well, what did you expect from an opera? (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} truegrit) wrote,@ 2007-10-30 23:27:00 |
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paper, art, and the like
This is silly, but I'm quoted in a recent Detroit Free Press article about Detroit's wonderful contemporary art museum - MOCAD. You can read the full article...
A good year for art with an edge
For the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, 2007 was filled with risks, offbeat exhibits and reassuring success
October 29, 2007
BY MARTIN F. KOHN
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
In bright neon letters, facing Woodward Avenue for all to see, the sign outside the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) says "Everything Is Going To Be Alright."
Like the graffiti that also adorns the museum's façade, the sign is a piece of art. Unlike the graffiti, it's temporary, tied to MOCAD's current exhibit, "Words Fail Me," in residence until Jan. 20.
"Everything Is Going To Be Alright" is not MOCAD's motto, but it might as well be. As the museum reaches its first anniversary -- it opened on Oct. 28, 2006 -- it has much to be happy about.
The museum, which intentionally has no permanent collection, has drawn about 25,000 visitors. With free admission and no tickets to count, a precise count is hard to come by.
MOCAD's principal mission is "to present art at the forefront of contemporary culture." Like the current, text-based "Words Fail Me," exhibits have usually been organized by internationally renowned guest curators. Additionally, MOCAD's first year has featured concerts, kids' activities, a bookstore and films. Its café is nearly ready to open.
The New York Times and the Washington Post have taken notice of MOCAD. "A newspaper in Warsaw wrote us up," says board president and acting director Marsha Miro. "Italian Vogue did a little thing on us. We're a much more interesting city than the people who live here perceive."
Admission will remain free for at least the next year, and any day now they'll hire a director. "All the things I dreamed about were happening," Miro says, summarizing the museum's inaugural 12 months.
MOCAD has a relatively modest annual budget of $650,000. (The Detroit Institute of Arts, much larger and with a vast permanent collection, has an annual operating budget of about $34 million.) MOCAD pays only $1 a year to lease its building from the philanthropic Richard and Jane Manoogian Foundation.
Mounting a show costs anywhere from $25,000 to $200,000, Miro says. Last summer, the cost of air conditioning the building ran between $7,000 and $9,000 a month.
The museum has only three full-time and four part-time employees, and many volunteers (like Miro) and student interns.
MOCAD's board of directors includes several people known for deep pockets and generosity, among them chairwoman Danialle Karmanos, wife of Compuware CEO Peter Karmanos, and vice president Julie Reyes Taubman, daughter-in-law of developer Alfred Taubman. In addition, MOCAD gladly accepts small donations, and receives funding from corporations and foundations.
On an October night with skies threatening, about 75 people assemble to hear Chicago conceptual artist Carl Pope talk about his work. "This is a big crowd. I'm a little nervous," Pope says. By the time he's done, the audience increases to about 125.
"I think I've been to all the shows," and a few of the special events, says Detroiter Chris Lee, 27. Lee is pursuing his M.F.A. in photography at Cranbrook Academy of Art.
"I think it's my fourth time," says fellow Cranbrook M.F.A. student Mike Newton, 28, of Pontiac. "But I don't come for the openings. I'm antisocial," Newton says sociably.
Lee and Newton are typical of the evening's crowd, overwhelmingly young, in their 20s and 30s, and with an academic or professional interest in art. At least a couple of college professors are here with students; before Pope's talk begins, the teachers hold discussions with their classes.
A former warehouse and auto dealership at Woodward and Garfield, MOCAD is a raw and empty space with concrete floors, industrial lighting and brick walls, but not the prettified, trendy restaurant kind of rubbed-clean brick walls. Predominantly gray and white, it's a space transformed by whatever is being exhibited.
"It seems like they've taken a shell and reinvented it," says Pope. That suits him. "I'm an artist who feels like I'm re-imagining a world."
Pope's contribution to "Words Fail Me" is an arrangement of his letterpress posters entitled "The Bad Air Smelled of Roses." Although they're new, they look like old-fashioned posters advertising sales or traveling shows. Pope says his installation is about what it means to be black and gay (he is both) in America. This is not immediately apparent.
Although still a visual medium, contemporary art is as much about ideas. It can be beautiful, but MOCAD is not the place to look for pretty pictures. "Words Fail Me" includes signs, videos, sweaters, paintings and other media, all having to do with -- words.
"I think there's a lot of mystique about art, especially art with a conceptual edge," says Steven Shaviro, DeRoy Professor of English at Wayne State University.
However, "I don't believe it's just for specialists or people in the art world," says Shaviro. "Here are things you can read and things you can look at" and eventually they'll "lead you to ask, 'Why do these things work?' "
Shaviro is scheduled to deliver a gallery talk Nov. 14 at MOCAD about the current exhibit. "I'm still not sure what I'm going to say."
He has more to say about the museum itself. "It makes accessible types of things that weren't accessible before," connecting Detroit "with things going on in the art world worldwide."
That's the whole idea.
"You're taking risks," says MOCAD board member Carmen N'Namdi, "because you have artists who are trying new things. It's a wonderful opportunity for people to look at what artists are doing and to question it and feel as if they want to respond to it, whether they like it or not. It's a place for everybody to come."
Well, maybe not yet for N'Namdi's younger students. She is principal and founder of Nataki Talibah Schoolhouse of Detroit, a K-8 charter school. "I'd love for my students to be able to participate in future programs," beyond the monthly hands-on activities for kids, N'Namdi says.
As for questioning and responding, consider Siobhan Liddell's installation in "Words Fail Me." From a distance, the English-born New York artist's work looks like random bumps on a wide, white stretch of canvas. Upon closer inspection, the bumps turn out to be clear plastic pushpins and, after further perusal, they are seen to spell out the phrase "Weakness as strength."
If the phrase were written in red or blue or black pushpins the words would be obvious and observers would have no reason to come nearer. Instead, the work draws attention to itself with subtlety; it has the strength to attract viewers and perhaps make them ponder further the concepts of weakness and strength. The piece illustrates what it says.
Contact MARTIN F. KOHN at 313-222-6517 or mkohn@freepress.com
...but here's the part where they talk about me:
------
On an October night with skies threatening, about 75 people assemble to hear Chicago conceptual artist Carl Pope talk about his work. "This is a big crowd. I'm a little nervous," Pope says. By the time he's done, the audience increases to about 125.
"I think I've been to all the shows," and a few of the special events, says Detroiter Chris Lee, 27. Lee is pursuing his M.F.A. in photography at Cranbrook Academy of Art.
"I think it's my fourth time," says fellow Cranbrook M.F.A. student Mike Newton, 28, of Pontiac. "But I don't come for the openings. I'm antisocial," Newton says sociably.
Lee and Newton are typical of the evening's crowd, overwhelmingly young, in their 20s and 30s, and with an academic or professional interest in art. At least a couple of college professors are here with students; before Pope's talk begins, the teachers hold discussions with their classes.
------
So, I'm "typical" and kind of a hypocrite, but I think that's ok. Also, I know I'm using the term "antisocial" incorrectly, but sometimes it's good to be incorrect.
Anyway, here are ten more artists to add to that list from before - artists whose work has been knocking around in my head these days.
Marina Abramovic (particularly her piece from the 2004 Whitney Biennial. this image comes from that piece)
Young-Hae Chang (her amazing online work is at www.yhchang.com)
Dan Graham (particularly his two-camera performances, which this is not a picture of)
Roni Horn (the piece in this picture was actually in the Whitney right next to the Abramovic piece I was talking about)
Ken Lum
Bruce Nauman (particularly his corridor pieces. this is a view down one of his corridors)
Jenny Perlin
Carl Pope (see above. this is part of the piece from the MOCAD show)
Julia Scher
Steve Wolfe (this is not actually a book - it's a block of wood that's been made to look like a book, you see)
Hopefully I'll write more here soon - I really have been busy.
This is silly, but I'm quoted in a recent Detroit Free Press article about Detroit's wonderful contemporary art museum - MOCAD. You can read the full article...
A good year for art with an edge
For the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, 2007 was filled with risks, offbeat exhibits and reassuring success
October 29, 2007
BY MARTIN F. KOHN
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
In bright neon letters, facing Woodward Avenue for all to see, the sign outside the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) says "Everything Is Going To Be Alright."
Like the graffiti that also adorns the museum's façade, the sign is a piece of art. Unlike the graffiti, it's temporary, tied to MOCAD's current exhibit, "Words Fail Me," in residence until Jan. 20.
"Everything Is Going To Be Alright" is not MOCAD's motto, but it might as well be. As the museum reaches its first anniversary -- it opened on Oct. 28, 2006 -- it has much to be happy about.
The museum, which intentionally has no permanent collection, has drawn about 25,000 visitors. With free admission and no tickets to count, a precise count is hard to come by.
MOCAD's principal mission is "to present art at the forefront of contemporary culture." Like the current, text-based "Words Fail Me," exhibits have usually been organized by internationally renowned guest curators. Additionally, MOCAD's first year has featured concerts, kids' activities, a bookstore and films. Its café is nearly ready to open.
The New York Times and the Washington Post have taken notice of MOCAD. "A newspaper in Warsaw wrote us up," says board president and acting director Marsha Miro. "Italian Vogue did a little thing on us. We're a much more interesting city than the people who live here perceive."
Admission will remain free for at least the next year, and any day now they'll hire a director. "All the things I dreamed about were happening," Miro says, summarizing the museum's inaugural 12 months.
MOCAD has a relatively modest annual budget of $650,000. (The Detroit Institute of Arts, much larger and with a vast permanent collection, has an annual operating budget of about $34 million.) MOCAD pays only $1 a year to lease its building from the philanthropic Richard and Jane Manoogian Foundation.
Mounting a show costs anywhere from $25,000 to $200,000, Miro says. Last summer, the cost of air conditioning the building ran between $7,000 and $9,000 a month.
The museum has only three full-time and four part-time employees, and many volunteers (like Miro) and student interns.
MOCAD's board of directors includes several people known for deep pockets and generosity, among them chairwoman Danialle Karmanos, wife of Compuware CEO Peter Karmanos, and vice president Julie Reyes Taubman, daughter-in-law of developer Alfred Taubman. In addition, MOCAD gladly accepts small donations, and receives funding from corporations and foundations.
On an October night with skies threatening, about 75 people assemble to hear Chicago conceptual artist Carl Pope talk about his work. "This is a big crowd. I'm a little nervous," Pope says. By the time he's done, the audience increases to about 125.
"I think I've been to all the shows," and a few of the special events, says Detroiter Chris Lee, 27. Lee is pursuing his M.F.A. in photography at Cranbrook Academy of Art.
"I think it's my fourth time," says fellow Cranbrook M.F.A. student Mike Newton, 28, of Pontiac. "But I don't come for the openings. I'm antisocial," Newton says sociably.
Lee and Newton are typical of the evening's crowd, overwhelmingly young, in their 20s and 30s, and with an academic or professional interest in art. At least a couple of college professors are here with students; before Pope's talk begins, the teachers hold discussions with their classes.
A former warehouse and auto dealership at Woodward and Garfield, MOCAD is a raw and empty space with concrete floors, industrial lighting and brick walls, but not the prettified, trendy restaurant kind of rubbed-clean brick walls. Predominantly gray and white, it's a space transformed by whatever is being exhibited.
"It seems like they've taken a shell and reinvented it," says Pope. That suits him. "I'm an artist who feels like I'm re-imagining a world."
Pope's contribution to "Words Fail Me" is an arrangement of his letterpress posters entitled "The Bad Air Smelled of Roses." Although they're new, they look like old-fashioned posters advertising sales or traveling shows. Pope says his installation is about what it means to be black and gay (he is both) in America. This is not immediately apparent.
Although still a visual medium, contemporary art is as much about ideas. It can be beautiful, but MOCAD is not the place to look for pretty pictures. "Words Fail Me" includes signs, videos, sweaters, paintings and other media, all having to do with -- words.
"I think there's a lot of mystique about art, especially art with a conceptual edge," says Steven Shaviro, DeRoy Professor of English at Wayne State University.
However, "I don't believe it's just for specialists or people in the art world," says Shaviro. "Here are things you can read and things you can look at" and eventually they'll "lead you to ask, 'Why do these things work?' "
Shaviro is scheduled to deliver a gallery talk Nov. 14 at MOCAD about the current exhibit. "I'm still not sure what I'm going to say."
He has more to say about the museum itself. "It makes accessible types of things that weren't accessible before," connecting Detroit "with things going on in the art world worldwide."
That's the whole idea.
"You're taking risks," says MOCAD board member Carmen N'Namdi, "because you have artists who are trying new things. It's a wonderful opportunity for people to look at what artists are doing and to question it and feel as if they want to respond to it, whether they like it or not. It's a place for everybody to come."
Well, maybe not yet for N'Namdi's younger students. She is principal and founder of Nataki Talibah Schoolhouse of Detroit, a K-8 charter school. "I'd love for my students to be able to participate in future programs," beyond the monthly hands-on activities for kids, N'Namdi says.
As for questioning and responding, consider Siobhan Liddell's installation in "Words Fail Me." From a distance, the English-born New York artist's work looks like random bumps on a wide, white stretch of canvas. Upon closer inspection, the bumps turn out to be clear plastic pushpins and, after further perusal, they are seen to spell out the phrase "Weakness as strength."
If the phrase were written in red or blue or black pushpins the words would be obvious and observers would have no reason to come nearer. Instead, the work draws attention to itself with subtlety; it has the strength to attract viewers and perhaps make them ponder further the concepts of weakness and strength. The piece illustrates what it says.
Contact MARTIN F. KOHN at 313-222-6517 or mkohn@freepress.com
...but here's the part where they talk about me:
------
On an October night with skies threatening, about 75 people assemble to hear Chicago conceptual artist Carl Pope talk about his work. "This is a big crowd. I'm a little nervous," Pope says. By the time he's done, the audience increases to about 125.
"I think I've been to all the shows," and a few of the special events, says Detroiter Chris Lee, 27. Lee is pursuing his M.F.A. in photography at Cranbrook Academy of Art.
"I think it's my fourth time," says fellow Cranbrook M.F.A. student Mike Newton, 28, of Pontiac. "But I don't come for the openings. I'm antisocial," Newton says sociably.
Lee and Newton are typical of the evening's crowd, overwhelmingly young, in their 20s and 30s, and with an academic or professional interest in art. At least a couple of college professors are here with students; before Pope's talk begins, the teachers hold discussions with their classes.
------
So, I'm "typical" and kind of a hypocrite, but I think that's ok. Also, I know I'm using the term "antisocial" incorrectly, but sometimes it's good to be incorrect.
Anyway, here are ten more artists to add to that list from before - artists whose work has been knocking around in my head these days.
Marina Abramovic (particularly her piece from the 2004 Whitney Biennial. this image comes from that piece)
Young-Hae Chang (her amazing online work is at www.yhchang.com)
Dan Graham (particularly his two-camera performances, which this is not a picture of)
Roni Horn (the piece in this picture was actually in the Whitney right next to the Abramovic piece I was talking about)
Ken Lum
Bruce Nauman (particularly his corridor pieces. this is a view down one of his corridors)
Jenny Perlin
Carl Pope (see above. this is part of the piece from the MOCAD show)
Julia Scher
Steve Wolfe (this is not actually a book - it's a block of wood that's been made to look like a book, you see)
Hopefully I'll write more here soon - I really have been busy.
