But is it Art??

I was hiking through the woods --ok, I was bushwhacking through the woods--thinking about definitions of art.  I'm so happy not to be in college & have to actually care about the difference between art and "craft," for instance. But it's fun to muse on meanings.

The artist Marcel Duchamp really stirred the pot with his entry for a 1917 art show. He bought a urinal at the plumbing supply store, signed it (R. Mutt) and submitted it for the show. His art was rejected by the show's directors. But it started a public conversation about "what is art?" and whether every day objects can be considered ART.

Now admit it, the lines are quite elegant. Even fluid. (sorry, could not resist)

On the trail (finally) I come upon a cairn, rocks someone has piled up to mark the way. I'm really happy to see it (especially after bushwhacking for an hour...).
The cairn is artfully arranged, but is it art?
If it's artful, then it's "Full of Art," right?

An artful cairn on the trail.

In another spot on the trail I come upon a mass of small cairns, created over time by many strangers who also passed this spot, were moved by the beauty of this project, and were compelled to contribute to it.
This one's sorta fuzzy--there is no single artist or detailed plan, yet a thing of real beauty purposefully grows.
Like much public art, it's temporary. The next big storm will clear the logs.

Small cairns (Andrew Goldsworthy-inspired ?) assembled by hikers, over a season.

In the houses on this remote island, people often use rocks to create artful vignettes:

Sometimes I see people hesitate to buy art because they wonder "is this ART? Is it GOOD art?"
Wrong questions.
The right question: "Do I like it?"

It's refreshing after hiking 3 hrs to come upon an Art Gallery that lacks any pretensions.