The Arts in New York City @ Hunter College

Visual Art Group presents: Desmond, Jonathan, Tom, Victoria

Course wrap-up.

VISUAL ART: Desmond, Jonathan, Tom, Victoria

MUSIC: Jeannie, Luka, Alden

THEATER: Danielle, Abby, Melissa

DANCE:  Jennifer, Kerishma, Judy

Meet Monday Night 11/22 at St. James Theater 246 West 44th Street at 7:45.  Hand in to me at the performance the following:

After listening to  Green Day’s  album “American Idiot”  (2004) Write up list of song titles (see if you can look at the hand-written liner notes–there are interesting notes and clues there), what you think each song means/is about? how you might envision each song being enacted or staged? Who are the characters and what are the settings for the songs? Is there an overarching narrative or message for the entire album?

This just in: American Idiot to Perform on Thanksgiving Day Parade

The signature stop in front of Macy’s department store in Herald Square will feature a performance by the cast of American Idiot.

You will have seen it first!

VISUAL ART: Desmond, Jonathan, Tom, Victoria

MUSIC: Jeannie, Luka, Alden

THEATER: Danielle, Abby, Melissa

DANCE:  Jennifer, Kerishma, Judy

Assignment can be found in Assignments Section under Course Information

1) Read the handouts: program notes, info on John Adams

2) Visit the Carnegie Hall website (see LINK) for info on the history of Carnegie Hall. (Under “The Basics” you will find Hall History, Rose Museum)

Concert night: Arrive at 6:45 p.m.  Lecture at 7.

The Carnegie Hall Archivist Gino Francesconi (who we are meeting on Nov. 16) has suggested that you make note of the following when you visit Carnegie Hall for our concert Friday night: 1) the sounds, 2) the architecture 3) the location 4) the stage

How is Carnegie Hall different from other concert halls you have visited?

What strikes you first as soon as you enter the theater?

A few practical things to note.
Chelsea galleries are free and open to the public for business. Everything is for sale. Galleries are commercial, not non-profit, art spaces.  Staff should be helpful, if not always the most friendly. When you visit a gallery you shouldn’t be intimidated about asking questions.  That is the staff’s role. There are press releases, info on the artists and also price lists available at the front desk (sometimes you have to ask for these). There is always a “back room” for art storage and presentation where additional art by the artist(s) on view is kept for collectors as well as work by other artists represented by the gallery or that is for sale on the secondary market (resale) for the gallery’s clients.

Here is a list of the 5 gallery shows that we attended yesterday.

Daniel Canogar “Trace” at Bitforms Gallery 529 west 20 st, 2nd floor
Chris Doyle “Waste_Generation” at Andrew Edlin Gallery 134 Tenth ave
Abelardo Morell “The Universe Next Door” at Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery   505 west 24 st
Mary Temple “Among Friends and Enemies” at Mixed Greens Gallery  531 west 26 st
Roxy Paine “Distillation” at James Cohan Gallery 533 west 26 st

Blog assignment: Note the mediums the artists are working with and what techniques/artistic processes they are using.  After having listened to Daniel Canogar and then reading the press releases (you will find on line at gallery website) for all 5 artists: what the sources of the artists’ inspiration for this work? Why?  What experience or ideas are the artists sharing/communicating?  What relationships do you see between these 5 particular artists’ works?  I am thinking of the themes in their work and their choice of materials and/or technologies.

The 2 other artists we saw in the back room of the James Cohan Gallery were Fred Tomaselli (He imbedded the pills, pot leaves and other collage elements into the painting of the scorpion. Tomaselli is having a retrospective at the Brooklyn Museum right now; which I highly recommend you go see.) The wall painting is by Sol LeWitt.  Assignment: After researching their practice and importance, you can put them into your e-portoflio. Those of you who left class early or missed me talking about them, please do some homework on these 2 artists. They are very important.

I also offered to give you a list of my top galleries in Chelsea in case you want to go visit more shows:  303 Gallery, Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, Jack Shainman Gallery, Marianne Boesky Gallery, Barbara Gladstone Gallery, Cheim and Read, PPOW, Brent Sikkema Gallery, Galerie Lelong, Sean Kelly Gallery, Lehman Maupin, Luhring Augustine, Pace Gallery, Yancey Richardson, Gagosian Gallery, Mary Boone, David Zwirner — besides the 5 we visited….

Our ITF, Karen Gregory, has created a student blog for this class.  This is a site we created so that you have a voice and can post your own questions, comments, photographs, etc. for other students to consider and discuss.  This is in addition to replying to my posts on the class blog.

It is mandatory that you join this blog.  Instructions: Click on the new BLOG page up top and you will find instructions on how to join.  Password is artsnyc.

You will see I created the first post which is asking you to send the link to your e-portfolio to this student blog.  Karen is available if you have any questions.

Due Nov. 2:

Artists are always trying to change our perspective. Their art is an attempt to get us to see and experience the world in new ways.

How did the Starn twins (Big Bambu), Katrin Sigurdardottir (Boiseries) and the contemporary photographers (Beyond Here and There show) change our perspective –on the city, on the museum, on definitions of art?  What strategies did they use to alter our perception of time and/or space?  What did we–the spectators–see anew as a result?  Give at least one example from each artist/show.

Meet at Bitforms Gallery 529 West 20th Street (between 10-11 Avenues) by 10:15.

We are meeting the artist Daniel Canogar whose show “Trace” is on view in the gallery.  Review both Daniel Canogar and Bitform Gallery’s websites in LINKS section before class.  Come prepared with specific questions for the artist and the gallerist.

We are planning to visit the rooftop installation Big Bambu (weather permitting) plus “Katrin Sigurdardottir at the Met” and “Between Here and There: Passages in Contemporary Photography.”

Reading:  Sculpture magazine article on the Big Bambu installation (handed out in class) and Michael Kimmelman “The Art of the Pilgrimage” (optional; PDF in Readings).