Greg Nov. 26: The '80s

For Greg's discussion group on Nov. 26, we'll be talking about the exhibit "This Will Have Been: Art, Love & Politics in the 1980s" at the ICA. Read pages 14 to 19 of the essay plus one of the other four sections. (In your written response, be sure to address both sections that you read.)

Some questions to consider: What are some of the main subjects or themes of the 1980s for curator Helen Molesworth? Which 1980s artists exemplify them for her? How do these subjects and themes continue to echo through or influence art and society today? Is Molesworth's history of the 1980s subjective or objective? How can you tell? What does it mean for a museum like the ICA to present a subjective or objective history of a decade? Is there art/creativity from the 1980s that is missing from Molesworth's version of the 1980s?

Pictured at top: David Hammons, "How Ya Like Me Now?," 1988. Tin, plywood, sledgehammers, Lucky Strike cigarette wrapper, and American Flag painting. 158 x 180 inches. Glenstone. Photo: Tim Nighswander/Imaging4Art.

Above: Donald Moffett, "Call the White House," 1990. Ciba transparency on light box. 40 ½ x 60 ½ x 6 ¾ inches. Courtesy of the artist and Marianne Boesky Gallery.

Guidelines for End of Semester Presentations

Some more info on End of Semester Presentations.... 

(Previous info here.)

 

1.  Presentations should be approximately ten minutes long and should include at least 6-10 images. Your presentations will be graded on research, quality of visual presentation and the quality of the oral presentation. Presentations are given to the entire SFAS, which includes all discussion groups.

 

2. Practice your presentation and prepare your visual materials with care. Students using digital presentations should format their presentations in some form of presentation software such as PowerPoint, iPhoto, or Keynote. Use video in your presentations only when it's vital to presenting the work at hand--such as performance or video art, or video tours through installations, sculptures or architecture. Video should not supplant your own description and discussion of the art. In other words, don't show a video that profiles the artist, that's your assignment.

 

3. FIRST SEMESTER SENIORS

Present the work of a living artist. Choose examples of your chosen artist’s work and explain the ideas the artist is exploring. You may not choose an artist you have written about in research papers for this or other classes.

 

4. SECOND SEMESTER SENIORS

Present your own work. Imagine you are giving a visiting artist talk. Your presentation should consist of a body of work. Do not show a selection of work from the 4 years at school. Be prepared to talk about each image. You are also required to provide a disk with the images from your presentation along with a resume file to the seminar instructor.

 

 

Consult Ethan Berry about availability of equipment and set up. Arrive early, prepare your presentation and test the equipment.

 

Greg Nov. 19: Story Time

For Greg's discussion group on Nov. 19, we'll be talking about

= "Politics and Protest in Papier-Mache Heads"
= "Spectacle for the Heart and Soul"
= Nathalie Djurberg
= "Spirited Away: A Magical Dot Over in the Corner"
= "Ori Gersht's post-traumatic stress"(An excerpt of one of his videos is above)

Some questions to consider: What are the various ways these artists use narrative or story? How does story help them convey ideas, moods, emotions? Do you find some ways more effective than others? Why? What makes this work different from traditional narratives? These artists highlight imagery. How does the addition of time and motion change the way this imagery works and affects the audience?

Caroline's readings for Weds Nov 14th and Mon Nov 26th

Caroline's readings for Weds Nov 14th and Mon Nov 19th and Mon Nov 29th

Readings for Weds Nov 14th and Mon Nov 29th

Buskirk, Martha, Creative Enterprise: Contemporary Art between Museum and Marketplace, Continuum, 2012, pp 1 - 23

Readings for Mon Nov 19th

Photography Readings see previous post

Caroline's readings for Weds Nov 7th and Mon Nov 19th

Caroline's readings for Weds Nov 7th and Mon Nov 19th.

Steinglass, Matt, Camera Trouble: Western anthropologists accuse photographers Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher of romanticizing traditional Africa in their acclaimed work. But what do Africans say? Boston Globe, 29 Sept 2002: D1
Morris, Errol, The Most Curious Thing, morris.blogs.nytimes.com/ May 19, 2008

Sample paper outline

My discusson section asked me to post a sample paper outline that we discussed in class. This is only one way to approach the paper and is not intended as a template for everyone. This is just one of many ways to structure the paper. Please create your own outline for the paper based on your chosen curator and exhibition.

1st page  introduction/ Philosophy/ mission / type of the gallery / curator's role

2nd page Based on information from the interview discuss this show, how artists were selected. How did the curator research the artists, find the artists, How did curator make decisions on cost, shipping, size? Themes of show.

3rd page Based on interview What drew the curator to the artists? How did the curator work with them? Did the curator make a catalogue? How did the curator publicize the show? Artists rights/ %of sales. Gallery rights/% of sales. Logistics of the show. other issues that come up in your interview. ( make a long list of questions)

4th page. Describe the show ( max one page)

5th page How the show relates to the architecture/ hanging issues/ Curators final thoughts on curating /discussion of audience/ reception by the public, the press the exhibition received. Conclusion

bibliography

  

Caroline's readings Oct 24th and Oct 29th

Caroline's readings Oct 24th and Oct 29th

Chrissie Iles, Ulay / Abramovic: Performances 1976-1988, Stedelijk Van Abbemuseum Eindhoven, March 1997

Thomas McEvilley, Performing the Present Tense, Art in America, April 2003

Roselee Goldberg, Performance Anxiety, Art Forum,

Jorg Heiser, Do It Again, interview with Marina Abramovic and Monica Bonicini, Freize, October 2005

Kino, Carol, A Rebel Form Gains Favor. Fights Ensue. The New York Times, March 14, 2010

Marina Abramovic, Seven Easy Pieces, Guggenheim Museum press release, http:// past exhibitions.guggenheim.org/abramovic/index.html

Greg Oct. 22: Our Bodies Ourselves

For Greg’s discussion group of Oct. 22, we’ll be talking about:

= Rania Matar's “Girls In Between—Portraits of Identity” exhibit is at the Photographic Resource Center, through Nov. 3, 2012. Explore her “A Girl and Her Room” series here:

http://www.raniamatar.com/portfolio/girls/girl-room.php

= “Girl’s life” by Greg Cook, Boston Phoenix, Oct. 2, 2012.

= Rachel Herrick’s "Museum for Obeast Conservation Studies." Explore her website (obeasts.org) and read Daniel Kany’s 2011 review.

= Ivonne Thein’s “Thirty-Two Kilos” photos at: ivonnethein.com

= Review of Ivonne Thein’s photos ‘Thirty-Two Kilos” at the Goethe-Institut in Washington by Rachel Beckman, Washington Post, 2009.

Pictured at top: Rania Matar, "Siena, Brookline MA," 2009.

Caroline's readings Weds Oct 17th and Mon Oct 22

Caroline's Readings Weds Oct 17 and Mon Oct 22

Vogel, Carol, Painting Rebooted, The New York Times, Sept. 30, 2012
Schjeldahl, Peter, All Stripes, The New Yorker, Sept 17, 2012
Rosenberg, Karen, Gerhard Richter: Painting 2012, The New York Times, Sept 20, 2012
Robb, Peter, Candid camera,The Guardian, Fri Oct 19, 2001
Miall and Tchalenko, A Painter's Eye Movements, Leonardo, Vol 34, No1.2001

Reminder.Week of Oct 15th 1pg of interview due

Reminder.
Week of Oct 15th
Submit one page typed transcript of your interview. This should be an excerpt from your interview.

Caroline's readings for Weds Oct 10th and Mon Oct15th

Caroline's readings for Weds Oct 10th and Mon Oct 15th

Resolutions: Task Force on the Use of Human and Animal Subjects in Art, CAA, http:www.collegeart.org/resolutions/humanandanimalsubjects
Rothstein, Edward, The Beasts Without and Within, The New York Times, March 2, 2012
Knight, Christopher, What rose up out of the Mudman, Los Angeles Times, March 30, 2007
Williams, Gregory, Where the Wild Things Are: An Interview with Steve Baker, Cabinet, Issue 4 Fall 2001
Kac, Eduardo, GFP Bunny, http://www.ekac.org/gfpbunny.html
Ryzik, Melina, Heads, Yes.Tails,No, The New York Times, July 26 2012.

Greg Oct. 15: Abstract reasoning

For Greg's discussion group on Oct. 15, we will be discussing what is happening in abstract art today based on the following readings and links:


= "Simpatico" group show at BU Art Gallery reviewed in Boston Globe.
= Jessica Stockholder
= "Not About Paint" at Steven Zevitas Gallery in 2011 reviewed by Greg Cook.
= Chris Johanson
= Leonardo Drew reviewed in New York magazine.
= Robert Irwin reviewed in the New Yorker.
= Mark Bradford reviewed in New York Times.
= Rachel Harrison reviewed in LA Times.

Questions to consider: What is happening in abstract art today? What are some similar/common ideas and styles that you see in the artists in the readings and other abstract artists active today? What makes a good abstraction?

Remember:
A one-page typed transcript of your research paper interview is due Oct. 15.

Caroline's Readings for Mon Oct 1st and Weds Oct 3rd

Caroline's Readings for Mon Oct 1st and Weds Oct 3rd

1. Marxist Arts Criticism - Dictionary and Encyclopedia, www.encyclopedia69.com/.../marxist-arts-criticism/marxist-arts-critici.

2. Chandler, Daniel. Marxist Media Theory.  Gramsci and Hegemony, Stuart Hall, Strengths of Marxist analysis. www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/marxism/marxism 

 3. Haacke, Hans, Statement, from Harrison and Wood, Art in Theory 1900 - 2000, pp. 930-931

4. Lipton, Eunice, The Laundress in Late Nineteeth - Century French Culture:Imagery, Ideology and Edgar Degas,  Art History, vol.3, no.3 Sept 1980, pp 295 - 313  

5. Burgin, Victor, What does possession mean to you? solomonthoughts.wordpress.com/...possession/what-does-possession-.

6. Cotter, Holland, Martha Rosler, Photomontages:1965-2004, NYTimes Dec 24, 2004

ALSO Check out the NYTimes Friday Sept 28th 2012

Review by Karen Rosenberg of 2 shows by Thomas Hirschhorn in NY.

Concordia, Concordia at Gladstone Gallery, Chelsea through Oct 20

Timeline: Work in Public Space, future Dia, Chelsea, through Nov 3

Hirschhorn's forthcoming Dia commission is an "monument" to GRAMSCI!!!!! ( see 2nd reading for this week)

ALSO Ken Johnson reviews "Joy in People"Jeremy Deller at the ICA in Philadelphia...see last weeks readings...

Greg Oct 1: Pretty art about ugly things?

For Greg's discussion group on Oct. 1, we will be reading and discussing art and the environment via:

= "Poison Pictures" by Rebecca Solnit, 2003, on the photography of Edward Burtynsky (who talks in the video above--which you're not required to watch).

= "Wading in the Waste Stream with the Center for Land Use Interpretation" by Doug Harvey, LA Weekly, 2008.

= "The Green Moment: Land art and the rise of the environmental movement" by Tyler Green, Modern Painters, 2012. (Note: Link goes to summary, not full article.)

Questions to consider: Among the ways artists are addressing environmental issues, as described in the readings, which are more effective? How do we define effective? Are they aesthetically effective? Are they effective at fostering social change? Can they do both? Tyler Green speaks about environmentalism within 1960s and '70s Land Art, but how "environmental" was that work? The most famous pieces often involved major interventions in the landscape. Should art be socially conscious? Is it okay to make pretty art about ugly things?

Related (unrequired!) things to consider:
= "How to Turn a Parking Space into a Park."
=  “The Ends of the Earth” at LA MoCA.
= "Ansel Adams: At the Water's Edge," Peabody Essex Museum, through Oct. 28. Adams sometimes used his photos in campaigns promoting environmental conservation.
=  Andy Goldsworthy’s “Snow House” at DeCordova.
= Boston Tree Party.

Caroline's readings for Sept 24th and 26th

Caroline's readings for Sept 24th and 26th

Bishop, Claire, Antagonism and Relational Aesthetics, October 110, Fall 2004
2nd half of article continued from last week
Roberta Smith, ART, NYTimes, Sunday Sept 23rd 2012

REMINDER
Week of Sept 24th: Submit a written list of two or three exhibitions that you might like to write about.

Greg Sept. 24: Art worth fighting over?

For Greg's discussion group on Sept. 24, we will be reading, watching and discussing the "art of controversy":


= Watch the video above, variously titled "Innocence of Muslims," "The Real Life of Muhammad," etc., which is said to have sparked protests across the world.

Read:
= “Inside the strange Hollywood scam that spread chaos across the Middle East: A group of rightwing extremists aimed to destabilize post-Mubarak Egypt and roil US politicians. They got their wish” by Max Blumenthal, The Guardian, Sept. 13, 2012.

= “Boston mural: A ‘rorshach test for idiots and racists’: The Brazilian street art twins, Os Gemeos, reveal their latest work, and Facebook erupts” by Hrag Vartanian, Hyperallergic, Aug. 8, 2012. 

= “Smithsonian Institution fails to stand up to anti-gay bullies” by Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, Dec. 6, 2010.
= “The Art of Controversy” by PBS Newshour, Oct. 8, 1999. On New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani’s efforts to shut down a show of contemporary British art in Brooklyn because he found it “anti-Catholic.”

Questions to consider: What were the aims of these controversial artworks? Did the artists achieve their goals? How are we to respond to offensive art? What art is worth fighting over? How does this relate to the free speech maxim: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"?

Related unrequired reading:
= "Controversial 'Piss Christ' art back in New York," New York Post, Sept. 21, 2012.
= "Heathen President Refuses to Condemn Piece of Art from 1987" by Louis Peitzman, Gawker, Sept. 22, 2012.

Caroline's readings for Mon Sept 17th and Weds Sept 19th

Caroline's Readings for Mon Sept 17th and Weds Sept 19th

Bishop, Claire, Antagonism and Relational Aesthetics, October 110, Fall 2004, pp 65 – 80

Greg Sept. 17: Robots are watching

= For Greg's discussion group on Sept. 17, we will be reading and talking about "the New Aesthetic" via:

= James Bridle's blog "The New Aesthetic." Dig through some of the pages.
= David Albert Cox, "Playfulness and Processuality--Interview with Bruce Sterling about the New Aesthetic," Cox's blog.
= Paddy Johnson, "What New Aesthetic?" The L Magazine, May 9, 2012.
= Mark Frauenfelder, "A Short PBS documentary about Glitch Art," BoingBoing.net, Aug. 9, 2012. You must watch the video, so follow the link.
= Rose Eveleth, "Amazing Shots Captured by Google Street View," Smithsonian.com, Aug. 29, 2012. Follow this link to the photos.

Questions to consider: What do Google Earth glitches, drone visions, and other manifestations of how computers and robots record, translate and process the world tell us about life today? What are the machines watching? Is it all about surveillance? What are they doing? What are they thinking? Does the Internet have moods? Is there a new aesthetic to be found in this new technology? How do you feel about our technological world? How does it enter your art or the art of others? We expect the machines to be perfect. What does this tell us about us and them? Do our mistakes reveal our humanity? Do digital glitches reveal "the very soul of a machine"?

Related unrequired (!) reading:
= James Brindle "#sxaesthetic," blog post, March 15, 2012.
= Bruce Sterling "An Essay on the New Aesthetic," Wired Magazine, April 2, 2012.
= Greg Cook "Boston Dynamic's new killer robot," New England Journal of Aesthetic Research, March 3, 2012.

= Cory Doctorow, "80 Teddy Ruxpins with robot voices will tell you how the Internet feels," BoingBoing.net, June 26, 2012.

Greg studio visits Sept. 10

Greg will be visiting these folks on Sept. 10: Justin Durso, Angela Ferrara, Brittanny Handiboe, Sam King, and (hopefully) Alyssa Kline.

Caroline's groups readings or Mon Sept 10th and and Weds Sept 12th 2012

Caroline's groups readings or Mon Sept 10th and and Weds Sept 12th  2012

Steinberg, Contemporary Art and the Plight of its Public from Other Criteria: Confrontations with 20th century Art, (New York:Oxford, 1972)

Storr, An Interview with Mike Kelley, Art in America, June 1994 

Fall 2012 Research Paper

Write a report on the presentation of a single exhibition/performance/screening that you go to this fall. You are required to interview the curator/gallerist/editor about the artist(s) and the development of the presentation. Questions to address: What is the presentation about? How did they research and develop the idea? How did they find and select the artist(s)? Did financial/logistical constraints like cost, shipping, size affect their decisions? How did logistical constraints affect what is presented and the meaning conveyed by the presentation? How well do the selected works represent the artist and/or theme? How do the works convey or embody their meaning? 

We prefer that you interview your subject in person because this generally results in getting better information and a better paper, but phone or e-mail interviews are okay. The presentation of the art must open/debut after the start of our semester. This might include a public screening of animation, a fashion show, photo display, graffiti mural, an art installation in the woods, a galley exhibit of interactive web art, etc. We encourage you to discuss your choice with Greg or Caroline. We're interested in all kinds of art. If you feel that these guidelines don't accommodate the art you're interested in, please speak to us. 

Note: The subject of your paper must be an exhibition/performance/screening happening outside Montserrat and featuring art/artists not affiliated with Montserrat.

Also remember this is a research paper, so your final paper must include a bibliography listing at least two sources, which could include artists' statements, artists' websites, reviews, etc. Bibliography format: Author (last name first), “Title of Reading,” name of newspaper/magazine/blog/journal it appeared in, date of publication, page of publication, web link. Examples:

Book: Dukes Jordan, Matthew, “Weirdo Deluxe: The Wild World of Pop Surrealism & Lowbrow Art,” 2005.

Magazine/newspaper: Meland, Louis, “Top of the Pops: Did Andy Warhol change everything?” The New Yorker, Jan. 11, 2010, pages 57-65.

Web: Caruth, Nicole J., “A Look into the Future with Saya Woolfalk,” Art: 21 Blog, Aug. 18, 2009. http://blog.art21.org/2009/08/18/the-future-with-saya-woolfalk/.

Length:
Paper should be 5 to 7 pages, and turned in as a typed, printed-out copy.

Deadlines:
Discussion sections that meet during the week of Sept. 24: Submit a written list of two or three exhibitions that you might like to write about.
Week of Oct. 15: Submit a one-page typed transcript of your interview. This should be an excerpt from your interview.
Week of Oct. 29: Finished research paper due. Grades will be reduced one letter grade for each week the paper is late.

Greg Sept. 10: Failure Support Group

For discussion on Sept. 10, Greg's group will read/watch, write about and talk about:

= The above antique Nike commercial featuring Michael Jordan.
=This Mike Kelley quote from "Art21": “I knew by the time I was a teenager that I was going to be an artist, there’s no doubt about that. There was nothing else for me to be. I didn’t even want to be the other things that at the time were outside general culture. I didn’t want to be a rock musician; I wanted to be an artist. And I think the reason I chose it was that at that time it was the most despicable thing you could be in American culture. To be an artist at that time had absolutely no social value. It was like planned failure. You could never be a success. And the fact that I’m now a professional artist? At that time it seemed like a contradiction of terms. I came from a milieu in which artists were despised, whereas rock musicians and drug dealers were—you know—hipster culture heroes."
= Platform2's invite to their 2008 "Failure Support Group."
= Matthew Nash's report on BigRed&Shiny on the "Failure Support Group."
= "If at First You Don't Succeed ... Celebrate" by Lisa Le Feuvre, Tate, 2010.

Some questions to consider: Why do we fear failure? How do we define failure? How do we define success? What does it mean to fail in life? In art? Is art making like scientific experimenting, in which failures can be part of testing out an idea? Should art making focus primarily on end results? What are the benefits and drawbacks of these approaches. Is there, actually, a recipe for failure? Are certain methodologies more prone to failure than others? What is at stake in acknowledging failure in one’s process, one’s community, or one’s career? Can you think of other contemporary art addressing failure? Does this or doesn't this art somehow reflect our society today?

Also:
1. We'll be briefly discussing essay writing. So bring the writing handouts, including the research paper assignment.
2. We'll be talking briefly about art happening now around Boston, so think of things you might recommend to the group.

Greg April 23: Pirates of the Caribbean and Installation Art

For Greg's class on April 23, we'll be discussing "Pirates of the Caribbean" and installation art.

Watch the video above, read the essays below and consider the following questions in your written response: What makes great immersive installation art? What are some ways that "Pirates of the Caribbean" as well as Christoph Buchel and Edward Kienholz use symbols and stories to create mood and meaning? How do they connect to history or current events? What are the advantages or disadvantages of being immersed in the experience? What are lessons we can take from this sort of installation art and apply to painting, photography, sculpture, performance, etc. Is there a difference in quality or meaning between what Disneyland achieves and what "fine art" installations do? Did Disneyland invent installation art in America? Can you identify earlier examples? Better earlier examples? What makes them better?

= Christoph Buchel's abandoned "Training Ground for Democracy," from 2008 court decision.
= Kienholz's 'Five Car Stud' still packs a punch," L.A. Times, Sept. 3, 2011.
= "Fire in the Night: The Pre-Eminent Attraction-as-Art" from Passport to Dreams, Aug. 21, 2011.

Remember:
= Revisions to the Research Paper are due at this class.
= We will not be meeting on April 16 because it is Patriots Day.

Caroline's readings Mon April 9 and Weds April 11

Debord, Guy, Theory of the Derive, Bureau of Public Secrets. http://www.bopsecrets.org/SI/2.derive.htm
Rubio, Agustin Perez, Tracing the Universe of Julie Mehretu: A Choral Text, from Julie Mehretu: Black City, ARTBOOK, 2007
Sarfati, Lisa, On Hollywood, The New York Times, Sunday, March 25, 2012
Deitsch, Dina, What the Situationists left behind: Psychogeography, ARTS the international guide, Sept/Oct 2005

Greg April 9: Art at the end of the world

For Greg's class on April 9, we'll be discussing dystopian art. Read the essays below and consider some of the following questions in your written response: What themes connect the art featured in the readings? How do they relate to what's going on the world? Can such art change the world? Is the art effective as art? Is it effective in conveying its themes and ideas? What would make it more satisfying?

= "The Hunger Games and the teenage craze for dystopian fiction: Wizards and vampires are out. The market in teen fiction is dominated now by societies in breakdown. And it’s girls who are lapping them up" Amanda Craig, The Telegraph, March 14, 2012.
= "Life off the grid in Lucas Foglia: A Natural Order."
= “Detroit in ruins: The photographs of Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre,” by Sean O’Hagan, The Observer, Jan. 1, 2011.
= "Rachel Berwick" By Ken Johnson, New York Times, Dec. 19, 1997.
= "Nature Boy: Walton Ford's fabulously detailed, Audubon-on-Viagra watercolors have been flying off gallery walls -- even if most of his audience is baffled by the peculiar birds and beasts that populate his paintings, and the darkly funny (and disturbing) stuff they're up to. The artist, as it turns out, is just as unconventional as his work." by Mark Jacobson, New York magazine, Oct. 21, 2002.
= "Zombie Mania Mounts in Indonesia" by Marcel Thee, Jakarta Globe, March 25, 2012.

Unrequired related reading:
"Vermont’s 'inverted skyscrapers' — and their architects: A new exhibition highlights Edward Burtynsky's otherworldly photographs of granite and marble quarries in Vermont."

Photo at top of the 2011 Zombie March in Boston copyright by Greg Cook.

Caroline's readings Mon April 2 and Weds April 4

Scott, Andrea, Futurism, The New Yorker, 5/30/2011. Vol 87. p 30 - 34
Pederson, Claudia, Trauma and Agitation: Video Games in a Time of War, Afterimage, 38.2 pp. 9 - 13
Schiesel, Scott, An Exhibition in Easy Mode, The New York Times, March 15 2012.
Rutten, Tim, 'Theft' as an art form, Los Angeles Times, April 39, 2008
Schiesel, Grand Theft Auto Takes On New York, New York Times, April 28, 2008

Caroline's readings Mon March 26th and Weds March 28th

Packet of readings on Marxist Art Criticism

1. Marxist Arts Criticism - Dictionary and Encyclopedia, www.encyclopedia69.com/.../marxist-arts-criticism/marxist-arts-critici.

2. Chandler, Daniel. Marxist Media Theory.  Gramsci and Hegemony, Stuart Hall, Strengths of Marxist analysis. www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/marxism/marxism

 

 3. Haacke, Hans, Statement, from Harrison and Wood, Art in Theory 1900 - 2000, pp. 930-931

4. Lipton, Eunice, The Laundress in Late Nineteeth - Century French Culture:Imagery, Ideology and Edgar Degas,  Art History, vol.3, no.3 Sept 1980, pp 295 - 313 

 

5. Foster, Krauss et al, 1987 Activist Art, from Art Since 1900, Thames and Hudson, vol 2, pp 605 - 612

6. Burgin, Victor, What does possession mean to you? solomonthoughts.wordpress.com/...possession/what-does-possession-.

7. Cotter, Holland, Martha Rosler, Photomontages:1965-2004, NYTimes Dec 24, 2004

 

Greg April 2: Doing it in public

For Greg's class on April 2, we'll be discussing public art.

Read the essays below and consider some of the following questions in your written response: What makes good public art? How would we make public art better? Why do we make art in public (from sculpture to performance to murals to installations)? What are the purposes of public art? As memorial? To energize a site? To refocus our experience of a place? To engage with a community? Entertainment? Fountains? What is the public artist's responsibility to the community? How does it involve the public? Should public art be challenging? How/why does it become a landmark? Are we stuck with bad public art?

= "City timidity on public art" by Yvonne Abraham, Boston Globe, Sept. 12, 2010.
= "The very public debate over Fred Wilson's Indy sculpture" by Tyler Green, Modern Art Notes, Oct. 27, 2010.
= "Outdoor art finds its niche: But Franklin Park collection of found objects may have to go" by Brain MacQuarrie, Boston Globe, June 2010.
= "Nancy Holt locates the cosmos" by Greg Cook, Boston Phoenix, Feb. 14, 2012, about the exhibit Nancy Holt "Sight Lines" at Tufts University Art Gallery through April 1. Holt's "Sun Tunnels" (1973-76) is documented in the videos here.

Caroline's assignment over Spring Break due March 19 and March 21st

2012 DeCordova Biennial.

Write a 1 – 2 page typed analysis of the DeCordova Biennial. Due Mon March 19^th and Weds March 21^st.

Which are the strongest works in the show and which are the weakest? Is there an overall theme to the show? What does the show tell us about the curators?  What does the show tell us about Contemporary Art? Analyze in greater depth 3 pieces that stand out for good or bad reasons. What values are you using to judge the show. How do these sorts of shows create art history?

You must see the biennial before class.

The show has generated some critical commentary. It is your choice whether to read reviews such as Sebastian Smee's review "2012 deCordova Biennial features true good works among false steps," Boston Globe, Jan. 27, 2012, or Greg’s review in The Phoenix, or the DeCordova curator Dina Deitsch and guest curator Abigail Ross Goodman's biennial catalogue essay.

Greg March 26: Two controversies

For Greg's class on March 26, we'll be discussing two art controversies.

Students in Greg's discussion group should (1) watch David Wojnarowicz’s video “A Fire in My Belly” (above) and read the following public statements and reports about the controversy it sparked at the Smithsonian and (2) Amber Hansen's “The Story of Chickens: A Revolution.” Then for our class on Feb. 7, write a two-page paper, one page about each situation. Imagine you're one of the artists or art administrators (museum directors) involved and write about what you would do in response to the protests and why. For example, was the Smithsonian's decisions to remove Wojnarowicz's video but keep AA Bronson's photo in the "Hide/Seek" exhibit right? Back up your position by citing information in the readings.


Feb. 18, 2012: "Controversy swirls around artist’s plans for project detailing the life — and death — of chickens."
Feb. 21, 2012: Sue Coe "Please intervene...."
Feb. 27, 2012: "‘Art’ violence."
Feb. 27, 2012: "City law interpretation spares lives of chickens slated for slaughter in public display of art."


June 2, 2010: Smithsonian: The National Portrait Gallery Presents “Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture”
Nov. 30, 2010: Catholic League: Smithsonan Hosts Anti-Christian Exhibit
Nov. 30, 2010: New York Magazine: U.S. Representative John Boehner Is Now a Curator
Nov. 30, 21010: Smithsonian: Statement on “Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture”
Dec. 6, 2010: L.A. Times: Smithsonian Institution fails to stand up to anti-gay bullies

Dec. 10, 2010: Washington Post: 'Fire' man: Wojnarowicz, censored by Smithsonian, sounded an alarm in dire times
Dec. 16, 2010: Modern Art Notes: Q&A with AA Bronson on ‘Hide/Seek,’ ‘Felix’
Dec. 16, 2010: Catholic League: "The 'American Taliban' Catholic League"

Pictured: David Wojnarowicz’s “A Fire in My Belly” from ppow_gallery on Vimeo.

Risky business: Performance art and danger

“If An Artist Doesn’t Take Risks, Then It’s Not Worth It.”—photographer Robert Frank.

For Greg's class on March 19, we'll be discussing risk-taking in art—particularly in performance art—based on the following video and readings:

= Chris Burden "Shoot" video (above).
= "Chris Burden: The body artist" by Roger Ebert, April 8, 1975.
= Chris Burden: "My God, are they going to leave me here to die?" by Roger Ebert, May 25, 1975.
= "Marina Abramovic" by Sean O'Hagan, Oct. 2, 2010.

In your essay consider: Does art need to be risky to be worth it? What do we mean by risky? A major area of performance art has centered on actions that place the performer in physical danger. What are the benefits of such dangers? What are the risks? Can we mitigate such risks and still get the same charge in the art? Is it necessarily in art for actions to be actual instead of simulated? Must the performer actually be in danger? Must authentic relics be used? How important to such performances are the stories, the legends they foster? Why do we so value risk in art? Do such performances respond to their times? How, for example, might Burden's and Abramovic's performances reference war? Do Chris Burden's intentions become clear in his later works, like "All the Submarines of the United States of America" (1987) or "Metropolis II" (see video below), which recently debuted at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art?

Artists dealing with these themes are featured prominently in the exhibit (which you are not required to see) "100 Years (version #4 Boston, 2012)" at Boston University Art Gallery, 855 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, | January 19-March 25, free, 617.353.3329 or bu.edu/art. Some performers and performances featured there that you may wish to consider: Yoko Ono “Cut Piece,” 1965; Marina Abramovic, “Rest Energy” (tension between her holding bow and partner holding arrow pointed at her); Paul McCarthy, Ron Athey, Bruce Nauman “163 Untitled,” 1969; Regina Jose Galindo “Libertad Condicional,” 2009 (she was chained to stakes on gravel); Cameron Jamie “The New Life,” 1996, (wrestling Michael Jackson impersonator); Kate Gilmore “Main Squeeze,” 2006 (squeezing through tight fight constructions that she builds); Andrea Fraser untitled 2003 self-prostitution piece; Sigalit Zandau, “Barbed Hula” dance, 2000; Techching Hsieh’s one-year performances 1980s; Vito Acconci “Following Piece,” 1969.



Remember: The week of March 12 to 16 is spring break, so we will not be meeting for discussion on March 12. Our next class is March 19.

Caroline's readings Mon March 5 and Weds March 7

IMPORTANT ----- RESEARCH PAPER DUE WEEK OF MARCH 5th -----

Wilson, Stephen, Cultural Importance of Scientific Research and Technology Development, http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~swilson/artist.reaesrcher.html
Asmuth, Thomas, A Conversation with Michael Joaquin Grey, Switch 23
Kac, Eduardo, Transgenic Art, Ars Electronica. 1999
Eskin, Blake, Building the Bioluminescent Bunny, ARTnews, Dec 2001,  volume 100/no 11, pp 118 - 119

Caroline's readings Mon Feb 27 and Weds Feb 29

Bishop, Claire, Antagonism and Relational Aesthetics, October 110, Fall 2004, pp 65 - 80

Greg March 5: Random Access

Research paper update: Paper is due March 5.

In Greg's class on March 5, we'll discuss the exhibit "Random Access: Data as Art" in the Montserrat gallery.
So see the exhibit and read:
= The catalogue essays.
= "Random stuff: Versteeg’s ‘In advance of Another Thing’ at RISD" by Greg Cook, Providence Phoenix, April 28, 2010.
= "Science to Art, and Vice Versa" by Amy Wallace, New York Times, July 9, 2011.

In your response consider:
Does the transformation of data into art "reveal its meaning or true nature"? How? When is it effective? When isn't it? Is the picture worth more than the data's 1,000 words? Is it satisfying aesthetically? Is it satisfying conceptually? Does the finished art convey the information that serves as its source? Does it need to? Does it feel random? Is randomness good? Does it help make sense of the data? How does this compare to other conceptual art? Does the art speak for itself? Does it require explanation (via wall texts)? How does it relate to other conceptual projects that turn archives into art (as described in the Holland Cotter essay below)?

For extra (nonrequired) fun, consider:
= Catalogue to "Data Mining: Artists' Constructs" at Columbia College, Chicago, 2010.
= "Well, It Looks Like Truth" review of "Archive Fever: Uses of the Document in Contemporary Art” at the International Center of Photography, by Holland Cotter, New York Times, 2008.

Greg Feb. 27: DeCordova Biennial

In Greg's class on Feb. 27, we'll discuss the 2012 DeCordova Biennial.

Which artists are we glad to see in the show? Who do we wish wasn’t in it? Who’s missing but should be in the show? What is the point of Biennials? Who decides who gets in? How do these sorts of shows create art history? Why pay attention to where art is made? (Pictured above: biennial artist Steve Lambert's "Capitalism Works For Me! True/False," 2011.)

You must see the biennial before class and read and respond to:
= Sebastian Smee's review "2012 deCordova Biennial features true good works among false steps," Boston Globe, Jan. 27, 2012.
= DeCordova curator Dina Deitsch and guest curator Abigail Ross Goodman's biennial catalogue essay.

Remember we will not be meeting for discussion on Feb. 20 because it is the Presidents' Day holiday. But you'll be working in your studios on Feb. 22. Our next discussion meeting is Feb. 27.

Also: Research paper is due March 5.

Caroline's readings for Mon Feb 13th and Weds Feb 15th

Bishop, Claire, Antagonism and Relational Aesthetics, October 110, Fall 2004, pp 51 - 65

Greg Feb. 13: Is abstraction at a deadend?

For Greg's class on Feb. 13:

Drawn on this week's video and readings to consider these questions: Is abstraction at a deadend? Is abstract art repeating the greatest hits of the past century with diminishing returns? How do we make fresh, vital abstraction today?

Watch video above about "Phenomenal" at Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego by KPBS San Diego.

Read:
= "A 'Phenomenal' survey at MCASD" by Tyler Green, Jan. 11, 2012.

= "Spencer Finch: What Time Is It on the Sun?" by Mass MoCA, 2008. Note: Finch has a show at the RISD Museum if you'd like to see his art in person. [pictured at bottom: Finch's "Sunlight in an Empty Room (Passing Cloud for Emily Dickinson, Amherst, August 28 2004)," 2004.]

= Excerpt from Lyle Rexer's 2009 book "The Edge of Vision: The Rise of Abstraction in Photography." Note: Rexer identifies two main types of contemporary abstract photography: (1) "accentuates the camera's own data-gathering capabilities to frame unfamiliar views of recognizable or at least stable subjects" (think: Aaron Siskind, Andres Serrano) and (2) "artifacts of photographic processes or events, which have no denotative content" (see: Chris McCaw, and Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin).

Research paper update: Remember paper is due March 5 (and we have no class on Feb. 20). For class of Feb. 13, write one or two sentences identifying the artist you've chosen and why you find the art you'll be focusing on problematic.

Also remember this is a research paper, so your final paper must include a bibliography listing at least three sources. Bibliography format: Author (last name first), “Title of Reading,” name of newspaper/magazine/blog/journal it appeared in, date of publication, page of publication, web link. Examples:

Book: Dukes Jordan, Matthew, “Weirdo Deluxe: The Wild World of Pop Surrealism & Lowbrow Art,” 2005.

Magazine/newspaper: Meland, Louis, “Top of the Pops: Did Andy Warhol change everything?” The New Yorker, Jan. 11, 2010, pages 57-65.

Web: Caruth, Nicole J., “A Look into the Future with Saya Woolfalk,” Art: 21 Blog, Aug. 18, 2009. http://blog.art21.org/2009/08/18/the-future-with-saya-woolfalk/.

Greg Feb. 6: Making art in the Facebook era?

For Greg's class on Feb. 6:

1. Read the "Alec Soth speaks" essay. (One of his photos is above.) Write an essay based on your reading and responding to Soth's statement: “Facebook: 15 billion uploaded photos. At its busiest, 550,000 images each second being uploaded. So I’ve been struggling with that. How do I function as a photographer in that environment?” How do we make art in an era in which technology has made it much easier for everyone to make good art and technologies have made all this work so visible? As Soth asks, "How do we deal with the fact that [photography is] such an easy medium? And vernacular photography is often as good as the photography we try to do."

2. Read the annotated Roger Ebert essay on "Pulp Fiction," and be prepared to discuss it. (You do not have to write about the Ebert essay.)

3. Fill out and return the contact form.

Caroline's readings for Mon Feb 6th and Weds Feb 8th

Week 1

James Elkins, Why Art Can Not Be Taught,  Chapt 1, “Histories” Univ. of Illinois Press. 2001

Joseph Beuys, Not Just a Few Are Called, But Everyone, from Art in Theory 1900 – 2000. Eds Charles Harrison and Paul Wood

Jaymee Martin, What’s Wrong with Art Schools, letters , Art in America, Sept 2007

Questions to consider: What is the underlying ideology of a Montserrat art education?

What should comprise an art school education in the 21st century?