Cultural appropriation

["anthony_marbella Last Name" <anthony_marbella@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I find this subject compelling for many reasons. It could be argued that
Picasso was "unoriginal" when he appropriated primitive African imagery into
his paintings, however I feel that he made his images his own.

I don't know what your bear looked like, but creativity is the key. It would
be one thing if you were copying Innuit imagery for your own profit (no
matter what material is used), but it's altogether different if you were
truly inspired by the form or spirit of a bear and as a result produced an
honest portrayal of how this inspiration affected you and therefore the
stone as well.

I have not encountered this problem with my own imagery, but I do question
why I carve stone. I am a white 28 year old male living in the USA and it
seems to me that unless you are a native American or an expert third
generation stone mason, then it is very hard to establish a market in the
stone community. That said, I have to ask what was it that attracted me to
stone? I have loved stone my whole life and can remember scratching one rock
against another and trying to make a mark at a very young age. I'm not sure
if this kind of stimulus attracted me to stone or if it is just something
inherent in me due to Italian/Irish ancestry. I can even site a direct
influence, a carving of a cat out of a cobblestone by my uncle, that has had
an effect on my artistic persuasion since childhood. Regardless, I keep on
carving because I just have to.