--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The word “art” is something the West has…" description: "\"The word “art” is something the West has never understood. Art is supposed to be a part of a community. Like, scholars are supposed to be a part of a c..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5c/amiri-baraka-8050_art_the-word-art-is-something-the-west-has-n_1021889.jpg" --- # The word “art” is something the West has never understood… ![“The word “art” is something the West has never understood. Art is supposed to be a part of a community. Like, scholars are supposed to be a part of a community... Art is to decorate people’s houses, their skin, their clothes, to make them expand their minds, and it’s supposed to be right in the…” quote by Amiri Baraka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5c/amiri-baraka-8050_art_the-word-art-is-something-the-west-has-n_1021889.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5c/amiri-baraka-8050_art_the-word-art-is-something-the-west-has-n_1021889.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5c/amiri-baraka-8050_art_the-word-art-is-something-the-west-has-n_1021889.jpg) > “The word “art” is something the West has never understood. Art is supposed to be a part of a community. Like, scholars are supposed to be a part of a community... Art is to decorate people’s houses, their skin, their clothes, to make them expand their minds, and it’s supposed to be right in the community, where they can have it when they want it... It’s supposed to be as essential as a grocery store... that’s the only way art can function naturally.” [Amiri Baraka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amiri-baraka/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Art should be integrated into everyday life, accessible to all, not isolated in elite spaces. **In simple terms:** Art belongs in daily community life. Key Takeaway Make art part of everyday spaces. Themes community accessibility culture integration Mood reflective critical Type philosophical social When to use this quote - urban planning - public murals - community workshops - education curricula Key Concepts social function public art collective identity Questions to Reflect On - How can we ensure art remains public? - What barriers prevent community art? A Different Perspective Art may be commercialized, losing its communal purpose. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art Decorate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-decorate-2283622/) [Art Function](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-function-855874/) [Art is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-is/) [Art Supposed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-supposed-367792/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Clothes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clothes/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Community Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community-art-2283623/) [Essentials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/essentials/) [Function](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/function/) [Groceries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/groceries/) [Grocery store](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grocery-store/) [Grocery stores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grocery-stores/) [House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/house/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Scholar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scholar/) [Skins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skins/) [Stores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stores/) [Understood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understood/) [Understood Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understood-art-1685046/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/west/) ## Related quotes > [You can't really have art without having a sense of community as art is for others to enjoy as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaime-zevallos/you-can-t-really-have-art-without-having-a-sense-of-community-as-art/) [Jaime Zevallos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaime-zevallos/) > [Art pulls a community together... Art makes you feel differently. That's what artists are doing all the time, shifting and changing the way you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lister-sinclair/art-pulls-a-community-together-art-makes-you-feel-differently-that-s/) [Lister Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lister-sinclair/) > [Standup is a craft and a community and an art form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quinta-brunson/standup-is-a-craft-and-a-community-and-an-art-form/) [Quinta Brunson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quinta-brunson/) > [It's true that things are beautiful when they work. Art is function.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giannina-braschi/it-s-true-that-things-are-beautiful-when-they-work-art-is-function/) [Giannina Braschi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giannina-braschi/) > [“Art is not art if it has a function.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/art-is-not-art-if-it-has-a-function/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [Today we no longer know what to call art, what its function is and even less what function it will have in the future.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelangelo-antonioni/today-we-no-longer-know-what-to-call-art-what-its-function-is-and/) [Michelangelo Antonioni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelangelo-antonioni/) > [Maybe this is a utopian view of art but I do believe that art can function as a vehicle, that it isn't just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-gormley/maybe-this-is-a-utopian-view-of-art-but-i-do-believe-that-art-can/) [Antony Gormley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-gormley/) > [“This may not be art as art commonly goes; the lack of discipline, of control, would seem to rule it out of that category.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-m-nevins-jr/this-may-not-be-art-as-art-commonly-goes-the-lack-of-discipline-of/) [Francis M. Nevins Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-m-nevins-jr/) > [What was great about the 50s is that for one brief moment - maybe, say, six weeks - nobody understood art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morton-feldman/what-was-great-about-the-50s-is-that-for-one-brief-moment-maybe-say/) [Morton Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morton-feldman/) > [“I had learned from my own father that it was almost blasphemy to regard the function of art as merely to reproduce some kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/i-had-learned-from-my-own-father-that-it-was-almost-blasphemy-to/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [Weirdly, an image of Adrian’s Love painting came back to me. I thought of the jagged red streak, slashing through the blackness, ripping it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/weirdly-an-image-of-adrian-s-love-painting-came-back-to-me-i-thought/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [There are three things I have loved but never understood. Art, music and women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-le-bovier-de-fontenelle/there-are-three-things-i-have-loved-but-never-understood-art-music/) [Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-le-bovier-de-fontenelle/) > [“People may be understood through the art they produce or by descriptions from friends and family, by observation, or through their dreams.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salomon-grimberg/people-may-be-understood-through-the-art-they-produce-or-by/) [Salomon Grimberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salomon-grimberg/) > [Most of my work is very temporary, very provisional. You can take it with you or you can leave it. Which is a tough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-pierson/most-of-my-work-is-very-temporary-very-provisional-you-can-take-it/) [Jack Pierson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-pierson/) > [Art is supposed to be some kind of transcendent moment. Fashion has sometimes done that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-owens/art-is-supposed-to-be-some-kind-of-transcendent-moment-fashion-has/) [Rick Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-owens/) ## More by Amiri Baraka > [I had just been in some repressive situations - the black middle-class college scene and the crazy United States Air Force - and so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amiri-baraka/i-had-just-been-in-some-repressive-situations-the-black-middle-class/) [Amiri Baraka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amiri-baraka/) > [what is lost because it is most precious what is most precious because it is lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amiri-baraka/what-is-lost-because-it-is-most-precious-what-is-most-precious/) [Amiri Baraka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amiri-baraka/) > [You have to get an individual who's willing to actually struggle with the system to change it. As long as you have people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amiri-baraka/you-have-to-get-an-individual-who-s-willing-to-actually-struggle-with/) [Amiri Baraka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amiri-baraka/) > [I had a little portable typewriter. I call it my Harlem Literary Fellowship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amiri-baraka/i-had-a-little-portable-typewriter-i-call-it-my-harlem-literary/) [Amiri Baraka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amiri-baraka/) > [I'm fully conscious all the time that I'm an American Negro, because it's part of my life. But I also know that if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amiri-baraka/i-m-fully-conscious-all-the-time-that-i-m-an-american-negro-because/) [Amiri Baraka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amiri-baraka/) > [The artist's role is to raise the consciousness of the people. To make them understand life, the world and themselves more completely. That's how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amiri-baraka/the-artist-s-role-is-to-raise-the-consciousness-of-the-people-to-make/) [Amiri Baraka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amiri-baraka/) > [Mao Zedong was a revolutionary. He made a revolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amiri-baraka/mao-zedong-was-a-revolutionary-he-made-a-revolution/) [Amiri Baraka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amiri-baraka/) > [The films of Warhol, when they are about anything are about sucking people off. This can be high art, to people who are interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amiri-baraka/the-films-of-warhol-when-they-are-about-anything-are-about-sucking/) [Amiri Baraka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amiri-baraka/) > [The poet is someone, I think, who's interested in registering experience immediately or giving you the sense of immediacy and directness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amiri-baraka/the-poet-is-someone-i-think-who-s-interested-in-registering/) [Amiri Baraka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amiri-baraka/) > [“Poems are bullshit unless they are teeth or trees or lemons piled on a step. Or black ladies dying of men leaving nickel hearts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amiri-baraka/poems-are-bullshit-unless-they-are-teeth-or-trees-or-lemons-piled-on/) [Amiri Baraka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amiri-baraka/) > [Thought is more important than art…To revere art and have no understanding of the process that forces it into existence, is finally not even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amiri-baraka/thought-is-more-important-than-art-to-revere-art-and-have-no/) [Amiri Baraka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amiri-baraka/) > [Jimmy Baldwin was not only a writer, an international literary figure: he was a man, spirit, voice - old and black and terrible as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amiri-baraka/jimmy-baldwin-was-not-only-a-writer-an-international-literary-figure/) [Amiri Baraka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amiri-baraka/) > [The future is always here in the past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amiri-baraka/the-future-is-always-here-in-the-past/) [Amiri Baraka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amiri-baraka/) > [I am inside someone who hates me. I look out from his eyes. Smell what fouled tunes come in to his breath. Love his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amiri-baraka/i-am-inside-someone-who-hates-me-i-look-out-from-his-eyes-smell-what/) [Amiri Baraka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amiri-baraka/) > [The further jazz moves away from the stark blue continuum and the collective realities of Afro-American and American life, the more it moves into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amiri-baraka/the-further-jazz-moves-away-from-the-stark-blue-continuum-and-the/) [Amiri Baraka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amiri-baraka/) [Explore all 85 Amiri Baraka quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amiri-baraka/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) [Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The word “art” is something the West has never understood. 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