small works invitational ...
5/6/08
9:14 AM ...
i rarely participate in or visit group shows ...
[unless they’re about a theme of interest]
the new arts programs small works invitational is different ...
[lately i’m beginning to recognize more clearly my interest in ‘difference']
the ‘small works’ theme has nothing to do with prefab, rehashed trends manufactured by imbedded psuedo critics - simply work that is easy to hang, ship, and view in a limited space ...
after this past weekends’ symposium in marfa i have a new found respect for some of my academic background - something i often deny for reasons of not being ‘enough’ [self esteem issues] ...
james carroll, founder of nap, offered a gem of an educational opportunity to a student body of aspiring artists - independent study, direct interaction, lecture/discussions, and consultation from pertinent new york artists ...
james held them hostage in rural pennsylvania for three days, twice a month for years ...
the likes of bochner, rabinowitch, phil glass, reich, cage, serra and rockborne to name but a few - and less than a handfull of people took advantage of it - i was lucky enough to be among the few [and at that time i’m talking six, often less] who had the opportunity to hang with, talk, show them our own work, get critiqued, get shut down, and learn from on a deeply personal level - that in itself was magic - bearing witness to the trials, tribulations, and obstacles that they faced at a particular stage of their career in a relaxed hiatus from their usual lives - and the biggest ‘issue’ was never the money or acquisition, but the problems preventing the progress of work ...
i truely was blessed to have been able to sit at that table - and its an abstraction about that part of my education and formulation of ideas that doesn’t translate well because it was non traditional and not as articulated as the black mountain school for instance ...
and like the gratitude i feel as my own work gradually evolves, it brings joy to my heart to have seen and still see these mysteries of art and thinking unveiled ...
