Help Me = Help You

OUR GOODS has finally launched.
OurGoods is a website that connects creative people who barter skills, spaces, and objects.

Artists! This is worth checking out!

So far: I see 295 members signed up, postings offering oil pastels, and postings requesting advice and books. I can only see this growing exponentially as artists sign on and take advantage of this amazing tool. Someone out there might actually need your old sheet protectors or slide cases! Were you looking for a discontinued color of artist tape? Need someone to do a studio visit? This sounds like all kinds of awesome.

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Friday is Fun Day

This FUN DAY photo was sent it to us by world-traveler, Rob Carter. Rob did want to make clear that he was not participating in the above "event", but was merely an observer. I felt it fitting to post today since most of the outfits above look a lot like the costumes that Ricky's is selling for Halloween.

Fun Day reading list:

Maybe not such a good idea to have a wedding ceremony in a language that you don't understand. Same rule applies for tattoos.

Wynnnnnnnnn.

Exorcism kit at auction?

Another SHOUT OUT to Coke O'Neal for his exciting news about the 25 for 25 AOL Grant!



TAGS: fridayfunday / mixedgreensartists / robcarter

AOL announces winners of 25 for 25!

And our very own Coke Wisdom O'Neal is a winner! You can read the complete list of recipients of the 25 for 25 Grant here, and peruse their artwork here. Congrats Coke!

image above: O'Neal, Craig and Anne, 2010

TAGS: award / mixedgreensartists

Books and Fairs

It is apparently that time of year: the time of year for art books, artists' books, and fairs. Or a combination of all three. Be sure you mark your calendar next week to visit these two super exciting book-fairs:

NY Art Book Fair (@ P.S.1) info here

Editions / Artists' Book Fair (@ 548 W. 22nd st) info here

AND, be sure to check out and buy our newest publication (shown above), Mary Temple's catalog Currency.


TAGS: artfair / publications

Where in the world is Rob Carter?

We've located Rob in Spain's 3rd largest city--the origin of paella. yum. Stay tuned for Rob's interesting footage...to be posted on Friday.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR THESE UPCOMING EVENTS:

The Landromat Project's annual Soapbox Benefit Auction! Buy tickets here.

Leah Tinari's "Perfect Strangers" and a window installation by Alexander Reyna, "LoveHateNow" opening reception at Mixed Greens on Saturday, November 20th, 6-8pm.

Reminder: "Be Thankful" the Benefit Art Auction for artist Scott Andresen, November 3rd, 7-10pm at Collette Blanchard Gallery. Buy tickets here.



TAGS: benefits / robcarter

Monday NEWS and LINKS

The three year lawsuit between Joe Simon and the Andy Warhol Foundation and its Authentication Board is over. I find this story very upsetting for two reasons: 1. Mr. Simon certainly presented an awful lot of material that supported the validity of his claim, and 2. I think there should be more attention given to the fact that Authentication Boards often operate with what might be considered a great conflict of interest: it's not uncommon for these board members to in fact be collectors of that same artist's art work, and as an "authenticator" they also control the artist's market (and therefore value). Hmm...

Eau de Cat Pee?? Kiki Smith's new perfume.

Laura Hoptman is back at MoMA.

SHOUT OUT to CulturePop for this flattering feature.

TAGS: performance

Friday is Fun Day

(above: screenshot taken from http://www3.timeoutny.com/newyork/tonyblog/2010/10/free-things-to-do-today-486/)

I SAW IT! The Shark Attack Dance Ride. A bevy of shark-finned bike riders crossed my path in front of the New Museum last night. There were my two loves: art and sharks, in one place at one time, and I was without my camera!!!!!!!!! ahhhhhhh!!!!!!! Hopefully this event will be recurring.

More reading for your friday:

Interesting exhibition essay about art and money. Looks like I missed seeing the exhibition, Moving Money, but there are some installation shots from the 2009 show here.

Speaking of art that might involve (il)legal issues (criminal trespass, for instance) the TED prize was awarded to the very exciting photo-pasting 'graffiti' of artist J R.

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SHOW SOME LOVE

and vote for The Pit!

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SHOUT OUT

It's turning out to be a SHOUT OUT kind of day. Here's another SHOUT OUT to DROOEL, a blog dedicated to presenting "contemporary painting from around the web". Drooel has shown a lot of love to a few Mixed Greens artists, and we're happy to give love back. Check it out.

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SHOUT OUT & other News

to Jerry Saltz. For using the phrase "shout out" in his recent "Ask An Art Critic"

In other news:

I was so disappointed to read this. No romping through the porcelain sunflower seeds?? Travesty.

The Marion True trial is finally dismissed. That was a long 5 years.

Walker Art's always-interesting blog has this great entry on the preparations for the upcoming Yves Klein retrospective. We love anything behind-the-scenes.

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What Artists Should Know About Facebook

...and other media-sharing sites:

“Terms and Conditions” is the fine print you should worry about. We’re now in the habit of scouring our credit card statements for increases in interest rates...add this to your list of things to pay attention to. Here’s why: most online portfolio sites or social networks that allow users to upload personal content (where “content” is defined as not being information), this becomes STUFF that you share ownership of. You are putting it out there for the world, and you are essentially giving the world the right to it. Also check out the Facebook Principles here. Note #2--it reminds users that Facebook has no control over limiting how your "Friends" or other Facebook users might use the content you upload. Ever wondered why recent news stories have pulled images of victims or perpetrators from their Facebook pages? (see below)


(above image: Screenshot courtesy of FoxNews.com taken from http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,518459,00.html on 10/18/10 5:27pm)

This content is now in the public domain, and depending on your Privacy settings, your “Friends” (or possibly even “Everyone”) has the ability to pull content from your page. Most disturbing is the fact that Facebook, and similar sites, have the right to license, distribute, and even sell your content for commercial or non-commercial purposes. Although Facebook has publicly stated that they will not sell content, I still find their terms unsettling, and here's why:

From Facebook's Terms and Conditions:
Sharing Your Content and Information

You own all of the content and information you post on Facebook, and you can control how it is shared through your privacy and application settings . In addition:
For content that is covered by intellectual property rights, like photos and videos ("IP content"), you specifically give us the following permission, subject to your privacy and application settings : you grant us a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide license to use any IP content that you post on or in connection with Facebook ("IP License"). This IP License ends when you delete your IP content or your account unless your content has been shared with others, and they have not deleted it.

This problem doesn't end with Facebook. I found similar terms and conditions on Re-Title.com, a popular art-world site that hosts artists' portfolios and exhibition images. Here is an excerpt from their terms and conditions:

Re-Title.com:
4. USER AND REGISTERED USER MATERIAL AND CONDUCT
4.1 Other than personally identifiable information, which is covered under the Privacy Policy, any material you transmit or post to this Website will be considered non-confidential and non-proprietary and the Company will have no obligations with respect to such material. The Company does not claim ownership of any material or information posted or transmitted by registered users to this Website. To enable the Company to use such material, you grant us a non-exclusive, world-wide, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free licence to exercise the copyright, publicity and database rights that you have in such information including all data, images, sounds, text and other things embodied therein for any and all commercial or non-commercial purposes. Such exercise may include, but is not limited to, copying, distributing and publicising such material as the Company sees fit in the normal course of its business.



What exactly does this mean for artists? Why use a portfolio site if you’re extending the license of your images for free?? Be aware of exactly what you’re signing off on when you upload your artwork to any websites. Here are some strict terms and conditions (for usage) from the MET's website, that you might consider using. It’s certainly a much better idea to have your own domain, your own website, where you have total control over content and permissions.

More reading on the subject can be found here.

There are even Facebook groups dedicated to getting the Terms and Conditions amended to better protect original artwork.


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Monday NEWS and LINKS

If you happen to be in Whittier, CA, check out the opening of Stas Orlovski's Nocturnes tonight at Rio Hondo College. There will be a reception and an artist talk tonight at 7pm. The show will be on view through November 18.

Tough times for the Chelsea Art Museum.

Socialites as curators. Interesting topic: what does it mean these days to be a curator? Has that job title shifted in meaning? The article describes Restoin-Roitfeld as "part dealer, part gallery-owner and part party-host", and yet none of those three titles accurately describes the job of a curator.

Kanye West: yet another attempt at being controversial.

The Artist Pension Trust (this article is from May 2010, but it's worth a read if you're not up to date on exactly what the Pension Trust is)--thought I'd mention it today since someone asked me about APT this morning. Interesting to note: "Around 110 individual investors support the fund. Shareholders in APT's parent company MutualArt, they each gave an eight-year commitment to fund APT's operations..." and the fund is now in it's seventh year. What happens after this eight year commitment is up?

Stolen Holocaust Art Database!

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The Tino Seghal problem

I just watched Heather do a funny "what if" improv of this exact scenario--furiously scribbling down instructions the moment Tino and his lawyer leave the room. Wouldn't you?

I previously wrote about the mind-boggling issue of purchasing performance art. Thoughts from collectors??





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Friday is Fun Day

A little hipster fun to flavor your friday. “So ironic it’s not, so un-ironic, it is.”

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Breakfast with Dorothy Vogel

HERB & DOROTHY Trailer from Herb & Dorothy on Vimeo.

I had the wonderful pleasure of attending an ArtTable breakfast this morning with guest speakers Dorothy Vogel and Montclair Art Museum's Chief Curator Gail Stavitsky. I had seen the film Herb and Dorothy when it was first released, but hearing Dorothy speak in person about her history of collecting art was even more moving. The trailer for the film is above--take a look! I highly recommend it!

If you have a chance to visit the Montclair Art Museum, they are showing a selection of the Vogel Collection from the 50x50 program, and are showing the film as part of the exhibition Living For Art: The Herbert and Dorothy Vogel Collection.

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Alternative Curatorial Strategies Today !!!

NOT TO BE MISSED:


what: ARTTABLE | Alternative Curatorial Strategies Today Panel Discussion |

where: EXIT ART, 475 10th Ave, NYC, NY 10018 |

when: Friday | Oct 22 | 6pm

FEE: $5.00 suggested donation at the door, RSVP here

How is the term “alternative” defined today and what is being added to the conversation? Who is the audience and how and where is it created? What kinds of structures are needed to support alternative curatorial strategies going forward?

PANEL
Erin Donnelly, LMCC (moderator)
Regine Basha, Independent Curator, co-founder of Fluent~Collaborative
Savannah Gorton, co-founder of Forever & Today
Michael Connor, founder of Marian Spore
Virginija Januškeviciute, CEC Artslink Fellow from Lithuania hosted by iCi
Radhika Subramaniam, Director/Chief Curator, Sheila C. Johnson Design Center
Allison Weisberg, founder of Recess Activities

Organized by ArtTable, hosted by Exit Art as part of their exhibition program, Alternative Histories, September 24 - November 24, 2010.

www.arttable.org


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Ouch

We received this shipment today. Ouch! Word of warning to artists out there: when packing flat works on paper, always err on the side of caution and overdo it with padding. Better to be safe than sorry.

This kind of packing misfortune makes us all miss our very own Rob Carter (who is currently on residency). Rob is the ultimate preparator and often warns us all about such mistakes. A lovely blast from the recent past of Rob below:



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Install!!!

We're winding down our last day of installing our two solo exhibitions opening tomorrow. Here's a shot of what's currently happening in the back gallery--Lawrence, Mary and Steven (fresh off the plane from Berlin) are working on lighting and touch-ups. We hope to see you all tomorrow night to celebrate the opening of Among Friends and Enemies and the "Close" Portfolio @ Mixed Greens.

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On the Radar

At The Pit we love supporting great artists and photographers, and with that I'm so excited to spread the word about this project that features photographs by Etienne Frossard.

Emma's Journey, a fabulous children's book, chronicles a Central Park sparrow's dream and eventual journey to visit her relatives in Paris. The book uses an unexpected combination of photographs (by Etienne Frossard) superimposed by illustrations (by Claire Frossard) to create "an inventive and poetic portrait of New York City, the images cover Central Park, Midtown, the Flatiron Building, and the Lower East Side."

*if your little kiddies want a signed copy, the schedule for the book signings is:
Oct 24 at the Powerhouse Arena, in Brooklyn, NY
Nov 06 at Greenlight in Greenpoint
Nov 07 at Bookcourt on Court Street



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Midweek News

Last night was quite a success--the Nurture Art Benefit looked packed the whole night. Congrats to the crew of volunteers on a job well done!

Mark your calendars for the opening of Julianne Swartz's "Close" Portfolio and Mary Temple's Among Friends and Enemies at Mixed Greens tomorrow night, 6-8pm.

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Reply All

Last week I was painfully reminded of just how much abuse the Reply All button forces on numerous recipients. It was a wholly unprofessional (and frankly, SHOCKING) string of emails about a canceled exhibition. The curator, in his email, explained his reasons for canceling the show (he cited building issues that might pose a threat to the artwork), and unfortunately the venue's management felt that this was not at all the case, and that the curator was also essentially trying to sabotage the whole thing (although this was never fully explained). The emails back and forth quickly escalated into a barrage of name-calling...with every sender using Reply All. At first I was intrigued, then entertained, and then finally found the whole thing to be an inbox-clogging nuisance. I will say that the venue's administrator did end up sounding a bit cuckoo for cocoa-puffs when he stooped to using racial slurs. Speaking of crazy, I found this quote on his website:

" Surreal nightmare...DNA seems to have gone berserk"

Gone berserk? It seems so.

Readers, please take caution when replying--there's no need to fight in front of others.

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Open House Weekend!

Looking for something to do this weekend? This weekend is OPEN HOUSE NEW YORK and there are lots of art-related activities!

Some news coverage of the event can be found here (Tom Otterness' studio is open to the public)

Since today is almost over, here's a link to the Sunday Open House site listings.

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VERY IMPORTANT: to "Be Thankful"

There will be an upcoming art auction benefiting Scott Andresen, an artist who was recently involved in a terrible accident. I urge you all to read Scott's Recovery Blog as he chronicles his incredible story.

Information for the Benefit, as well as ticket purchasing info (as well as a way to simply DONATE! to help Scott) can be found here.

Be Thankful - A Benefit for Scott Andresen
Wednesday, Nov 3 7:00p
at Collette Blanchard Gallery, New York, NY

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Friday is FUN DAY

This is bit of a summer flashback AND procrastination entry (ooh, fridays)...here's a nice photo from an MG adventure--we found that tax line to be pretty funny:



And in Friday Fun Day reading, I got very excited when I stumbled upon Gallery Girl's "Off the Record" posting. Trouble is, I don't find it nearly as funny or well-worth my 5 minutes of procrastination as the Gossip Girl Recap over at NYMag. I don't even watch Gossip Girl and still I find that little ditty of a weekly recap totally compelling.

In other procrastination news: Koons. Nudity. Cicciolina. showing now.

TGIF.

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...and in shark news

It's taken me a few days to come to terms with this story. It's also taken me a full day to recover from seeing the gruesome photos (please please don't go searching for them...i think it's sad.) The link to the story I've posted does not include those photos, so no need to cover your eyes.

I can't believe I have to wait another 10 MONTHS for Shark Week. ugh.

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Berlin Booth!

Steven just finished installing. He hasn't finished the lighting yet, but I thought I'd post a sneak preview of our booth at Preview Berlin!

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Wednesday links!

above image credit: E. Frossard, detail of Mark Mulroney's "Really Creative Pictures" sketch book installation

If you haven't already, make sure you schedule a visit to Mixed Greens before this Saturday, October 9th 6pm. Mark Mulroney's Really Creative Pictures only has a few days left! You can read about the show and flip through some installation shots here.

In Other News:

Lindsey Pollock just got back from Marfa.

Ed Winkleman was in a bad mood yesterday.

Oh lordy, collectors opening their own galleries to sell off their collections??

And The Art Law Blog clears up the confusion over deaccessioning rules.


Mark Your Calendars:

Nurture Art Benefit is next Tuesday, Oct 12th (buy your tickets & view the art here!!!)

Julianne Swartz's "Close" Portfolio and Mary Temple's "Among Friends and Enemies" will open on Thursday, October 14th, 6-8pm at Mixed Greens.

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More on museums

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...

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

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

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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