Welcome
Hi, and welcome to “Framing the Hammer”, the podcast about arts and culture produced by 4A Arts.
The name of this podcast was inspired by my high school English teacher, Jim Starkey. One day during my senior year, Starkey walked into class with two nails, a hammer, and a frame. Wordlessly, he proceeded to put two nails in the wall, hung the hammer, then hung the frame around the hammer. He then stood back and asked, “Is that art?”
For the next 42 minutes, our burgeoning adolescent intellects debated whether or not the framed hammer was art.
And Starkey held court, Socratic style, by answering every statement with a “Why not?”
“It can’t be art, because you just made it.”
“Why not?”
“It can’t be art, because you made it so quickly.”
“Why not?”
“It can’t be art, because it’s just a hammer.”
“Why not?”
“It can’t be art, because it’s just on the school wall.”
There was no definitive answer.
And how artistic is that?
We aim to be a a catalyst for social change.
– Gavin Lodge
So, inspired by that moment in my high school experience, 4A Arts’ podcast ponders what is art, who makes it, who cultivates it, and who enjoys it.
We hope you’ll enjoy this podcast’s exploration of how we’re all artists, we’re all audiences, and the who, what, when, how and why of art.
