When I was performing Maintenance Art last class I felt at peace with myself. Cleaning the sculpture itself was easy and doing it as a class made it more interesting. Doing this activity made the concept of maintenance work more clear to me. The overall experience was fun and helpful. Mierle Laderman Ukeles cleaning steps and Richard Serra flinging lead are different in that one is more straight forward than the other. Mierle is cleaning the steps for the purpose of making them look cleaner and better while Richard is flinging lead without having a concrete idea of what he is making. He is just doing what he feels is right. I believe they are the same in the way they are doing something they enjoy because if they didn’t, they would not be doing it. I would consider both of these ideas art because Mierle’s cleaning takes time and dedication to complete while Richard’s flinging lead is more free and going with the flow. Maintaining anything in life such as relationships, grades, and ideas can be difficult. Mierle cleaning the steps is something that takes effort to do, and because she did it without having too, makes it art.
me cleaning 
I believe that Mierle Laderman’s Ukeles’ Maintenance Performance at the Wadsworth Atheneum is art because maintaining something clean such as a staircase where many people walk and step all over is extremely difficult. Mierle could be cleaning it to get rid of the dirt and build up covering the stairs and to achieve that aesthetic look in the end of a clean staircase. Mierle performing this at an art museum has nothing to do with her performance being art. If she was hired to clean the stairs as her job, I would still consider it art because doing it everyday even as a job shows how little things like cleaning a staircase in some museum is exhausting and enduring. Art doesn’t always involve pretty colors or pictures, it can also be an act whether it is a job or a simple idea, anything that has value can be considered art. I believe that some intrinsic property of the medium does not define if something is art or not art. Art can be anything that delivers an idea or an emotion or anything at all. What the artist might be trying to deliver is not always what the audience will receive but as long as they are getting something from the art itself, is what makes it art. Sometimes we look at things or art paintings that don’t convey anything to us but if we think they are cool or interesting to look at, we might consider them art. Not all paintings on canvas are art because they have their exhibits at museums. As I said, I can look at one painting and not think anything of it but the one right next to it I can consider it art because I felt something when I saw it or because I liked the colors it had. Everyone looks at things differently that is why some artists are more popular than others. I believe that a painting on a canvas can be “not art”. If I were to paint my house for the simple benefit of making it look more aesthetic, I would consider it art. I am painting my house because I want it to look more fresh and cleaner. However, some people simply paint a house because their old paint is peeling and they need to revamp it. In that case, the painter probably isn’t painting it because he wants to, but they are still taking their time to paint it so I would consider it art.
I feel like Mierle Laderman Ukeles and Jlo emphasized my opinions on “Women’s Work”. I also feel that “women’s work” is art because most women’s work involves some sort of domestic skill such as managing a household or taking care of children, both of which are difficult things that involve making sacrifices. I have grown up admiring my sister because she has many roles in her life such as being a daughter, a sister, a wife, and most importantly a mother and she is constantly doing something that either involves cleaning, cooking, washing, or teaching. Being a woman can be hard that is why I believe that “women’s work” is art. In class we talked about a woman who cleaned Donald Trump’s star in Hollywood’s walk-of-fame. I would get down on my hands and knees to clean Elvis Presley’s star.
abbycal 