Thursday, October 1, 2009
"The Crit" Top Ten (or eleven) Points of Interest
1) The debate over the usefulness of the crit- Dave Hickey who said “I do not do group crits. They are social occasions that reinforce the norm. They impose a standardized discourse. They privilege unfinished, incompetent art… I don’t care about an artists intentions. I care if the work looks like it might have some consequences.” Vs. Mary Kelly who hosts a group critique where the only person who is not allowed to speak is the presenting artist: “artists often don't fully understand what they've made, so other people's readings can help them see at a conscious level"
2) MFA: Mother Fucking Artist / "the first legitimator in an artist's career"
2) MFA: Mother Fucking Artist / "the first legitimator in an artist's career"
3) "Baldessari believes that the most important function of art education is to demystify artists: Students need to see that art is made by human beings just like them.”
4) "Creative is definitely a dirty word...it's almost as embarrassing as beautiful or sublime or masterpiece."
5) “Perhaps creativity is not on the agenda at art school because being creative is tacitly considered the un-teachable core of being an artist?”
6) CalArts reminds me of my experience at Mason Gross. For example, "It used to be said that some art colleges instructed their students only up to the wrist they focused on craftsmanship while CalArts educated its artists only down to the wrist. Its concentration on the cerebral was such that it neglected the fine art of the hand." And "I [try] to imagine how great artists get made in this airless institutional place."
7) "You have to find something that is true to yourself as a person- some non-negotiable core that will get you through a forty-year artistic practice."
8) "Talent is a double-edged sword. What you are given is not really yours. What you work at, what you struggle for, what you have to take command of-- that often makes for very good art."
9) “Criticality is a strategy for the production of knowledge… our view is that art should interrogate the social and cultural ideas of its time.”
10) I would never sit through a crit this long.
11) I’ve never seen a dog in a crit before.
5) “Perhaps creativity is not on the agenda at art school because being creative is tacitly considered the un-teachable core of being an artist?”
6) CalArts reminds me of my experience at Mason Gross. For example, "It used to be said that some art colleges instructed their students only up to the wrist they focused on craftsmanship while CalArts educated its artists only down to the wrist. Its concentration on the cerebral was such that it neglected the fine art of the hand." And "I [try] to imagine how great artists get made in this airless institutional place."
7) "You have to find something that is true to yourself as a person- some non-negotiable core that will get you through a forty-year artistic practice."
8) "Talent is a double-edged sword. What you are given is not really yours. What you work at, what you struggle for, what you have to take command of-- that often makes for very good art."
9) “Criticality is a strategy for the production of knowledge… our view is that art should interrogate the social and cultural ideas of its time.”
10) I would never sit through a crit this long.
11) I’ve never seen a dog in a crit before.
Week-long Video Screenings in Mason Gross Galleries
Please attend at some point. Feel free to walk in at any time and
lounge on the benches. BYOpopcorn
lounge on the benches. BYOpopcorn
Thursday, Oct. 1st: 11- 4:16pm
11:00 AM The Holy Mountain by Alejandro Jodorowsky (1 hr, 55 min)
1 PM Sex Positive by Daryl Wein (1 hr, 16 min)
2:30 PM Diane Bonder Program (24 min)
3:00pm Sex Positive by Daryl Wein (1 hr, 16 min)
11:00 AM The Holy Mountain by Alejandro Jodorowsky (1 hr, 55 min)
1 PM Sex Positive by Daryl Wein (1 hr, 16 min)
2:30 PM Diane Bonder Program (24 min)
3:00pm Sex Positive by Daryl Wein (1 hr, 16 min)
Friday, Oct. 2nd: 11-3:50pm
11 AM Cremaster 1 by Matthew Barney (40 min)
11:40 AM Cremaster 2 by Matthew Barney (79 min)
1 PM Video One Student Program (30 min)
1:30 PM Net Art/New Media Program (30 min)
2 PM Matt Posey Video Works (20 min)
2:30pm Cremaster 2 by Matthew Barney (79 min)
11 AM Cremaster 1 by Matthew Barney (40 min)
11:40 AM Cremaster 2 by Matthew Barney (79 min)
1 PM Video One Student Program (30 min)
1:30 PM Net Art/New Media Program (30 min)
2 PM Matt Posey Video Works (20 min)
2:30pm Cremaster 2 by Matthew Barney (79 min)
Saturday, Oct. 3rd: 11-4pm
12 pm Battle Royale by Kinji Fukasaku (90 min)
1:30 PM How Will I Know I’m Here by Toby MacLennan (45 min)
2:15 PM IVAW Compilation: Ardele Lister, Damian Catera, Shane Whilden, etc. (54 min)
3:15 How Will I Know I’m Here by Toby MacLennan (45 min)
12 pm Battle Royale by Kinji Fukasaku (90 min)
1:30 PM How Will I Know I’m Here by Toby MacLennan (45 min)
2:15 PM IVAW Compilation: Ardele Lister, Damian Catera, Shane Whilden, etc. (54 min)
3:15 How Will I Know I’m Here by Toby MacLennan (45 min)
Tuesday, Oct. 4th: 11-3:45pm
11 AM Cremaster 3 by Matthew Barney (3 hrs)
2 PM Stan Brakhage Program (46 min)
3pm How Will I Know I’m Here by Toby MacLennan (45 min)
11 AM Cremaster 3 by Matthew Barney (3 hrs)
2 PM Stan Brakhage Program (46 min)
3pm How Will I Know I’m Here by Toby MacLennan (45 min)
Wednesday, Oct. 5th: 11-6
11 AM Powers of 10 by Ray and Charles Eames (17 min)
11:20 AM Woman in the Dunes by Hiroshi Teshigahara (2 hrs)
1:25 PM La Jetee by Chris Marker (60 min)
2:30 PM Video One Student Program (30 min)
3:00 PM Net Art/New Media Program (30 min)
3:30 PM Matt Posey Video Works (20 min)
4:00 PM IVAW Compilation: Ardele Lister, Damian Catera, Shane
Whilden, etc. (54 min)
5:00pm La Jetee by Chris Marker (60 min)
11 AM Powers of 10 by Ray and Charles Eames (17 min)
11:20 AM Woman in the Dunes by Hiroshi Teshigahara (2 hrs)
1:25 PM La Jetee by Chris Marker (60 min)
2:30 PM Video One Student Program (30 min)
3:00 PM Net Art/New Media Program (30 min)
3:30 PM Matt Posey Video Works (20 min)
4:00 PM IVAW Compilation: Ardele Lister, Damian Catera, Shane
Whilden, etc. (54 min)
5:00pm La Jetee by Chris Marker (60 min)
Thursday, Oct. 6th: 11-2:30
11 AM Grey Gardens by The Maysles Brothers (1 hr, 40 min)
1 PM Killer of Sheep by Charles Burnett (83 min)
2:30pm Persona by Ingmar Bergman (83 min)
11 AM Grey Gardens by The Maysles Brothers (1 hr, 40 min)
1 PM Killer of Sheep by Charles Burnett (83 min)
2:30pm Persona by Ingmar Bergman (83 min)
Friday, Oct. 7th: 11-1:45
11 AM Cremaster 4 by Matthew Barney (42 min)
11:45 AM Matthew Barney: No Restraint (1 hr, 12 min)
1 PM Mixed Messages by Kathy Brew (20 min)
1:20 PM A Mother to Hold by LaToya Ruby Frazier (24 min)
1:30 PM Vito Acconci/Bill Viola Excerpts (15 min)
11 AM Cremaster 4 by Matthew Barney (42 min)
11:45 AM Matthew Barney: No Restraint (1 hr, 12 min)
1 PM Mixed Messages by Kathy Brew (20 min)
1:20 PM A Mother to Hold by LaToya Ruby Frazier (24 min)
1:30 PM Vito Acconci/Bill Viola Excerpts (15 min)
Saturday, Oct. 8th: 12-4:40
12pm Day For Night by Francois Truffaut (1 hr, 55 min)
2 PM Kenneth Anger Program (1 hr)
3 PM Extreme Private Eros: Love Song 1974 by Kazuo Hara (97 min)
12pm Day For Night by Francois Truffaut (1 hr, 55 min)
2 PM Kenneth Anger Program (1 hr)
3 PM Extreme Private Eros: Love Song 1974 by Kazuo Hara (97 min)
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
BFA Art Open
Entry Procedure
Students may submit up to 3 works (ready to hang); No excuses; Work will not be juried if it is not framed and ready to hang with wire / L screw, D-rings, support on the back (for 2-D work), or proper installation procedures for 3d work. Film and video, please only send DVD formats with a written synopsis (attached) to entry form. DVDs must have title credits and must loop, No menus. If there are special installation procedures the student must help install their own work.
All work must be labeled individually on the back (refer to entry form) with, Name, Title, Medium, Size, Year completed. NO LABEL NO JUROR! Please fill out the second set of labels for the gallery inventory. You will attach one label to your work and turn one label into the gallery Two labels per entry of the same information.
Calendar
10/06/09 – 10/10/09 by 4pm Deadline / Drop Off Dates TO MGSA GALLERIES
10/13/09 – 10/14/09 by 4pm Acceptance Posted in Gallery (Work not accepted must be picked up)
10/15/09 Exhibition Opens
10/22/09 Reception 5pm – 7pm
10/31/09 Exhibition Closes
Download the Entry Form here
Students may submit up to 3 works (ready to hang); No excuses; Work will not be juried if it is not framed and ready to hang with wire / L screw, D-rings, support on the back (for 2-D work), or proper installation procedures for 3d work. Film and video, please only send DVD formats with a written synopsis (attached) to entry form. DVDs must have title credits and must loop, No menus. If there are special installation procedures the student must help install their own work.
All work must be labeled individually on the back (refer to entry form) with, Name, Title, Medium, Size, Year completed. NO LABEL NO JUROR! Please fill out the second set of labels for the gallery inventory. You will attach one label to your work and turn one label into the gallery Two labels per entry of the same information.
Calendar
10/06/09 – 10/10/09 by 4pm Deadline / Drop Off Dates TO MGSA GALLERIES
10/13/09 – 10/14/09 by 4pm Acceptance Posted in Gallery (Work not accepted must be picked up)
10/15/09 Exhibition Opens
10/22/09 Reception 5pm – 7pm
10/31/09 Exhibition Closes
Download the Entry Form here
Monday, September 21, 2009
"Seven Days" reading- Chapter 2- "The Crit"
You should all have a copy of the required book, Seven Days in the Art World. By Wednesday September 30th, you should read chapter 2 and create a post about it. We don't need you to review the book or the topics, but instead create a bullet-point list of 5 or 10 topics of interest brought up in this chapter. These can be direct quotes, your thoughts, a circumstance, questions, or comments or any other point of interest.
Interviews
Take a look through the interviews with artists, writers and filmmakers on bombsite, one of our news and views links. These are all interviews of artists by artists which date back to the early 1980s, so they are a good model for what we are trying to achieve here.
Also take a look at the short videos of artists discussing their work in their studios assembled by Independent Curators International. ICI also compiled Inside the Studio a very useful collection of interviews with some of the most interesting American artist from the last twenty years or so. In both of these examples we have an oral presentation of ideas.
Guidelines
You must record the interview. You should then transcribe it into written form. Don't just take written notes, you will miss too much.
You must record the interview. You should then transcribe it into written form. Don't just take written notes, you will miss too much.
You must go to your partner’s studio/workplace. Take some time to look around, don’t leap straight in. If they don’t have a studio then spread out sketchbooks and print outs, or pin up work. Don't just look at final pieces.
You must see the work your partner is working on at the moment as well as a selection of their older work
Ask open questions, why, how rather than questions that can be answered with yes or no.
If you only ask questions you only get answers. This means that you should aim for a discussion rather than a quiz
Start with a discussion of what you can see, with what is tangible and real.
Continue with a series of questions about why they use certain materials, forms, subjects.
Try to uncover themes, whether these are in materials, forms or subjects in their work.
Move on to a discussion of their influences, artists, writers, movies etc.
Look for themes and connections between their work and that of those who are influences.
Finish with a discussion of their plans for developing their thesis proposal. Where do they see their work developing over the next year?
Look out for further posts and examples.
You must see the work your partner is working on at the moment as well as a selection of their older work
Ask open questions, why, how rather than questions that can be answered with yes or no.
If you only ask questions you only get answers. This means that you should aim for a discussion rather than a quiz
Start with a discussion of what you can see, with what is tangible and real.
Continue with a series of questions about why they use certain materials, forms, subjects.
Try to uncover themes, whether these are in materials, forms or subjects in their work.
Move on to a discussion of their influences, artists, writers, movies etc.
Look for themes and connections between their work and that of those who are influences.
Finish with a discussion of their plans for developing their thesis proposal. Where do they see their work developing over the next year?
Look out for further posts and examples.
White Cube
For background and further thoughts regarding our discussion on gallery space at our last meeting see this article in eflux journal
Positively White Cube Revisited and take a look at the original white cube article.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Chelsea Gallery Visits
You should pick at least 3 of these to visit and write and create a post about, though they are all very close to one another so I would recommend seeing each gallery. Bring a business card back from each gallery you visit.
Lehmann Maupin Gallery, 540 W 26th, Juergen Teller
PaceWildenstein: 545W 22nd St- Maya Lin and at 534 W 25th:James Turrell
Andrea Rosen Gallery- 525 W 24th Josiah McElheny in main gallery
Mitchell, Innes & Nash, 534 W 26th- Enoc Perez
Robert Miller Gallery- 524 W 26th, Barthelemy Toguo
Aperture Gallery- 547 W 27th- Nature as Artifice: New Dutch Landscape in Photography and Video Art
Andrea Meislin Gallery- Jed Fielding- 526 W 26th
Friday, September 18, 2009
Che's Afterlife
the book I mentioned on the diffusion of Che's image is Che's Afterlife by Michael Casey. You can find info on Amazon. .
Thursday, September 17, 2009
If you liked the New Museum
Those who liked the New Museum building might be interested in another SANNA project for the Serpentine Gallery in London
Monday, September 14, 2009
social design network
A useful link for information on socially conscious design. The topics covered should give you some ideas and references for thinking about design critically, and writing about it.
Friday's Class
In the second part of the class on Friday we will have a gallery tour of the Hit it Big show and a talk with the curators on the logistics of putting on a group show like this in the Mason Gross Galleries. Make sure you attend the opening and see the show before that. Bring your notepads and make sure you have questions for our discussion.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Hit It Big: Welcome Back Show at Mason Gross Galleries
Second Year MFA Candidates and Mason Gross Faculty/Staff
Special installations by Robert Melee and Damian Catera
Thursday, September 10 – Saturday, September 26, 2009
Reception: Thursday, September 17, 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Robert Melee Artist Talk: Wednesday, September 16, 6 p.m. room 117
Hit It Big, an exhibition of works by 16 second year MFA candidates and 22 faculty and staff members, will open September 10th at Mason Gross galleries in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
For second year grad students, the welcome back show marks the midpoint of their graduate career and the opportunity to show their work alongside Rutgers faculty members. Hit It Big represents all departments and includes examples of painting, sculpture, photography, video, and printmaking.
Participating Artists:
Allan Arp, Misti Asberry, Gerry Beegan, Jessica Bottalico, Brian Bulfer, Brian Campbell, Damian Catera, Paul DeMuro, Colin Edgington, George K. Ericson,LaToya Ruby Frazier, Dale Klein, Marketa Klicova, Gary Kuehn, Alan LaZare,Allison Lindblom, Ardele Lister, Leticia Luevanos, Toby MacLennan, Barbara Madsen, Matthew Marchand, Tony Masso, Anne McKeown, Diane Neumaier,Xenia Nikolskaya, Thomas Nozkowski, Raphael Montanez Ortiz, Matt Posey,Hanneline Rogeberg, Martha Rosler, Lisa Switalski, Jacqueline Thaw, Andy Webber, Stephen Westfall, Shane Whilden, Viktor Witkowski, John Yau, and Melissa Zimberg.
Robert Melee is a multimedia artist based in New York and Asbury Park, New Jersey. Intimacy, kitsch, sexuality, and subculture are integral themes of Melee’s work, and his photos, videos, installations, and performances blur the boundaries between private life and theatre. Melee exhibits at Andrew Kreps Gallery in New York City
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Art and design writing for artists and designers
We posted about Donald Judd as a model for artists writing about their work. Designers, film makers, photographers also do this, in fact we all do it to some extent as part of our practice. A great example of a designer/writer is Ellen Lupton who seems to produce a couple of books a year while also practicing as a designer and a design educator. She teaches a design writing course at MICA. Another new design criticism course is headed by Alice Twemlow at SVA. Both have some great links and resources, so check out their web sites
Some of the relevant links are
http://abriefmessage.com/ a collection of design comments with a 200 word limit
http://www.designobserver.com/ probably to most high profile design blog
http://www.dot-dot-dot.us/ an experiment in design writing
Lupton includes general writing advice, for instance
A Bucket of Blood
If you missed a part, or want to see some or all of the A Bucket of Blood again, this video is the full length film.
Reminder: We will not meet Friday the 11th
Hi everyone, I just wanted to remind you all that we will not be meeting as a class on Friday September 11th. Instead, you are required to visit The New Museum. You must visit the museum before we meet on the 18th. You should bring your ticket stub to class- this will count as attendance for Friday the 11th.
Also for the 18th- please start your blogs and email the address to me at meganeflaherty@gmail.com
Let me know the level of privacy you would like for your blog.
Create a post in reaction/review/relation to your visit to the New Museum.
You should also watch the video posted below by Alex Bag and create a blog post about it.
Please also post any reactions to the film we watched in class "A Bucket of Blood" by Roger Corman, 1959.
Have a great time at the museum! I look forward to reading your posts!
Also for the 18th- please start your blogs and email the address to me at meganeflaherty@gmail.com
Let me know the level of privacy you would like for your blog.
Create a post in reaction/review/relation to your visit to the New Museum.
You should also watch the video posted below by Alex Bag and create a blog post about it.
Please also post any reactions to the film we watched in class "A Bucket of Blood" by Roger Corman, 1959.
Have a great time at the museum! I look forward to reading your posts!
Thursday, September 3, 2009
On writing your blog posts and Donald Judd
Your blog posts do not need to be lengthy. Just a few sentences can be sufficient as long as your thought(s) are clearly expressed. The goal is to effectively explain yourself in as concise a manner as possible.
The iconic writings of minimalist artist and critic Donald Judd are an interesting example of how this can be achieved.
See these two articles on his writing style with a few examples of his reviews:
Conversation starter: Mel Bochner on the republished writings of Donald Judd
Look, See: Donald Judd Archives
For those of you who are interested, a book of these writings is available: Donald Judd Complete Writings 1959-1975
The iconic writings of minimalist artist and critic Donald Judd are an interesting example of how this can be achieved.
See these two articles on his writing style with a few examples of his reviews:
Conversation starter: Mel Bochner on the republished writings of Donald Judd
Look, See: Donald Judd Archives
For those of you who are interested, a book of these writings is available: Donald Judd Complete Writings 1959-1975
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