Josiah McElheny talk on Blinky Palermo at Dia Beacon 7.9.11 @ 2pm

Josiah McElheny will be conducting the first of four artist talks/walkthrough events as part of the Blinky Palermo Retrospective exhibit at Dia:Beacon. 
Working with Josiah on his exhibit up at the Hessel Museum last month, I learned a bit of what he'll be presenting tomorrow.  I don't know the details, but he's working on a theory that relates to the nature of color, light and fabric vs. painted surfaces....As I said, I'm not well versed  in where he's going.  I do know he had the desire to attain swatches of fabrics dating to the 70's which ideally equate to the material Blinky was working with in his fabric paintings which are on view in the galleries at CCS Bard.

Well, let's just say Maykr comes through again...Angelika's mother had some fabrics stored away that fit the bill, correct vintage and everything....So if you're curious, head over to Dia tomorrow at 2pm to see what Josiah has in mind for Mama Rinnhofer's fabrics.

Future artist walk throughs of the Palermo Retrospective be conducted by  David Reed, July 24; Cheryl Donegan, Sept 25 & Liliana Porter Oct 15.

Passport reviews Trickling...or maybe Ebbing in.

I've been hoping to get some kind of review from someone who attended the performance of Robert Whitman's Passport in Beacon and Montclair, NY on Apr 17 and have heard nary a peep from anyone other than a few museum employees.
Paddy Johnson of Art Fag City was there.  Today, she posted some images from the scene to the website, saying that she's still weighing her reaction to the work...

.....I just found one review of the performance on artreview.com by Jonathan T.D. Neil.

Dead Hare Radio wants your review: Robert Whitman's Passport

If you have an inclination to view Robert Whitman's Passport this weekend, you'll have to head down to New Jersey; the Beacon portion of this simultaneous two-city performance is sold out.  There seem to be tickets available to view the work from Montclair, though.  The work will be performed tonight and tomorrow at 8pm.
Those of us here at MAYKR and our sister media outlet, The Dead Hare Radio Hour, will not be able to experience the work, but we are interested in hearing responses from those who were able to witness it.

If you're attending Passport and wish to share your reaction to it, give us a call on the Dead Hare Hotline:  (480) 442-7311

Give us a 15 or 30 second review...or leave your information so we can speak about it in the near future.
You can also leave us an email at deadhareradio at gmail.com or leave a comment here or over on the Dead Hare blog.

Passionate Gathering: Herb & Dorothy screening @ Dia:Beacon 3.12.11

Angelika Rinnhofer's reworking of the Herb & Dorothy poster for the 2009 kork advent project.

There are collectors, and there are COLLECTORS.
The first is the type of collectors are essentially consumers.  Their looking for a product.  Sure that product may well be unique and handcrafted, it may touch them a some level, but it essentially fills an external need ( decoration, meaningful gift, etc.) but it's purchase is not primarily motivated by an internal drive. Artists and galleries may bestow upon these folks the moniker of collector, perhaps hoping that calling him/her so will make him/her so.  The tendency for an artist to refer to one as a collector is de riguer in the artworld, but it might also placate some deep seeded need to make something more of the transaction than there is. 

The second type, the COLLECTOR is the kind that artists and galleries dream of.  This person is driven by a passion for the intangibles that accompany the equally passion inducing tangibles of a work of art. This type of individual is committed (or challenged by) to the ideas and the philosophy - the program - of a given artist or gallery, believing that the experience of the exchange entails far more than the exchange of an object - or multiple objects over time.

Herb and Dorothy Vogel are a couple that exemplify the endeavor of COLLECTING.  The Vogels represent a collector that artists adore and value, and gallerists are tend to be uneasy with....given their manner of circumventing the galleries, acquiring works directly from artists.
The Vogels' passion for art and ideas affirms the pursuits of someone like me (as an artist) and further motivates me to do what I do.  (Not for the hope of having work purchased, but because their passion affirms the passion I feel in exploring what I do; it gives proof of concept that these things that are pushed and pulled - the whole activity that throbs in the studio is vital - to someone else (regardless of the particulars of taste and selection.)
The Vogels are the subject of an fascinating documentary from 2008 entitled Herb & Dorothy.  I recommend it highly.  I could go on, but I won't.  Here's the trailer:



The film Herb & Dorothy will be screened at Dia:Beacon on Saturday at noon as part of a weekend long program to raise funds for the refurbishment of The Beacon Theatre on Main St.  Admission for the screening at Dia is $20.  A Q&A panel with the Vogels, the filmmakers, artist Charles Clough and Roy Lichtenstein Foundation Executive Director Jack Cowart will follow the film at 2pm and a reception at 3:15  (cost for the panel talk is $10 and $20 for the reception.)
The Beacon Freeze Frame Fundraiser continues on Sunday with a 12 pm Screening of the film Fresh at the Howland Cultural Center followed by a Q&A panel and then a treat of fresh, locally grown food at the Beacon Theatre ($20, $20.)

The Vogels are not alone.  They are extraordinary, given the details of their lives, and the generosity of their gift, not to just one institution, or even a handful, but to the country.  The Vogel 50x50 is a program in which the Vogels donated 50 works of art from their collection to museums and art centers in each of the fifty states.  Seriously, if you haven't seen the film, and you are near Beacon this weekend, check it out.  As one who is on one side of the experience of an artwork, (the maykr side) it's to see the result of the devotion of those that don't create the stuff, but fill their lives and homes with what is essentially an vital document of a slice of human creative thought, ingenuity and aspiration.

I've mentioned here before that I work, from time to time, at the CCS Bard| Hessel Museums, installing shows.  Last Summer, the Hessel held an exhibit of works selected by Matthew Higgs from the collection of Marty and Rebecca Eisenberg.  The title of the exhibit,  At Home/Not At Home addressed the very notion of collecting and living with art.  The Eisenberg's domestic situation is very different from the Vogels' but the close proximity in which both families live with the work is very much in keeping.  As can be seen in the film, the Vogels' tiny apartment was and is crazily packed to the ceiling with artwork.  The Eisenberg home, though not crazily stacked to the ceiling with artwork as is the Vogels' apartment, is still filled, cheek by jowl, with artwork filling every possible niche, nook, cranny....and where there are no walls, certain conducive works are installed in front of windows. 

It's easy to tell when paintings, sculpture et al are displayed for tasteful effect.  It's equally easy and damn thrilling to see art deployed in such a way as to demonstrate just how essential it is to the sustenance of the inhabitants of that space.

It's a small world after all; a potluck invitation: Spire Studios, Sun, Feb 28, 2010

Some 20 artists from around the world are descending on Beacon on February 28 for a two day residency at Dia:Beacon.  The artists who are all enrolled in the TransArt Institute MFA program are being hosted by Beacon residents in their homes.
Folks are invited to join the group at Dia:Beacon on Sunday at 11:30 am to lead blindfolded artists from the museum entrance through the galleries and to the interior of one of Serra's Torqued Ellipses. The artists will spend two days at the museum working on projects that will respond to Dia's exhibits.
After the museum closes on Sunday, the group will convene at Spire Studios for drinks, conversation and a little potluck dinner.  If you're interested in stopping in an being part of the conversation, feel free to, and bring a little something to munch on.  For more information, contact Angelika .

Angelika is in the final stretch of getting her MFA program through TI.  The program consists of an intensive Summer residency in Berlin with a short Winter residency which starts later this week at the Sideshow Gallery in Brooklyn.  She's organizing this Beacon extension to the Winter session.  Coinciding the Brooklyn residency, TI will be holding its annual open house for anyone interested in learning more about the program.

Free weekend admission to Dia:Beacon for Beacon residents All-Year-Long

Beginning Saturday, Oct 17, Dia:Beacon will begin offering year round free weekend museum admission to residents of Beacon NY.

This new initiative, made possible by Lyn and John Fishback in honor of Pete Seeger will kick off on the 17th with a celebration with refreshments, a performance by Pete Seeger and adult and family tours.  It all starts at 11:30, here's the schedule:

11:30 am   -  Refreshments

12:00 pm   -  Welcome Remarks & Performance by Pete Seeger

1:00   pm   -  Adult and family tours of Dia:Beacon, Riggio Galleries

2:00   pm   -  Line, Rythm, Chance, a guided family activity in the museum's Learning Lab.

                     open to children 6 and above accompanied by an adult. 

                     For reservations email familytours@diaart.org.

Beacon residents simply need to present a driver's license or other government-issued ID for free entry to the museum.

Additionally, the final Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts Workshop to be held at Dia:Beacon will take place on that same day at 2pm.  The topic for this last session is Considering the Fiscal Sponsorship Model to Structure and Support Art Projects. ( I'll be out of town that day and would love a report from someone on this....perhaps Mr. W.Walker?) For reservations call 845-440-0100 x19 or rsvpVLA@diaart.org. These workshops are sponsored in part by the Dutchess County Arts Council.

More Dia:Beacon news: 

Advance tickets for the first stage of Trisha Brown Dance Co. performances on Nov 14 & 15 are on sale for Dia members.  Tickets go on sale to the general public on Oct 15.  General admission to the performance is $35 and includes museum admission.  Dia member tickets are $20.

The St Luke's Chamber Ensemble is kicking off a new concert series at Dia:Beacon beginning on Oct 18.

The Antoni Tapies exhibit will be closing in the coming weeks.  I believe that an installation of Agnes Martin works will follow the Tapies show.

On Saturday, Oct 24, at 1pm, Allstar gallery talk giver Kenneth Goldsmith will be returning to give a talk on Sol LeWitt. Not to put too much pressure on Mr Goldsmith, but this better be good, because (based on his Warhol talk) I've been really building up this talk in my mind....That usually doesn't bode well for my own personal endeavors, so I hope he will fare better than I tend to in light of my own preassumed excellence.

Finally Finally, winter is coming and with it come shorter days and with those shorter days come shorter hours at Dia:Beacon.  On Oct 22, the museum will be open Thurs-Mon 11-4pm. On Nov 13 the museum will be open Fri-Mon 11-4pm.

Cultural omnivores dilemma: Saturday June 27

There's there will be a lot of offerings vying  for your attention on Saturday.  Here's a sampling:

In addition to the first installment of it's series of professional development workshops held in collaboration with the Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, Dia:Beacon will also be holding a Gallery talk at 1pm.  Robert Lubar will be discussing the work of Antoni Tapies.

Jaanika Peerna will be on hand from 3-6pm to discuss her current exhibit, Traces of a Sweet Connect at Go North.

Van Brunt Gallery is having an opening for part duex of its Quad show which will be on view in the gallery proper and in the second floor gallery at Hudson Beach glass and at Moxie.   This group exhibit  features the work of Colin Barclay, Richard Bruce, Richard Butler, Bo Gehring, Tadashi Hashimoto, David Loeb and Stephen Niccolls.  The reception starts at 6pm.  The exhibition runs through July 27.

One of the Hessel Museum's Franz West sculptures (Blue Couch) has been relocated on the

roof of the museum by Rachel Harrison.

The Hessel Museum at Bard College will be holding an opening reception for Consider The Lobster and Other Essays, a duo exhibitions, the first is a survey of the work of Rachel Harrison and the second is a curatorial collaboration between Harrison and Nayland Blake, Alan Ruppersburg, Harry Dodge, Tom Burr and Andrea Zittel in which works of the artists are installed amongst selections from the museum's permanent collection.  The opening reception is happening from 1 to 5pm.  As usual, a chartered bus will be bringing visitors up from NYC and returning them after the opening.  For more email ccs@bard.edu.  The exhibits will remain on view through December 20, 2009.

The Center for Photography in Woodstock is hosting a talk by Elinor Carucci starting at 8pm.  This talk looks very interesting I'm not certain if the maykr team will be able to attend, but we're currently in discussion about our plans for that day.  Carruci's work is jarring, dramatic and I'd like to hear her speak about it. Tickets for the talk are $7, $5 for students and members.  Contact CPW to make reservations and to check for availability. 

Dar Williams will be performing a benefit concert for ecoartspace and Habitat for Artists in at the McKenna Theater at SUNY New Paltz.  The show starts at 7:30 Tix are $25 ($30 at the door) call 845.257.3844 for info.

Dia, Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts host Professional Devlopment Workshops for artists

Dia:Beacon, in partnership with the Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts will be hosting a three part series of Professional Development Workshops beginning on June 27 with a session on Copyright Law. The series, Art Law - after Conceptual Art, in the Digital Age, and during Lean Times.
Each of the classes will be held at Dia:Beacon Riggio Galleries and will be taught by Sergio Muñoz, Associate Director of Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, NYC.
Admission is $10 per class which includes museum admission. Members of Dia, the Dutchess County Arts Council, and Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, NYC are free.

Here's the workshop schedule:
Sat, June 27, 2pm: Copyright Law for Visual Artists
Sat, Sept 12, 2pm: Legal Issues in Contemporary Art
Sat, Oct. 17, 2pm: Considering the Fiscall Sponsorship Model to Structure and Support Art Projects.

In a timely bit of synchronicity, the radio program Studio 360 recently ran a feature in which correspondent Mark Phillips, inspired by seeing Sol LeWitt's installation of wall drawings at Dia:Beacon, decided to create a version of his own in his apartment. The episode explores the idea of copyright and ownership in relation to conceptual art and includes Phillips' conversation with Lacey Fekishazy's critiqued his work.
The episode show page features a slide show of images showing the LeWitt installation of Wall Drawing 1211 at Mass MOCA, and Phillip's rendition over the rumpled sheets of his bed.

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.

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.

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.

Dia: Beacon Community Free Day for Dutchess County Residents, April 11

Dia: Beacon will be hosting a Community Free Day for residents of Dutchess County this Saturday, April 11. A valid id will need to be shown as proof of residency (driver's license, govt. id, etc).
At noon that day, Dia Foundation director Philippe Vergne will welcome visitors in the forecourt of the museum, followed at 12:15 by a talk by Assistant Director for Beacon, Steven Evans which cover the transformation of the former Nabisco box factory building which is listed on the State and National Registry of Historical Places into the museum we know and love. There is at least one Beacon Resident who should appreciate content of this talk.
Guided tours of the museum will begin at 1pm.
at 2pm Educational and experiential activities for the family will be held starting in the Imi Knoebel galleries.
To reserve spots for the day's programs, call 854 440 0100 x 44 or email rsvp@diaart.org.

Feb 22, 2009 in Beacon: Lynne Cooke conversation with Zoe Leonard & Panel Talk at Van Brunt Gallery, which will be streamed live via MAYKRvision

Tomorrow at 12:30 at Dia:Beacon, Lynne Cooke will be in conversation with Zoe Leonard as part of the museum's Conversation series. Leonard's You See I am Here After All will be on exhibit through September 7, 2009. The talk is free with museum admission, however if you haven't made reservations already, I'm not sure you'll be able to get in on it.....The Merce Cunningham Dance Company is holding another duece of Events this weekend, but if you didn't grab up tickets some time ago, you're definitely s.o.l.

Another talk happening tomorrow is the panel talk on the expanding role of the artist in the 21 Century. The panel is happening at 3pm at Van Brunt Gallery. The subject of the talk is particularly timely considering the shifting state of the global economy, and that farting gash that has vented much of the hot air out of the artworld's bubble which has prompted speculation on the charactar of an altered artistic ecology that may shake out of the change.
The panel talk will be streamed online right here at MAYKR tomorrow, so you'll still be able to catch it if you can't make it in person - and you won't necessarily need to wear pants. Online viewers will be able to comment live during the discussion, and, if I'm on top of everything, questions will be relayed to the participating panelists:
Amy Lipton Curator, Ecoartspace NY
Joseph Meisel Program Officer,
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
Brian Wallace Curator,
Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, SUNY New Paltz
Beth E. Wilson Writer and Art Critic,
Professor, SUNY New Paltz

NY Times review of recent installment of Merce Cunningham Dance Company residency at Dia:Beacon

Tuesday's NYTimes includes a detailed play by play by Alistair Macauley of this weekend's Merce Cunningham performances at Dia:Beacon. To my count, this weekends events which were presented before Sol LeWitt's work "123 All Three Part Variations on Three Different Kinds of Cubes 1967/2003" are the fourth in the series to be produced in the two year Hudson Valley Project residency that the MCDC will be serving out at the museum through September 2009. A press release from 2007 states that a total of 8 events will take place in the museum.

Eye Candy Friday: Bifurcated for your pleasure.

This week's ECF is divided into to two separate treats, one for the eye and one for the mind's eye. The latter exists simply for the reason that I had no camera to capture the full wonder of the vision (if I had one, I'd have to capture it surreptitiously). I'm speaking of Kenneth Goldsmith's lecture last Saturday on Andy Warhol at Dia:Beacon. More specifically, I'm speaking of Goldsmith's attire, which you'll have to use that mind's eye of yours to muster some semblance of its glory through my inadequate description. Goldsmith was dressed in a what I'd call a "still life" two piece suit with a classical (floral/fruit?) motif that floated somewhere between wallpaper and tapestry in violet and olive tones over a dark, almost black field. An intense solid purple sweater with matching tie, under which the collar of a dress shirt of striped violets nested, sneakers in the elusive grey color I've only seen on the Audi TT Roadster - with maroon laces, and a metallic silver tote bag finished of the ensemble.
Please note my improvised sample board to aid you in an approximate visualization of the ensemble.
Goldsmith read from a prepared lecture in a natural way and gave a remarkable talk. He spoke of Warhol and his work in a broad, holistic manner, drawing relationships to the zen qualities of nothingness and the absence of the author in the work of Cage and Ginsberg. He invoked Obama's comments on the Jeremiah Wright controversy which didn't shrink from the inherent complexities of the world and relationships (an approach unusual for a politician) to illustrate the intensely complex implications of Warhol's work existence.

His description of Warhol as a 360 degree man - one complete with nuanced and contradicting complexities - one lacking a flattened side on which he can be easily rested for convenient storage rhymed with Dia's room-ringing installation of the Shadow paintings. The gallery took on more significance as a meme for the man whose blending effect (on life and work, high and low culture, etc.) leaves little opportunity for discernable beginning and ending points.
Goldsmith's talk was excellent and several companions felt this to be the best of the museum's talks thus far....Unfortunately, this talk seemed to not be recorded as the others have.

So the second portion of candy referred to at the beginning of this post also relates to Kenneth Goldsmith as he is a Founding Editor and Publisher of UbuWeb (www.ubu.com); I've referred to the site previously. UbuWeb a dizzying archive of artist videos, images, and words that is ever-growing as a form of networked culture hive.

UbuWeb is a completely independent resource dedicated to all strains of the
avant-garde, ethnopoetics, and outsider arts. All materials on UbuWeb are being
made available for noncommercial and educational use only. All rights belong to
the author(s). UbuWeb is completely free.

Indeed it is candy for the eye and the eye's mind. Go there and root around; new items are being added all the time. There's so much diversion and distraction online that eats up one's time. This site too can easily devour your time, but in contrast to so much else, what it excretes is the sweetest of honey.

Gettin' the Le(a)d out

On Oct 25, we went to Dia to hear Steven Evans' densely attended gallery talk on Sol LeWitt. I moved through the LeWitt galleries in a mindset infused with a talk I attended the night before at the Garrison Institute given by Father Thomas Keating. Keating spoke on the oneness of solitude and the power of centering prayer. For me, this viewing of LeWitt's wall drawings were informed by the tenets of Keating's talk that related to the discipline of silence, solitude and the power of centering prayer. Of course, Lewitt's process in creating these works is anything but silent, and solitary. His process is all about interaction, communication and collaboration; it relies on the swarm for its realization. But the effort of all of this activity is funnelled through the silent and fine point of a pencil grazing the wall. It's the disciplined focus of the pencil's point that sets condition for viewing the work which is quite different from its execution. Drawing is the visual analog of prayer. Solitary. Meditative. Looking at marks scaled up to equate room sized scrolls emphasizes the commonality of the two disciplines. The marks evident on the wall, however, represent but one component of the whole as Lewitt intended it to be considered. LeWitt offers the final drawing as a signifier to understand the system, which is the crux of his biscuit.

The system is the work of art; the visual work of art is the proof of the
System. The visual aspect can't be understood without understanding the system.
It isn't what it looks like but what it is that is of basic importance.

At the end of his talk, Steven quoted a talk given by LeWitt at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in the late 60's. The passage related LeWitt's view that the performance of a music composer's work should be accompanied by copies of the score for the benefit of the audience, since many of the nuances with which the composer is engaged while crafting the system at the heart of the work is visible in the notations, but become indistinguishable in the aural mix. Such a graphic accompaniement, LeWitt believed, would allow the audience to know better the mind of the composer. Such a desire for that type of understanding relates back to Keating invoking silence as a mechanism to know better the system of the soul.

One year after his death, LeWitt is very much in the air.

Storm King's exhibit this year featured a selection of LeWitt's sculptures, and an informative documentary on the artist. You have through Saturday, Nov 15 to catch this show before the joint closes down for the winter. (A storm King tangent: The NYTimes website has a story and video on Maya Lin's Wave Field work that will open to the public in the Spring.)

On Sunday Nov 16, MASS MoCA will be opening a Heeeuge retrospective of one hundred wall drawings. Check out their website for all sorts of goodies relating to the exhibit.

Oddly enough, later in the evening, after Steven's gallery talk, as I was listening to the most recent podcast from the Hirschorn Museum, I caught an interview featuring Lacey Fekishazy who was recently in DC on the crew executing some wall drawings at the museum. Questions asked of Lacey and fellow artist/crew member Roland Lusk on the logistics of executing the work echoed those poised to Steven, and their answers offered a fine accompaniment to the earlier gallery talk. Lacey worked on the original LeWitt Galleries when Dia:Beacon opened, she came in 2006 to work on the Drawing Series..., and she partook in preparations for the MASS MoCA show. For giggles, and because I happened to come across it the other day, below is a photo of Lacey's studio from 2003 or 04 when she occupied a space at Spire Studios.

Dia:Beacon Gallery Talk: Aug 30, 1pm

Jennifer Mackiewicz, Beacon's resident authority on all things Michael Heizer will be giving a gallery talk on the artist this Saturday, Aug. 30, at Dia:Beacon. The gallery talk, as usual, is scheduled for 1pm.
Reservations are suggested, call 845 440 0100 x 44

Jennifer Mackiewicz worked for Michael Heizer for eleven years as the artist's
assistant and Operations Manager for the Heizer Studio. She continues to serve
as the artist's liaison and is Vice-President of the Triple Aught Foundation,
founded to preserve the artist's archives and to see the completion of the City
project. Ms. Mackiewicz received her Bachelor's in Studio Arts from the Center
for Creative Studies in Detroit. She is currently working as an arts consultant
and pursuing her personal art practice.
Michael Heizer was born in Berkeley, California, in 1944, the son of the anthropologist Robert Heizer. After briefly attending the San Francisco Art Institute in 1963-64, he moved to New York in 1966. In 1967 Heizer began creating large Earthworks, primarily in California and Nevada. For his first one-person show, at the Galerie Heiner Friedrich, Munich, in 1969, he removed 1,000 tons of earth in a conical shape to create Munich Depression. He followed this with Double Negative, a displacement of over 240,000 tons of earth to make two vast incisions opposite one another on the
edge of Virgin River mesa, Nevada. Heizer's next one-person show was at the Dwan
Gallery, New York, in 1970, and that same year he exhibited in the International
Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. Major exhibitions of his work have been staged
at institutions such as the Museum Folkwang, Essen (1979), and the Museum of
Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (1984). Heizer lives in Nevada, where he continues
to work on City, a sculptural complex begun in 1970 currently supported by Dia
and Lannan Foundation. Gallery Talks at Dia:Beacon is a series of presentations
that take place the last Saturday of every month at 1 pm and are free with
admission to the museum. Focused on the work of the artists in Dia's collection,
the one-hour presentations are given by curators, art historians, and writers,
and take place in museum's galleries. Gallery Talks at Dia:Beacon are made
possible through the generosity of the New York State Council on the Arts, a
State agency; The Karan-Weiss Foundation; and the Jane W. Nuhn Charitable Trust.

This weekend at Dia:Beacon

The Merce Cunningham Dance Company will be back at Dia:Beacon this weekend wrapping up the company's series of performances among the museum's galleries. This weekend's performance will engage the Torqued Ellipses by Serra. Avant Turntablist, Maria Chavez will be among the audio collaborators for the performance. She has posted on her blog a few images she snapped earlier this week as preparations were being made. It seems as if each of the sculptures will house at least some of the sound elements.
All three performances this weekend are most certainly sold out. Other related happenings at the museum include a nature walk and birding tour to George Trakas's Beacon Point on Saturday at 10:30 am. The museum will be hosting a Family Day at noon. Reservations are suggested for both events, so if you're lucky there might be some space left. 845.440.0100 x33

This weekend at Dia:Beacon, and more

In another installment of Dia's monthly Gallery Talks, George Trakas will be speaking about his work at Beacon Point on Saturday, May 31 at 1pm. The talk will take place on site. To make reservations, call 845-440-0100 ext 44.

Also this weekend, from Friday to Sunday, Dia:Beacon will be hosting screenings of three James Benning works.
Here's a NYTimes review of the most recent Merce Cunningham performance at Dia on May 18th.

A recent blurb about Dia on Artnet.com portrays Lynne Cooke as the Robert Mugabi of Dia's curatorial fiefdom.

On another note, the first line of the blurb says that "The Dia Art Foundation is happily ensconced up on the Hudson at Dia: Beacon..." But apparantly not everyone is so pleased about moving on up. In a letter to the editor in the March 8, 2008 issue of the NY Times, former Dia Foundation trustees, Lois de Menil, Margaret Douglas-Hamilton, Peter Wolff add some back story to the Times' article on the departure of Jeffry Weiss as Director of the foundation. I had to laugh at the letter's characterization of the Riggio Galleries as a "beautifully renovated though somewhat inaccessible building in Beacon, N.Y." This is very ironic given the remote projects that Dia Foundation has supported in the past 30 years which have come to define the term "inaccessible." And, really, getting to Beacon from NYC may take a bit longer and require looking at a Metro North timetable, but it's no more taxing to get there than to get to Chelsea from one of the Burroughs. But then I usually don't enlist a car service when I do my gallery tour.

The statement clearly indicates which audience rightfully should be served by the mission of the Dia Foundation, at least according to a few of the folks who helped shape the organization; the righteous benefactors sending forth missionaries into the cultural wasteland to bring back trinkets and oddities, tales of maverick actions to festoon their parlor for to share with the fellows of their privileged class.

May 17-18, 2008: Beacon's unSitely afFair

So the Sitelines Art Fair has been cancelled, but you really had your heart set on making it up to Beacon for the day or for the weekend. What's a body to do? Come what may, come mid-May, we're here for you, and you're welcome. There's plenty of other stuff on tap for the weekend. Here's the shakes on, hopefully most, of what's happening.


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Here's a map showing what's going on where. Green pins indicate what's happening on Saturday, Red pins represent Sunday.
Saturday May 17th:

Dia:Beacon
10:30am - 2pm Dia:Beacon will be closing at 2pm for its annual benefit.
Two new installations are opening
Kamp Maykr
10:00am-5pm. Welcome to Kamp Maykr, we're hosting a pot luck brunch in the morning and an exhibit of yardwork at 1172 North Ave. Start your day off right, bring a dish, hang out for a while, and build your strength for the adventure ahead. Work on view by the likes of Michael Natiello, Steve Rossi, Kathy Feighery, me. The brunch will run til noon or so, but the artwork will be on view both Sat and Sun 12-5pm. Stay tuned right here for further details
Beekman Banner Project
noon - There will be a ceremony featuring Mayor Steve Gold and Dutchess County Art Council President Benjamin Krevolin to inaugurate a series of banners featuring work of local artists lining Beekman St.
Electric Windows
12:30-through the day. Electric Windows is bringing together 24 artists near and far to create
Artists will be painting through the day while accompanied the entire day by music provided by a range a selection of bands and DJ's. Check the above link for line up and schedule info.
Beacon Studios
1-5pm The many artists of Beacon Studios will be hosting an open house.
In addition, in the building's library gallery, there will be a preview of The Media Church, an installation by a guy named Russell, which will officially be opening on May 31.
Habitat for Artists


1-5pm Habitat for Artists will be celebrating the launch of the studio cum sculpture (or sculpture cum studio) project which has been taking shape in the parking lot of Spire Studios for the last several weeks. Participating artist will be on hand in their temporary digs, working and hanging out.
Donald Kimmel of Flying Swine will doing performance piece at some point in the afternoon.
Spire Studios
6pm - on. Spire Studios will be hosting open studios.

If have some yawing need to hang with an artist, this is the day. I can't say that I'm much good for company, but given the multitude of them roaming about on this day, you're bound to meet one with some charm.
Hermitage
7:30 Allan Kaplan reads from his new book "Like On Of Us."

Next Step
10:30pm - on. The Piggy Bank, Open Space, Burlock, and Break Beats will be bringing us this NonSecondSaturday Edition of Next Step complete with DJ's, dancing, and live painting at the Piggy Bank, 448 Main St. (I still owe Tom Moore $5 from the Next Step of a couple months back. I ain't forgotten ya Tommy.)

And that's just Saturday.
On Sunday:
Dia:Beacon
Dia's got several things going on this day in conjunction with the two sold out performances being presented by the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. There's a family day kicking off at noon that includes a movement based tour of artwork. A selection of items relating to the work of John Cage will be on view. There might be a few other things going on, but I can't quite decipher them, and they may be applicable to members only, like a reception for a Tacita Dean projection based on footage of Merce Cunningham performing.

Electric Windows
The pieces that were created through the day Saturday will be installed in the windows of the Electric Blanket Factory at 1 E. Main St. I don't know what time.

Country Folk @ Zahra's Studio
noon - on. If you simply can't get enough live painting, stop by Zahra's at 496 Main St. and catch the Country Folk crew creating a wall piece that will be part of their June exhibit at the gallery.

Kamp Maykr
12-5pm. Someone will still be hanging out, so stop by and check out what's been done in our yard.

That's what I know at the moment. Check back for updates.