MOCAD: it's finally here!
As you can see it was a great night! With all the anticipation of its opening, I can't believe mocad is finally here. It is a wonderful show (even if they are older works by the artists)...I am impressed! I spoke with many people who volunteered and put in long hours to make it all happen. I think the general feeling of detroiters feeling a little skeptical disappeared once they saw the show and swarms of people. Most people now can feel proud to say they now have a contemporary in their city. I know this is a pretty glittery review so far but I think it is hard to criticize after knowing so many people who worked so hard to make this happen. The only thing I can say is that I wish they would have more shows scheduled and more frequently (although I spoke with someone on the head steering committee who said they were in discussion of the third show already). I think with the momentum of this show it would be nice to see another show sooner than April but they will most likely have more shows once they are fully operational. I am sure that after a while once the museum gains more recognition they will hire a full time director to run the museum and keep the caliber of shows on a high. For now I wanted to get the pictures up and I will probably discuss the works further in another post. Enjoy!
nari ward - white flight tea bar
nari ward - airplane tears
kara walker - 8 possible beginnings or: the creation of african-american, video animation.
paul pfeiffer - live from neverland, video installation
mark bradford - mixed media collage (above) on plastic mesh (below)
Tabaimo - hanabi-ra, video animation
jonathan pylypchuk - press a weight through life and I will watch this crush you, mixed media
christopher fachini - the red box sound system plays the mental machine
roxy paine - SCUMAK no. 2 (aluminum, computer, conveyor, electronics, extruder, stainless steel, polyetheylyne)
posted by art blogs are fun at 11:14 AM
18 Comments:
It was a great party. That's pretty much it for the first night. Dancing until dawn, closed into one room. Pounding music. We were all pumped for that. The celebration.
The test will be in the coming weeks and months the test being the art itself and if people will come back again and again for that. For the art.
Thank you Ann for all this coverage,I so appreciate all your effort and enjoyyour slant on all these events.
Deborah Friedman
I went to the show today for the first time and I felt it was great first step for MOCAD.
Kertess did a good job of selecting artists whose practice and subject matter has a strong relationship with the cultural history and character of the city.
I'm not so sure how I feel about how he framed the show as "Meditations on an Emergency." I'm sure he flushed that idea out a little more today during the gallery tour.
I think Detroit has a lot to look forward to in the future and hopefully they can keep the money rolling in and build upon what they've started.
I'm very curious to see what the third show will be?
I think "White Flight Tea Bar" was my favorite piece in the show.
thanks Ann for posting this....i look forward to seeing more images from the show
I am in New York with 15 students from the CCS fine arts department...we wont be back until early Tuesday morning, so being able to see this is great!
Mark Bradford's work is phenominal. I've seen some of it in books and on the internet before, but I was blown away to see them in person.
MOCA(D) belongs to the city’s art community first and always. The artists are its primary audience. And artists have always been the germinators of change. I think that that’s what art does and artists are capable of doing, and I feel like there’s an opportunity for that to happen here.
Does anyone know what the crowds were like over the weekend with the general public??
Hello Ann - There were many visitors on Saturday - High School students who were told by their teachers - who we contacted - "to check out MOCAD". There were over 60 folks at both discussions regarding the exhibition with Klaus Kertess and Dora Apel. This was very successful. On Sunday - we set up a table near the Roxy Paine - with drawing pads and 6B pencils and chalk - with the idea to make "machines"...the chalk went to the floor and we saw some beautiful drawings made both by kids and adults. John Corbin, in a homage to Rirkrit Tiravanija – made 120 cupcakes that visitors could decorate and eat…many did. All in all – MOCAD was nicely populated with artists, kids, teens, adults and families throughout the weekend.
I'm not sure, but I was surprised to hear a few of my non-artist acquaintances mention interest in it.(People who usually don't go to galleries and maybe visit the DIA once every two years.) That has to be a good sign.
meantime, back at the art ranch: this looks like a better opportunity for detroit artists at the moment and definitely more prestigious. so check it out, my brothers and sisters:
Belluard Bollwerk International is an event that produces and presents artistic projects in Fribourg (Switzerland) since 1983.
The next edition of the festival will be held from June 28th through July 7th, 2007.
Belluard is looking for innovative and amazing projects
Each winning project shall be financed up to CHF 10'000.- (6'000.- Euros).
The projects will be evaluated by an international jury.
The winning projects will be presented in the festival programme.
Rules:
1. The contest is open to all.
2. Any form is admitted: performance, theater, dance, music, visual arts, cinema, etc.
3. The contest concerns creations or works in progress only. Completed projects won't be taken into consideration.
4. Participants are free to take any steps they deem necessary to acquire additional funding so as to complete their budget.
5. Each project is to be presented on 2 A4-format pages, at most. A detailed production budget is to be attached on a separate sheet, along with personal details (name, postal and email address).
6. Plans, drawings, photos, videos, etc. are highly recommended.
7. Applications can be written in english, german or french only.
8. Projects must be sent by January 8th, 2007, at the latest (postal stamp is proof) at Belluard Bollwerk International, Contest 2007, PO Box 214, 1701 Fribourg, Switzerland. Or by email at: info@belluard.ch
9. All participants shall be made aware of the results by February 23rd, 2007. The jury reserves the right not to comment on its decision.
10. The material sent will not be returned.
Additional informations are available on http://www.belluard.ch
MOCAD is a privately funded gift to the city. Have whatever opinion you want on the artwork show. Just realize that if it wasn't for all the people spending time and money to bring it here you wouldn't be able to have that opinion. Be grateful. I am.
Also realize that by bringing in world-renowned artists and curators MOCAD is bringing about a situation where local Detroit artists that never show outside of the city are being looked at now.
Even if things can be better, which they always can, it's still nothing but good for the city.
Federline: Curious where the connection is here: "Also realize that by bringing in world-renowned artists and curators MOCAD is bringing about a situation where local Detroit artists that never show outside of the city are being looked at now." How, in your opinion, does bringing in outside arts cause Detroit artists to be seen if they are not being shown by MOCAD? Are you insinuating that the visiting artists/curators visited other Detroit galleries where Detroit artists ARE being shown? Did this happen? Just curious.
"MOCAD is a privately funded gift to the city. Have whatever opinion you want on the artwork show. Just realize that if it wasn't for all the people spending time and money to bring it here you wouldn't be able to have that opinion. Be grateful. I am."
Federline: MOCAD is a non-profit museum funded by the community. Just like Artists Market, and other art centers in the region.
It is not a private institution.
It will get its money from the public: from the rich, from artists, from collectors, and from grants. And everyone who gives it money gets a tax deduction: so it is also funded by everyone else who pays taxes.
If it were a private institution funded by those individuals with their names on the board (Karmanos, Taubman, Manoogian) - it sure wouldn't look like it does and it would have real head-liners, not second and third tier artists.
And it wouldn't need your continued support.
Snore.
Po Po: "would have real head-liners, not second and third tier artists."
Really? You think the people in the show are 2nd and 3rd tier?
What are some "headliners" that you would like to see? You make them sound like hacks when most of them are quite accomplished.
???
I guess I never realized you could be considered 2nd or 3rd tier if your work is included in major museum collections.
Overated maybe but then again its all subjective course.
I can't believe I was suckered into this conversation.
It must have touched a nerve for you?
talking about detroit artists and supporting them:
Call For Entries - Final Days
Automation
Exhibition runs: January 6– January 20, 2007
Portfolio submission deadline: 6 pm on Saturday, November 4, 2006
Download the application:
http://www.thecaid.org/artists/artists-opp.asp
The Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit (CAID) is soliciting proposals for its all media, Interdisciplinary exhibition AUTOMATION, to be held in January 6 through January 20, 2007. The exhibition will be juried by members of the CAID board.
Eligibility:
The CAID is currently accepting proposals, ideas and/or portfolios from individuals working in all media and discipline with no residency restriction. A membership in CAID is not required in order to be considered for review by the jury.
Portfolio:
For work that is already completed portfolios should include either 5 to 10 slides or digital images on a PC compatible disk with a corresponding slide or digital image list or music or performance documentation in DVD, VHS or CD format. Proposals for work to be completed for this exhibition may include a brief narrative description of the project, description of intent, sketches, etc. Images submitted must be representative of the work that will be submitted for exhibition. Received works that were not accurately represented may be rejected.
Resume:
A printed resume and/or biography (two pages maximum) is required and a brief biography is suggested. The resume should include the individual’s name and all contact information on each page.
Please feel free to forward this to anybody who may be interested.
www.thecaid.org
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