I do not think that I am alone in my exploration of this space between art and anthropology. I am certain that I am not the only one to have chosen between art school and a higher degree in anthropology. In ethnographic methods, in fact, when the professor asked the class to list other careers we had considered nearly every one of us had artist, musician, chef, poet, writer, dancer or some such creative endeavor on our list. As I read about the blurring of boundaries in anthropology between the objective and the personal, I think as well of the blurring of boundaries between art and anthropology . I do not think the two are as different as I once believed.
Cultural anthropologists look at human interaction from many angles, as if through a prism.
An archaeologist might be trained to spot a tertiary stone flake partially buried on a desert plateau, while a cultural anthropologist might be trained to see social networks, or systems of reciprocity among gang members, or farmers. Anthropologists, like artists, must make decisions about where to look, what to look at and how to record what they see. An artist might choose to paint a still life , or draw a self-portrait , for example. Artists write songs or paint paintings that people may interpret how they choose. When I was in Italy this past summer I stumbled upon a painting entitled Judith and her Maidservant by one of My favorite artist, Artemesia Gentileschi .