detroitarts

...and now this

2008-08-27T00:25:00.002-04:00

I moved to LA, welcome to my new blog:

TRYHARDER

http://try-har-der.blogspot.com/

BERLINARTS

2008-02-25T08:11:00.001-05:00

hallo, I am living in berlin for the moment - here's my run at the berlin art scene!
http://berlinarts.blogspot.com/

très frais

2007-10-24T05:05:00.000-04:00

Didn't think I would write again?...well, I am up to my ears in great cheese, bread and wine here in paris but I was surprised this morning to see "my james" on the cover of metro times...very neat and thank goodness for the internet! Travel has been great so far - and I am off to berlin saturday. I am excited to see what the booming art scene is like there!

Good-bye!

2007-10-15T18:00:00.000-04:00

Moving Day

James Stephens

I'm not really one for grand good-bye's. Even good-bye's at the end of the evening, and am the perfect example of the giver of awkward one-armed hugs...When someone left I always found it much easier to give a painting or gift than sometimes expressing what they meant to me. I have found it difficult to bring an end to this blog (thus the week off). This has been a big part of my life for the past few years and has taken a lot of time and dedication but very much worth the trouble. I feel that I have gotten to know not only the local detroit art scene completely but the national/international scene as well! Well, I leave tomorrow for europe and beyond and will miss this city but can't express how much I look forward to seeing new places! It has been an interesting ride...thanks to everyone who participated and supported the blog!

Thank You

Linda Ridgway, bronze

Be sure to check back in a few months....I will most likely have a link to the new LA blog...or end up never coming back and living in a beach hut in Thailand (which PS I have learned a beach front hut is under $5 a day!)

Thanks again!

Square Immediacy @ white wall gallery

2007-10-04T13:24:00.000-04:00

Glad to see someone taking over this space (former YCG)...and I hear it will be up for grabs again in another couple months. I am in packing mode right now and it is hard to comment and feel focused on this art scene when in less than two weeks I will not only be out of this state but out of the country. I am trying to keep up with a few last good posts but excuse me if I start to fade out. This blog has been a wonderful experience and has quickly immersed me in this scene. I have met many wonderful, supportive people here and I hope to stay in touch. I haven't decided if I will be posting from europe or not - a lot depends on internet and timing and also not feeling "at work". OK, back to packing!

ELLEN BERKENBLIT @ Hilberry

2007-10-01T09:40:00.000-04:00

don't miss tonight...

2007-09-28T10:20:00.001-04:00

ORLY GENGER: Posedown @ Lemberg, 5-8pm This should be a great show!!

JIM MELCHERT: Eye Sites @ Paul Kotula Projects, 5-8pm

tonight

2007-09-28T10:02:00.000-04:00

Ellen Berkenblit @ Susanne Hilberry tonight - September 28 from 6 - 8 pm

it's my last day at work!

2007-09-28T10:01:00.000-04:00

Jessica Stockholder Sex in the Office, 2007

Carolyn Swiszcz Office World, 2005

Elena Willis Padded Office 2004, C-print

Christine Hill Accounting Portable Office, 2003

Ian Kiaer Endless Theatre Project/ St. John at Patmos, 2003

michael stevenson

2007-09-26T14:40:00.000-04:00

I think that my upcoming travel is inspiring new exploration...check out berlin artist michael stevenson. Retrospective Museum Abteiberg, Monchengladbach, Germany
The Smiles are not Smiles

2005 Installation view Vilma Gold, London

car culture=art

2007-09-26T11:03:00.000-04:00

Prince's muscle car "readymades"

"Destroy Athens"

2007-09-26T10:52:00.000-04:00

Lina Theodorou

Plumbers (still) 2006

I hope I can make it here before the show closes! Who knew that athens would have a biennial!

jef bourgeau @ oakland gallery

2007-09-25T22:10:00.000-04:00

More on the artist here

Silent Woman, 1991

F/U, 2007, video collaboration with dick goody, ann gordon

Chest (Donald Judd), 1996

Blue House on the Moon, 1997

Andres Serrano, Georg Baselitz, Andy Warhol, and Gerhard Richter, 1997

It was great to see all of bourgeau's artist personalities in one room! I have to say that each name really matched up to the style of the work yet still had Bourgeau's underlying voice and matched formats. I believe that all the foolery in the end was well worth it for this installation room...even how upset or annoyed some people might have been when they made that trip out to MONA to see not a visiting artist but Bourgeau's work! Seeing the breadth of his works together in one show (isn't it great to see a solo show in detroit...we don't have enough of them!) made it more interesting to trace the path of his works' history, ideas and progression. Bourgeau's works definitely fall into a category of artwork about artwork and establishing a commentary between artist (jef) and predecessors. The work also lends well in a museum-like setting and the "museum" becomes the unspoken third person in the works. I am a little short for words tonight...but this show is worth checking out. Bourgeau has stayed very active in the community and continually encourages and gives opportunity to artists in this city. He has a very distinct voice and always stays true to his intent despite the consequences.

Joy Hakanson Colby says it best (in the catalog well worth it):
"Maybe it's just the passing of time, but I'm evaluating people who have touched my life over the years. I must say that Jef Bourgeau has made a dent in my thinking... I think his ideas and philosophy need time to reach people, to seep through the armor that walls off our brains. I've been in turn annoyed, angry, dazzled, amused nonplussed, outraged, intimidated, bewildered and a host of other emotions that his work walls up."
When I asked jef where he will go after all of this and he said that it must be stressed that this shouldn't be considered just a regular end-of-the-line retrospective but a mid-career retrospective: there is still a lot more to come and I can't wait to see where he goes from here!

A Day in the Life, 1993

A History of Black People (After Basquiat) ,1984

Color of Sky, 1991

MCA Paint, 1998

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, 1968

Paradise Lost, 1994

Blue Judith, 1998

An Object Like a Painting, 1998

An Object Like a Painting, 1995

Documenta USA

Monsier d'Hotel (after Dubuffet), 1995

After Renoir, 1993

American Beauty (Sleeping), 1997

intersection: work/detroit

2007-09-23T23:07:00.000-04:00

The new launch of U of M's extension gallery, Work: Detroit, just opening Friday in downtown detroit. The inaugural show focuses on the "corner" itself: the history, narrative and personal stories of the intersection - thus the show's theme. The new space is directed by detroit's supportive critic, artist and art enthusiast, runner of thedetroiter.com, Nick Sousanis.
So that's the facts.

Pro: Great to have a new art gallery!
Con: Why does detroit focus on the past so much?
Pro: U of M gallery in ann arbor has a mix of challenging shows: so should detroit.
Con: Too much information. Felt like I would rather take a pamphlet home with me or listen on podcast.
Pro: It was an all local show (detroit and ann arbor).
Con: It was an all local show.
Pro: Well curated in the fact there wasn't one ruling artist clique (it happens a lot here).
Con: Too many artists.
Pro: Bringing another institution the woodward strip of galleries.
Con: Concept and idea was stronger than visuals.
Pro: Much potential to come.

jacque liu

anne fracassa

miroslav cukovik

marilyn zimmerwoman

jack johnson

lowell boileau

gary schwartz (video above/sculpture and installation below)

scott hocking

UFO FACTORY

2007-09-21T17:30:00.000-04:00

sara blakeman

davin brainard

mike connelly

john olson

jef bourgeau

taormina brothers (above/below)

ronald cornelissen

jamie easter

MT Art Issue

2007-09-20T16:41:00.000-04:00

I almost forgot....it's MetroTimes' art issue

A Yale Painter...

2007-09-20T16:34:00.000-04:00

Eric Hibit

Heart Attack

Tea Party
Butterfly

#26

2007-09-20T09:35:00.000-04:00

I just looked at a calendar today and realized I leave in 26 days! yikes! And then I started thinking about artists numbering works and thinking how few actually hold meaning to the number versus counting a series of works. I always think it is funny when artists are asked to title a piece and then they whip out some random number...like yeah, it's called #72 1/2 Untitled Series! ...I can just hear The Count saying, "26...muahahahahhahahha..."! Robert Beauchamp

#26

John Chamberlain

Kiss # 26

Glenn Ligon

Stranger # 26

Nicholas Prior

Untitled #26

words fail me @ mocad

2007-09-18T21:00:00.000-04:00

(Words Fail Me curated by matthew higgs - artist, curator, and writer based in ny. director and chief curator of White Columns.)

anne-lise coste
Parmi les singes et les signes

jeremy deller
Folk Song

siobhan liddell
WEAKNESS AS STRENGTH

lisa anne auerbach
Everything I Touch Turns To $old

carl pope
The Bad Air Smelled of Roses

kay rosen
Blurred

tauba auerbach
Telephone

jennifer west
Whatever Film and Yeah Film

ron terada
Stay away from lonely places

martin creed
Work No. 336

sam durant
Let's judge ourselves as people

jonathan monk
Nostalgic for the Future

philippe parreno and rirkrit tiravanija
Stories are Propaganda

ryan gander
Encrypt Encrypt Encrypt

I was surprised to hear from everyone mixed reviews about this show. mocad, being a new museum always sparks heated debate when it comes to shows but I noticed a bit of indifference (or comments under this post). I, being a text art junky, enjoyed seeing the show and felt that the works flowed nicely and unlike other mocad shows, it was a better number of works compared to other overcrowded or sparse shows of works. I shouldn't be that surprised though, because text art isn't for everyone. Some people love text and associating meaning with single words or repeated phrases while others need tactile surfaces and picture planes to get off on. Text art is a tricky thing because while some might say, "oh, it's so easy to put a word up on the wall and have it mean something grand," frankly, more thought goes into it than you think. Some text art falls flat and doesn't give enough info while others give too much diary-like meaning. A standout text artist, martin creed, graced the show with "feelings", a perfect example of a dialog piece that is so simplistic yet says a billion different things! I end up remembering the works like creed and also rosen, terada and monk while passing on pope and a couple others. Ultimately, this is what a contemporary museum should be showing to the community: well curated shows with an international mix of emerging and contemporary artists and hey...maybe one of these days they will have curators that will actually visit many of the great detroit artists' studios here and not just the few artists affiliated with mocad. Oh, a girl can dream ;)

Grants @ MOCAD

2007-09-17T23:06:00.000-04:00

Free Grant Information Sessions:
Performing Artists, Writers, and Artists in Emerging Fields!

Wednesday, October 3
11:30 a.m – 1:00 p.m.
FREE

Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit
4454 Woodward Ave_Detroit, MI 48201
info@mocadetroit.org_ or julie@mocadetroit.org
313 832 6622

Kemi Ilesanmi
Associate Director of Grants & Services, Creative Capital Foundation

Creative Capital Foundation is a national nonprofit organization that supports artists pursuing adventurous and imaginative work in the performing and visual arts,
film/video, innovative literature, and emerging fields. In 2008, Creative Capital will be considering proposals in the performing arts, innovative literature, and emerging fields.

Please RSVP and refer questions to grants@creative-capital.org

here's some text art mocad forgot...

2007-09-17T13:18:00.000-04:00

Work N° 275 'Small Things'

Martin Creed (I did really like his piece feelings in the show...mocad pics to come)

Gold No Room (no. 1)

Glenn Ligon

Big Funk

Deborah Kass

People Like You Need to Fuck People Like Me

Tracy Emin at White Cube, London neon sign.

art is fun

2007-09-17T10:10:00.000-04:00

This is my relationship with the blog now... it's like a grimacing, grumpy, controlling man staring back at me...just wanting me to write more and more - only positive news of course, and I am frightened and want to slowly step away...

Michael Williams

“Friends”, 2006 Oil on Canvas 24 x 30 in

artoff

2007-09-17T09:25:00.000-04:00

This morning I saw this piece up on the Art Market Watch and it made me think of a Detroit artist who did/does similar things. (Forgive my dark pic quality)

Steven Parrino

Scab Noggin

$433,000

Sotheby’s New York, Sept. 12, 2007
Ben Kiehl

Batter - 2007, Oil on linen, 24 x 18"

russell artfest

2007-09-16T12:23:00.000-04:00

I knew that the russell events were a big thing when I got a phone call from my mom asking what time I was going. Not that my mom's not a hip lady, but I didn't know that the word about the russell's events had spread past certain artist groups and tenants included. It is so strange and fast that the russell has exploded as the "art spot" hosting many studios, small businesses, glass studios, make-shift and established galleries and many other experimental spaces. As positive as this big fair/show was it still has far to come. First off, I recommend a little curation happening. I will say it again, one thing detroit lacks is curators to jury big events like this. Sure you are excited and want to let everyone in but the quality of art down in the alleys was pretty poor. I was thinking it would have been a step up from art fairs but instead the cool evening and decaying building made the tents look grim and sparse. That said, things on the inside were better, or at least selectively better. But this ain't no chelsea district!

Here's the second floor...man, I haven't seen this part of the building...everything looks so finished. Where are the plywood walls?

So, there was a lot of art like this...

...and then the standout installation was in the Detroit Industrial Projects (DIP) gallery.
Works on paper and canvas
Serbian artist, Srdjan Segan

And in usual russell center fashion, here posted was the sign to the artist collective group upstairs. Don't miss that sign...you might end up lost in the back building with the rats....

yes, more helpful signs :)

And, here we go - the artists collective group, artists involved:

Vincent Troia, Jenny Ziegler, Vanessa
Merrill, Kevin Beasley, Nate Morgan, Linda Baracat,
Gil Vasquez

I was really into the installation set up by the artist/ccs gang. I felt more attention to an overlying theme/idea was taken as a whole instead of each artist having their own random object setups. I brought in a whole bunch of my own meaning and it resonated even more...but you will have to check it out for yourself.

don't miss tonight...

2007-09-15T11:28:00.001-04:00

all the russell happenings...

yup, it's supposed to be that dark....don't miss this in the shuffle tonight:
BLACK & BLACK
Featuring:
Dana Bell
Sara Blakeman
Jef Bourgeau
Davin Brainard
Mike Connelly
Ronald Cornelissen
Jamie Easter
Dion Fischer
Matt Gordon
John Olson
Taormina Brothers
Suzanne Walters
Saturday, September 15, 2007
6-11 pm
UFO FACTORY,
1345 Division, Detroit
(Eastern Market)

and...Intelligent Design: Project II @ MONA

Reception: September 15, Saturday from 6 to 9pm