Herschel Lilly Tomlin said something like: "Being cynical is difficult. It's so hard to keep up." Nobody GETS themselves into museum collections. The only small chance of showing work in your local museum is in a special exhibit showcasing local artists. To get in anywhere besides a coffee shop you need a resume that shows you have been exhibiting regularly and recently. These people are not rubes. You look at what's hanging and ask yourself if you'd be comfortable showing there. You must decide if you are interested in a sales gallery. Some people's work is obviously more suited for sales. Most artists I know do not have the time to hit the bricks and promote themselves. It never occurs to some that it is absolutely necessary. And for Pete's sake, get a professional to write your artist statement! Another thing - your not liking somebody you may see in a museum may put you in the company of some very knowledgeable critics. AZ LOOKAROUND - Since 1978 http://www.panoramacamera.us > -------- Original Message -------- > Subject: [SPAM] Re: museum collections? > From: Herschel Mair <herschel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> > Date: Mon, January 24, 2011 6:33 pm > To: List for Photo/Imaging Educators - Professionals - Students > <photoforum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> > > > Lea, > Art is confusing > Picasso was able to make a painting of one thing that brought another > thing to mind in the viewer. > His hard-lined cubist portraits, although they weren't likenesses in the > conventional sense, still managed to capture aspects of the sitter's > personality. > > Ask yourself how you could make a photograph of something that would > cast light on something unrelated. A picture of an apple that led you to > better understand a man. > > There's something ambiguous called "Gesture" which says that the image > kinda sorta doesn't really say anything out loud but has a "Something" > about it that challenges the viewer or opens a dialogue with the > viewer... kinda like it waved at you when you walked past... > > Note that art doesn't require any technical excellence... they don't > need to be in focus or be well exposed etc. One must leave all that behind. > Art Photographs" should not make you say "Nice lighting" or "Great > detail" any more than great paintings are great because of the brush > strokes. > > Being a commercial photographer is a big minus if you want to enter the > world of art. > > You first need an artist statement and then you need an intellectual, > socio-political, standpoint on which your work is based. How well the > BODY of work meets the intentions of your artist's statement and how > well they interpret the intellectual observations... AS A BODY of work > (Maybe 40 to 60 images) will determine whether a museum/gallery will be > interested. MAYBE > > Art is only ART if somebody absolutely HATES it. Rather that > approaching a photograph with a preconceived idea of what it SHOULD be, > accept it for what it is and ask yourself what stories it brings to > mind. How could you be in a conversation with it.... > > Mostly it's a matter of Bullshit-baffles-brains. If you really want to > be in galleries you have to devote a good chunk of time working on stuff > specifically for that purpose. > 1. Find a museum you'd like to be in > 2. Go to the parties that the "NEW MEDIA" buyer goes to. > 3. Strike up a friendship and let her know you're deep and miserable > about art and the status quo. > 4. on the 3rd or 4th party let it slip that you're working on a project > that screams on behalf of mother earth as she's raped by the corporate > Poisoners. > 5. Call her up at the office and ask if you can come round and show her > some work. > 6. Take all the frames that you threw in the garbage (The first 2 as you > load a roll) and print them to 2x3 inches, Black and white SILVER prints > mount them in 20" square mattes and submit them. > Buy wine and cheese > Herschel > > > On 1/24/11 2:41 PM, lookaround360@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote: > > Lea, > > > > You have to look at a lot of art in a lot of museums. An art museum is > > not necessarily an art gallery. Museums collect works that may represent > > various styles and spans of time including the present. They may focus > > on regional art, or local collections. Contemporary art is very > > difficult for most of us to comprehend without an MFA where you learn > > that really good art should get you aroused (not that way!) Seriously, I > > often come out of Contemporary art museums angry and I have an MFA. Just > > don't let anyone hear you say "my kid could'a done that." Museums tend > > to purchase the "usual suspects" that have been blessed by the art > > establishment. That doesn't mean it isn't good art. So, who managed to > > annoy you most in the Kemper? > > > > AZ > > > > > > LOOKAROUND - Since 1978 > > http://www.panoramacamera.us > > > >> -------- Original Message -------- > >> Subject: [SPAM] museum collections? > >> From: Lea Murphy<lea@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> > >> Date: Mon, January 24, 2011 2:38 pm > >> To: List for Photo/Imaging Educators - Professionals - Students > >> <photoforum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> > >> > >> > >> Does anyone here have images in a museum collection? > >> > >> If so, would you share your experiences as to how that came about? > >> > >> I ask because this past weekend I went to see an exhibit at our Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art and saw a few things hanging in the show that, had I taken them, I'm sure I would have deleted from my media card before they ever took up residence on my hard drive. > >> > >> I know nothing of how a museum acquires images and am interested in learning more. > >> > >> Curious minds want to know. > >> > >> Lea > >> > >> your kids . my camera . we'll click > >> www.leamurphy.com > >
