--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People should go to the works and…" description: "\"People should go to the works and experience them. Because just having an idea or picture in mind is absolutely not the experience that's necessary. Ev..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f4/virginia-dwan-29141_artist_people-should-go-to-the-works-and-experi_2446291.jpg" --- # People should go to the works and experience them. Because… ![“People should go to the works and experience them. Because just having an idea or picture in mind is absolutely not the experience that's necessary. Even just landing in Albuquerque or Salt Lake City or Las Vegas was immediately part of the experience. And then you'd get in a car from the airport…” quote by Virginia Dwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f4/virginia-dwan-29141_artist_people-should-go-to-the-works-and-experi_2446291.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f4/virginia-dwan-29141_artist_people-should-go-to-the-works-and-experi_2446291.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f4/virginia-dwan-29141_artist_people-should-go-to-the-works-and-experi_2446291.jpg) > “People should go to the works and experience them. Because just having an idea or picture in mind is absolutely not the experience that's necessary. Even just landing in Albuquerque or Salt Lake City or Las Vegas was immediately part of the experience. And then you'd get in a car from the airport and take these very long trips - in Michael Heizer's case, it was three hours by car to get to his work. And then there's walking around and into the piece and seeing it from different angles. The kinetic experience of being a part of it physically was very important for me.” [Virginia Dwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-dwan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Emphasizes experiencing art physically rather than just imagining it, highlighting immersion and perspective. **In simple terms:** Experience art in person, not just mentally. Key Takeaway Seek direct engagement with works. Themes art experience perception Mood reflective inspirational Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - visiting installations - traveling to galleries - walking through exhibits Key Concepts site-specific art kinetic art embodied cognition Questions to Reflect On - What does physical presence add to understanding? - How can remote viewers simulate immersion? A Different Perspective Physical access may be limited for some. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Car](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/car/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience/) [Experience Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience-just-310468/) [Experience Necessary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience-necessary-531194/) [Experience Physically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience-physically-531195/) [Hours](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hours/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Kinetic Experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kinetic-experience-531193/) [Las vegas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/las-vegas/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Salt lake city](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/salt-lake-city/) [Walking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walking/) [Walking around](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walking-around/) ## Related quotes > [A movie tends to box you in, at least as far as the aesthetics. You have an incredibly kinetic experience, which is the joy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/a-movie-tends-to-box-you-in-at-least-as-far-as-the-aesthetics-you/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“All this fantastic effort—giant machines, road networks, strip mines, conveyor belt, pipelines, slurry lines, loading towers, railway and electric train, hundred-million-dollar coal-burning power plant;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/all-this-fantastic-effort-giant-machines-road-networks-strip-mines/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [Presidents and presidential assassins are like Las Vegas and Salt Lake City. Even though one city is all about sin and the other is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/presidents-and-presidential-assassins-are-like-las-vegas-and-salt/) [Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/) > [If you're alive, you have all the experience necessary to understand classical music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tilson-thomas/if-you-re-alive-you-have-all-the-experience-necessary-to-understand/) [Michael Tilson Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tilson-thomas/) > [Every experience we have is necessary and perfect. In other words, everything is Perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-kest/every-experience-we-have-is-necessary-and-perfect-in-other-words/) [Bryan Kest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-kest/) > [“Lady Kilmichael, on the other hand, in common with many women of her generation, had made remarkably little use of her experience. It had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-bridge/lady-kilmichael-on-the-other-hand-in-common-with-many-women-of-her/) [Ann Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-bridge/) > [Experience is necessary for us to grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/experience-is-necessary-for-us-to-grow/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [No experience is necessary to push yourself past what you think you can do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-itzler/no-experience-is-necessary-to-push-yourself-past-what-you-think-you/) [Jesse Itzler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-itzler/) > [“Experience is a necessary education.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/experience-is-a-necessary-education/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Although nature commences with reason and ends in experience it is necessary for us to do the opposite, that is to commence with experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/although-nature-commences-with-reason-and-ends-in-experience-it-is/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [I want to go and have a real experience and it's just lovely to sit and watch a movie and just be really transported…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-lynskey/i-want-to-go-and-have-a-real-experience-and-it-s-just-lovely-to-sit/) [Melanie Lynskey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-lynskey/) > [The World Cup experience is more than just the game of soccer. It's an event. And it will fly by faster than you think.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cobi-jones/the-world-cup-experience-is-more-than-just-the-game-of-soccer-it-s-an/) [Cobi Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cobi-jones/) > [I like looking at a book and asking myself, 'How do I replicate that experience I just had as a reader?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goldman/i-like-looking-at-a-book-and-asking-myself-how-do-i-replicate-that/) [Jane Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goldman/) > [I think there are times when a song can be a spiritual experience - just making music, in general, is pretty much that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patty-griffin/i-think-there-are-times-when-a-song-can-be-a-spiritual-experience/) [Patty Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patty-griffin/) > [Nobody can have your psychedelic experience for you; you just have to screw your courage up and raise the cup to your lips or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-mckenna/nobody-can-have-your-psychedelic-experience-for-you-you-just-have-to/) [Dennis McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-mckenna/) ## More by Virginia Dwan > [I opened with Edward Kienholz's The Beanery, and that's such a controversial piece that I think that brought people right away. It was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-dwan/i-opened-with-edward-kienholz-s-the-beanery-and-that-s-such-a/) [Virginia Dwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-dwan/) > [Quite honestly, even as a woman dealer, I really wasn't interested in masculinity or femininity as such. What was important to me was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-dwan/quite-honestly-even-as-a-woman-dealer-i-really-wasn-t-interested-in/) [Virginia Dwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-dwan/) > [I think that Walter De Maria's Lightning Field, Michael Heizer's City, and Charles Ross's work in Star Axis New Mexico , all three will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-dwan/i-think-that-walter-de-maria-s-lightning-field-michael-heizer-s-city/) [Virginia Dwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-dwan/) > [I remember when I went to a gallery in Paris at one point, they had drawings of earthworks set in different places. I asked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-dwan/i-remember-when-i-went-to-a-gallery-in-paris-at-one-point-they-had/) [Virginia Dwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-dwan/) > [The gallery closed its doors in 1971. I could no longer psychologically handle the needs of 12 artists. I cared about all of them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-dwan/the-gallery-closed-its-doors-in-1971-i-could-no-longer/) [Virginia Dwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-dwan/) > [What's happening in the larger world always influences art. When I first started the gallery in 1959, one of the first things I learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-dwan/what-s-happening-in-the-larger-world-always-influences-art-when-i/) [Virginia Dwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-dwan/) > [I think the four land artists I showed all worked within a few years of each other. And they were standard bearers, I suppose,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-dwan/i-think-the-four-land-artists-i-showed-all-worked-within-a-few-years/) [Virginia Dwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-dwan/) > [Art wasn't for selling. Actually, we once did have an offer on Double Negative. Things could be sold actually - everything could be for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-dwan/art-wasn-t-for-selling-actually-we-once-did-have-an-offer-on-double/) [Virginia Dwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-dwan/) > [I think Michael Heizer and Walter De Maria had a love-hate relationship because they both had a lot in common. But inevitably one would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-dwan/i-think-michael-heizer-and-walter-de-maria-had-a-love-hate/) [Virginia Dwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-dwan/) > [I didn't know Michael Heizer until I was preparing for my "Earthworks" show in 1968, and somebody called and told me to look at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-dwan/i-didn-t-know-michael-heizer-until-i-was-preparing-for-my-earthworks/) [Virginia Dwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-dwan/) > [I remember very vividly. I was here in New York. Nancy Holt called me and - I feel unhappy thinking about it - she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-dwan/i-remember-very-vividly-i-was-here-in-new-york-nancy-holt-called-me/) [Virginia Dwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-dwan/) > [Making the effort is quite a pleasure in itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-dwan/making-the-effort-is-quite-a-pleasure-in-itself/) [Virginia Dwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-dwan/) > [Had opened a gallery I already had strong connections with New York, because I was taking work on consignment from New York dealers. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-dwan/had-opened-a-gallery-i-already-had-strong-connections-with-new-york/) [Virginia Dwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-dwan/) > [People tend to view land art as something that happened at a certain historical moment - like minimal art, which I was also very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-dwan/people-tend-to-view-land-art-as-something-that-happened-at-a-certain/) [Virginia Dwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-dwan/) > [I enjoyed cross-country road trips. And I found the work challenging because it was art that existed on the land rather than mere concepts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-dwan/i-enjoyed-cross-country-road-trips-and-i-found-the-work-challenging/) [Virginia Dwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-dwan/) [Explore all 18 Virginia Dwan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-dwan/) ## More Artist quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [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/) > [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/) > [“People in coats and ties were milling around the Talley gallery, and on the wall were the minimally rendered still lifes by Giorgio Morandi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/people-in-coats-and-ties-were-milling-around-the-talley-gallery-and/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [“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/) > [From as long as I can remember, I was always fond of drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/from-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-was-always-fond-of-drawing/) [St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/) > [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 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/) > [Designers shouldn’t design for museums any more than mummies should die for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/designers-shouldn-t-design-for-museums-any-more-than-mummies-should/) [Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/) > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/) [Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/) > [I am a horrible visual artist. I can't fix a car, sew, knit, cook, etc. Statistically, there is more I don't do than do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-am-a-horrible-visual-artist-i-can-t-fix-a-car-sew-knit-cook-etc/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) [Browse all 32,600 Artist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People should go to the works and experience them. Because just having an idea or picture in mind is absolutely not the experience that's necessary. Even just landing in Albuquerque or Salt Lake City or Las Vegas was immediately part of the experience. And then you'd get in a car from the airport and take these very long trips - in Michael Heizer's case, it was three hours by car to get to his work. And then there's walking around and into the piece and seeing it from different angles. 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