Multi-media art movement

In earlier posts I have mentioned my disdain for the state of television. I’m not sure that it ever had a true silver age. Even old favorites like MASH had its share of problems (any episode Alan Alda wrote or directed). Television has more often than not served the lowest common denominator. Now I’m throwing myself into that category, because like hundreds of millions of others – I still watch. But there were a few shining beacons of hope, such as Charles Kuralt (CBS “On the Road”) My friend Gaelon still holds him as an artistic role-model.

My question is this – what will it take for television to surpass quality to become art. Obviously, once again I am talking about a new art movement. If it came about (in television) how would it tie into the rest of the art world. Notice, I said Art World not Art Market. Sad to say but I believe the trend of “Reality Shows” are/were easily definable as an “art movement” within the constraints of the commercial television medium. Unfortunately, they lost their way in the first five minutes of airing. For me it was always difficult to grasp the illusion of “surviving” on a show like “Survivor” when I knew the film crew’s TEAMSTER buffet was twenty feet behind the cameras. Charles Kuralt came much closer to reality television with his random interviews of the ordinary.

Now does the fact that Kuralt worked within the confines of the most commercial of mediums discount the artistic credibility of his work? I don’t believe so. Picasso was the equivalent of the television star of the art world. He was wealthy, trendy and had groupies, but is still regarded as a modern master.

So once again - my question is this – what will it take for television to surpass quality to become art. But maybe more than just to become art but to wholly embrace a movement to become quality. Art movements encompassing bad art are still art movements. “Reality TV shows” have been such a force in modern television that they have influenced to the point of being an actual movement. But I think most people will agree that they lack quality. So will quality come in a way that crosses into music, painting and television? – DN