Lambert

The most interesting of Lambert's work, for me, was the Ohio river lifeboat project. The interactions and conversations with the various people that Carolyn and her crew met along the way enriched the work and gave it a human quality that endures through Lambert's documentation. My concern lies with her purpose(s) for the project. When reading her description of the work it seems as though her motives are both broad and specific at the same time. In my opinion the conversations and experiences with the people overpower all else. After listening to her presentation of the work it seemed as though her work was ALL about the people, only after reading more of her website did I realize that it dealt with ecological concerns, sustainability, etc., etc. In terms of presentation strategy, I would like to see the use of large scale photography in conjunction with her audio clips. If I were surrounded by images that recreated the same environment (as she was in during the project) I feel as though I could relate to/experience it much more directly. note: By large scale I mean wall sized photos.

Hands ON

I believe thought has always been involved in the artistic process, artists have always been thinkers as well as makers. While there has obviously been a shift away from object making by the majority of today's artists, there are still a large number of them that persist. Deskilling is a crisis in the sense that many of today's young artists are never formally trained in traditional art media. In my opinion that creates a problem; it falls under the category of not being able to break the rules unless you have practiced and understood the rules. How can deskilling be an artistic process by which an artist practices, if the said artist never possessed the skills in the first place? In addition, an artist must contain some skill in order to present their thoughts in a visual context. If we are to boil artistic creativity down to thoughts then are not all of us artists? For me there has to be some form of execution or creation on behalf of the artist and I would like to see it executed with some skill.

Show Opportunity - Lightwell Gallery

Hi everyone,
I saw a call for submissions that is open to students so I thought I would pass it along. The Lightwell Gallery at the University of Oklahoma invites applications for the show "From On High." The website says "Submitted works should utilize or specifically address the idea of being viewed from above or engage the aspects of height/elevation. From On High is open to ALL media including video, sound, kinetic works and digital media."

Deadline for entries is November 7, 2007. Fee for student entries id $20. The prospectus with more info is available at http://www.ou.edu/lightwellgallery/home.html

Thoughts on Carolyn Lambert's Lecture

This week, let's hear everyone's thoughts on Carolyn Lambert's lecture. What works were you most interested in, and why? Once a project like the Ohio Lifeboat project is complete, what is the most effective way for the project to live on, and to be presented to other audiences?

Hands Off

Since when did intellectual creativity cease to be a "skill". In so much talk about the "deskilling" of art people have forgotten the skill of thinking. Machines can make just about anything now, we no longer have a need for the sculptor to make a perfect, realistic bust of someone because we can just as easily take a picture. So for all intents and purposes making art as a form of mimicry is a dead skill. But yet we still have artists. I think the shift has been made to artists as thinkers and less as makers. Does it make Matthew Barney's Cremaster cycle any less important once you know he had a crew of hundreds doing all the work?
So for people who want to wander aimlessly through a gallery using the artwork as a form of visual vicodin- then yes, there is a great crisis of deskilling. This also plays into audience. Who is your audience and what do you want them to get out of it?
Maybe if people took more than 2.3 seconds to look at a work it wouldn't matter if the piece came out of a kiln or out of a WalMart.

Guest Artist Carolyn Lamert - Tuesday Oct 7

Hi Everyone,
As I mentioned in class on Thursday, Carolyn Lambert will be a guest artist in sculpture class on Tuesday. She will be doing a presentation on her work and then doing studio visits. A sign up sheet for studio visits will be on my door.

You can check out the site for Carolyn's Ohio River Lifeboat Project here: http://www.ohioriverlifeboatproject.org/about.php

Ugh,Venice; wow

Maybe biennales are becoming decrepit forms of disseminating art. Who cares? Just because the art world is becoming one huge click doesn’t mean that it should stop others from experiencing the art. I mean ok. If you are some guy from New York City that goes every year to every biennale then sure, you’re going to be tired of seeing the same art by the same people. The same curators searching out the same fresh artist. That doesn’t mean it takes any of the magic away from those of the people in the world that have not ever seen such presentations of art. I think that they are good ways for people to view contemporary art. This is something not many people do. Just because the art click does it too much doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing or it needs to end. It just means that person needs to get a life and start doing other things. Maybe buy a model and put it together. i don’t know. They just seem a little bored with life if you ask me. So goes the saying if you keep doin what your doin, you’re gonna keep gettin what you’re gettin... this guy needs to stop in his tracks. Hitch hike across the usa, take a walk on the wild side. Step out of his stupid white walled New York City high rise flat and do something with his life that is not centered on the art world. For the rest of us... let’s enjoy art as long as it is enjoyable. Forget the clicks and social groups and just look at the art that’s what its there for.