» Intro to The Art World: A Beginners Reading List
You like art. You know nothing about it. Where to start? How about our beginners art reading list! This list is for all the friends over the years who have asked me what they should read to lear…
Super good list if you are thinking about expanding that mind of yours.
Bruce High Quality Foundation Teach 4 Amerika (school bus) 2011
Just purchased this to support one of the better art blogs out there, Art Fag City. Good print for a good cause.
Want to donate The Sound of Art fundraising campaign but haven’t had the time? Now is the time to do it! TODAY ONLY, those who donate 20 dollars or more will have their names entered in a raffle for the Sound of Art Limited Edition album, a $250 dollar package that includes not just the limited edition LP of 500, but a silkscreen made in response to the sounds of art installations, videos and performances on the album by celebrated artist Michael Smith. The raffle closes at midnight tonight, at which point we will collect the names and hold the draw. Tomorrow morning we announce the lucky winner! What’s more the more you donate, the greater your chances are to win. Here’s how the ticketing works: Donate $20 or more and your name will be entered in the draw once. Donate $50 dollars or more and your name will be entered three times. Finally, donate $100 and your name will be entered ten times! Keep in mind even the limited edition LP with a print by Michael Smith will be offered at the price of $250 for the campaign only. Once the Kickstarter campaign closes the price goes up. Now is the perfect time for donors at any level to pledge!
» Sometimes I really love Paddy Johnson
Over the weekend, Gawker’s Kelsey Keith pissed off a few readers with her latest Art Schooled column speculating on who will become the next Jeffrey Deitch. There’s been some minor theorizing of this ilk already from Alexandra Peers over at NYMagazine, which probably prompted Gawker’s post; Peers has the advantage of getting the details right. Setting aside the obvious — no one can replace Deitch, nor is it necessary to try —…I applaud Gawker for attempting to provide at least some art coverage, but its media mogul owner Nick Denton has to put a few more resources into the column for it to work. The blog receives close to 1.5 million readers daily — with a readership like that, the publication has an obligation to get a few more facts and details right.
For me, Art Fag City is really hit or miss, but when it hits, it really is dead on. Paddy Johnson says in regards to the “A Book About Death” show:
I’m not typically a fan of open calls (uncurated shows tend to attract those who can’t), but I can get behind a solid show concept employing the format. One such case can be seen in A book About Death, an exhibition asking over 1000 artists to produce an unbound book of 500 post cards. Conceived by Matthew Rose, the show couldn’t be more timely; it’s been a big year for death. Not to state the obvious, but Michael Jackson and Farah Fawcett’s death last Thursday gives us all quite a bit to respond to. Art Fag City, however, will take a different track; we’re considering submitting the subscription inserts of now-defunct magazines as our contribution to the project.
On point Johnson, on point.
via standardgrey
Frederic Edwin Church’s “Scene on the Magdalene” was recently sold by the National Academy Museum to raise money. Image and caption via Health Care Fine Art.
Normally, I’m not so big on Art Fag City, but this time they hit the nail almost entirely on the head. It was like a 75% hit with no bending. Probably because it’s an intern who wrote it and not the usual…anywho. Here we have it.
On the subject of a New York Times article titled, Bill Would Limit How New York Museums Could Use Money From Sales of Artworks, Art Fag City intern Karen Archey has this to say:
A shortsighted article on deaccessioning work from museums to pay operating costs. The government may pass a bill that puts strict regulations on deaccessioning art, yet museums are struggling to pay their bills from a lack of government and private support. What Pogrebin didn’t mention is that oftentimes museums are “forced” to accept additional donations with major donations (like 50 of your aunt’s paintings paired with one Koons) so the donor will get additional tax write-offs. Thus, the museum has to pay the overhead for the 50 bad paintings to be able to get the Koons, but can’t deaccession them even years later because of laws like this. via…
While this is completely on point, it neglects to acknowledge the rich as shit old people patrons who put these bills into motion for the “the benefit of our future generations” while fresh, smart, eager graduates working in archiving or conservation that get laid off because the Institution can’t cover the expense of having them on staff.
The truth is in every Museum, gallery, and even personal collections, are going to be some pieces that will stay, in the dark, stored away, never to be seen again. They aren’t as relevant to the program anymore, or personal taste, or change in curators, and it is destined to be tucked away and forgotten. These pieces, while no longer applicable to the current curatorial intentions, might be just perfect for some wealthy woman’s entryway, the waiting room for someone’s office, or the permanent collection of another museum.
My point is, that while it might not be the most ideal situation to deaccession one’s collection, there is an inherent advantage in having that art and it is expensive and silly to keep pieces just for the sake of keeping them.
