In this era of 'after the party's over' as some stagger haggard across the planet with a pounding headache, asking: 'Why, where and whaaaaat?' I'd like to raise the question of - oh no, what is it? - art: what the heck is going on with it, what is its value – how do we perceive it – and does it perceive us?

Let's take a look at more extreme art forms and understand what they do, where they take us, and how they are relevant and why they should be supported as an important element of our culture, not just as an elitist art form that no one understands, but as part of the process of stretching intellect and developing new perceptions in our culture.

Many other nations in the world support more avant garde arts and artists than we do. America – even more notably over these past eight years – supports only the safest of art activities. How can America integrate more rigorous thought, curiosity, personal intention – and support – for the arts into its culture? How can we make art a part of our national identity, instead of the faded, superficial notion of The American Dream, that ultimately explodes in our faces.

Let's get back to where we have never been.

To open up the discussion, we'll view slides, some works on the Web, and videos of various artists' works (in addition to some of her own).

PRODUCER:  Caterina Verde

Caterina Verde is an artist and curator, focusing in part on issues of identity construction + constriction within the cultural framework of a world of multifluence. Verde's work is perhaps comparable to a seeming tourbillon of disconnected parts, referencing historical, psychological, and perceptual content that manifests itself in disarmingly simple and enigmatically melancholic and humorous works.

"Verde was the curator of Hybrid/Performance Art at The Kitchen, New York City for three years and was the recipient of a two-year artist residency in Paris from the American Center in Paris. She has produced commissioned video projects for the New York Hall of Science and has been published in Leonardo: The MIT Journal of Art and Science, among others. Verde has exhibited her multimedia works at Galerie Eof, Paris, Journee Photographiques de Bienne, Switzerland, Galerie Pennings, The Netherlands, and domestically in New York, Santa Fe, and Atlanta. She is currently curating an international performance art series, "Strange Positioning Systems" that is incubating at Artspace in New Haven, CT.

Verde lives and works in East Hampton, NY.