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

Russell in the news

2007-09-12T22:16:00.001-04:00

Be sure to check out Real Detroit Weekly for info on the Russell's art events this weekend and many art profiles. See the artist collective group, a great interview with greg tom, and also janette strezinski (of DIP).

September Project @ 555

2007-09-12T09:20:00.000-04:00

Details

gary eleinko @ Pittman Puckett Art Gallery

2007-09-11T10:00:00.000-04:00

Artist statement here

A new gallery just opened up along with the space, in Ferndale. Since it is literally just across the street from me and I was happy to check out the new contemporary space. Although I can't stand a gallery that uses framework hanging, (it makes the work look like student work even when it isn't the case) it was a solid showing of drawings and spectacular attendance. Make sure you check out the drawings in person, they have much more detail than can be captured in a photograph behind glass.

Jack Johnson & Victor Pytko @ 601 gallery

2007-09-10T18:13:00.000-04:00

Another makeshift temporary space has two established detroit artists on display: jack johnson and victor pytko. I am sorry I don't have labels of who's who but whatever, enjoy. still more to come on the friday openings.

sarah sze @ Victoria Miro

2007-09-10T09:40:00.000-04:00

Goodness. I took a guess that this was Yale work. Yup...right on. Is everthing out of that school like this?? Not that I don't like it but....

American, Sarah Sze showing in London (victoria miro gallery) sparked my attention this morning. It reminds me of a colorful version of this.

3x3 @ community arts (paramount bank)

2007-09-09T21:30:00.000-04:00

diane carr

mark sengbusch

john glick

jim pallas

charles mcgee (left)

lester johnson

thomas s. humes

JEANETTE STREZINSKI @ neal davis gallery

2007-09-09T11:23:00.000-04:00

It was a busy friday night and an interesting start to the fall season. I started north in royal oak and worked my way downtown. It's funny, I already am hesitating to comment - not just on the Neal Davis show but I am just starting to know too many people and my anonymity is something I no longer have. For me the worst thing is to leave a show and have someone remark..."I can't wait to see what you write..." — talk about pressure! I remember back to the beginning of this blog, to when if I spouted out about a lackluster show, almost no one would even blink. Things have changed and even now, when it is the last month in town for me, people assume I have already left. It is a strange and bittersweet time in the city.
OK, so Neal Davis. Strezinski, who also runs the great Detroit Industrial Projects (see their next show), has taken her time out from curating to create some new works on canvas. The paintings, which come from earlier studies on paper, are very reminiscent of the abstract expressionist period and she admits that these works were during a "Rauschenberg phase" and maybe a bit of Motherwell. Having known Strezinski for the past four years, I have never seen even a glimpse of her work before (despite requesting to) so I was very interested to see how her work might be influenced by curation. I, if anything, expected more experimentation and more rule breaking based on the recent shows she has put together at DIP, but from what we discussed it seems as though that is soon to come. I look forward to seeing where these works progress because she, like I, has moved past this period.

back to work

2007-09-07T12:09:00.001-04:00

Train Me to do What I Want to

I hope everyone did some plastic wine cup arm lifts last night to prepare for the weekend of openings. ok, not so funny but what do you expect, I am out of practice. napping and swimming became a favorite weekend past time over the summer. oh, yeah and that gallery thing I did.
get your party pants on tonight and tomorrow. this is just a little warm up for the real deal next weekend. I think this is my plan of attack. feel free to join in. if you finish I hear there are prizes.
Pittman Puckett Art Gallery,Community Arts Gallery, Neal Davis Gallery, CCS: Center Galleries, Studio 601,Johanson Charles Gallery

jef bourgeau in the detnews

2007-09-07T10:24:00.001-04:00

go here for whole story
Don't miss his retrospective opening at Oakland Gallery Sat. Sept 8th, 6-8pm

john cynar @ motor city

2007-09-05T20:53:00.001-04:00

peter williams in sante fe

2007-09-05T09:28:00.000-04:00

I was so happy to see Peter Williams' recent works on former detroiter (maybe coming back - now living in sante fe), William Hafer's art blog. Looks like Williams did a recidency at the Sante Fe Art Institute. Also be sure to check out Hafer's new bright paintings!

gallery news

2007-09-04T21:14:00.001-04:00

I am happy to announce that the hamtramck space (former YCG) will be temporarily taken over from mid sept through oct by the White Wall Collective. Go here for details.

But......the space is still up for grabs and the rent is far less expensive than the Russell Industrial spaces which can be this price and more for a dinky, unfinished room. You can rent this whole, ready to go gallery space with storage and bathroom for only $600(obo)! Contact John Grossi for details. jgrossi61@yahoo.com

summer's over

2007-09-04T20:00:00.000-04:00

It might technically still be summer but as far as I am concerned the dreaded day after labor day means that you should be storing away your white hot pants and summer memories while taking one last look at the precious sunshine! I definitely took advantage of the long weekend and swam in both lake michigan and huron! It's a wonder I didn't sink to the bottom with all the food I ate too! Now it is back to work....whaaaa waaa...! Here are some before and after artworks - or at least my own time lapse of the winter to come. The show opens in ny at zach feuer. JULES DE BALINCOURT

Untitled (Lake), 2007 oil on panel 44" x 33 1/2"

JULES DE BALINCOURT
Untitled (Open for the Season), 2007 oil on panel 32" x 23"

Detroit Institute of Arts Needs Volunteers

2007-09-04T13:59:00.000-04:00

Learn about volunteer opportunities at open house
Detroit Institute of Arts is recruiting volunteers.
Volunteer Open House Sunday, September 9 and Sunday, September 16, 1- 3 p.m.

The service committees currently seeking volunteers include:
Gallery Service - maintain a presence in the galleries, greet and assist visitors
Detroit Film Theatre Ushers - welcome and assist theater-goers
Gallery Information - welcome and assist visitors at the information desks
Staff Aides - assist museum staff and the Volunteer Council with everything from stuffing envelopes to special projects.

For more information or an application, please call 313-494-5221 or email diavol@dia.org

new online reading

2007-09-04T12:24:00.000-04:00

New issues of Art Review and Nafas are available online!

Simon @ Sculpture Center NY

2007-09-04T10:51:00.000-04:00

Former detroit artist and RichRichRich director/curator, Nolan Simon is in a NY show coming this weekend. If you are out there be sure to check it out! Congrats on the show!

In the basement of the Sculpture Center. The show opens this coming Sunday the 9th from 4-6pm, part of the In Practice Projects.

Upcoming Travel

2007-08-30T09:22:00.000-04:00

Sorry it's been a slow blogging week for me. Don't worry I feel guilty too :) This week I have been busy moving out of the gallery and starting to plan and get ready to also move out of my house and go to europe leaving mid october. If there is anyone out there in europe who might live in these cities/areas give me an email, I would love any travel tips or keys to the local art scene! Thanks!

London
Paris
Berlin
All of Italy
Athens
Cairo
(maybe Spain)

2007-08-28T09:17:00.000-04:00

...and staying on a sad note (also below) here is a nice tribute to elizabeth murray by saltz.

2007-08-27T21:24:00.000-04:00

I keep forgetting to post this story from nymag. This was in the news a couple weeks ago but this story explains the sad events of the double suicides of two well known artists - Theresa Duncan and Jeremy Blake.

good bye yacht club gallery: REHAB

2007-08-26T23:38:00.000-04:00

REHAB @ yacht club gallery
Spend enough time doing anything and you’ll probably, eventually, begin to hate it … this holds true for art as well. But after the reactionary period and the runaway period, there can be a love rekindled.
(I couldn't ask for a better ending.)

So if you couldn't make it out to our last show I will give you some spoiler pics, seeing it was just a one night show. I think we saved our best show for the end and are super happy with the outcome! For all those who made it out to the shows, a big thanks! I feel very satisfied with my original intent of the space: to show local with national artists, and number two: to show that anyone can make things happen in this city if you take initiative. It has been a lot of fun and very rewarding curating these shows and bringing in some wonderful talent. I hate to get all sentimental, but the gallery has been an opportunity to show some of the art that I have been really into lately and has rekindled a new love for this city. It is oh so easy, trust me, to just sit back and say what you like and what you don't like about shows these days, but once you are on the other side it is definitely a different story. I would love to continue some sort of space in LA but I will have to see how things work out and if I can marry any rich movie stars...kiddin! Oh, also a special shout out to Gallery 40000 in chicago for driving out and contributing an artist for this show and also the first one. This is a prime example of the possibilities that are out there if you just do a little digging.....
For now...enjoy the pics. Thanks again.

jeffrey mathews (detroit) - The Psycholanalytical Converter is in Control, 2007, mixed media

melanie manos (ann arbor) - Filling the Void, performance/mixed media sculpture. 2007

johannes deyoung (ny), The Flying Dutchman, installation; dvd, paintings, mixed media. 2007

curtis glenn - Untitled, assemblage 2007

david coyle (chicago)

Untitled, oil on canvas 2007

...and there was one, oil on canvas 2007

What Was Left, oil on canvas 2007

Come In/ Keep Out, oil on canvas 2007

clare rojas - Untitled (Naked Man Series), Litho 2005

Again, I will mention that I hope someone takes over the space.....just let me know if you interested!

yacht club gallery final opening this saturday!

2007-08-23T10:04:00.000-04:00

Don't miss our last show...

yacht club gallery presents:

REHAB
Opening: Saturday, August 25th, 6-10pm
2750 Yemans St.
Hamtramck, MI 48212

exhibiting artists:

david coyle (chicago)
johannes deyoung (new york)
melanie manos (ann arbor)
jeffrey mathews (detroit)
clare rojas (san francisco)

Spend enough time doing anything and you’ll probably,
eventually, begin to hate it … this holds true for art as well.
But after the reactionary period and the runaway period,
there can be a love rekindled.

yacht club gallery
248.709.9747

the flog / LA

2007-08-23T10:01:00.000-04:00

I'm always searching for interesting art blogs and I found this LA based blog that has a similar style to mine. Lots of local gallery pics mixed with links and galleries and also a very smart calender on the left side. The site is run by Fette, a french visual artist who now also runs an independent gallery space in LA.

news and such

2007-08-23T10:00:00.000-04:00

I could have done a billion annoying links to these stories or... just check out the new artkrush mailer for yourself.
oh, yeah...germany loves public outdoor sculpture. check out Skulptur Projekte Münster 07.

Joel Sheesley @ KIDD

2007-08-23T09:59:00.000-04:00

I don't want to give too much away before the opening...but I won't be able to make it out to KIDD saturday so I wanted to post some pics now. Go here for more info.

...and a couple pieces from the back room...man, black walls and great lighting makes for some sexy pics!

David Klein Gallery...what's new...

2007-08-23T09:58:00.000-04:00

I was in Birmingham today (eating a very yummy lunch at Streetside) and stopped into Klein and KIDD galleries to check out what was happening. Klein (this post), until Sept. 15th has their "new acquisitions" on display and KIDD is preparing for their opening saturday, which I will give some sneak peek pics, seeing I won't be able to attend due to the yacht club's opening.

norman bluhm

lester johnson

richard stankiewicz

Diary of Reverend Jen

2007-08-23T09:56:00.000-04:00

I am obsessed with travel logs. I always have been. And what makes for the best travel logs, whether it be books or articles or tv documentaries/shows is the addition of food or art. Stir in the elements of humor, escapism, crazy stories and some good culture and I am a happy camper. That is why I probably love this piece by artnet's new "art star" writer, Reverend Jen. Be sure to look for her reviews on artnet. The are the least pretentious and most fun reviews I have read in a some time. They are not the most academic reviews but there are very entertaining and mix up the reviews on artnet.

kate russo @ motor city

2007-08-23T09:43:00.000-04:00

2007-08-22T11:16:00.000-04:00

Here's the details of the new Art21 season 4, as posted on MAN

be crazy. get a show. ?

2007-08-21T10:16:00.000-04:00

Remember that big NewYork mag article celebrating Dash Snow and his boy gang? Well it looks like someone liked their party-animal, attention grabbing, law breaking, crude behavior enough to give them a show. Does it really pay to be a crazy artist?....well, it looks like maybe their appeal might be fading based on this lovely review.

I like this quote by Abraham Orden in artnews:

"...The graffiti on the walls is indeed original -- if you limit the meaning of the term to 'from the first event,' and don’t expect it to mean 'capable of or given to thinking or acting in an independent, creative, or individual manner.' With all the pictures of genitalia and the word "fuck" repeatedly spray-painted across the walls, a spectacle that’s meant to represent unchecked freedom becomes a representation of tedium and lack of originality. Dan & Dash have reached what seems to be an apex of stupidity and nihilism. Congratulations..."

TenTimesTen project

2007-08-19T17:16:00.001-04:00

Detroit artist, john azoni has started a new project...check out his recently updated blog.

still in the news

2007-08-19T14:04:00.000-04:00

Looks like I missed another bothered comeback commentary story while I was gone about the Detroit News art article. Man, this poor writer is really getting a kick in the ass from the detroit art community! Arts editor, Mazzai sets the story straight, or at least gives her personal view in the Metro Times story. The more and more I read the "headline" of me leaving really cracks me up that it is "news". Mazzai clears up the fact again that the gallery was only temporary to begin. Also me leaving has been in the works for sometime. Oh, well...maybe this will be the last of the frustration. Oh, I can't wait to start up the fall season. I just read today that Tyler Green of Modern Art Notes will be lecturing here in september: that is great!

gone to the beach

2007-08-11T01:49:00.000-04:00

Hello all. I'll be back in a week.

earth @ russell industrial

2007-08-11T00:45:00.000-04:00

Here's the Russell Industrial Complex. For anyone not in michigan, it is a huge industrial center, some in use and other parts vacant or abandoned. In even the last year there has been a boom of artists moving into the building for studio use and new galleries like DIP, and CAID will be moving in as well. CCS even rented two giant raw spaces for the sculpture students' end of the year critique/show. Good news for the detroit community - more centralized galleries are always great! I have been in many parts of the center but just a word of advice: if you are having an opening in the center, please put up a sign or give a number unless you want the hunt to be part of the experience. When we arrived there was another lost group of art-goers trying to find the location but the security guard didn't even know.
Well, the above pic is what you see when you enter.

This is to your left.

This was just one drive/alley way to the right. It wasn't down here....

hummmm...maybe these doors? No.

OK, after some time we were tipped off about this door.

But don't worry there are only 6 floors...

...and many halls. Some like this.

Some like that.

...But wait!....do I see a chalk arrow?

Ta-da!

Here are the artists

Just to clear up: it was right there. Can't you tell? Da!
All kiddin' aside, it still was a fun scavenger hunt:)

sara blakeman: farewell exhibition

2007-08-11T00:23:00.000-04:00

Sara Blakeman is off to china and this was her goodbye show....and the opening of Mitch Cope and Gina Reichert's new space in Hamtramck. Too bad I will be leaving Hamtramck...but the gallery space will be a great spot to keep another gallery going, especially with Design.99 almost next door! (If you're interested in taking over the space, email me)

bloggin' you down

2007-08-10T13:22:00.000-04:00

This morning I checked once again to see if the blog that initially inspired me to start a detroit-based art blog had been updated. It had been since May 23 that Caryn Coleman, owner/director of Sixspace in LA and art enthusiast/writer, last signed on to what is one of the most popular LA art blogs. I connected with Coleman in many ways: she came from the midwest (chicago), where she started the gallery and then moved to LA to give it a go. She still is pretty young considering dealer standards and also very nice. It isn't often that you walk into a gallery and the director takes time out to talk about the scene and give helpful advice of places to check out. Coleman blogged almost everyday for years, so when she stopped posting without any explanation I wondered at first if something had happened to her. After a couple months of checking on the blog and seeing no updates, I wondered if she too was getting burned out.
Today Coleman finally posted her frustration, which I can relate to completely. (Don't worry, Detroitartsblog isn't stopping either.) Between running a successful gallery that just relocated to Culver this year and a personal life, she was finding it hard to keep up a blog that started from her pure love of the arts. More people started soliciting her to post show info (even the Getty called her for posts!) and artists inquiries and all other sorts of people wanting her comments on things. Success can be two-fold because she (and I) have found that with more attention and a presence in a scene it is harder to speak your mind, something that may have been much easier before being put under a microscope for everyone to comment or complain. Coleman found that running a gallery and having a very high-profile voice in the community became a conflict of interest. Gladly, she has decided not to stop her blog but to change up the format in the fall and have more interviews and writers on board.
Another NY art/culture/personal blog that I follow (less now), Get Your Show on the Road, Dennis Christie of DCKT Gallery also has had a month hiatus and notes that he doesn't miss it either.
This brings me to a recent speculation that I have been thinking about which is the longevity of blogging. I wonder if the first real wave of bloggers to jump on board are reaching either a point of having to be too careful of what they say based on the blog's success or just pure exhaustion. At the same time as some bloggers sign off, there are dozens more jumping in the pool so I am sure that we won't ever become a bloggless culture. It is, however, important to recognize those who paved the way and devoted their time and energy even before blogging had a name.

photoblog in metro times

2007-08-10T10:12:00.001-04:00

check out a new detroit photoblog - whitewallcollective.blogspot.com
hosted by ccs grad emily berger.

don't miss friday/saturday night...

2007-08-09T21:21:00.001-04:00

check it out...

From the desk of Mr. Carducci

2007-08-09T20:32:00.000-04:00

Not to beat a dead horse about this detroit news story (see previous posts) but here's another take from a respected art critic. (Vince Carducci gave permission to post.)

This article represents a consistent perspective from the News. They appear to be waging kulturkampf on the arts, which they seem to perceive as elitist and of course liberal. I had a rather infelicitous exchange of emails in December with Laura Berman and the publisher of the News on this same topic. This piece is arguably more egregious in that it makes no attempt to present the other side. (At least in her December column, Berman offered some opposing perspective, however lamely.) What about the value of Detroit art in terms of price and where to get it? What about the effect of MOCAD in raising the profile of contemporary art now on view in Detroit? What about all of the artists who *have* made a living in the city despite its admitted hardships? What about a story on how Detroit gets far more culture than it deserves based on its record of support? (Whose culprits include the News, the Freep, and other local mainstream media who have a virtual blackout on local art.) Or how about just doing some lifestyle stories about local artists and the arts scene? I know asking for intelligent reviews of local art is going too far, so I won't even suggest it. Maybe the News's marketing research shows that tearing down Detroit culture plays well with the 12 Neanderthal white supremacists in Macomb County who still subscribe to their pathetic rag. My personal interpretation is that this is another example of the faux-populism the right has embraced as a way of bombing America back into the intellectual stone age (the better to erect fascism in its stead). These kinds of things don't do much to foster redevelopment in the city, which we know from case studies in other parts of the country is heavily tied to the arts, culture and other aspects of the much-vaunted creative class. Michael Hodges wrote a nostalgic piece the other day about the role the founders of the News had in promoting the arts through their patronage @ Cranbrook. I'm sure they're rolling in their graves over what's become of a once fine city newspaper, particularly in terms of arts coverage. I'm awaiting the headline "Headless nude model found in local gallery/opium den" that will run right next to the story about UFOs landing in Sterling Heights. It's really sad because if anything local media have an exclusive on local culture. No one from the New York Times is coming to review the latest show @ Detroit Artists Market. If the News spent more time seriously covering what was here there might be more opportunities for artists to make it in this town. For that coverage, go to www.thedetroiter.com

Vince Carducci

detnews and the art community

2007-08-09T09:16:00.000-04:00

I have been receiving many emails concerning the recent Detroit News article (previous post). The tone of most comments is upset and outraged that an article could come out so negative and without any solutions or mention of the positive things happenings here. I am torn because I feel, knowing a bit more than most about the writer, that she didn't know anything about the art scene and decided to take it upon herself to find out about it. I highly doubt she had an agenda or was out to "get the scene" by putting it down. From what I understand, this was just the common theme she found in talking to many artists, gallerists, and collectors. Come on, this is the usual whispers between artists here most of the time. Someone not completely immersed in the detroit art scene made a good point to me yesterday, "newspapers don't owe anyone anything, people choose to buy them." If anything get mad at the papers for not including any arts coverage on a regualar basis!

Like I said, I am torn because even in my interviews I offered many examples of the things that are going on here....like the Yacht Club, Caid moving into the Russel, MOCAD... I did make a comment (previous) and posted one of my last words with the writer about the positives of detroit and also made mention that anyone interested can take over the Hamtramck space which is ready to go for another gallery or studio in October. If anyone has any interest in renting the space (very affordable) contact me. I believe that the writer will try to do a follow up article, but remember it is not always up to the writer....but up to the paper. If you are upset, then contact the entertainment editor at the news.

In the Detroit News today

2007-08-08T09:26:00.000-04:00

Detroit's art scene fades: Area leaders see young talent moving away and local galleries closing
Jonnelle Marte / The Detroit News (click to see full story and pics)

Ann Gordon tried to stay.
She talked local galleries into showing her eccentric paintings and started Detroit Arts, a blog that gets about 30,000 hits a month and serves the Metro Detroit art community.
But like many local artists, Gordon wants more. The 26-year-old exemplifies the love-hate relationship many young artists in Metro Detroit have with the city: They feel compelled to stay and bolster the fledgling art scene, but they want to take off to cities like Los Angeles and New York, where there are more galleries and collectors willing to pay more.
"I think that (the number of artists who leave the city) has increased year by year as the opportunities becomes less and less," said Jef Bourgeau, director of the Museum of New Art in Pontiac. "Eight, nine years ago there were 20-something strong commercial galleries in the area that would represent Michigan artists, and we're down to about three."
Local art leaders say that while Detroit has a decent network of galleries, artists and collectors, the scene isn't as vibrant as it used to be. The lack of a distinct art district, the loss of some major galleries like Revolution and the Sybaris Gallery in the past decade, and the necessity for the existing galleries to show big-name artists from other states to make money are all factors that make it a struggle for upcoming artists to stick it out in the Motor City.
"Detroit is sort of a fickle town," Gordon said.
While there are clusters of galleries and studios, the distance between galleries generates less foot traffic and fewer sales, some gallery owners say.
"Because people come there, it's almost like the mall effect," said George R. N'Namdi, a gallery owner who said his locations in Chicago and New York get more visitors than his gallery in Detroit. "When you have a lot of galleries, you have a lot of 'stores,' and more people come."
Britton Tolliver, who graduated last year from the Cranbrook Academy of Art, said he will probably leave the Detroit area for a city with a stronger gallery presence.
"I would love to stay -- it's just the opportunities here in the art-making process aren't very great, so we'll probably end up moving to New York or LA.," said Tolliver, 31, who has paintings in Switzerland, Las Vegas and New York. The decline in galleries in the past 10 years has taken a toll on the local art market, discouraging buyers and leaving artists with fewer opportunities to sell their work.
Collectors' interest in Michigan art has waned over the years, said Bourgeau -- and other local art veterans agree.
"I think that although there is a collecting base, there isn't the kind of steady patronage that would be very useful for artists," said Susanne Hilberry, who owns the Susanne Hilberry Gallery in Ferndale. "I've been with the gallery for over 30 years, and there certainly have been some intense times and some slow times. From my perspective here, it's very slow."
The Sybaris Gallery, which attracted collectors from around the country and succeeded in sending works to the Metropolitan in New York, the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Art Institute of Chicago, closed in 2003, a move its owners blamed on the state's weak economy and a shrinking base of collectors. Two years later, Revolution Gallery, recognized nationally for its cutting-edge exhibits, shut its doors for similar reasons.
"One of the situations we must realize in the world of art, and let's just say in the world of survival, Detroit is not a city with a lot of jobs available," said Paul Kotula, former director of Revolution who runs Paul Kotula Projects, a gallery in Ferndale. "I'm fortunate, but again, it's a struggle."
Only a few local artists break into the city's private galleries and museums, which sometimes have to show the work of more nationally recognized artists to make a profit.
"I think that while there are a lot of opportunities for up-and-coming Detroit artists to show around the region, it's difficult to sell work," said Cooper Holoweski, 25, who graduated from the University of Michigan in 2004. "There's somewhat of a glass ceiling in the area that I think is unacknowledged."
"Sometimes it's a matter of economics," said Sharon Zimmerman, a local collector who focuses on buying the work of Detroit artists. "They need to bring in artists who have higher-priced work for sale, so sometimes it doesn't make sense for private galleries to show local artists."
Local curators and artists are taking it upon themselves to fill the void they see in Detroit by creating opportunities for local artists
"There is really no place for Michigan artists to get validated in a larger way that can help them to be able to stay here and create a career," said Bourgeau. "Most artists have to leave, go to New York or Chicago first, just to build a career."
You can reach Jonnelle Marte at jmarte@detnews.com.

turning points @ gallery project

2007-08-05T17:59:00.000-04:00

It's been some time since I've been out to an opening; I mean I didn't know what to do with all that extra time on my hands! I'm glad I decided to make the trip out the ann arbor to Gallery Project (ann arbor is wonderful in the summer. if you live in the detroit area it is a nice little runaway for the evening...and they have some great food there but that's another story!)

Summer shows are really a gamble. Some shows are weak, overcrowded group shows where it is an artist free-for-all without any consideration or maybe a gamble on some lesser known talent that doesn't pay off but then there are the wonderful standout summer surprise shows. I always think back to SummerPack at Hilberry or RRR and I hope the Yacht Club will be grouped into the summer gallery surprises.
Sometimes a nice summer night can be a curse but for Gallery Project it only seemed to draw in more people from the streets. It was well attended, and, in GP's normal curation style, a focused large group show. If you have been to GP then this show was what can be expected: many artists centered around one theme. Sometimes the big group shows pay off while others fall a little short (the only conflict becomes when you love a few works but dislike or feel indifferent to a majority so the bad and the good cancel themselves out in your memory). This big show didn't bother me - instead I found it more relaxed to stroll through and let the art draw me in. It also made me see how important a little art viewing rest can be because I think I spent more time looking instead of analyzing. Gallery openings can be like meeting people in that you size up the work too quickly and already naming your likes and dislikes before you've had a chance to look blindly without attachment. There are a few artists that I have seen in the last year coming out the cracks and enjoy like Chris Erchick, MB, Amanda Thatch, and Ed Brown.

sarah buckius, Fitting In: Attempt #2

jada schumacher, lipstick haiku

sarah buckius, Fitting In: Attempt #1

julie prokop, Chapter 10: Understanding Theodore, Jeffrey and Another One

chris erchick, The Windswept Plains of Andromeda

beili liu, untitled, incense burnt rice paper on wood

jada schumacher, body shop haiku

leslie atzmon, The Menopause Book

amanda thatch, Read to Me

amanda lechner, Cofferdam

ed brown, Giant. SIG

ed brown

amanda thatch and andrew thompson, Cohabitation

dustin dennis, The Wolf Man Runs, video

andy malone, Excerpt 3: Da What ?!?

MB, Burning Bush (above, below/recycled medicine cabinet, styrofoam, digital twigs)

B.J. Vogt, Passage: (Purpose)

andrew thompson, Preparing for Preparedness

jada schumacher

Dr. Riordan with Wife's Purse, ink on polyester

erik peterson, Stroller Vision

ambarish manepalli, Ismael, DVD

supply savings for detroit/metro artists....

2007-08-04T12:37:00.001-04:00

REHAB aug 25th

2007-08-03T11:56:00.000-04:00

Just to let everyone know, in case you picked up an old postcard from the yacht club gallery....
that the third show, REHAB has been pushed back:

REHAB at the yacht club
Opening: Saturday August 25, 6-10pm

gallery project opening tonight

2007-08-03T11:50:00.001-04:00

info

Creed @ CSS Bard Hessel Museum

2007-08-01T09:42:00.000-04:00

Martin Creed, Work No. 796 (2003) - bean bags

...I saw this piece this morning and for some reason I am hypnotized...it is so simple yet the totem like swollen, bulging stance of the bags is so alluring! I don't know if I want to punch the bags over (I hope they are not attached together) or run my hand around the swells!

If I were only...

2007-08-01T09:22:00.000-04:00

If I was in ny right now I would love to check out this show at MOMA: What Is Painting? Contemporary Art from the Collection July 7–September 17, 2007.

Luckily you can get a sneek peek here.

Carroll Dunham Ship 1997-99
Lee Bontecou, Untitled 1961
John Baldessari, What Is Painting 1966-68
Georg Baselitz, Woodmen 1967-68

motorcity week in art

2007-08-01T09:14:00.000-04:00

"this week in art" schedule:

Aug 1 Phaedra Robinson

Aug 8 Wayne Curtis

Aug 15 Jessica Brown

Aug 22 Kate Rizzo

motorcity brewery is located at 470 w.canfield in detroit 313-832-2700

The Garbage Can Project

2007-07-30T14:11:00.000-04:00

It's another slow week for art. This is the time of the year when there are few openings and most galleries shut down - and this is when art blogging becomes more challenging with the lack of stories/openings/excitement out there. Bare with me for the next few weeks as I try and dig up art news that is worth checking out!

Chicago artist, jonathan gitelson might have an obsession with trash cans. He has a nice site. "The idea for the Garbage Can Project came from the frequent theft of the city-issued garbage carts that are in front of my apartment building. Each time the carts were stolen, I would call the City of Chicago and they would eventually bring more carts to replace them. After months of observing this cycle, I became interested in the phenomenon of the garbage cart thefts...

In October 2006, I began filming the garbage carts twenty-four hours a day. Each day I view the footage from the previous day, creating digital video clips of any instances of people interacting with the carts..." jonathan gitelson

workin' on a saturday

2007-07-28T11:26:00.001-04:00

Because I am stuck at work on a Saturday, here's Adam McEwen's "Untitled (Sorry) and Untitled (Closed)" from his 2003 Wrong Gallery installation. You can buy your very own miniature Wrong Gallery door and related art works to display within it at cerealart.

McEwen is the same guy who did the parody celebrity obituaries in the '06 Whitney Biennial. And who co-curated the recent "Beneath the Underdog" show at Gagosian.

Now back to the grind ...

tonight

2007-07-28T11:18:00.000-04:00

don't forget ...

detroit industrial projects has "voices" - an Oakland University/Alternatives For Girls/DIP collaborative presentation from 6-9 at their russell space.

555 gallery has "good wood" - a skate deck show with (potentially dubious) "extras" to entice the crowds; 9-2.

and mocad's drive-in movie night series kicks off at 9:30 with "cry dr. chicago."

ElimiCurate

2007-07-25T22:34:00.000-04:00

curator: aniko erdosi; artist: gabriela galvan

curator: paul mchale; artist: jose muchaypina

the two pieces above are from apexart's "the most curatorial biennial of the universe."

the idea behind the new york gallery/organization's "biennial" was to have an open call for curators to submit pieces for the show and then sell them via online auction. they seem to have selected something like 250 curators, with each submitting one or two works. so, as the press release even hedges, the show is "extremely varied" — but there are a few interesting pieces.

it's up until aug. 11 if you live in nyc, and I assume that's when the online auctions end as well. I'm not sure how I feel about an exhibition that combines two things generally hurting the art market (the "anyone can be a curator" syndrome and eBay-style online art auctioning), but I try to be open to new ideas ... and they say the money will be going to charity.

[found via Vulture — NY mag's culture blog]

yuri masnyj @ metro pictures

2007-07-24T23:42:00.001-04:00

look, even drawings are leaning canvases. despite my sarcasm, I still like the show at metro pics.

artist escape

2007-07-24T09:30:00.000-04:00

Amir H. Fallah - from LA Confidential, Artnet:

"...Amir H. Fallah, who is also the editor and founder of Beautiful Decay Magazine, exhibits photographs of "forts" that he created with other male L.A. artists.
Fallah and his conspirators got handy, dipping back into their childhood fantasies of making dens out of old blankets and available furniture. Not only do the photographs reveal cool little hangouts, they also dot the i’s and cross art teachers’ t’s with pleasing formal qualities..."
(All 20x20 c-prints) These photographs are so rich in color and texture... and escapism, I love it! Maybe I am just sentimental because as a child I made forts out of an old corduroy couch we had and stayed in there for hours and hours. I think I really thought I would live there forever too until my parents tore it down at the end of the night so they could use there couch and blankets again. Now that I think about it, I was always making self contained environments to live in: don't ask about the igloo I build one winter and went out at night to read magazines in.

go to venice in a day

2007-07-24T09:22:00.000-04:00

There is a crazy good site that takes you through the venice biennial by country and/or pavilion. Then it even separates it by artists.....check it out!

nominations for michigan arts/culture

2007-07-22T10:35:00.001-04:00

If you know of an individual or organization that has shown a true commitment to supporting the arts, we've got great news - the deadline to submit nominatations for the 2007 Governor's Awards for Arts & Culture has been extended!
Thanks to this extension, you now have until 4:00 pm on July 27 to send in your nomination(s) in any of the following categories:

Arts and Cultural Organization (large and small)
Arts Educator
Michigan Artist (all artistic disciplines are eligible - visual performing & applied)
Nonprofit Arts/Cultural Leader
Arts Education Organization
Civic Leader
Exemplary Business

For more information and for a downloadable nominations brochure, visit out Web site: http://www.artservemichigan.org

top 200 collectors

2007-07-21T19:01:00.000-04:00

The ARTnews top 200 collectors is out. Michigan collectors that made the list:

Lila and Gilbert Silverman - Fluxus and Conceptual Art

Marianne and Alan Schwartz - Old Masters and Modern Prints

Maxine and Stuart Frankel - Minimalism and Abstract Expressionism

Jane and Richard Manoogian - 19th and Early 20th Century American Art

making out with twombly

2007-07-21T18:56:00.001-04:00

MARSEILLE, France - A woman has been arrested on suspicion of kissing a painting by American artist Cy Twombly and smudging the bone-white canvas with her lipstick, French judicial officials said Saturday.

good curation?

2007-07-19T10:52:00.000-04:00

I like this statement about curating by Saltz. I have been to sooo many shows where there isn't a rhyme or reason behind the work up which when you are looking at a big group show definitely helps with the viewing and finding a common ground for the works. I also am a strong believer that less is more and when it comes to more, then make sure it's over the top and intentional.

"The alchemy of good curating amounts to this: sometimes placing one work of art near another makes one and one equal three. Two artworks arranged alchemically leave each intact, transform both and create a third thing. This third thing and the two original things then trigger cascades of thought and reaction; you know things you didn’t know you needed to know until you know them; then you can’t imagine ever not knowing them again. Then these things transform all the other things and thoughts you’ve had. This chain-reaction is thrilling and uncanny..."

the real thing?

2007-07-18T23:58:00.000-04:00

I think machines-as-art tend to be pretty interesting, considering that everything these days seems to be machine-made...why not have artist commentary using science-like experiments. They're not a medium we typically think of as "art" but I can definitely respect the ideas and craft behind them. This machine-as-art, entitled "The Real Thing," (2006) is by Dutch artist Helmut Smits. Described by the artist as "An installation to filter Coca-Cola into clean drinking water," and seems pretty politically intentioned. It also reminds me a bit of Roxy Paine's SCUMAK no. 2 (2001), as shown at MOCAD's inagural show in Oct. '06. Randomly, Smits is repped by a gallery in Culver City, L.A., but most of his other work looks a bit too ... gimmicky.

Smits' work was recently featured on this website, vvork.com, which I've recently started checking out. They seem to like this kind of stuff a lot. Maybe a little too much.

at mocad tonight

2007-07-18T14:36:00.000-04:00

Today
Wednesday, July 18 at 6pm
PRESPECTIVES ON COLLECTING
What is it that moves people from the realm of viewer to that of collector? This event will feature discussions with several local collectors to learn how they make decisions on their art, their patterns and perspectives on art collecting. Presenters will include: Burt Aaron, Ruth Carter, George N'Namdi, and Sharon Zimmerman. Moderated by Dick Goody.

The Every Piece Of Art in The Museum Of Modern Art Book

2007-07-17T23:00:00.000-04:00

NY artist Jason Polan...

The Every Piece Of Art in The Museum Of Modern Art Book contains every piece of art that was visible to the public at the museum from January 19 to January 31, 2005. It is 50 pages and perfect bound.
The Every Piece Of Art In The Museum Of Modern Art Book $20

I recommend the deluxe version that comes with a walking tour and a hot dog or pretzel!

Focus: Woodward at 200 / Crain's Detroit / Urge to Create

2007-07-17T09:17:00.000-04:00

Check out Crain's Detroit Business to see who made the culture/arts list:

http://crainsdetroit.com/assets/PDF/CD23458715.PDF

Submission for Midwest Artists

2007-07-17T09:15:00.000-04:00

The Midwest Contemporary Art Museum
Focus Midwest 2007
Call for Submissions

Description: The Midwest Contemporary (MiCo) will be accepting submissions from contemporary fine artists working in the Midwest for an upcoming exhibition, Focus Midwest 2007. This exhibition is open to artists residing in Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and Missouri. All media are eligible, including painting, sculpture, installation, photography, video, drawing, sound, fibers, ceramics, and printmaking.

GO HERE FOR DETAILS

RUNAWAY @ yacht club gallery

2007-07-15T23:23:00.000-04:00

Just pics for now....but the show turned out great!! If you missed out, we will be opening the doors Tuesday 7/17....6:30 - 8pm.

Britton Tolliver
Postpone Death

Britton Tolliver
Burning Star Core

Britton Tolliver
Swedish Underbelly

Britton Tolliver
Presenting…Diamondface

Brent Fogt
Crescendo
Plants, hand crochet netting

Ben Shaffer
Where the Demons Dwell
Plaster, wood, fire

Ben Shaffer
Where the Banshees Live
Plaster, wood, fire

Ben Shaffer
Levitating the pentagon with an unknown force
Mixed media

Ben Shaffer
Destroyer
Mixed media

Runaway
2007
Video, sleeping bag, headphones

Steven Matthew Brown
Together Forever-Birthday Cake
1488 words

don't forget - yacht club opening friday 7/13, 6-10pm

2007-07-12T09:48:00.000-04:00

chris pottinger @ motor city

2007-07-12T09:19:00.000-04:00

art-speak-newsweek

2007-07-11T11:15:00.000-04:00

This little column in Newsweek made me laugh this morning!... It's funny how many people perceive the art world...man, you can just hear the cynicism!

WHAT'S ART-SPEAK FOR 'UGLY'?Museums have a way of making everyone feel insignificant and inferior. To wit, a glossary of terms to help you while you're shopping for that new Matisse:

GALLERINAS: The lovely young ladies, usually wearing simple black dresses, who attend the elegant reception desks at high-end art emporiums.
GALLERIST: A term, popular in Europe, that makes a gallery owner seem like some kind of artist, creating meta-artworks by scheduling shows.
INSTALLATION ART: A lot of weird stuff—or maybe just a few somber items—put in an empty room, allegedly with great significance.
THE LONG MARCH: Occurs for artsies every 10 years (2007 is one of them) when the Venice Biennale, Documenta (in Kassel, Germany) and Sculpture Münster (also in Germany) mega-exhibitions take place in the same summer.
M.F.A.: Graduate degree, but a career ticket only if it's been issued by Yale, UCLA or CalArts.
POSTMODERNISM: Modern art's idea of "progress" is over, so it's time to play dress-up in the granny's attic of art history.
CURATOR: Formerly, a scholar in charge of caring for an art collection; currently, an impresario of exhibitions who possesses a large Rolodex.
© 2007 Newsweek, Inc.

TRANSLATING TRANSIENCE @ mark moore

2007-07-11T01:21:00.001-04:00

Srdjan Loncar
Campfire With Log, 2006
styrofoam, digital prints, steel
30 x 60 inches

....there is a show at mark moore gallery in LA that I noticed because I have seen or posted on the artists before...the show really reminds me of the curation style of the yacht club. I like this sculpture today because I had to start a campfire in my backyard. My neighbors must think I am insane when it is daylight and 90 degrees and I am waving a sleeping bag over a smoky fire.

art survey

2007-07-09T15:50:00.000-04:00

Please, if you are a detroit visual artist, take the time to complete this survey. The survey is from a Columbia graduate student who is writing her thesis on detroit artists' perspectives and opportunities.

"I am a graduate student of the Arts Administration program at Columbia University as well as an artist and native Detroiter. I am interested in the opportunities that are available for visual artists in Detroit and would like to get opinions on the measures that have been taken to encourage growth and development from artists’ perspectives. I either received your information personally or from Detroit Artist Market, no one will be identified by name. The information that I will obtain from these surveys will be used in my Masters Thesis Essay that serves as a requirement to complete my graduate studies. My essay is not a public document and will only be made available to my advisors and students in my program. My conclusion will be made stronger, the more participants that reply to this survey. The survey will only take a few minutes of your time. Thank you in advance."

GO HERE FOR SURVEY

show two: RUNAWAY @ YCG, Friday 7/13

2007-07-08T16:42:00.001-04:00

Dialogues with Marcel Duchamp

2007-07-07T16:30:00.000-04:00

It's summer art reading time again! Do you all have your Oprah, I mean, Detroitarts book club readings yet - hahaha. There is something for me so escapist about sitting outside with a good biography to make me want to forget about responsibility and you know, life.

So, I decided to read Duchamp partially because of my own humorous and sometimes anything but serious take on artwork or the art world for that matter, and wanted to examine one of the founders of the anti-art movement. In reading the dialogues, I can't believe how much Duchamp begins to detest painting and for that time, I can't believe how progressive his ideas were! I figured if I keep being drawn to sculptors like Isa Genzken and going to shows of placed objects and contemporary takes on the readymade, it would serve as interesting and informative reading. It's actually funny because in reading/analyzing the history of Duchamp, it contradicts his fickle sometimes lazy or "by chance" art practice and also his avoidance of museums, gallery shows and openings.
Here are a few funny or interesting things I have read so far. I definitely recommend this for reading, especially for many recent CCS sculpture grads.

Cabanne: When you were young, didn't you ever experience the desire to be artistically cultured?
Duchamp: Maybe, but it was a very mediocre desire. I would have wanted to work, but deep down I'm enormously lazy. I liked living, breathing, better than working.
****
Cabanne: In "The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even" what does the word "even" mean?
Duchamp: Titles in general interested me a lot. At that time, I was becoming literary. Words interested me; and the bringing together of words to which I added a comma and "even," an adverb which makes no sense, since it relates to nothing in the picture or title. Thus it was an adverb in the most beautiful demonstration of adverbness. It has no meaning.
***
Cabanne: How did you come to choose a mass-produced object, a "readymade," to make a work of art?
Duchamp: Please note that I didn't want to make a work of art out of it. The word "readymade" did not appear until 1915, when I went to the United States. It was an interesting word, but when I put a bicycle wheel on a stool, the fork down, there was no idea of a "readymade," or anything else. It was just a distraction. I didn't have any special reason to do it, or any intention of showing it, or describing anything. No, nothing like all that...
***
Duchamp: I think painting dies, you understand. After forty or fifty years a picture dies, because its freshness disappears. Sculpture also dies. This is my own hobbyhorse, which no one accepts, but I don't mind.
***
Duchamp: I believe very strongly in the "medium" aspect of the artist. The artist makes something, then one day, he is recognized by the intervention of the public, of the spectator; so later he goes on to posterity. You can't stop that, because, in brief, it's a product of two poles - there's the pole of the one who makes the work, and the pole of the one who looks at it. I give the latter as much importance as the one who makes it.

And I think this quote by Dali in the forward is worth noting:

"In Paris, in the early days, there were 17 persons who understood the "readymades" - the very rare readymades by Marcel Duchamp. Nowadays there are 17 million who understand them, and that one day when all objects that exist are considered readmades, there will be no readymades at all. Then Originality will become the artistic Work, produced convulsively by the artist by hand."

back to business

2007-07-06T10:22:00.000-04:00

Cary S. Leibowitz (CandyAss)

So I am back...well at least physically back...but still working on that mental part. It is funny because I am putting together the next show at YCG which is conveniently called RUNAWAY (which by the way opens next friday the 13th.)

Here's an article by Saltz that came out about a week ago but in case you missed it...let's just say Jerry isn't big on biennials:

"...Biennials are free-for-alls, but they’re also autocratic throwbacks to the time of kings. Often, they’re selected by one czarlike curator with absolute dictatorial power. These curators, however earnest, can simultaneously be annoying and sanctimonious while foisting their own pious, profligate or shaky taste on everyone else. Yet you have to feel for them; whatever they do, almost everyone will have 55 reasons why their shows stink. A common but almost never uttered one is, 'It’s a bad show if I’m not in it.'

There are currently more than 60 biennials and triennials around the world. Biennial culture is so prevalent that curator Dan Cameron and I have joked about publishing a monthly magazine called Biennial, dealing with nothing but these shows...

...take Great Britain’s current representative in Venice, Tracey Emin, who according to the U.K.’s Observer toured five-star hotels in Venice last year, examining bedding thread counts to decide where she’d stay. She also requested her own boat, and had Julian Schnabel detour to Venice by private jet en route from Rome to Cannes to advise her on the installation. Not that it matters, but she made 60 of the drawings meant for the first room of her pavilion in just five hours. Not that it matters more, but the Museum of Modern Art just put a reserve on half of them. Biennials are big business..."

don't forget, tonight at MONA

2007-07-05T09:50:00.001-04:00

MONA – Opening July 5, 2007 for one evening only (Thursday, from 6-8pm), the Museum of New Art will host the work of Self Made, a touring group of three visual artists from San Francisco.

gone camping

2007-07-02T10:06:00.000-04:00

Campsite
James Stephens
oil on panel, 2005

Hopefully this isn't what my campsite will look like! I will be posting sporadically this week - I actually have been dreaming about getting away for a couple days and leaving my art life behind! Did I mention that I love Man vs. Wild, although I don't know if I will be eating any raw fish straight from the water!

my rant of the day

2007-06-28T09:25:00.000-04:00

edward winkleman talks about "The Logic Behind the 50/50 Split "

"...In general, I find the artists most upset about the 50/50 split fall into one of two categories: 1) they don't understand the business that well (and many of them have never had full-time representation) or 2) they have a bad relationship with their gallery (i.e., their gallery is not doing enough in their opinion to earn the 50% they're taking)..."

I guess I never really saw 50/50 split as a problem....as long as I felt the gallery stood behind the work and were "working" their hardest to promote the artist. Sometimes I ran into places where the work just sat in the back racks and it seemed luck if something sold. I know that the Detroit market is a tough place to sell works and galleries do their darnedest to make a sale. Many galleries here offer a discount too that they usually take off their end of the sale too. I still get upset when I think about all those MI collectors that hop on their jet and buy their art in NY/LA/London...sometimes just to have the prestige to say that they bought it in those cities. Now, this isn't everyone in Detroit but ask any artist about collectors here and I am sure you will hear some sort of rendition of the "collectors buying else where" story. I think I just got off track from the 50/50 discussion....... Anyway, that is one of the reasons I am doing the gallery for the summer; to show that you can bring really, really great contemporary artists (from all over the world - LA, NY, Chicago, Germany...) and show them in context with Detroit artists. Not only does it put Detroit on the map when those artists tell their artist friends that they are showing here but it hopefully raises some collectors' brows.