained my own understanding of what was coming up for me themes of trust, perfectionism, community and suppression. And the sense of pride I felt in creating it and gaining insight… unmatched.
I hope that you too can find the power that comes from creating response art by following these steps:
Find a piece of art (regardless of the medium - it can be a movie, a piece of visual art, a song, whatever feels good for you).
Understand what emotions, sensations and thoughts come up for you in experiencing this art- you may start out with journaling to get a clear understanding of your emotions.
Allow your intuition to guide you on creating art as result of what came up for you.
What came for you during this experience?
What emotions do you feel in completing your art?