Art is the use of some sensory medium to transmit a message. If that sounds a little too technical, let me break it down:
First of all, all art must be perceived in some way. If one cannot perceive it, how can one even know it is there? For a piece of art to be perceivable, it must appeal to one or more of the senses.
Second, a piece of art must have some message. That is not to say that anything with a message is art. Art has been purposefully created (or at least distinguished as art) by an artist with some sort of message to convey. This doesn't necessarily mean the message is one about politics or the environment. It may simply be a comment on the beauty the artist sees around him in the world. If you ever see a piece of art that seems meaningless, it's meaning may be simply, "Look how pretty this is." That is enough to make it art.
Take, for example, the work of kinetic sculptor Arthur Ganson. His work explores the beauty of one of the most basic facets of the world: simple motion. The picture above is a still of one of his pieces. Of course, a video is much better: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pZXoayEL78. Or you can always go to the MIT Museum and see for yourself...
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