What is Intrepretative Art?

There are new buzz words in every discipline of study or profession that appear, become vogue, then die out, old and archaic anachronisms of language. Part of learning something new is learning its ever changing language.

The word “interpretative” appeals to me because it can be used broadly meaning interpretation of some subject to others by an interpreter. I happened upon the term when I was trying to figure out what my photographic collage of the Maricopa Animal Care and Control West Side Shelter was art wise if art at all. The word “interpretative floated to my mind and then I checked on the Internet and found out my intuition was correct and that I wanted to learn more about interpretative art today.

In an increasingly global culture, the emphasis is on communication. When so many people around the world speak different languages, the interpreter is all important having skills in translating one language to another. Art knows no language barriers. It is easily understood why interpretative art will ease the transition of diverse peoples of unlike cultures and origins coming together productively and peacefully.

What is Interpretative Art ....??

I believe it to be the reciprocal merging of traditional academic disciplines in such a way as to inspire and include art and artistic creative expression to motivate and educate others enhancing written text with visual imagery minimizing the words needed while increasing the positive experience of learning....

An example is the book below... (http://www.cr.nps.gov/seac/ancientmuses/theme.htm) and its synopsis which via its context defines interpretative art uses.

Ancient Muses:Archeology and the Arts

Edited by John H. Jameson, Jr., John E. Ehrenhard, and Christine A. Finn
Published by the University of Alabama Press

The practice of archaeology, as well as archaeologically derived information and objects, can inspire a wide variety of artistic expressions ranging from straightforward computer-generated reconstructions and traditional artists' conceptions to other art forms such as poetry, opera, and storytelling. Although some level of conjecture will always be present in these works, they are often no less conjectural than technical interpretations and have the benefit of providing visual and conceptual imagery that can communicate contexts and settings in compelling and unique ways. These cognitive connections between archaeology and art reflect an inductive approach in defining and explaining the resource and making it more meaningful to the public. An emphasis on artistic interpretations and narrative is consistent with a new direction in archaeological practice that challenges the positivist paradigm of processual archaeology, promotes the relevance and validity of deductive reasoning over inductive reasoning, and represents a fundamental change in how archaeologists plan and conduct research and evaluate significance.

This book examines a variety of examples of this new approach as it applies to more meaningful and effective approaches to interpretation that emphasize public awareness, access, and inspiration. The book includes case studies where archaeology has inspired artistic expression, and where interpretive art is used to inspire and educate the public.
June 2003

288 pages, 50 illustrations
6 1/8" x 9 1/4"
ISBN 0-8173-1274-9 - $29.95s paper
ISBN 0-8173-1273-0 - $60.00s unjacketed cloth
Order: U AL Press Distribution Center: (800) 621-2736
http://www.uapress.ua.edu/NewSearch2.cfm?id=132516