Save the Date: March 22 artist Mary Miss

Peter Morrin of the University of Louisville's Arts & Culture Partnerships and I are working on Public Art and the City 2013 - the third installment of public art symposia. This year's theme is "Public Art In/And/On the Landscape" and we are inviting artists, parks administrators and curators to discuss their work and practice.

The Keynote lecture will be given by Mary Miss, an artist who has pushed the boundaries of sculpture and installation as well as architecture and place. She has developed the concept of a laboratory and its site as a conduit for creative activity. The "City as Living Lab" is a framework for making issues of sustainability tangible through collaboration and the arts.

The afternoon will consist of a series of comments by scholars from varied disciplines who will foster thinking about ways for the community to think more deeply about environmental issues.

The overall goal of this year's symposium is to pose questions and examine instances where arts can  engage larger issues of sustainability.

The event is free for students, but you do need to register. More info will be posted on the Arts & Culture website.

Hope you can make it! (*PS: Yes, the senior show opens that evening. There's plenty of time to do both that day!)

Opportunites This Friday and Saturday

Friday:
12:30–1:30 PM, Unintended Consequences, artist talk with April Flanders, Cochenour Gallery, LRC
4:00–5:00 PM, Robert C. May photography lecture at UK, UK Student Center
7:00–9:00 PM, Digital Vision featuring Prof. Kincer and Georgetown Art Students, SCAC (Old Jail on Water Street)

Saturday:
1:00–2:00 PM, Digital Vision artist talk

See All Below…

April Flanders:

Unintended Consequences

Location 

Cochenour Gallery in the Anna Ashcraft Ensor Learning Resource Center at Georgetown College

Dates
March 1 - March 28, 2013

Hours
The Anna Ashcraft Ensor Learning Resource Center is open daily Monday-Thursday 7:45-1:00 AM, Friday 7:45 AM-6 PM, Saturday 8 AM-5 PM and Sunday 1:00 PM-1:00 AM

Events Occurring on Friday, March 1st
Artist Reception 12:00-2:00 PM
Artist Talk (Nexus Event) 12:30-1:30 PM

Using printmaking and installation, April Flanders addresses the complex problem of invasive species and their effects on the global environment.

"Humankind has an ongoing fascination with the exotic, perhaps driven by our need for individuality. With regard to botanical species, exotics often thrive and ultimately take over, becoming invasive. What is simply troublesome to the hobby gardener chokes out native forest plants and undermines natural ecosystems. The result is an unnatural, globalized landscape that means an inexorable death for native species.

While non-native plants can provide interest and beauty in home gardens, they often consume their native counterparts since the natural controls that would normally keep them in check are missing. In order to maintain the delicate equilibrium of our environment, we must recognize the beauty inherent in our native landscapes.

My current work addresses the issue of native versus invasive botanical species using a variety of media including printmaking, painting, drawing and installation. Relying on the visual language of seduction and revulsion, I create work where viewers are confronted by their own choices. Using pattern, repetition, and layered color I seduce the viewer into a garden of exotics." - April Flanders


For more information, please visit our website or like us on Facebook.

Image: Spread by Birds, 2011 monotype, 30" x 42"

HANK WILLIS THOMAS Exhibition: February 8 - March 10, 2013 Lecture: March 1, 4 pm in the UK Student Center's Worsham Theater FREE

Employing the visual language of advertising and popular culture, Hank Willis Thomas creates images that are at once immediately accessible and symbolically loaded. Examining the commodification of African American athletes, he presents the familiar Nike symbol as a form of ritual scarification or presents a basketball as a ball and chain. “My work brings history forward through framing our experience of race, class, and gender as conditioned by popular culture then and now,” Thomas says. “Ultimately, my goal is to subvert the common perception of ‘black history’ as somehow separate from American history and to reinstate it as indivisible from the totality of past social, political, and economic occurrences that make up contemporary American culture.”

 

The ACC Gallery Exhibits

Arts & Cultural Center Exhibitions 2013

2013 Current Events follow:

“Digital Vision: Computers as Media”

March 1 through March 31, 2013:

“Opening Reception” Friday March 1,  7-9 p.m. Welcome the artists and the award winners of the emerging artists juried selections
“Afternoon with the Artists” Saturday March 2, 1-2 p.m. Gallery talk / Questions and answers

Digital Vision: Computers as Media: Exhibit coordinator Bruce Frank invited professional artists Phil Bloomfield, John Stephen Hockensmith, Darrell Kincer, Michael Levin, Fred Reaves, and Arturo Alonzo Sandoval who also served as jurors for the “Top 30 Emerging Artists” ranking the top 10 selections for sponsored awards and certificates of merit.   You will have two opportunities to meet and speak with the featured artists about their insights and techniques of visual expression.  Robert “Bruce” Frank, a well established professional artist from Scott County has participated in exhibitions at the Scott County Arts & Cultural Center since it opened December 2006.  In this exhibit he provides outstanding examples of “digital visions”, melding his own photography of natural subjects through the use of computer software.  He is generous with his time to help new artists learn and grow, so we are fortunate he offered to coordinate this outstanding exhibition of professional artists who use computers to create – and emerging artists new to the spotlight of gallery exhibitions.
This event of invited professional artists includes a juried exhibition of emerging artists  bringing in 71 entries from Elkhorn Crossing School, Georgetown College, University of Kentucky, Spencerian College, Bluegrass Community Technical College, and individuals age 25 and younger.

“If available in his day, would Picasso have used a personal computer and graphics tablet to create his art, or Ansel Adams used Photoshop as his digital darkroom? In my estimation they would have embraced the digital format, if only because artists constantly strive to perfect their craft using the all available tools at their disposal.
From my perspective, working with computer hardware and software allows me to explore endless variations of color and composition, combining images instantly and with precision, until the final result coalesces to become my vision.
The artists in this exhibit have all used computer processes in multiple and extraordinary ways.  Computers are a constantly evolving contemporary media that will continue to expand the creative horizons of artists for generations.”
— Bruce Frank, exhibit coordinator

The Juried exhibit of Emerging Artists:
” A key purpose of this exhibit is to give young artists under 25, who may not have done so previously, the opportunity to be involved in a gallery exhibit, and to open their eyes to the possibility of becoming a professional artist, along with all that entails. Presentation, pricing, and developing an artist’s statement are all part of the process. In my opinion, the young artists in this show have all risen to the occasion, and exceeded my already high expectations by way of their enthusiastic participation and creative thinking. “
— Bruce Frank, exhibit coordinator

wicked

This is probably one of the coolest things I have seen in a really long time.

http://www.thewildernessdowntown.com/

You be the judge.

Black History Month and other links

The largest art theft in U.S. history occurred in Boston on March 18, 1990, when 12 paintings collectively worth $100 million were stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum by two thieves posing as police officers. (via)

via

The Huffington Post closed out Black History Month but highlighting 30 Contemporary Art Makers Under 40 You Should Know 

"As Black History Month comes to a close, we've picked 30 young black artists who are contributing to the ongoing conversation of race and representation in contemporary art. Whether through sculpture, photography, video or performance, each artist illuminates the complexity of the self with a unique and bold vision." (All photos from The Huffington Post article) 

Look at these awesome photographs of kids portraying prominent black figures in honor of Black History Month by Eunique Jones Gibson. You can go to the website here.

via

via

via

Buzzfeed does it again...

I'm just going to leave this right here. (Via Buzzfeed)

Artist or Designer?

Vivian Luk calls herself an artist.  Does the art world accept that? Do you?

Luk, who has apprenticed under big bridal fashion name Vera Wang has now branched off to start her own collections.  She will have a preview of her second collection on March 1.

Her intricate manipulation of fabric creates a soft feminine design while allowing for a sculptural masculinity.  She a couturier, making her impression on fashion industry in Hong Kong with her debut design on Keira Knightley for the 2006 Oscars.  Here she stepped out from Ms. Wang's wing to design something completely her own signature.

But as a fashion designer, does she fit in the realm of contemporary artist?

Check out this full interview with Luk on her new collection.

Details from Vivian Luk's collection.

Opportunity: Small Art Competition

M S Rezny Studio/Gallery

903 Manchester Street

Lexington Distillery District

Call to all artists!!!  $500 1st Prize Award Three $100 Honorable Mention Awards As well as Numerous Purchase Awards Hosted by M S Rezny Studio/Gallery Exhibit date: June 21st-July 31st, 2013  Entry Deadline: May 15th, 2013 Juror: Arturo Alonzo Sandoval, Professor of Art, University of Kentucky. not (2)BIG is a juried show that is open to all individual artists working in the contemporary arts. There is no intended theme for the work; it just needs to fit the criteria of being "small art". No works over 12 inches in any direction including frame for a complete prospectus please visit: www.msreznygallery.jimdo.com

Opportunities: Art & Psychology

#EmojiArtHistory

"Because emojis are the ultimate form of expression, and this was bound to happen.The internet turns fine art into emoticons." (via)

If my phone was fancy enough to do emojis I would totally be in on this. 

via

via

via

If you need me I'll be trolling Twitter for #EmojiArtHistory for the rest of the day.

Nannies take good photos...apparently

I really want to see this documentary so I'm going to need Kappa Pi to set this up. I'll bring the popcorn!

Unearthed Photos By Secretive Nanny Rocking The Art World

"Here's the story of a random guy who won an auctioned-off trunk, and what he found inside was pure gold — tons of photo negatives and rolls of film taken by a woman named Vivian Maier. Her work speaks for itself ... it's both haunting, voyeuristic, and historical, and now has major art world players very interested. Just watch this trailer for the documentary and you'll see what we mean. Chills!"

I would also like a print of all the photographs. They were so good!

Shout out: Devon, the KHS, and Internships!!

Devon Stivers, a class of 2012 double major in history and art, has been serving a valuable role as a Collections Intern at the Kentucky Historical Society in Frankfort over the past year. There, she has been cataloging printed material including art prints, newspaper sheets, pamphlets, and maps. These comprise the Martin F. Schmidt Collection at the KHS and consist of 629 pieces. Read Devon's post on the KHS blog about her internship experience here.

Internships are a fantastic way to gain practical experience while often contributing richly to the life of an organization. Consider that several, if not, most of our students in graphic design complete an internship experience as part of their art major at GC. Art history and cutorial-minded students complete internships in our galleries or in organizations nearby, such as Loudoun House.

Beyond the college career, though, internships are a useful way of building a richer portfolio of work or broadening your skill set. They are a means of finding out whether or not you are suited to post-graduate plans. In other words, you gain experience, contribute to an institution, and discern vocational fit. Devon's internship is a great example of this post-grad connection.

If you have any questions about interning as a student or as a post-bacc, please don't hesitate to ask me. Below, you'll find clips from reports made by recent interns in our galleries. We have at least four students interning this semester. Internships are possible at a variety of institutions, including the KHS. Here's a link to their opportunities, for instance.

Katie's internship accomplishments

Katie's internship experiences in visual form

One of Maddy's designs

A report from Lynsey on her recent work in the
Dr. Donald L. and Dorothy Jacobs Gallery

Consider doing an internship now or in your near future -- you will gain experience and further your education at the same time.

This Year's Venice Biennale

Entang Wiharso’s “Borderless: Floating Island,” 2011, an installation presented in his solo show “untold stories” in Berlin in summer 2012. 

This year at this summer's Venice Biennale, Indonesia has been welcomed back after a several year leave; and what an IMPACT they will have.  'Sakti' is the theme of the Indonesian tent --

 "In Sanskrit, sakti refers to the primordial cosmic energy and the personification of divine, feminine creative energy, as well as indicating change and liberation. Of Hindu origin, in Indonesia the concept of sakti was quickly integrated into local cosmology, becoming associated with such mythical figures as the rice goddess Dewi Sri and the South Sea Queen, and with certain objects like the keris (dagger). Given Indonesia’s 700 living languages, the idea of sakti can be denoted by other words, but the meaning is almost always the same: a strong creative energy, divine and indestructible, that contains the capacity for achievement beyond mere human ability. As energy, it can be understood as a foundational creative principle." -Carla Bianpoen, ArtInfo 

This pull from ancient elements combined with modern ideas of creativity and energy should pair for an extremely interesting showing of Indonesian artists.  

The Biennale, itself, historically showcases the most forward thinking contemporary artists and instillation from countries around the world.  This year will prove to be nothing less.

Conference Report: CAA in New York 2013

This past week I was able to attend the College Art Association conference in New York. This is the annual conference for the largest organization of artists and art historians in the United States. College Art is the oldest such organization in the United States - it was founded during the dawn of "modern" art in New York (think Armory Show and Marcel Duchamp!) 

In addition to attending the conference, I was able to attend a digital humanities pre-conference (I was selected to attend this limited seating opportunity - yay!). There I participated in several sessions (some hands-on, others lecture and others discussion oriented) that focused on teaching as well as research and collections. These sessions were well-organized but also allowed for organic information exchange -- the direction of conversation within each session could migrate off topic and yet still remained helpful!

After two days of the digital humanities, I attended the conference itself where I sat in on a number of sessions, panel discussions, and lectures. These presentations and discussions are made by academic art historians and artists, as well as museum professionals, conservators, and others who are working in the fields of art and art history. I really enjoy hearing what others are doing and, also, asking about their work either during the Q&A or afterward. With such learning opportunities, this conference is the off-campus highlight of my academic year. 

In sum, this entire visit to NYC was cloaked with art visits as well, since there are so many opportunities to view art and, second, because so many museums in New York are open late. Here's a bit of a brief recap below...

* Upon arrival, I visited the World Trade Center Memorial by Michael Arad shown here. It was contemplative and moving. How do you even smile in such a photo? I was fortunate to have lunch the next day with an architect whose friend's firm won the competition for the museum. We had a full conversation about site, space, and placemaking. 

** On Thursday I went over to the Brooklyn Museum of Art to see the Gilbert Stuart there (Mike-from-the-KHS and I have conversations about this work frequently, in terms of style, connoisseurship, and context). Also at Brooklyn, I was able to take in their visible storage display. The Met's visible storage, which I saw afterward, was really different and came across as an exhibit rather than a workspace and show place. 

***At MoMA, I was mesmerized by Wolfgang Laib's installation of hazelnut pollen. 

Info above and here, my photo below.

****At the Guggenheim (which is a work of art in its own right), I was able to take in the Gutai exhibition which was in its preview. Pioneers of performance and the idea of "concreteness," Gutai’s participatory environments took the form of organic or geometric abstract sculptures incorporating kinetic, light, and sound art, turning exhibition spaces into chaotic dens of screeching, pulsing, machine-like organisms. According to the curators, this site of creativity is what Shiraga called “a splendid playground” and what Yoshihara sought as a “free site that can contribute to the progress of humanity.”

These photos and this short list of activities really only scratch the surface of my week of professional development. I attended no fewer than 30 talks, visited 18 exhibitions at museums, libraries, and even the home of a private collector. I  connected with colleagues while also meeting associates. While I missed participating in campus activity over the past week, I greatly benefitted from taking in so much art and learning throughout the week. I look forward to sharing more with you in classes or conversations in the coming weeks. 

"Introspective modern art has never been more fun."

Can You Spot The Legos In These Pictures?

Sculptor Nathan Sawaya and photographer Dean West have joined forces to create a series of multimedia images using stark photography and Legos called “In Pieces”. (via)

via

via

via

Were you able to find all the legos? I found at least one in every picture but some of them were really sneaky!

You can look at the "In Pieces" collection here. 

Art + Math = Love

Art exhibit offers a new way of looking at math

"Two local artists rely on equations, number theory"

Check it out in real life!

Gallery Hop

When: 5-8 p.m. Feb. 15

Where: Various downtown and Chevy Chase galleries. For a complete list and more information, visit Galleryhoplex.com.

Exhibit mentioned in this story:

■ When Math and Art Collide, work by Gena Mark and Robert Carden. Feb. 15-April 10. Gallery hours: 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat. Living Arts and Science Center, 362 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Free. (859) 252-5222 or (859) 255-2284. Lasclex.org.

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2013/02/14/2516568/exhibit-offers-a-new-way-of-looking.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2013/02/14/2516568/exhibit-offers-a-new-way-of-looking.html#storylink=cpy"

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2013/02/14/2516568/exhibit-offers-a-new-way-of-looking.html#storylink=cpy

Real life depictions of famous works of art...

...maybe don't cut it? An article in The Atlantic highlighted some of their favorite ones:

"Fashion month is in full swing, and to capitalize on the runway spectacles that are happening in New York, London, Milan, and Paris, many museums—from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York to the Allentown Art Museum in Pennsylvania—are opening exhibitions related to la mode.

Art and fashion have had a long relationship, with major glossies inviting artists from Salvador Dalí to Barbara Kruger to direct or shoot their editorial content. But by far the most fun art-fashion fusions are the dozens of photo shoots replicating famous paintings by the likes of Klimt, Vermeer, and Lichtenstein. Below are 11 hilarious, odd, and sometimes even magical examples of fashion editorials inspired by art."

via

Devon Aoki as Hans Memling’s Virgin and Child (1475)
The Face, 1997
Photo by Michael Sanders

Grungy youth-culture mag The Face, which launched the career of a skinny teen named Kate Moss in the ‘90s, paid homage to Renaissance painting with a dash of irony. In Michael Sander’s recreation of Hans Memling’s Virgin and Child, the beautiful Devon Aoki holds a creepy plastic doll in place of the baby Jesus.

This was one of my least favorites. Aside from there being a baby in the recreation and the woman holding the baby in a similar position there's nothing else that's really the same and there's just nothing about this that I enjoy. I mean I get that the photographer was trying to be ironic but I really think he just did the piece a disservice. And it's not because I dislike Devon Aoki. (I mean have you seen 2 Fast 2 Furious???)

via

Models as Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss (1907-1908)
Harper’s Bazaar, February 2002
Photo by Patrick Demarchelier
Gustav Klimt’s portraits of society women and bohemians all feature some pretty fantastic clothing; the painter himself was a “dress reformer” and had a long (sometimes romantic) relationship with (anti-)fashion designer Emily Floge. So it seems appropriate that Patrick Demarchelier would recreate his most famous painting, The Kiss, in a 2002 art-inspired editorial for Harper’s Bazaar that also featured interpretations of Picasso’sLes demoiselles d’Avignon, Andy Warhol’s portrait of Liz Taylor, and more.

I was initially torn about how I felt about this one. On the one hand, Klimt is almost impossible to recreate identically but I don't think a truly identical reproduction was the intent of any of these pieces. On the otherhand, I think the photographer did a really great job of using the fact that he couldn't match the fabric of their clothing exactly and taking the opportunity to put his own twist on the reproduction. When I first saw this it was one of my least favorites but the more I sat and looked at it, the more I began to realize that using the things you CAN'T match exactly are where you take the opportunities to put your own touch on a piece like this.

via

Model as Edward Hopper’s The Automat (1927)
The New York Times, 2006
Photo by Joel-Peter Witkin

Joel-Peter Witkin’s richly packed tableaux often reimagine old masterworks, such as Velázquez’s Las Meninas or Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, but with the photographer’s signature morbidity. (Some typical motifs: corpses, skeletons, dwarves, invalids.) Witkin took a much lighter approach for “The History of Hats in Art,” a whimsical editorial for The New York Times using headgear from Prada, Ralph Lauren, and Alexander McQueen to recreate paintings by Manet, Picasso, and Edward Hopper.

No comment on this one. I love it. It is perfect. That is all.

Which ones were your favorites?

Summer Workshops

If you have never considered it, you might look into the possibility of attending a summer workshop in art. There are two that often come to mind for my: Maine Media Workshops (Maine) and Sante Fe Photographic Workshops (New Mexico). Both have a strong emphasis in photography. I had the good fortune of attending a workshop at Maine a number of summers ago. It was educational, fun, beautiful and a great chance to meet and network with others, not to mention the lobster dinner at the end of the week.

Another reason to consider these opportunities is that they often employ college students to work as assistants or volunteers throughout the summer. This would give you a great chance to learn and work alongside well-known artists.

In addition, you might consider a place like Anderson Ranch (Colorado). They offer study in much more than photography, including ceramics, woodworking, painting, printmaking, children's programs, and more.

If you might have interest in one of these workshops, click on their links above or check out some of the catalogs I have in the drop box outside my office.

DK

FONTS!

How well do you know your fonts? Take this quiz to find out! (via)

I got 6 out of 12. Clearly, I do not know my fonts well. I did know what papyrus was because I'm pretty sure Darrell told me it was his favorite once. (Kidding.)

Person with the highest score gets 10 street cred points.

Last Thursday at the Louvre-Lens, a second venue in northern France, Eugene Delacroix's iconic painting 'La Liberte Guidant le Peuple' (or for those of us that don't speak French, 'Liberty Guiding the People') was vandalized.  The perpetrator was a 28 year old woman who's cryptic message was attributed to the group Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth.  This posed two questions for me.  The first, why vandalize in the first place; and secondly, what does this mean for these highly attended art institutions?



Vandalism is nothing new, especially in the art world.  It is an act of retaliating against supposed propaganda from all venues of Church and State or in some cases a desperate act for fame.  But, with all of the mass media and easy technology... we are really still doing this?  It seems a bit much.  Tweet your thoughts, Facebook them, or I don't know, make a really fancy Indesign flyer.  Perhaps by NOT using any of these methods the perpetrator was also acting out about mass media as propaganda, or just had the Sharpie readily available. 

Incidences like this one bring to light more and more the possible destruction of history.  Will cultural institutions strike back at these vandals and no longer allow certain pieces to be viewed?  Is that ethical to their mission as houses of culture and history?  How will these incidences affect the next generation in viewing art?  Museums can continue the use of 'sneeze guards' (the plastic covering of a painting) and the use of guards, ropes, and motion sensors.  But all of these are expensive to implement and in some cases hard to enforce. 

So, I pose this question.  What is next?

Call for Artists: Textile/Fiber at Morehead

7STITCH: Contemporary Textile Art from Kentucky & the Surrounding States is an exhibition featuring works of textile/fiber media created by artists living in Kentucky, Ohio, Missouri, Indiana, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina and Illinois, to be hosted by the Claypool-Young Art Gallery at Morehead State University, Morehead, Kentucky, June 1 - August 30.

Work for consideration must be created, in sum or part, of textile/fiber techniques including but not limited to, two and three dimensional artwork consisting of stitching, knitting, weaving, crochet, quilting, felting, surface design on fabric, stitched paper, and art to wear. This exhibition is juried by Jane Dunnewold, and is sponsored in part by the Kentucky Chapter of the Surface Design Association. The opening reception will be in conjunction with the Kentucky SDA Mini–Conference on Saturday, June 1, 2013.

Postmark deadline: March 29.

Prospectus available @ http://www.moreheadstate.edu/art/, go to Claypool-Young Art Gallery link at left, and the prospectus link is at the bottom of the gallery page. E-mail j.reis@moreheadstate.edu with any questions.

Jennifer A. Reis

Gallery Director & Coordinator/Instructor,
Arts Administration Minor

Diversion: Silk weaving online

A good diversion. . . .

Love his heart...

...and rest his soul but are you kidding me? Thomase Kincade 'paintings' are the worst.

Gross.

Opportunity: Show art

DAVE BOWN PROJECTS  6th Semiannual Competition

Prizes

$10,000 USD (1 artist will receive $5,000 USD and 5 artists will each receive $1,000 USD).

In addition to the cash prizes listed above; Dave Bown Projects will be buying works of art from artists as submissions are received. All styles and mediums are eligible.

Eligibility

This competition is open to all visual artists who are 18 years of age or older. All styles and mediums are eligible.

Selection Process

Early entries are encouraged. Previewing will occur on a daily and weekly basis by Dave Bown Projects as submissions are received.

Deadline

30 May 2013

Prospectus

davebownprojects.com/submissions.html

JurorsMarisa Pascucci
Curator of 20th Century & Contemporary Art
Boca Raton Museum of Art  

Reto Thüring

Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art

Cleveland Museum of Art 

Adelina Vlas

Assistant Curator of Modern & Contemporary Art

Philadelphia Museum of Art

For further information, please contact Dave Bown at (917) 365-5265 or

info@davebownprojects.com