The Whiney Museum of American Art has organized a retrospective exhibit on the Brazilian artist Hélio Oiticica (1937-1980) entitled “Hélio Oiticica: To Organize Delirium.” Your assignment is to visit this exhibit independently (you are welcome to take a friend or pair up with someone from class) and think about the narrative that the exhibit tells about the artist, his art, his goals as an artist, and his artistic development. Remember to take a selfie of yourself at the main entrance of the exhibit as evidence of your visit.
As you visit the exhibit, thing about two things in particular: 1) the claims that the curators have made about Hélio Oiticica and his intentions as an artist; 2) how the curators explain his evolution as an artist; 3) how the narrative provided by the exhibit helps you to engage with (or alternatively, makes it harder for you to engage with) his work. Also consider these questions: Why do you think the curators have used the title “To Organize Delirium?” Why do you think they have decided to have this retrospective now, in 2017? Does the narrative provided make sense in relation to the art on display? How do you think this narrative is shaped by the present-day? What alternative narratives do you think might be possible? If allowed, take pictures of two pieces that you find most interesting, intriguing, thought provoking, or difficult to understand. (If they don’t allow photographs, just write down the name of the piece). How do you think the exhibition narrative has shaped the way you perceive and think about these pieces?
When you return home from the exhibit, write a 500-word review of the exhibit, reflecting on the narrative provided, what it helped you to understand and see regarding Hélio Oiticica’s work and artistic development, and what you found most intriguing. Interesting, or difficult to understand about his life, work, and artistic ambitions. Include the two pieces that you photographed to provide concrete examples of your ideas. Also include a copy of your selfie. I encourage you to listen to the spotify playlist meant to accompany the exhibit before and while you write the review. You can find that at the Whitney’s exhibit webpage.
When you are done, post your review to the course blog site.
After you’ve posted your review look at some of the other reviews written about the exhibit (see links below). Read two (2). Then write a short 100-200 comment to your own blog post explaining how your own experience of the exhibit might have been different (if at all) if you had read these reviews before visit the exhibit.
Due Date: Complete all work for this assignment and post it to the course blog site by Tuesday, September 19th at 5:00 pm. Please take a moment to read and comment on the reviews of at least 2 of your classmates as soon as you are able.
Reviews of “Hélio Oiticica: To Organize Delirium”
“Cool Heat: An Art Outlaw Who Still Simmers,” The New York Times, July 13, 2017
“Discovering the Brilliance of Hélio Oiticica,” The New Yorker, July 31, 2017
“How to Understand Hélio Oiticica’s Journey from Art Visionary to Coke Dealer and Back Again,” Artnet News, July 11, 2017
“Visions of an Ironic Paradise: Hélio Oiticica at the Whitney,” The Financial Times, July 21, 2017 (do a search to find the page and avoid the paywall)
Museum Stories
Museums and their collections tell narratives. Some of these narratives are stories told through the arrangement of objects in an exhibition, permanent or temporary. Other stories are told through the physical building, the arrangement of space in and around the museum, accessibility to the public, the controlled flow of visitors from one room to another, and the temporal progression of the museum experience (to name but a few aspects). These stories are as much a reflection of the individual museum and its mission as the social and cultural milieu in which they were created and operate. Through these various devices, museums have the power to shape the experience of the visitor and convey messages.
What story does the Guggeneheim tell about itself and about American society past and present? Reflect on your total experience: finding the museum; entering the museum; reception; spatial arrangement; exhibition and collection; and tour. Write up your thoughts in a short reflection piece of 450-500 words. You can include pictures if you want. Then take 5 minutes to think about the following: If you were to create a museum what kind of narrative would you want it to tell? Come up with 5-7 keywords that you would want to describe it.
When you are done, post your reflection piece to the course blog site (https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/heath17/) and be sure to add the keywords as tags (you’ll find the place to do this in the lower right hand corner of the post page). Post your work by Sunday, September 10th. When you are done, take a quick look at the Guggenheim’s own narrative about itself in the mission statement it has posted on its website.
After the deadline has closed, read the blogs of your classmates and respond to at least 3 of their posts regarding their interpretation of the Guggenheim and their keyword descriptions of their museum. Based on their description what kind of building do you think would best enable the museums described to embody the keywords achieved?
Deadline for blog: Sunday, September 10th at 5:00 pm
Deadline for comments: Monday, September 11th at 11 pm.
What is Art (in New York City)?
Spend a half-hour or more walking around the neighborhood that surrounds the Baruch campus. What do you see on your walk that you would categorize as art? Take three pictures: one of something that you would definitely consider art; a second of something that you are not sure about (you don’t necessarily think of it as art but could be persuaded otherwise); and third of something that you would definitely consider art.
Post these pictures to the blog site with a short essay (500-750 words) explaining your choices. What makes the first thing you photographed? What makes the last think you photographed not art? Why is the second one so hard to pin down? What, then, in the end qualifies as art for you? At the end of this assignment you should be able to articulate a working definition of “art.”
After the deadline has closed, read the blogs of your classmates and respond to at least 3 of their posts especially as it regards the second photograph (of the piece that might or might not be art).
Deadline for blog: Sunday, September 3rd at 5:00 pm
Deadline for comments: Monday, September 4th at 11 pm.
