More on museums
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
An update on the deaccessioning laws here.And don't get me wrong--while my earlier blog post questioned the ethics of letting a museum financially fail and close (only to give away and sell off their collection), I certainly do see the issues concerning the public trust. If this does become policy, I hope it will be an extremely regulated one.
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Tuesday tidbits...
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
Art or Fart? Yep, you read that correctly. I have a hard time explaining what it is without using the "f" word again, so here's a clear quote from The Huffington Post that sums it up pretty well:"[it] encourages viewers to notice "art" in daily life. Images captioned with the names of art world giants like Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst, and Takashi Murakami show objects that could be their work, or might just be everyday detritus."
It must be cool if they're selling the compilation book at The Smile. This blog will certainly be on my "daily read" list.
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Preview Berlin 2010
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
If you happen to be in Berlin, check us out at the Preview Berlin fair.
Booth #19
Directions, ticket prices, and event information can be found here.
Speaking of Berlin, Gridskipper has a nice "Guide to the Architecture of Berlin" online here. Nice list of places to check out (with a handy-dandy map), if you're in town!
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Museums On My Mind
Monday, October 04, 2010
I've had museums on my mind all morning...ever since I saw this posted on the Art Law Blog. Zaretsky's posting title makes his feelings on the situation VERY clear. But I found myself weighing the options: Yes, it would be terrible for a collection to lose part of itself purely for financial gain; and wouldn't it be equally terrible for an entire institution to shut down (and the collection disposed of) because that financial need couldn't be met? I've noticed that in most of the press regarding the deaccessioning of art works (ahhh, horror, horror), the discussion is generally rooted in the AAM Code of Ethics (which you can download here). This is the policy with that famous line, "Proceeds from the sale of nonliving collections are to be used consistent with the established standards of the museum's discipline, but in no event shall they be used for anything other than acquisition or direct care of collections." But the very same bullet point begins with the sentence, "disposal of collections through sale, trade, or research activities is solely for the advancement of the museum's mission." Is continuing to EXIST not an advancement of the museum's mission??
Let's take a closer look at a museum's mission statement. The Met's mission statement:
"The mission of The Metropolitan Museum of Art is to collect, preserve, study, exhibit, and stimulate appreciation for and advance knowledge of works of art that collectively represent the broadest spectrum of human achievement at the highest level of quality, all in the service of the public and in accordance with the highest professional standards."
If the museum's mission statement asserts the goal to "collect, preserve, study, exhibit", then it essentially asserts that it intends to EXIST as a museum. I suppose that there is great deal of interpretation that could be inserted here--there is no mention of a brick-and-mortar building that houses the collection, for example. This could potentially be talking about a virtual, online collection as well, I suppose.
Let's take a look at The Rose Art Museum's mission statement:
"Founded in 1961, The Rose Art Museum of Brandeis University is an educational and cultural institution dedicated to collecting, preserving and exhibiting the finest of modern and contemporary art. The programs of the Rose adhere to the overall mission of the University, embracing its values of academic excellence, social justice, and freedom of expression.
An active participant in the academic, cultural, and social life of Brandeis, the Rose seeks to stimulate public awareness and disseminate knowledge of modern and contemporary art to enrich educational, cultural, and artistic communities regionally, nationally, and internationally. The Rose affirms the principle that knowledge of the past informs an understanding of the present and provides the critical foundation for shaping the future. It promotes learning and understanding of the evolving meanings, ideas, and forms of visual art relevant to contemporary society."
Looks like there's a similar problem here. The mission of the museum defines itself as being an "active participant", a "promot[er] of learning" and a "stimula[tor] of public awareness". It does not define itself as a building to house the collection, nor does it state the intent to keep the collection intact.
Perhaps, then, it is the mission statements of museums that need to change instead of the AAM code of ethics. New York State tried to pass a bill, but has been unsuccessful . No one is sure where that leaves us now.
What exactly happens when a museum closes? Here is one great example of museum collection (and disposal) policy. If this is in any way standard, then the various museums on the brink will be splitting up their collections to distribute among other institutions, and eventually selling what's leftover. So here we are again, back at that issue of selling works from the collection. Pretty vicious cycle.
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Skywriting over Pittsburgh!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Kim Beck's project, The Sky Is The Limit, will be on view FRI Oct 1 @ 5:30PM SAT Oct 2 @ 3PM & 5:30PM in the form of skywriting over Pittsburgh. So if you're in that 'hood, be sure to look up up up!
You can follow updates on the project at Kim's twitter feed here.
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last days of summer
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
I know it's technically fall, but since I'm still sweating to death on the subway platforms I figured I'd dedicate this blog post to the last days of summer. Here is some summer (or heat) related news for you:
Miami is always hot. Here's some hot news about Seven, the newest amalgamation of an off-site "fair" happening this December.
Summer color palette? You betcha. Congrats to Ghislaine!
Would you like to give $ to a wonderful art-related cause (and have one last occasion to wear that mini dress) ?...check out the schedule of upcoming Benefits.
Here's some interesting reading on the City of Angels (and sun), and the future of the oh-so-popular Downtown Art Walk.
Australia is pretty hot. And heading into their summer. So I'm posting this as a bonus track of sorts. Enjoy (or, perhaps cringe).
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Tuesday links!
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Quick, put down your POM juice and saturate yourself with this news (it might actually be healthier for you!):The Aldrich Museum's director leaves abruptly.
High Line construction progress--great images! The workmen have been spending an awful lot of time around the 26th street overpass these days, so it looks like they're making some fast progress north-ward.
Williams Poundstone's entertaining blog post re: Lynda Resnick (hence the POM mention earlier)
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New (Lost) Art Map
Monday, September 27, 2010
Thank You 16 Miles of String (yup, another art blog has been officially incorporated into ArtInfo, a'la Tyler Green's Modern Art Notes) for posting an updated version of the Lost Art of New York Map!
This map could really make for a fun trivia game...
Who would have guessed that Basquiat's old residence would become this?
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Shark News (River shark??!)
Monday, September 27, 2010
1,000 lb Bull Shark found swimming in a river. whoa.
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Public Art--what you can see for free
Monday, September 27, 2010
There's quite a bit of public art around town, and some that's especially worth checking out this week (if the rain ever lets up, mind you). The Department of Parks & Recreation has a great list here. I'd say the highlights on the list are definitely Miranda July's Eleven Heavy Things (on display through October 3, Union Square Park), and Barbara Kruger's Whitney On Site: New Downtown Commissions (through October 17, Gansevoort entrance to the High Line @ Washington Street)
Image above: Miranda July's Eleven Heavy Things, image courtesy of http://www.nycgovparks.org/art.
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Friday is Fun Day
Friday, September 24, 2010
Today is the first day of fall, and that means that Fridays are officially FUN DAYS again. Below you'll find some good reading links that will get you thinking about the art market. Above you'll find a wonky photo of Courtney in Florence that will leave you questioning her bike riding skills.Pay for your art promptly. (someone had to say it)
The future of NADA (and perhaps the future direction for most of the biggie satellite fairs?)
Ooh we love a Positive Outlook.
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What to do with your 2 minutes of free time!
Thursday, September 23, 2010
The next time you have a couple free minutes (like right now!), instead of checking what your friends are doing on Facebook, or what Ashton Kutcher is eating for lunch on Twitter, head over to MixedGreens.com and check out some of our awesome new artists videos. These videos introduce you to the artists behind the artwork, and give a whole new perspective you wouldn't have without the artist's interpretation. I think it's fascinating to compare the way I view the work to the way the artist describes it. You can view these videos in each artist's "ABOUT" section on MixedGreens.com. (Click on Art+Artists, choose the artist you want, then click ABOUT)
Here are a few of my favorites:
Julianne Swartz and Mary Temple.....who both have upcoming shows at Mixed Greens in October.
Rudy Shepherd.....see the face behind the faces!
Leah Tinari.....I love some of the expressions and the fleeting moments in time she captures in her paintings (and she's beautiful too!)
Sonya Blesofsky......I can hardly believe her urban architectural installations are made of paper, tape, glue, etc.!
We're constantly updating and adding more, so if you don't find your favorite artist's video yet, keep checking back!
Happy Thursday!
-Anna
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Thursday LINKS!
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Here's some Thursday reading for you all:When in Istanbul, don't drink at an opening. (this reminds me of the time I almost got a ticket for having a plastic cup of wine on 27th street)
The Guggenheim is looking a lot like Bravo's "Work of Art" these days.
Gotta love a website called Creative Thursday, being that it's Thursday and all.
"Wall Street 2"--Lindsay Pollock checks out the art!
Speaking of famous artworks in the movies and on TV, here's an older post (from this past July) about the art and design featured in Mad Men. AWESOME.
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More weekend events (if you're in Philly)
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
SHOUT OUT to Amy Lipton of EcoArtSpace. She has a great blog entry about the Manayunk Eco Art Fest that opens this weekend.This restoration and redevelopment of the Manayunk Canal will include public art projects by artists Roy Staab, Chrysanne Stathacos, Habitat for Artists, Chere Krakovsky, and RAIR (a new non-profit, including a sculpture by Billy Blaise Dufala!)
CHECK IT OUT!
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DUMBO open studios!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Be sure to check out the open artists' studios during the DUMBO open studios this weekend (Sept 24-26), frmo 12-6pm. Our very own AA Rucci is participating!Rucci's studio is at 139 Plymouth, #402A. And click on the DUMBO link above to see the full list of participating artists and their studio addresses.
Click here to download a map to print and take with you as your explore DUMBO!
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COURTNEY STRIMPLE / 11:28AM / 09-24-10