tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15675676050138194552024-03-12T23:53:39.456-04:00Cincinnati Art Snob"There is no such thing as good painting about nothing."
-Mark RothkoMehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10991826350178212523noreply@blogger.comBlogger276125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567567605013819455.post-56526285834738577232011-04-17T07:04:00.002-04:002011-04-17T07:34:12.370-04:00Cincinnati Art Snob Blog Moves to WordpressAfter a few years with Blogger, I've decided to move the blog over to Wordpress. Wordpress provides a template allowing me to better showcase certain features. I am particularly excited about the slide show featuring my Artist Interviews.<br /><br />With this change, I've eliminated my arts calendar. While this may have been helpful to some of my readers and certainly to the art museums and galleries whose events I posted, this became too challenging to maintain. Frankly, there's lots of art happening here. You will be able to keep up with the events by visiting the museum and gallery websites directly. You will find a list of those links on the new blog.<br /><br />You can visit the new site here:<br /><br />http://blog.cincinnatiartsnob.com/Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10991826350178212523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567567605013819455.post-21877425442627010062011-04-08T09:30:00.002-04:002011-04-08T09:38:22.968-04:00Yep.<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YG4dlve1Hy0/TZ8ODlzPR-I/AAAAAAAAANg/0qgPy5lF11o/s1600/tumblr_lj3iczZI201qcu7lfo1_500.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 86px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YG4dlve1Hy0/TZ8ODlzPR-I/AAAAAAAAANg/0qgPy5lF11o/s400/tumblr_lj3iczZI201qcu7lfo1_500.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593204717066864610" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div>Source: <a href="http://imsosexyevenmikeywaycanthaveme.tumblr.com/post/4321417830">Charlotte</a> </div><div>via <a href="http://fuckyeahillustration.tumblr.com/">Fuck Yeah Illustration!</a></div>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10991826350178212523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567567605013819455.post-41125620389027274862011-03-28T10:17:00.004-04:002011-03-28T11:02:32.845-04:00Cincinnati's Contemporary Figurative ArtistsThe Weston Art Gallery is now showing <i><a href="http://www.westonartgallery.com/ex2.php?exDate=2011-03&exType=current&">Narrative Figuration</a>, </i>which features five of the city's premier realists: Robert Anderson, Daniel O'Connor, <a href="http://www.timparsley.com/">Tim Parsley</a>, <a href="http://emilrobinson.com/home.html">Emil Robinson</a>, and Tina Tammaro. These are easily some of my favorite local artists. Jackie Demaline's recent <a href="http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20110327/ENT07/103270313/Support-team-helps-painter-keep-real">profile</a> of Emil Robinson presents how influential they are to each other.<div><br /></div><div>I had the opportunity to <a href="http://cincy-artsnob.blogspot.com/2009/07/artword-emil-robinson.html">interview</a> Robinson for this blog almost two years ago. Demaline's story reminds me of Robinson's genuine graciousness. Whenever you ask him about his work, he so often defers to those who influence him. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Narrative Figuration</i> may suggest a short list of artists for me to interview in the near future. </div>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10991826350178212523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567567605013819455.post-48936948407361106702011-03-26T13:37:00.016-04:002011-03-31T21:23:35.943-04:00New Images of Resistance Reveal Contemporary Resignation<i>Let Your Motto Be Resistance</i> is an exhibition of 68 photographs from the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, which opened Friday at the <a href="http://www.freedomcenter.org/">National Underground Railroad Freedom Center</a>. This inaugural exhibition of the <a href="http://nmaahc.si.edu/">Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture </a>is the first ever collaboration between the Freedom Center and the Smithsonian. <div><br /></div><div>The title of the show comes from the1843 <a href="http://www.blackpast.org/?q=1843-henry-highland-garnet-address-slaves-united-states"><i>"An Address to the Slaves of the United States"</i></a> by the abolitionist, <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1537.html">Henry Highland Garnet</a>. The premise of the exhibition is to present a more contemporary definition of "resistance." NURFC curator, Dina Bailey, correctly suggests when we think of resistance we think of images of violence or protests. Instead, many of the photographs in this show are of well-known (if not by face, by name) individuals who embraced Garnet's plea. Familiar names include <a href="http://www.martinlutherking.org/">Martin Luther King Jr</a>., <a href="http://www.ali.com/">Muhammad Ali</a>, <a href="http://www.ellafitzgerald.com/">Ella Fitzgerald</a>, and <a href="http://www.amiribaraka.com/">Amira Baraka</a>. The photographs are arranged around a stark white gallery and grouped in 3 categories: "Activists," "Performers and Athletes," and "Writers and Intellectuals." Each category is labeled with an explanation or definition of the category of resistance. Each photograph is labeled with an introduction to the individual, their challenges, and successful resistance.</div><div><br /></div><div>What's most successful about the exhibition is that no matter how familiar the viewer may be of the subjects, the viewer may be surprised to learn the stories of resistance. While we can accept Ali as "The Greatest" and may see <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0395043/bio">Lena Horne</a> as one of Hollywood's most beautiful celebrities, their gifts did not protect them racism. Each of the individuals featured in <i>Let Your Motto Be Resistance</i> faced injustice</div><div><br /></div><div>Unlike <i><a href="http://www.freedomcenter.org/freedom-forum/index.php/2009/10/sanctuary-lynching-photography-america-opens-january-19/">Without Sanctuary</a></i>, these are not difficult pictures to view. The portraits are rather idealized and in some cases glamorize the individual. In fact, they look much like promotional shots of each of the individuals. The viewer must read the labels to learn and understand these as examples of resistance. And here may be where the Smithsonian exhibit may run into a problem.</div><div><br /></div>Directors of the collaborating museums claim the following:<div><br /><div>“As we examined the photographs that comprise this exhibition, it was clear that they revealed, reflected and illuminated the variety of creative and courageous ways that African Americans resisted, accommodated, redefined and struggled in an America that needed, but rarely embraced and accepted its black citizens,” said Lonnie G. Bunch III, founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.</div><div><br /></div><div>“Powerful in its depiction of African American resistance, this exhibition speaks on a global level,” says Freedom Center CEO Donald W. Murphy. </div><div><br /></div><div><div>While I agree the lives of the individuals depicted in the exhibition represent courage almost impossible to measure, the photographs themselves do not represent this at all. These photographs do not tell the story of resistance. These are beautiful photographs of successful people, most of whom are recognizable celebrities. What is creative is the way this inaugural exhibition of Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture tries to redefine images of 150 years of African American resistance in the U.S. Not included are photographs of actual resistance. </div></div></div><div><br /></div><div>The exhibition goal to present new or more diverse images of resistance seems to flirt with rewriting of history of racism and failing to acknowledge contemporary racist tendencies. Bailey admits when she initially saw the collection group <a href="http://www.ali.com/">Muhammad Ali</a> with the Activists, she thought it best to present him with the other athletes. Despite Ali's resistance to the Vietnam War and the anger people had toward him and Muslims, the curator felt this current grouping was more in line with how people think about Ali today. Further, within moments of entering the gallery, I noticed the largest of the categories was "Performers and Athletes." The smallest, "Writers and Intellectuals."</div><div><br /></div><div>In the past few years speech writers and others have quickly adopted the saying "A Time to Move Forward." This contemporary motto has been embraced as an anti-historical approach to the most challenging issues. It permits us to wipe our slates clean and ignore our past wrongdoings. The Smithsonian is known for painting a pretty picture on our past. Unless the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center works hard to create programming courageous enough to honestly reveal and celebrate historical <i>and</i> contemporary acts of resistance, Henry Highland Garnet's call will not be heard.</div><div><br /></div><i>Let Your Motto Be Resistance: African American Portraits</i> at the <a href="http://www.freedomcenter.org/">National Underground Railroad Freedom Center</a> will be on view until June 19.Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10991826350178212523noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567567605013819455.post-55296250390280253102011-03-17T08:02:00.006-04:002011-03-17T20:35:57.168-04:00The ArtsWave Impact FlipCity Beat's Jane Durrell presents the recent repackaging of the Fine Arts Fund into ArtsWave. In the middle of their capital campaign, the City Beat <a href="http://www.citybeat.com/cincinnati/article-22891-the-rswave-of-the-future.html">story</a> provides a short history of the organization and the impetus for its recent rebranding. <div><br /></div><div>Their new broader mission to financially support more and larger institutions outside of Cincinnati, a lack of support for the work of individual artists (Durrell quotes me on this point), and populism are some concerns of potential as well as past supporters of the Fine Arts Fund. The argument for continued support is the organizations newly defined mission to support art's <i>impact</i> on the community. Of course this is not the same thing as supporting the arts.</div><div><br /></div><div>As you read the story, take the time to watch the 2 videos included. They provide perhaps the best illustration of the new ArtsWave marketing strategy: grant recipients singing the praises of ArtsWave.</div><div><br /></div><div>With ArtsWave refocusing towards impact, the arts organizations and artists are left supporting ArtsWave.</div><div><br /></div><div>There's the flip....it's your coin.</div>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10991826350178212523noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567567605013819455.post-68527169601700270372011-03-14T14:52:00.012-04:002011-03-14T23:07:48.978-04:00ArtWord: Corrine Bayraktaroglu<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rWG54Xer8Vs/TX7Ve4N1cjI/AAAAAAAAANY/K7iltfhv8VY/s1600/item%2B%25285%2529.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 277px; height: 380px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rWG54Xer8Vs/TX7Ve4N1cjI/AAAAAAAAANY/K7iltfhv8VY/s400/item%2B%25285%2529.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584135314449199666" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span">Embroidery Face</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div>Corrine Bayraktaroglu was born in the Northeast of England, went to high school in London, married and came to America in 1978. While she has always done crafts and learned embroidery from her mother and grandparents it wasn’t until the age of 40 that she took her first formal art classes. She came under the tutelage and guidance of Marie Linnekin in 1996 at <a href="http://www.aacc.edu/">Anne Arundel Community College</a>, Annapolis, Maryland. After a hiatus of 25 years from embroidery she picked up the thread again in 2009 using her own art and sketchbooks as inspiration.<div><div><br />I had an opportunity to ask Bayraktaroglu about her work in various media and living in Yellow Springs, OH. She talks here about the role of feminism in the arts in general and explains how her experience as a victim of abuse from the age of 9 until 15 gives her an empathy/understanding that is useful in engaging some of the most challenging issues expressed in her work. Bayraktaroglu also discusses her public works with <a href="http://jafagirls.wordpress.com/">Jafagirls</a> and the freedom of working within a number of genres.</div><div><br /><b>1. Tell me a little about what motivated you to return to the needle after being trained in mediums more traditional to the fine arts. Was this return a simple experiment? Was this medium choice a conscious exploration of a feminist agenda? Or were you interested in making a connection with your own personal, familial influences?</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b></b>I seem to have come full circle. I have always loved texture, and after doing knit graffiti and expanding into craft graffiti I wanted to explore embroidery and see if I could use it in a new and creative way now that I had the confidence and ability to create my own designs. In the past I had no art training and depended on kits and embroidery transfers. I got excited about the idea of seeing if I could translate some of my art into stitch and seeing if I could integrate it with other media.</div><div><div>I view the needle as just another tool for me to work with as an artist. I can see why others do (see needlework as part of a feminist agenda) because it’s seen and treated as a just a female craft/ hobby using kits and making pretty little doodads. Making a feminist statement with it is a reaction to that perception but I never regarded it a feminine craft/art even though it was historically foisted on women as the only artistic outlet we were allowed to participate in. To me that would be like saying painting is a man’s craft because historically only men were allowed to train for it and do it. I was excited by the idea of exploring another medium that I had always enjoyed in the past, and the challenge of seeing if I could integrate it with other mediums.<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-V81_xV1nEt8/TX7NgD3yBLI/AAAAAAAAANA/uRpBo-rwg6k/s400/WIP%2Bblack%2Bcrow%2Bembroidery.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 389px; height: 400px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584126538664772786" /><b><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></b></div><div><b>2. You say your work is created as a response to the world around you. All artists can make this claim. Further, I find that is much too simple a description of your creative process. Not only does your wo</b><b>rk require time, the results are simply exquisite. From your homage to artists like Frida Kahlo and Basquiat to your social commentaries as well as personal reflections reveal such a vast visual language that hardly reflects impulsiveness. With so many tools of art, how do you determine which to use? Describe this dance between the mediums.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Perhaps I need to add the word impulsive because generally my work is born out of an immediate reaction to something or idea that pops into my head and a primary need to express it visually. Just as people talk about what they feel and what is going on around them, I use my art in the same way. I have to scribble them down lest I forget because sometimes so many ideas/visions are popping up. The actual process, the implementation of an idea does take time.</div><div><br /></div><div>The process really depends on the idea, if it comes in the form of a word or an image. Sometimes I am just in the mood to paint, or the weather permits me to work in my workshop and shelved ideas (that I had scribbled down) pop up that are perfectly suited for my mood. I will try to keep it short but here’s an example. I was reading about child trafficking and an image popped up of a young girl trapped in a small filthy room waiting for the next customer. I remembered how it felt to be in a room waiting for my abuser and how I wanted to fly away. I decided to use the wings of a bird I had in my studio and make this an assemblage with a box for the small nasty room. That determined the size of the piece. How I feel about the men who abuse and exploit women is manifested in the shape of a carrion bird who feeds off these young women/girls. That’s when I decided to do an embroidery version of the crow (<i>above</i>) since the stitches are soft like the feathers and a human eye to show that the bird is disguised and is really human carrion. Slowly how this piece will represent my initial thought has evolved and I processed how I felt about it.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nMDKT8bYMkA/TX7QbTi6j8I/AAAAAAAAANQ/DC0If7hAAf0/s400/item%2B%25286%2529.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584129755507756994" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 228px; height: 380px; " /><div style="text-align: center; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span">Shiny Pretty Things</span></i></div></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><b>3. You mention a sense of freedom you have “to work between genres, disciplines, mediums, between fine art and craft, high art and low art.” This freedom comes no doubt from your ability to work in various mediums. But was there any pressure to choose a definitive genre or discipline? Does refusing to be categorized force your work in front of a smaller audience than you may wish?</b></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>There is a quiet pressure, and sometimes outright pressure by other artists/art school teachers/galleries who don’t feel you are dedicated to one medium and therefore don’t take you seriously. I had so many people asking me if I had quit painting or presumed I would because I started doing embroidery again which I found strange. I respect and understand galleries wanting a specific style etc, they are trying to earn a living and cater to a specific genre/</div><div>market/customer base. I am very lucky to be in a gallery<a href="http://www.wouldyoucouldyouinaframe.com/"> (IN A FRAME)</a> in Yellow Springs that uses my diversity as a selling point. It does limit the audience of my work, but since the compelling reason to create is influenced by internal needs rather than external concerns I don’t really worry about it.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CaVZhcov5iQ/TX7I2493WNI/AAAAAAAAAMw/h-_9yU0eNKw/s400/item.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584121433316350162" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /><div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><b>4. I became more acquainted with your work by way of your graffiti knit projects I found around Yellow Springs. When did <a href="http://jafagirls.wordpress.com/">Jafagirls</a> begin?<br /></b><br />In 2005 with a friend who has since moved out of state. Now it primarily Nancy Mellon and myself along with what we call jafa cohorts or conspirators lol. It means just another F*&c*&^ing artist, and for me a humbling reminder that I am one amongst many just trying to do my own thing my way.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B_CYOXv9Tmc/TX7J_nXMbSI/AAAAAAAAAM4/VURkx8TtSEA/s400/item%2B%25281%2529.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584122682721201442" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 285px; height: 380px; " /><b></b><b></b><b>5. Unlike most graffiti and most cities, this work is accepted and even celebrated by the residents of Yellow Springs. Has this always been the case? Can anyone “scarve” a tree, pole, or bench in Yellow Springs?</b><br /><br />Yes, from the get go we had so much support, but we live in a village that embraces creativity, which is not to say some people didn’t express concerns. We did our research and were able to address those concerns I believe. As for whether others can yarnbomb around town, that is not for me to say ;)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><b>6. It is not only the various mediums and subjects in which you make art that reveal your expressiveness, you are an incredible advocate for the arts and the community of Yellow Springs. Through your blog you link to so many wonderful finds you encounter throughout the day. It is as if you are the community art curator of Yellow Springs, OH. Do you curate exhibiti</b><b>ons for local artists? </b></div><div><br />Nancy and I have curated a few exhibits as members of the <a href="http://www.ysartscouncil.org/">Yellow Springs Arts Council</a> over the years. Nancy and I created a gallery in the local restroom for 4 years called the <a href="http://sitekreator.com/ChamberPotGallery/main_page.html">“chamberpot gallery”</a>, and less formally we facilitated an exhibit in a local café, and the flower power street art project in June 2010. At the moment we are preparing a group installation of public art called the <a href="http://jafagirls.wordpress.com/pub-alley-project/">pub alley project</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wrDRtwCfgVI/TX7O8ddV_JI/AAAAAAAAANI/h1OHFGyPoVs/s400/item%2B%25282%2529.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 348px; height: 380px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584128126081170578" /><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>Teef: Homage to Basquiat</i></span></div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>7. With such a strong connection to the local art community, how do you make yourself part of national or even international conversations? I mean how do you as an artist connect with the national or international conversations on art. I'm referring to a possibility or tendency for one to remain cloistered in a small self-defined community while the art world rolls by. Perhaps you don't have this problem....I certainly don't see it in your work. I suppose this is why I ask.<br /></b><br />I am insanely curious person and love history and the arts/crafts . I think my years of exploring castles, antique markets and museums around the uk as a child and young adult and living and travelling in a variety of states in the usa I’ve been exposed to a very broad range of arts and crafts. I would say this has allowed for a more global view of the arts and given me an better understanding of the context. For example when I think of embroidery I think about in terms of the of the role it has played for centuries, socially, culturally and economically. What British child isn’t taught about 1066, and one of the most important historical documents about 1066 is the <a href="http://www.bayeuxtapestry.org.uk/">Bayeux Tapestry </a>(which is actually embroidery and believed to have been commissioned in 1070). People who have never been exposed to this type of history or seen ancient textile arts may have more difficult time seeing embroidery as anything other than the stereotyped view, which might explain why I don’t’ see doing embroidery as a feminist reaction.<br /><br /><br /><i>Corrine Bayraktaroglu has been doing her blog, J<a href="http://www.jafabrit.blogspot.com/">afabrit’s Art</a>, for about 5 years as well as the <a href="http://jafagirls.wordpress.com/">Jafagirls blog</a>. She's been been doing the Y<a href="http://ysarts.blogspot.com/">ellow Springs Arts blog</a>, which is also a support blog for the arts council, for about 4 years. She and Nancy have just recently started a blogtalk radio show called <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/jafagirls">Bits and Bob’s with the Jafagirls</a>.</i><div><br /><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10991826350178212523noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567567605013819455.post-35728548101319309792011-03-11T10:16:00.008-05:002011-03-11T15:09:19.209-05:00Creating The New CenturyThere have been a number of turn of the century exhibitions. Most I've seen seem to be noted for the varied ways video other multi-media approaches have found a way into the art museum. For example, Younger Than Jesus at the New Museum a few years ago was made up of works, of which nearly all, implemented some kind of video installation. I could count on one hand the number of paintings in this show of artists 33 years old or younger. I enjoyed the show (or perhaps I enjoyed hanging out with my sister in NYC), but I missed the paintings.<div><br /></div><div>This week I was invited to see <a href="http://www.daytonartinstitute.org/exhibits/2011dicke.html">Creating The New Century</a> at the Dayton Art Institute. This exhibition features works created since the year 2000 and includes 70 paintings, drawings and sculptures (no video art!) by artists who vary in age and career length. Grouping artists like Francesco Clemente, Philip Pearlstein, Sean Scully, with Mark Bradford, Jun Kaneko. and Marilyn Minter was what excitedly drew me to make my first visit (yes, first) to the <a href="http://www.daytonartinstitute.org/index.html">DAI</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Admittedly, I was initially suspicious of this show as yet another exhibition of a private collection. James F. Dickie is the Chairman and CEO of his family business, <a href="http://www.crown.com/usa/about/company_history_1930.html">Crown Equipment</a>. As he notes in an essay on collecting in the exhibition catalog, Dickie has been collecting art since he was 10. Of course this claim as well as the rest of the essay doesn't necessarily convince me of the value of the collection or his collecting. That Dickie served as chairman of the board of trustees at The Dayton Art Institute and The Smithsonian American Art Museum was not the clincher either. </div><div><br /></div><div>In 1997, the DAI opened a new expansion by hosting American art from the Dickie collection. So this is the second time in less than 15 years the DAI has featured works from this collector. I did not see the earlier show, but <a href="http://www.daytonartinstitute.org/exhibits/2011dicke.html">Creating The New Century</a> is not so much a collector's collection as it is a painter's collection.</div><div><br /></div><div>James F. Dickie II is a painter and the exhibition wonderfully explores painting (and sculpture) in this 21st century. I was excited by artists like John Alexander (he spoke with us during this media preview), who is inspired by great art in history. His <i><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/artimageslibrary/5161234501/">Ship of Fools</a> </i>is a response to the contemporary through the influence of artists like Bosch, Homer, and Gericault. New painting processes like those employed by <a href="http://departments.oxy.edu/ahva/studioart/besemer.htm">Linda Besemer</a> are for a non-artist like myself reason enough to see this show. Her <i>Fold #71</i> is a pure painting in that it is made exclusively of a sheet of paint.</div><div><br /></div><div>I was immediately drawn to this collection. While in the gallery, I spoke with a fellow writer, a painter who teaches painting. He too was excited about the show and we talked about the possibility of creating a painting class based on Creating The New Century. I know I could create a pretty interesting art history seminar. Of course it would be a history of contemporary art without video art. </div><div><br /></div><div>But I think I would be okay with that.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>ETA:</i></div><div><br /></div><div>The accompanying catalog includes and excellent essay written by New York Art Critic Ellie Bronson on each of the artists featured in the exhibition. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10991826350178212523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567567605013819455.post-30260974953276660142011-03-07T09:06:00.005-05:002011-03-07T09:38:30.379-05:00Have You Seen The Freedom Center Berlin Wall Monument?<div style="text-align: left;">Last summer is such a blur. With the ending of the school year, our kids happily retook command of our home and attention. This is my only excuse for not being aware of this permanent installation of a section of the Berlin Wall on the southwest lawn of the <a href="http://www.freedomcenter.org/">National Underground Railroad Freedom Center</a>. The fact the sites surrounding the NURFC seem to be under perpetual construction may have also contributed to my not noticing it.</div><div><br /> <div><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8r4y5DxlhvQ/TXTsln6vLII/AAAAAAAAAMo/Uj8m7ZUguc8/s400/Berlin%2BWall.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5581345969333546114" /><br /></div><div>This section of the Berlin Wall, a gift of the City of Berlin, honors those, past and present, who have died seeking freedom without walls. The wall was installed on June 23, 2010 and dedicated on July 3, 2010 at the Freedom Without Walls Dedication Celebration.</div><div><br /></div><div>The dedication plaque reads:</div><div><br /></div><i>The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center stands as a beacon in the world, inspiring courage, cooperation, and perseverance in all global citizens. The City of Cincinnati and the Munich Sister Cities Association in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the relationship between Munich and Cincinnati, worked with the Freedom Center to commemorate the past while committing to a future where freedom is a basic right. Through the 2010 installation of Cincinnati's segment of the Berlin Wall, we bear witness to this symbol of the ultimate triumph of the human spirit.<br /><br />Berlin Wall Partnership:<br />National Underground Railroad Freedom Center<br />Munich Sister City Association<br />City of Cincinnati<br />Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory<br />Cincinnati USA Sister City Association<br />Berlin Regierender Bürgermeister Klaus Wowereit<br />Munich Oberbürgermeister Christian Ude<br />Honorary Consul of Germany Richard E. Schade</i><br /><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Cincinnati needs more public sculpture and opportunities like this to make note of monuments to our history. Next time you are downtown be sure to stop and notice this historical marker of freedom.</div></div>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10991826350178212523noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567567605013819455.post-46204969857477011512011-03-01T11:18:00.004-05:002011-03-01T11:34:26.599-05:00It's Official: CAS and CVB Are Partners<a href="http://www.cincinnatiartsnob.com/">Cincinnati Art Snob</a> is now member of the <a href="http://www.cincyusa.com/index.php">Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau</a>. The CVB is looking at a pretty exciting schedule, including the <a href="http://www.lulac.net/events/convention11.html">National LULAC Convention</a>, Tall Stacks. and the <a href="http://www.2012worldchoirgames.com/">World Choir Games</a>. <div><br /></div><div>This partnership will allow me a better opportunity to showcase the work of our local artists to those visiting Cincinnati from around the country and the world.</div>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10991826350178212523noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567567605013819455.post-91320891455534611602011-02-23T11:07:00.004-05:002011-02-23T11:23:46.185-05:00Essex Studios Art Walk dates for 2011Here are the 2011 dates for <a href="http://www.essexstudios.com/">Essex Studios </a>Art Walk:<div><br /></div>March 4th & 5th<br />May 6th & 7th<br />October 7th & 8th<br />December 2nd & 3rd<br /><br />All Art Walks take place from 6pm-11pm. They are all free to the public and there are plenty of free parking lots available.<br /><div><br /></div><div>Make a note of this....I put them on my calendar over there on the right.</div>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10991826350178212523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567567605013819455.post-62698522793351257572011-02-23T10:03:00.005-05:002011-02-23T10:44:09.256-05:00Cincinnati's Artistic Legacy Continues.Housetrends Cincinnati is now featuring a<a href="http://www.housetrends.com/Housetrends/Cincinnati/March-2011/Herman-and-Bessie-Wessel/"> story</a> on the Herman and Bessie Wessel House. The story tells of Greater Cincinnati's most well-known 19th Century artists. The Wessels were students of realist, Frank Duveneck. As teachers, they continued to pass on Duveneck's ideals.<div><br /></div><div>Housetrends focusses on the Wessel home as a scene for the art crowd during the 1920s. According to the story, the couple worked there as well as held large art-themed parties. For 20 years, after their deaths, the house was rented to art students.</div><div><br /></div><div>While the story focuses on the house's past and it's possible future as a house museum and center for American Art, it also recounts a time in the city when artists (not p.r. handlers) maintained the artistic legacy of Greater Cincinnati. Herman and Bessie Wessel's preservation of artistic ideals, education, and conversation are keys to this end. </div><div><br /></div><div>Best wishes to <a href="http://www.carlsamson.com/newnews.html">Carl Samson</a> as he continues to preserve our artistic legacy.</div>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10991826350178212523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567567605013819455.post-51014261097133257472011-02-21T08:30:00.010-05:002011-02-21T09:55:27.124-05:00CAC Dusts Off Street Art SwagWith the opening of <a href="http://contemporaryartscenter.org/node/254">Keith Haring: 1978-1982</a>, the CAC will again be host to a party for local hipsters and others who support art parties. This show, like last year's <a href="http://contemporaryartscenter.org/shepard-fairey">Shepard Fairey show</a>, will also give the CAC an opportunity to organize <i>another</i> summer public mural project. <div><br /></div><div>The CAC claims major exhibitions and programs like these serve their mission to make contemporary art more accessible to a larger audience. It is true artists like Keith Haring worked to reach a larger audience by painting in public spaces. But this goal to engage larger audiences is not particular to street artists. All artists work to be part of a larger discussion.</div><div><br /></div><div>And it is a discussion, not a spectacle for entertaining the masses.</div><div><br /></div><div>Last summer's whitewashing of a couple of Shepard Fairey's murals I argued was the result of the CAC's refusal to lead any discussion on important issues surrounding Fairey's work. Large murals of child soldiers painted just outside a school was an opportunity for an important discussion....one the CAC refused to lead.</div><div><br /></div><div>Like last year, there is yet no indication the CAC has the courage to discuss those issues that find a place in Haring's work. Some of the fundamental topics found in many of his whimsical paintings and drawings include power and threat, death and deliverance, religion, sexuality, heaven and hell. The show is opening this week, though the CAC includes no indication these topics will be discussed. </div><div><br /></div><div>Failing to engage these tough topics, opting instead for parties, Raphaela Platow's <a href="http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20110220/ENT07/102200324">commitment to expanding audiences and making art accessible</a> is a false one. </div>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10991826350178212523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567567605013819455.post-57180168415738292692011-02-18T11:38:00.007-05:002011-02-18T11:56:31.642-05:00Rep. John Boehner Responds to Miami University Professor<a href="http://arts.muohio.edu/node/514">Dr. Sara L. Butler</a>, Professor of Art History at Miami University, emailed John Boehner encouraging his support for the NEA. Here is a portion of his reponse:<div><p class="MsoPlainText"><i>"The Founding Fathers established a federal government for the primary purpose of securing a common defense. Is continued spending on art programs an appropriate use of federal taxpayer dollars?"</i></p><p class="MsoPlainText">Dr. Butler invites us to express our opinion. Here is his contact information.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><a href="http://johnboehner.house.gov/Contact/">Representative John Boehner</a>.</p><p class="MsoPlainText"><i><br /></i></p></div>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10991826350178212523noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567567605013819455.post-9165860505191537562011-02-16T12:13:00.010-05:002011-02-17T13:43:40.632-05:00CleopatraA fascination with Cleopatra can be traced throughout a history of painting as well as our own American cultural history. Picking up from where the ancient Romans left off, American cinema and television has recorded versions of the story of the seductress who lured both Julius Cesar and Mark Antony in an attempt to control Rome and Egypt. Ironically, myths like these are attracting large audiences to more recent research (<i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cleopatra-Life-Stacy-Schiff/dp/0316001929">Stacy Schiff's Cleopatra: A Life</a></i> is currently #5 in the NY Times Bestsellers) about Egypt's most famous queen. While intrigued by her portrayal, many really do want to know the truth about her life. This search for truth through underwater archaeology, and not theatrics, is what's most impressive about <i><a href="http://www.cincymuseum.org/cleopatra/">Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt</a></i> opening this week at <a href="http://www.cincymuseum.org/">The Museum Center.</a><div><br /></div><div>The exhibition features the artifacts, statues, jewelry, coins, and daily items uncovered by a team of underwater archaeologists led by <a href="http://www.underwaterdiscovery.org/">Franck Goddio</a>, as well as an excavation on land led by <a href="http://www.drhawass.com/blog/update-current-state-antiquities">Dr. Zahi Hawass</a>. Goddio began this search along the Mediterranean coast of Egypt in 1992. The exhibition includes underwater footage of his team retrieving artifacts not seen in centuries.</div><div><br /></div><div>The find is incredibly breathtaking. Recognizing these objects in the context of Cleopatra's rule is certainly interesting. The uncovering of two ancient cities, Canopus and Heracleion, which had been lost beneath the sea nearly 2,000 years ago reveals more to us about the life of ancient Egypt. And it is this last point about Egyptian culture, more than Cleopatra, this viewer found most valuable.</div><div><br /></div><div>It is the seeing of these objects not so much as part Cleopatra's story, but in the context of what is happening in Egypt today that is most interesting. The excitement of unveiling and seeing these objects from history matched that which I shared with Egyptians today. At the same time, a realization that the Egyptian Museum is now facing the loss of artifacts, made the opportunity to see these objects, much more powerful to me.</div><div><br /></div><div>Walking through the dark galleries at the Museum Center, I felt as though I was the one on the search for Egyptian artifacts. Perhaps this was the intent of the designers. The dark galleries are the setting for this exhibition permitting lighting effects as well as easy viewing of what seemed to be a total of about 10 flat screens mounted throughout the exhibition. In the dark, the artifacts themselves glow, making them easy to spot, but not always so easy to see. Detailed engravings, and stylistic elements on many of the sculptures are sometimes difficult to make out in the shadows that dance throughout the exhibition.</div><div><br /></div><div>Despite the dark galleries the greatest impact of the show is undoubtedly the pair of colossal 16-foot granite statues of a Ptolemaic king and queen from the 4th-3rd centuries B.C.E. The <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VzX46oF95g&feature=player_embedded">video</a> of unloading these was shown weeks ago as a teaser, but like all art, you must see these pieces in person. Goddio told me these stood at the entrance of a temple Cleopatra and each ruler before her would have entered to pay tribute to the gods. </div><div><br /></div><div>Goddio was in the gallery answering many of the media questions about each of the artifacts. He was so incredibly animated. Certainly proud of his work, but seemed more excited about each of the artifacts as he tried to impress upon us the importance of each piece to Egyptian culture and history. When I asked him what it was like to see the colossal sculptures in particular in the museum, I hoped to pull from him at least some of the awe I felt seeing them for the first time. Pointing to the space behind the heel of the foot of the king, Goddio said this was the first thing he spotted. Because of the granite under water, he couldn't tell what it was until he found the king's toes. With eyes so big, he shared the moment he uncovered and realized the scale of these pieces. </div><div><br /></div><div>It is this moment, facing Egyptian history that is the pinnacle of this exhibition. We do this the same way Goddio does it, by engaging the artifacts.</div><div><br /></div><div>I understand the attraction to blockbuster exhibitions. I really do get the need to attract not only typical museum patrons but the hope to tap into a wider audience. Technology, music, lighting, and special effects work to attract newer and bigger audiences to museums. National Geographic and Arts and Exhibitions International certainly know how to use these tool to this end and the Museum Center has benefited well with past exhibitions like <a href="http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ng-events/exhibits/real-pirates/"><i>Real Pirates</i></a>, <i>Titanic: The Artifact Exhibit,</i> and <a href="http://www.americaiam.org/Pages/home.aspx"><i>America I Am</i></a>. </div><div><br /></div><div>Like these exhibitions, <i>Cleopatra</i> has a built in intrigue. The flat screens may draw people into the exhibition, but in another level of irony, the theatrics keep us further away from the stories the artifacts try to tell...further away from Cleopatra. These tools to engage instead keep Cleopatra on "the big screen." In fact, the exhibit ends with examples of paintings depicting Cleopatra throughout history and finally, a series of film clips of Elizabeth Taylor, Vivian Leigh, Claudette Colbert, and more recently <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1203457/">Lindsey Marshal</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Though as a whole, <a href="http://www.nationalgeographic.com/events/cleopatra/"><i>Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt</i> </a>does provide a wonderful opportunity to learn more about her, Egypt, and the continuing excavations. The Museum Center is hosting a number of programs for children and adults, including a discussion with Franck Goddio about his work. This talk is tomorrow, Friday, February 18 at 7:30 pm and is free and open to the public.</div><div><br /></div><div>The exhibition continues through September 5, 2011. While there seems to be plenty of time to see it, the tickets are timed and dated. You will want to order your tickets in advance.</div><div><br /></div><div>For information on the exhibition and the accompanying programing, please contact <a href="http://www.cincymuseum.org/cleopatra/">The Museum Center.</a></div>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10991826350178212523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567567605013819455.post-49194766784455893742011-02-14T08:29:00.008-05:002011-02-14T09:21:35.153-05:00Essex Studios Opens Logo Contest Rather Than Pay for ArtLogo contests have become a rather popular tool of marketing on the cheap. These contests promise artists recognition (for winning a contest?), an audience, but almost never money. I've seen a number of non-profit organizations and for-profit companies use this tool as a way to save money. In the end, companies and organizations own a logo for which they didn't have to pay. The benefit to the artists is nothing more than being able to say, "See that? I designed it....for free."<div><br /></div><div>As unfortunate as it seems, I've come to expect such strategies to avoid paying artists for their work here in Cincinnati. But even in this pool of cynicism, I was disappointed to learn <a href="http://www.essexstudios.com/">Essex Studios</a> has just opened a call for submissions to a logo contest.</div><div><br /></div><div>Essex rents studio space to artists and has events like Art Walks, in which artists can participate for a fee. With access to artists and artist's money, I would think Essex Studios would consider switching things up a bit and pay an artist for designing a logo.</div><div><br /></div><div>Since when does supporting the arts mean artists supporting us?</div><div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10991826350178212523noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567567605013819455.post-936350178766089492011-02-13T07:22:00.006-05:002011-02-13T12:34:44.699-05:00UC Can Support the Arts By Making a Pledge to CCM<div>As ArtsWave celebrates this first Sampler weekend and<a href="http://communitypress.cincinnati.com/article/AB/20110213/ENT07/102130319/1133/rss1126/ArtsWave-campaign-hits-1-2M?odyssey=nav|head"> marks </a>the first million raised, the Enquirer <a href="http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artikkel?news&Dato=20110212&Kategori=ENT07&Lopenr=102130343&Ref=AR">reports</a> the <a href="http://ccm.uc.edu/">College Conservatory of Music (CCM)</a> at the University of Cincinnati is facing debt that may prove debilitating to their status as an elite institution.</div><div><br /></div><div>While this weekend may be the official launch of the ArtsWave capital campaign, the fundraising push began at least a week ago with an email blast to UC staff, faculty, and administrators. Dean Robert Probst from DAAP and Dr. Thomas Boat of UC Physicians are both UC Campaign Co-Chairs urging the entire University of Cincinnati community to donate to ArtsWave with a list of incentives.</div><div><br /></div><div>In their work to support ArtsWave they argue,</div><div><br /><i>"A thriving arts sector makes for a better place to live, work and raise a family. That’s why the University of Cincinnati proudly participates in ArtsWave’s Annual Community Campaign (formerly known as the Fine Arts Fund). Music, dance, theatre, museums, festivals, and more – create lively neighborhoods and revitalized communities, attracting residents and businesses. They also bring people from across the area together to share meaningful experiences." </i></div><div><br /></div><div>With its students and faculty, programming, and the Preparatory Department, CCM can make the same argument but with a further, more international reach than ArtsWave. </div><div><br /></div><div>Perhaps the University of Cincinnati should refocus its fundraising efforts to benefit CCM. As part of the university community, faculty, staff, students and administrators already have a vested interest in the Conservatory. What's more, UC, CCM and the Preparatory Department students are already lending themselves to ArtsWave during their capital campaign.</div><div><br /></div><div>UC support of the the arts should be a pledge to their own CCM.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10991826350178212523noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567567605013819455.post-25282942318237011302011-02-09T11:46:00.002-05:002011-02-09T11:51:39.860-05:00Wexner Center Wins Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Grant<a href="http://www.wexarts.org/">The Wexner Center</a> for the Arts and Ohio State University will use the largest programming grant in the center's history to launch a four-year initiative on the South American country's arts and culture.<br /><br />A $782,300 grant from the New York-based Andrew W. Mellon Foundation will help support exhibits, lectures, conferences, a film series, performing-arts events and educational projects about the emerging nation.<br /><br />Starting with the 2011-12 season, OSU and the Wexner Center will forge relationships with key Brazilian artists, academics, critics, teachers and cultural organizations through trips, residencies and commissions.<br /><br />See the <a href="http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/arts/stories/2011/02/06/wexner-center-to-go-brazilian.html?sid=101">Columbus Dispatch</a> for more on the grant.Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10991826350178212523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567567605013819455.post-52108209601731723012011-02-08T08:30:00.006-05:002011-02-08T14:42:00.103-05:00ArtsWave Should Be Having this DiscussionAs they launch their capital campaign, <a href="http://www.theartswave.org/">ArtsWave</a> is continuing to hone its mission and defining its future funding guidelines. They should be considering artists grants. As they've told me recently, they are not in the business of competitive grants for individual artists. But during a brown bag lunch, Ms. Mary McCullough-Hudson suggested that such grants may be something for ArtsWave to look at in the future.<div><br /></div><div>Art in America has a <a href="http://www.artinamericamagazine.com/news-opinion/news/2011-01-28/funding-the-arts-pay-to-play/">good story</a> on funding of individual artists. The article presents the challenges of setting up guidelines for such grants as well as some solutions.</div><div><br /></div><div>As the article notes, when the <a href="http://www.nea.gov/">NEA</a> killed artists' grants in 1994, it pulled significant financial support and recognition of our artists. But the story neglects to point out though is that yanking was a powerful gesture to the art world that funding artists is simply not a worthy effort.</div><div><br /></div><div>ArtsWave should reconsider its cue from the NEA and work to establish artist grants with the community support they hope to gain in the coming weeks during the <a href="http://www.theartswave.org/arts/sampler">Sampler</a>.</div>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10991826350178212523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567567605013819455.post-62292058012924771142011-02-08T06:18:00.005-05:002011-02-08T15:11:38.304-05:00Ohio Liberal Arts College Deaccessions to the Tune of $1.4 MillionA <a href="http://www.lichtensteinfoundation.org/">Roy Lichtenstein</a> and works by <a href="http://ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/whistler/">Whistler</a> were donated to <a href="http://www.bw.edu/">Baldwin-Wallace College</a> decades ago, <a href="http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/02/baldwin-wallace_college_nets_1.html">but few saw them until they hit the auction block last March</a>. <div><br /></div><div>With a small storage space on the Berea, Ohio college campus, the artwork was at risk.<br /><br /><i>"We were one sewer backup from having the collection destroyed," said spokesman George Richard. "It would be irresponsible for us to do not do something." "They were quality pieces, but we had trouble preserving and maintaining them," said Richard. "We had obligations to protect it."</i><br /><br />Protecting it by way of selling it to the highest bidder.<br /><br />These donated pieces to Baldwin-Wallace were like cash under a mattress. Of the $1.4 million, $100,000 was placed as an endowment for the college art department and the rest will fund capital improvements.<br /><br />College President Richard Durst said selling the collection was the right thing to do.<br /><br /><i>"It is a shame when you have works of art that nobody ever sees," Durst said. "Art is supposed to be used by people who appreciate it. There was never that opportunity here." </i><br /><br />Though it seems as though Baldwin-Wallace appreciated the opportunity to use the art. </div>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10991826350178212523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567567605013819455.post-4498104305852607802011-02-07T08:30:00.007-05:002011-02-07T08:54:04.941-05:00Want to Create a "Ripple?" Cut Out the Middle Man.ArtsWave is launching their capital campaign by allowing Macy's to sponsor six weekend days of art activities and events throughout Cincinnati and surrounding communities. Promoting parties, plays, talks, concerts, and even an online game (?!), ArtsWave hopes to raise at least $11 million.<div><br /></div><div>ArtsWave introduced a new name and a new and larger mission that includes supporting arts and cultural institutions based on impact. However, <a href="http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20110206/ENT07/102060315/1032/ENT/ArtsWave-launches-fund-campaign">they are not sure yet</a> how this $11 million will be dispersed. This year they plan to determine the new funding criteria before NEXT year. </div><div><br /></div><div>So where will your money go?</div><div><br /></div><div>If you want it to go to the arts, simply become a member of an arts organization of your choice or purchase art from local artists. Use the Arts Sampler to help determine which neighborhood arts organization you wish to support and fill out a membership form before you leave.</div>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10991826350178212523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567567605013819455.post-90649687174209756342011-02-03T14:14:00.006-05:002011-02-03T21:55:36.267-05:00Hotel Art Goes PopI left <a href="http://www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org/absolutenm/templates/ArtTempExhibitions.aspx?articleid=1047&zoneid=65">Where We Are Now</a> at the Cincinnati Art Museum wondering if all contemporary art is pop art. The works come here from the <a href="http://www.21chotel.com/hotel/default.aspx">21C Museum Hotel</a> in Louisville ahead of the opening of the boutique hotel in Cincinnati. Accessibility to contemporary art is perhaps first and foremost to a hotel collection, and what's more accessible than popular culture?<div><br /></div><div>With Batman, Superman, a hip hop artist, American flags, music from the 80's this collection is certainly accessible to just about anyone who would stay at 21C. In a museum though, I grew tired and for a moment wished I was in a hotel so I could nap. Perhaps that's the catch; "Where Are We Now" may not be a rhetorical but a trick question. As a 21C collection, the answer is a hotel. At an art museum it is an endorsement of hotel chain.</div><div><br /></div><div>And that's where we are.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10991826350178212523noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567567605013819455.post-72606674104247183322011-01-28T09:47:00.003-05:002011-01-28T10:31:48.792-05:00Contemporary Art CANNOT Mean Anything You Want It To.Admittedly, there is much in mainstream media media regarding the arts that frustrates me, but the notion that Contemporary Art is open to mean anything the viewer wishes simply pisses me off. I read this claim again recently in a <a href="http://www.local12.com/news/local/story/New-Exhibit-At-Cincinnati-Art-Museum-Examines/9QxB0P3Ud0a3e8_gy_62WA.cspx">story</a> introducing an upcoming collaboration between the <a href="http://www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org/">Cincinnati Art Museum</a> and the <a href="http://www.21chotel.com/hotel/default.aspx">21C Museum Hotel</a> in Louisville, KY. <div><br /></div><div>Prefacing stories about Contemporary Art with this claim permits reporters with no art knowledge to feel their way into the story, and gives them license to say whatever the hell they want about art. Oftentimes, this means omitting any meaningful or even basic information about Contemporary Art from the story. Deborah Dixon continues her story by singling out "cool" pieces of art in the show without offering a single attribution to an artist. One is a French artist, another is a "young artist who invited black men into his Harlem studio..." And the third? We don't know, but according to Dixon, the work looks like a Rice Krispie treat.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm sure the museum provided all of the artists' names to Channel 12, but if Contemporary Art can mean anything, the names of the artists mean nothing to Ms. Dixon.</div><div><br /></div><div>The truth is, Contemporary Art deals with a number of very important themes and forces us to respond to not always so easy questions. It is becoming more common here in Cincinnati for Contemporary Art to be presented as a mere party favor for the masses. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10991826350178212523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567567605013819455.post-83494439753169334182011-01-22T07:18:00.005-05:002011-01-22T09:47:51.093-05:00Home Is Where the Art IsLast week I had the opportunity to<a href="http://cincy-artsnob.blogspot.com/2011/01/who-sees-portraits-of-homelessness.html"> interview</a> local advocate and writer, Gregory Flannery after visiting <i>Isolation and Togetherness</i> at <a href="http://www.thecarnegie.com/">The Carnegie</a>. While I continue to engage the subject of homelessness and the arts, I wanted to also highlight the work by a few other artists showing as part of this show. Like the photographs in the main gallery, these artists explore images and notions of home through painting and sculpture.<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.malscher.com/default4.asp">Marcia Alscher</a> is easily one of my favorite local artists. After 25 years as an architect, she began painting. Her small paintings of houses are expressions of color and geometric form. But while they are minimalist in style and exhibited together they may seem to be exercises in abstraction, each of these paintings are portraits. By eliminating the decorative elements of a building, Alscher reveals through color and line its core beauty. Normally we tend to look at architectural ornamentation that offer hints of history and culture. However, Alscher's precisionist approach exposes a culture of everyday life. This becomes much more apparent with this group of paintings that include not only 19th Century buildings in Covington, but also portraits of buildings in Italy. Architectural elements such as the dome of Florence, Italy set these buildings apart from those found near her studio. But the palette also changes. The colors recall for me the glow of the 17th Century Italianate landscapes. In these paintings, the color as much as the line help us to see the essence of home.</div><div><br /></div><div>The work of Mallory Feltz also deals with notions of home and space. These works center around the familiarity of the two places the artist has lived, Cincinnati and Baton Rouge. Noting each city's tie to waterways, images and symbolism of bridges dominate the gallery. Her focus on familiar spaces though recognizes that home is not just the architectural building. Her assemblages are made of found pieces that reinforce the domestic space. Embroidery, yarn and fabric are elements highlighting the homemade. Feltz is also interested in our movement and interactions in these spaces. This is highlighted especially well in the repetition of bridges as symbol as well as actual spaces in both cities. Moving through the gallery space from images of Cincinnati and those of Baton Rouge seems to be an invitation by the artist to join her as she makes connections between the two cities, between objects and space, thus forcing a new familiarity on our connection to home.</div><div><br /></div><div>These artists and others like <a href="http://sans1studios.com/">Dominic Sansone</a>, <a href="http://www.abandonedonline.net/">Sherman Caha</a>l, <a href="http://www.contrastproductions.net/">Patrick Meier</a>, and <a href="http://solventnightmare.carbonmade.com/">Alan Grizzell</a> as well as the photography exhibit make <i>Isolation & Togetherness </i>at The Carnegie a remarkably engaging show exploring our connection to home and each other.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10991826350178212523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567567605013819455.post-86252199470455972242011-01-21T05:55:00.003-05:002011-01-21T06:28:20.698-05:00A Cincinnati Artist Spends Time with a PresidentCincinnati's history of art patronage is grounded in recordings of relationships between politicians and artists. The venerable <a href="http://www.taftmuseum.org/">Taft Museum of Art</a> stands as perhaps the grandest link between the arts and a president even if in family name only (Charles Phelps Taft, who lived in the mansion from 1873 until his death, was the half-brother of President William Howard Taft).<div><br /></div><div>But before Taft there was a relationship cultivated between a Cincinnati artist and a President-elect. Until now, I don't believe I've ever heard of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Dow_Jones">Thomas Dow Jones</a>. In the NY Times you can read a <a href="http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/20/the-critter-himself/">wonderful story</a> of the sculptor's work on a bust of Abraham Lincoln. It is an interesting bit of history that captures a relationship between an artist and his subject and the importance of portraiture. Interesting too is the dance between the mediums of sculpture and photography.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10991826350178212523noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1567567605013819455.post-74299114990146226622011-01-18T08:56:00.003-05:002011-01-18T09:04:47.364-05:00Cleveland Museum of Art Sends 32 Paintings to the Auction BlockIn three sessions over two days starting Jan. 27, the <a href="http://www.clevelandart.org/">Cleveland Museum of Art</a> will offer more than two dozen European old master paintings in the largest sell-off from its collection in more than a half-century. The 30 lots from Cleveland, with 32 works overall, will be part of an auction of "Important Old Master Paintings" at Sotheby's in New York.<div><br />"These are pictures that probably don't have a place in the Cleveland Museum of Art context, but could have a happy life elsewhere," C. Griffith Mann, the museum's chief curator, said of the works to be sold.<br /><br />Some of the hottest recent controversies in the art world have involved cash-strapped institutions selling artworks to pay operating or other expenses. But the Cleveland sale is unlikely to cause a ruckus. Most of the individual works to be sold are by minor masters; few have been exhibited in recent years.<br /><br />Sotheby's estimates the total value of the Cleveland works to range from $706,000 to $1,022,000. The auction could attract bargain hunters; out of the 30 lots, 21 are priced with low-end estimates of $10,000 or less.<br /><br />For more about the this sale and the CMA collection, see <a href="http://www.cleveland.com/arts/index.ssf/2011/01/cleveland_museum_of_art_to_auc.html">The Plain Dealer</a>.</div>Mehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10991826350178212523noreply@blogger.com1