Museums Care

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We all assume that art is an experience for everyone. Walking into museums, many of us open our eyes and minds to view the incredible pieces standing before us. But what about people with disabilities? How are they going to experience these artworks?

Well, apparently, many museums have classes that give people with disabilities a chance to experience art. For example, the Metropolitan Museum of Art held its first “Seeing Through Drawing” class this October; participants with eyesight impairments created works inspired by the ones in the museum. Their experiences were based on either touching the objects or hearing descriptions of them from instructors. Museums look out for people with other disabilities too, not just sight. Whether it’s hearing impairment, mobility issues,  or learning disabilities, museums like The Met and the Smithsonian are constantly trying to make sure anyone and everyone who loves art, gets to experience it.

A lot of thought goes in to building a museum, and one big factor is to accommodate for those with disabilities. In fact, museums have been mitigating this issue since the early 1900s, whether it’s by including rolling chairs, holding talk sessions, hiring instructors, varying the heights objects are placed, or installing mirrors. Innovations continue, and it’s because a large percent, almost 20, of the population has some type of disability. These numbers are not expected to decrease due to the introduction of more cases of learning disabilities, along with the aging of the population.

I thought this was article was really interesting because I never really thought about the troubles others may have going to a museum. I guess I take for granted that I am able to see, to hear, to feel, without any problems. This article sheds light on the other side of the spectrum, those who are unfortunately impaired and have trouble with what we consider everyday tasks. I never noticed the efforts museum coordinators and workers take for the disabled, and I think it’s absolutely amazing. What they are doing and have been doing means a lot to the society. Nobody is singled out; nobody can say they cannot attend a museum because they are disabled. But what intrigues me the most is the fact that these museums do it solely for social benefits, to bring joy to others. I read a lot about people who treat art as money, purchasing art just to sell it for profit, and although this is true, the intrinsic value of art branches much more from the emotions they are able to evoke from people rather than its face-value in the market. It’s so heartwarming to hear about how much these museums do for people with disabilities.

Mohn, Tanya. “Welcoming Art Lovers With Disabilities.” New York Times 25 Oct. 2013:               1-2. Print.

Balloons = Art?

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balloons 2A constant topic of conversation in our IDC classes and this blog is “what constitutes art?” From New York Times Arts articles about silence as art to destruction as art, I’ve come to the conclusion that art is extremely subjective. I feel as if there’s a very thin line between what can and cannot be considered art – it’s really up to each person personally. Yet, this is not the case when it comes to the NYPD. They clearly feel there is a distinct difference, as was the case with Banky’s balloons this past week.

As an appreciation gift to this fine city, the infamous Banksy left seven inflatable BANKSY-articleLargeletters overlooking the L.I.E. in Long Island City, spelling out “Banksy!” before leaving from his monthlong stay here. These balloons have an estimated value between $200,000 and $300,000. According to the police, however, they are just balloons. Deputy Chief Jack J. Trabitz made this opinion clear, stating that, “I don’t have it [the balloons] as art on the invoice. We have it as a balloon.” Because they were categorized as merely balloons, the valuable pieces of work may be discarded, unless they are claimed. The police became involved with the Banksy bit after three men trespassed and attempted to steal it. When asked, one of the man claimed he wanted to put the balloons in a museum [see a video of the arrest here].

Currently, the balloons are deflated – to save room – and situated in a Long Island City Police Department building. Because they were deemed ‘not art’, and simply balloons, until they are claimed, they can remain there for 18 months until being considered abandoned and auctioned off, or destroyed.

It’s really interesting that these balloons could be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to some and be basically valueless to others. This really goes to show that art is extremely opinion-based; there’s no right answer. My opinion on this matter has absolutely changed throughout this course. Before this class, I knew who Banksy was, but I would have never thought that balloons could be considered art, and the idea that they’d be worth more money than the typical Party City price would have seemed absurd. Yet now, I can honestly say that I believe these balloons are art (although the fact that they’re worth that much money still seems a little crazy to me). Art certainly does not have to mean ‘something I would expect to see in the Met’ – a pre-conceived notion I had before this IDC course.

I found it a bit comical that the police department has a much more objective opinion on art, although it does make sense. My question to each of you is, what do you think about this matter? Are the balloons art? Does the NYPD have the right to determine what is and isn’t art?

 

Works Cited:

Buckley, Cara, and J. David Goodman. “Police Confiscate Banksy Balloons and Say They’re Not Art.” New York Times. N.p., 5 Nov. 2013. Web. 5 Nov. 2013.

 

On the chase for art

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With New York City being such a diverse city with so many different people and creative minds, there is no doubt that the city would be filled with art, ranging from graffiti to art paintings and exaggerated face paintings being sold on the street. That doesn’t mean all the art is respected or liked, though. According to the article, “Monthlong Chase Around New York City for Banksy’s Street Art,” someone was quite successful with his art.

Banksy, a famous and supposedly rich, anonymous British street artist, has been leaving his art all over NYC in all five boroughs for the month of October. Nearly everyday of his staying at NYC, he would post a picture of his art on Instagram and people would then go search for it. Banksy’s work sells for hundreds of thousands of dollars, so it’s no wonder why people would try and make some money off the free art.

Reactions weren’t the same in each location where Banksy’s work was found. People in East NY would charge viewers $20 while in TriBeCa, people would lay flowers at a stencil of the World Trade Center towers, while local street artists would insist that the Englishman had intruded on their turf. Banksy’s works have even found themselves on private buildings, but no complaints were filed, partly due to the fact that no one knew who he was, or if he even existed.

While Banksy had a large number of fans, he also gathered in some people who weren’t the most impressed by his work. Ruben Diaz Jr., the Bronx borough president, at first liked the attention that the Bronx got when Banksy graced the borough with one of his pieces. Then Diaz changed opinions of Banksy after he used a slur in one of his works, angry that Banksy perpetuated “outdated negative stereotypes.” Several residents of the Bronx were also appalled when people would coo over Banksy’s work, claiming there were pieces grander than that. On the Upper West Side, there was a stencil of a child striking a standpipe with a hammer, now protected by plexiglass, and a man with a child strapped to his chest said, “Is that supposed to be the Banksy thing? Man, that’s horrible. God, the hype. I grew up with real graffiti artists,” before walking away.

Personally, I have never even heard the name Banksy before I read this article. I would have thought that the name of such a famous person would reach my ears at least once, but apparently not. The fact that an anonymous person would gather in so many fans is quite shocking. I am actually quite dubious about this person and if he’s a fraud or not, since we don’t know anything about him. Who knows if this Banksy person is just posting random pictures onto his Instagram, pretending he created it? I can see why the people in the Bronx were surprised and maybe even offended by the crowds that Banksy’s art attracted, since the Bronx is filled with street artists yet the Bronx residents respect the art enough not to surround it. I might be biased in saying this since I’m not the hugest fan of street art, but I do think Banksy’s art is overhyped. If I passed by one of his works (and knew it was by him) while in the city, I probably wouldn’t give it a second glance.

 

Works Cited:

Buckley, Cara. “Monthlong Chase Around New York City for Banksy’s Street Art.” The New York Times. 28 Oct. 2013. Web. 02 Nov. 2013.

Tech and Art

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Three-dimensional printing has aided architects, doctors, and weapon designers, but now, its practicality is catching the attention of many art curators. Only one museum can enjoy an original, making the demand for high quality replicas as high as the demand for originals. Innovative methods have led to near exact duplication of colors and depth, but never the ripples of paint made by the brush. Until now.

van gogh museum

Fujifilm has developed the technology to scan and replicate not only color and size, but also the minute details made by artists. The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam is assessing the precision Fujifilm claims to have in replication. Daniella Levy, whoe half a millimeter left or right.” Perfecting the copies, the Van Gogh Museum hopes to sell extremely high quality replicas, relievos, for $30,000 or more, depending on the paintings copied. Unlike many other museums, the Van Gogh Museum is mostly self-financed. Ticket sales, museum-shop revenue and other earned-income make up 75% of the museums funding. By testing Fujifilm’s technology, museum curators hope to find a substantial source of income.

So far, the reproductions from the Van Gogh museum are only on sale in Hong Kong, where the museum felt was a good test market. “In Asia van Gogh is incredibly popular and it’s the right market for it,” said Mr. Rüger, director of the Van Gogh Museum. “We’re going to launch in Taiwan next, and others will follow.”

Asides from making money, this technology has much to offer to art experts. 3-D scanning can unveil the process behind art, showing the original sketch or layout underneath the finished work. “Because sometimes artists applied an under-painting or an under-drawing, and you usually find a whole package of layers that you didn’t see with the naked eye.”

example of 3-d printer

Work Cited

Siegal, Nina. “Technology Mimics the Brushstrokes of Masters.” Nytimes.com. New York Times, 23 Oct. 2013. Web. 1 Nov. 2013.

A Window, Not a Mirror

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The first sentence of the article summarizes the general view of New York art industries. Before reading this article, I didn’t know how much racism plays a role in art, but I agreed with the statement that industries go after big and attention-grabbing things.

One artist that has been using topics, such as racism, consumption, and sexism in his work along with big objects is Wangechi Mutu. One example is her traveling survey called “Wangechi Mutu: A Fantastic Journey” at the Brooklyn Museum. A piece in the work includes a woman wearing “high-heels boots, raffia leg ornaments of a kind found in African masquerades, and a neck-to-fingertip body suit so tight that it could be her skin”, crouching on a mound (A Window, Not a Mirror). The woman is supposed to portray femininity and power at the same time with her runway and fierce demeanor.

Screen Shot 2013-11-01 at 4.56.07 PM“Wangechi Mutu: A Fantastic Journey”

Ms. Mutu’s ideas for her artworks are heavily based from her own life experiences. Since she came to New York as a teenager, naturally, she felt like she didn’t belong. She attended Cooper Union and Yale where she earned her degrees. During her early years in the United States, being an African American female played an important role in her identity and was something that really stood out to people. Ms. Mutu’s childhood growing up in Africa and her new identity as an African living in America was of great interest to her and shaped her artwork. When Ms. Mutu first started as an artist, her work focused around female bodies being controlled and assigned functions, such as models, native types, sex objects, etc. The women in Ms. Mutu’s works are vague or misunderstood and rarely portray kindness. In order to preserve her identity, she relied on portraying her exoticism. To make her work seem more varied and unique, Ms. Mutu became a painter rather than putting pieces together to form a painting.

Ms. Mutu’s artwork primarily revolves around the idea of being collage-like or not being collage-like. Even though Ms. Mutu strives to stay away from collages because she wants her work to be exotic, some of her collages are her best pieces. Based on the article, her collages have come a long way especially in “Family Tree”, which is a collection of 13 small pieces. In “Family Tree”, Ms. Mutu combines animal, vegetable, and mineral to combine three factors that are usually never seen together. Ms. Mutu tries to incorporate what the art world loves, but still capture and keep intact her own identity.

Works Cited

Cotter, Holland. “A Window, Not a Mirror.” Www.nytimes.com. N.p., 10 Oct. 2013. Web. 01 Nov. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/11/arts/design/a-survey-of-wangechi-mutu-at-brooklyn-museum.html?pagewanted=1>.

NY Times Blog Post: cars – women or men?

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Cars have often been associated with men ever since their birth in the 1900s. Who would have known that female car designers would emerge? Designers such as Monika Zych, Sandy McGill, and Helen Emsley, show that women, too, can be free-spirited artists and designers when it comes to cars. They have devised the inner mechanism of cars, which often demonstrates to be difficult work. There are many more factors to consider, such as the comfort and convenience of the drivers, not to mention the detailed styling of vehicles. In fact, women may perhaps be more apt to interior design due to their attention to detail. They bring the completion of designing cars to a whole different level, by concentrating on details like color and shapes of each component. Can this mean then, that female drivers would prefer cars designed by the same sex? Contrary to what most men pay attention to, women look at more than how cars look from the outside, such as space for their belongings. Ultimately, female designers satisfy this kind of practicality. 

However, this does not justify why car exteriors designed by females are so rare in the automobile industry. The industry’s upper administration, according to Tara Weingarten, is a “men’s club” and the glass ceiling still exists within it. Few examples of designs led by females include the BMW Z4 and the Volvo YCC concept cars. The exterior designs do not only serve as what people come across at the very first sight, but also serve how people perceive the brand. Details also exist in the designs of car exterior, such as the contour, curve, and tint of different pieces – headlights and door handles. This aspect gives women qualification to be engaged in the exterior designs as well. Through collaboration, female and male designers can remedy each other’s shortcomings.

The issue of gender inequality is witnessed rather conspicuously, outside of the design world. Although women represent half of all workers in the United States, this does not mean that they are fully represented in their workplace. According to the government census, they tend to earn significantly less than men, despite their abilities and talents. Closing the gap between men and women can and should be accomplished, as their skills can complement each other through cooperation in the workplace. This is an important step to true equality in society.

 

 

Works Cited:

Kelly, Caitlin. “A Woman’s Touch, Still a Rarity in Car Design.” The New York Times. The New York Times Company, 29 Oct. 2013. Web. 1 Nov. 2013. < <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/30/automobiles/a-womans-touch-still-a-rarity-in-car-design.html?ref=design&_r=0>.

Billionaire Steven A Cohen to Auction Off Part of Art Collection

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Sothebys

 

500px-SAC_logo.svg

Steven A. Cohen, hedge fund billionaire and long time art collector, will be selling off almost $80 million worth of art from his sizable collection at Sotheby’s and Christie’s next week. For those who don’t know, Mr. Cohen is the founder of SAC Capitol Advisors, a hedge fund thats been in the news quite a lot lately. SAC has been under fire from the Securities and Exchange Commision since 2010, after several employees of the company supposedly took part in insider trading. While stopping short of charging Mr. Cohen with any criminal charges, federal regulators have filed a lawsuit against him, claiming lack of oversight. Just a few weeks ago, a settlement was announced where SAC will plead guilty in addition to a $1.2 billion fine, which will essentially be paid by Mr. Cohen himself.

Steven-Cohen

Some of the works that will be auctioned off include, two 1963 Warhol’s from his “Death and Disaster” series that are expected to pull in $40 million. Also planned for the auction is a 1986 abstract canvas by Gerhard Richter. Mr. Cohen purchased the Richter from Pace Gallery only last year for $20 million, and it is estimated that it will sell for $15-20 million next week. While Mr. Cohen will be selling over a dozen different pieces, he will still be holding on to some of his most valuable ones such as the “Le Rêve” by Picasso, which he bought for $155 million in March. People close to Mr. Cohen claim that the timing of this sale is purely coincidental to what is happening at SAC. Mr. Cohen is apparently only taking advantage of the currently highly active art market.

When I read about this in the New York Times, the part that struck me the most was seeing how the art market is in a constant cycle of buying and selling. I find it fascinating how art can pass through thousands of hands over the course of its lifetime and is never truly stationary.

 

Article Link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/31/arts/design/steven-a-cohen-to-sell-works-at-sothebys-and-christies.html?src=mv

New York Times Blog: Banksy-Altered Painting Brings $615,000 at Auction

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Banksy’s altered painting “The Banality of the Banality of Evil” recently sold for $615,000 for a charity auction. What a large sum of money for a thrift store painting. The value of this painting brings up the question of what’s more reputable – Banksy himself doing the art or the art itself. An anonymous “British graffiti artist, purported millionaire, activist, filmmaker and prankster,” Banksy has gained notable fame and notoriety through his street art and recognizable stenciled images. With his popularity, both fans and haters alike search for his pieces created during his time in New York City. Even building owners who had previously have not even heard of Banksy started hiring guards and establishing gates to preserve their building who have been blessed by Banksy’s art.

Banksy’s “The Banality of the Banality of Evil.”

But what exactly dictates the value of a work of art anyway? Many works considered “modern art” just seem to be a jumble of scribbles and splashes of paint. The term abstract art just brings about ambiguity and questions the perspective of every individual in terms of analyzing art. What makes some works of art more valuable than others? The generality of such a field has no guidelines or set rules defining what aspects of art are worth more than others. WIth Banksy’s art, price isn’t a real problem. He has sold some of his own works, without the knowledge of the public, for $60 – although they can go up to six figure digits. However, the main question here is – are people inspired by Banksy’s political messages through his art, or are they hopping on the bandwagon and riding on his fame?

 

Article Link: http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/31/banksy-altered-painting-brings-615000-at-auction/?ref=arts

Norman Rockwell in a Modern Lens

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This article discussed the new book, “American Mirror- The Life and Art of Norman Rockwell” by Deborah Solomon, an author and frequent contributor to the New York Times (who by the way, is going to be speaking at a Macaulay event that you can RSVP for here.)  Though Norman Rockwell’s life has been discussed greatly, from critics, reviews, and his own autobiography, few know much about the true Rockwell. In the book, Solomon discusses the life and art of the famous American painter and tries to make him applicable in the modern era.  

Growing up, I loved flipping through books of Rockwell’s art.  His works, just make the viewer smile and the idealized portraits of the American life was all that I could have hoped for in my own.  My personal favorite is “The Shiner.”  Norman Rockwell has carved out a space in American culture, making him as American as apple pie and Uncle Sam.  Though growing up, I never knew much about his life, it was interesting to read about some of the struggles he faced.  Extremely isolated, depressed, and perhaps a repressed homosexual?  The book identifies some of Norman Rockwell’s personal maladies and how they may have effected his artwork and what he produced.  The article says “His emotional and physical closeness to men is evident in the large number of his pictures most comfortably viewing a male world. But he also masked his inner life of self-doubt and psychic pain by painting their opposite…”  If so, the many paintings that many Americans idealize and that much of American culture is just a  cheap veneer, covering broken insides. I think that its always important to look at the historical and cultural context behind art because its nearly impossible to no be influenced by your environment.  What were the consequences of portraying an ideal America while the reality didn’t match it? Also, as a man who lived through both world wars, the Great Depression, and many huge turning points in America’s history, how does his art show what he felt? In his large body of work (over 4,000 pieces) where does his point of view come in?  What were the effects of masking so much pain with the ideal life that people wanted to see from Norman Rockwell?

Solomon also explores Rockwell’s art, looking at it through a post-modern lens, and identifying some of his work as Abstract Expressionism.  At first, Rockwell’s straight forward portrait-esque work hardly seems comparable to the works of Willem de Kooning and Jackson Pollock, but as the article mentions, Rockwell creates his own version of Pollock in “The Connoisseur” .  She also notes his art influences such as Renaissance artists and painters like Michelangelo and Da Vinci in his work.  Drawing an idea of where an artist is coming from often sheds light on their point of view and thought process in creating works. Sadly, I don’t believe many Americans know the true Normal Rockwell.  An individual so associated with the perfect American life actually suffered greatly for his art.  Perhaps it was a mask to cover it up, a tool for coping, or perhaps it only made it worse. Either way, there is no doubt that Rockwell’s art continues to be influential on American culture and the American identity.  Though we may never truly know the mind of Normal Rockwell, Deborah Solomon’s book helps to bring new insight and prompts readers to think and question the life of this all-American man.

You can peruse through some of his many works here and don’t forget to register for the Macaulay event!

Works Cited:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/01/books/american-mirror-about-norman-rockwell-by-deborah-solomon.html?pagewanted=2&ref=design

http://www.nrm.org/

Can the Small Opera House Succeed?

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When we think of opera, magnificent venues like the Metropolitan Opera House come to mind.  When we all went to go see The Nose last week, I can imagine all of us being in awe of the massive and elegant atmosphere of the opera house.  I know that when I went to the opera for the first time, I could  only try to think of the spectacular performances of Wagner’s Ring Cycle and classics by Mozart like The Magic Flute.  Would you believe me if I told you that small venues are on the rise to deliver opera to the masses?  The idea of small opera house goes against any of our expectations of what going to the opera is like.  I can tell you that these small venues offer people a new way to experience opera.

David Belcher, a journalist for the New York Times, explores the new craze of small opera houses in his article, Opera Houses Find that Small can be Beautiful.  Belcher describes the small opera house, or the “black-box operas”, as he calls it, as a scaled-down version of big opera-house productions that are smaller in budget and far less of a spectacle.  As you go to one of these “black-box operas”, you can bet that it is not going to have the ridiculous sets or extravagant costumes you see at the Metropolitan Opera.  David Belcher goes on to say how the attendance at big opera houses is at a decline.  In the article, Belcher states: “While classics by such composers still draw crowds, ticket sales have been declining at most opera houses over the years, offering smaller venues a chance to prove themselves as a growth market.” (Belcher).  One major argument can be drawn from this statement: if the classics seem to be the only thing people are attending, then how can new music enter the scene if people do not attend.  This is where the “black-box opera” comes in.  Being more affordable than regular opera houses, these opera houses can draw crowds for new works and spin-offs on old classics.  New operas can find a home in the small opera house and avoid the losses from going right to the grandest venues.

Over the past couple years, some of these “black-box operas” have had great success.  The Sydney Opera, for example, achieved success with one of their small opera houses when they showcased La Soiree, a cabaret show.  The Sydney Opera has had quite a large amount of success as La Soiree has been selling out the last two years.  Another group that has come to fame through the “black-box opera” is the EST, or the Eating, Singing and Travel People as they like to be called.  From Malaysia, the EST became a success after doing performances in small opera houses such as La Boheme.  The members of EST actually prefer the atmosphere of these small opera houses.  Danny Chen, the executive producer for EST, said the following regarding the small opera houses in an article for The Star: Though it’s smaller, we find Black Box makes a good experience for audiences. “While the full size opera halls are so large you need binoculars to see the actors, this stage makes it more of an up-close-and-personal experience” (Tariq).  EST uses this humble approach to opera to present even large works; they are currently preparing for a production of Georges Bizet’s Carmen.  I am sure it is something that no one would want to miss!

So I will go back to the question I posed in the title: can a small opera house succeed?  With smaller budgets, cheaper tickets, and ability to show new works, I think it is possible.  La Soiree and EST have done well with “black-box operas”.  New York City even boasts some of its own small opera houses such as the Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre and the Black Box Theatre at NYU.  In the shadows of the Metropolitan Opera, these theaters must boast an array of productions that are compelling and unlike anything you would imagine at the Metropolitan Opera.

http://www.lexisnexis.com.remote.baruch.cuny.edu/hottopics/lnacademic/?verb=sf&sfi=AC00NBGenSrch

http://www.thestar.com.my/Lifestyle/Entertainment/Arts/On-Stage/2013/10/28/Beyond-opera-limits-with-Carmen.aspx