Artainment Manifesto
(Part A)
Artainment Manifesto
(Part B)
MTEWW Interoffice Memo (September 22, 1967)
From: M.River, Acting Head of MT Science
To: T.Whid
RE: Artainment
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T.Whid, as per your request, the following is background information on the subject of Artainment.
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The first recorded use of the term Artainment took place in the late 1960s during an exhibition by the artist Andy Warhol. This gallery show included a room full of helium-filled silver pillows. During the gallery opening, Warhol released one of the artworks out of the gallery window. An unidentified spectator was heard to proclaim, "Now THAT'S Artainment!".

Artainment instantly became the word of choice with the art world IN crowd. Later in the high-minded 80s, the term Artainment seemed to go out of fashion only to reemerge as a hotly debated topic in the early 90s. Today, the word Artainment is slowly moving from an art world insider catch phrase to general American language usage.

Artainment is used to describe objects, ideas, installations, screenings or live demonstrations which are diverting or engaging and include the following criteria: (1) Exist within the institutions of the art world, (2) Make art historical reference, (3) Created using forms or materials generally associated with the practice of fine art, such as, oil paint, pencils, paper, film, video, bronze, or chocolate syrup.

The terms artainer(n)--one who provides artainment, artaining(adj)--providing artainment, and artain(v)--to provide artainment for, logically follow.

The term may also describe what is casually labeled as an artwork, but does not seem strive for "higher" levels of human experience (ie. the "spiritual", or sublimely aesthetic), but never the less seems entertaining on a friday night.

Although Artainment is a transmedia occurrence, it is increasingly visible within the realm of online art.
MTEWW Interoffice Memo (September 22,1967)
From: M.River, Acting Head of MT Science
To: T.Whid
RE: Artainment Manifesto
+++
T.Whid, As per your request, the following is background information on the subject of an Artainment Manifesto.
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1. The act of writing a manifesto in the late 20th century, with the understanding that all manifestos fail and become laughable, is an act of misunderstanding.

2. In truth, the audience to which we are playing is not the one seeking artainment, but the one which watches us in the act of artaining. It is this second "active" audience which may begin to assemble our disparate activities into a whole. It is in this new asemblage that the meanings and results of an Artainment Manifesto may be located.

3. The Motto of the Artainment Manifesto is...

 

Meaning in Misunderstanding
A+B=A+B
artainers