I'm skipping over Part II ideas, but may post them later, for kicks. Here's Part I posted yesterday. As much as the studio space itself inspires these other ideas, I really need to focus more intimately and more individually. This is how I connect to the world, and others, in a meaningful way - as an artist partially ignoring that world, and others. It took me a very long time to accept that personal artistic exploration has meaning, and that at its very core this activity is generous in spirit.
I feel oppressed by the municipal/corporate interests that have been guiding our local arts since around 2000. While there is much more going on, and some money being invested in local arts and artists, it creates a whirlwind environment of highly social, but disconnected participation. It's being done to promote an identity, which is fine, but I wish they would have gone for "world-class" architecture, rather than art.
I don't really need to add my gimmicky ideas to that pool. We have plenty of entrepreneurial art activity planners. It's difficult for me to ignore the space's gallery potential, and I may occasionally clear it out for the occasional Swivel Gallery Show (the space is perfect for placing a single swivel chair in the middle of the room and hanging one work on each wall, or one person's work on each wall).
This is a long-winded way to say I'm going to scale everything back down to using this space as a studio, at least for now.
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7 comments:
Hear, hear. When I first got to my current location, words like "community" and "involvement' were going to be my mantra. I was frustrated at the lack of respectable opportunities and support, and thought of ideas to generate awareness to the arts and become involved in my new community. Another artist reminded me that sometimes the most important thing you can do is to just do what you do best- make the art, be a painter- whatever IT is. I, too, believe that the act of making and exhibiting work is generous in spirit.
Still, you had some good ideas. What I liked most though was the sculpture thing you posted.
The sculpted paint skins will probably keep flowing.
Carla, your ideas do not add to the entrepreneurial art activity planner pool.
This is not a vote on whether you should think more seriously about your group/gallery ideas, or to focus on making art, or both.
I am only saying that your ideas are about making your OWN art world, whether they are enacted or not.
I read recently and I can't remember where, that artists who invest a lot of time in things other than making art often feel that art making is not enough of a contribution. I think this is sometimes true.
All the same, I agree with Nomi, and I think making your own art world makes sense but sometimes we can't do both and have to know if that's the case. If it is then making art is enough of a contribution and like you said "personal artistic exploration has meaning, and at its very core this activity is generous in spirit.
"personal artistic exploration has meaning, and that at its very core this activity is generous in spirit."
Yes.
Why do some find the municiple/corporate interests that have been guiding local art since 2000 oppressive? Could it be that even asking that question brings ones own relationship with art into question? We are experiencing the presence of the dominant culture in psychological areas where it has not been before. The spiritual potancy of freely exercising ones own creativity is real, as is the Contemporary ideal that has championed that. The question now is what purpose does Contemporary art serve if the practice of art for arts sake is not good enough for the dominanting arbitors of culture and their affiliated organizations? That 'bigger than yourself' thing that individual artists are now expected to be a part of is nothing less than the ethical consequences of every action that the dominant culture decides to take. The apprehension you feel could well be the result of an artist's personal,intuitive, vision of a very slippery slope.
"Olson", that's a brilliant synopsis of the situation. One cannot really point to a specific act or policy that intrudes upon personal expression. It's the corporate/municipal co-opting of these 'psychological areas' that triggers the red flags. All the hired players are genuinely nice people who want to do good. I want to do good too. I also want to protect artistic vitality, mine and yours, from being dragged through a shamefest.
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