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Definitions often seem to pin down, in academic phraseology, what seems intuitively obvious. I will not give a formal definition of art suitable for quoting in essays or exams.¹ Instead, I will paint, with a broad brush, a picture of the cultural forms that I intend to cover in this book. Indeed, it is not actually possible to define art in abstract terms, because “what is art”—even broadly stated—is socially defined, and therefore subject to many inconsistencies. Why is ballet art but World Federation Wrestling not art? They both are scripted before‐hand and performed to a sound track (music or the roar of the crowd and the announcer’s voice‐over); the performers wear attractive costumes and leap athletically about the stage. We might say that art is not sport (but this begs the question, in this case, as to why the World Federation style of wrestling is considered sport). Family photos are not considered art, even the ones which are carefully composed and mounted in beautiful scrapbooks. These photos and albums might be an expressive form, but they are too private to be called art. Nevertheless, most of us would think of the photographer Ansel Adams’s private albums as art, and some photographers have created family photos, specifically meant to be considered art, that have been exhibited in museums.² If we already think of the creator as an artist, or if we see a work in a museum, we tend to call it art. This points to the importance of the context.

The sociologist Howard Becker (2008 [1982]) believes that the context is the most important aspect to the definition of art. He says,

Like other complex concepts, [the concept of art] disguises a generalization about the nature of reality. When we try to define it, we find many anomalous cases, cases which meet some, but not all, of the criteria implied or expressed by the concept. When we say “art,” we usually mean something like this: a work which has aesthetic value, however that is defined; a work justified by a coherent and defensible aesthetic; a work displayed in the appropriate places (hung in museums, played at concerts). In many instances, however, works have some, but not all, of these attributes. (p. 138)

Becker believes that a work is art if people say it is. That is, the contents of the category of art are defined socially. Further, art is defined by groups of people organized into art worlds, which we will discuss in detail later. An example: A colleague of mine was interviewing art students at the San Francisco Art Institute. In a courtyard outside the classroom, a young man dressed in black clothes was standing in the fountain and moving his body in interesting ways. Inside, my colleague found the students discussing whether “Bob” was making art, or whether he was just acting like an idiot again. The students’ debate on whether or not Bob’s movements were art highlights the issue of context. If the fountain had been in a theater, his dance would probably be thought of as art (whether it was good art is another question). If he danced in a public fountain, passersby might think he was mentally ill. Since the context was an art school, the answer was not clear.

Becker also suggests that we think of the definitional problems in relationship to art as an opportunity for research rather than as a problem: “Art worlds typically devote considerable attention to trying to decide what is and isn’t art…; by observing how an art world makes those distinctions rather than trying to make them ourselves we can understand much of what goes on in that world” (p. 36).

Becker’s comments are quite correct and we shall examine them in greater detail later. Assuming that we cannot define art formally and abstractly, there are, nevertheless, some elements that characterize most forms of art:

 There is an artistic product. It may be tangible, visible, or audible. The product can be a physical object, like a book or record. Or it can be a performance, like a play or a concert.

 It communicates publicly. To be art, the cultural product must not only exist, it must be seen, heard, touched, or experienced by an audience, either in public or private settings. All art is communication. Of course, not all communication is art.

 It is experienced for enjoyment. “Enjoyment” can take many forms. Art might be consumed for aesthetic pleasure, for sociability and fun, for mental stimulation, or for escape. Sometimes, however, people are exposed to art because “it’s good for them,” as in a school trip to a museum.

 Art is an expressive form. When art relates to real life, it presents a fiction or an interpretation. Sometimes art claims to tell the “truth,” but if it takes this idea too literally, it moves into the area of documentary, non‐fiction, or news.

 Art is defined by its context, both physical and social. What is art in a museum or theater may be just odd objects or strange behavior in other settings. When different social groups view the same expressive product, they may disagree on whether or not it is art.

It is as important to understand what this book will not cover, as well as what it will cover. I exclude from analysis (1) popular culture in the broad sense, for instance, youth culture or commodity culture, and (2) the media in their informational, rather than entertaining, formats, for instance news, documentaries and the like, whether online or broadcast. Griswold (2013) distinguishes between implicit culture and explicit culture. Implicit culture is an abstract feature of social life: how we live and think. Explicit culture is a tangible construction, a performance or product that is produced—it is what I am calling “art.” The book analyses culture in the explicit sense, but does not attempt to address implicit culture systematically.

In place of a formal definition, a list of what is “art” and “not art” will help define the scope of the book (see Table 1.1). This book will cover: (1) The fine (or high) arts. For example: the visual arts (painting, sculpture, drawing, etching, and other works that you might find in an art museum), opera, live symphony and chamber music, recorded classical music, drama, theater, dance (ballet and modern), other performance art (experimental theater, happenings, etc.), literature and serious fiction, and digital art (art visible only in virtual environments), and art recently “promoted” to high art (e.g. jazz music, some cinema). (2) The popular (or low, or mass) arts. For instance: Hollywood movies, independent film (sometimes considered as fine art), television drama (series, serials, made‐for‐television movies), television sitcoms, best‐selling and pulp fiction, popular music (rock, pop, rap, etc.) including recorded music, rock concerts, and performances in pubs and clubs, and print, television, and online advertising. The fine and popular arts are the book’s main subjects, but we will also discuss (3) the folk arts, that is, artistic activities created in community settings. These include: some types of amateur music, garage rock music (e.g. as performed by teenagers), quilting (especially in quilt circles), and graffiti of the artistic (rather than the public toilet) kind, as well as a wide variety of DIY (do it yourself) creation distributed via the Internet, such as music or fanfiction. As mentioned, some types of art do not neatly fall into one of the categories, for instance, jazz can be either popular or high art, and, especially in its early forms, folk art (Lopes, 2002).

Table 1.1 What is Art? Manifestations of Culture Included and Excluded from Consideration in This Book

Art (as defined in this book)	Not Art (as defined in the book)
Fine art Opera Symphony Painting and sculpture Experimental performance art Dance – ballet, modern, etc. Literature Etc. Popular art Popular music (rock, pop, country, etc.) Popular fiction Movies & film (Hollywood, made‐for‐TV or Internet, and independent) Television drama (series, mini‐series) and sit‐coms (broadcast or for download) Advertising (print, television) Etc. Folk art DIY art Amateur music Quilting Etc. The art of subcultures (but not how people in them live) Art products on the Internet – digital art, virtual museums, (some) music, video, and images (when presented as fine, popular or DIY art), and the like.	⊠ Popular culture (broadly stated) Fads and fashions Trends in clothing The meaning of blue jeans Attitudes towards hair coloring or body design (tattoos, piercing) Subcultures, as a way of life Youth cultures Consumerism Manufactured products that carry a cultural meaning (e.g. Levi’s, branded clothing, Coca‐Cola, mobile phones) Etc. ⊠ Sport ⊠ Media – in non‐fiction and news facets TV, print and Internet news Documentaries Current affairs True crime Science shows The Internet, in most of its aspects Etc. ⊠ Private expressive forms Personal sketches, watercolors, doodles Photos posted on Flickr/Instagram/Facebook, (most) videos on YouTube Art therapy Etc. ⊠ Lots and lots of other things
Gray Area (These fall outside the book’s definition, or at least its attention, but might have strong elements with respect to artness)
High fashionCooking, especially haute cuisineDemolition Derby, World Federation WrestlingComputer/digital games[etc.]

This book will not cover: (1) Popular culture, in the broad sense. Many people use the term “popular culture” to mean what I refer to as the “popular arts.” Other people use it to mean something bigger. They mean “culture” as in Griswold’s implicit culture, an anthropological sense: “that complex whole of knowledge, habit and custom” (Tylor, 1924 [1871]: 1). It is this wider component of popular culture that I exclude. For instance, youth culture is excluded (but not the music that young people might enjoy—music is a popular art form); the lifestyles of subcultures are excluded (but not the art forms subcultures enjoy). I will not cover such topics as: trends in everyday clothing; the cultural meaning of blue jeans; attitudes towards hair coloring or body design (tattoos, piercing), consumer culture, and other customs and norms. (2) Sport is not art, and neither are (3) the non‐fiction and news facets of the media. Consequently, I will not consider sport or such media forms as television, print or Internet news, documentaries, current affairs shows, true crime, or science programs. The Internet has had an important impact on many forms of art, but it is a vehicle for art, like a museum, movie theater, or bookshop. I will not discuss the Internet as a media form in and of itself nor will I consider many of its key aspects such as email, information sites, blogs, chat rooms, or the like—though I will consider the Internet as an important site for the distribution and consumption of art.

There are innumerable things that are not art. In this list, I have mentioned only those areas which are similar enough to art to cause confusion—mostly cultural forms that are not art. The line between art and non‐art is not sharp. How you look at a cultural form, and from where you look, affects your perception of it. For instance, in France haute cuisine is considered to be a part of the national heritage and is supported by the French Ministry of Culture. Gourmets exist in English‐speaking countries too, but cooking is not valued in the same way. Similarly, high fashion is a form of creative expression for designers. But I do not study haute cuisine or haute couture in the book.³ Some cultural forms cross boundaries between art and non‐art: digital games are not art, but many aspects of these products (artwork, music, aesthetic style) are artistic. YouTube videos of cats, as a cultural phenomenon, are not art; however, some individual examples might be considered art. I also do not cover art therapy or personal art, as in doodles or recreational watercolors. These are important expressive forms for individuals, but they do not communicate in the public sense that art does.

Why do I consider broad categories of art—fine, popular, and folk/DIY—together? The full answer lies in the book, but the basic idea is that they all can be understood with the same sociological concepts. These analytic and methodological tools are applicable to arts that appear in some tangible or performative format (although they do not always apply well to related areas in popular culture, broadly stated, or the media, which is why these areas are not covered). Concentrating on the fine, popular, and folk arts makes it possible to cover the topic in some depth. Moreover, the distinctions among fine, popular, and folk art continue to exist, but they have blurred in recent decades and the categories are less powerful than they once were. In fact, these distinctions exist for social reasons, and this is an important topic for discussion.