33 Artists in 3 Acts Quotes

“Art is not supposed to repeat what you already know. It is supposed to ask questions.”
― Sarah Thornton, 33 Artists in 3 Acts

“Indeed, being an artist is not just a job but an identity dependent on a broad range of extracurricular intelligences.”
― Sarah Thornton, 33 Artists in 3 Acts

“Unlike those in other professions, artists cut the branch they are sitting on.”
― Sarah Thornton, 33 Artists in 3 Acts

“Art is not a job for an artist, just as religion is not a job for a priest.” He runs his fingers through his hair again. “Sometimes I see myself as almost like an academic. My artworks are not really products; they are papers that you write when you have finalized a strain of thought.”
― Sarah Thornton, 33 Artists in 3 Acts

“In Wangechi Mutu’s mother tongue, Kikuyu, there is no word for “artist.” The closest term is something like “magician” or “a person who uses objects and imbues them with meaning and power,”
― Sarah Thornton, 33 Artists in 3 Acts

“Politics, kinship, and craft also happen to embrace some of the most important things in life: caring about your influence on the world, connecting meaningfully with others, and working hard to create something worthwhile.”
― Sarah Thornton, 33 Artists in 3 Acts

“Like the size and composition of a work, the walk and talk of an artist has to persuade, not just others but the performers themselves. Whether they have colorful, large-scale personas or minimal, low-key selves, believable artists are always protagonists, never secondary characters who inhabit stereotypes. For this reason, I see artists’ studios as private stages for the daily rehearsal of self-belief.”
― Sarah Thornton, 33 Artists in 3 Acts