NY Times Brief Year in Review

Here is some best and worst of art by MICHAEL KIMMELMAN of the ny times.

In case you missed...

Finally the organizer of the "big"art night" at the Motor City Brewing Company had his turn. Graem Whyte certainly has had his mind on Chewbacca lately. Every small sculpture was a cast of a molded Chewbacca head on top of another miss-matched form such as a bird's body, a popsicle, a hammer and so on. The pieces, finely crafted, poked fun at the "chewy face" yet cleverly used a variety of materials to mold his collection. It feels like some strange world where Chewy is god and everywhere you turn...his face appears!

A new parking paradise

A new art installation/environmental team, Rebar has farmed a new kind of PARK(ing) space. Check out their site...."Our goal was to transform a parking spot into a PARK(ing) space, thereby temporarily expanding the public realm and improving the quality of urban human habitat, at least until the meter ran out."

Motor City Art Night: some words from a friend

This is something someone sent to me about the Motor City art night:

Motor City Brewing Works is the single best local art venue in Detroit right now. Who has recently helped more artists place more work than that little bar in the Traffic Jam’s parking lot? Measured in terms of number of pieces moved (not art sales dollars), Motor City must have had the best 2005 of any local art gallery of merit. I personally bought more work at Motor City than anywhere else this year. The prices are great and the money goes directly to the artists. Plus, you get to buy work in a salon atmosphere of artists and musicians gathered to see and discuss their peers’ latest work. The cash-and-carry aspect adds further satisfaction for buyers accustomed to instant gratification.

It’s the best not-so-secret-secret in the city.

They show everyone from big names (Scott Hocking, Mitch Cope, Matthew Blake) to the relatively unknown. Sometimes the work is bad and the night under attended, but frequently the place is packed and the work notable. Having a near-sold out Motor City show is a new benchmark for local artists.

Traditional galleries are headed the direction of appliance stores. Remember Fretter? ABC Warehouse is holding on, but not for long. Sears now, instead of just tools, sells everything from ladies underwear to baby strollers. For the most part, a store that sells a narrow category of goods won’t make it anymore. Lament all you want, art will go the same way. It will have to share floor space with clothes, shoes,furniture … even beer. The art won’t suffer any more than stoves do from being sold in the same place as CDs. We may be shocked and think it less “precious” in that environment, but it won’t be. It will just be presented differently — and we will adapt.
The galleries here are doing something wrong — Motor City and other alternative venues are doing everything right.

merry merriment

happy holidays!!

from detroitarts

Saltz on Saltz action

Looks like Mr. Saltz and I might finally agree on some things! Check out his article in the village voice. Here a few points:

"...Too many critics enthuse over everything they see or merely write descriptively. This sells everyone short and is creating a real disconnect. People report not liking 80 percent of the shows they see, yet 80 percent of reviews are positive or just descriptive...

...If criticism is in trouble, as many say, it's because too many critics write in a dreary hip metaphysical jargon that no one understands except other dreary hip metaphysicians who speak this dead language...


...The most interesting critics make their opinions known. Yet in most reviews there's no way to know what the writer thinks, or you have to scour the second-to-last paragraph for one negative adjective to detect a hint of disinclination..."

Matt Blake at Motor City

Well, another wonderful night at Motor City with Matt Blake. I will tell you again...this is the place to be if you are an artist (any kind) in Detroit. Where else can you go to have a drink, look at art, chat with artists/writers/musicians...and possibly make some connections? And what else do I love? The bargain prices! I am always a sucker for a deal and it is even better when it comes to art collecting.

Blake is known for his modern take on the classical frieze (remember the show he was in at Susanne Hilberry) but he went outside the box in this exhibit. I personally wasn't as keen on the saw blade country landscapes. I felt the idea wasn't fully there, maybe because the painting seemed a little underdeveloped. I think that his sculpture was right on! Blake has an eye for the the 3rd dimension which he demonstrated with his mini environments. I ended up taking home a beauty too!

Please note:

DETROIT ARTS FORUM link is now to the left, the first link in the bunch.

United Artists building is taking off it's make-up

Removal of window art will go all way to top! Check out what the freep has to say...what a shame, what a shame!

DETROIT ARTS FORUM

It has arrived...and it is a beautiful baby...arts forum! I am still working out some kinks - skin colors and such but it is up and running!

www.detroitartsblog.proboards76.com

Here are a few points about the forum:

- I will still be posting regularly on detroitartsblog.com so keep checking the posts there. The forum is just a place where the discussion can go on without being buried in new posts.

- To use the forum no registration is required. It is pretty simple: just start a new thread or comment on a posted thread.

- The categories are as posted in the forum and cover everything from the arts blog material to even non-art related detroit stuff. It will be a great way for real connections to happen.

- I will have a link to the board (left side of blog) for easy access.

- Most importantly: have fun and play safe!

IS A FORUM COMING...??

Yes it is true! Very, very soon there will be a link to the "DETROIT ARTS FORUM"! This way everyone can keep posting comments and they won't get buried away as more posts are added.
The categories will be:
-detroit art community
-detroitartsblog
-national/international art news
-shows/openings/events
-non-art - local news and misc.

I am very excited to finally have a place for Detroit artists/enthusiasts to communicate! Now, no one will be left in the dark!

The Robert Rauschenberg Reunion Tour

Here is a lovely story about Rauschenberg. Man, that guy is 80 years old, paralyzed on his right side and still makes it to his studio to work from 3-8pm!

Nelson Smith at District

Nelson Smith kicks off the last show of the year at District Arts (up until Dec 31st). Smith's canvases are more than just paint on panels...they are cut outs with circuit boards, moving balls, nuts and bolts, and many other miscellaneous parts that work within the flat surface. Small square paintings along the hall labeled as self portraits have no figure reference but use common domestic objects as imagery to represent the maker. I enjoyed the cut outs and ideas going on between and beneath the painted surface but I found the actual painting difficult to look at: a bit decorative/illustrative for my taste.



I really enjoyed small pieces of the painting that blend construction (nuts and bolts) with realism.



But unfortunately looking at a stump of a tree breaking away into saucers is hard to get into. I love the cut out ball that sits at the bottom of the painting. I think I would much rather look at a white panel with ball cut out than a busy painting that is trying too hard to say something. That's just it...it feels like too much information.

This is a detail shot of the painting below...less is more?

4731 tonight

Tonight 4731 is having an opening if I remember correctly. There isn't anything posted on the site about an opening but the show starts tonight. Plus, this might be the last show till Christmas.

4731 Resident Artist Show
December 17 - 23

what's happening at MONA

With MONA openings usually come second guessing and predictions. There always is a rumbling between artists and art-goers of if it is real artists this time or another group of "Swedish or Japanese artists" again. We all know the secret now - it has been written about before. It is just amazing that the characters still keep coming and Jef continues to work with so "many different artists". You might think that he is getting tired over there but that is far from the case. That said, MONA has a welcoming show of former Cranbrook artists. It really is a shame that more people don't make it out to Pontiac. Here is what the Detroit art scene desperately needs: a gallery district!

 

John Hooer at Motor City

One thing that I have learned about resin coated art is that people lick it up just like candy! OK...an over statement but there is something about "shiny" finished objects that people are attracted to. The only thing to beware of: flaws hide there too. Flaws, although not always blatant can even be as simple as a boring idea or form that looks more appealing "dripping wet".

John Hooer's works were very calculated and I found the process up close to be more interesting than at first glance. Hooer uses layers of paint, resin and then some sort of painted tape to create his hybrid, decorative forms.













Next Wednesday is Matt Blake...someone you definitely don't want to miss!! Trust me!