My Top 40 Art Reflections 

My art truth is "All art was made by someone." This seems incredibly obvious but it's something i have to remind myself of when I visit art , that it didn't just pop into existence. it took someone somewhere time to create.

I've been watching for so long and just realized John Green is your husband.

this channel feels like - putting on warm socks straight from the dryer - taking the first sip of hot chocolate - being wrapped up in a soft blanket - warm hugs - the buzz of old lightbulbs - slipping my glasses & bra off after a long day - mint cologne, for some reason - sitting on the kitchen counter and listening to the rain -tucking your nose into your scarf on a particularly windy day thanks for everything, sarah

Hey Sarah, the world needs a podcast with u talking about art.

I work as gallery guard and sometimes it's hard. People don't like you, because you are "watching" them. We are normal people and know lot of things about pictures and statues in gallery, so you can chat with us about it.

I really need a “because everything is contingent” t-shirt to go with my “all art was once contemporary” t-shirt please!!!!!

I went to art school and of course learned how to critique art during that time. I used to take my non art school friends to see works of art and get really excited to share my critiques which felt so much more authoritative and informative now that I knew what I was doing. However, I realized pretty quickly that doing that saps the fun out of seeing a piece of art and really unpacking it for those who I was man-splaining to. Now, I ask my friends light questions when I am seeing works with them. "What do you think? What stands out to you? Do you like it? Why? What puts you off about it?" I also read the interaction and leave quiet space if more appropriate. tl;dr I stopped trying to explain art to people and saw how much more people enjoy discovering art for themselves.

when she just casually dropped that her husband wrote the fault in out stars

I loved this so much. It's so nice to hear another person saying "You belong in a museum, and if you feel like you don't, the museum isn't doing its job." I have said that to so many friends, and they never believe me.

Sarah, as a former art teacher who misses the classroom every day, I'm telling you that Crash Course Art History needs to exist in this world and you need to be the person out front. It will benefit so many of all ages.

Hi! Maybe you'll read this since I'm early, so I'll say it. The Art Assignment is the sole reason I started getting more interested in art. I grew up thinking I was fully an academic or close minded person. That I couldn't really comprehend art. Watching this channel has completely destroyed that assumption about myself and I find myself enjoying and making art way way more once I let go of all that bullshit. So honestly, thank you!

The comfiest channel on youtube.

Not gonna lie, this made me want to skip out of work today and visit a museum or two

I can't speak for all museum guards but I can confirm that I know secrets

I went to the National Museum of Women in the Arts last week, and I honestly think the way I viewed the art and treated my experience was impacted by the years I've spent watching the Art Assignment. Letting myself be surrounded and overwhelmed by pieces instead of just glancing and moving away when I'm uncomfortable, not putting on headphones so I could fully experience the rooms. I even checked out the library (no pun intended) and found another little exhibit there! All this to say, thank you Sarah and PBS for impacting the way I view/experience art. I really, genuinely appreciate it.

This just gave me a great idea to ask a museum guard what their favorite piece in the museum is next time I'm visiting one!

"At times your art world might feel like middle school. There are nice people in middle school, but the larger structures of power and influence don't necessarily bring out the best in them." I had to pause and hear that again. Thank you so much.

“All art was once contemporary” love this so much!

I read this in the book called "big magic" by Elizabeth Gilbert, idea or inspiration is like a little fairy. It comes, sits on your shoulder, whispers in your ear, and gives you that wow moment. If you want you can take it. But it doesn't belong to you.

"You don't have to like Picasso." It really pleases me that you said that. Thank you so much!

My favorite "The Art Assignment" yet. Excellent. Thank you.

i think one of my truths about art is "take drawing supplies to museums!" i ALWAYS find something that inspires me, and ive never gotten told off for just sitting anywhere to sketch. Also, people love to see your different take on the art! also, "talk with people", i love hearing what other people think about the art i'm seeing!!

Sarah, tomorrow I have an interview to work at a gallery. Ive always wanted to work with art. But you've really been an inspiration and someone to look up to during my journey. I can only hope to be half as insightful and encouraging when I reach the later levels in my career as you.

Most of these reflections can be applied to everything, not just art.. . Love it! Not only is this my favorite art channel, it is also my favorite philosophy channel. (Side note, this year I started work as a gallery framer/conservator/restorer. I had to frame a banksy. On the table, out of the folder, it really wasn't anything special. However once it was mounted, framed and hung, it took on an air of great importance. Presentation is everything! When displayed properly, removed from all context so that the work is the sole focus of attention, really anything can be art. A dried leaf on the ground takes on new meaning when mounted, lit and displayed. You can contemplate it far more deeply and concepts cant help but bloom in your head.)

- Sarah : " *that feel something like the truth to me..or at truth-adjacent for now because everything is contingent* " - John : *I need to quote this* 😂😂

Watching The Art Assignment is my favorite form of procras--er, I mean, thinking and processing time.

"You belong in museums and galleries." Thank you Sarah💖💕💖💕💖💕

As an artist i know: an artwork doesn't need to be finished to be on a show

Here's a few of mine Sarah - All art is precious like a baby. Appreciate that someone was brave in showing you a part of their soul. When public art is stolen we could all wring our hands and cry a little till that baby is returned to us.

I worked as a docent and gallery guard in a small museum for a couple of months and it was so rare that anyone acknowledged me in a positive manner ( some would stare at me when I was in my assigned position or look at me oddly when I approached for conversation) thanks for pointing out that we’re people too💕

"You belong in museums and galleries" As I watch this from the museum in which I work.

as a gallery guard, THANK YOU. I love when people acknowledge my existence and ask me questions about the art. And it's really not personal if we ask you to step back, my job is security so we have to always prepare for the worst case scenario.

oh boy, the last one is a mistake I see people make all the time "I really like this idea so I'm going to save it for when I get better" No! It'll probably seem like a dumb idea by then! Just do it now, damnit!

My art truth is that I am more intrested in how a thing is made than in the thing itself. This is true both for my own art and for other peoples. Its not just concept or just craft mastery that draws me in but experimental process.

How in the world can I love this woman that much? Your work is simply amazing

As a photography major in the early 1980's, I went to an Ansel Adams exhibit. He was my favorite photographer at the time and the difference between seeing a photo in a book and seeing his prints, large on a wall was amazing. My favorite image was of Half Dome in winter. The foreground is a snow-covered pine tree in early morning shadow while Half Dome is illuminated brightly in the distance. The tonal control in the image was phenomenal. I was amazed later in the museum gift shop to see the same image on the cover of Adams' book on Polaroid photography.

Once again, beautiful. You belong here. The most powerful one. Plenty of my friends find art intimidating. They thus step aside from it and consume it perhaps indirectly through the sight of others. I do tell them that art is made for any, for all of us to enjoy, judge or admire.

No. 40 is so, so important! never feel like if you use up a good idea, you'll never be able to top it. It's a learning curve, a roller coaster that only goes up ;)

Having gotten here from vlogbrothers, and then seeing a thing on the side list for "hey this might also interest you" which in turn led me from Art Assignment to Sound Field...it's lovely to kind of come full circle in a way (full spiral?) I am far more familiar with music than with art, but I have learned SO much from you. Sometimes things that surprise me - things that I would never have thought, a year ago, that I even COULD learn. Things I didn't know art could teach. Things about art that connect it to music in ways I hadn't expected. So thank you for all that you've taught me so far! I look forward to continuing to learn as you continue to share your thoughts with us.

Thank you for this video. Would you consider making one on the Light and Space movement? Turrell and Irwin are well known but I'm very curious about the other contibutors of this movement. Also, I would love to learn more about Art Residencie: what's the advantage for an institution to organise them ? Which ones are the most well known and why? I hope these questions can provide inspo for your next videos 😊

But Impressionism was my entrance into art!! Way back as a girl it motivated me to come into the city and see paintings up close, and then I began to learn about art history, what joy! But Picasso was always problematic, ha! Thank you Sarah for sharing your ideas, Keep them coming❤️❣️

Sarah: You have single handedly improved my joy of going to museums and appreciating art without anxiety. Love your videos - a great service to art and humanity.

I once walked the louvre with a professional physical therapist. He saw in many of the older paintings, the health and body injuries that most of the artists models had. It was amazing to experience set through another’s expertise.

One of my art reflections is that: if you put your heart into your work it will somehow show in the final piece and the audience will notice and like it (a lot). So enjoy and have fun while you work on your art (this is specially true in theatre and cinema)

Her voice is very soothing. It's very pleasant and relaxing.

Every video, every word, on point. Well done Sarah. You have the most lovely way of putting things.

I feel like so much of this video applies to life at large. Which I suppose is why art is so important.

Magnificent! This is a well organized litany of absolutely brilliant perspectives and cerebrations on the collective and individual components of "Art" as both a subject and a verb. The ARTiculation of your thoughts is worthy of my envy.

One of my most poignant art gallery trips was the first trip I took to our big city gallery when I was a teenager. I struggled to like or enjoy the art in the rooms of their main exhibit so I ended up walking through faster than I thought I "should be". And then there it was - the very last piece of the show - and I spent the rest of the time the other students were there just looking at this one piece. At the time and looking back for a long time it feels like the wrong way to do it. Now though, like you said in #22, I know it's important to go at your own pace. Nowadays if I go to a gallery with a friend, I have found it's best to be flexible in the time you look at art together and apart. If you find a piece more interesting, stay behind and keep looking. If you want to move on to something else while your friend looks? Do it. You will meet up eventually and won't feel like you're being rushed. And if there is a piece you think they should see or you want to talk about? You can always bring them back.

It's just so good to hear enlightening words, encouraging words, helpful words, phrases, wisdom, truth, when you're an artist. And the sooner the better. Also any time at all. This video would have helped me... I wonder if it might have even helped me in my very earliest years, say first grade! I already had a desire to commit to serious artwork. It doesn't matter if all I had was crayons and manila paper. When I got started it was SERIOUS!! That never really changed but as you say in this video, the feelings of inadequacy have practically wrecked me. Well, you didn't quite say that, but it's true. That's happened several times through the decades. If I had gone the route of art teacher I think I would try to ensure that my students had the tools to deal with such difficult feelings of inadequacy whenever they arise. And that competitiveness quality of art. Is anything more? With Leonardo, Michelangelo, Picasso, Vermeer, Matisse... I could go on and on for hours but I won't... :) How many times my friends have told me, DON'T COMPARE YOURSELF !! Yet still it's difficult for me, maybe not so much many other artists, to look out there and see what's going on and say, "Where do I fit in?" The art field is just amazing. I can't compete!! But it's not exactly a competition. I'm trying to be the best artist I can be. I'll just work on MY ART! haha

This is my favourite channel and I can't stress this enough!

Oh, and I know we're talking T-shirts elsewhere, but this would make an awesome poster with all 40 rules. (Perhaps in the vein/style of the Immaculate Heart College Rules?) It could also begin a series, with additional posters released later with both your revised thoughts and with ones taken from the broader AA community! :)

Would you ever consider making a series about your career in curation and museum studies? I know many people who subscribe to you, myself included, are probably majoring in art history/art theory and have a passion for wanting to work in galleries. I've been struggling to get a leg up in my career, and youtube seems to be filled with artists, but not many curators/gallery assistants/museum directors. It would be great to have a series about how to get started in the business and resume building tips for us. Love your content!

This is one of my favorite episodes so far! I love all the little insights from when you worked at the gallery

Some of the very best artists are nobodies immersed in the joy of doing, the challenge of skill building. They aren’t in it to win it or to produce any thing. They produce art as a means of joy, challenge, learning.

I had to rewind.. 6:54 "take a break, feed yourself and try again". One of the best advises ever. Seriously..

So much goodness in this! Thanks Sarah!

I love all these reflections, and also, thank you the w.h. Auden reference. If poetry is a happening, I guess architecture is expressing what can happen inside an area or space. Architecture is my life and my family's life, and we appreciate places when we experience them. Seeing all that it takes to build something. critiquing and reflecting in spaces that were designed for people can also be applied to art I believe. Also, thank you for the art citations. I really enjoy discovering artists like Finch through your channel. So excited for everything you do. I also think I'll fall in love with the new pbs channel soundfield. Thank you for all your hard work. :>

I often dream of a high mountain plateau that has massive ornate tiles covering the ground, and fluted columns of colorful stone seemingly placed with whimsically randomness. Walls & ceilings don't exist there, yet the raging storms visible in the skies do not drop one snowflake, nor let fall one rain drop. In these dreams this is the gallery of gods of a forgotten age. I imagine seeing the artwork I am viewing as hanging in mid air there. The artwork becomes a window to a world frozen in a moment that I can climb in and explore what occurred beyond what the artist chose to show. (Inevitably this is when someone brings me back to the Mundane, bumping into me and painting me with their Chai latte. )

Absolutely love everything you say and do, keep up the good work please.

Really big thank to you for these series, I am just watching and enjoying.

Fun Fact: the first time I heard about "The treachery of images: It's not a pipe" was on "The falt in our stars" it was the first time I thought about art in a different way of just being a representative tool.... so the book made me cry as well as thoght deeply about art. This channel does same

Thank you so much! I greatly appreciate you!

she is amazing!! im loving art more and more after listening to her

I feel like I need to watch this 3 more times.

I love this video so much, a perfect blend of profoundness, humanity, and humour. My additional (because I mirror many of yours!) versions of truth about art are: - Art for beauty’s sake is OK. Not all art needs to have deep, layered, meanings or messages. Art for pleasure is a thing, and it’s a great thing. - Move around. Stand close to the work. Stand far away from the work. See it in context. Focus in on the little detail. Watch the light fall across it. Whole new experiences can be had just by observing differently. - Pay attention to the gallery itself. The architecture is a piece of art in its own right! - It’s OK to love something. You don’t need to erect a barrier between you and it through intellect, or identity, or etc. Think of Anton Ego from Ratatouille - his big transformation comes when he drops his identity as a critic and returns to liking food (and being able to enjoy it). - Adding to the previous, you can like something without needing to define it in opposition to something else. - Liking something, and critiquing something, are two different things. Critiquing is its own, developed, skill that requires contemplation and consideration of the work from several angles. To make a critique is to put yourself on the line, vulnerable. At the same time, you must also stand outside of yourself; a critique may include whether you like it or not, but the bulk of the critique is irrespective of that (dis)like. - Art is hard. Ever create something? From scratch? It can be HARD. A struggle, even. Remember that it is often difficult enough just trying to communicate something to a friend through words, let alone trying to emote or connect to a stranger through artwork. Remember this before you dismiss a work. - Variety is what makes life awesome. That things exist outside the “ordinary” bounds or definitions - or outside of what you like/find lovely - is vital. Let diversity flourish, even if its not your thing. And engage with it… who knows, you may find yourself coming around to it. - Installation and spatial art is the best. (Ok, this last one might just be my opinion… ;)

Thank you for posting this! These are all wonderful, healthy ways to help people think about art! So much of this spoke to me!

This channel makes me want with all of my guts to study art and art history! Than you for your lovely, informative and inspiring videos.

In a gallery, Look at the artwork before you look at the description. Love this edition, Sarah, thank you!

Love number 2! I've done it once. Wish i could do it all the time

So grateful for this video.... 💕

Thanks so much for sharing your beliefs, I find them refreshing and they made me look at certain things differently.

I really enjoy this channel and what it means to true art lovers and creators. So far I've only met one fan in person, and we instantly hit it off. Hoping to meet more in the future.

One thing I think about often is that "For any piece of art, there was a time when it didn't exist / wasn't deemed important." I would also add that "most 'radical' movements in art history were more inevitable progressions than sudden departures."

Can't wait to use some of these in the museum this weekend!

I just wanna say I have fallen in love with this channel and how you explain art!!

Thank you.

Heyyyy! i love the passion you have for art. and im thankfull for your amazing videos! they sometimes help with my art school homework

I truly admire you oh, thank you for all your good work please keep it up.

Great content again as usual. Also, thanks for clueing me in on Sound Field. As I was watching this episode, I was reflecting on how necessary it felt for me to gain perspective on the arts aside from music and literature, which are very natural for me. When I sit down to a Schönberg, Coltrane, G.K. Chesterton, etc., it's all a labor of love. I can't say the same has been true in my art museum career. Thankfully, I have good friends to help me with this.

Mine, related to 'read the label' is always check out what materials the art is made of. Example of this recently was on a visit to Adelaide (I was visiting from the UK) art gallery where a piece of work was made out of a large sea-shell. Not obvious at first look, but a revelation adding to the beauty of the work itself. Also, bear in mind that a great deal of art is not just made by the named artist - much of the time, unnamed worker/artists are involved and fundamental to the finished product. :)

My favourite quotation about art (it's actually about poetry) is from Leonard Cohen's song, "Going Home: "He wants to write a love song, an anthem of forgiveness, a manual for living with defeat, a cry above the suffering, a Holocaust recovery---but that isn't what I need him to complete. I want him to be certain that he doesn't have a burden, that he doesn't need a vision, that he only has permission to do my instant bidding, which is to say what I have told him to repeat."

Brilliant!

I love your channel.you always Impress me and teach me alot.

Thank you for these great insights!

Loved this video. Thanks

Such a great and straightforward video :)

I loved this.

For the past 3 years I've enjoyed looking at pictures taking by my wife of me processing the art , capturing the moment of me being intimate with the art . As time passes I've noticed a change because I'm aware that she might be taking a picture

For me its "There are no mistakes in an art" I think I experienced it every time I tried making some kind of artwork most of time there is something new and better pops up than what I have thought.

fun and interesting comments- I've discovered some of these myself by lots of visits to museums, plus it's totally true about museum guards and their secrets!

Art can be anything.

Thanks for sharing, Sarah!

I haven't been to an art museum in ages but this video made me want to change that asap!

Wow, not bragging but I think I check 40 out of 40, I guess that's why I love this channel.

I needed #26. Thank you!

"You don't have to like Impressionism. You can, but you don't have to." thank you 😂 I love this and would love more personal opinions/experiences of yours regarding art.

I loves this!

Thanks!

My art museum rule is to go specially for an exhibit. I have a pretty in-depth knowledge of art history, so I'm interested in seeing a story about art through another person's eyes. So many times I find a new "favorite" artist or piece this way, and then go home and research everything they've done online! I did initially learn art history in traditional art colleges, but I never stopped going to museums, and all those exhibits about specific movements keep building a context for art in my head.