Inadvertent Galleries and Almost-Art

A binary ode to minimalism at...is it Jeff Wilkinson architecture?

Roberta Smith reflects on the moments of "almost art" that she encounters throughout NYC in her NY Times piece on "inadvertent galleries."  It's a nice piece on looking and seeing.
It's a piece that I think draws out some of the more poignant aspects of the Windows on Main St. exhibit - and many other psuedo-public art projects.  It's generally not what exists in the project or the "art", but usually what happens outside of it - and most likely what happens after it's gone that is most interesting.
Having one's very act of seeing gently tweaked opens up the possibility of seeing things around us in another way.  A new way.  I think that changed state - reached through the exercise of looking at art -  is at the heart of Roberta's piece.  And it stands at the core of what I think is the greatest power and potential of the WOMS exhibit (even if particular works of art aren't particularly good).
In his essay in the catalogued selection of works from the NY Public Art Fund (Plop: Recent Projects of the Public Art Fund), Tom Eccles offers up an analogy (which I am paraphrasing) that if an artwork in a gallery or a museum is akin to that which you might hang in a place of prominence, over the mantel or a sofa in the living room, a work of public art is more like that painting or photo on the wall at the back of the hall near your bedroom.  That work in the hall neither demands or commands your full attention like the one over the mantel;  your relationship with it is far more informal, yet perhaps more consistent, and it's likely that this is the work that exerts the most influence on how you see through the day.

Of course, I'm a geek in regards to this notion.  I'm tripping out any number of times each day on what I see around me....and what I think I see around me.



The image at the top of the post and the one just below here are just two examples of superb "almost art" that Roberta writes about in her piece.

Even without the dude in the pink shirt, this window is an exemplary expression of a weird, native conceptualized environment.

My midnight waffle courtesy of Theresa and Liam Goodman

In respect to actual moments happening WITHIN the scope of a WOMS work, Liam and Theresa Goodman (Gooby) will be distributing free waffles* at Tas Kafe on Saturday, Aug 27 from 9a-12.  This is the second free waffle give away, and I must say the waffles are good.
I even penned my own testimonial quotes in honor of the waffles:


"These waffles are well worth waking up at 11pm for"
"This was the best waffle I've eaten all year.  It's also the only waffle I've eaten all year, but that should not diminish any of it's bestness."