Other Voices, Other Rooms: talk by exhibition curator Steven Evans today in Long Island City

Steven Evans will be giving a talk today on the exhibit he curated at the Dorsky Curatorial Programs in Long Island City. Other Voices, Other Rooms features selections of work by Max Cole, Marcia Hafif, Winston Roeth, David Simpson and Fred Sandback.
A PDF of the exhibition brochure can be found here.
Steven's talk will commence at 2 pm.
The exibition will remain on view through June 28, 2009.
The Dorsky Curatorial Programs is located at 11-03 45 Ave, Long Island City, 11101 - 718 937 6317.

CPW hosts lecture by Platon, May 30, 8pm

Platon: President Vladimir Putin
The Center for Photography at Woodstock is hosting a lecture by renowned portrait photographer, Platon.

Based in NYC based, Platon was born in London, attended the esteemed St. Martin’s School of Art before going on to study at the Royal College of Art, where he earned his BA and MA. In 1992 he received British Vogue’s “Best Up-and-Coming Photographer” which included the opportunity to contribute images to the magazine.

Since then Platon has continued to shoot for an impressive range of publications including The New York Times Magazine, Time, Esquire, and Rolling Stone. His advertising credits include memorable campaigns for Issey Miyake, Nike, Levi’s, Moschino, IBM, and Motorola. Platon has exhibited at Hamilton’s Gallery and in London, Spiral Hall in Tokyo, Leica Gallery in NYC and Japan, Saatchi Gallery, and the Carla Sozzani Gallery in Milan.

Phaidon Press published his latest book, Platon’s Republic. His work is represented by the Art Department in NYC.

Platon's talk will take place on May 30 at 8pm.
Admission: $7/$5 (members, students, seniors)
CPW is located on 59 Tinker St in Woodstock.
845 679 9957 or info@cpw.org for more info

Dia:Beacon Gallery Talk: Philippe Vergne on Warhol, May 30, 1pm

Dia director Philippe Vergne will be giving this month's Gallery Talk at Dia:Beacon on Andy Warhol on Saturday May 30 at 1pm. To reserve yourself a spot for the talk, call 845.440.0100 or email gallerytalks@diaart.org.

Here's the gallery talk schedule for the next several months, as listed on Dia:Beacon's website:

Saturday, June 27, 2009, 1pm

Robert Lubar on Antoni Tàpies

Saturday, July 25, 2009, 1pm

Christina Rosenberger on Robert Ryman

Saturday, August 29, 2009, 12:45pm

Steven Evans on Max Neuhaus

Saturday, September 26, 2009, 1pm

George Trakas on Beacon Point

Saturday, October 24, 2009, 1pm

Kenneth Goldsmith on Sol LeWitt

Saturday, November 28, 2009, 1pm

Reiko Tomii on On Kawara

I, for one am very pleased to see that Kenneth Goldmsith is returning in October to speak on Sol LeWitt. Goldsmith's talk on Warhol back in November of 2008 was a major treat. Of course, Steven Evans is no slouch in giving a gallery talk either. I've attended at least two of his talks, on Warhol and LeWitt.
I don't know how these speakers for the talks are programmed, but if anyone involved in that process is reading, I'd certainly cast a vote for the return of Norton Batkin. His manner of delivery of a talk on Bruce Nauman was animated, a bit ribald and very edifying....it also had a group participation component. I'd like to see him go at it with one of the other artists....perhaps Blinky.

Eye Candy Friday: Nobody puts Baby in the sandshine tea kettle

Here's a real treat to experience an alternative past. Unfortunately, I'm not able to embed it, but this re-cut trailer answers the question: "What if David Lynch directed Dirty Dancing?"

Sharon Butler exhibits Beacon Paintings at John Davis Gallery in Hudson, May 28-June 21

Sharon L. Butler will be among the artists exhibiting in the next exhibit at the John Davis Gallery in Hudson. During the Summer season, in addition to the main gallery space, Davis opens up the four story carriage house in the back as an annex.
Sharon who lives in Connecticut will be exhibiting work that developed from her time working at the Habitat for Artists enclave at Spire Studios last Summer. Here's her statement for this exhibit:

Beacon Paintings

For four months last summer, I spent Mondays in Beacon, NY, working quietly in a solitary 4' x 5' shack. I had heard of a project called "Habitat for Artists" from Chris Albert, a blogger I met during the Blogger Conference at the Red Dot Fair back in March. "Habitat For Artists" was organized by artist Simon Draper, who built twelve small sheds on the grounds of Spire Studios and invited a group of artists to use them for the summer. Traveling to Beacon was more time-consuming than working in one stationary location, and I painted less on days spent there. But by expanding my world, the shack helped enrich my work.

At the beginning of the summer, I was entering a transitional phase, unsure where I was going but confident that the discipline of daily practice would lead somewhere. Though known mainly for Flavin, Lewitt, and Serra's resolutely intellectual brand of minimalism, Dia:Beacon, just a few blocks from my little shack, was featuring installations by colorists Blinky Palermo and Imi Knoebel, which impelled me to consider color more intensely than I ever had before. As the summer unfolded in my shack, I extended the limited, austere palette I'd been using for years to include the entire spectrum.

This series of small paintings is the result of my time spent in Beacon. Their scale, handmadeness, and intuitive form constitute an emotive and spontaneous counterpoint to the cerebral and exhaustive exploration of mathematical and geometric constructs and the meticulous experimentation with industrial materials predominantly showcased at Dia.

Sharon Butler
2009

Sharon will be exhibiting her work on the fourth floor and she'll be joined in the carriage house by EJ Hauser, Molly Herman. Sculpture by Mary Ellen Scherl will be in the garden, and Rosanna Bruno will be in the main gallery. John Davis Gallery is located at 362 1/2 Warren St in Hudson. The exhibits run from May 28 to June 21. There will be an opening reception on Saturday, May 30 from 6-8pm.



Above, is a shot of the ever changing exterior of Sharon's habitat just prior to its dismantling last fall. Below are two of her pieces that were on view for the Dar Williams CD release party at Spire Studios last Sept.


The garden and carriage house at John Davis Gallery.

Here are some images I shot of the carriage house last November when I went up to Hudson to see Martin Bromirski's exhibit Circus on Mars. This Summer space is incredible; full of character and atmosphere. It's a great environment to see work, and it's re-purposed, rustic nature serves as a suitable analog to the habitat environment that spawned the works Sharon is showing.

Above: I don't recall the artist exhibiting on this floor.
Above and below: Martin Bromirski's work


This cot and the Danger sign were both on the same floor as Martin's work. The presence of these two items added a whole "it rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again" vibe to Martin's slash and glitter alien show.

Matt Harle exhibiting at vertexList in Brooklyn through June 21

Galvanized metal, concrete, spandex, fringe. 96"x96"x96", 2008
Matt Harle is in a three person show at vertexList in Brooklyn. The exhibit 2x3x10 is organized by Charles Goldman and entails 3 artists each exhibiting 2 works created more than 10 years apart from each other. Matt's fellow exhibiting artists are Marsha Cottrell and James Sheehan.

vertexlist is located at 138 Bayard St Brooklyn, NY 11222. tel: 646.573.5837

The exhibit opened on May 23 and will remain on view through June 21, 2009.

Bridge Music opens June 6 in Poughkeepsie. CD releases on May 26

Joseph Bertolozzi's sound installation on the Mid Hudson Bridge in Poughkeepsie will officially open on June 6. The project which was originally planned as a series of live performances of music made using the actual bridge structure as the instrument will exist as an installation of listening stations on the bridge and and as an FM transmission of the piece in the park areas around the bridge ( the signal will be broadcast at 87.9FM. The June 6 ribbon cutting(s) - there will be four of them, one for each of the dispersed components of the project will happen beginning at 11 am.

The Bridge Music CD, on the Delos label has been available for pre-order and will available for sale at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and other purveyors of fine music.

Eye Candy Friday: eye spy

This cracks me up. It seems this image was originally posted on The Roanoke Times happy wag blog. I came across it at printeresting.org

This image of a Tim Darling work here in Beacon comes courtesy of the Sabotaz 80 blog.
Darling's exhibit with wife Tina will be on view at Open Space through May 31, 2009

Rick Price mural unveiling to be held May 23, 11-1pm

Rick Price at work on this latest mural.
Rick Price will be unveiling his most recent mural project this Saturday, May 23 from 11 to 1pm in the open space at the corner of Cross and Main St. The mural which is sponsored by the Beacon Sloop Club and which has received support from the Dutchess County Arts Council, the Puffin Foundation, the Woody Guthrie Foundation and Hudson Beach Glass along with other private individualswill be installed on the western face of the building housing RiverWinds Gallery at 172 Main St.

Amanda Means and the forthcoming John Coplans Study Center

A pair of works by John Coplans lean against the wall.
Simultaneous to the party being held by the Starns, Amanda Means held an open house in her space adjacent to the Big Bambu site.
Three of Amanda's color polaroid light bulbs.
Amanda's photograms and works by her late husband John Coplans were on display throughout the space where she's in the process of establishing a study center focusing on his work.

Amanda Means, Ostrich Fern, 2004

Images from Big Bambú party, May 17, 2009

Here are some images from the scene of Sunday's Big Bambú party hosted by Mike and Doug Starn.

When I first saw the work in early December, I was most struck by the contrast of the giant dirty box of the building harboring this living form rising to challenge the cold harshness of the space. But seeing Big Bambú again on Sunday, I was struck by the qualities of the bamboo as it's dried during these months. Like some agent of alchemy, the process of dehydration has transformed that irrepressible living form into an inert building material complying to the nature of its industrial environment.
It's funny that I hadn't thought to consider the process that organic matter would be subjected to in its role as an artwork. As a static work, the difference is startling. But as a work that is intended to move - or be moved, I expect there might be added significance to the work in the transference of that life force from the bamboo itself to the climbers who will affect its progress through the nave of the foundry building as they move over and within the tangled scaffolding like the colonies of organisms that life in and off of the husks of expired trees.

Dia:Beacon, Celebrity Edition

Dia:Beacon shifted its annual benefit from an evening affair to a midday event on Sunday.
Over the weekend, the Merce Cunningham Dance Company presented its final round of events at Dia:Beacon including one performance for Sunday's private gathering. Alistair Macaulay has a blow by blow of the piece in Tuesday's NY Times.

Artinfo.com ran a little society page blurb and photo gallery on the museum's private benefit, and Martha Stewart and her dogs blogged their experience of the event on their respective blogs - each complete with photos.

VanityFair.com posted a piece with photos by Todd Eberle which also mentions the Starn's party and the Olafur Eliasson opening on Saturday at Bard College.

Big Bambú party update: May 17, 3:30-7:30 pm.

FYI, the time of the Big Bambú party being held on Sunday has been pushed back an hour to 3:3o pm and continue through 7:30 pm.
In an earlier post I mentioned that visitors would be asked to sign a waiver. This is no longer the case. Climbing of the work by visitors will definitely not be allowed, and it will be clearly posted thusly.
RSVP for visiting the site is not needed, but if you'd like directions to Big Bambú, or if you'd like to receive updates on Big Bambú activities, feel free to email bb[at]starnstudio.com.

Also, Big Bambú will be open to the public on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays (not Sundays) in June, July and August.

More Big Bambú info: Reception to be held on May 17 beginning at 2:30pm

In an earlier post I mentioned that Mike + Doug Starn will will be opening the Big Bambú to the public this coming weekend. There will actually be a reception held on Sunday, the 17th starting at 2:30 3:30 - 7:30 pm.
The Starns ask that if you are planning on visiting the project, to send an email to the studio at bb[at]starnstudio.com letting them know. If you send an email, as I did last week, you'll receive a reply with directions to the old Tallix building in Beacon. The email also informs you that you'll be visiting a working environment and although they'd like to permit climbing on the structure by members of the public, the chance of that opportunity is unlikely given issues of liability, and as of now, upon arrival visitors will be asked to sign a waiver stating they will not attempt to climb the work.
Update: Visitors will not be asked to sign a waiver to see the piece. Climbing of the work will not be permitted. RSVP is not needed if you want to visit, but if you'd like driving directions and if you'd like to be updated on Big Bambú goings on, feel free to email the studio: bb[at]starnstudio.com
Also, Big Bambú will be open on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays (not Sundays) in June, July and August.
Taking pictures and video of the work is welcome.
Big Bambú is located at 310 Fishkill Ave. The project's location is marked on the google map of Beacon Art Venues that lives in the sidebar.
Vernissage.tv recently posted a two part video of a talk with Starns gave in Beacon. Here's Part 1 and here's Part 2.

Parliament of Reality opening program at Bard College, May 16, 2009

Bard has released the proposed schedule of presentations and performances to mark the opening of Olafur Eliasson's Parliament of Reality on Saturday, May 16.
It'll be an all day affair. From the press release:

On Saturday, May 16, Olafur Eliasson will lead an international group of scholars and artists in a series of presentations and performances devoted to our use of space, architecture, art, and design. Participants include: Peter Galison, Joseph Pellegrino University Professor, Harvard University; Lars Lerup, Dean and William Ward Watkin Professor of Architecture, Rice University; Molly Nesbit, Professor of Art, Vassar College; Felicity Scott, Assistant Professor of Architecture, Columbia University; Peter Sloterdijk, Rektor, Staatliche Hochschule für Gestaltung Karlsruhe; Andrea Zittel, artist; and Olafur Eliasson.

Proposed schedule
Morning session: 10:30 - 12:30

10:30 - 11:00 am Opening remarks by Tom Eccles
11:00 - 11:20 am Felicity Scott
11:20 - 11:40 am Lars Lerup
11:40 - 12:00 am Peter Galison
12:00 - 12:30 pm Olafur Eliasson/roundtable with morning participants/open discussion

12:30 - 2:30 pm lunch

Afternoon session: 2:30 - 5:00 p.m.

2:30- 3:00 pm Andrea Zittel/performance (only Andrea and performers on island)
3:00 - 3:20 pm Molly Nesbit
3:20 - 3:40 pm Peter Sloterdijk
3:40 - 4:40 pm Olafur Eliasson/rountable
4:40 - 5:00 pm Open discussion

All events are free and open to the public. Additional funding for the inaugural events has been provided by the Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Osher Foundation.

For further information, call 845.758.7598, e-mail ccs@bard.edu, or visit http://www.bard.edu/ccs.
10:30 am - 5:00 pm
Location: The parliament of reality island
Contact: 845-758-7598
E-mail: ccs@bard.edu
Website: http://www.bard.edu/ccs

In case you're planning on heading up for the opening, here's a map of the work's location on the Bard campus. This particular satellite image depicted in the map is an old one - at least 3 or 4 years old - Pre Hessel Museum construction.

The Merry Month of May(kr)

May: a month so full of new and exciting possibilities that they just had to name it after this blog.

Storm King has awakened for the season and on May 9 will officially open Maya Lin's new Wavefield to the public. The third of a series of such earth works created by Lin, Wavefield is a four acre array of grass laden waves. Last fall the work seemed to be fully formed, but had only irregular patches of grass on the peaks and valleys and muddy tire tracks from the earth moving equipment still traced their way around the entire area. An accompanying exhibit of Lin's work is on view inside the park's gallery.
Here is Holland Cotter's NY Times write up of Wavefield (5/8/09)

The weekend of May 16 and 17 has several things going on.
That weekend essentially marks the sixth anniversary of the opening of Dia:Beacon (the museum opened on May 18, 2003). On the 16th, Dia:Beacon will be hosting the final Merce Cunningham Dance Company's event in the company's two year residency at the museum. As with all the other MCDC's events before it, this performance sold out quickly, so if you have no ticket by now, you still won't have one on the day of the event. I have not yet seen any last minute scalpers standing outside the museum hawking any extra tickets.
Also on that weekend, the museum will be opening a new exhibit of work by Antoni Tàpies "The Resources of Rhetoric" which is installed in the galleries that formerly housed multiple exhibits of Agnes Martin's work since the Riggio Galleries opened in 2003. The selection of Tàpies strikes me as a little odd, but I'm very interested in seeing it in relation to the museum's other work. The exhibit is the first in a series of institutional exchanges between Dia and the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia in Madrid. Tàpies' work will be on view through Oct 19, 2009.

May 15-17 marks the first of several weekends that Mike and Doug Starn's Big Bambú project will be open to the public. Between 11 am and 4 pm on each of those days, visitors are welcome to come by and see the work. If you're planning to visit, you are asked to send an email to the studio. The email address and driving directions are on the Starn's website. Big Bambú will be open to the public every 2nd and 4 weekend in June, July and August.

Also on the 16, Olafur Eliasson's Parliament of Reality officially opens on the campus of Bard College. Eliasson will be facilitating a series of presentations and symposia which are scheduled to happen on the island forum he's designed. I caught a glimpse of the permanent installation when it was under construction earlier this Spring.
As part of the opening activities, a conference is scheduled for the 15th on the use of music as instrument of torture will be led by the Human Rights Project at Bard.The opening events are free and open to the public.
I'll post schedule information when it comes available.

Meet yer Maykr: Theresa Gooby

On the door: a photo of Red Room, a previous string installation in an abandoned house.
I paid a visit to Theresa Gooby 's little enclave at Beacon Studios this weekend. Her "Habitat" sized space, carpeted in a sound subduing commercial grade gray, exudes a quaint comfort. It's a softened corner in an otherwise hard edged and reverberant building.

A growing arrangement of plastic bag fragments on wood of various dimension.

Theresa's work is an exercise in the expansive capacity of the minute; creating broad gestures with the most elemental units of a particular material.
Currently, she's working on two such projects that she's hoping to have ready in time for the next open studio which should take place in late September. One work utilizes scores of unfolded paper napkins and the other, meticulously cut and pasted plastic plastic shopping bags on forms of wood of of various dimension, which resonated with me as a contemporary take on the seductive layered softness of ancient Peruvian feather work.


Above: a modification of her 100 Drawings of Trees in Winter. Below: a grouping of another project that provides Theresa's eyes and hands a break from the repetative rigour of her other ongoing projects.


In what I think is the most elegant and straight forward approach to an artist statement, Theresa's Artist Statement embodies the very nature and character of the work created while simply and emphatically setting forth the prime tenets of the artists motivation.
The statement is essentially a visual onomatopoeia for the breadth of her body of work.

Details of Theresa's Artist Statement
I first met Theresa last year under the auspices of WOMS, and after having seen her work, I invited her to participate in Kamp Maykr last May, for which she created Viewing Window, Partially Abstracted.
Above: a night time view of Viewing Window, Partially Abstracted. Below: a cultural freeloader.

Mary Sabbatino talks about representing the ephemeral, "unpossessible" artwork of artists at HVCCA, Sunday May 3, 2009 4-6pm

Classify this in the category of short notice :
Tomorrow (May 3, 2009) from 4-6pm, HVCCA is hosting a talk title "The Challenge of Working with Artists Using Environmental Materials" which will be presented by Mary Sabbatino, Vice-President of Galerie Lelong in New York. The talk presented will include specific reference to Ana Mendieta whose is represented by Galerie Lelong and whose work is included in HVCCA's current exhibit 'Origins'.
HVCCA is located at 1701 Main St in Peekskill, NY.

Eye Candy Friday: Gettin' old before our time

This week's selection comes via the ever magnificent ubu.com which now features embeddable vids. I'm finding myself progressively getting into patterns and particularly plaids, and this piece, "Video Ravings" from 2002 by Cory Arcangel has some seriously hypnotic pattern going on. I suppose a warning should be given to those who are prone to epileptic fits. This work might trigger one.
This work is relevant in light of the burgeoning blog coverage of the Retro Arcade Museum. Here's a little right up over at Reclaimed Home. I haven't made it over there yet, but it sounds like a guilty pleasure.