Two days ago I discovered Ovation TV because they were showing the movie Pollock

Last night I watched ART or NOT on Ovation TV.

The program explores the question Is "it" art, or is "it" not art?  It showcased artists from the edges of the art spectrum and then critics, art lovers, and lay people would offer their opinions. While there were way too many commercials I found the show to be entertaining and infuriating. 

One of the artists discussed was Shepard Fairey.

Mat Gleason is an art critic, writer, and publisher of the Coagula Art Journal of Los Angeles, California. Gleason compared Fairey's art to advertisments for Coca-Cola, saying; "They're both on the street, they're both promoting a brand, and at the end of the day, it's a very empty experience." Gleason went on to say that, "I think that the art experience is to raise someone's consciousness, and at the end of the day the Shepard Fairey experience is to promote the brand of Shepard Fairey as a corporate entity, so I don't consider it art. He is about the furthest thing from art there is."

I totally disagree. 

Below is a work by Shepard Fairey.

I thought the Jello landscapes created by Liz Hickok were art.

(Mat Gleason did not)