Playing with Contemporary Art

Jessica Stockholder, "Red Tube + Two", 2005

Season 3 artist Jessica Stockholder states, “What kids do with play is a kind of learning and thinking. It is a kind of learning and thinking that doesn’t have a predetermined end. I think I am involved in that.” Stockholder has spent a career exploring how disparate materials go together. After viewing the segment on Stockholder, the first graders in my art class got to explore their own unique sensibilities and create a sculpture based on intuitive thinking.

Dr. Stuart Brown, founder of the National Institute of Play, defines play as “a thing of beauty best appreciated by experiencing it.” This is what makes watching first graders explore the work and ideas of Jessica Stockholder so enjoyable. Just by setting out various materials (rubber bands, pipe-cleaners, tape, popsicle sticks, paperclips, straws), students can cheerfully and expressively create works while exploring the creative process. This type of innovation and creativity is what artists and art educators have been involved with for a long time It’s also the type of thinking that everyone from Daniel Pink to Apple to the Partnership for 21st Century Thinking Skills is talking about.

In a reflective class discussion upon completion of the sculptures, we examined what makes creating these works of art different from other ways of making sculpture. Most students responded to having fun while making the sculptures (6 and 7 year-olds tend to respond like this to most projects). Some responded excitedly about how they could easily take their sculpture apart and make something different. One student even pointed out how her sculpture included sound and motion. The idea of Play allows students to make artwork without the pressure of making Art.

Nate Morgan is an art teacher at the Hillside School in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, and also serves on the Art21 National Education Advisory Council.

Weekly Roundup

Josiah McElheny, "Chromatic Modernism (Blue, Red, Yellow)," 2008. Courtesy Donald Young Gallery.

• The Art of Caring: A Look at Life through Photography opened this past weekend at the New Orleans Museum of Art.  The show is comprised of over 200 photographs covering seven thematic components: Children and Family, Love, Wellness, Disaster, Caregiving and Healing, Aging, and Remembering. Among the many artists are Tina Barney, Nan Goldin, Chester Higgins, Nicholas Nixon, and  Season 1’s Sally Mann and William Wegman.

• Also opening this past weekend at the Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona is Time as Matter. The presentation of new acquisitions from the MACBA Collection covers the last fifty years in the history of art through installations, paintings, sculptures, photographs, collages, models, books, etc.  The show focuses on notions of time and life and play, and includes work from Franz Kline, Dieter Roth, Lawrence Weiner, Joan Jonas, Nancy Spero (Season 4), and more.

• The summer group show season is starting a little early this year.  At the Donald Young Gallery in Chicago is a selection of work from ten artists represented by the gallery including Rodney Graham, Josiah McElheny, Bruce Nauman, and Martin Puryear. Through August 15.

• As part of Le French May Arts Festival, an exhibition entitled A Passion for Creation at the Hong Kong Museum of Art cuils together a selection of large scale works from the Fondation Louis Vuitton pour la Creation. The show reflects on “an urban and energetic culture, leading to fictional landscapes, somewhere between dream and adventure.” Exhibiting artists include Jean-Michel Basquiat, Paul Chan, Cao-Fei, Pierre Huyghe (Season 4), Christian Marclay and others.

• Season 4 artist Judy Pfaff’s solo exhibition Constructed Paper is on view now at the Carl Solway Gallery in Cincinatti.

• An exhibition of selected photographs by Mike Kelley (Season 3) produced for Patrick Painter Editions is on view through July 11 at the Los Angeles space. The collection includes the series Timeless/Authorless, The Poetry of Form, and Photo Show Portrays the Familiar 1-26.

• The Big Sad, Barry McGee’s exhibition with Clare Rojas, just closed at the Riverside Art Museum.  But here is an interview from the exhibition with McGee (Season 1) on Current TV.

• At Triple Candie in Harlem is Selections from the Museo de Reproducciones Fotograficas. The quirky collection comprises 1,200 high-quality photographic reproductions cut from books on the visual arts, crafts, design, and architecture. Among other traits, the reproductions’ cataloguing records are incomplete and based exclusively on the objects’ original credit lines. The collection includes works by Laylah Ali (Season 3), Chris Ofili, Richard Prince, Mark Rothko, Richard Serra (Season 1), Lisa Yuskavage, and others. Through June 7.

• Jessica Stockholder’s solo exhibition Swiss Cheese Field is currently on view at Senior and Shopmaker. The show includes new monoprint constructions that coincide with both Flooded Chambers Maid, the Season 3 artist’s first major outdoor installation in the U.S. presented by Madison Square Park, and Sail Cloth Tears, a concurrent solo exhibition of new sculpture at Mitchell-Innes & Nash Gallery.

This Week’s Roundup

 

Jessica Stockholder, "Flooded Chambers Maid", 2009. Courtesy of the Madison Square Park Conservancy. Photo: Jeffrey Sandgrund and Sam Rauch.

• Jessica Stockholder (Season 3) has completed her first outdoor installation in the United States. Flooded Chambers Maid is a site-specific multimedia installation on and around the Oval Lawn at Madison Square Park in New York City. The piece will remain in the park through August 15.  
   
• Stockholder’s second solo exhibition with Mitchell-Innes & Nash is on view at the gallery’s Chelsea location through June 13.  

• Kara Walker (Season 2) will be at the University of Chicago on May 13 as part of the university’s ArtSpeak series. The artist will reflect on her work in a presentation and dialogue with Professor Amy Dru Stanley, who focuses on capitalism, slavery and emancipation, and the historical experience of moral problems.  
   
• Nine new works by Tim Hawkinson (Season 2) are on view at PaceWildenstein through July 25. Included in the exhibition is Sherpa (2008), a life-sized single cylinder two-stroke engine motorcycle constructed out of eight varieties of feathers.  

• Artists Alfredo Jarr (Season 4), Yto Barrada, Cláudia Cristóvão, Georgia Papageorge, and Berni Searle are included in the exhibition Continental Rifts: Contemporary Time-Based Works from Africa at UCLA’s Fowler Museum. Read the Los Angeles Times Culture Monster review.

• New York Times art critic Holland Cotter reviews the environmental sculpture Storm King Wavehill by Maya Lin (Season 2). For this project, Lin transformed an 11-acre gravel pit at Storm King Art Center into a grassy vista of ocean-like waves. This is the largest site-specific earthwork she has created to date.

• The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art has just opened their new Rooftop Sculpture Garden, with works by Kiki Smith, Louise Bourgeois (both Season 2), and other renowned artists.

Open for Babble, ArtBabble is Live!

Art-Bab-ble [ahrt-bab-uhl]
noun; verb (used without object) -bled, -bling

1. free flowing conversation, about art, for anyone.
2. a place where everyone is invited to join an open, ongoing discussion - no art degree required.

At Art21, we have been burning the midnight oil working on Season 5 of Art:21—Art in the Twenty-First Century, but we are in good company with the Web/New Media departments at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. They are the creators of ArtBabble, which launched today! We mentioned the site a few weeks ago on the blog. And the New York Times seems to think it’s cool too.

So what is ArtBabble?

ArtBabble was conceived, initiated, designed, built, sculpted, programmed, shot, edited, painted and launched by a cross-departmental collection of individuals at the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA). It is intended to showcase video art content in high quality format from a variety of sources and perspectives.

ArtBabble was created so others will join in spreading the world of art through video.

Sounds good, right? We thought so too when Daniel Incandela and Rob Stein at the IMA invited us to be a contributing partner to this new project, we said, “YES!” We could not turn down this invitation to be part of a Web community that showcases videos about art and dedicates itself to open dialogue and accessibility.

The design of the site is fun and quirky and the interface allows us to add tabs with notes. Through ArtBabble, Art21 can provide you with behind-the-scenes commentary, fun facts, and additional information about artists and sources for their inspiration.

Art21 showed up with 19 of our own Exclusive videos, 13 of which are premiering on ArtBabble before they will be available on iTunes, YouTube, or the Art21 Blog. Watch the new videos on artists Arturo Herrera, Ellen Gallagher, Jessica Stockholder, Richard Tuttle, Laylah Ali, Ida Applebroog, Josiah McElheny, and Oliver Herring.

Also as part of this launch, we wanted to give you Art21 aficionados an extra secret sneak peek into Season 5 (coming in Fall 2009). You think you know which artists will be featured in the new season? See for yourself!

Flash Points: Art+Politics, Looking Back & Moving Forward

Everything old is new again, (left) a Soviet-era poster by Alexander Rodchenko, and (right) a contemporary poster by Shepard Fairey

These last two months have proved to be full of lively posts about the sometimes clear and often nebulous intersection of Art+Politics.

Art21’s own Marc Mayer kicked things off when he asked:

Is art inherently political, regardless of its intentions or motives? What role has political art played both in the history of art but also in the broader context of history? Can and will art participate in this new mandate of “change,” and if so, how?

His provocative questions allowed for a whole slew of people to chime in with their thoughts about a topic that never gets old.

As expected, there was a lot of talk about Obama (1, 2, 3, 4) and Shepard Fairey in particular, since the latter’s iconic image of the former sparked a global debate about the recent marriage of art and politics in a modern democracy.

Jenny Holzer (Season 4) was a hot topic since her retrospective PROTECT PROTECT traveled from Chicago to New York during the series. Posts focused on many aspects of Holzer’s work, but most poignantly on her deconstruction of a Pentagon PowerPoint presentation that proceeded the 2003 Iraq invasion and hand prints of U.S. soldiers accused of war crimes.

There were also enlightening discussions about:

• the use of art in the classroom during the 2008 election;
• arts programming for incarcerated girls (pt. 1, pt. 2);
• how an artist not traditionally associated with politics—Jessica Stockholder—uses beauty and taste to address political issues;
• a British perspective on art + politics in America;
• an arts group, W.A.G.E. (Working Artists and the Greater Economy), which has been advocating for collective action by arts workers;
• two perspectives from artists working in Oakland, CA;
• a blogger’s look at the “Extimasies: Art, Politics, Society in Times of Crisis” conference in Athens, Greece;
• another blogger points out “a few of the artists who exemplify the shift from an inward to an outward focus” which, she says, is part of the dawn of the new Obama era;
• one writer uses Peter Weiss’ Marat/Sade as a springboard to discuss the character of art in the political arena;
• a sneak peak at the politics of this summer’s La Biennale de Venezia;
• guest blogger Paul Schmelzer asks: Where’s All the Right-Wing Street Artists?;
• three activist artists to watch; and
• a discussion about what Obama should do with the arts and a post lauding the $50 million in arts funding in the stimulus bill that was approved by Congress…

A view of the bombed car part of Jeremy Deller's "It Is What It Is" in Philadelphia. (via the artblog)

…which brings us to our next Flash Points topic, Art+Economics.

But before we closed out this current topic, let’s take a quick look at some other noteworthy news or opinions from around the web on the always relevant and controversial topic of Art+Politics:

• The Abu Ghraib JPEGs, museums and national responsibility (Modern Art Notes);
• A Chinese art dealer whose winning bid of $40 million snagged him two 18th C. Chinese bronzes from the Yves St-Laurent estate is now regretting his foray into international politics (Bloomberg);
• A writer asks “Can Art Impact Politics?” and discusses the archetypal political painting, Pablo Picasso’s Guernica (The Oregonian);
• Another blog looks at the lasting power of Guernica (Art Threat);
• Is art being used to heal the rift between Cuba and the United States? (BBC);
• A New York art dealer thinks about how the humanities can save America (Edward Winkleman):
• Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana cuts state funding for the arts 83% (Culture Monster/LA Times);
• A look at the Annual Arts Advocacy day on Capitol Hill (Looking Around/Time); and
• Jeremy Deller’s It Is What It Is: Conversations About Iraq is spotted in Philadelphia (the artblog).

Next up: Art+Economics

Jessica Stockholder | Beauty & Politics

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EXCLUSIVE: In her New Haven, Connecticut studio, artist Jessica Stockholder discusses the relationship between beauty, pleasure and taste, and how all three have a role in defining and being defined by politics — alongside documentation of an exhibition of her sculptures at Mitchell-Innes & Nash gallery in New York City.

A pioneer of multimedia genre-bending installations, Jessica Stockholder’s site-specific interventions and autonomous floor and wall pieces have been described as “paintings in space.” Her work is energetic, cacophonous, and idiosyncratic, but closer observation reveals formal decisions about color and composition, and a tempering of chaos with control.

Jessica Stockholder. Left: 2006 (inv. #438) Bamboo flooring boards, 2 green plastic bins, green thermos, lamp parts, plastic volume with tulle, wooden stool, hardware, rope, acrylic and oil paint, level caulking used as a primer on plastic and small parts; 96 x 144 x 112 inches. Right: 2006 (inv. #429), Furniture, tarp, pillows, lamp, plastic, glass jars; 105 x 51 x 30 inches. Courtesy the Artist and Mitchell-Innes & Nash.

Jessica Stockholder. Left: 2006 (inv. #427), Plastic lids, plastic parts, hardware, brackets, lamps, paper mache, paint, extension cords, plastic ball, dishwashing scrubby; 104 x 47 x 63 inches. Right: 2006 (inv. #435), Plastic parts, cushion, fabric, wood, cable, shelf, yarn, electric cord, tulle, light fixture, paint; 114 x 108 x 84 inches. Courtesy the artist and Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York.

Jessica Stockholder, 2006 (inv. #433), Plastic baskets, mirror, nylon, carpet, tulle, thread, paint, arn, squirrel trap, sculpy, blanket, shower curtain, roof flashing, fur, roofing tar, plastic ties; 24 x 56 x 21 inches. Courtesy the artist and Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York.

VIDEO | Producer: Wesley Miller & Nick Ravich. Interview: Susan Sollins. Camera: Mead Hunt & Joel Shapiro. Sound: Merce Williams. Editor: Jenny Chiurco. Artwork Courtesy: Jessica Stockholder. Special Thanks: Jay Gorney and Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York.

Rolling Up Our Sleeves

Since this column gets posted on Wednesdays (and believe me, I didn’t arrange it this way), it’s been my pleasure to contribute posts directly after the November 4th election (see Hope and Change) and today, after the thrilling inauguration of Barack Obama as our 44th President.

Throughout President Obama’s speech, I kept thinking about ways we can teach students about being truly productive citizens- citizens that contribute, think critically, offer service, and teach others. It got me thinking about artists in the Art21 series who can help teach about these things in a variety of ways….

First, Krzysztof Wodiczko can certainly teach students that speaking out can not only be something done in a newspaper editorial or part of a speech, but it can also be a part of the art we create. Wodiczko helps voices literally project themselves and allows viewpoints to be shared in ways few artists approach.

Nancy Spero can teach about protest and history, and how protest can take many forms- somehow avoiding violence yet simultaneously picturing it.

Jenny Holzer offers students the opportunity to think critically about the text she uses in her work and then relate that to what it means to be a “good” or “productive” citizen. Her recent work with declassified documents can open up meaningful discussion about what citizens should know and be informed of.

Mark Dion can teach students about teaching others through art. Whether it’s work inspired by literature or installation inspired by natural elements, Dion shares with students that the work of contemporary artists can educate and inspire discussion about things such as sustainability, recycling, and preserving natural resources.

Lastly, I want to mention Robert Adams‘ photography. Through his quiet and intense pictures, students can reflect on the things we must do to save and reclaim the parts of our landscape that are devastated by greed and carelessness.

Have you used, or are planning to use Art21 segments and resources as part of your post-inauguration lessons? Please share them with us!

Pictured above: Jenny Holzer, “Benches”, 1989
Installation: Dorris C. Freedman Plaza New York, New York.

Renaissance Ware

Check out all the great limited edition works created specifically for the Renaissance Society.  Founded in 1915 as a cultural program to the University of Chicago, the Society’s nearly 100 years of history include a 1916 lecture by Paul Shorey on The Service of Art, to An Exhibition of Modern Paintings in 1918, to the current Francis Alÿs solo exhibition.

The designer wares were made in collaboration with numerous artists, including Art21’s Arturo Herrera, Jenny Holzer, Kerry James Marshall (his dinner plates are pictured above), Jessica Stockholder, and Kara Walker.

2008 Lucelia Artist Award Nominees Announced

The Smithsonian American Art Museum recently announced the nominees for their annual 2008 Lucelia Artist Award. The nominees are: Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla, Mark Dion (both Season 4), Trenton Doyle Hancock (Season 2), Slater Bradley, Matthew Buckingham, Doug Aitken, Keith Edmier, Spencer Finch, Harrell Fletcher, Mark Grotjahn, Rachel Harrison, Zoe Leonard, Suzanne McClelland, Wangechi Mutu and Dana Schutz.

Established in 2001, the award of $25,000 recognizes an American artist younger than 50 who has produced a significant body of work and consistently demonstrates exceptional creativity. Five jurors, each with a wide knowledge of contemporary American art, nominate the artists and determine the award winner in a day of discussion and review. Jurors remain anonymous until the winner is announced in September.

Art21 artists Jessica Stockholder (Season 3), Andrea Zittel (Season 1) and Kara Walker (Season 2) were recipients of the award in previous years. Joanna Marsh, The James Dicke Curator of Contemporary Art at the Smithsonian American Art Museum says, “The artists nominated this year “continue to show a sustained commitment to distinctive work that challenges conventional thinking and expectations about the nature of art.”

( An installation by Zittel–winner of the 2005 Lucelia Artist Award–is pictured above.)

Last Call for Lucelia Award Exhibition

Last chance to see Celebrating the Lucelia Artist Award, 2001-2006 before it closes June 22nd. Installed at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the exhibition features works by each of the previous winners: Matthew Coolidge, Andrea Zittel (Art:21 Season 1), Kara Walker (Season 2), Rirkrit Tiravanija, Liz Larner, and Jorge Pardo.

Chosen by a distinguished independent panel of jurors, the $25000 prize annually recognizes an American artist under 50 who has demonstrated exceptional creativity and whose work is “emblematic of this period in contemporary art.” The 2007 winner, Jessica Stockholder (Season 3), was announced last September in conjunction with the opening of the exhibition.