> VAA BLOG CLOSES
As of today, and until further (if any) notice, this VAA Blog will be closed from my further entries due to lack of feedback, and due to the priority of ending/winning the Global War Of Terror.
For those who did read this Blog from time to time, thank you.
As and if or when socio-economic circumstances change, and if the cyber-masters deem it "permissable," then this VAA Blog may, or may not, reappear.
Thank you for your consideration, if you actually offered or gave any.
"Are you thinking of telephones and managers
and where you've got to be at noon?
You are living a reality
I left long ago
it quite nearly killed me..."
Thursday, February 08, 2007
February 2007 Page 3
> OUR FIGHTERS ARE DYING IN THE GLOBAL WAR OF TERROR
"Trails West!® Festival, St. Joseph, Missouri
(St. Joseph, MO)–Applications are available for artists and crafters wishing to participate in the 15th annual Trails West!® Festival, August 17 -19, 2007.
Trails West!® is an outdoor arts festival celebrating the unique cultural heritage of St. Joseph, MO. Now in its 15th year, the festival features fine arts, folk arts and fine crafts. Trails West!® is a juried fine art and fine craft show with space for 50-60 artists and crafters. Our goal is to present a well-rounded show, but there is no predetermined number or percentage of spaces established for
any category.
Applications are available on the Trails West!® web site at www.Trailswest.org.
Links are provided for easy access to guidelines and applications for both fine arts and crafts. To receive a hard copy of the application, contact the Allied Arts Office.
Categories for visual artists to sell and display include:
Jewelry, Fiber/Wearable, Glass, Painting, Sculpture, Photography,
Pottery & Ceramics, Mixed Media,
Drawing/Printmaking, Graphics
Categories for crafters to sell and display include:
Apparel, Ceramics, Packaged Food, Furniture, Glass, Home Decor, Fiber/Wood/Leather, Jewelry, Sculpture, Quilting
Applications must be received in the AAC office by 5:00 p.m. March 1, 2007
For more information contact the Allied Arts Council: 816-233-0231, email artstaff@stjoearts.org."
"Trails West!® Festival, St. Joseph, Missouri
(St. Joseph, MO)–Applications are available for artists and crafters wishing to participate in the 15th annual Trails West!® Festival, August 17 -19, 2007.
Trails West!® is an outdoor arts festival celebrating the unique cultural heritage of St. Joseph, MO. Now in its 15th year, the festival features fine arts, folk arts and fine crafts. Trails West!® is a juried fine art and fine craft show with space for 50-60 artists and crafters. Our goal is to present a well-rounded show, but there is no predetermined number or percentage of spaces established for
any category.
Applications are available on the Trails West!® web site at www.Trailswest.org.
Links are provided for easy access to guidelines and applications for both fine arts and crafts. To receive a hard copy of the application, contact the Allied Arts Office.
Categories for visual artists to sell and display include:
Jewelry, Fiber/Wearable, Glass, Painting, Sculpture, Photography,
Pottery & Ceramics, Mixed Media,
Drawing/Printmaking, Graphics
Categories for crafters to sell and display include:
Apparel, Ceramics, Packaged Food, Furniture, Glass, Home Decor, Fiber/Wood/Leather, Jewelry, Sculpture, Quilting
Applications must be received in the AAC office by 5:00 p.m. March 1, 2007
For more information contact the Allied Arts Council: 816-233-0231, email artstaff@stjoearts.org."
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
February 2007 Page 2
> OPPORTUNITY
Artist Opportunities: Columbia Festival of the Arts
(Columbia, MO)–Applications are available for artists wishing to participate in the 16th annual Columbia Festival of the Arts, September 29 and 30, 2007. Artists can apply for the Commemorative Poster competition, and visual, performing or literary arts.
Applications are available on the Office of Cultural Affairs’ (OCA) web site at www.GoColumbiaMo.com/Arts/. The “Artist Opportunities” link provides easy access to guidelines for applying and the forms. The information can also be accessed via the city’s main page, www.GoColumbiaMo.com, by using the GoWord search option “GoArtsFestival”. To receive a hard copy of the application, contact the OCA.
Visual artists applying to the poster competition must be residents of Missouri. There is no residence restriction for participating in the visual, performing or literary arts. Categories for visual artists to sell and display work include ceramics, drawing/pastels, fiber, glass, jewelry, metalworks, mixed media, painting, photography, print making, sculpture and wood. Individuals or groups are eligible to apply for performing or literary arts. Literary artists must submit a printed version of material. All entries will be juried.
The postmark deadline for applications for the Commemorative Poster is March 15. The postmark deadline for visual, performing and literary arts applications is April 20.
For more information contact the OCA: 573-874-6386, email festival@GoColumbiaMo.com.
> FY 2007-08 FEDERAL ART BUDGET
With this well-intended message, I strongly disagree... not only because art should share the burden of sacrifice in time of war, but as well, because I believe that the obligation to "educate" Americans should NOT fall as an unfunded mandate upon museums. Having said that, I post here most of the text of a recent notice VAA has received from the fine organization known as AMERICANS FOR THE ARTS:
"President Bush today sent his FY 2008 budget request to Congress, beginning the yearly appropriations process for the nation’s cultural agencies and programs, including the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), Office of Museum Services (OMS), Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), and the Department of Education’s Arts in Education programs. We urge you to write your Members of Congress and tell them to support increased funding for the nation’s arts programs.
For the first time in three years, the President has initiated a proposed increase of 3.2 percent for the NEA, which would bring it to a total of $128.4 million. The Administration’s request for an increase is its first since 2005, and therefore is a step in the right direction. Moreover, it comes in the wake of strong signals from both parties in Congress that a funding increase is needed. Nevertheless, our government is significantly under-investing in the NEA, which used to receive much greater funding: in fact, in 1992, the NEA received $176 million. Americans for the Arts urges Congress to return NEA funding to its former level as quickly as possible.
The President asked for a 1.4 percent increase for the NEH, to $143 million. An increase of this size would not make up for the effects of inflation.
For the seventh consecutive year, the President’s budget has eliminated funding for the Department of Education’s Arts in Education programs, which include funding for model arts programs and collaborations with schools, teacher professional development, and arts programs for at-risk youth. Americans for theArts President and CEO Robert Lynch responded to the Administration's budget request with the following statement:
"It disappointing to see the Administration propose zeroing out funding for the seventh consecutive year to the Department of Education’s arts education programs. One of the best ways to nurture creativity, a necessity to prepare for a 21st-century workforce, is to have children learn and actively participate in the arts. The Administration needs to understand the role of arts education in developing an innovative and creative society. Studies show that students who participate in the arts are not only more likely to participate in a math and science fair but also out-perform their peers on the SATs by 103 points."
Also, the FY 2008 budget request calls for a cut of $50 million in already-approved funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). As a trusted community resource, CPB uses the power of noncommercial television and radio to enrich the lives of all Americans through quality programs and education services..."
Artist Opportunities: Columbia Festival of the Arts
(Columbia, MO)–Applications are available for artists wishing to participate in the 16th annual Columbia Festival of the Arts, September 29 and 30, 2007. Artists can apply for the Commemorative Poster competition, and visual, performing or literary arts.
Applications are available on the Office of Cultural Affairs’ (OCA) web site at www.GoColumbiaMo.com/Arts/. The “Artist Opportunities” link provides easy access to guidelines for applying and the forms. The information can also be accessed via the city’s main page, www.GoColumbiaMo.com, by using the GoWord search option “GoArtsFestival”. To receive a hard copy of the application, contact the OCA.
Visual artists applying to the poster competition must be residents of Missouri. There is no residence restriction for participating in the visual, performing or literary arts. Categories for visual artists to sell and display work include ceramics, drawing/pastels, fiber, glass, jewelry, metalworks, mixed media, painting, photography, print making, sculpture and wood. Individuals or groups are eligible to apply for performing or literary arts. Literary artists must submit a printed version of material. All entries will be juried.
The postmark deadline for applications for the Commemorative Poster is March 15. The postmark deadline for visual, performing and literary arts applications is April 20.
For more information contact the OCA: 573-874-6386, email festival@GoColumbiaMo.com.
> FY 2007-08 FEDERAL ART BUDGET
With this well-intended message, I strongly disagree... not only because art should share the burden of sacrifice in time of war, but as well, because I believe that the obligation to "educate" Americans should NOT fall as an unfunded mandate upon museums. Having said that, I post here most of the text of a recent notice VAA has received from the fine organization known as AMERICANS FOR THE ARTS:
"President Bush today sent his FY 2008 budget request to Congress, beginning the yearly appropriations process for the nation’s cultural agencies and programs, including the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), Office of Museum Services (OMS), Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), and the Department of Education’s Arts in Education programs. We urge you to write your Members of Congress and tell them to support increased funding for the nation’s arts programs.
For the first time in three years, the President has initiated a proposed increase of 3.2 percent for the NEA, which would bring it to a total of $128.4 million. The Administration’s request for an increase is its first since 2005, and therefore is a step in the right direction. Moreover, it comes in the wake of strong signals from both parties in Congress that a funding increase is needed. Nevertheless, our government is significantly under-investing in the NEA, which used to receive much greater funding: in fact, in 1992, the NEA received $176 million. Americans for the Arts urges Congress to return NEA funding to its former level as quickly as possible.
The President asked for a 1.4 percent increase for the NEH, to $143 million. An increase of this size would not make up for the effects of inflation.
For the seventh consecutive year, the President’s budget has eliminated funding for the Department of Education’s Arts in Education programs, which include funding for model arts programs and collaborations with schools, teacher professional development, and arts programs for at-risk youth. Americans for theArts President and CEO Robert Lynch responded to the Administration's budget request with the following statement:
"It disappointing to see the Administration propose zeroing out funding for the seventh consecutive year to the Department of Education’s arts education programs. One of the best ways to nurture creativity, a necessity to prepare for a 21st-century workforce, is to have children learn and actively participate in the arts. The Administration needs to understand the role of arts education in developing an innovative and creative society. Studies show that students who participate in the arts are not only more likely to participate in a math and science fair but also out-perform their peers on the SATs by 103 points."
Also, the FY 2008 budget request calls for a cut of $50 million in already-approved funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). As a trusted community resource, CPB uses the power of noncommercial television and radio to enrich the lives of all Americans through quality programs and education services..."
Monday, February 05, 2007
Volume 7 Number 2, February 2007
> PRIORITIES
I'm having a harder and harder time prioritizing "art" to be the first thing to be concerned about, when the world outside of art and museums is at war against, or with, Islamic (and other) religious fundamentalism.
It seems to me, respectfully, that so long as any of us in the art businesses persist in behaving as if things were "normal" when they aren't, then we are contributing to a potential outcome the likes of which none of us can imagine.
The number of "clients" VAA has lost due to my focus upon war, is incalculable. The outcome of my attentions upon my family, is likewise incalculable. Yet, I must attend to THE priority, and have provided for them as best I could. I hope for their blessings and patience... and, I hope for them to have valor.
When, and if, wars are won, or lost... then ordinary people can rightfully return to our personal priorities. There ARE times, such as we are all now in, when war takes precedence.
From all that I have seen, and witnessed, it appears that an insufficient number of us realizes how truly dire our circumstances are...
Artists, bless their hearts and souls, will contiinue making art... as did the incarcerated during the Nazi Holocaust.
To my way of thinking, if we do not rise up and defeat the declared enemy before us all worldwide, then art, as it were and is, will have become meaningless.
I am at a loss to supply adequate words...
Everything most of us believe in, and have given our hearts to, could fall like a house of cards... into nothingness, unless or until THIS unique war is won... it is a war of many known and unknown domestic and international dimensions.
There does not exist a "saviour," other than ourselves.
Darwin was correct.
"Survival of the fittest."
Are WE "fit"?
ABOLISH:
- Electoral College
- Gerrymandering
- Closed Primaries
- Eminent Domain
- Sovereign Immunity
"Ars longa, vita brevis"
I'm having a harder and harder time prioritizing "art" to be the first thing to be concerned about, when the world outside of art and museums is at war against, or with, Islamic (and other) religious fundamentalism.
It seems to me, respectfully, that so long as any of us in the art businesses persist in behaving as if things were "normal" when they aren't, then we are contributing to a potential outcome the likes of which none of us can imagine.
The number of "clients" VAA has lost due to my focus upon war, is incalculable. The outcome of my attentions upon my family, is likewise incalculable. Yet, I must attend to THE priority, and have provided for them as best I could. I hope for their blessings and patience... and, I hope for them to have valor.
When, and if, wars are won, or lost... then ordinary people can rightfully return to our personal priorities. There ARE times, such as we are all now in, when war takes precedence.
From all that I have seen, and witnessed, it appears that an insufficient number of us realizes how truly dire our circumstances are...
Artists, bless their hearts and souls, will contiinue making art... as did the incarcerated during the Nazi Holocaust.
To my way of thinking, if we do not rise up and defeat the declared enemy before us all worldwide, then art, as it were and is, will have become meaningless.
I am at a loss to supply adequate words...
Everything most of us believe in, and have given our hearts to, could fall like a house of cards... into nothingness, unless or until THIS unique war is won... it is a war of many known and unknown domestic and international dimensions.
There does not exist a "saviour," other than ourselves.
Darwin was correct.
"Survival of the fittest."
Are WE "fit"?
ABOLISH:
- Electoral College
- Gerrymandering
- Closed Primaries
- Eminent Domain
- Sovereign Immunity
"Ars longa, vita brevis"
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
January 2007 Page 9
> VAAx20
Come one and all, who dare and are willing or able.
Sunday
January 28, 2007
3-5PM
801 25th Street
San Francisco
I will be there.
Come one and all, who dare and are willing or able.
Sunday
January 28, 2007
3-5PM
801 25th Street
San Francisco
I will be there.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
January 2007 Page 8
> NEW ORLEANS - INTERNATIONAL SCULPTURE BIENNIAL
To All,
Fairfax Dorn, Peter Lundberg and I are in the process of developing an International Sculpture Biennial for the City of New Orleans , featuring local, state, national and international artists.
We are hoping to receive state support for such a monumental task. The plan is to open the exhibition in August 2007. We have a long way to go in a very short time. As evidence of the NPR broadcast forwarded it is essential this exhibition take place in 2007. Fairfax, Peter and I ask that you support this project in every way possible especially with letters of support to: Pam Breaux with the Convention, Recreation and Tourism
office with the Lt. Governors office.
pbreaux@crt.state.la.us
Please forward this message to gather more support.
Thank you,
Michael Manjarris
To All,
Fairfax Dorn, Peter Lundberg and I are in the process of developing an International Sculpture Biennial for the City of New Orleans , featuring local, state, national and international artists.
We are hoping to receive state support for such a monumental task. The plan is to open the exhibition in August 2007. We have a long way to go in a very short time. As evidence of the NPR broadcast forwarded it is essential this exhibition take place in 2007. Fairfax, Peter and I ask that you support this project in every way possible especially with letters of support to: Pam Breaux with the Convention, Recreation and Tourism
office with the Lt. Governors office.
pbreaux@crt.state.la.us
Please forward this message to gather more support.
Thank you,
Michael Manjarris
Monday, January 15, 2007
January 2007 Page 7
> VAAx20 ANNIVERSARY PARTY
Don't forget to attend, if willing and able:
Sunday
January 28th, 2007
3-5PM
801 25th St.
San Francisco
VISUAL ART ACCESS has reached the milestone of 20 years, and we have this chance to reunite AMERICAN SURREALIST INITIATIVE artists as well... thanks to Nancy Russell, Jerry Barrish and Circles Art, Inc.
Many have said they plan to be there, and some are coming from far away.
Bring food and camera, family and friends... all are welcome.
> ARTIST ESTATES
VAA is, today, primarily interested in helping mature artists handle their estate planning.
You worked for a lifetime, made a lot of art, invested probably uncounted dollars... to say nothing of relationships. Now what!
When I was a much younger man, I envisioned a world in which art schools, dealers, appraisers, museums, framers, conservators, shippers, insurers, galleries, historians, web-designers, assistants, publishers and all others who have made their livings from artists might step forward to provide artists with a retirement home and health care option... where an artist could obtain a bit of peace after a lifetime of paying for that which is not for sale. I once imagined that there should be free and open exchange of information.
Yet, here we are. There ARE solutions to the problems artists face, or will or should, one day, resolve.
You have an estate. It must be dealt with.
If we fail to deal with it, then those who made their livings from art will benefit most, again. And, what is worse, the ones we leave behind will be forced, by law, to make up for our failings to create a sensible plan.
> THE COST OF FREE MUSEUM ADMISSION
- In 2004 the median entrance fee to an art museum was $7
- The median cost to the museum for each visitor was $35.98
- Admissions income provides about 5% of operating budget to art museums
- 18% of operating revenue in art museums comes from gift shop, space/parking rental and food service
- in 1950 there were roughly 100 art museums in America
- in 2007 the AAM counts 750+ art museums in America
- Art museums are 16% of all American museums
- It is said that there are currently 4,000 art museums in America
MOMA and THE MET charge $20 entrance fee per person.
The Federal minimum wage is, today, $5.15/hour. In two years, it may rise to $7.25. At that rate, it would require a minimum wage worker to expend almost 3 hours of labor... just to get in the door of those two museums.
Our national museums in Washington DC are, still, free admission.
> AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF MUSEUMS ANNUAL MEETING
Chicago
May 13-17
Lakeside Center, McCormick Place
I urge all artists who wish to fully understand museums, to attend and have their eyes opened wide.
www.aam-us.org
> LOOTED ART TREASURES IN IRAQ
Whenever war comes, cultural treasures are always looted, destroyed or "lost."
Army Reserve Major Corine Wegener (Ret.), an associate curator at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, was deployed to Iraq for a year after the invasion to help rebuild the Iraq Museum.
She is valiantly attempting to set up an American branch of "BLUE SHEILD"... a committee set up in 1996 to respond to armed conflicts that threaten cultural property. She is trying to put in place some training through Army Civil Affairs on how to give first aid to cultural property.
Please investigate and support her work.
Don't forget to attend, if willing and able:
Sunday
January 28th, 2007
3-5PM
801 25th St.
San Francisco
VISUAL ART ACCESS has reached the milestone of 20 years, and we have this chance to reunite AMERICAN SURREALIST INITIATIVE artists as well... thanks to Nancy Russell, Jerry Barrish and Circles Art, Inc.
Many have said they plan to be there, and some are coming from far away.
Bring food and camera, family and friends... all are welcome.
> ARTIST ESTATES
VAA is, today, primarily interested in helping mature artists handle their estate planning.
You worked for a lifetime, made a lot of art, invested probably uncounted dollars... to say nothing of relationships. Now what!
When I was a much younger man, I envisioned a world in which art schools, dealers, appraisers, museums, framers, conservators, shippers, insurers, galleries, historians, web-designers, assistants, publishers and all others who have made their livings from artists might step forward to provide artists with a retirement home and health care option... where an artist could obtain a bit of peace after a lifetime of paying for that which is not for sale. I once imagined that there should be free and open exchange of information.
Yet, here we are. There ARE solutions to the problems artists face, or will or should, one day, resolve.
You have an estate. It must be dealt with.
If we fail to deal with it, then those who made their livings from art will benefit most, again. And, what is worse, the ones we leave behind will be forced, by law, to make up for our failings to create a sensible plan.
> THE COST OF FREE MUSEUM ADMISSION
- In 2004 the median entrance fee to an art museum was $7
- The median cost to the museum for each visitor was $35.98
- Admissions income provides about 5% of operating budget to art museums
- 18% of operating revenue in art museums comes from gift shop, space/parking rental and food service
- in 1950 there were roughly 100 art museums in America
- in 2007 the AAM counts 750+ art museums in America
- Art museums are 16% of all American museums
- It is said that there are currently 4,000 art museums in America
MOMA and THE MET charge $20 entrance fee per person.
The Federal minimum wage is, today, $5.15/hour. In two years, it may rise to $7.25. At that rate, it would require a minimum wage worker to expend almost 3 hours of labor... just to get in the door of those two museums.
Our national museums in Washington DC are, still, free admission.
> AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF MUSEUMS ANNUAL MEETING
Chicago
May 13-17
Lakeside Center, McCormick Place
I urge all artists who wish to fully understand museums, to attend and have their eyes opened wide.
www.aam-us.org
> LOOTED ART TREASURES IN IRAQ
Whenever war comes, cultural treasures are always looted, destroyed or "lost."
Army Reserve Major Corine Wegener (Ret.), an associate curator at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, was deployed to Iraq for a year after the invasion to help rebuild the Iraq Museum.
She is valiantly attempting to set up an American branch of "BLUE SHEILD"... a committee set up in 1996 to respond to armed conflicts that threaten cultural property. She is trying to put in place some training through Army Civil Affairs on how to give first aid to cultural property.
Please investigate and support her work.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
January 2007 Page 6
> ART FOOD
You are invited to an Arts Roundtable Legislative Lunch
Friday, January 19, 2007
11:30 AM to 1 PM
Regional Arts Commission
6128 Delmar
(on The Loop across from The Pageant)
>>>> COULD SOMEONE PLEASE TELL US WHAT TOWN 6128 DELMAR IS IN? <<<<
Cost: $12
JOIN THE FOLLOWING ELECTED OFFICIALS FOR LUNCH
TO EXPLAIN HOW IMPORTANT THE ARTS ARE TO YOU AND YOUR COMMUNITY!!
Representative Marie Chapelle Nadal
Representative Rachael Storch
Representative Walt Bivins
Representative Robin Wright-Jones
Representative Clint Zweifel
Representative John Bowman
Representative Pat Yeager
Senator Rita Days
Senator Mike Gibbons
Senator Harry Kennedy
Senator John Loudon
RSVP: Carol Anthony at carol@stlrac.org or 314-863- 5811
Missouri Citizens for the Arts
email: mo4arts@swbell.net
phone: 314.383.6644
web: http://www.missouricitizensforthearts.org
> CITIZENS DAY RECEPTION
Missouri Citizens for the Arts is happy to announce that the Citizens' Day Reception on February 7, 2007 has been moved to the Governor's Mansion from 4-6 pm.
Generous sponsors for this event include Sharon and Lance Beshore, Dr. and Mrs. Michael D. Frost and Leggett & Platt, Inc.
For more information on the day's events, please visit the event web site below.
Citizens' Day at the Legislature
>>>> COULD SOMEONE PLEASE TELL US WHAT THE ADDRESS OF THE GOVERNOR'S MANSION IS? <<<<
Missouri Citizens for the Arts
email: mo4arts@swbell.net
phone: 314.383.6644
web: http://www.missouricitizensforthearts.org
You are invited to an Arts Roundtable Legislative Lunch
Friday, January 19, 2007
11:30 AM to 1 PM
Regional Arts Commission
6128 Delmar
(on The Loop across from The Pageant)
>>>> COULD SOMEONE PLEASE TELL US WHAT TOWN 6128 DELMAR IS IN? <<<<
Cost: $12
JOIN THE FOLLOWING ELECTED OFFICIALS FOR LUNCH
TO EXPLAIN HOW IMPORTANT THE ARTS ARE TO YOU AND YOUR COMMUNITY!!
Representative Marie Chapelle Nadal
Representative Rachael Storch
Representative Walt Bivins
Representative Robin Wright-Jones
Representative Clint Zweifel
Representative John Bowman
Representative Pat Yeager
Senator Rita Days
Senator Mike Gibbons
Senator Harry Kennedy
Senator John Loudon
RSVP: Carol Anthony at carol@stlrac.org or 314-863- 5811
Missouri Citizens for the Arts
email: mo4arts@swbell.net
phone: 314.383.6644
web: http://www.missouricitizensforthearts.org
> CITIZENS DAY RECEPTION
Missouri Citizens for the Arts is happy to announce that the Citizens' Day Reception on February 7, 2007 has been moved to the Governor's Mansion from 4-6 pm.
Generous sponsors for this event include Sharon and Lance Beshore, Dr. and Mrs. Michael D. Frost and Leggett & Platt, Inc.
For more information on the day's events, please visit the event web site below.
Citizens' Day at the Legislature
>>>> COULD SOMEONE PLEASE TELL US WHAT THE ADDRESS OF THE GOVERNOR'S MANSION IS? <<<<
Missouri Citizens for the Arts
email: mo4arts@swbell.net
phone: 314.383.6644
web: http://www.missouricitizensforthearts.org
Monday, January 08, 2007
January 2007 Page 5
> SHLOCK ART
For the first time in my career I visited a "Starving Artist Sale" at our local Holiday Inn. It was set up for 2 days, from 11-4PM.
What I found there was amazing, and a revelation.
The room was FILLED with people (on a Sunday!), ordinary people, couples and singles of all ages, some with their children. I have never seen the like of it outside of an auction setting.
People were carefully selecting paintings, of many subjects and a few basic sizes, no piece priced at more than $60. At the edge of the showroom were mounds of empty frames for buyers to purchase.
At worst, a buyer left there having spent a maximum of $100 or less... and the stuff was (literally) "flying out the door."
> NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM
If you have not yet gone to see this current film, then please please PLEASE do so!
I laughed to the point of tears, for an hour.
Many were the times in the past 30+ years when I, myself, responded by saying that I love working in the museum when everyone is gone because the "art comes to life!"
It does! I swear...
For the first time in my career I visited a "Starving Artist Sale" at our local Holiday Inn. It was set up for 2 days, from 11-4PM.
What I found there was amazing, and a revelation.
The room was FILLED with people (on a Sunday!), ordinary people, couples and singles of all ages, some with their children. I have never seen the like of it outside of an auction setting.
People were carefully selecting paintings, of many subjects and a few basic sizes, no piece priced at more than $60. At the edge of the showroom were mounds of empty frames for buyers to purchase.
At worst, a buyer left there having spent a maximum of $100 or less... and the stuff was (literally) "flying out the door."
> NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM
If you have not yet gone to see this current film, then please please PLEASE do so!
I laughed to the point of tears, for an hour.
Many were the times in the past 30+ years when I, myself, responded by saying that I love working in the museum when everyone is gone because the "art comes to life!"
It does! I swear...
Friday, January 05, 2007
January 2007 Page 4
> KANSAS CITY ORCHESTRA'S LAWSUIT MAY THREATEN ALL MISSOURI ART FUNDING?
Symphony’s suit scaring some arts advocates
They worry that the KC orchestra’s court action jeopardizes their state aid.
By ROBERT TRUSSELL
The Kansas City Star
Leaders at the Kansas City Symphony thought it was time to do the right thing: Force the state of Missouri’s hand and make it live up to its commitments.
But some arts advocates fear that suing the state for $83 million — the amount that the symphony thinks the Missouri Cultural Trust has been shortchanged — may have alienated Gov. Matt Blunt and jeopardized future arts funding.
Mike Vangel, chairman of the Missouri Arts Council, called the lawsuit “ill-advised” and “baffling.”
“From my perspective, they’ve thrown a tantrum and put arts funding for everyone else in jeopardy,” Vangel said.
Janette Lohman, a St. Louis lawyer who is the president of Missouri Citizens for the Arts, a nonprofit lobbying group, said she had no advance warning about the lawsuit.
“If I had, I would have been on my knees begging them not to,” Lohman said. “There is not a single arts advocate in Missouri who would not advocate fully funding the trust. What amazes me is that Governor Blunt and his administration have all been working very closely with the arts organizations and the Missouri Arts Council to try and increase the funding.”
Since the lawsuit was filed last week in Cole County Circuit Court, word has rippled through nonprofit arts organizations across the state that the governor’s office had sent a message: All potential arts funding in the budget that the governor will announce on Jan. 24 has been withdrawn from consideration.
“The word I received from the governor’s staff was that when the lawsuit was filed, all the funds were off the table until further review,” said arts lobbyist Kyna Iman. “That has not been made official.”
Jessica Robinson, a spokeswoman for the governor, said she had no direct knowledge of any communication between the staff and arts advocates after the lawsuit. She added that the budget had not been finalized and that all funding proposals were still “on the table.”
She did suggest, however, that arts funding could be held back if the lawsuit dragged out for years.
“That is a potential,” she said. “The bottom line is that Governor Blunt has made a commitment to make sure that dedicated taxes are directed to the appropriate recipients.”
The Missouri Cultural Trust was created by statute in 1993. It was intended to be an endowment for the arts council and is funded by personal income taxes collected from out-of-state professional athletes and entertainers.
The legislation allows the General Assembly to transfer as much as $10 million a year into the trust with the goal of reaching $100 million to make the arts council self-sustaining.
But the annual transfers never approached $10 million. The previous governor, Bob Holden, faced with huge budget deficits, cut all funding to the trust for three consecutive years and in one of those years eliminated any money for the arts council.
The lawsuit argues that the payments into the trust are legal requirements, not options.
“We’re simply asking that everyone just follow the law,” said Frank Byrne, the symphony’s executive director. “The symphony took this step very reluctantly … but I think it was a sense of responsibility about the long-term security of the arts. … Sometimes someone has to step forward and take action.”
Marc Wilson, executive director of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, said he supported the lawsuit as a “statement of a moral position” and dismissed any threats to cut future arts funding as “childish.”
Jeff Bentley, the Kansas City Ballet’s executive director, said he understood the reactions of concern to the lawsuit.
“I wouldn’t want to see anything signaled to the governor that we didn’t appreciate the movement forward that (he has) shown quite clearly,” Bentley said. “On the other hand, it was something the legislature passed. It was a requirement, not a suggestion.”
But Vangel said he could appreciate the governor’s position.
“Just speaking as a citizen, it’s kind of hard for me to imagine the state is going to fund the arts when they’re being sued by the arts,” he said.
On Wednesday, Vangel wrote Blunt that the boards of the arts council and cultural trust viewed the “ill-advised, unilateral” lawsuit as a threat to the “spirit of cooperation” that the governor had forged with the arts community.
The episode has left Lohman with mixed emotions because of her respect for the symphony.
“The Kansas City Symphony is a pillar in the arts community,” she said. “That’s why we’re all in shock. Obviously they have their reasons, and obviously we are 100 percent behind them in wanting to get the trust funded. We just don’t agree with the method.”
Symphony’s suit scaring some arts advocates
They worry that the KC orchestra’s court action jeopardizes their state aid.
By ROBERT TRUSSELL
The Kansas City Star
Leaders at the Kansas City Symphony thought it was time to do the right thing: Force the state of Missouri’s hand and make it live up to its commitments.
But some arts advocates fear that suing the state for $83 million — the amount that the symphony thinks the Missouri Cultural Trust has been shortchanged — may have alienated Gov. Matt Blunt and jeopardized future arts funding.
Mike Vangel, chairman of the Missouri Arts Council, called the lawsuit “ill-advised” and “baffling.”
“From my perspective, they’ve thrown a tantrum and put arts funding for everyone else in jeopardy,” Vangel said.
Janette Lohman, a St. Louis lawyer who is the president of Missouri Citizens for the Arts, a nonprofit lobbying group, said she had no advance warning about the lawsuit.
“If I had, I would have been on my knees begging them not to,” Lohman said. “There is not a single arts advocate in Missouri who would not advocate fully funding the trust. What amazes me is that Governor Blunt and his administration have all been working very closely with the arts organizations and the Missouri Arts Council to try and increase the funding.”
Since the lawsuit was filed last week in Cole County Circuit Court, word has rippled through nonprofit arts organizations across the state that the governor’s office had sent a message: All potential arts funding in the budget that the governor will announce on Jan. 24 has been withdrawn from consideration.
“The word I received from the governor’s staff was that when the lawsuit was filed, all the funds were off the table until further review,” said arts lobbyist Kyna Iman. “That has not been made official.”
Jessica Robinson, a spokeswoman for the governor, said she had no direct knowledge of any communication between the staff and arts advocates after the lawsuit. She added that the budget had not been finalized and that all funding proposals were still “on the table.”
She did suggest, however, that arts funding could be held back if the lawsuit dragged out for years.
“That is a potential,” she said. “The bottom line is that Governor Blunt has made a commitment to make sure that dedicated taxes are directed to the appropriate recipients.”
The Missouri Cultural Trust was created by statute in 1993. It was intended to be an endowment for the arts council and is funded by personal income taxes collected from out-of-state professional athletes and entertainers.
The legislation allows the General Assembly to transfer as much as $10 million a year into the trust with the goal of reaching $100 million to make the arts council self-sustaining.
But the annual transfers never approached $10 million. The previous governor, Bob Holden, faced with huge budget deficits, cut all funding to the trust for three consecutive years and in one of those years eliminated any money for the arts council.
The lawsuit argues that the payments into the trust are legal requirements, not options.
“We’re simply asking that everyone just follow the law,” said Frank Byrne, the symphony’s executive director. “The symphony took this step very reluctantly … but I think it was a sense of responsibility about the long-term security of the arts. … Sometimes someone has to step forward and take action.”
Marc Wilson, executive director of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, said he supported the lawsuit as a “statement of a moral position” and dismissed any threats to cut future arts funding as “childish.”
Jeff Bentley, the Kansas City Ballet’s executive director, said he understood the reactions of concern to the lawsuit.
“I wouldn’t want to see anything signaled to the governor that we didn’t appreciate the movement forward that (he has) shown quite clearly,” Bentley said. “On the other hand, it was something the legislature passed. It was a requirement, not a suggestion.”
But Vangel said he could appreciate the governor’s position.
“Just speaking as a citizen, it’s kind of hard for me to imagine the state is going to fund the arts when they’re being sued by the arts,” he said.
On Wednesday, Vangel wrote Blunt that the boards of the arts council and cultural trust viewed the “ill-advised, unilateral” lawsuit as a threat to the “spirit of cooperation” that the governor had forged with the arts community.
The episode has left Lohman with mixed emotions because of her respect for the symphony.
“The Kansas City Symphony is a pillar in the arts community,” she said. “That’s why we’re all in shock. Obviously they have their reasons, and obviously we are 100 percent behind them in wanting to get the trust funded. We just don’t agree with the method.”
January 2007 Page 3
> A NEW BOOK WORTH READING
"Letters to a Young Artist"
Darte Publishing, New York
96 pages
$15 paperback
This book of 23 letters to a "young artist" seeking career advice from successful older ones (e.g. Gregory Amenoff, Jo Baer, Alex Katz, Adrian Piper, Elizabeth Murray, John Baldessari et al) would be a useful read in these days of so many artists wandering around in the commercialized wilderness of concept and technique.
In 20 years of private work with artists who, having created art which they believe is worthy, find it desirable or necessary to either "market" or be "recognized" (two VERY ambiguous words :-) for it, some of the advice offered in this book may not resolve either of those two common objectives, but it may make it easier to accept the consequences of making the effort.
From what I've seen of the book, it has some extremely good suggestions... which very few will heed, but ought to.
"Letters to a Young Artist"
Darte Publishing, New York
96 pages
$15 paperback
This book of 23 letters to a "young artist" seeking career advice from successful older ones (e.g. Gregory Amenoff, Jo Baer, Alex Katz, Adrian Piper, Elizabeth Murray, John Baldessari et al) would be a useful read in these days of so many artists wandering around in the commercialized wilderness of concept and technique.
In 20 years of private work with artists who, having created art which they believe is worthy, find it desirable or necessary to either "market" or be "recognized" (two VERY ambiguous words :-) for it, some of the advice offered in this book may not resolve either of those two common objectives, but it may make it easier to accept the consequences of making the effort.
From what I've seen of the book, it has some extremely good suggestions... which very few will heed, but ought to.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
January 2007 Page 2
> "TEMPTATIONS OF THE [ART] FAIR"
Peter Schjeldahl wrote (NEW YORKER magazine, Dec 25 - Jan 1, 2007 issue, page 148):
"In contemporary art, this is the decade of the fair, as the nineties were the decade of the biennial. Collectors, with piles of money, have displaced curators, with institutional clout, as arbiters of how new art becomes known and rated, and therefore of what it can mean: less and less, after qualifying as the platonic consumer good."
The entire two-page article is well worth reading, and archving, for any aspiring working artist.
I might add to his comment that "Educators" are ALSO well along in the process of displacing curators in museums; some of which have either eliminated curatorial positions entirely (as at the Norman Rockwell), or have subjugated curators to the whims and fads of socially engineered so-called "Education" in selection and presentation of exhibitions (as at the Brooklyn Museum.)
If what the author says is true, and I believe it is largely true, then artists need to aim their marketing approaches at Collectors with "piles of money" and at the dealers who service them.
> AUTOMATION '07
Exhibition runs January 6 through January 20, 2007
Opening Reception: Saturday, January 6, 2007 6PM - 10PM
From the birthplace of the automobile, and in concurrence with the 2007 North America International Auto Show, the Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit (CAID) presents Automation '07, the show that takes a look at the big idea that really got the Motor City rolling.
"Our material environment, aesthetics, and culture are dominated by the output of automation", says Exhibition Coordinator, Sambuddha Saha. "For the last century, systems of economic production and consumption have been underpinned by the ability to manufacture repeatable products in marketable volumes to predictable standards of quality. Abstraction, repetition, aggregation, encapsulation, order, and mass are some of the underlying principles on which modern work, leisure, society, and environment are organized and managed".
As the dominant modes of economic production and industrial organization mutate, adapt, and evolve, we search for our place in the new order of things. CAID has challenged the artistic community to pause, reflect on, recast, and reinvent the technologies that were once taken for granted. CAID invites the people of Detroit and its vast motor hinterland to join them in a skeptical celebration of the automated life.
Automation opens to the public on January 6 and runs through January 20 and will feature the work of Andrew Thompson, Oak Park, Michigan; Brandon Vickerd, Toronto, Ontario; Charles Fairbanks & Adrienne Vetter, Ann Arbor, Michigan; David Bowen, Deluth, Minnesota; Deva Eveland, Chicago, Illinois; Erin Swanson, Indianapolis, Indiana; Frank Pahl, Wyandotte, Michigan; Katharine Liesen, Detroit, Michigan; Melissa Machnee, Canton, Michigan; Mike Richison, Oak Park, Michigan; Moshe Quinn, San Francisco, California; Ryan Buyssens, Tawas City, Michigan; Tectonic Industries, St Paul, Minnesota; Teresa Petersen, Detroit, Michigan; and Tyler Bohm, Columbus, Ohio.
An opening reception to meet the artists will be held on January 6 from 6PM to 10PM. The reception is free and open to the public.
The Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit is open Saturdays from 12pm to 6pm or by appointment. Groups and classes are welcome. CAID is located in the Woodbridge Historic District at 5141 Rosa Parks Blvd, (two blocks north of Warren Avenue, two blocks south of the I-94 expressway, three blocks west of Trumbull Blvd.) Admission to the exhibition is free and free on street parking is available.
For further details, contact the Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit:
5141 Rosa Parks Boulevard
Detroit, Michigan 48208
313.899.CAID
info@thecaid.org
www.thecaid.org
Peter Schjeldahl wrote (NEW YORKER magazine, Dec 25 - Jan 1, 2007 issue, page 148):
"In contemporary art, this is the decade of the fair, as the nineties were the decade of the biennial. Collectors, with piles of money, have displaced curators, with institutional clout, as arbiters of how new art becomes known and rated, and therefore of what it can mean: less and less, after qualifying as the platonic consumer good."
The entire two-page article is well worth reading, and archving, for any aspiring working artist.
I might add to his comment that "Educators" are ALSO well along in the process of displacing curators in museums; some of which have either eliminated curatorial positions entirely (as at the Norman Rockwell), or have subjugated curators to the whims and fads of socially engineered so-called "Education" in selection and presentation of exhibitions (as at the Brooklyn Museum.)
If what the author says is true, and I believe it is largely true, then artists need to aim their marketing approaches at Collectors with "piles of money" and at the dealers who service them.
> AUTOMATION '07
Exhibition runs January 6 through January 20, 2007
Opening Reception: Saturday, January 6, 2007 6PM - 10PM
From the birthplace of the automobile, and in concurrence with the 2007 North America International Auto Show, the Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit (CAID) presents Automation '07, the show that takes a look at the big idea that really got the Motor City rolling.
"Our material environment, aesthetics, and culture are dominated by the output of automation", says Exhibition Coordinator, Sambuddha Saha. "For the last century, systems of economic production and consumption have been underpinned by the ability to manufacture repeatable products in marketable volumes to predictable standards of quality. Abstraction, repetition, aggregation, encapsulation, order, and mass are some of the underlying principles on which modern work, leisure, society, and environment are organized and managed".
As the dominant modes of economic production and industrial organization mutate, adapt, and evolve, we search for our place in the new order of things. CAID has challenged the artistic community to pause, reflect on, recast, and reinvent the technologies that were once taken for granted. CAID invites the people of Detroit and its vast motor hinterland to join them in a skeptical celebration of the automated life.
Automation opens to the public on January 6 and runs through January 20 and will feature the work of Andrew Thompson, Oak Park, Michigan; Brandon Vickerd, Toronto, Ontario; Charles Fairbanks & Adrienne Vetter, Ann Arbor, Michigan; David Bowen, Deluth, Minnesota; Deva Eveland, Chicago, Illinois; Erin Swanson, Indianapolis, Indiana; Frank Pahl, Wyandotte, Michigan; Katharine Liesen, Detroit, Michigan; Melissa Machnee, Canton, Michigan; Mike Richison, Oak Park, Michigan; Moshe Quinn, San Francisco, California; Ryan Buyssens, Tawas City, Michigan; Tectonic Industries, St Paul, Minnesota; Teresa Petersen, Detroit, Michigan; and Tyler Bohm, Columbus, Ohio.
An opening reception to meet the artists will be held on January 6 from 6PM to 10PM. The reception is free and open to the public.
The Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit is open Saturdays from 12pm to 6pm or by appointment. Groups and classes are welcome. CAID is located in the Woodbridge Historic District at 5141 Rosa Parks Blvd, (two blocks north of Warren Avenue, two blocks south of the I-94 expressway, three blocks west of Trumbull Blvd.) Admission to the exhibition is free and free on street parking is available.
For further details, contact the Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit:
5141 Rosa Parks Boulevard
Detroit, Michigan 48208
313.899.CAID
info@thecaid.org
www.thecaid.org
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Volume 7 Number 1 January 2007
> MISSOURI ARTS COUNCIL
MAC welcomes notifications about artist opportunities, conferences/workshops, and arts-related job postings for MACnotes. Please send submissions to Keiko C. Ishida at least two months in advance of the opportunity or registration deadline and workshop date. Submissions will be published if space allows and may be edited. If you have any feedback on MACnotes, please contact Keiko C. Ishida at toll free 866/407-4752, 314/340-6845, or keiko.ishida@ded.mo.gov.
Missouri Arts Council, a division of the Department of Economic Development, annually awards approximately $2 million in grants to 400 Missouri organizations for their art activities. As public leader, partner, and catalyst, MAC is dedicated to broadening the appreciation and availability of the arts in the state, and fostering the diversity, vitality, and excellence of Missouri's communities, economy, and cultural heritage.
Missouri Arts Council | NEW ADDRESS: 815 Olive Street, Suite 16, St. Louis, MO 63101-1503
314/340-6845 | Toll-Free: 866/407-4752 | TDD 800/735-2966 | Fax 314/340-7215 | www.missouriartscouncil.org
MAC welcomes notifications about artist opportunities, conferences/workshops, and arts-related job postings for MACnotes. Please send submissions to Keiko C. Ishida at least two months in advance of the opportunity or registration deadline and workshop date. Submissions will be published if space allows and may be edited. If you have any feedback on MACnotes, please contact Keiko C. Ishida at toll free 866/407-4752, 314/340-6845, or keiko.ishida@ded.mo.gov.
Missouri Arts Council, a division of the Department of Economic Development, annually awards approximately $2 million in grants to 400 Missouri organizations for their art activities. As public leader, partner, and catalyst, MAC is dedicated to broadening the appreciation and availability of the arts in the state, and fostering the diversity, vitality, and excellence of Missouri's communities, economy, and cultural heritage.
Missouri Arts Council | NEW ADDRESS: 815 Olive Street, Suite 16, St. Louis, MO 63101-1503
314/340-6845 | Toll-Free: 866/407-4752 | TDD 800/735-2966 | Fax 314/340-7215 | www.missouriartscouncil.org
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