2068 Obituary

The first assignment in this Calarts class I am taking right now was to write your own obituary. So here it goes.

As an artist with a reclusive but overwhelming personality and as a designer with conviction David Kietzman was a key figure in the American 21st century. As much as anyone since Jasper Johns, he raised the awareness of the American public to the fact that art needs to have a message and that message needs to make a social impact. He was less worried about his art hanging on famous walls and more worried that what he did would not make it into the homes and minds of the common person.

Kietzman was strong-willed, hard-working and innovative in his approach to art making. Using his knowledge as a graphic designer and his passion for found art he created works of mixed media design that challenged the norm. He would sit alone in his garage with junk collecting all around him waiting to meet inspiration, would walk for hours to find that perfect piece of wood, and take days off from work living in the "ghettos" of the world relishing random conversations with strangers.

Kietzman won numerous awards including the Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award, in 2047 and the National Medal of Arts in 2051. He frequently traveled to Central and South American, Italy and New York visiting close family friends and searching unknown dedicated galleries in which to throw shows. His last show in 2061 drew a large crowd including the local barber and politician.

"Art has no need to be complicated and should go past any language and cultural boarders that we create… as an artist I have the responsibility to create my thoughts and make a difference" he said in 2037 in an interview with The New Yorker.