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> Is the crux of this thread associated with feelings that by
> titling the magazine Metalsmith they are somehow playing tricks
> on the buying public?
I don't feel qualified to define "the crux of this thread."
> That they need to be more obvious in their naming?
Obvious, or honest? I have to make an admission here: I've
never seen the magazine, so I am flying blind (even more
than usual). When I first saw the name, I assumed that it's
target audience is "person[s] skilled in fashioning articles
of metal." [Webster's definition. Sorry, I don't have
access to the OED right now.] I pictured a magazine full
of pictures of persons beating the heck out of red-hot
iron with hammers.
> I cannot believe that this is the case.
Okay...
> The magazine
> contains the work of metalsmiths.
I'll have to trust you on this point.
> This reminds me of the need to
> inform the customer that a cup of coffee is hot;
Seems more like the need not to label hot coffee
as ice water.
> What it purports to be is a non-issue. What I find it to be is
> what it is. And if you find it to be something else, we can
> discuss that.
How can I find it to be something else, if it "is" what
you find it to be?
> Sort of like the defendant in a criminal trial.
> Almost all of them purport to be innocent; a lot of them are
> found to be something else. Do you want to free them because
> they advertise themselves as something other than what they are,
Of course not. But don't forget, in many cases defendants
are charged with crimes precisely because "they advertise
themselves as something other than what they are."
> The magazine is a forum for the discussion of art jewellry away
> from the concerns of the marketplace.
Would it be so difficult for the magazine to say so? Answer,
probably not. Indeed, the fact that they don't is quite
possibly tied directly to "the concerns of the marketplace."
Consider the fact that many magazine subscriptions are entered
into by consumers who possess very little information.
Quite often, all the consumer has is a folded cardstock
newspaper insert that lists hundreds of magazines, by name
only, or perhaps with tiny pictures of the magzines' covers.
Alternatively, the consumer may see the magazine at the news
stand, (where it will most likely be found in the section
devoted to arts and crafts "how to" publications), flip through
it, see all the pretty pictures and think, "Oh peachy, this
magazine will teach me how to make pretty things like these."
In either case, the consumer has been sold a bill of goods,
while the magazine has made a nice little profit. How many
of these same consumers would purchase the magazine if it
were titled, "Metalsmith: A Forum for the Discussion of
Jewellery Art away from the Concerns of the Marketplace"?
I'd be willing to bet that there are far more people
interested in the "how to" of jewelry making than are
interested in a "discussion of art jewellry away from
the concerns of the marketplace."
> I am fully able to judge the works I see and make a decision as to
> the appropriateness of their degree of finish.
I think it more accurate to say that you are fully able
"to judge the works [you] see and" form an opinion "as to the
appropriateness of their degree of finish."
> There is in my opinion more work to be done within
> the discourse they are engaging in.
Certainly. And they might well begin by discussing
the level of finish of the pieces they photograph. There
is a problem, however, with this level of intellectual
honesty. If they point out that the pieces are (as you
imply) poorly executed, they risk alienating artists they
might wish to profile. This, like an honest title, could
very well hurt sales!
> Sorry, but all experience is subjective.
No need to apologize. This is my basic premise. All
experience is subjective, including yours. Yet you
insist on judging the works in the magazine against
a standard which you claim to be absolute.
> the mission of the agazine as I have
> demonstrated it has not been satisfactorially challanged.
Ah yes, but the mission of the magazine's name seems to
be to sell magazines to people who have no interest in
the magazine's mission. It would be quite difficult
for me to care any less what the mission of the
magazine is, but I do find it mildly annoying that
they feel the need to obscure their mission from many of
those who might purchase it.
> I am thinking that you wish for a universal set of
> ideas and thoughts,
I have no such wish. I simply wish that you would not claim
to judge the works in the magazine according to "a universal
set of ideas and thoughts" about what constitutes "proper"
finishing.
> akin to your stated belief in a 'soul'.
I stated no such belief. My personal beliefs are just that,
personal, and I do not share them with persons whom I do
not know. I simply wanted to know why it is wrong for the
artist to determine for herself the appropriate level of
finish for her work. I have yet to receive an answer.
> And I do not need to
> insist that we all think alike in order to participate in that
> discussion.
As long as everyone recognizes your absolute ability to
judge what does or does not constitute "proper finishing."
A final (for now) admission: My own taste in jewelry is
probably rather pedestrian. I prefer small bits of gold
holding large, flawless gems, and worn by the most
beautiful woman in the world, (AKA, the girl who owns
my heart).
* Tom's Gems -- Fine Facet Rough *
* mrlablee AT pop.erols.com *
* http://www.digiweb.com/~mrlablee *
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