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Re: Minnesota Mediocre: An exhibition of self satisfied Art and Craft
Posted:
Mar 13, 2003 1:28 PM
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> > The idea is to give those artists who are
> perfectly content
> > to satisfy themselves and no one else the
> opportunity
> > to present their art in the same venue as the
> > buffoons who believe they are making Art with a
> > capital A.
>
> SooVAC just did a show with a similar theme called
> "Comfort Food" (I think it's still up, actually) -are
> we stepping on their toes?
>
>
> > > Don't ask people to be mediocre - just gather
> > stuff
> > > and proclaim it. Let the pieces fall where they
> > may.
> > > Unpopular ideas and inflammatory actions lead
> > people
> > > to strengthen and defend their views
>
> I am sorry that this really wasn't as clear asI
> wanted it to be. I wanted a range of work good, bad,
> art, craft, self-therapy art, art with a capital A,
> pretentious artfuck art, and "art that takes the top
> of your head off". Let the people decide.
>
> I have heard Minnesota art called mediocre fairly
> often, and I want to challenge that. What is
> mediocre? What is great art? These definitions are as
> varied as there are people and the days they live.
> But I want people to think about what they are
> consuming, what they support, what they hate. I want
> to challenge people to challenge themselves - that's
> the show I'm after.
>
> I think you and I are after two different shows; and
> I don't mind that. There's room for both, there's
> room for compromise and jeez - who am I to complain
> when we are faced with a pile of wonderful ideas to
> choose from?
>
> Lauren
Ok Lauren; Get more sleep please.
Artist that call Minnesota Art "mediocre" are always talking about someone else's work. If you think about it, when the adjective is attached to the adverb it creates a phrase that defines a subject. Oh how I hate talking like this!
Minnesota Mediocre is a "concept" created by a "mythical" masked being; for the purpose of illuminating the idea behind the aggregate of the words that describe Mediocre art in Minnesota.
The Minnesota fans of NYC art look down their noses at the regional "kids" The Educated and Insiders chat about what is "hip" or "in", and what their Circle "likes". But they all fail to realize that if you subscribe to those ideals, they all need to be making art in NYC. Their presence here relegates them to "mediocre" status in a more profound way.
So what is "intrinsically " mediocre?
All work that is for the sole satisfaction of the Artist's ego!
We have a problem in thought in the relationship between artist and the work. The two must be separate.
The artist is not separate from the work.
We see that in Colin"s concern for the Artists..( it is not wrong for Colin to lay down the rule, but it is part of the problem that infects the whole of the field of artistic investigation.)
The institutions are more concerned with the placating of the artists communal ego than with advancing the quality of the work of the focus of the artistic community. Our institution have had too many focus groups and forgot they have a pre-existing mandate.
It is at the core of the causation of mediocrity.
Read Gabriel's discourses on being an exile.
For the purpose of the show we do not need to list mediocre traits. We do need to force every artist to examine themselves and recognize what their intent is.
Do they intend to make art that creates history, or are they content to enjoy the process of object making.
That question alone decides Mediocre from excellent.
Before you challenge the adjective, understand how it does describe much of what the art community does.
Getting and MA and then a MFA does not make you and artist. It makes you a follower of a "school" of art. As soon as the school dies out, you are no longer an artist. You are one who teaches because you can not practice. When these people(followers of dead schools) run all of the arts programs ( they have to have a job in the arts you know)you very rapidly get what we have in Minnesota. Mediocre.
Please understand( read the Dialogue from the beginning; pay close attention to what Gabe and
Sam say) I do not pretend to know what is mediocre until I understand what the Artists state that they are about. At that point the words(their own) undermine the value of the work. Far too many artists do art by stupid process(I don't know what I was doing, I was just doing it, I guess it is a personal thing). They can not come up with the words, because they do not understand what they did. ( Nor what are about to do)
Most of my colleagues on the MAEP do not read the proposals, most do not care what the artist says, they are interested in what looks good in the "dark", think about that.
They make decisions on what basis?
How can one strive for excellence when this is the format of selection of exemplarity art?
RE SooVac
Were they trying for Mediocre Art? If so, then the show should be proposed in it's current form. We need only invite them to propose it under this title. Talk to the chair of the Committee, Captain Homeless.
On the idea of consuming mediocre art.
We could hold a grab bag action where artist donate mediocre art and the public bids on each, the funds going to set up The Stone Soup Art Studios. Again see Captain Homeless.
Focus my child; there is only one idea here. The show.
coyote 256
Message was edited by: jaime longoria at Mar 13, 2003 1:35 PM
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Brendon has done an awesome job of drafting the e-email to prospective artists),...etc.