Art According to Story Hatchery Students

A few months ago, a Story Hatchery student came into class with something she wanted to discuss. She had been on the bus for school and saw a boy draw a slanted line in the condensation on the window. The student was perplexed why the boy didn't draw a picture like the other kids on the bus were doing. The boy drew the line and then did nothing else but stare at it.

This sparked a conversation at our round table. Story Hatchery students came up with ideas (listed below) as to what this small action could represent of a character in a story.

1) The boy feels his life is downhill.

2) The boy unconsciously draws the line. 

3) The boy is experiencing, feeling, and noticing what others take for granted. 

4) The boy draws it to evoke reactions from others on the bus, to create mystery. 

5) The line symbolizes uncertainty, an unfinished childhood. 

This list lead to a class discussion of what is art. We talked about some paintings in museums seeming just as simple as a line made in condensation on a window. Could the line the boy drew on the window be art? Is everything that hangs in a museum art? Out students came up with some possible definitions of art: 1) Art is personal creation. 2) Art has meaning to the viewer or artist. 3) Art is expressing yourself. 4) Art is symbolic. Our students wanted to make sure their definitions could not limit art, but some students thought art should be limited. 

What do you think? What is art? What is it for? Can art have a definition? 

Inspired by this discussion, this Story Hatchery class of 12 and 13 year olds have been working on a story about a 14 year old boy named Jeremy. Look for this story in our upcoming anthology coming out this summer.