The house, the museum, the ribbon, the heart and the dollar sign

I went to an art seminar a few months ago, and one of the speakers told us about a interesting concept. She said that art can be classified by 5 icons - the house, the museum, the ribbon, the heart and the dollar sign.

- the house. This is the type of art that people like to hang in their house, as decoration.

- the museum. This type of art is shown in museums.

- the ribbon. This art wins awards - juried shows, competitions, etc.

- the heart. This art is loved by people and considered their favorite.

- the dollar sign. This art sells for a lot of money.


I think this "icon" system is fascinating. Note how art that excels in one area is often unsuccessful in another - for example:

the paintings that a typical person has on their walls (such as Thomas Kinkade) will never be shown in a museum.

Art that is people's favorite often isn't very expensive.

I think an artist has to think about which type of art he wants to produce - is your goal to get into museums? Then you probably won't be selling every painting. Is your goal to make a living? Then your paintings probably won't win juried shows.