How to explain african art?

How you explain the purpose of fine art to those not familiar with it?

• I just finished a semester of Art 100, and from those 18 weeks of learning, I came to have a greater appreciation of what goes into it, how it tells the viewer about the context of the time it comes from and how it continues to push the boundaries of what makes something art(e.g. a Rembrandt v. Andy Warhol v. Mr. Brainwash). That said, I get the impression that most outside the art world see it as the last refuge of the spoiled and talented where rich people joust with money for their work(which actually popped up in one of my pieces of research for my big project). That naturally isn't the case, but what would you tell people about fine art to counter those conceptions?

• Answer:

  I think to truly understand and appreciate art you have to completely ignore auction prices and forget you know anything about the collector's market.  Most art isn't made with the hope that one day it will be worth millions of dollars, and the people paying that much in order to own a piece of art history don't know anything about art that you or I can't through simply looking at things and reading about them.  Art is one of those amazing things in life that (barring museum shows) you don't have to pay anything to enjoy.  You can go to gallery openings on a monthly basis in a lot of major cities, look at some new things, drink some wine, and decide for yourself if it's worth the canvas (or whatever) it's painted on.  There is certainly a stereotype that art is inaccessible to the masses (both in location and content), but by and large that's people people aren't looking hard enough.  If I had to explain the value of art to someone who didn't get the purpose of any of it, I would tell them that artists are simply doing something that the love to do.  There may be some who try to be controversial for the sake of fame, but most are simply trying to be creative and hope that other people enjoy the fruits of their labor.