D.U.M.B.O

Where are the WOMEN?

    Our class first met at Smack Mellon and had the pleasure of viewing work by Charlotte Schulz and eteam's Gallery Cruise.  Both artists explore time and space, while also questioning the real and the imagined through an installation piece and drawings.  We then headed to A.I.R Gallery  and Central Booking NYC .       

   

    But seriously:  WHERE ARE ALL THE WOMEN?  

Statistics show that around 60% to 70% of students in art schools are women.  However when looking at the percentage of women in high curatorial, and museum board positions, along with gallery representation the number plummets to around 13% women...............  

Is there a Dr. Claw somewhere running the show and preventing women from being heard?  

Highly doubtful and thankfully there are galleries like A.I.R whose mission is to specifically represent and show work from women artists.  The gallery was created in response to the lack of space dedicated to women artists in the late 1960's.  

However it would appear that there is still an issue with major galleries exhibiting works created by women.  Though there has been powerful and productive strides towards this issue it is still far from being resolved.  

For instance check out Brain Stormers Report  and look at their top offenders list of 2010.  

By the way:

Central Booking was AWESOME. Another organization run by a female, Maddy Rosenberg, that has a dual function within one space; the first "Devoted to all aspects of the medium of artist’s books, where all the work is on view, accessible and for sale" and the second "showcase an unusually broad variety of genres in a series of explorations of where art meets science."

Despite the heated discussion, our class had a lovely time with Anna Kunz. She is currently one of the artists at the The Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation. Combining sculpture, painting, drawing and performance, Anna Kunz is nothing short of extraordinary. She really embraces performance and uses it through other tools, even when she paints. Her studio felt like one big interactive and organic painting. On one wall she had, what seemed like, the finger print of a wall painting. She had used a very thin layer of material that was large enough to cover an entire wall in her studio, and as a result would end up with two very separate things:

1. The remnants of a painting left on a wall. In essence, as if she were saying here is proof that an artist was here painting, here is proof that some artists are still painting.

2. The actual material she painted on, in which she used as a sculpture or installation or even hung over a window to let light shine through.

Personally, I have become very moved by her story. She left her family in Chicago to take advantage of being granted a studio in the Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation. She keeps images of her family around her studio and I have always wondered, how do women balance making art, surviving, being a woman....and....raising children? Organization and sacrifice is a must. To what extent however? 

I just HAD to ask Anna about her life as a mother. And in her eyes I could see that it truly pains her to have left her family. Yes, being granted a studio in this building is amazing. The foundation was started by a woman who had the money to invest in artists, which was one of the topics that were discussed earlier in the day. The amount of women who run Fortune 500 companies is perhaps 10%. Could this be part of the reason as to why less women are being represented in galleries and museums? What about the media? In Anna's case, she made the sacrifice and we all know it was worth it. Besides, her daughter should be very proud of her mother, she may be too young to understand now, but if my own mother took a risk to shake the art world as Anna has done, I would be forever proud and inspired to follow my own dreams.

Charlotte Schulz

Smack Mellon

Gallery Cruise at Smack Mellon

Joan Ryan 

Sylvia Netzer at A.I.R.

Central Booking

Fin 

Thank you for the Hot Cocoa Professor T!!!

Mia Pearlman + Caitlin Masley

Caitlin Masley, Mia Pearlman and Dannielle Tegeder

November 13th , 2010

Our class was very lucky to have Mia Pearlman and Caitlin Masley as our guest speakers on our first trip into

Brooklyn. They both share a studio in Gowanus.While I'd rather not get into detail about their art specifically, I'd like to express and share how these two women removed all the fluff that comes with being a successful 

artist.

Mia Pearlman is best known for her current explorations in paper and glass sculptures. While Caitlin Masley 

is known for her interest in architecture and the urban landscape. 

Mia was recently invited to the 20x24 Studio to experiment with large format instant Polaroids. Which I foundmost interesting because she is not a photographer but was able to use this process and still have it connect 

with everything that she has been doing. In essence she would photograph her own work or things that inspireher work, such as images of tsunami waves, and then use each layer of the Polaroid by cutting 

through and mimicking shapes that were already photographed. By being able to play with the large format 

Polaroids, Mia was able to branch out to another medium where now color is being introduced to her paper 

sculptures. 

* Mia did mention that as artists, we have a tendency to continue making work that people expect us to. She warned that it could happen and it seemed like she did not want to be known as just a "paper artist." This 

is something that happens often, yet this is how people remember us, so if they are ever interested and decide to keep up with what we are making, this should give us artists the freedom to branch out.

Note: In the past semester, Spring 2010, some of us had the pleasure of seeing Mia's work in the Museum of Art and Design. It was nice to finally see her work outside of the context of a museum and in her actual studio.

Mia was super professional throughout her talk. She brought up some very good points to keep in mind, for 

those of who wish to pursue the life of a professional artist. She mentioned organization. When in 

process of making work, she admits working intuitively, however we did notice an entire wall dedicated to all the things that inspire her, a desk and filing cabinets. Because she spends a considerable amount of time 

having to email people, writing grants, statements, thank you letters, etc; she mentioned having to be organizedover and over again. Just imagine, her paper sculptures are up against the environment and she installs them 

according to the space that is given to her, which I think is super brave. In those moments of drawing the 

shapes on the paper, cutting, and installing are really the only moments of freedom she has with her pieces. 

She cannot risk that freedom or intuition without being organized. 

There will always be structure in chaos.

Caitlin had to be the most raw, truthful, and practical artist I have ever heard speak. We didn't have much time left in class to talk about her work, other than her being heavily influenced by her father's travel video. She brought up the idea of networking. She basically said, you must put yourself out there and talk to anyone and everyone, no matter what they may think of you because you never know what that may lead to. She also 

broke down her day for us, which involved short amounts of time in the studio while her toddler was in day 

care, and did I mention she is pregnant with her second child? 

Time: the one thing we wish we had more of.  If you have it, use it well.

Discussions on the Gowanus Bridge

November 13th 2010


After visiting Minus Space, Professor T  led a class discussion on the Gowanus Bridge about artists who are rejecting the idea of having to make work specifically for galleries to sell. We also discussed how artists have opened up their own homes to show their work and how many artists are now acting as curators. For example, an artist who some of us had the privilege of meeting in past semesters, Blanka Amezkua , opened up her home in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx and invited artists to use her bedroom to show work. 


Which brings up many questions in our minds, such as:


1. How does the context affect how we see art if it is not in a gallery anymore? 
2. Has it become more inviting and enticing to view art in, for example, someone's home? 
3. Do we have stronger connections with works of art that are removed from the classic environment of the white box gallery?
4. How can we show work this way and find a way to interest diverse audiences?
5. Can this work be sold?


With this in mind, I challenge you with 3 small experiments. Before you begin, choose one art work, any art work that you have access to and control over.


1. Frame it and place it on a white wall on its own, for paintings, drawings, or photographs. For sculptures, installations, videos and performances, think isolation. How does it feel? What is its presence?


2. Place the artwork in a very open and public space, hopefully without getting in trouble with the law, which I will not get into. Just try this for a few minutes. Has the work changed?


3. Place the artwork in an enclosed space. Bathroom? Kitchen? Car? Bedroom? Choose a personal space. Any changes?

"Student Survival Guide"

Professor T

We can't leave Brooklyn without Candy.

Minus Space

November 13th, 2010

"A platform for reductive art on the international level" - minusspace.com

Robert Swain at Hunter College and Minus Space

Our experience at Minus Space was short and sweet. The actual space is about the size of an artist's studio 

and it functions as an informal gallery. Minus Space was created by a husband and wife team, Matthew Deleget and Rossana Martinez. They started a virtual space for artists to show abstract and minimal work and within weeks, through networking on the internet, they were able to have a small and intimate physical space. 

This is a great example of how the internet has altered the art world:




1. Artists are able to connect internationally, which means ideas are being shared every second. 


2. Artists are also expanding their views on what materials can be used to make art, if any at all. 


3. Artists are also openly showing their work online, which further eliminates the many struggles of having to physically mail work samples. 






However, one can argue that seeing and experiencing art are two very different actions. Those who have the visual ability to sit at a computer and research art works, are privileged because they have access to see it instantly. But physically entering a space to experience art gives one a better understanding of what they are encountering and you're also seeing it, hopefully, under the right lighting conditions.




Minus Space makes it very clear that their goal is to show work from artists that are specific to the space itself. 


Robert Swain's paints and color samples and charts were on display at Minus Space that morning....

The Sculpture Center

November 6th, 2010

After the PS 1 MoMA trip, our class headed to The Sculpture Center. We were able to walk through 

sculptures for the first time since our trip upstate to Storm King. The Sculpture Center is a lot more industrial and experimental, while Storm King is also industrial, it emphasizes human - made sculptures in reference to

nature. For more information on what we saw at the Sculpture, feel free to click on the underlined headings, which will direct you to their official press releases.

September 13 - November 29, 2010

Lara Schnitger: Two Masters and Her Vile Perfume

September 13 - November 29, 2010

In Practice Projects, Fall 2010

Justin Matherly, Lior Shvil, Josh Tonsfeldt, Viola Yesiltac

Art Book Fair at PS 1 MoMA

November 6th, 2010

The BEST thing in the art world to experience, is the removal of all art in a museum

only to be filled by 

BOOKS!!!

Death to Text?  Death of Text?

The handmade quality and personal stamp on art is always an issue.  Especially in our contemporary society as paper and text information turns digital and our 'lifeline' is the internet.    

During the Art Book Fair at PS1 MoMA, showcases works that combine concept with the charming 
"object-ness"  of handmade artists books from major publishers to local galleries and artists. Though the fair was a bit overwhelming due to the volume of artists, viewers are encouraged to actually touch the art!!!!  The best part of the experience is the disregard to the commercial world, while maintaining aesthetic uniqueness to each work of art.  

Completely inspired to make books, I have also been inspired to make my own comics. After coming across Liz Prince, I fell in love with what art had become: F U N. Yes, why can't art be fun? Art is not about art anymore. Does it always have to be so serious? I think that could be one of the reasons as to why the Art Book Fair happened as an explosion of ideas and inspiration, artists want their work to be accessible. The economy is affecting how we make art and we all need to find a way of just making art to keep the creative process going.

Storm King

October 30th 2010

Up to this point our class has primarily seen art in galleries and museums. We have seen art in all 

disciplines, shapes, and sizes however nothing can compare to the Storm King Art Center .  The work is site specific and interacts with the nature that surrounds each sculpture. The work ranges from five to several 
hundred feet and works in the collection are from the 1950's to installations made this year. Standing before 
the sculptures in the serene landscape you are transported into the work. Not to mention we were extremely 
lucky to have such great weather.  

Stephen Talasnik

Ursula von Rydingsvard

Maya Lin