Cincinnati Art Snob

Cincinnati Art Snob Blog Moves to Wordpress

2011-04-17T07:04:00.002-04:00

After 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.

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.

You can visit the new site here:

http://blog.cincinnatiartsnob.com/

Yep.

2011-04-08T09:30:00.002-04:00

Source: Charlotte

via Fuck Yeah Illustration!

Cincinnati's Contemporary Figurative Artists

2011-03-28T10:17:00.004-04:00

The Weston Art Gallery is now showing Narrative Figuration, which features five of the city's premier realists: Robert Anderson, Daniel O'Connor, Tim Parsley, Emil Robinson, and Tina Tammaro. These are easily some of my favorite local artists. Jackie Demaline's recent profile of Emil Robinson presents how influential they are to each other.

I had the opportunity to interview 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.

Narrative Figuration may suggest a short list of artists for me to interview in the near future.

New Images of Resistance Reveal Contemporary Resignation

2011-03-26T13:37:00.016-04:00

Let Your Motto Be Resistance is an exhibition of 68 photographs from the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, which opened Friday at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. This inaugural exhibition of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture is the first ever collaboration between the Freedom Center and the Smithsonian.

The title of the show comes from the1843 "An Address to the Slaves of the United States" by the abolitionist, Henry Highland Garnet. 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 Martin Luther King Jr., Muhammad Ali, Ella Fitzgerald, and Amira Baraka. 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.

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 Lena Horne as one of Hollywood's most beautiful celebrities, their gifts did not protect them racism. Each of the individuals featured in Let Your Motto Be Resistance faced injustice

Unlike Without Sanctuary, 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.

Directors of the collaborating museums claim the following:

“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.

“Powerful in its depiction of African American resistance, this exhibition speaks on a global level,” says Freedom Center CEO Donald W. Murphy.

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.

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 Muhammad Ali 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."

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 and contemporary acts of resistance, Henry Highland Garnet's call will not be heard.

Let Your Motto Be Resistance: African American Portraits at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center will be on view until June 19.

The ArtsWave Impact Flip

2011-03-17T08:02:00.006-04:00

City 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 story provides a short history of the organization and the impetus for its recent rebranding.

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 impact on the community. Of course this is not the same thing as supporting the arts.

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.

With ArtsWave refocusing towards impact, the arts organizations and artists are left supporting ArtsWave.

There's the flip....it's your coin.

ArtWord: Corrine Bayraktaroglu

2011-03-14T14:52:00.012-04:00

Embroidery Face

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 Anne Arundel Community College, 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.

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 Jafagirls and the freedom of working within a number of genres.

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?

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.

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.

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 work 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.

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.

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 (above) 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.

Shiny Pretty Things

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?

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/

market/customer base. I am very lucky to be in a gallery (IN A FRAME) 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.

4. I became more acquainted with your work by way of your graffiti knit projects I found around Yellow Springs. When did Jafagirls begin?

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.

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?

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 ;)

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 exhibitions for local artists?

Nancy and I have curated a few exhibits as members of the Yellow Springs Arts Council over the years. Nancy and I created a gallery in the local restroom for 4 years called the “chamberpot gallery”, 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 pub alley project.

Teef: Homage to Basquiat

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.

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 Bayeux Tapestry (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.

Corrine Bayraktaroglu has been doing her blog, Jafabrit’s Art, for about 5 years as well as the Jafagirls blog. She's been been doing the Yellow Springs Arts blog, 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 Bits and Bob’s with the Jafagirls.

Creating The New Century

2011-03-11T10:16:00.008-05:00

There 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.

This week I was invited to see Creating The New Century 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 DAI.

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, Crown Equipment. 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.

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 Creating The New Century is not so much a collector's collection as it is a painter's collection.

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 Ship of Fools is a response to the contemporary through the influence of artists like Bosch, Homer, and Gericault. New painting processes like those employed by Linda Besemer are for a non-artist like myself reason enough to see this show. Her Fold #71 is a pure painting in that it is made exclusively of a sheet of paint.

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.

But I think I would be okay with that.

ETA:

The accompanying catalog includes and excellent essay written by New York Art Critic Ellie Bronson on each of the artists featured in the exhibition.

Have You Seen The Freedom Center Berlin Wall Monument?

2011-03-07T09:06:00.005-05:00

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 National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. The fact the sites surrounding the NURFC seem to be under perpetual construction may have also contributed to my not noticing it.

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.

The dedication plaque reads:

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.

Berlin Wall Partnership:
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
Munich Sister City Association
City of Cincinnati
Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory
Cincinnati USA Sister City Association
Berlin Regierender Bürgermeister Klaus Wowereit
Munich Oberbürgermeister Christian Ude
Honorary Consul of Germany Richard E. Schade

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.

It's Official: CAS and CVB Are Partners

2011-03-01T11:18:00.004-05:00

Cincinnati Art Snob is now member of the Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau. The CVB is looking at a pretty exciting schedule, including the National LULAC Convention, Tall Stacks. and the World Choir Games.

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.

Essex Studios Art Walk dates for 2011

2011-02-23T11:07:00.004-05:00

Here are the 2011 dates for Essex Studios Art Walk:

March 4th & 5th
May 6th & 7th
October 7th & 8th
December 2nd & 3rd

All Art Walks take place from 6pm-11pm. They are all free to the public and there are plenty of free parking lots available.

Make a note of this....I put them on my calendar over there on the right.

Cincinnati's Artistic Legacy Continues.

2011-02-23T10:03:00.005-05:00

Housetrends Cincinnati is now featuring a story 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.

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.

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.

Best wishes to Carl Samson as he continues to preserve our artistic legacy.

CAC Dusts Off Street Art Swag

2011-02-21T08:30:00.010-05:00

With the opening of Keith Haring: 1978-1982, the CAC will again be host to a party for local hipsters and others who support art parties. This show, like last year's Shepard Fairey show, will also give the CAC an opportunity to organize another summer public mural project.

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.

And it is a discussion, not a spectacle for entertaining the masses.

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.

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.

Failing to engage these tough topics, opting instead for parties, Raphaela Platow's commitment to expanding audiences and making art accessible is a false one.

Rep. John Boehner Responds to Miami University Professor

2011-02-18T11:38:00.007-05:00

Dr. Sara L. Butler, Professor of Art History at Miami University, emailed John Boehner encouraging his support for the NEA. Here is a portion of his reponse:

"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?"

Dr. Butler invites us to express our opinion. Here is his contact information.

Representative John Boehner.

Cleopatra

2011-02-16T12:13:00.010-05:00

A 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 (Stacy Schiff's Cleopatra: A Life 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 Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt opening this week at The Museum Center.

The exhibition features the artifacts, statues, jewelry, coins, and daily items uncovered by a team of underwater archaeologists led by Franck Goddio, as well as an excavation on land led by Dr. Zahi Hawass. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 video 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.

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.

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.

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 Real Pirates, Titanic: The Artifact Exhibit, and America I Am.

Like these exhibitions, Cleopatra 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 Lindsey Marshal.

Though as a whole, Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt 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.

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.

For information on the exhibition and the accompanying programing, please contact The Museum Center.

Essex Studios Opens Logo Contest Rather Than Pay for Art

2011-02-14T08:29:00.008-05:00

Logo 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."

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 Essex Studios has just opened a call for submissions to a logo contest.

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.

Since when does supporting the arts mean artists supporting us?

UC Can Support the Arts By Making a Pledge to CCM

2011-02-13T07:22:00.006-05:00

As ArtsWave celebrates this first Sampler weekend and marks the first million raised, the Enquirer reports the College Conservatory of Music (CCM) at the University of Cincinnati is facing debt that may prove debilitating to their status as an elite institution.

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.

In their work to support ArtsWave they argue,

"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."

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.

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.

UC support of the the arts should be a pledge to their own CCM.

Wexner Center Wins Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Grant

2011-02-09T11:46:00.002-05:00

The Wexner Center 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.

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.

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.

See the Columbus Dispatch for more on the grant.

ArtsWave Should Be Having this Discussion

2011-02-08T08:30:00.006-05:00

As they launch their capital campaign, ArtsWave 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.

Art in America has a good story on funding of individual artists. The article presents the challenges of setting up guidelines for such grants as well as some solutions.

As the article notes, when the NEA 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.

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 Sampler.

Ohio Liberal Arts College Deaccessions to the Tune of $1.4 Million

2011-02-08T06:18:00.005-05:00

A Roy Lichtenstein and works by Whistler were donated to Baldwin-Wallace College decades ago, but few saw them until they hit the auction block last March.

With a small storage space on the Berea, Ohio college campus, the artwork was at risk.

"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."

Protecting it by way of selling it to the highest bidder.

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.

College President Richard Durst said selling the collection was the right thing to do.

"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."

Though it seems as though Baldwin-Wallace appreciated the opportunity to use the art.

Want to Create a "Ripple?" Cut Out the Middle Man.

2011-02-07T08:30:00.007-05:00

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.

ArtsWave introduced a new name and a new and larger mission that includes supporting arts and cultural institutions based on impact. However, they are not sure yet how this $11 million will be dispersed. This year they plan to determine the new funding criteria before NEXT year.

So where will your money go?

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.

Hotel Art Goes Pop

2011-02-03T14:14:00.006-05:00

I left Where We Are Now at the Cincinnati Art Museum wondering if all contemporary art is pop art. The works come here from the 21C Museum Hotel 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?

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.

And that's where we are.

Contemporary Art CANNOT Mean Anything You Want It To.

2011-01-28T09:47:00.003-05:00

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 story introducing an upcoming collaboration between the Cincinnati Art Museum and the 21C Museum Hotel in Louisville, KY.

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.

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.

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.

Home Is Where the Art Is

2011-01-22T07:18:00.005-05:00

Last week I had the opportunity to interview local advocate and writer, Gregory Flannery after visiting Isolation and Togetherness at The Carnegie. 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.

Marcia Alscher 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.

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.

These artists and others like Dominic Sansone, Sherman Cahal, Patrick Meier, and Alan Grizzell as well as the photography exhibit make Isolation & Togetherness at The Carnegie a remarkably engaging show exploring our connection to home and each other.

A Cincinnati Artist Spends Time with a President

2011-01-21T05:55:00.003-05:00

Cincinnati's history of art patronage is grounded in recordings of relationships between politicians and artists. The venerable Taft Museum of Art 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).

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 Thomas Dow Jones. In the NY Times you can read a wonderful story 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.

Cleveland Museum of Art Sends 32 Paintings to the Auction Block

2011-01-18T08:56:00.003-05:00

In three sessions over two days starting Jan. 27, the Cleveland Museum of Art 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.

"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.

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.

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.

For more about the this sale and the CMA collection, see The Plain Dealer.

Who Sees (Portraits of) Homelessness?

2011-01-17T10:04:00.003-05:00

There is no doubt that art allows us to address societal issues by providing a perspective that is often overlooked or simply ignored. Isolation & Togetherness at the Carnegie Arts Center is one such exhibition. The show includes a number of beautifully shot photographs, portraits of homeless individuals throughout Greater Cincinnati. The programming accompanying this exhibition include artwork by local artists dealing with definitions of home, awareness and advocacy for the homeless, and collecting non-perishables for Be Concerned. While events like this one are admirable ones, I wonder if such portrait exhibitions really work to draw the attention the artists hope.

In order to address my questions of social value of such exhibitions rather than aesthetics, I’ve asked Gregory Flannery to participate in a discussion with me. Here, I am less an art critic than a cultural or social theorist interested in learning more about how we look or don’t look at our communities and define our notions of home and homelessness.

Gregory Flannery has worked in local journalism in Greater Cincinnati for 30 years. He is the former news editor at CityBeat and the former editor of Streetvibes, published by the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless. His work exposed illegal wiretapping by the Cincinnati Police Department and led to the successful prosecution of three Catholic priests for sexually abusing children. Among the awards he has received is "Best Feature Story," from the International Network of Street Papers in 2009.

1. Greg, first I want to thank you for engaging in this conversation with me. I wanted to start by saying the portraits are very nice. They add monumentality to each of the individuals and even a dignity that is not often associated with homelessness. Each photograph captures well the individuality of the subject, the person. As such, the photos avoid presenting homelessness as a simple or single definition. These photographs and those like them reveal a various images of homelessness. Would you agree this is the ultimate goal of such exhibitions?

Capturing the individuality of the subjects and avoiding presenting homelessness as a monolith are goals that I support. It’s also worth noting that the opening reception was a benefit for the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, and visitors were encouraged to donate food.
This matter of dignity is interesting to me in that homeless people live such undignified lives, exposed to public view, denied privacy, prosecuted for doing in public things that people do everyday indoors (drinking alcohol, evacuating bodily waste, sleeping). Is dignity inherent in humanity, or is it a cultural construct? Should one be embarrassed (i.e., feel undignified) for sleeping on a park bench? Should one feel proud for being able to endure? Do mental illness and addiction, which often attend homelessness, diminish dignity?

2. There are a number of local art events like this one that devote time to the subject of homelessness. Do you see the visual arts being particularly effective in drawing attention to homelessness? Are there events or projects you would like to see sponsored here? Are there programs in other cities you see working or healthier dialogs we could engage in here?

I am working on a project that involves documenting conditions in homeless camps in Cincinnati over the course of a year. The project is somewhat controversial among social workers who serve homeless people because they fear that our work will either ennoble homelessness, lead to hate crimes against people living outdoors or lead well-meaning persons to provide assistance (food, water, blankets) to people living outdoors, thereby enabling them to stay outside longer, instead of accepting help in obtaining treatment and housing.
I think the visual arts are effective in drawing attention to the issue of homelessness; but the larger issue is how accurately the photographs capture the essence of homelessness, which is, of course, a complex and multi-faceted phenomenon. The goal of imputing dignity, for example, runs the risk of prettying up a condition rife with hazard, disease, isolation and deprivation.

3. While visiting the show and recognizing the beauty of the each of the photographs, I was still concerned as to how this helps the viewer rethink homelessness? In other words, while the photographs are beautiful, how does this show or help us to be aware of see homelessness?

I don’t think the photographs by themselves can accomplish either of these things. Beauty has no place in the daily lives of most homeless people, whose daily routine is defined at best by the struggle for sustenance and at worst by the desire to escape through substance abuse.

4. One of my favorite film quotes comes from Terry Gilliam's The Fisher King. The scene takes place in New York’s Grand Central Station. The character played by Jeff Bridges is speaking with a homeless Vietnam Veteran when someone in the crowd tosses a quarter only to miss the homeless man’s cup. Jeff Bridges’ character says, “He didn’t even look at you.” The homeless veteran responds, “He pays so he doesn’t have to look.”

Do photo exhibitions like the one at The Carnegie really bridge this disconnect or simply accept this tendency to ignore the issue as an ill of humanity hoping to capture a single moment or attract at least one more advocate for the homeless?

We tend to fear that which we don’t know. I think there is value in capturing the individuality of homeless people but I’m skeptical that this does much to change other people’s behavior toward them. If some of the homeless people whose portraits are in the exhibit were present to tell their stories to visitors, that would more likely humanize them to the public at large and perhaps motivate people to interact with them in meaningful ways.

5. One would think the visual arts would be a perfect medium to draw attention to our homeless population. Though while the photographs are beautiful, I cannot help but to recognize the gallery as a safe place to address images of homelessness. In the gallery, visitors can view the photographs while enjoying a glass of wine, food, music, friends, and then maybe stop somewhere for dinner before heading home. I suppose my greatest concern is the possibility these exhibitions permit us NOT to see homelessness. Do these photographs shield our eyes? Do they permit us to look so we don’t have to see?

I think you nicely summarize the limitations of this kind of exhibit. The artist’s stated purpose is telling: “The purpose behind making these images was to illustrate the humanity of these individuals, as well as to provide an opportunity for the observer to gaze upon those who are often rendered invisible in plain sight.”
The problem, of course, is that homeless people aren’t invisible at all; the opportunity to “gaze upon” them is manifold, but we are unwilling. We avert our eyes precisely because what we see is not beautiful, not dignified. Homeless people are poorly dressed, have unpleasant odors, are gap-toothed, ask us for money and often display the disturbing effects of mental illness: These are not the kinds of characteristics that make “normal” people want to engage with them. Yes, putting their photos in a gallery makes it safe to look and perhaps to feel compassion from a distance. At best, that makes the viewer feel a certain self-satisfaction, but it does nothing to help the people who are the subjects of the exhibit. If the subjects were cancer or AIDS patients, would viewers be inclined to go out and do something to help? Unlikely. If the subjects were children orphaned by war, would viewers rally to cut the defense budget? I think instead what this exhibition does is make people feel a kind of detached sympathy that ultimately produces no practical change in their behavior.
Art for its own sake is a worthwhile pursuit but it isn’t usually a tool for changes in public policy.

Cincinnati Art Snob Featured Art Tours

2011-01-12T06:45:00.004-05:00

Cincinnati Art Snob will now make available a selection of featured tours. Unlike the tour series, these tours are generally a single-venue events lasting 2 hours or less. Of course you are welcome to pair them up to create your own tour series package.

You can make reservations right now for either The Art of Love in February or Art for the Foodie in March and April.

See the Cincinnati Art Snob website for descriptions, times and dates for each of these tours.

Taft Show Again Draws Intense Emotion, Wonder

2011-01-11T09:00:00.007-05:00

The last two times I was moved to near tears in a gallery, I was at the Taft. This is a good feeling that lasts well after the visit, well after the exhibition closes.

Since finally seeing Francisco Goya: Los Caprichos at the Taft Museums of Art, I've been haunted by the challenging subjects illustrated in the show. Critical of the ruling class as well as common societal practices that victimize women, children, and the working class resulted in a series of images that are either horrific (Todos caerán)or in some cases comical (Asta su abuelo). While walking through the gallery I found myself either turning away in knowing disgust, looking more closely (the gallery provides guests with magnifying glasses to better look at the detailed prints), or uncomfortably laughing at Goya's commentary.

I shouldn't be surprised by the mixture of emotion this series draws. I've seen many of these and taught about Goya and his struggles late in his career over the realization many of his earlier paintings celebrated the very class he grew to dislike. But Goya's questioning of humanity itself is most jarring. Ironically, even the most cynical person walking through the gallery recognizing similar societal ills as part of contemporary American culture would be moved to wonder and perhaps hope things are better now.

Even with the threat of the Inquisition, Goya faced truth, even if privately, and continued with his account of the atrocities of war with his Disasters of War series. This viewer's hope is that cynicism does not bar today's artists from an honesty that may even draw tears.

New Art Tour Packages at Cincinnati Art Snob

2011-01-07T15:11:00.003-05:00

With the new year I've included a list of art tour packages I will offer throughout the year. While I am still happy to custom design tours to your particular interest, these packages are ready and available to reserve for your group immediately. Tour descriptions are here.

Cincinnati Art Snob will also feature specially designed tours beginning next month. Watch for February art tour offerings soon.

Architectural Drawing Contest

2011-01-07T08:25:00.002-05:00

The Architectural Foundation of Cincinnati has issued a call for entries in an architectural drawing exhibition. The juried competition is open to architects, architectural students, landscape architects, interior designers, and individuals associated with the architectural discipline in the Cincinnati region. Students must be currently enrolled.

Selected works will be shown in an exhibition at the AFC Race Street Gallery, which opens with a reception and awards ceremony February 23, 5 p.m. until 7 p.m.

AIA, Cincinnati Chapter, joins AFC in sponsoring the competition. Prizes include best in show, $500; best student work, $250; and best professional work, $250. Entry fees ($15, student, $40 professional) include admission to the reception.

Competition rules and entry materials are available here. Entries must be delivered to AFC headquarters, 811 Race Street, on February 9 or 10, 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Reservations for the February 23 reception ($50 patron, $10 regular) may be made on the Web site, by email to reserve@architecturecincy.org. or by telephone (513) 421-4469.

If the CAC Doesn't Want to Listen to Me, Perhaps They'll Listen to ArtNews

2011-01-06T08:37:00.004-05:00

Robin Cembalest's letter, Between a Cross and a Hard Place in the current edition of ArtNews recounts the controversy surrounding the removal of David Wojnarowicz from Hide/Seek and calls on art professionals to be more proactive in this debate:

"But arts professionals need to be proactive now if they want to forestall a new culture war. Anti-censorship statements on websites are fine—the AAMD released one condemning "unwarranted and uninformed censorship from politicians and other public figures"—but does the general public read such statements? So far, the opponents of "Hide/Seek" are getting most of the media attention. While bloggers and newspaper cultural critics have kept the story alive online, why aren't museum directors showing up on op-ed pages and talk-show stages? After all, Ellen DeGeneres herself is a protagonist in the controversy. If museum advocates want to change the public conversation, they have to become part of it." (my emphasis)

Art also Separates These Two Speakers

2011-01-03T22:40:00.006-05:00

A comparison in the Enquirer between two speakers from Cincinnati, John Boehner and Nicholas Longworth is clearly meant to paint Boehner in the wonderful light of the common man. Unlike Longworth who was "as elite as they come," Boehner "toiled as a janitor among other things..." to work his way up.

Though as may be expected from the Enquirer today (which devoted 6 pages to Longworth's life when he died) the story neglects to mention the other difference between the two speakers. Nicholas Longworth is from a family of Cincinnati's greatest patrons of the arts. His grandfather's (also named Nicholas) support of the arts helped propel Robert Duncanson and Hiram Powers to international success. Frankly, strong patronage to the arts by the Longworth family is the foundation of the arts in Greater Cincinnati. John Boehner, on the other hand celebrates a series of actions meant to undercut the arts. Most recently was his call to pull the work of David Wojnarowicz from the National Portrait Gallery.

So while the Enquirer does what it does to celebrate its conservative golden boy, a man who works against the arts is not a man of the people.

Happy New Year: Women and Their Food

2011-01-03T16:03:00.003-05:00

As I begin designing new tours to offer this year that include topics like female bodies, love, and food, I see this set of stock photos of Women Laughing Alone with Salad.

I guess salad is funny....or fun.

What's more, pictures of women with candy usually show women eating candy as we see here.

Good luck with your New Year's Resolutions.

I'm laughing my way off to the gym.

Who is Politicizing Identity?.

2010-12-30T04:27:00.007-05:00

Recently, Edward Rothstein of the New York Times looked at the challenges museums have exploring "other" histories. His critique of an exhibition of the role of Muslims in science history, which opened at the New York Hall of Science in Queens and the unveiling of the President's House in Philadelphia points to identity politics as the cause of a growing practice of distorting historical facts in order to provide testament to a particular group's story. I agree, these identity exhibitions appear to rest on historical slants. Rothstein also makes an excellent point about how such simple and slanted presentations do not allow for the nuances each group can claim as dynamic moments in their histories. But to focus on these two examples seems to implicate the cultural groups' eagerness to present "their stories." Weak scholarship, or more likely, ignoring scholarship results in poor exhibitions and museums no matter the topic. The politics played here is not those of cultural identity, but of museum identity.

As someone who devoted her own academic scholarship to cultural identity theory in art history, I can tell you historians are not prone to omit historical nuance. In fact, we excitedly look for it. It's these dynamics or twists in which we rest our stories. This is after all, the variety of varying perspectives of history. Identity politics doesn't generally happen at the scholarship level. True, like all scholars, we begin with a premise or a question that may seem slanted, but the goal is in the search for problems, twists, complicated dynamics in history particular to cultural identity theory.

Today, presenting historical nuances rests with the museums and their boards of directors. As cultural institutions continue to be managed by business professionals, such as development officers and public relations firms, nuance (i.e. historical facts, scholarship) risks being abandoned for the ease of the sell. (I refuse to believe an uncomplicated history line will secure large audiences, but I'm not in the business of sales). It is this brand of identity politics that that dictates the parameters of exhibitions. Rothstein does in fact mention the National Museum of American Jewish History as an example of how museums successfully present nuance. I will add El Museum del Barrio as another. These two institutions established themselves about 40 years ago, a time when "curator" meant scholar, not aggregator of information.

While Rothstein's critique seems to lay the blame on these cultural groups' desire to claim their history, the weakness of these exhibitions and others like them point instead to the fact that these stories are are not "their own stories." Instead, they are examples of branding for the business of museum identity. Forty years after cultural groups were offered the mic to tell their stories, have we returned to a place when our identity is someone else's merchandise?

Find Your Center: A Link to Your Arts Community and Others

2010-12-27T13:59:00.002-05:00

Since inviting you to consider directly supporting the arts in Greater Cincinnati, my friend Shannan Boyer from the Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center pointed me to Find Your Center Now. This is a directory of the neighborhood arts centers throughout the area.

I've included most of these to my links banner above, but expect this directory link may be a better resource that will be updated more timely than my own list. Because this directory does not include the major museums, it shines a better spotlight on the individual communities of which we may not have known.

Please check out these places and again consider supporting them by purchasing a membership or enrolling in any of the classes or attending an event.

Support Local Artists and Arts Organizations for a Happy New Year

2010-12-22T11:23:00.003-05:00

My regular readers know I am an advocate for direct support of our artists and art organizations. As you rush to finish your holiday shopping, remember museum stores, concert tickets, and memberships to specific art organizations or neighborhood art centers are great gifts.

If you are a parent like me, once the holidays are over, you'll soon be wondering how to best plan your children's summer. Summer in Cincinnati is filled with art classes and camps. A membership now will put you in line for a spot in any of these classes that will fill up quickly. Purchasing a membership for a family on your list will also secure discounts on events for the family (adults and children) throughout the year.

Not only are these gifts tax-deductible, but since you are reading this, you simply have to scroll to the top of this page and click on any of the links above to begin shopping.

Make it a wonderful new year for your friends and family as well as the local artists and art organizations by filling their stockings with a year of art.

Happiest Holidays from the Cincinnati Art Snob.

But 20 Years Ago, Cincinnati Invested in Art's Dialog

2010-12-20T12:05:00.006-05:00

The past couple of weeks have proven to be a challenge as I try to engage the local art community in some of the biggest news in the arts this season. I've spent this time trying to understand why despite "our vibrant art community," no one in Greater Cincinnati wants to participate in this discussion. As stressed in my previous post, the CAC has enjoyed a history of supporting the arts and artists through bold exhibitions and conversations. Yet today they fail to join other museums in standing up against censorship.

I know Cincinnati is conservative. Though I also know of many local artists and art patrons who are not. So why is it that everyone in Cincinnati seems to be shying away from this debate? A recent blog post on ArtsWave seems to shed light on the silence. "Everyone Wants to Live in a Special Place" is about finding and adopting the best message that will attract support for the arts. ArtsWave in fact criticizes discussions that include challenging topics like censorship in the arts saying:

"Reporters and bloggers love to shine a spotlight on fights like the one that erupted in recent days over a privately-funded exhibit at the publicly-funded Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. And opponents of broad support for the arts know they can undermine that support by tagging art as elitist for the few. We’ve seen it happen time and again.

Debates like this make even our friends and supporters leery of publicly backing the arts -- whether with money or advocacy."

Let me get this straight, ArtsWave is accusing art writers of undermining support for the arts?

Boldness in the arts including debates like this one have proven that support increases for the arts. In fact, despite the notion that uncomfortable debates damage support for the arts, the CAC continues to tap the Mapplethorpe controversy 20 years later.

To those of you who read my blog, you know this last point is what frustrates me most about the silence. So I finally looked to see what the atmosphere was really like here 20 years ago? In 1990, Cincinnati Magazine wrote an excellent review on the legal and artistic ramifications of the Mapplethorpe debate called Mapplethorpe: The Aftershock.

The cover story presents an incredibly dynamic discussion between community leaders both for and against censorship of the exhibition, and how this event was shaped by and shapes Greater Cincinnati. The details and perspectives included in the story are very interesting and I encourage you to read it. Reading it will give you an idea of the kind of comprehensive discussions you could find in the local mainstream (even conservative) media 20 years ago.

Unfortunately, the conversation is one we in Cincinnati seem to be afraid to have today. Even in this time of social networking when conversations should be occurring frequently and debates permitting insight provided by various voices, Cincinnati's art communities are silent to the crimes of censorship for which they once fought so hard.

Has ArtsWave's work to find the strongest message to support the local arts effectively held any arts discussion in 2010 hostage?

Where is the CAC?

2010-12-07T14:27:00.011-05:00

Since the pulling of the David Wojnarowicz video, A Fire in My Belly, from the Smithsonian last week, art critics are not the only ones angry about their cowering to the demands of the Catholic League and John Boehner. Museums and galleries are now joining the protests. You can find the best coverage of this story on Tyler Green's blog at Artinfo.

First to lead in the move to support the artist's work was the Transformer Gallery in DC, which responded by installing the video. New York's New Museum has announce it too would install A Fire in My Belly.

Nearby museums are also stepping up their support for Wojnarowicz. The Indianapolis Museum of Art will show his Untitled (One day in this kid....) and Ohio's own Wexner Center just announced they will join other museums by hosting a screening of A Fire in My Belly tomorrow at 4:30.

So where is the CAC?

Since this video was pulled, a few people have recalled the Mapplethorpe controversy about 20 years ago. Some comments have compared the CAC's willingness to stand up for artists as opposed to the NPG's response. I've contacted the CAC for a statement of support for David Wojnarowicz. This is what Molly O'Toole, Director of Communication and Community Engagement sent to me:

"First of all, it needs to be said that we strongly stand behind the statement made through the AAMD. It is in direct alignment with our unique institutional (obviously) perspective on issues of censorship and political pressure on the arts. Specifically, I’d like to underscore the section that reads:
'freedom of expression is essential to the health and welfare of our communities and our nation. In this case, that takes the form of the rights and opportunities of art museums to present works of art that express different points of view. Discouraging the exchange of ideas undermines the principles of freedom of expression, plurality and tolerance on which our nation was founded. This includes the forcible withdrawal of a work of art from within an exhibition—and the threatening of an institution’s funding sources.'
It is alarming to be confronted with another example of the arts’ vulnerability to this kind of attack. Just as we saw 20 years ago, this public debate can shed light on that. And if there is something that history has shown, it’s that public support can change the dynamic. It’s possible, we’ve seen it happen.
The arts play an invaluable role in creating community and public dialogue and—in the end—the more we can show that, the more successful we will be at neutralizing this kind of attack in the long run."

This is not really the support for the artist I had hoped to get from an institution that stood firm with Mapplethorpe and in the 20 years since recalls their historic stand with the opening of nearly every exhibition since. This failure to openly and aggressively stand up against attacks and support artists is exactly what led to the decision to pull the video from Hide/Seek.

The CAC statement does shed light on an inherent problem with the arts in Cincinnati. The language of public support ($$) and arts creating a public dialogue to "neutralize this kind of attack" illustrates how much of Cincinnati sees the arts.

As I mentioned to Ms. O'Toole, our city suffers from a conversation in the arts that is upside down. As local arts organizations continue to work by first asking the public what they define as art, institutions like the CAC fail to take the lead in art's discourse. Yes, the arts may create a community and a public dialogue, but the public looks to the CAC, the CAM and the Taft as well as the number of private galleries to take the lead in the discussion. Especially with the current story, of any of Cincinnati's art organizations, the public should be able to comfortably defer to the CAC.

The CAC is preparing to open Keith Haring soon. I expect their press release will again mention Mapplethorpe, AIDS, street art, homosexuality and other seemingly controversial topics in art. But until they are willing to openly engage in discussion and actively support artists including David Wojnarowicz, the CAC will continue to permit the following lesson to be re-learned: silence leads to self-censorship.

Vote for National History Day in Ohio

2010-12-02T20:10:00.002-05:00

National History Day in Ohio was accepted to compete for a $50,000 Pepsi Refresh Project Grant.

To win, we need to have as many people as possible vote for this project during the month of December. The grant will go for scholarships to low-income students, program materials, field trips to historic sites and teacher training to help increase National History Day participation in urban and rural schools.

Vote Daily
Please go to Pepsi Refresh at www.refresheverything.com/ohiohistoryday and vote for National History Day in Ohio. Once you register, you can vote once-a-day, every day in December. It’s simple and easy to do.

In addition to voting, you can ask your friends and family to vote for National History Day in Ohio, too! Just forward this e-mail to your mailing list. The more people to vote for us, the better our chances to win $50,000.

About National History Day
National History Day in Ohio is a year-long educational program where students in grades 4-12 do explore topics that interest them related to a specific theme. In the 2010-2011, it’s Debate and Diplomacy in History: Successes, Consequences, Failures. Students do research and present their work through exhibits, performances, documentaries, research papers or websites at regional and state and national competitions. Learn how National History Day in Ohio helps students excel by watching the Pepsi Refresh Video.

About Pepsi Refresh Project
In 2010, the Pepsi Refresh Project will give away more than $20 million to refresh the world, one idea at a time. Each month, Pepsi will award up to $1.3 million in grants to the ideas with the most votes. Pepsi accepts up to 1,000 new ideas every month and the public decides who wins.

What Does the NPG Really Learn from the CAC?

2010-12-01T11:23:00.013-05:00

A little over 20 years after Dennis Barrie and the Contemporary Arts Center was acquitted of the charge of pandering obscenity with the Robert Mapplethorpe exhibit, our own John Boehner with Eric Cantor has successfully threatened the National Portrait Gallery into removing a work by David Wojnarowicz from its Hide/Seek exhibition. But this is not all. Boehner is seeking to remove the whole show, which the Smithsonian describes as "the first major exhibition to focus on sexual difference in the making of modern American portraiture."

With its acquittal in 1990, the CAC has rightfully taken pride in its place in American art history. With Barrie as director it refused to bow to the pressure of Jesse Helms and Citizens for Community Values. So why, 20 years later, are we witnessing such weakness at the Smithsonian? And if the CAC did effectively draw a line in the sand against art censorship, how does Greater Cincinnati's golden boy Boehner come out on top? Should the CAC step up to defend or condemn the NPG?

Citizens for Community Values, founded in 1983, believes they did not lose the Mapplethorpe battle. Citizens quite accurately noted the case proved "that not everything is protected by the first amendment." While the CAC was acquitted, the message was clear, Citizens for Community Values continues to watch them. This message was made much louder when the Cincinnati Institute of Fine Arts, now ArtsWave, temporarily cut their funding in the midst of the uproar. Now the ArtsWave and CAC walk hand in hand as they develop programming for the CAC and fundraising opportunities for ArtsWave, while tagging themselves with Mapplethorpe's name at every marketing turn of their respective campaigns.

For at least the last couple of years, controversy and entertainment have been the adopted exhibition strategy at the CAC. At the cost of art history, constructive dialogue, and education, the CAC and ArtsWave see Mapplethorpe as a marketing tool. (The upcoming Keith Haring 1978-1982 looks to be a perfect storm.) It should be no surprise then John Boehner, backed by Citizens for Community Values, feels he is on the right side of this debate. Like the Mapplethorpe show in 1990, Hide/Seek has become a noisemaker for politicians.

Unfortunately recent news indicates that along with the the CAC, the NPG has not learned in the last 20 years how to stand up for artists. Rather than holding in trust American art, these institutions have shamefully allowed others to interpret art for their own political or monetary gains.

Removing Artist David Wojnarowicz on World AIDS Day 2010

2010-12-01T09:27:00.003-05:00

The National Portrait Gallery recently opened Hide/Seek to rave reviews. But after pressure from the Catholic League and conservatives, the NPG has pulled the work of David Wojnarowicz.

See the story and the artist's video clip , Ant-covered Jesus, that was removed from the exhibit here.

Has nothing changed since Mapplethorpe?

Coming up: Cincinnati's role to answer this question.

CAM Matthew Leininger Has an Eye for Fakes

2010-11-11T06:28:00.004-05:00

The Art Newspaper is reporting US art museums are being approached by an art forger attempting to donate a number of forged works. While a registrar at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Matthew Leininger, now Director of Museum Services at the Cincinnati Art Museum made a list of these attempted donations over the past 20 years.

So far Leininger found 30 museums have been approached by a man named "Mark Landis," including the Art Institute of Chicago and the National Portrait Gallery in DC. The Cincinnati Art Museum has not been approached. Though it sounds as though he would enjoy meeting the forger again. Leininger says, “My dream would be to get all these works from all the different museums, host an exhibition in his name and invite him as the guest of honour. Then he’d really have heart problems.”

Cincinnati Art Museum Curator, James Crump's Book on Walker Evans makes Top 10

2010-11-10T11:44:00.004-05:00

For the very first time, Library Journal announces its top ten best books list reflecting fiction and nonfiction titles that stood out as the very best in 2010. The list—compiled with the input of librarians and LJ's stable of book reviewers—represents an assortment of books appropriate for a broad reading audience.

Walker Evans Decade by Decade by James Crump made the list.

You can find the complete list here.

Is Cincinnati's Public Art Only Temporary?

2010-10-25T09:28:00.011-04:00

With the LA Times story of Rodia's Watts Towers, I've been thinking about the state of permanence of urban art. With the popularity of street art, particularly graffiti and temporary murals, and "impromptu" performances, where is the investment in permanent art in urban spaces? Millions of dollars have been dropped on private or commercial real estate in the past decade. Are many these buildings and homes, which stand empty or unfinished, our new public art investment or just junk?

Watts Towers is a monument to the arts of found objects or "junk art." As such, it is the focus of a conversation on preservation through reused items. As an architectural sculpture of found object in an urban space, Watts Towers straddles many worlds and genres. Ironically, lending itself to various conversations on art and preservation Watts Towers risked flattening out and finally destruction. When a work art resists categorization, it risks being ignored. Fortunately Watts Towers was designated a National Landmark in 1990 so is itself protected.

As I've mentioned in previous posts, Cincinnati's MuralWorks program is a successful one that celebrates local communities and puts artists to work. It is a very popular program with mural unveilings occurring countless times in the year recognizing community and the arts. Unfortunately, the city has adopted it as a business plan to exploit. We are now in the middle of year two of street art programs. As Shepard Fairey's temporary murals and Paint the Street evolve into the city's most prominently choreographed eyesores, plans are being made for the next round of street art events. With the upcoming Keith Haring exhibit, I loathe to expect something with chalk to promote the streetcar. Whatever the plan, popularity rather than permanence is the likely focus.

Despite all of the city planning involving a streetcar and casinos requiring literal ground breaking resulting in permanent changes in the urban core, there is no hint of a commitment to the arts in these plans. As new buildings go up redefining the commercial landscape of the city, there seems to be no effort to make a sincere commitment to permanent outdoor sculpture in our city.

Of course an honest and successful public arts program in Cincinnati requires those currently in power cede their influence to those who can actually judge art. The current trend towards the temporary permit "safe" decisions requiring no knowledge of the arts. There are a number of local artists and art professionals who can be hired as part of a panel to commission public art for the city. A panel of art professionals rather than business professionals would insure the city's landscape with a sincere commitment to and knowledge of the arts and culture.

Rodia's Watts Towers is a powerful statement for street art made at a time when the arts was about preservation and permanence of culture. Not a temporary public display.

HomeWord: The Betts House

2010-10-20T08:42:00.009-04:00

Looking at the homes of the earliest settlers in Cincinnati reveals an excited commitment to sow ones seeds in a new place. The Betts House, built in 1804 is Cincinnati's oldest residence in the downtown area and Ohio's oldest brick structure on its original site. The stability of the brick structure alone may be testament to the intended permanence of home in this river valley. However, the record of the Betts family westward migration reveals a commitment to the Queen City. Born in New Jersey, William and Phebe (nee Stevens) Betts first moved to Pennsylvania for a few years before finally settling in Cincinnati in 1800. Five Betts generations were raised in the home! Even the earthquake of 1811 failed to rock the structure of the house or the resolve of the family to maintain a home for decades.

The Federal Style architecture of the Betts House was a very popular style during the late 1700s through the early 1800s. With its balanced proportions and repeated analytical lines of geometry, the style is inspired by ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The adoption of this style during America's early decades was a conscious effort to create a visual link to earlier democracies. The visual language of symmetry and stability reflect the commitment of the earliest settlers.

At 416 Clark Street, the Betts House is located in the Betts-Longworth Historic District, just northwest of downtown Cincinnati. The neighborhood is characterized by a variety of architectural styles. Along with the Greek Revival , there is Italianate and the Queen Anne Style, and yet some buildings are transitional; adopting many styles. Yet the neighborhood has a cohesive feel. Amid the varying decorative elements, the brick work and stone facades are pulled together through a vertical design filling these long narrow lots.

Unlike many historical homes open for public tours, the Betts House is unfurnished. This is not to say the house is empty. Betts House Director, Julie Carpenter has been developing some wonderful programming related to the architectural and cultural history of Cincinnati. As with many of our cultural centers, the Betts House hosts children's educational programming in the summer as well as events and special exhibits during the holidays. But because the house is not furnished with original artifacts once belonging to the Betts family, Ms. Carpenter opens the space up as a gallery for local artists, who share an interest in the built environment and regional history.

Last spring, the Betts House opened HOME WORK, an exhibition of items for the home inspired by architectural decorative elements found in Over-the-Rhine. Currently exhibited is From Queen City to Porkopolis: Prints of Cincinnati from 1860 to 1890. These are truly breathtaking images of notable events in the city's history. And coming up for the holidays, the Betts House will exhibit recent paintings by Marcia Alscher along with the annual celebration of Christmas in the 1800s.

Using the home as a space for exhibiting local artists and histories keep the house fresh. New perspectives and conversations provide continued learning and celebration of the region. The stability and commitment to Cincinnati continues in the Betts family home as it now functions as a living history.

CincyVoices Invites My Opinion

2010-10-18T08:37:00.002-04:00

Yes, I have opinions on things not directly related to the arts. My thanks to CincyVoices for inviting me to participate in the conversation.

Today you can find my post about marketing Cincinnati as a place to live or simply pass through on the way to something else.

Architectural Foundation of Cincinnati Opens Gallery

2010-10-14T13:35:00.002-04:00

The Architectural Foundation of Cincinnati opened a new headquarters and exhibition gallery this month, in the Herzog Building, 811 Race Street, Downtown Cincinnati.

Check here for their calendar of exhibitions and other programming.

The Great Art Walk Debate

2010-10-14T11:51:00.003-04:00

The Los Angeles Times has an interesting story about the value of art walks to art sales. Presumably the jury is still out on whether "they build the foundation for sales and create collectors or draw looky-loos opting for a cheap night out?"

During our own Final and First Fridays, are you a looky-loo?

HomeWord: New Cincinnati Art Snob Blog Series

2010-10-11T08:37:00.004-04:00

With the success of my artist interviews (of all blog posts, the interviews get the most "hits" and from a wider ranger of people), I've decided to begin a new series called HomeWord. This series will begin by exploring each of the many house museums located throughout Greater Cincinnati. As with most museums, these focus on education and preservation. Though as house museums, each has a specific historical focus usually related to the house, the people who lived in it, and neighborhood in which it resides.

HomeWord will present not only a profile of these homes as museums with a mission, but also realize their historical significance to the growth and movement along the Ohio River.

I will begin with The Betts House, the oldest home in Downtown Cincinnati.

Perhaps a bit of a disclaimer is necessary here. While I am an art historian, I claim little knowledge of specific architectural histories. My interest here lies in teasing out Cincinnati's cultural history and believe looking at these homes and the histories of the people who built and lived in them is the best way to such a discovery.

Unlike ArtWord, HomeWord provides a much broader set of topics and perspectives. As such, HomeWord permits itself to be a series that would welcome guest bloggers. I look forward to including other perspectives on home in Greater Cincinnati, Ohio, or elsewhere.

ArtWord: John Humphries

2010-10-08T16:29:00.007-04:00

Tile or Scales Linked Together

Originally from Texas pausing briefly on the Ozark Plateau and along the Puget Sound John Humphries feels the Miami Valley is a location for locking in roots. Having completed degrees in Architecture, and Fine Arts in Design and a foray as a saucier and metalsmith, John Humphries is a visual artist, gardener, and designer focusing on translating one media form to another. The creative work takes the form of photo/watercolor constructions, carved wooden slabs, automatic poems, and multi-layered sounds.

Humphries is exhibiting works as part of "A Vanguard Six" currently on view at the Phyllis Weston gallery

1. Your work is self-referencing. Can you tell me how working with various media and subjects from painting and photography to architecture, wood to metal, music to writing, color to sound helps satisfy your exploration of identity? Perhaps more important, how does your work force your viewer to engage in these questions of identity?

Passion and identity through making, in my work and teaching, lies primarily in the realm of drawing. Even my acoustical sculptures [yuck, that sounds like a terrible term] are design drawings because they foreground the technical execution and the media. I try to use all of the various permutations of drawing when thinking about space, narrative, pedagogy, color, and detail. Drawing from something [water from a well]. Drawing blood. To draw out [as in extending something beyond its useful life]. Drawn towards [as in gravity or loves or compulsions].

Drawing inspiration.In terms of identity, I have found most of the really interesting things in the world are so mind numbingly complex that analogy is often the most reasonable way to try to understand these things. Especially identity, one needs to come at this sideways. When working, I keep a notion of my identity in my mind at all times waiting for a chance to integrate small bits. A drawing can not be simply an illustration of my thoughts or desires or they become lampoonish or caricatures of a notion. A complex thing like the Self or Ego or Id or Morbeus’s mindless Krell primative can not be summed with a simple image or picture.

The drawing needs to be held in a certain state of indecision for the work to bloom. A bloom allows others to enter the drawing. Shifting between modes of representation holds this moment longer. I think I am trying to find that moment when the work is a bit uncanny--when something just seems to not work. I hope this does not sound too indulgent or flakey. It is a very specific feeling we have all had--a combination of surprise, anticipation, and fear. This is the experience when something as mundane as when we throw a ball of paper into the wastebasket. The instant before making the shot, we kind of know if it will make it or not, but not fully. The instant when fear shifts to accomplishment. You also feel this when you walk at night and know there is nothing to fear but little triggers shift the moment of just walking to running for your life. I think this is what happens to children when they are scared of their room or closet at night.

Identity comes forth when I can hold, or visualize, or fear, or embrace these moments. Multiple media explorations have become a tool to highlight these moments of tension. For the record I use Alexander Calder’s method for stopping a drawing--usually about dinner time, though not always.

2. Seeing your work as a continuous exploration of hybrids and spaces in-between, I wonder if you are familiar with Border Theory as a methodology for exploring Chicano and Latino identities through geographical spaces and middle grounds or borderlands? Do you see your own identity as an adopted child of first generation immigrants as similarly influential in your work? If not, what are the differences?

I am not familiar with the Border Theory of identity. I think it might be some notion about holding a geographical or temporal thing in mind as the transformative event of one’s identity. The moment in space-time when one became an alien. Perhaps my experience is close to this way of thinking. The experience of being adopted into a family which has a very strong history sets up some strange relationships. You do feel as if you simultaneously do not belong and also do dare having another place to belong. There is borrowed history and stories which you have some connection but also really do not care about. Very simplistically perhaps it could be as if you have a friend who loves a certain movie or film because they have a personal connection to the event featured in the document. You care about the person so you accept that this is important to them and you take the time to understand the event and might even enjoy the tale. There will never be the same connection so i find myself being interested in other things. The telling of the story for example.

My history started at my birth--it is as if there was nothing before me. All connections to things prior are like little charges or zaps or moments which make contact intellectually to my personal experiences. I have only one blood-relative. I have no cultural myths of creation or morality or ethics. I am searching for these connections. I believe these connections are the moments which keep us all searching. A vacation snapshot is not usually interesting in itself but it is a tangible connection to now and the past. My drawings want to be the snapshot between one thing and another, allowing you to escape for just a second. This might be why it is fun to dig through the snapshots of strangers; maybe this is the real success of Facebook and the internet.

A1S3#8

3. Though necessarily conceptual, your analytique drawings are especially exquisite. While the drawings are full of detail and information about space and our movement within it, this viewer enjoys getting lost in their complexity as much or more than teasing out a narrative. Do you see this tug of war between beauty and concept as a problem with these drawings or with conceptual art in general? Or perhaps you welcome it as part of your (the viewer’s?) passage between definitions of art and utility?

I do not appreciate sloppiness in any work. There is a discipline specific craft required in all fields. Even art, as loose as many people think it is, needs to be well crafted. Painters before the advent of aniline dyes and large color manufacturing houses had to be as much chemist as painter. I avoid certain moves and subjects in the paintings and sounds and drawings because I still need to develop my ability to work in this way. One is typography, or the glow of salt on a dark surface, another is the luminosity of human skin in the sun.

Concept is problematic, in general, in contemporary art. Often the work seems to be over thought. I think the conceptualization of work is the thing that helps me start without a blank page, make certain moves of connection, and make value decisions while working. The success is not when a viewer is held because they “get it”. The execution of my watercolour drawings uses the connections between the technical act of drawing and making to hold the viewer in the drawing. I hope they are not confused when viewing the work--but are able to wonder around the drawing.

The technicalities of drawing allow for the transformation of one media type to another. For example: orthographic drawing has largely horizontal and vertical lines and planes. Axonometric projection has vertical lines as well. This is the moment when one type of drawing can shift into another. Axonometric drawings also have diagonal elements, these can be found in perspectival representations of space. With this understanding a drawing can shift from perspectival representation to a planimetric drawing to a an axonometric drawing.

When working I hunger for these technical transformations. These moments are the snapshots which connect ‘now to a remembered event or imagined thing or just a dumb line. I work with multiple media because I find these connections. When expanding them into three dimensions small sticks and bits of wire are very close to lines drawn on the page. The newest leaps into sound and text are because I have found these connections in other media. Speech has certain rhythmic and cadence properties which allow for a connection between any sound and text. Sound can be graphed to form an image. Multi-media is just the next inevitable step.

Sometimes you have to stop drawing and listen.

Pelops Speak Non-sense for Himself

4. You draw your work with hybrid identities from the Greek transformational story of Pelops. Admittedly, I’m not too familiar with this rather gruesome tale. It seems as though the machination of this story is what attracts you. Instead of historical depictions of creatures made of elements from nature (Egyptian and Aztec gods, gargoyles, etc), employing an image of a machine/human hybrid leads to further exploration of the culture of mechanics. Are the in-between spaces you expose then manufactured rather than natural? Do you see yourself moving too far away from what may be fundamental issues about the arts and art making? How threatening is this crossing of media lines to your artwork?

As I have said I draw. Maybe it is closer to drafting or a technical manufacturing. The story of Pelops is fascinating and complex, and full of imagery, and tragedy. It seems very modern in a sense. A young person is transformed and becomes more beautiful by getting a new gadget. Maybe his new arm of ivory and bronze manufactured by Haphestus is the equivalent of a new iPhone and ubiquitous white ear buds making a new and beautiful person. Pelops is my check and balance, a kind plastic educator.

5. Many artists today are welcoming the opportunities to work with non-traditional tools for making art. I often wonder if computer technologies hurt art either by welcoming them into the galleries and museums or into the artist studio. As comfortable as I may be with these technologies personally, as an art historian/critic, I find art made or viewed with these tools easy to dismiss. You are currently using newer computer technologies to explore sound and color. Is focusing on these basic art forms (sound, color, image, form, writing) the way to maintain your own identity as an artist?
I agree. My struggle with using these newer technologies [though they are not really new] is that I am uncertain where the ART is located in the things generated. I do not think these technologies hurt our discussion of our culture through the act of making. I think the problem is the newness of these media and most folk do not know how to enter the work and are seduced by the cleverness. The concern with newer media is that the work seems to err on the side of didactic. Is the craft in the algorithm?

There is a hesitation on my part to exhibit or display the newer work because often the discussion becomes about the how and not the what. The how is easy--just like drawing. A pencil works by scratching a mineral onto matted plant fibers. In what way did the scratchings affect/effect the viewer?

My erratic sounds and non-sense poems derived from my drawings are not very new--if anything they are retro-dada. The only thing I gain from the computer is the ability to generate many more sounds and strings of words than I could without the device. I could map or chart my drawing on paper and give this document to a cellist.

The danger I have found is also in this speed of making things. I use this in my teaching of new design students at Miami University. Making many things quickly give the impression that making things is easy and often automatic. A slowing down of the process allows for contemplation of the work at many scale and stages. The computer allows for more time to contemplate made objects--its greatest strength is in the mash-up. We are not accustomed or trained to deeply consider formed object.

I remember a discussion with my mentor, Richard Ferrier FAIA, when we spoke about new technologies and how they need some time to develop a language and discourse of their own. Acrylic paint was initially considered only in terms of its similarity to water media and oil paint. The same with photography, it was considered a documentarian and utilitarian media. In my field of teaching, design, interior design is still relatively in its infancy and struggling to develop an identity separate from other design disciplines.

My identity is tied up in my drawings--I think though my feeling of comfort with alienness allows me to be comfortable with discomfort and thereby find these connections. The discussion I would hope to engender is one about the sameness of things and to find the places we connect.

The Ohio Arts Council is Moving

2010-10-08T10:14:00.002-04:00

On November 11, the OAC will be moving to its new location at the Rhodes State Office Tower, 30 E. Broad St., 33rd Floor, Columbus, OH 43215-3414. The phone numbers will remain the same, however, now with only only one fax machine: 614/466-4494.

Due to the moving process, The OAC will be unavailable from November 10 - 12. Additionally, the offices will be closed the following furlough days in order to help reduce payroll expenses statewide: November 26, December 23 and December 30.

Local Marketing Firm Honored by Americans for the Arts

2010-10-07T16:48:00.006-04:00

Clifton Cultural Arts Center's Ruth Dickey nominated Strata-G Communications for its commitment to the arts. Next month, Strata-G will accept BCA Award in New York from Americans for the Arts.

I knew there were some local marketing firms that genuine support the arts in Greater Cincinnati.

Read here about how Strata-G supports the CCAC.

Here you will find dates and registration information for the Ribbon Cutting and Gala Celebration taking place this month at the Clifton Cultural Arts Center.

Not a Wave But a Trickle

2010-10-01T06:33:00.006-04:00

The focus of the new expanded mission of ArtsWave (formerly the Fine Arts Fund) is not the arts, but a vibrant community or impact. This is what ArtsWave President & CEO, Mary McCullough-Hudson told a handful of us who attended the first of a series of brown-bag lunches.

During this meeting we heard a little bit about the history of the Fine Arts Fund and the recent marketing research that led to their re-branding. (I speak about this here and here and here). While I maintain my criticism of their outsourcing of marketing research and the embarrassingly sloppy re-branding of the Fine Arts Fund, my immediate concern is their expanded mission.

Expanding their mission to include arts and culture will make money available to all non-profit cultural institutions. Ms. McCullough-Hudson stressed the support of the "Big Eight" (Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati Opera, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Taft Museum of Art, Cincinnati Ballet, Contemporary Art Center, Playhouse in the Park, and the May Festival) will not weaken. ArtsWave will also continue to support the growing number of smaller arts organizations throughout Greater Cincinnati. Though she did say the mission towards impact would now allow the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden and Cincinnati Museum Center to seek funding support from ArtsWave.

I will let (and hope) others ask how access to this new funding source will affect the passage of future taxes to support these two organizations. As I mentioned recently, my concern is for the artists. Perhaps more accurately, for art.

I attended the meeting to ask the one question, "Does this new expanded mission include artists grants?" The answer, "no."

Ms. McCullough tried unconvincingly to suggested ArtsWave may make grants available to artists in the future, but right now they must work to define organizational impact. After additional discussion about the concern of the lack of direct artist support, Ms. Margie Waller, ArtsWave Vice President of Strategic Communications and Research, went on to explain many of our local artists do in fact receive money from ArtsWave as they are hired by supported arts organizations. Further, many of our local artists start their own art organizations ArtsWave continues to support.

Borrowing from their water imagery, I accused Ms. McCullough and Ms. Waller of employing trickle-down economics.

Funding impact is simply a way to be sure the largest organizations get the biggest piece of the pie. But more troubling is ArtsWave unapologetic lack of support for the individual artist. Yes, many of our artists have started wonderful arts organizations throughout Greater Cincinnati that truly impact our communities. With no competitive artists grants, this is the only way our local artists have been able to get any support from ArtsWave. ArtsWave is not supporting artists doing art, but by doing the work of ArtsWave; heading art organizations that will bring capital into the city.

There are always a number of interesting and important conversations artists in and outside of Greater Cincinnati in which artists are engaged. Without competitive artist grants, there is little to no path for our artists to participate in these arts discussions. Of course this is a horrible situation for our local artists. This also harms any claim Cincinnati can make in the art world. And this situation is not healthy for arts in general.

Earlier this week, Rocco Landesman, Chairman of the National Endowment of the Arts visited Cincinnati. During this visit, he witness the work of the ArtsWave and now points to this funding machine as a national model!

As much as it claims in their calls for donations, ArtsWave does not support the arts. It uses the arts to celebrate the city. These are two very different things. I have no problem with the recognition of the arts as an important or even the most important factor of a healthy and vibrant community. Hell, I'm the biggest cheerleader. But riding the ArtsWave capital campaign on the backs of artists as administrators kills the arts.

If ArtsWave is being presented as a national model, their expanded mission, must be challenged. Those of you who honestly support the arts in Cincinnati as well as throughout the country and want artists to be able to do art, contact Ms. Mary McCullough-Hudson and demand ArtsWave develop competitive grants that are awarded directly to artists for their art work.

ArtsWave as a national model will have a damaging impact on the arts in the United State if artists face losing access to competitive grants. Contact ArtsWave and tell them you support the arts by supporting the artists.

Will We See Artists Grants?

2010-09-29T06:21:00.004-04:00

Rocco Landesman, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts visited Cincinnati this week.

Landesman said Over-the-Rhine was an example of what the NEA would like to see happen elsewhere. He had never visited the neighborhood on previous trips in Cincinnati because of its reputation for drugs and violent crime, but art galleries, theaters and other arts organizations have helped transform it, he said.

"This really is Exhibit A of what we're going to be talking about in the next three years at the NEA, how art and artists can transform a place and make it a completely different place," Landesman said. "The arts can revitalize neighborhoods, and boy, is this a great example."

Perhaps with such recognition of the artist's role in our communities, ArtsWave will finally develop artists grants as part of their new and expanded mission.

October is National Arts & Humanities Month in Ohio

2010-09-27T15:53:00.003-04:00

Governor Ted Strickland has issued a proclamation declaring October National Arts & Humanities Month in Ohio.

“The arts and humanities embody much of the accumulated wisdom, intellect and imagination of humankind,” proclaims Gov. Strickland. “I hereby recognize October as Arts and Humanities Month in Ohio and call upon the residents of Ohio to celebrate and promote the arts and culture in our state.”

National Arts & Humanities Month (NAHM) has been celebrated since 1993 and provides a great opportunity for people to participate in the arts offered in their communities. The Ohio Arts Council (OAC) is teaming up with the Ohio Statehouse to celebrate NAHM by organizing a series of free arts events in downtown Columbus. Citizens are encouraged to visit ArtsinOhio.com for more information on events in their area.

For more information and events please see the OAC website.

I Guess Everyone's Catching the Wave!

2010-09-24T07:13:00.006-04:00

Yesterday I criticized the Fine Arts Fund for changing their name to ArtsWave. However, it seems as though many people like it.

After surfing (ahem!) the internet looking for the new ArtsWave website, I found two other arts organizations with the same or similar name: ArtsWave in New York and Norfolk ArtsWave in Connecticut. Both are relatively young arts organizations, with very similar goals towards supporting the arts.

In New York, ArtsWave, which stands for Arts in Warwarsing and the Village of Ellenville, began its 501c3 process in February of 2008. This is the same month they unveiled their logo design by competition winner, Chuck Davidson.

The Norfolk ArtsWave website states:

"In that Plan a well-researched and clearly-articulated commitment was made to economic development based on Norfolk’s cultural roots. (my emphasis, of course) Norfolk ArtsWave!, which is the result of intense collaboration among townspeople, businesses and organizations, brings this very good strategy to life in a very good way."

Cincinnati's ArtsWave spent $150,000 for this "new" brand.

While I still argue an outside marketing firm cannot possibly do a good job of rebranding Cincinnati's history of arts support, I did expect at the very least New York's Resnicow Schroeder Associates to dip its toes in the water before branding the Fine Arts Fund with a name already used by groups in their own neighborhood.

Water, Water Everywhere.....

2010-09-23T06:00:00.006-04:00

Earlier this month, I wrote about my latest concerns with the Fine Arts Fund's decision to hire outside artists to rebrand their organization. My criticism rests on the obvious problem of collecting donations in the name of supporting local artists and failing to pay a local marketing firm to redesign their brand.

Yesterday, the Fine Arts Fund unveiled their outsourced effort with this.

Since this unveiling, I've been trying to imagine the long-time Fine Arts Fund donor proudly announce, "I belong to the ArtsWave." or "I give to the ArtsWave."

hmmm....

It sounds and looks like the Fine Arts Fund has has been swept up in their own water imagery with the now tired old "ripple effect" they've been touting for 3 or 4 years, and much over played Splash Dance video (you can find it yourself).

I guess we cannot expect a marketing firm from NYC to know Cincinnati's history of support for the arts and the identity of our arts donors. But the President and CEO, Mary McCullough-Hudson should.

Join me as I watch the real ripple effect of ArtsWave.

The CAC Has Learned Nothing and Goes Nowhere New

2010-09-19T11:22:00.015-04:00

As the CAC tries to market their new show, "Where Do We Go From Here? Selections from La Coleccion Jumex" as a local launch of Hispanic Heritage Month, the exhibition has nothing to do with Latino issues and art. Just because the private collection is from Mexico and the show includes work by artists with names like Guzman, Ortega, and Orozco doesn't make it a Hispanic Heritage show.

The collection instead reflects an interest in recognizing artists from Latin America participating in the Pop Art movement. The Jumex collection brings American and Latin American artists together to present a dialogue that may employ different languages, but explores very similar subjects. About 50 years ago, a number of artists and collectors actively addressed the lack of recognition in the arts of women, Latin Americans, and other marginal groups. The current show at the CAC shows the Jumex Collection successful in making a case for artists living in Mexico.

Is it an irony the CAC chooses to recontextualize the collection to help market the show for attendence? Of course not. As we saw with the Shepard Fairey show, this is the business of the CAC. No need to deal with art history if you want to simply throw a party.

Admittedly, Platow acknowledges the goal of the collection, however she goes on claim a general open-ended or broad scope of the show:

"The show is not a one-liner or super-straightforward statement - that's part of the beauty of it," says Platow. Art is not arranged chronologically or geographically, though there are themes: art about art, text in art, art and urban anthropology."

"We play with the fact that this is a private collection by a person with varied interests," Platow says. "We present an experience that proposes the moment before institutional framework is installed. Dichotomy doesn't exist in the installation or collection."

...Platow says, but "the collection is about transcendence."

"Transcendence," lack of chronology and nonexistent dichotomies are claimed characteristics that seem to permit the CAC to ignore the issues art presents. As much as Platow wants to insist with each exhibition art is so broad "visitors can bring their own ideas," she's wrong. Again, the CAC appears to ignore the issues surrounding those which it would rather exploit. There is nothing yet scheduled this year (certainly not during 2010 Hispanic Heritage Month) dealing with Latino culture. So far, the lecture series associated with "Where Do We Go From Here" includes a talk by a science and technology professor and another by a photographer/NFL linebacker. Perhaps by the last week of the show, the CAC can hold a panel discussion on Latino pop culture.

Simply drawing a quote from Martin Luther King Jr. and exhibiting works by artists with Latin American names does not absolved the CAC of marginalizing communities of people. The goal of the Jumex Collection is inclusion, the title is a call to continue the work of inclusion. In choosing to ignoring this history for open-ended party themes is irresponsible. Is the CAC going to invite this discussion and answer King's question? The CAC failed to ask and answer the important questions associated with street art last year and murals were destroyed. To recontexualize a private Mexican collection of art as one that responds to Latino issues and fail to lead the discussion it presents risks a similar white-washing of cultural identities.

Support Your Community By Supporting Its History

2010-09-16T09:49:00.004-04:00

"I didn't realize there were so many museums around here."

"I've lived here all my life, but haven't visited any of these places."

"This is all free?!"

"I remember visiting the Taft and the Fire Museum on a field trip when I was in school, but haven't been back. I should really visit again soon."

"My kids really liked this museum when the school took them."

"I should really get over to see these museums."

These are some of things I heard on Fountain Square yesterday during Museum Day. Museums from all over Greater Cincinnati showed off their educational programming, histories, and wares. While a few where surprised to see such a wealth of history and culture, many more expressed a matter of fact sense of pride in their Queen City. They knew.

So while a loud and vocal few continue to complain there is not much in Cincinnati, and a younger group of professionals who have transplanted themselves in (or transitioning through) Cincinnati call for events, services to appeal to their tastes, those rooted here know the city's wealth. And this wealth and love for the city is what keeps many of these historical sites and museums free.

So be sure to visit and support our historical sites and museums.

Local Art Writer Sees Literature in Donnelly's Paperwork

2010-09-08T07:52:00.002-04:00

Aeqai writer Maria Seda-Reeder reviews Keystone artist, Kristine Donnelly's Paperwork.

Ohio Historical Society Offers Free Architectural Symposium

2010-09-07T13:48:00.004-04:00

The Ohio Historic Preservation Office of the Ohio Historical Society has launched the Ohio Modern: Preserving Our Recent Past project covering the important social, political, and economic trends that shaped land use decisions, architectural styles, property types and building technology in Ohio from 1940-1970. The Ohio Modern products include a statewide historic context publication and a historic architecture survey identifying and evaluating mid-20th century properties and neighborhoods in Dayton and neighboring suburban communities including Centerville, Huber Heights, Trotwood, Fairborn, Kettering, Oakwood and Vandalia.

Plan now to attend a free symposium on September 30, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., at the Ohio Historical Center, in Columbus, to learn about the variety of building types, styles, special characteristics and architectural features that define the “Ohio Modern” period. The day will include presentations on the research conducted, a panel discussion on the modern era in Ohio, guidance on evaluating the significance of modern buildings for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and an architectural tour of the Ohio Historical Center. To register, visit www.ohiohistory.org/ohiomodern by September 24. An optional box lunch for $9 can be pre-ordered online. Questions? Call 614-298-2000.

More information can be found at the Ohio Historic Preservation Office.

Cedric Cox Continues to Teach Us to See Where We Stand

2010-09-07T09:07:00.004-04:00

Over a year since interviewing him, you can see here why Cedric Cox is still one of my favorite local artists. His interests in rooting his work in local spaces and teaching students how to see is an inspiration to community.

Cincinnati Arts Community Speaks

2010-09-03T08:31:00.004-04:00

City Beat asks a number of leaders in Greater Cincinnati's arts community what they would like to see happening in the local arts.

Many noted more money, some said more art, but only one noted a need for a more sustained conversation about art and the importance of the art critic. Tamara Lenz Muente criticized the dwindling media coverage of the arts. I'm sure as a writer for City Beat, she sees the irony that this story represents one of a mere few comprehensive stories on the visual arts appearing in City Beat annually. And even this one manages only a single question, "What's Missing?"

Thank you Tamara, more needs to be said and read.

Fine Arts Fund Takes the Money and Runs....to NYC

2010-09-01T06:01:00.006-04:00

At the close of its successful community (sic) campaign that raised over $10 million, the Fine Arts Fund promised to announce a transition plan that will include a new name and a new mission. While the new name has yet to be released, the mission suggests an opening of a larger umbrella covering not only the local arts, but additional cultural institutions throughout Greater Cincinnati and its suburbs. The FAF states also its plans to move from focusing on the financial needs of the local arts to looking at how the arts impact our community.

So where is the money you donated to the Fine Arts Fund going if not to tend to the financial needs of the local arts?

Here, the FAF lists benefactors of the money collected during their capital campaign. As you might expect, the list includes many of the major arts and cultural organizations in the region from Northern Kentucky to Hamilton, Ohio. What this "complete list of investments in the arts" does not include is Resnicow Schroeder, a New York firm specializing in marketing the arts.

Earlier this year, Gov. Ted Strickland named Cincinnati as Ohio's Marketing Hub:

"Cincinnati's Hub designation will assist this region's already strong business and educational community in attracting young creative talent, new companies and job opportunities in consumer marketing to Ohio," Strickland said. "Targeted investments in Ohio's urban regions and businesses are a critical piece of our economic development strategy to create jobs and strengthen Ohio's economy."

Did the Fine Arts Fund not know this when they rejected marketing and re-branding campaign proposals from local marketing firms merely days after (before?) collecting over $10 million from the community in the name of the local arts? What happened to their support of local artists when they decided to hire New York branding artists?

Rumor has it the Fine Arts Fund will eliminate the word "Arts" in their re-branding strategy. We'll see what the FAF has to say when they formally unveil their new brand, but right now it appears not all money donated is spent locally and the financial well-being of the arts has been back-burnered for marketing of the FAF.

Betts House Exhibition Gets Award

2010-08-30T10:21:00.003-04:00

Congratulations Margo Warminski! Her curatorial work on From Tenements to Townhouses: Multi-Family Housing in Cincinnati won a History Outreach Award from the Ohio Association of Historical Societies and Museums. OAHSM recognizes organizations for outstanding projects, including public programs, exhibits, media and publications that contribute to awareness and understanding of local and state history. You can find a complete list of award winners here.

If you haven’t seen From Tenements to Townhouses yet, it will be on view at the Betts House through September 30. This exhibit is made possible, in part, by grants from the Louise Taft Semple Foundation and the Bettman Prize administered by AIA Cincinnati; and panel sponsorships from LPK, Towne Properties, York Vision, and anonymous donors.

The Betts House is open Tues, Wed & Thurs, 11 am – 2 pm, two Saturdays a month (August 28, September 11 & September 25, 12:30 – 5), and other days and times by appointment.

International Scholar, David Franklin Appointed Eighth Director of the Cleveland Museum of Art

2010-08-26T22:45:00.006-04:00

David Franklin, an internationally respected scholar of Italian Renaissance and baroque art, was named the next director of the Cleveland Museum of Art in a unanimous vote by the museum's board of trustees. Franklin's selection marks a new generation of leadership for the museum, known for the quality and breadth of its collection and its historic role as a leading American museum.

The 49-year-old Franklin, currently the deputy director of the National Gallery of Canada, will assume his duties in Cleveland on Sept. 20. Franklin brings to the position deep experience in exhibitions and acquisitions, as well as an international perspective as a result of having lived and worked in Canada, London, Oxford and Rome. He arrives at a key moment for the Cleveland Museum of Art, which in the next three years will complete a $350 million renovation and expansion project designed to improve the installation and interpretation of the museum's collection and enhance the experience of its visitors.

"As an international scholar who has curated many successful exhibitions and has substantial leadership experience at a large and complex museum, David possesses a rare combination of managerial and curatorial skills, making him the perfect fit for the Cleveland Museum of Art," said Alfred M. Rankin Jr., president of the museum's board of trustees and chairman, president and chief executive officer of NACCO Industries Inc. "This appointment gives us the opportunity to tap a talented professional to join an emerging group of innovative, new directors at the nation's top art museums."

As deputy director and chief curator of the National Gallery of Canada, Franklin is responsible for the core work of that museum, including its curatorial departments, art acquisitions, conservation, library and archives, and education division, which together comprise approximately one quarter of the institution's total staff of 290 and total annual operating budget of $58 million. Franklin has held the position since 2001.

"I have long admired the Cleveland Museum of Art's commitment to quality, which has given the institution a reputation for possessing among the world's finest encyclopedic holdings," said Franklin. "It is with great enthusiasm that I join the talented Cleveland staff in leading this museum into its next 100 years. I want to build upon the museum's strong traditions while increasing its focus on outreach and diversity to identify new ways to bring the collection to life and engage the regional and global audiences that the museum serves."

The museum is now finishing the final planning for its building project, which remains on budget and on schedule for completion in 2013. In June, the museum's board of trustees demonstrated once again its strong commitment to the project by voting unanimously to fund and complete this final phase.

"The new Rafael Viñoly building will act as a magnet for curious audiences, making this the moment to have a greater impact on more people than ever through Cleveland's collection and intelligent presentation of art," said Franklin. "I'm looking forward to taking an active role in Cleveland and to making the museum even more meaningful and relevant within its community."

At the National Gallery, Franklin has balanced significant leadership responsibilities with an active scholarly agenda. He is one of the museum's most visible spokespeople, representing the organization in its outreach across Canada and initiating fundraising that has secured individual and corporate support at an institution that previously had been accustomed to relying almost entirely on government funding. During his tenure, Franklin's successes have ranged from increasing art donations from individuals across Canada to securing more than $2 million for a curatorial research fund and playing a central role in a fundraising event that raised nearly $2 million for the museum in one night.

At the same time, he has curated several of the National Gallery's noteworthy special exhibitions, including Italian Drawings from the National Gallery of Canada (2001), Parmigianino (2003) and Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and the Renaissance in Florence (2005). Bernini and the Birth of Baroque Portrait Sculpture (2008), organized in partnership with the J. Paul Getty Museum, was the first major exhibition of Bernini's work in North America and the first comprehensive exhibition of the artist's portrait busts. From Raphael to Carracci: The Art of Papal Rome (2009) featured more than 150 works by artists including Raphael, Michelangelo, Titian and El Greco from lenders including the Vatican Museums, British Museum, Galleria degli Uffizi, J. Paul Getty Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Louvre, Morgan Library & Museum and National Gallery in London. Franklin is currently organizing the exhibition Caravaggio and His Circle in Rome, scheduled to debut at the National Gallery of Canada in the summer of 2011 before traveling to the United States.

"David is an individual with extraordinary ability and reputation in the field of international art scholarship," said Neil MacGregor, director of the British Museum. "In the current environment, where institutions are building a growing international presence beyond bricks and mortar and across borders, David has shown a real strength in his rare ability to mount complex projects."

"David's work in organizing ambitious exhibitions is impressive, and he has demonstrated appreciation for sharing with museum visitors not only his own area of specialty but also many others, including contemporary art," said Michael J. Horvitz, chairman of the museum's board of trustees and of counsel to the law firm Jones Day.

Franklin has earned honors in Canada and abroad, including the 1995 Eric Mitchell Prize, one of the most prestigious awards given to art historians, for his publication Rosso in Italy: The Italian Career of Rosso Fiorentino. This volume also was awarded the Yale University Press Governors' Award for the most outstanding book published by an author under the age of 40. In 2009, the Italian government took note of his research, honoring Franklin with its Cavaliere dell'Ordine della Stella della Solidarieta Italiana (Knight of the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity), the country's highest honor for non-Italians, awarded to those who demonstrate exceptional service that furthers Italian culture.

"In a very strong field of candidates, David quickly distinguished himself as our top choice," said R. Steven Kestner, chair of the museum's search committee and national executive partner of Baker & Hostetler LLP. "He brings an international outlook that will allow the museum to continue broadening its reach in the areas of research, exhibitions and publications. We're thrilled to welcome David and his family to Cleveland."

Franklin, a native of Québec, earned his Bachelor of Arts in art history from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. He received both his master's and doctorate degrees in European Renaissance art from the Courtauld Institute of Art at the University of London. He also was awarded an honorary Master of Arts by the University of Oxford.

He has held fellowships at Oxford's Lincoln College and All Souls College, spent four years researching and teaching Italian Renaissance art at Oxford and served as a visiting scholar at the Getty Center for the History of Art and the Humanities in Los Angeles and the Hertziana Library in Rome.

Franklin first joined the National Gallery of Canada in 1998 as the curator of prints and drawings and within two years was promoted to deputy director. The National Gallery possesses a collection and staff similar in size to that of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Created in 1880, it is among the oldest of Canada's national cultural institutions. The museum's collection - which spans all periods of Canadian art and is particularly notable for strong holdings in prints and drawings, photography, Inuit art, modern American art and contemporary art - includes approximately 38,000 works, in addition to 161,700 images held within the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography. Annually, the museum attracts approximately 400,000 visitors to its modern, downtown Ottawa building and adds an average of 300 works of art to its collections.

"David has made outstanding contributions to our institution," said Marc Mayer, director of the National Gallery of Canada. "While we will miss him greatly, I truly believe this is his moment to take the helm of an internationally renowned museum and make optimal use of his ideas, energies and talents there."

Franklin and his wife Antonia Reiner, who holds a degree in modern languages from Oxford and is a freelance translator and fiber artist, are currently in the process of relocating to the Cleveland area with their two children. In the coming months, Franklin will work closely with Deborah Gribbon, who has served for the past year as the interim director of the Cleveland Museum of Art, to ensure a smooth transition of leadership.

Franklin's selection follows a 12-month international search that began in September 2009. The museum worked with the executive search firm of Phillips Oppenheim.

You can find a recent story about the CMA appointment here.

Taft Museum Receives Highest National Recognition

2010-08-26T08:34:00.006-04:00

The Taft Museum of Art has achieved accreditation from the American Association of Museums (AAM), the highest national recognition for a museum. Accreditation signifies excellence to the museum community, to governments, funders, outside agencies, and to the museum-going public.
AAM Accreditation is the field’s primary vehicle for quality assurance, self-regulation, and public accountability, and earns national recognition for a museum for its commitment to excellence in all that it does: governance, collections stewardship, public programs, financial stability, high professional standards, and continued institutional improvement. Developed and sustained by museum professionals for 35 years, AAM’s Museum Accreditation program strengthens the profession by promoting practices that enable leaders to make informed decisions, allocate resources wisely, and to provide the best possible service to the public.
“AAM accreditation is a wonderful endorsement of the Taft,” said Deborah Emont Scott, the Taft’s director/CEO. “It reflects the quality of the Museum’s operations including exhibitions and programs, and recognizes the tremendous undertaking by the Taft’s staff, board, and volunteers on the accreditation project as well as the high quality of their day-to-day work at the Taft. We are especially thrilled by the AAM’s recognition of the Taft’s community outreach efforts, specifically the Duncanson artist-in-residency program, which the AAM highlighted as a noteworthy program for outreach to diverse audiences.”
Of the nation’s estimated 17,500 museums, 775 are currently accredited. Among those institutions are 316 art museums and centers, with the Taft one of only 26 art museums accredited in Ohio. The only other accredited institutions in Cincinnati are the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden.
“Accreditation assures the people of Cincinnati that their museum is among the finest in the nation,” said Ford W. Bell, president of AAM. “As a result, the citizens can take considerable pride in their homegrown institution, for its commitment to excellence and for the value it brings to the community.”
Accreditation is a rigorous process that examines all aspects of a museum’s operations. To earn accreditation, a museum first must conduct a year of self-study, then undergo a site visit by a team of peer reviewers. AAM’s Accreditation Commission, an independent and autonomous body of museum professionals, review and evaluate the self-study and visiting committee report to determine whether a museum should receive accreditation. While the time to complete the process varies by museum, it generally takes three years.
________________________________________
The American Association of Museums has been bringing museums together since 1906, helping to develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and providing advocacy on issues of concern to the entire museum community. With more than 15,000 individual, 3,000 institutional, and 300 corporate members, AAM is dedicated to ensuring that museums remain a vital part of the American landscape, connecting people with the greatest achievements of the human experience, past, present and future. For more information, visit www.aam-us.org.

OAC Accepting Nominations for Governor's Awards for the Arts

2010-08-19T12:01:00.002-04:00

The Ohio Arts Council is now accepting online nominations for the 2011 Governor’s Awards for the Arts in Ohio. The annual awards are given to Ohio individuals and organizations in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the arts statewide, regionally and nationally. Awards are given for Arts Administration, Arts Education, Arts Patron, Business Support of the Arts, Community Development & Participation and Individual Artist.

The deadline for nominations is Friday, September 24, 2010 at 5 p.m. and the deadline for support letters is Friday, October 1, 2010 at 5 p.m.

Nominations will be accepted only online. A complete explanation of the nomination process is available on the 2011 Governor’s Awards for the Arts in Ohio and Arts Day Luncheon website. For more information about the Governor’s Awards nomination process, please contact Stephanie Dawson at the Ohio Arts Council at 614/728-4475 or stephanie.dawson@oac.state.oh.us.

Aesthetics and Athletics: Not So Unlikely a Pair

2010-08-16T10:51:00.006-04:00

Throughout most of my time in academia, arts and athletic departments always seemed bitter rivals. This is especially true when speaking about funding curricula. The well-rehearsed and received argument says dollars funding an arts-based curriculum will always be cut before athletes and coaches feel the crunch. I don't follow the money so don't know the strength of the argument. But pitting these two (what are they?) academic or extra-curricular programs (?), disciplines (?), interests (?) against each other may be an apples and oranges debate: both are different, but belong together.

For the past few months, I've been thinking more about how and when aesthetics and athletics pair up. For me, the natural starting point is ancient Greek sculpture of Olympic athletes. Of course this easily tapped reference is the result of an art history curriculum. What I am finding recently is a more natural pairing of the two taking place in recent conversations on Twitter and blog postings and general comments about art.

Art writer and sports fan Tyler Green pulls these two topics together effortlessly. With his more current America's Favorite Art Museum brackets and last year's Super Bowl bet between the Indianapolis Museum of Art and the New Orleans Museum of Art his readers can satisfy interests spanning what's been accepted as a wide spectrum. And finally, our human tendencies towards both competition and the arts has been more recently harnessed and presented in Bravo's Work of Art.

Still, there are many who feel it necessary to patrol the pairing of aesthetics and athletics. The Cincinnati Art Museum has enjoyed a successful summer of arts and programming around the theme of Americana, called SEE America. In these final weeks, they've installed a large screen t.v. on which visitors can watch a Cincinnati Reds baseball game or historical highlights of the first major league baseball team. Not surprising, there was some grumbling in the stands. A few think the museum is not a place to watch baseball and suggested this was simply a gimmick to get new patrons into the museum. With a whole summer devoted to American culture, the museum should be safe from such an accusation.

The only way to agree with this argument is to simply dismiss the historical compatibility of aesthetics and athletics. What do these critics have to say about Andy Warhol's Pete Rose on permanent display in this museum?

Are there other examples of the pairings of arts and sports? Can recognizing these cultural interests as siblings rather than enemies help strengthen school curricula?

Taft Names Violinist, Nokuthula Ngwenyama 2010 Duncanson Artist-in Residence

2010-08-16T09:26:00.003-04:00

The Robert S. Duncanson Society of the Taft Museum of Art has selected violist Nokuthula Ngwenyama as the 2010 Duncanson Artist-in-Residence from a talented pool of local and national candidates. A nationally recognized orchestral soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician, Ngwenyama will be the Taft’s 24th resident artist.

Ngwenyama learned about the Duncanson Artist-in-Residence program during a visit to Cincinnati in April when she performed with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra at Music Hall. She describes the Taft’s historic Duncanson murals as “beautiful, peaceful works of art.”
The Taft Museum of Art established theDuncanson Artist-in-Residence program in 1986 to honor the achievements of contemporary artists of African descent working in a variety of disciplines and media. The program also honors the relationship between African American painter Robert S. Duncanson and his patron, Nicholas Longworth, who commissioned Duncanson to paint landscape murals in the foyer of his home, now the Taft Museum of Art.
“I think that it really shows the contribution that African Americans have made to the fine arts for such a long time. To be able to have a tie to that legacy is a wonderful honor,” Ngwenyama says. “To pay tribute to the relationship that Duncanson had (with Longworth) has given me a sense of tradition in this country that I wasn’t really aware of.”

Gramophone Magazine has proclaimed Ngwenyama’s playing as providing “solidly shaped music of bold, mesmerizing character,” and the Washington Post describes her as playing "with dazzling technique in the virtuoso fast movements and deep expressiveness in the slow movements.”
Ngwenyama’s orchestral appearances include performances with the Atlanta, Baltimore, and Indianapolis Symphonies, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the National Symphony Orchestra. She has been heard in recital at Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, the Louvre, the Ford Center in Toronto, the Maison de Radio France, and the White House.

Born in California of Zimbabwean-Japanese parentage, Ngwenyama came to international attention when she won the Primrose International Viola Competition and the Young Concert Artists International Auditions at age 17. She graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music. As a Fulbright scholar she attended the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique de Paris and received a Master of Theological Studies degree from Harvard University.

“I hope to highlight the legacy (between Duncanson and Longworth) and make sure it continues today,” says Ngwenyama, “and show that the arts cross racial boundaries.”

In addition to her performance activities Ngwenyama served as visiting assistant professor at the University of Notre Dame in 2007, teaching in the field of ethnomusicology. She joined the faculty of Indiana University as visiting associate professor from 2008-10. Ngwenyama is the current director of the Primrose International Viola Competition and president-elect of the American Viola Society.

During her residency, Ngwenyama will give public performances and workshops. She will also engage in educational outreach activities with students both in the classrooms and at the Taft.
Artist-in-Residence Events
Thursday, November 4, 6-8 p.m.
Taft Museum of Art
Reception with the artist. Free.
Sunday, November 7, 2-3 p.m.
Taft Museum of Art
Family Concert: Strings and Things, with Nokuthula Ngwenyama. Free.

Thursday, November 11, 7 p.m.
Allen Temple A.M.E Church, 7080 Reading Rd., Cincinnati
Nokuthula Ngwenyama in Recital
Sandra Rivers, piano
Free. No reservations taken.
Sunday, November 14, 2 p.m.
Taft Museum of Art
Nokuthula Ngwenyama in Recital.
Sandra Rivers, piano
Free.
All events are free but reservations are required and seating is limited unless noted above. For reservations or information please call (513) 684-4528 or 4516.

Should Greenacres Foundation Lose It's Non-Profit Status?

2010-08-13T14:32:00.008-04:00

The American Association of Museums sets the standard for best practices of museums including the sale of art and artifacts. Generally museum collections are not seen or used as assets. Instead, the mission of museums includes holding collections in trust for the public. While museums can sell works that are duplicates or in other ways offer no value to their holdings to obtain other works of art, but not to satisfy a debt.

There have been a number of stories in the past couple of years debating questionable deaccessioning of art practices. Brandeis' Rose Museum has been at the center of a controversy that sees the school's interest in selling the entire collection to satisfy a financial need. And more recently, the Chelsea Art Museum risks losing its charter for putting up its entire collection as collateral for a loan to pay it's mortgage. Losing its charter may lead to the museum losing its non-profit status.

Just as the museum community helps to upholds ethics rules around deaccessioning, cannot the Greenacres Foundation be held to certain ethics violations if the foundation demolishes the Gamble House? Other than the Cincinnati Preservation Association, I've heard a loud cry by a number of Cincinnati residents against the destruction of the house.

Presumably the Gamble House is legally protected by its Landmark designation. However this has not protected it from the Foundation's interest in letting it deteriorate to its current state. Of course I would never agree to allow the house be demolished, especially since the CPA has offered to purchase and restore it. I have heard from some who think the Foundation has every right to do with the house they wish since they own it.

Do they own it or is the house held in their trust as a Landmark. Are they not responsible for maintaining it? If it is decided they can demolish, shouldn't the Greenacres Foundation give up their non-profit status? What do our city's non-profit organizations think? Our Attorney General, Richard Cordray?

FYI: The Gamble House in Pasadena, California

Could This Happen in OTR? Oh Yes.

2010-08-11T06:59:00.004-04:00

It is hard to imagine the artistic backbone of Cincinnati's Over the Rhine being pushed out to make room for corporate interests. But this is a neighborhood development pattern that is all too common, and not just in the United States.

After 10 years as an arts hub, Berlin's Tacheles is facing corporate redevelopment. The building, which houses open studions much like our own Pendleton, is now a historical marker thanks at least in part to the local artists squatters who occupied it in 1990. The neighborhood has gone through the natural progression from "underground-hip" to now full of tourists.

The NY Times story correctly notes the fight between the artists and the corporations is more than one about gentrification, but about identity. Historical preservation is about more than saving old buildings, but cultural identity. Tacheles reveals that corporations and even residents can, without batting an eye, evict their founding artists.

Museum Day on Fountain Square

2010-08-09T08:52:00.002-04:00

Museums & Historic Sites of Greater Cincinnati invites residents and visitors to explore the many historic and cultural gems of the Greater Cincinnati region at Museum Day on Fountain Square, Wednesday, September 15, 2010, 10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Come and learn about attractions from across the tri-state in one, convenient downtown Cincinnati location. More than two dozen museums and historic sites will be on hand to showcase their programs with costumed interpreters, objects from their collections, and hands-on activities.

In the tri-state region, over sixty museums and historic sites are open to the public, each with a unique story to tell. Guests of Museum Day will have the opportunity to explore a variety of interests, such as local history, art, and preservation. Museum Day participants include: American Sign Museum, Anderson Township Historical Society, Behringer-Crawford Museum, The Betts House, Cincinnati Museum Center, Cincinnati Observatory, Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame & Museum, Contemporary Art Center, Delhi Historical Society, Fire Museum of Greater Cincinnati, Greater Cincinnati Police Museum, Greater Loveland Historical Society Museum, Harriet Beecher Stowe House, Hillforest, John P. Parker Historic Site, Lloyd Library, Mt. Healthy Historical Society, Ohio Tobacco Museum, Price Hill Historical Society & Museum, Promont House Museum, Rankin House, Taft Museum of Art, and the William Howard Taft National Historic Site.

ABOUT MUSEUMS & HISTORIC SITES OF GREATER CINCINNATI (MHS-GC)
Museums & Historic Sites of Greater Cincinnati (formerly Historic Homes and Sites of Greater Cincinnati) was founded in 1992 by a group of ten historic house museums to encourage an appreciation of the Ohio River Valley and its history through tourism, educational programming and other activities. In 2009, the coalition decided to broaden its focus to include more of the region’s historical and cultural attractions and modify its name. MHS-GS is currently comprised of over 26 participating organizations located in Brown, Butler, Clermont, Hamilton and Warren counties in Ohio; Dearborn, Franklin, and Ohio counties in Indiana; and Bracken, Boone, Campbell, Gallatin, Grant, Kenton, and Pendleton counties in Kentucky. Each site offers a unique perspective on local history and culture through public programs, exhibits, lectures, and tours. For additional information on MHS-GC and its members visit www.HistoricGreaterCincinnati.org or find them on Facebook.

ArtWord: Kristine Donnelly

2010-08-01T06:41:00.009-04:00

Kristine Donnelly, Detail of Untitled (Fan Shapes)

This month, the Taft Museum of Art will open its second Keystone Contemp orary exhibit. This annual series highlights the work of an emerging artist in the Tristate region with a small scale solo show. This year, the museum is featuring the work of Kristine Donnelly. While preparing for this solo show and working at the Cincinnat i Art Museum as the Coordinator of Family Learning, Ms. Donnelly took the time to meet with me and answer some questions about her work.

1. Like many successful artists, you began as a figural painter. Can you tell me a bit more about your earlier work? What specifically does painting not allow you to do that your current medium does? And perhaps just as interesting, what challenge does cut paper provide (for you and your viewer) that painting may not?

I worked directly from life when painting the figure. I created life-sized multiple figure oil paintings. My work dealt with personal narratives and memories. I loved working with oils: the richness of the color, the opacity of the pigment, the transformative power that a simple color wash could have. When creating large multiple figure paintings, I was most interested in the act of composing. I began works with many preparatory drawings and studies, always moving things around and changing viewpoints and space. Even half way through a painting, it was always so exhilarating to scrap a canvas down and start again when I’d realize a new, more interesting arrangement. At times I was more interested in the directing of a painting than the finish work and details. I was also intrigued by negative spaces: the small abstractions of color, the forgotten, “unimportant” areas. I would spend weeks laboring over the contour of a nose or the flesh tones. However when a painting was finished I was usually most interested in the flat negative shapes that took only seconds to paint.Although I loved paint, a few years ago it became apparent that this medium was no longer the proper vehicle for my ideas. The figure slowly exited my work. I then created images of painted patterns and ornamental designs. Color became less important as I struggled to find crisp edges and dimension. Initially the move from paint to cut paper was hesitant. However I quickly fell in love with the new material and new vocabulary for making work.

I’m interested in the limitations of paper. It is both fragile and temporary. My works test the tolerance of paper. By cutting, pulling, stretching, sewing, and tacking paper, it is transformed. Failures are common as I try to create different forms. Ideas often result in discarded piles on the studio floor. Making work that is by nature temporary is very exhilarating. Knowing that my work eventually will expire (rip, crease, fold, etc,) makes me more likely to experiment- to take risks when making it.

Paper is pedestrian. It is encountered on a daily basis. Everyone understands paper. In my work the screenprinted patterns and cut paper designs transform the paper. However they aren’t meant to completely disguise it. It is still paper. I intentionally leave pencil

lines, mistaken cuts, and scraps. The work is often hung with thumbtacks.

Kristine Donnelly, Unraveled (Detail)

2. What fascinates me most about your work is the prominence of the organic form and your ability to tease these out of architectural spaces. So often, artists maintain the grid as subject of nearly every abstract exploration of architectural space. I see a connection between your figural work within the frame of a painting and your current organic forms within the architectural grid. What is it that you hope your viewer will see in these forms?

In my current work, the patterns I create are composites from a variety of sources: images of skin, biological cells, lace patterns, and architectural elements. Creating the pattern is painstaking and deliberate. My intent and thought process behind the patterns is abstracted and obstructed from the viewer. It isn’t necessary that that the viewer have full insight into the origin of the forms. Viewers will see structures both fragile and strong that can’t easily be defined. They’ll find connections to biology, craft and textiles. The cuttings also invite the viewer to question and redefine positive and negative space. Viewers can look at the pieces and through the pieces. Wall, floor, light and shadow become players in the pieces and bring new definitions.

3. The materials and tools you use to make your work are common everyday objects. Even what you do with this medium can be seen as something rather fundamental. I think of paper cutting we do as children to make paper snowflakes. This comparison is not meant to undermine or in any way minimalize you work, but to emphasize the universal that is your process,the materials, and finally the monumental impact your work achieves. Do you think allusion to (illusion of?) the familiar is the reason your work is so successful? Explain more your dance between the individual and the universal present in all of your work.

As I said earlier, I hope that the universal material brings understanding and approachability to my work. The labor and delicacy is meant to confront and engage. Certainly my work could be made in a fraction of the time by using technology. It would be perfect and flawless. However my work is by choice laborious. The images are hand screenprinted.

The openings are hand cut. Cutting the shapes of a repeated pattern is much like a choreographed dance. My hand knows the designs so intimately. It moves almost without thinking from one curve to the next. It is quick and meticulous. Economical and deliberate. It is a quite and meditative act, this repeated cutting. It’s interesting because the idea of “cutting” is violent and frightening. However the cutting used to create my work is very calming. The delicate process of cutting is central to the pieces.

Kristine Donnelly, Enclosure (Detail)

4. As an MFA student, you studied the work of Tara Donovan. When she was here at the CAC, you had an opportunity to work with her. While I imagine it was pretty exciting for you to work with her, I’m sure she was equally thrilled to work with you. What exactly did you explore in her work prior to her visit to Cincinnati? Did your ideas about her work change after the CAC exhibit?

I had the opportunity to work on the installation crew for the Contemporary Arts Center’s Tara Donovan in 2009. It was very surreal to no only meet this artist, but to assist in creating her pieces for an exhibition. At the time, Donovan’s work challenged every definition I had for what art should be: permanent, archival, recognizable, narrative, etc. I loved how she made art from everyday objects. I loved how her work was both feminine and masculine. How it evoked aesthetic responses in both artists and non-artists. I felt that her work was in dialog with French landscape paintings, but in 21st century terms. How pencils and buttons became topographical maps and plastic straws looked like wrinkles of skin.
It was exciting to work with Tara and her crew and learn about the creation process and discuss the site-specific nature of her work. The pieces changed shape and stature within the different exhibition spaces. The unique architecture of the CAC played a prominent role in the shaping of Donovan’s work. It was interesting to hear how her work was developing and changing from new materials to processes.

5. While you both may use similarly recognizable materials, Donovan’s work seems to rest more on the unit that is repeated. We easily recognize the Styrofoam cup or plastic straw, for instance. Your work though requires one to look closer in order to identify the unit; to note repetition or pattern. Explain how pattern and repetition in interior decorated spaces is the focus of your work, yet not necessarily immediately apparent to the viewer. Do you run the risk of the viewer simply loving the look and texture of your pieces as interior decoration only?

The screenprinted patterns in my work are taken from organic (cellular) and architectural forms as well as established patterns and motifs from historical wallpaper and lace. I combine different sources to create a composite image that becomes a pattern by repeating it via screenprint. I take long rolls of paper and repeatedly screen print the motif. The repetition is lessened when I begin cutting into the paper rolls. The patterns are compromised with new openings and negative shapes. When the cut paper rolls are combined to create a larger form they are often twisted, layered, rolled, and piled. Thus the patterns are further abstracted and obstructed. The screen printed patterns and the cut paper openings then become the vehicles for design. They play off the existing architecture, both exposing and covering it. They create a new definition for the work. The viewer is invited to investigate the detail and texture of the piece as well as the space it resides in.
Certainly my work has a dialog with decoration. I’m interested in wallpaper- how it can recede subtly in the background or loudly overtake a space. It is a cheap impermanent way to assign a space an “identity.” I’m also interested in draperies- how beautiful forms are created to serve as a covering. Delicate curtains are intended to conceal things and bring privacy. My work explores the function and forms of decorative elements.
When invited to make work for the 2010 Keystone Contemporary Exhibition at the Taft Museum, I was immediately excited about exploring the Taft’s interior decoration. The draperies, walls, and floors, were central to creating work for the exhibition. I relied on the Taft’s interior architecture, patterned designs, and color palette.

Kristine Donnelly, Cover Up

Kristine Donnelly: Paperwork will open at the Taft Museum of Art on August 6, 2010 and will be on view through October 24, 2010 in the Keystone gallery. Ms. Donnelly will give a talk at the museum on August 22 with a reception following. See here for more information and to make reservations for this talk.

My Review of CMA Mabel Hewit Show

2010-07-30T18:03:00.004-04:00

For the last few years, I've enjoyed a sense of pride as the Cleveland Museum of Art continues to unveil their massive renovations. Last weekend I got a chance to see the ancient galleries in the 1916 Building and was again awed by the lighting, displays, and the works that I know so well from previous visits.

During my visit I also got a chance to see the newly inaugurated prints an drawings galleries. Here, the CMA is featuring a little-known Cleveland print maker in Midwest Modern: The Color Woodcuts of Mabel Hewit. I am very excited about the decision to choose a local artist to open the new galleries. However, my sincere interests in Hewit's work rests on my growing love of cityscapes, scenes from everyday life, and local histories, I've developed since moving from NE Ohio to Cincinnati.

You will find my review of the show in Aeqai.

Youngstown's Butler Institute of American Art Exhibits Paintings by Rolling Stone, Ronnie Wood

2010-07-29T07:26:00.002-04:00

The Butler Institute of American Art, in Youngstown, Ohio, said it would present the exhibition, “Ronnie Wood: Paintings, Drawings and Prints,” from Sept. 21 through Nov. 21. It will feature about 60 works by Mr. Wood, who also played with the Jeff Beck Group and the Faces before joining the Stones.

They may be only the paintings and other artworks created by a well-known rock ‘n’ roll guitarist, but the Butler Institute of American Art likes them — enough to give Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones an eight-week exhibition there that the museum says is the first American show of Mr. Wood’s art.

Green is the Color of Art Education

2010-07-27T09:45:00.002-04:00

Baby food jars, 2-liter bottles, peanut butter jars, toilet paper rolls, milk cartons, shoe boxes, and fabric scraps are all items many of us who are parents have been asked to save and donate to schools, summer camps, and neighborhood art centers. Recycling materials really is the foundation of most arts educational programming.

CCM Prep is known for it's wonderful music, dance and theater arts programs. Now they are developing a program supporting the visual arts. Encorps! People Recycling for the Arts will be a store that collects and sells recycled materials to teachers, scout leaders, parents, or anyone interested in re-using objects for art projects.

Like Cincinnati Art Snob, Encorps! is one of a growing number of new local innovative start-ups competing for funds through Cincinnati Innovates. Cincinnati Innovates is an innovation contest that offers cash and in-kind prizes to contestants with a connection to Greater Cincinnati that have transformative innovations. Our prize sponsors, assisted by a team of judges from the venture capital and technology industries, will select the winners of the awards.

While most of these are commercialization awards designed to honor for-profit ventures, the contest does include one community choice award of $2000. As a non-profit, Encorps! sees its best chance for Cincinnati Innovates funding in this $2000 award. This award is determined by the number of votes and views it receives by the last day of the competition, September 1, 2010.

Since the beginning of the Cincinnati Innovates competition, Encorps! has flirted with the top spot and for good reason. It is a wonderful idea that involves the whole community through recycling and arts creativity. There are a number of great ideas brewing throughout Greater Cincinnati. As we approach the new academic year and many of us shopping for school supplies, we begin recognizing how our education system currently relies on supplemental arts programming. Encorps! People Recycling for the Arts provides an opportunity for all of us to be involved in arts education through its engaged recycling program.

CAM Hires Fox 19 News Reporter, Regina Russo

2010-07-26T21:39:00.001-04:00

The Cincinnati Art Museum has hired longtime Fox 19 news reporter/anchor Regina Russo as their new director of marketing and communications. The press release from the museum is posted here.

Why not An Earthwork (Riverwork) at the Heart of Our Banks Project?

2010-07-17T07:35:00.004-04:00

I've always seen the Tyler Davidson Fountain as Cincinnati's Statue of Liberty. The welcoming arms of the Genius of Water greeting all who come to the Queen City is such a beautiful symbol of which the city should be proud. I'm particular drawn to the theme of water celebrated throughout the imagery of the fountain. The different roles water plays in our lives both in play and work force us to recall the natural in the middle of the industrial.

The history of this fountain as the symbol of the city marks the universal importance of water as well as specifically pointing to the Ohio River. One of the earlier stages of developing our riverfront was to move the fountain (again) to the square, maintaining its focus. Since then the city has again grown towards this center with celebrations happening throughout the year. Like the sculpted imagery of the fountain, water is the focus of our work and play.

The wonderful dance of people from various places into the city mirrors the movement of water through the Ohio River and the flow of water through the fountain. It is this movement through natural and industrial spaces that is at the heart of city planning, and Cincinnati has a wonderful model to follow: The Genius of Water.

As we develop our banks, I think it is a good time(and hope it is not too late) to consider another permanent art installation that celebrates our lives on the river; an earthwork that follows the Tyler Davidson Fountain in its lead to welcome and celebrate what connects us.

Crowning our city is an exciting moment, but we must not forget the foundation, where the people work, play, gather.

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Any Images of Smoking in Art?

2010-07-12T17:54:00.002-04:00

While in Ripley, OH today, I also visited the Ohio Tobacco Museum. The museum features the history of tobacco farming , the handling of tobacco and lots of memorabilia, such as cigarette packs, matchbooks, cigars, pipes, ashtrays and marketing materials. I remember when the act of smoking was removed from cigarette advertisements. There was a short period of time when almost all television and film characters did not smoke. It was as if everyone quit smoking at the same time. Yet the presence of tobacco and smoking is pretty heavy in our history and culture.

While touring this small museum housed in a 2-story brick house, I tried to recall where smoking finds a place in fine art. I thought of Kirchner's Self-Portrait as a Soldier.

A couple that have been pointed out to me:

@taftmuseum: We have a "smoking lounge" with 3 in 1 room, including this one. http://bit.ly/bo4dTI

@emefem: The Whistling Boy by Duveneck at the CAM. Also Jean Leon Gerome, orientalist painter, has several with hookahs. Does that count?

@theartmuse: Picasso's drawing of a man smoking a pipe and Manet's Indian woman smoking come to mind.

Any others?

Are there others?

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Brag About Your Connection to the Underground Railroad

2010-07-12T14:52:00.021-04:00

I visited Ripley, OH this morning for a meeting at the John Parker House. The drive on OH 52 along the Ohio River was a nice one and a number of our hosts encouraged us to return in the fall with the changing colors of the leaves.

The small brick house museum was once the home of former slave and inventor, John Parker. After buying his freedom, Parker earned a number of patents, including one for a tobacco press. Besides some of the often-told slave stories like learning to read and his father owning and selling him and his mother, the inventor was obviously very detail-oriented. He kept very good records. Presumably they were so good that Parker decided to destroy many of them for fear some of the slaves he helped would be traced back to him. He also never liked having his picture taken for fear his image would end up on "Wanted" posters. Of course this makes for a very difficult job of constructing Parker's history. The house museum currently hangs an empty frame over the fireplace, hoping a picture can be found and confirmed. (Of the number of labels hanging on the wall, there is one picture of an African American man in reproduced newspaper clipping that may be him, but it's not yet been confirmed.)

Other visual elements include recently commissioned paintings depicting defining moments in Parker's life. These paintings, while meant to depict Parker (though we do not know what he looks like), the stories are couched in again often-told slave stories and meant to re-tell a story of The Underground Railroad. Yes, The John Parker Museum is another museum that boasts a link to the abolition of slavery and The Underground Railroad. Perhaps because I live in Ohio, it seems as though there are so many places that share this history. Of course there is The Freedom Center, but I've seen others.

While the Museum Center is currently celebrating African American history with America I Am, I'm asking you to name places, museums, collections, paintings, sculptures or other things you've seen that boasts a link to African American History.

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ArtWorks

2010-07-09T07:05:00.003-04:00

As an art organization with perhaps the strongest impact in Greater Cincinnati, ArtWorks has always gotten my nod. Yesterday, I got an opportunity to get a closer look at some of their summer MuralWorks projects. Touring with ArtWorks Director of Development, Beth Fiore and Communications and Development Coordinator, Alex Eichler allowed me not only the chance to look past the scaffolding of a couple of the murals in progress, but to speak with teams of teenage artists about the work they are doing.

I'm not sure what was more awe-inspiring; the enormity of the murals, like the one going up in Covington, KY, the creativity in the many designs, as proposed for the numerous pianos currently being painted for Play Me I'm Yours, the anticipation of the final product, or the sense of pride in these works our emerging artists articulate as they explain to me their work with ArtWorks and the community. These are not simply summer jobs or an artist training program. ArtWorks infuses into the young artists a sense of civic pride, respect for community, an understanding of the importance of their work, and the role art plays in the community.

When looking at each of the murals throughout Greater Cincinnati or seeing, playing and listening to the pianos that will be placed around the city in the coming weeks,remember these represent and are the result of honest collaborative efforts that strengthen communities. With each mural, ArtWorks successfully presents the essence of our city's engagement in the arts and culture and sense of community.

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Time Travel: Touring the Histories of Our Cities

2010-07-05T08:27:00.002-04:00

The NY Times Travel section is currently highlighting historical tours of various cities throughout the country. These are thematic tours, histories that are pulled from and specific to their cities, such as a history of freedom in Selma, Alabama, the history of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal shipping through the eyes of the residents of lock houses in Washington DC, and a Georgia O'Keefe tour in Santa Fe, NM. Programs like these are not particularly new, as such tours seem always to be a significant part of family summer vacations through national parks and other historical sites. Yet the diversity in topics seems to be growing. As an art historian, it is this teasing out of these stories that is most exciting.

The Cincinnati Preservation Association provides various walking tours through their Architreks program. These tours highlight various parts of the city and explore its various histories. Recently, The Newport Gangster Tour and The Queen City Underground Tour have attracted a number of local groups to become entertained as well as more engaged in the history of Greater Cincinnati. While patriotic festivals are fun and necessary to remember, it is with tours such as these we uncover the culture of our individual cities.

This month I will begin a series of stories highlighting the number of house museums throughout Greater Cincinnati. Seeing how we have lived and moved around the Ohio River, my series will invite you to travel through our lives and times.

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My Review of SOS Art in StreetVibes

2010-07-02T08:07:00.003-04:00

Here is my (not-so) recent review of SOS Art.

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OAHSM Local History Blog

2010-07-02T07:45:00.002-04:00

I don't usually post about other blogs except perhaps in direct response to a post, but I wanted to be sure to highlight this blog with my own post before adding it to my growing blogroll.

The Ohio Association of Historical Societies and Museums: Local History Blog is a wealth of information regarding local history museum events, projects as well as presenting provocative questions for museum professionals to consider.

Thanks to Julie Carpenter at The Betts House for introducing it to me.

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Summerfair Accepting Applications for Artist Grants

2010-07-01T07:15:00.001-04:00

Summerfair Cincinnati, the non-profit arts organization with offices in Anderson Township, has announced that applications are now available for the 2010 Aid to Individual Artists (AIA) Grant Program. Selected artists will each receive a grant of $3,000 for use in the creation of new works. In addition to receiving the grant monies, artists selected will be invited to participate in a future exhibition. To qualify for the grant, artists must reside within a 40-mile radius of Cincinnati and be at least 18 years of age. Applications are available online at www.summerfair.org. Applications must be postmarked by Friday, August 27, 2010 to be eligible.

To apply, eligible applicants –practicing artists, fine craftsmen and art school students (in a degree granting program with a faculty sponsor) –need to submit both CD-ROM and printed applications. Each application should include artwork images, resume of education and professional achievements, full contact information, and answers to application questions.

Grants will be awarded based on the artistic excellence of the work submitted for review. Judges, brought in from outside the greater Cincinnati area, look for innovation in style and concept as well as the relationship of the works submitted to current standards in the field. Projects are purposely left flexible to respond to artists’ ideas, dreams and needs; however, the goal of the program is to aid the artists’ career development.

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Toledo Museum of Art Announces New Director

2010-06-30T15:37:00.004-04:00

The Toledo Museum of Art announced today that Brian P. Kennedy, director of the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College, has accepted the position as the Museum's ninth director with a start date of September 1. Board Chair Betsy Brady and George Chapman, head of the search committee, made the announcement this morning at the Museum.

"The Museum conducted an international search for its next director. We were pleased to have an exemplary group of candidates presented to the committee," said George Chapman. "This was a very positive process that affirmed both the Museum's standing in the art world and the desire of many talented people to work with our collections, our staff and our community."

Kennedy has been at the Hood Museum of Art since 2005. Previously, he served as director of the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra (1997-2004) and assistant director of the National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin (1989-1997). "Brian is well recognized internationally as an exciting young director," said Betsy Brady, chair of the Board of Directors. "He has a warm, friendly personality, a desire for both excellence and diversity, creative energy, and a love of active community engagement that make him a great fit for Toledo."

"I am delighted to be coming to Northwest Ohio to lead the Toledo Museum of Art," said Kennedy. "Its staff, collections and facilities are of the highest quality. I look forward to building on its achievement and becoming closely involved with the Toledo community, renowned for its warmth of manner, and support for its distinguished art museum."

With 70,000 objects, the Hood Museum of Art boasts one of the largest and finest collections at any American institution of higher learning. Kennedy promoted a global art focus at Dartmouth, as evidenced by the broad array of large and small-scale exhibitions and corresponding publications mounted during his directorship. Significant acquisitions were made by gift or purchase, including important collections of Native American and Australian Aboriginal art, Indonesian textiles, and modern art; and a new series of public contemporary art projects featuring artists from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds was launched.

While in Australia, he made many notable acquisitions, including works by Luca Giordano, Pierre Bonnard, David Hockney, Lucian Freud, Gerhard Richter, Xhang Xiaogang, Frank Stella, Karen Lamonte, obtained generous private funding from donors and collected widely across various media for the national art collections. He increased access to the collections by implementing a free admission policy and expanding the museum's traveling exhibitions and loans program throughout the country.

Kennedy received his bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees from University College, Dublin, where he received highest honors for his studies in the history of art and history. He is a prolific author and editor, with numerous books and articles to his credit, most recently a 2008 publication on Irish-born artist Sean Scully and a forthcoming book on American painter and printmaker Frank Stella. He holds a faculty appointment as an adjunct professor in the art history department at Dartmouth, the first Hood director to be offered such an appointment since 1991.

Kennedy is a member of the Association of Art Museum Directors, American Association of Museums, and the International Association of Art Critics. He was chair of the Irish Association of Art Historians from 1996-1997 and the Council of Australian Art Museum Directors, 2001-2003. In 2003, the Australian Federal Government awarded Kennedy a Centenary of Federation medal for Service to Australian Society and its Art.

Kennedy, his wife Mary, and teenage son Eamon will be relocating to the Toledo area. His daughter, Anne, is a student at the University of New Hampshire.

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Cincinnati's bad rap? Don't believe the local PR.

2010-06-22T10:40:00.004-04:00

I've never heard or read anything bad about Greater Cincinnati...until I moved here.

Okay, perhaps this is because I grew up just outside of Cleveland, but even when I left Ohio, Cincinnati never had a bad rap. In fact, the opposite was always true.

Despite living near Cedar Point, King's Island was often the wished for family destination when I was growing up. I didn't make it here until I was in college and this was my personal intro to the city ( I know now the park isn't in Cincinnati, but it was to me then.) Reading Huck Finn oh so many times in college reintroduced me to the city on the Ohio River as a beacon of hope. And shopping for graduate programs always placed the University of Cincinnati near the top. In fact, UC was always the only Ohio school on my wish list. Instead I attended the U of C, for which few can blame me.

When I did move to Cincinnati, I fell in love with it almost immediately. Quickly, I attached myself to the arts community. There is truly so much to see and do here for everyone no matter the age. In fact, what prompted me to launch my own art tours is the seemingly over-abundance of things to see.

So why do I hear from so many that Cincinnati needs to elevate itself, to be forward-thinking, to reject being left behind? Perhaps the better question to ask is, who is making this claim? I've concluded these questions are posed almost exclusively by local pr and marketing professionals. In the past couple of years I've heard this song and dance repeated so often that it has become the premise of nearly every event, building, mission statement I've read or development I've witnessed.

As an art historian, I know about (and may even be guilty of) killing something before analyzing it. But while I may joke that the only good artist is a dead one, I know it is not true. Selling the city by first tearing it down is not only dishonest, but leads to poor analyses and finally inferior products and services, i.e. fluff and filler.

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As American as Quilts and Jazz Music

2010-06-21T06:51:00.004-04:00

Liz Pemberton, So Jazzy! 2006

Perhaps more than any other art form, quilts and jazz are quintessentially American. Not only do they find their roots in our American history, but through intrinsically detailed forms, their artists tell our story. The Freedom Center is now hosting an exhibition that brings both together. Textural Rhythms: Constructing the Jazz Tradition inflicts a wonderful sense of pride in the beauty that is these two American traditions.

The show seeks to reveal the formal similarities between quiltmaking and jazz. Though these common elements become plainly evident as you enter the jazz-filled galleries of quilts. The music along with the imagery immediately speaks to our collective cultural history.

When we think of quilts, we may not imagine those like the ones in this exhibit and we may not be familiar with many of the jazz artists, but when you see this show, you will know these art traditions as woven into our own American identity.

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Fine Arts Fund Breakdown of $$

2010-06-19T06:48:00.004-04:00

The Fine Arts Fund just approved of the distribution of $10.3 million. The breakdown is here.

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Summer in Cincinnati: Art Histories American Style

2010-06-14T09:45:00.003-04:00

With three arts and cultural institutions in Cincinnati opening summer shows presenting American histories of art, the Queen City may be the best summer "staycation" destination in the country.

The Cincinnati Art Museum is devoting its summer to Americana with See America: 9 Views of America. The museum describes these special exhibitions as "a visual road trip through the human and natural landscapes of this great country." The summer is really packed with so much great programming for the whole family. I don't often visit an exhibit more than two times, but I've been there twice already and looking forward to bringing my children later this week.

This week, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center will open Textural Rhythms: Constructing the Jazz Tradition. This exhibition combines the the art traditions of quilting and jazz. I am excited to have been invited to the opening gala this evening and look forward to reviewing it soon.

And opening later this week, the Museum Center's America, I Am: The African American Imprint covers five centuries of African American history through rare artifacts from all over the world. I saw an webinar preview of this exhibit a little over a week ago and excited to see an exhibit that seeks to present a comprehensive African American history by employing so many arts and cultural elements we may otherwise ignore as integral to Americana. This exhibit too, I plan to review more fully in the coming weeks.

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Seventeen New Antiquities Galleries at Cleveland Museum of Art Open June 26

2010-06-04T05:46:00.002-04:00

After a five-year hiatus, the Cleveland Museum of Art’s collections from the ancient Near East, Greece, Rome, and Egypt, as well as works from late antiquity, the Byzantine Empire, the European Middle Ages, and Africa, will return to public view on June 26.

The new galleries, located in the first level of the 1916 building, follow the evolution of visual and cultural traditions at the roots of Western civilization. Visitors can discover the ritual, social, and historical contexts within which these works of art were produced and, at the same time, explore connections to art from other periods on view throughout the museum.

Approximately 900 works of art will return to display when the new galleries open. In addition, dedicated prints and drawings galleries will be inaugurated with Midwest Modern: The Color Woodcuts of Mabel Hewit, which features the work of a relatively unknown Cleveland artist.

Events all summer long will celebrate the new galleries and range from special lectures to hands-on family activities. The free Going Global Family Day on Sunday, June 27, will feature storytelling, art making, music, and dance from 12:30 to 4:00 p.m.

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Cincinnati MuralWorks

2010-06-01T12:00:00.001-04:00

Now this is what I'm talking about.

Thanks Soapbox

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Updated Exhibition Calendar

2010-06-01T06:55:00.003-04:00

In time for summer and well before the next season begins, I've updated the exhibition calendar you will on this blog. You'll see while summer may be considered a bit of a down time for art museums, there are a number of great shows and programs offered at Ohio museums this year. Particularly interesting to me in See America: 9 Views of America at the Cincinnati Art Museum.

Take a look at the schedule as you plan your summer. If there is a Greater Cincinnati or Ohio art museum or gallery with an exhibition schedule I have not included, please email the schedule to me.

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I'm Not the Only One with a Catchy Name

2010-05-25T08:32:00.005-04:00

When I first launched this blog and eventually my business, there were a few local and vocal art lovers who were not happy with the name. Cincinnati, like many cities, has a long history of snobbishness that is to some uncomfortably present in its art scene. Honestly, I was surprised by how many were offended, and failed to see "Cincinnati Art Snob" as a bit tongue in cheek.

Similarly, my Twitter account, @artsnob brought on some initial sneers, but I think many now like the name and enjoy being part of a sort of inside joke. I have over 1000 followers from around the world. Locally, the art snob joke seems to have caught on. Just recently I was made aware of another Twitterer from around Cincinnati, presumably a fellow art lover, who goes by the name of @Art_Slob.

Is this the latest local response to Cincinnati Art Snob? Perhaps. The rather cryptic tweets seem to directly respond to my blog posts. Yet the creativity of the name "Art Slob" deserves kudos. I do wish I would have thought of it as it may be more creative than the same old "Art Snob."

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Toledo Museum of Art Gets $2 Million Gift

2010-05-20T14:00:00.002-04:00

The Toledo Museum of Art’s Interim Director Rod Bigelow announced today (May

20) that the Museum has received a $2 million lead gift to renovate its former glass gallery into a

signature gallery for the Museum’s growing modern and contemporary collections.

Perrysburg residents and long-time Museum supporters Frederic “Fritz” and Mary Wolfe made

the gift earlier this year to jumpstart construction on the gallery.

“The plan is to renovate the space into a modern and contemporary gallery that will showcase the Museum’s growing holdings in those areas and re-introduce the Toledo Museum of Art to the world as an institution with an important and compelling collection of contemporary works,” Bigelow said. The space underwent demolition in 2008. But fundraising plans were put on hold, Bigelow noted, when the economic downturn became front-page news.

“Fritz and Mary have stepped forward to say that they not only believe in the future of the

Toledo Museum of Art, they believe in the future of this region,” said Betsy Brady, Toledo Museum of Art Board chair. “We certainly hope others will follow their lead and continue to contribute toward a healthy future for the Museum.” To recognize their leadership and long-time service to the Toledo Museum of Art, the new gallery will be known as the Frederic and Mary Wolfe Gallery.

“We have always enjoyed and admired the Museum,” said Mary Wolfe. “We feel fortunate that

we are able to help with the development of this new gallery space.”

The East Wing currently houses the Museum’s Classic Court and Peristyle Theater, which will

not change, along with several small contemporary galleries and an African gallery. When construction is complete, the relocation of the modern and contemporary collections will free up space to move and expand the Asian collection from its current home in the West Wing. Objects

will be able to be grouped by region or country of origin in adjoining rooms, which should aid in

interpretation. In addition, the African collection will receive a new home with expanded space.

“This project will involve closing several galleries in the East Wing for a period of months,”

noted Bigelow. “A specific timeline has not been established, but the community will receive ample notice of any closings so everyone can visit their favorite works of art before they come off public view.”

Mary and Fritz Wolfe have been long-time friends and supporters of the Museum. Fritz Wolfe

served on the Museum board for 27 years, providing significant leadership to the investment review committee, among many other assignments. He retired from active board service at the end of 2009 and continues his involvement with the Museum as an honorary board member.

Mary has been equally involved, co-chairing the organization’s 100th anniversary celebration in

2001 and currently serving on the search committee for a new director. They know firsthand the important role the Toledo Museum of Art plays in the community.

“Nearly 80 percent of the Museum’s annual budget comes from donated dollars,” Bigelow said.

“It is truly a testament to our members and donors like Mary and Fritz Wolfe that the Toledo Museum of Art is so world-renowned for the expansiveness and quality of its collection.”

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CAC Recycling Program

2010-05-10T12:58:00.006-04:00

When the CAC recently unveiled their upcoming season, I noticed a re-running of a couple of this season's themes. In particular, "Where Do We Go From Here?" (hey, the CAC practically gift-wrapped this pun-fun title for me) and Keith Haring, 1978-1982. Both of these exhibitions are curated by Raphaela Platow and both address Pop Art, text in art, and art in urban landscapes. The CAC has spent the last year parading these same ideas in their run-up and still showing (probably at a gallery near you, too), Shepard Fairey: Supply and Demand.

Is it not enough that the CAC has been forced to extend their shows much longer than average runs? But now it looks like Platow is busy threading the calendar with recycled material.

I do like Keith Haring and I devoted my academic career to Contemporary Latino Art, but I'm having nightmares (honestly) of a year of "art is everywhere" splash mob salsa dancing and murals done throughout the city on chalkboard paint.

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Cleveland Museum of Art Launches New Website

2010-05-09T21:03:00.004-04:00

The CMA has launched their new website and I cannot stop visiting it. There are so many features, including an ability to personalize your profile. Presumably, this feature allows you to customize the website to your specific art interests. Because I've chosen all areas of interest (periods in art and the complete listing of programs), the website presents me a full spectrum of information. As an art lover, I'll never comprehend customizing one's profile for less information, so cannot see how this as a celebrated feature.

But there are a number of features on the new website that will keep me engaged for hours. Besides the ease with which to peruse the website, the online collection is easily a favorite. I recently learned the museum's goal to make every item in the museum collection available online. Cincinnati-based LUCRUM is currently working on the development of the online catalog. This will take some time yet, but right now you can already see the wonderful accessibility of the online collection. One exciting feature of the developing database is the inclusion of multiple views and details of many of the art works. This is especially noted with the sculptural works in the collection, but some of the paintings as well.

A second feature of the online collection includes the ability to make comments on any of the items in the collection. I've not yet seen more than a single comment, usually a description of the artwork, but similar to a blog feature, adding a comment to the collection is an exciting feature. I do see a potential for the online collection to continuously evolve through an online discussion of works from the Cleveland Museum of Art.

So please, take a look at it, create a profile and share your thoughts about art.

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Just Sent "Nothing" to the Tate Modern

2010-05-07T11:12:00.007-04:00

In response to the recent open call to submit "nothing" to the Tate Modern, I just sent the following:

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William and Sarah Ross Soter Endowed Curator of Photography at Columbus Museum of Art

2010-05-05T08:26:00.003-04:00

The Columbus Museum of Art announces the establishment of the William and Sarah Ross Soter Endowed Curator of Photography. The first endowed position in CMA history, this pivotal gift builds upon the Soter and Ross families’ commitment to photography. The Soters’ pledge of $1.5 million to the Art Matters endowment and capital campaign enables the Museum to present special exhibitions of photography, support original scholarship related to the medium, and provide educational and other programs for generations to come. Catherine Evans has accepted the first William and Sarah Ross Soter Curator of Photography appointment.

At age thirteen, Sally Ross Soter began volunteering at the Columbus Museum of Art. She inherited her commitment to the Museum from her parents, Elizabeth M. and Richard M. Ross. Mrs. Ross is a long-time Museum Trustee and founding member of the Museum’s Women’s Board.

“The Columbus Museum of Art is important to me because it is the first place I ever volunteered,” said Mrs. Soter. “The hours I spent there have given me a tremendous connection with the Museum even though Bill and I now live in Florida.”

Mrs. Soter’s interest in photography was inspired by her father, an avid photographer and collector. His commitment to photography led to the naming of CMA’s Richard M. Ross Photography Center, a gallery dedicated to presenting photography exhibitions.

The Ross family has been a long-time supporter of CMA’s photography program. The family gave CMA its first significant body of photography holdings, created a foundation and direction for collecting work by twentieth-century photographers, and supported the Museum’s acquisition of the Photo League collection.

“Photography has long been a passion of ours. Bill and I are pleased and privileged to be able to give this gift to the Museum,” said Mrs. Soter. "This gift will ensure that the photography program continues to grow in scope and prominence. I hope it will also inspire others to follow their own passions, endowing other positions that resonate with them.”

Catherine Evans’s tenure as The William and Sarah Ross Soter Curator of Photography will begin in January 2011. Catherine joined CMA in 1996 as the Curator of Photography and since 2004, has also served as Chief Curator. She has curated more than 45 exhibitions, giving several artists their first one-person museum debuts. In 2001 she spearheaded the successful acquisition of the Photo League collection, the most significant photography acquisition in CMA’s history. The Museum is now nationally recognized for its comprehensive holdings in this period. She has directed the development of major international exhibitions and partnerships such as Renoir’s Women; Edgar Degas: the Last Landscape, which had a second venue in Copenhagen; and In Monet’s Garden: The Lure of Giverny, which had a second venue in Paris. She was the principal author and curator of the exhibition A View from Here: Recent Pictures from Central Europe and the American Midwest, which toured internationally and nationally. She has been a portfolio reviewer in Santa Fe, Houston, Portland, and Atlanta. Prior to the Columbus Museum of Art, Evans worked at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and before that, at the Canadian Centre for Architecture, in New York and Montreal, Canada. She received her degree from Williams College in Art History and German Literature.

“I am greatly honored the Soters chose to ensure the sustainability of our institution through the endowment of a photography position at the Columbus Museum of Art,” said CMA Executive Director Nannette V. Maciejunes. “Catherine’s talent, passion, and knowledge have rightly earned her a national reputation that has, and will continue to, enhance the prominence of our photography collection.”

“This unprecedented gift affords me an incredible opportunity to devote my energies to growing the photography program,” said Catherine Evans. “I am honored to be part of this historic moment for the Columbus Museum of Art.”

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