What is in a Title?

A picture is worth a thousand words, or so it is said, still many works are briefly titled. To learn the titles often times one must look to the description of the piece, but on occasion there is no further investigation needed than the painting itself. Many of Shaun Richards works feature the title of the piece prominently within the image.

Words provide information, often direction. Images provide a window, a limited view of something specific. Either can launch our minds to ponder concepts, however, pair them together, and there is less wondering through mental ramblings. The focus becomes more acutely directed.

Here the words are not separate from the work, but part of it. They add depth and definition. In some pieces it is as if the words answer the question of what happened without robbing the image of the story it offers, or it tells what is lacking without lessening the curiosity. Why does that helicopter seem to be leaving the beautiful, smiling woman on her motorcycle? Why does the image of the man looking through a camera lens leave me looking for something? What happened to make that car flip upside down? The words across the paintings, slightly obscured by the images, offer some answer to these questions. Just a little nudge to ask more questions. I want to know more.

The Green Hill Center in Greensboro, NC is currently displaying works by Shaun Richards along with another local artist. Shaun Richards will also be available for an artist talk on Wednesday, May 18, 2011 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

-Veronica Monique Ibarra

http://shaunrichardsart.com/home.html

http://www.greenhillcenter.org/

Potent Little Package

Imagination is limitless; however, some of the most creative ideas come about by pairing the boundless capacity of imagination with the restrictions of confining parameters. Before you can think outside the box, you must first understand the box. For many artists the box is a combination of the techniques and materials employed to express their ideas. There is in existence a collection of artists who literally work within the confines of a box, the dimensions of a cigarette box to be specific.

Given the size limitation it is astonishing to see the range of creativity that can still be expressed utilizing various mediums and techniques from sketching to sculpting in miniature. Also the manipulation that allows of some pieces to meet the confining appearance of a cigarette box, yet unfold and expand beyond the seeming limitation eloquently demonstrates how truly limitless the artist’s imagination is.

The Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA) has had Clark Whittington & Artists in Cellophane (AIC): The Art-o-mat Enterprise on display since November 2010 and will remain on display until June 5, 2011. There are also several Art-o-mat vending machines scattered throughout North Carolina and North America.

-Veronica Monique Ibarra

http://www.secca.org/exhibitions/2010/Art-o-mat.htm

http://www.artomat.org/home.html

The Silent Scream that Echoes Still

The Greensboro Cultural Center (GCC) houses several art galleries and studio spaces available for artists, and is the hub of events to connect art and the community. GCC just kicked off a month long kid’s art exhibition as part of its Summer Camp Fair.

The works featured are a collection of collages, paintings, pottery, masks and other creations by children of varying ages. Much of what is displayed is what you would expect from the very young as they take up brushes and glue. The joy of creating is evident in every piece, and most are original, coming straight from an imagination bigger than convention. However, among the cute and fun works one piece stood out as it was a fair representation of a famously familiar work.

All artists know the value of emulating works of other artists especially in the pursuit of study, and it is not unusual for an artist to create several different versions of a particular subject matter altering perspective and media. It was with a smile that I noticed this small replica painting done in acrylics on the pre-K through grade 5 exhibit board of Edvard Munch’s Skrik or more commonly known as Scream.

The first time I saw any version of the Scream, I believe I was in middle school taking an art class. It was one of many slides we viewed as we learned of various artists, techniques, and styles. From then on it showed up many times in odd and unexpected places until it became something akin to finding Waldo. Since the time of Munch’s first rendering of the Scream it has become a part of pop-culture, and been a part of intrigue as two different versions of this work by Munch have been the victims of theft—both were recovered with only one sustained any permanent damage, and both returned to display within their perspective museums.

The Scream has been reproduced by cartoonists for TV, Film and even merchandise. Even Andy Warhol made silk prints of Munch’s work. Yet for all the places it has appeared, I still find it a pleasant surprise when I recognize it, like running into an old acquaintance, albeit a seemingly terrified acquaintance in the midst of an anxiety attack.

-Veronica Monique Ibarra

http://www.downtowngreensboro.org/citylight/go/greensboro-cultural-center1

You're...fired?

Sometimes you find art in the damndest of places. I was out looking at a town home with a realtor. Right from the initial step through the front door, I knew this place was going to be elegant and fresh. At first glance the home had the feeling of being staged, but as we went from room to room it became apparent that it belonged to a very neat owner who had impeccable taste. Every room we entered had an interesting, lived in feeling that warmed the place up. The paint colors were serene, the furniture was placed just-so, and there were vacuum marks in the rug. But you can always tell the difference between a staged home and home that is truly loved by its owner: a staged home looks excellent and will help sell to potential buyers, but it has a very general feel to it that will appeal to almost anyone. An owner with great taste, on the other hand, will take excellent care of their home as a stager would, but there are small details that give way to the fact that you have entered into someone’s private sanctuary, and you are reminded that you are a guest. A welcome guest, at that, but no doubt, you are a guest. And while there were some hints along the way, the ultimate sign was hanging right over the kitchen table – the focal point of the most common room of the home. It was a painting of Donald Trump.

I don’t know what drew me in first. Maybe it was the red eyes, or the funny spelling of the word “toupee,” or the sarcasm in the “nice comb-over” comment, but this painting suddenly became my favorite detail of the place. I was wondering if a potential buyer would offer more just to keep it. “Yes, we’re interested in your apartment. We will agree to pay our own closing costs if you will agree to leave all fixtures, as well as the painting of the Donald. And that’s my final offer.” A closer look at the work of art revealed hidden messages, which made it even more intriguing. While everyone else had already moved onto the master bedroom, I was still stuck in the kitchen questioning the motives of the artist. Was this a child who painted this, given the misspellings? What do those hidden messages read? Where did the owner even find this painting, and how much did he or she pay? And, most importantly, does it come with the unit? Because as we all know, a great piece of art is what truly makes a house a home.

-Ali Macaluso

Fleeting Ownership

The looting in Iraq was infamous. In the frenzy of the occupation, museums were ransacked and archaeological sites were damaged. It still happens in Iraq today but it’s taken in stride as collateral damage.

And now, as political unrest pops up everywhere, it begs the question: what cultural keepsake will be tainted next by political strife?

Just several days ago, the Egyptian Museum in Cairo reopened after the protests happening right outside its door forced them to close. As patrons entered the museum on Sunday, they were greeted with roses. But beneath the rosy surface, Egypt’s antiquities minister tries to salvage the many items that were stolen during the protests. Art is just one of many faceless victims of changing times.

As in Iraq and countless nations where laws are blurred in the fog of war, people loot because they feel an ownership for something. They may not have painted it or sculpted it but being a looter is a sign of being a survivor. They are in the nightmare of it; you are not.

So, who owns the art of the dead?

Ownership is a tricky subject. But, the important thing has never been to argue about who owns an item, it has always been about protecting items for future generations.

Art belongs to future generations.

-Alex Clark

Getting Up Close to Art through Technology

Wouldn't it be great to take a trip to the National Gallery in London or the Museum Kampa in Prague? How awesome would it be to get up close to a Van Gogh painting - so close you could see the texture of the paint and follow each brush stroke?

Well, the Art Project, powered by Google allows you to do just that. Utilizing their Street View Technology, Google has partnered up with museums from around the world to allow you to view art in places you may never have the chance to visit, and get closer than you would ever be allowed in person.

As a study tool for any artist, this could prove invaluable. The zoom application of this site provides an opportunity to see the detail of the techniques and materials used. Study the works of an artist at your leisure, any time, day or night--even if those works are housed in different museums. The site allows you to create and save an Artwork Collection of your favorite works viewed at the zoom level of your choice with the option of adding comments, which can be utilized to make special notes. These Artwork Collections can also be shared providing artists a way to collaborate and compare study notes.

From paintings to photographs to sculptures and more, this site allows any artist the opportunity to study art more broadly than they may have the ability to do otherwise.

-Veronica Ibarra

http://www.googleartproject.com/

Keeping Up with the Jones.0

Of what use are museums when technology takes over completely? Will we bulldoze the art museums when the Internet age matures? Perhaps we will use the ghostly halls of washed-up museums to hold massive servers and supercomputers where digital memories of once-great pieces of art will be entombed forever.

Thankfully, we’re not there yet. But skeptics and hopefuls alike know the embittered war between the horny, slavering monster known as the Internet and those that prefer to stay in the “technological dark age” is already over. Yankees or Red Sox. East coast or west coast. Blondes or brunettes. We could have never imagined that the debate as to whether or not technology is good for us would join the list of great debates of modernity.

There is salvation at last though. The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Brooklyn Museum are spearheading a peace operation between the two. Attempting to reach some sort of harmony, both the Met and the Brooklyn Museum are looking for ways to implement technology into the museum experience to attract patrons otherwise uninterested.

According to an article on the New York Times website, the Met has already created its first app to accompany one if its exhibits, which itself is a reflection of the times—collection of cool guitars, no biggie, even the Director of the Met called it a “teenager’s wet dream.” Times sure are changing. The Met is also looking to hook the entire 21-building compound up to Wi-Fi, allowing patrons to enjoy customized tours on personal electronic devices, depending on “levels of sophistication.” Please don’t rate my sophistication, Met.

The Brooklyn Museum is experimenting with the way viewers make snap distinctions of paintings with their new exhibit titled, “Split Second: Indian Paintings.” The premise would make Bill Gates warm inside and no, I’m not referring to the microchips that power him. Participants who signed up viewed a collection of paintings for seconds at a time and were asked to make a judgment about the quality of the painting based on what they noticed in that short span of time. The result: a final ten pieces were chosen based on the people’s choice. Ah, there is room for Internet critics after all.

At least some out there are making the effort to meet the demands set forth by a rampant technological age but who really knows what the future holds. For now, you can still enjoy a trip to the museum the way we have for decades. Take your time with it; walk aimlessly, allow yourself to get lost and feel awed, even stupid in the presence of genius. You know, unplug from it all.

And if you have to, go ahead, use technology to supplement your journey. At least you’re not sitting at your desk, looking at paintings on Google.

-Alex Clark

Get Drunk. Buy a Hat.

After several drinks, Shigeru Ban bought a Chinese hat, reasoning to himself, as one does while inebriated, that he would incorporate its shape into an architectural design one day. Fast-forward to 2006, and you see how Ban incorporated that shape  into the design of the roof of the Centre Pompidou-Metz.  That was the story as the Director of the Centre Pompidou-Metz, Laurent Le Bon related it to an eager crowd of Charlotteans last night.

Mr. Le Bon was giving a lecture at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art.  The humorous Frenchman gave an overview of the Centre Pompidou-Metz's architectural design, inaugural exhibit called "Masterpieces?", and scheduled programs.

So, here we have two newly minted, highly celebrated institutions dedicated to modern art;  a talented young man who is known as a leading authority on modern art;  and a captivated audience made of modern art enthusiasts.  What a contrast this setting was compared to a scene described in a New York Times article just the day before.  According to Michael Kimmelman: Nazis had waged a campaign of destruction against modern works of art.  Several pieces that had mysteriously escaped the Nazis have been found buried in Berlin over the past several months.  These pieces are now on display in an exhibit in the Neues Museum.

For an extra scoop of irony:  The Neuese Museum is just down the street from the Hilter exhibit, which puts on display artifacts of Nazi propaganda.

Add a healthy side of sauted irony:  The Centre Pompidou-Metz sits on a plot of land formerly occupied by a Nazi rail station built during WWII.

Top it off with:  Shigeru Ban was born in post-war Tokyo, which was a close ally of Hitler's Berlin during WWII.

And wash it down with a glass of:  Happy Chanuka.

Shigeru Ban
The Centre Pompidou-Metz
Bechtler Museum of Modern Art
NY Times article by Michael Kimmelman

More Art, Please!

I was listening to a broadcast of Tom Ashbrook’s radio show “On Point” on August 18, 2010, and noted several takeaways. It’s quite clear that American consumerism is shifting into a new phase known as calculated consumerism. While the times have forced some consumers (an estimated 15-20%) to slam the brakes on spending due to unemployment, others have taken some hits, maybe lost investment, and have become more vigilant where their funds are concerned. Some have even cut back on spending out of sympathy and respect for friends and neighbors who have lost money. It is largely the “well-off” that constituted this latter category. Experts seem to agree the current frugal phase can’t last long for these folks - they will soon be buying new toys again.

The trends also seem to indicate that people are becoming more responsible spenders. They are buying things they can use right now, rather than a bunch of stuff they might use later. The drop in back-to-school purchases demonstrates this. Of course, we must keep buying consumables (such as coffee and toothpaste), but durables (cars or refrigerators) we will hang onto, rather than trading for a new model every two years or so. Families are also becoming more environmentally aware and value seems to be at the forefront of every one's mind. Case in point: Starbucks is now offering instant coffee. It’s cheaper than usual café served coffee -- about $9 for ten servings. The national savings rate has gone from negative to 8%.

The question now is, will Americans actually spend for art?  I think so. I actually foresee increased spending on creative goods.  With people saving more, they will have more to spend on items with value.

Art has great value and many more people are beginning to appreciate that value, especially for their children.  And the folks who have money to spend, the ones who haven’t really been hurt by the economic times, will spend money on art. I predict that people will begin to regard art less as a luxury, more as a necessity. Having cut back on their expenses, especially frivolous ones, they will notice the extra cash on hand.  Combined with the concept of value on the front burner, they will realize they have too little art in their lives and will begin to seek it out. They will start attending more art shows, actor’s theaters, etc. They will expose their children to a plethora of art venues and increasingly involve them with opportunities for artistic creation. And they will invest in more pieces of creative art. We will see the rise among the artwork with lower price points.

Although purchases of higher-priced art may have fallen recently, these should increase as well. One reason for the fall may be the sympathetic frugality that the more well-off consumers have lately been demonstrating.  Another explanation might be a fear of income-loss.  However, as the economy move along, the purchasing of the more expensive art should resume.

Where the most expensive art is concerned, the recession should cause negligible change.  If you have oceans for pockets, a low tide on one continent is probably offset by a high tide on another continent.

I have a general positive outlook for the arts market, that artists face renewed appreciation for their creativity.  In the next post, I’ll take a look at evidence for/against the claim that people buy more art after a recession.  As of the last Google search, all signs are positive.

Getting to Know the Customer . . .

In sales, you do nothing if you don't get to know your customer. My business is to sell art and creativity. That is why Mike Collins' interview of Lawrence Toppman was intriguing to me.

Toppman - the long-time film critic for the Charlotte Observer - gave a critique of the audience, so to speak. His message was that the average patron of the arts in Charlotte was risk-averse and complacent. His evidence was that the performing arts venues had to stick to the tried and true, "the hits," as Collins called them, to make any money. Toppman could not recall any performance programs where all the music pieces were unknown. He cited anecdotal evidence that Charlotteans were happy "listening to the same 20 symphonies" their whole lives.

On the other hand, the supply side of the arts market in the Queen City seemed to be in Toppman's good graces. Toppman justified the arts venues' choices for cycling through "the familiar" year after year and gave praise for the diversity that Charlotte has in its creative side. My own personal experience tells me there is an entire continent of undiscovered art to many eyes and ears in Ballantyne, Myers Park, Dilworth - whose residents may "slum it" by driving through NoDa without daring to even get out of their cars.

What is the solution here for artists in Charlotte? It depends on what kind of artists we're talking about. On the one hand, you have institutional artists - for example, the Charlotte Symphony. On the other hand, there's the individual artists - the painter, the photographer, the jewelry artist. The two have different advantages and disadvantages. In the following entries, I will write about each group in turn, addressing the question: In a town that's raised on steak and potatoes, how do you sell dolma?

I welcome your comments. Has your experience been different from Toppman's account of the Charlotte crowd?


Charlotte Talks

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