# So ... it's OK to be kind of sloppy & illiterate, as long as you're an "artist"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 9, 2004, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-its-ok-to-be-kind-of-sloppy-illiterate-as-long-as-youre-an-artist/268398 "2004-10-09T20:36:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2004, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-its-ok-to-be-kind-of-sloppy-illiterate-as-long-as-youre-an-artist/268398/21 "2004-10-09T23:57:30Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > I’ve seen various artworks containing mispelled text, and it drives me mental. It suggests that the artist doesn’t care enough to bother to check spelling, and that’s bad art no matter how you look at it. And **Gaudere’s Law** bites me on the ass once more. That should read “misspelled”. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Antonius\_Block](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/51bf81/32.png) [@Antonius\_Block](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antonius_Block)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-its-ok-to-be-kind-of-sloppy-illiterate-as-long-as-youre-an-artist/268398/22 "2004-10-10T01:16:00Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > If her bosses signed off on the final design before she set it in stone, so to speak, they haven’t got a leg to stand on. It’s not unheard of for an artist to be dyslexic, and it’s certainly not unheard for anyone–even an artist–to be a bad speller. > > And I can tell for damn sure that she didn’t do all that in the dark; you know she had to submit a design before it went up. Someone during that process should have pointed out the errors. According to [this article](http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/10/08/MNGEO95U381.DTL): > [@](#): > > The city’s public art committee selected Alquilar in 2000 to develop the mosaic outside the new $26 million library based on her written proposal. Alquilar later submitted sketches of her design, but the drawings did not include any of the words that ultimately appeared in the piece, library director Susan Gallinger said. > [@Jackmannii](#): > > While the “artist” is undoubtedly a moron, the real prize for stupidity goes to the city councillors who voted to offer her $6000 and expenses to fix all those spelling errors. I agree that there’s plenty of blame to go around up to this point, the city councillors don’t have complete [freedom of action](http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/10/08/MNGEO95U381.DTL): > [@](#): > > A divided City Council voted 3-2 on Monday to pay artist Maria Alquilar $6,000 – plus expenses – to correct the errors because state law bars the city from removing or changing public art without the creator’s consent. So, I can see three courses of action: 1. Get her consent to have it fixed by a third party. 2. Have a group of citizens show up and fix it over the weekend, and have the City Council announce on Monday to here that it was “Shocked, shocked I tell you to hear that such things go on in our city (smirk).” Let her bring charges, which would require her to show up in Livermore to testify. I bet they wouldn’t hear a peep out of her. 3. Offer her enough money to swallow her wounded pride and come to Livermore to fix it. Pay her with a cheque that has her name horribly misspelled, and marked **“Only valid upon verification of payee’s ID”**. Let’s see her try to deposit that… Yes I know this wouldn’t work, but ['tis sport to have the engineer hoist with his own petar…](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_295b.html) Other Alquilarisms I enjoyed: [“The importance of this work is that it is supposed to unite people,”](http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2004/10/07/national0649EDT0493.DTL) (_I’d say the citizens of Livermore are pretty well united right now, thanks to you._) [“The people that are into humanities, and are into (William) Blake’s concept of enlightenment, they are not looking at the words. In their mind, the words register correctly.”](http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/10/08/MNGEO95U381.DTL) [“None of us are particularly good spellers anymore because of computers. When you are in a studio full of clay, you don’t give it much thought.”](http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/10/09/MNGSK96KS21.DTL) ---
**Author:** ![Antonius\_Block](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/51bf81/32.png) [@Antonius\_Block](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antonius_Block)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-its-ok-to-be-kind-of-sloppy-illiterate-as-long-as-youre-an-artist/268398/23 "2004-10-10T01:21:54Z")
> [@Antonius Block](#): > > …have the City Council announce on Monday to **here** that it was “Shocked, shocked I tell you to hear that such things go on in our city (smirk).” (bolding mine) should read “\*\*announce \*\* that it was…” {shakes fist at Gaudere} ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-its-ok-to-be-kind-of-sloppy-illiterate-as-long-as-youre-an-artist/268398/24 "2004-10-10T01:45:13Z")
Well, then it’s even more the committee’s fault, for NOT insisting on signing off on it. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-its-ok-to-be-kind-of-sloppy-illiterate-as-long-as-youre-an-artist/268398/25 "2004-10-10T01:49:13Z")
I think they should leave it as it is, but add a plastic overlay with a big F on it. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-its-ok-to-be-kind-of-sloppy-illiterate-as-long-as-youre-an-artist/268398/26 "2004-10-10T01:54:57Z")
For some reason talentless art is being peddled on this side of the pond too. Here we see a bed which sold for £150,000. Words fail me. ‘Self-styled ‘Mad Tracey from Margate’ (her own description) Emin was not actually nominated for the Award until 1999, despite that fact that by then, as Stallabrass writes, she was already ‘famous for being famous’.’ [http://www.hatii.arts.gla.ac.uk/MultimediaStudentProjects/00-01/9704524l/MM%20Project/Html/badly1.htm](http://www.hatii.arts.gla.ac.uk/MultimediaStudentProjects/00-01/9704524l/MM%20Project/Html/badly1.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-its-ok-to-be-kind-of-sloppy-illiterate-as-long-as-youre-an-artist/268398/27 "2004-10-10T02:04:14Z")
Well, the good/bad news is that I read it’s already showing wear and damage from the elements (and also that they dropped something heavy on it during construction so it also has a hole :smack: ) So in a few years they can chalk it up to experience and sledgehammer it out of there. Personally, I’d put up a sign, “Find the spelling errors!” Fun for the whole family and it restores the pretense of honor on all sides. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-its-ok-to-be-kind-of-sloppy-illiterate-as-long-as-youre-an-artist/268398/28 "2004-10-10T02:06:34Z")
Any Dopers gone and seen this thing yet? Or better yet, taken a picture? It’d be nice to have some documentary evidence of our superiority. 😉 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-its-ok-to-be-kind-of-sloppy-illiterate-as-long-as-youre-an-artist/268398/29 "2004-10-10T02:34:15Z")
> [@glee](#): > > For some reason talentless art is being peddled on this side of the pond too. > Here we see a bed which sold for £150,000. > Words fail me. And the Canadian government paid $1.76 _million_ for [this](http://cybermuse.gallery.ca/cybermuse/search/artwork_e.jsp?mkey=35828) mess. If you’re artsy and pretentious enough, I guess you can convince people to buy any junk you throw together. I enjoy modern art, but it’s **stripes** , people. On the upside, there’s nothing misspelled in it! As for the library artist - the art chose the words? No, dum-dum, _you_ did, and you chose them wrong. Stop calling it “artistic vision” and buy yourself a dictionary. Why can’t people admit to their mistakes? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-its-ok-to-be-kind-of-sloppy-illiterate-as-long-as-youre-an-artist/268398/30 "2004-10-10T02:40:03Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Any Dopers gone and seen this thing yet? Or better yet, taken a picture? It’d be nice to have some documentary evidence of our superiority. 😉 😉 The initial link has several pictures of the mural. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-its-ok-to-be-kind-of-sloppy-illiterate-as-long-as-youre-an-artist/268398/31 "2004-10-10T02:45:24Z")
> [@astro](#): > > The initial link has several pictures of the mural. I saw it on the news before I read about it here. I meant evidence of a Doper there, laughing at the thing. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-its-ok-to-be-kind-of-sloppy-illiterate-as-long-as-youre-an-artist/268398/32 "2004-10-10T02:49:06Z")
> [@](#): > > A divided City Council voted 3-2 on Monday to pay artist Maria Alquilar $6,000 – plus expenses – to correct the errors because state law bars the city from removing or changing public art without the creator’s consent. Private citizens with dynamite are still on, right? Sloppy work, just completely sloppy. And tacky, too. ---
**Author:** ![Hamish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a5b964/32.png) [@Hamish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamish)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-its-ok-to-be-kind-of-sloppy-illiterate-as-long-as-youre-an-artist/268398/33 "2004-10-10T08:39:10Z")
> [@Antigen](#): > > And the Canadian government paid $1.76 _million_ for [this](http://cybermuse.gallery.ca/cybermuse/search/artwork_e.jsp?mkey=35828) mess. If you’re artsy and pretentious enough, I guess you can convince people to buy any junk you throw together. I enjoy modern art, but it’s **stripes** , people. An artist (painter and photographer) friend of mine once defended it on the ground that it had qualities that couldn’t be captured by film, and that you actually had to be in the gallery to enjoy. I still haven’t verified that one for myself, though. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-its-ok-to-be-kind-of-sloppy-illiterate-as-long-as-youre-an-artist/268398/34 "2004-10-10T08:43:48Z")
Dyslexia is only a misspelling of “daily sex”. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-its-ok-to-be-kind-of-sloppy-illiterate-as-long-as-youre-an-artist/268398/35 "2004-10-10T11:41:08Z")
The looser you define your art, the less corporeal the meaning gets. If you want your art so disconnected from reality that it no longer has to reflect reality, it’s lost its strength… now you’re just spouting gibberish. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-its-ok-to-be-kind-of-sloppy-illiterate-as-long-as-youre-an-artist/268398/36 "2004-10-10T12:40:30Z")
> [@Antigen](#): > > And the Canadian government paid $1.76 _million_ for [this](http://cybermuse.gallery.ca/cybermuse/search/artwork_e.jsp?mkey=35828) mess. If you’re artsy and pretentious enough, I guess you can convince people to buy any junk you throw together. I enjoy modern art, but it’s **stripes** , people. Strictly speaking, I think the National Gallery is a crown corp, so it’s not like anyone we voted for actually _chose_ to spend money on that. On the other hand, I am a fan of [Orange over Blue](http://www.artnet.com/artist/9367/FineArtThumbnails.asp?currpage=7&aid=9367&ViewSize=large) ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-its-ok-to-be-kind-of-sloppy-illiterate-as-long-as-youre-an-artist/268398/37 "2004-10-10T15:03:13Z")
From the second article in the OP > [@](#): > > "My reaction was, ‘How do we get this fixed–quickly,’ " says project architect Thom Meek of _Earl Swensson Associates_. > \ > > A private donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, already paid for the mural, which cost in the neighborhood of _$50,000_. > > \ > > “There were several hundred letters; we missed four or five,” says TPAC President Steven Greil, who won’t be teaching English at Hume-Fogg anytime soon. “It’s like having a scratch on a nice piece of furniture. And we’re going to fix the scratch.” > > \ > > _Lin Swensson, the sculptor who conceived the floor mural and the daughter of Earl Swensson_, did not return calls for comment. > Greil seems to be taking the misspellings in stride. Hey, terrazzo happens. “She checked it, double-checked it, spell-checked it, and it still got through,” Greil says. > > Apparently, Swensson’s subcontractor in Memphis ordered the wrong letters, which were manufactured off-site. But many people failed to catch the mistakes. It was a full week from the time the letters were installed until they were more permanently affixed, according to Greil. “In the excitement of it all, we just overlooked it,” Greil says. “We all walked by it, and nobody caught it. I don’t want to blame anyone.” Something tells me there is some sort kick back deal behind all this mess. ---
**Author:** ![Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mirror_Image_egamI_rorriM)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-its-ok-to-be-kind-of-sloppy-illiterate-as-long-as-youre-an-artist/268398/38 "2004-10-10T17:54:30Z")
While I do think that it’s stupid that she misspelled the words, I know that on at least one occasion I have misspelled _my own name_. I was concentrating on the shape of the letters more than on the letters themselves (I was writing on a t-shirt with an uncooperative paint marker), and it came out “Linsay” instead of “Lindsay.” But 11 different mistakes? Sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![Katisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bcef8e/32.png) [@Katisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katisha)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-its-ok-to-be-kind-of-sloppy-illiterate-as-long-as-youre-an-artist/268398/39 "2004-10-10T20:05:59Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Ah, interesting. Thanks. Now, how many different ways did Einstein spell his name? 😉 In all fairness, Shakespeare lived in the days before standardized spelling, and most people had a variety of ways to spell their names… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2004, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-its-ok-to-be-kind-of-sloppy-illiterate-as-long-as-youre-an-artist/268398/40 "2004-10-10T20:46:39Z")
I just saw the piece in question a couple of weeks ago (I’m a librarian, so when I take a trip, I visit libraries). I did not notice the misspellings; it’s a very busy piece, with lots of small images, and I didn’t look at it all that closely. It has images of people, animals, plants, and all sorts of stuff crammed into a circular shape. Usually, misspellings hit me between the eyes. It seems to me that the professional thing to do would be to fix it for no extra charge; it was a commission and it should be done correctly. I can understand the original mistakes (I once wrote “Happy Annivesary” on a cake)–when you’re working closely on something that isn’t primarily writing, it’s easier to get it wrong. But it sounds like she wasn’t too concerned about the spelling anyway! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-its-ok-to-be-kind-of-sloppy-illiterate-as-long-as-youre-an-artist/268398.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-its-ok-to-be-kind-of-sloppy-illiterate-as-long-as-youre-an-artist/268398.md?page=3)