For many people, to speak of a function of art is to engage in a contradiction in terms. Art does not exist to fulfill a secondary purpose or to perform a "useful" function. Art is intended to convey beauty or to provoke thought. Its existence is its own justification.
For many individuals, design is intended to serve a specific purpose. A good design fulfills its stated purpose efficiently and well. While good design is often attractive, looks and appearance are believed to be secondary where design is concerned. In a quote attributed to architect Louis Sullivan, "form ever follows function."
Architecture is a field where art and design often appear together. A well-designed building fulfills its stated function; for instance, an office building within which offices, service functions, storage and other areas of the building are easily accessed with efficient traffic flow. In addition, the best architecture is also visually striking and often inspires contemplation in the observer.
During the early 20th century, the Bauhaus school of architecture and design in Germany, sought to combine art and design within a single facility. The Bauhaus philosophy stated that sharp divisions between art and design were artificially imposed and should be eliminated.
In 1995, the International Expositions of Sculpture Objects and Functional Art (SOFA) was launched in Chicago. The show has run continuously since then, expanding to New York City and Santa Fe. SOFA is billed as a showplace for artists and artisans alike to display their crafts and fine arts. Along with exhibits of arts and crafts, SOFA features lectures and demonstrations, all of which follow the SOFA philosophy that art and design belong together rather than being sharply divided.
Along with the debate concerning art and design is the discussion concerning the designation of artist versus artisan. However, many artists throughout history have also been artisans and vice versa, so a clear distinction is difficult to make. For instance, Michelangelo, famous for his painting of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and the sculpture of David, was a sculptor, painter and architect.