Trevor, The links were out of date. How do you ever get anything done reading The Onion! I was trapped there for a half hour looking. Excellent comment on artist statements. They are there to aid the reviewers who are mostly fairly clueless and appreciate a hand-out so that they can meet a deadline, the prize committee, and some students who will get ten points towards there final grade. My advice to artists is always use a professional writer. As a exhibition organizer or juror I never read artists statements. I AM swayed by really spiffy personal logos and nice paper. AZ LOOKAROUND - Since 1978 http://www.panoramacamera.us > -------- Original Message -------- > Subject: [SPAM] Re: Kemper Museum revisited > From: Trevor Cunningham <trevor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> > Date: Fri, January 28, 2011 12:42 am > To: List for Photo/Imaging Educators - Professionals - Students > <photoforum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> > > > I think, somewhere in this discussion, the words "artist's statement" > were mentioned. Maybe I'm wrong. But anyway, I've always wondered at the > purpose of these pieces of writing. Sans statement, a piece or > collection stands free to be taken in, chewed, spit back out, stomped > upon, swept up, and thrown in the trash or storage. Is an artist's > statement intended to prolong or prevent the chewing? Intensify or > prevent the stomping? Or ensure its path into the archive or > institutional memory (in the case of perishable art)? As for chewing, > does it really matter what's being said just so long as it's being said? > > I'm of the opinion that an artist's statement is a translation of a body > of work so that more people understand the purpose, assuming it's not > BS. Often required by galleries and such, do they serve more to save a > gallery staff the burden of communicating what the piece failed to do in > the first place? The wedding piece of discussion here, Lea's perception > was changed upon learning more about the process, while on it's own, the > piece was merely a gratuitously placed wedding memory. > > As for performance art: > http://www.theonion.com/articles/performance-artist-shocks-us-out-of-apathetic-stup,251/ > > An less related, but very true: > http://www.theonion.com/articles/study-family-history-of-alcoholism-raises-risk-of,18863/ > > On 1/28/11 1:19 AM, Lea Murphy wrote: > > I took a long lunch and revisited the Kemper hoping to find a docent > > available. I was told that docent visits are by appointment only. > > > > The woman at the desk asked if she could help me and I was only too > > happy to let her know I had some questions about how two particular > > pieces of art came to be hanging in the museum. > > > > She asked which two and when I told her she agreed that the woman with > > the red face was a piece she didn't care for at all, either. > > > > Here is a link to the image: > > http://messengerbird.com/news/2008/12/15/jaimie-warren/ > > > > But HOW did it land here, I asked. > > > > It ends up that the creator, Jaimie Warren, GIFTED it to the museum. > > > > Jaimie lives in Kansas City, is more of a performance artist than a > > photographer (as I think of the term photographer) and does workshops > > in collaboration with the museum, especially programs aimed at > > interesting children in art. As best I understand it Jaimie does her > > 'performance art' by setting the stage for herself then hands her > > camera off to someone else who takes the photograph. Is THAT a being a > > photographer? Hmmmmm. > > > > The very helpful woman at the desk further informed me that the Kemper > > Museum has a team who recommends what purchases to make to the the > > acquisitions team who in turn make recommendations to Mr. Kemper who > > writes the checks and buys the art. The Kemper is privately owned and > > open to all, free of charge. > > > > Desk Helper completely understood my interest in how something so > > unarty (my words) could be hanging in a museum. > > > > She assured me that many voices and many sets of eyes look at each > > piece acquired. > > > > Gifting. That answered a lot of my questions. > > > > So far as Tina Barney's wedding photograph is concerned, I sent an > > email to a friend who is a docent at the Kemper and she wrote this in > > reply: > > > > That's a piece by Tina Barney. Love her or hate her. Anyway, she > > takes photos that are posed to look as if they're NOT posed--sort of a > > huge snapshot. She chooses the clothing (bridesmaid ca. 1965?) and > > hair, and then goes for a story telling shot. When I've toured it > > with kids, I've asked them to tell me what's going on--who's mad at > > whom, etc. They love it. Great photography? I'll let you be the > > judge of that. > > > > Knowing it's a staged photo completely changes my perception of it. It > > doesn't move it to the level of art in my mind but I can appreciate > > that the photographer was striving to say something, get a rise out of > > the viewer, that it wasn't an accident blown up really, really big and > > hung on the museum wall. > > > > These pieces, by the way, are part of the exhibit called Make it > > Strange, Developing a Medium which presents images curated in order to > > show photography's ability to represent things for 'what else they > > are', the distanced approach to reality that offers viewers an > > alternate mode of seeing. It hopes to demonstrate how photography > > disrupts perception with a defamiliarizing effect. > > > > ******* > > > > I feel very fortunate to live so close to two excellent museums, The > > Nelson-Atkins Bloch Museum and The Kemper. By living close it's easy > > to take advantage of what they exhibit, that they are open free to the > > public makes it almost criminal not to go. To put your eyes so close > > to a painting as to see the brush strokes that made it, to see > > fingerprints of the artist who sculpted a piece or to gaze deep into > > the tones of a photographic print made by a master is an overwhelming > > experience. I am not ashamed to say I have left these museums with > > tears in my eyes more often than not. > > > > ******** > > > > Kim, I wrote that I was uneducated in art not with any shame but to > > show point of reference...basically that my views come from what I > > see, read and think about what I've seen and read, not from having > > spent hours in a classroom. I love that all the world...books, > > magazines, the web, fellow artists, museums, galleries and my own > > brain are my classroom. I try to learn a little something every day > > and I'm usually successful. > > > > Lea > > > > > > your kids . my camera . we'll click > > www.leamurphy.com <http://www.leamurphy.com> > > > > > > > > > >
