Art Goes Reality T.V., Head for the Hills...

Photo by Todd Heisler, from the New York Times (full article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/20/arts/television/20bravo.html)

Over the last year or two I have read in the news several times about proposed reality t.v. shows about art. About a year ago I heard about a reality show that was being proposed to Bravo for just such a thing. It was to be produced by Sarah Jessica Parker and be in the vein of "Top Chef" or "Project Runway." I even talked about it at the end of my Art Appreciation courses and History of Modern Art courses to see what my students thought of such a debacle. Their reactions were often mixed, some saying it was an insult to the "real" art world, that nobody would watch it, and how on earth would they have challenges and such that are typical of reality show formats.

Well, imagine my shock, surprise, horror(?), when I popped open today's New York Times to see one of these proposed shows has been given a go and has begun there casting calls! The one proposed for Bravo and produced by Sarah Jessica Parker is apparently in process. They have been conducting their cast interviews in Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago (how did I not hear about that??), and New York. They are going to pick thrteen finalists who will compete for: a gallery show, cash prize, and a national museum tour. I am very curious to see several things, namely: who are the judges for this show, who is sponsoring this show, and which galleries and museums are going to show the winner's works?

I am a huge supporter of the dissemination of information, the accessibility of art to people from every type of background, but, I do respect art as an institution with a deep and rich history. What scares me is whether or not this will be some crazy dumbed down version of garage sale kitty statues and velvet clown art, or will this be a return of art to the public, for those viewers both educated and average? In the end I do hope it is successful, but I hope it is more reminiscent of Keith Haring than it is of Survivor.

May inspiration and creativity be with you!

Architecture With Limits

When spring comes, it is usually accompanied by a bevy of happenings in the world of architecture. Perhaps the more temperate weather brings with it a desire to get out and about and explore, or maybe it is just that the world seems a bit more welcoming in general. This week is no exception. I have already blogged about Chicago's contribution to the Art Institute, but today, we are focusing on good old NYC and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.

Founded in 1937, the museum designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, disgruntled darling of the architecture world, has been under near constant upkeep and renovations since its construction was complete. Originally called "The Museum of Non-Objective Painting," the Guggenheim was founded to showcase avant-garde art by early modernists such as Wassily Kandinsky and Piet Mondrian. It moved to its present location, at the corners of 89th Street and Fifth Avenue (overlooking Central Park), in 1959, when Frank Lloyd Wright's design for the site was completed.

The museum is celebrating its 50th anniversary with the show “Frank Lloyd Wright: From Within Outward,” which opens today. According to the NY Times, the show "will be a disappointment to some. The show offers no new insight into his life’s work. Nor is there any real sense of what makes him so controversial. It’s a chaste show, as if the Guggenheim, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, was determined to make Wright fit for civilized company," says Nicolai Ouroussoff in the Arts section of today's NY Times.

The main problems with the building, as I see it, isn't the beauty of the structure or the innovation of FLW's design, it is with its poor construction and the difficulty it poses for displaying works of art. Shouldn't a museum be built to last? Shouldn't a museum's main focus be the displaying of works?

While the museum is relatively structurally sound, the facade has been cracking since the 1st coat of paint dried: not due to just seasonal fluctuations in weather as we would expect, but because commonly available and used expansion joints were not a part of its construction. Although FLW's structures have beautiful and innovative designs, they completely ignore one of the primary rules of architecture: withstand the test of time.

This is not only evident here at the Guggenheim but, at many other locations/structures he designed, such as (probably his most famed work) Fallingwater in Pennsylvania (below).

Most criticism of the building has focused on the idea that it overshadows the artworks displayed within, and that it is particularly difficult to properly hang paintings in the shallow windowless exhibition niches which surround the central spiral. Although the rotunda is generously lit by a large skylight, the niches are heavily shadowed by the walkway itself, leaving the art to be lit largely by artificial light. The walls of the niches are neither vertical nor flat (they are concave) meaning canvasses must be mounted proud of the wall's surface. The limited space within the niches means that sculptures are generally relegated to plinths amid the main spiral walkway itself. Prior to its opening, twenty-one artists signed a letter protesting the display of their work in such a space.

Call me crazy, but doesn't it raise a few flags when even artists do not want their work displayed in a structure?

Lest I completely dishearten the reader from seeing FLW's designs, which, as I stated earlier, are innovative and aesthetically pleasing, I have included an image below of Jenny Holzer's work Untitled (Selections from Truisms, Inflammatory Essays, The Living Series, The Survival Series, Under a Rock, Laments, and Child Text), from 1989, that utilized the museum's design to her advantage.

Unfortunately, I will be nowhere near NYC, and therefore, not able to attend the new exhibition. If there are any New Yorkers out there who attended the show, please leave a comment and let us know what your impressions of it were and if they did Mr. FLW and the Guggenheim justice.

May inspiration and creativity be with you!