MOCAD is finally coming...and it hopefully looks a little bit better than before.
I think that I just went though the entire 12 step program with feeling towards mocad! At first I was in denial that it was actually happening and that I was attending an actual lecture for the museum! Then as the curator continued to speak I got more and more frustrated by the artists showing and then preceding the talk the questions by the audience only fueled me more! How could the second question be "where is the museum going to be located". Why wouldn't we know this already? Why were so few informed about the lecture? Why are there no Detroit artists scheduled thus far for the first show? Before I get ahead of myself I want to clarify that in the end I was finally calm and accepting of the proposal of the first opening at mocad. Now let me explain my thoughts.
I really feel that for the first attempt to publicly speak about mocad, they should not have thrown the out-of-state curator, who doesn't know much about Detroit, in with a pack of wolves. I feel that we need Marsha Miro to stand up and state mocad's intent and focus in the city. The crowd attending were mainly mocad supporters, backers, ccs students and teachers and a core group of Detroit artists that already have heard the rumblings of mocad. Why not publicize the heck out of the event?
Klaus Kertess began stating that he changed the first show from a strictly painting show to an installation - mixed media show. His speech was mainly about introducing the few selected artists in the inaugural show. These artists are not no-namers; they are pretty well known contemporary artists, all in their mid 40's in age. Definitely not young fresh talent. My opinion is that they are being safe like the DIA and only putting new artists that have already been tested and approved. No real chances here! The artists all have something in common: Detroit sensibility. Key themes and media focuses on graffiti art, recycling and reusing, decay, and race. Pretty obvious Detroit themes if you ask me. But not one of them are Detroit artists portraying these themes. One of the slides was a graffiti artist Barry McGee that looked like a combination of urban graffiti and Clint and Scott's Relics piece but painted on a wall! Other artists include Kara Walker who is known for her black figurative shadow cut-outs and Whitney biennial artist Mark Bradford. Roxie Paine and Nari Ward are other artists mentioned that will have installations set up in the space as well as an artist from Japan, that an audience member questioned, "why Japan?" In Kertess's answer, he pointed out that this exhibit is "not about Detroit". (What?) Then he proceeded to talk his way out of his answer to say that he is not an expert on the Detroit scene and doesn't know enough about the city's art to have the show be about Detroit. (Pretty sad-why not find a curator that knows Detroit?)
Now at that point I was getting upset but it was in talking to others afterward that I understand mocad's intent. They are trying to make a name for themselves and like with everything new business, money makes some of the decisions. Having a show that draws attention across the country puts more attention on the city and draws more supporters (money) to the museum. Why can't the DIA host this show? It is definitely safe enough. But getting attention for a new museum in the end is a wonderful thing. If the eyes of the art world can be on Detroit for one moment then something good has been accomplished!
Summary:
- pronounced MOE-cad
- all mixed media - installation based
- no painting
- San Francisco artist Barry McGee to paint facade of building
- building is on Woodward at Garfield
- apparent themes - recycled objects, decay, race....
- 5 artists named at lecture: Kara Walker, Barry McGee, Nari Ward, Mark Bradford, Roxie Paine, and a Japanese artist.
- all artists 40 yr. old mid career
- asked one Detroit artist, he/she turned him down
- Kertess quoted, "not about Detroit"
- an unnamed video artist
- other curators will follow, hopefully featuring some Detroit artists in the future
