I have been thinking about this question of excellence for sometime now. My interest is in clarifying some terms.

For example, often you hear about excellence in reference to what is deemed to be ‘the best.’ Sometimes you hear about excellence in reference to ‘mastering’ a particular task or craft. These terms, if not clear for a person, can create some tension that hurts our art.

Again, for example, if you think that excellence means ‘the best,’ then you get into a competition with others that probably will come to no good. Regrettably, I think that is what is happening when you submit art to a show. Someone ranks the art as to what is perceived to be the best—but is it really? We all know that it is the judge’s opinion.

So I wonder; do we have a way of speaking of excellence that draws out of the artist something good, something that speaks of their talent as it is reflected in their effort or context? Contrastingly, and perhaps on a broader scale, few people in today’s cultural milieu seem willing to say that there is a standard of excellence. Anything seems to go.

Where has that led us and where is it leading us to?