Social-ARTtecture
Hello fellow art lovers! My name is Mystica O’Connor and I am the Community Outreach Coordinator at the Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art (iMOCA) in fountain square.
Art is everywhere and people always have an opinion. While I monitor the gallery I get to hear those opinions. When someone explains their thoughts on our exhibitions, it almost always leads to something about themselves. That is art in itself, which is why we are calling this blog, social artTecture.
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It is always great when I see children come into iMOCA. I am happy that parents are making sure their children are in touch with the art world. These children are obviously our future, but these days it seems that kids would rather sit in front of a flat screen during an episode of walking dead while playing violent video games on their ipads. Times of playing outside until the street lights come on are slowly dying. In my opinion, we need to keep our children in touch with culture and in touch with the arts, they are the ones who will be here to keep it thriving. Courtland Blayde brought his family into the museum during our Double Vision/Tra exhibits and his entire family seemed to be very interested in the work and what their father had to teach them. He happily agreed to give me a better insight as to who he was.
Who are you and what do you do?
I am an Artist and I also teach art classes.
What is your background?
I studied art at Tufts University/School of the Museum of fine Arts, Boston.I have my MFA in Visual/studio arts(Painting)
What do you define as art and what is good art?
Art is anything that communicates visually in the arts category.To me good art is thought provoking and has a combinations of history and presence.
Do you have any obsessions?
Art and painting in general is my obsession, and my kids of course.
If you are an artist what memorable responses have you had to your work?
When people feel that my work is thought provoking and responsive.
What do you think of this current exhibit?
Well, the technical process is not very impressive. It is visually interesting and it is contemporary.
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So when canvasing pleasant street one day, I was walking around as usual (trying my hardest to seem non threatening) I met Lora and Ashley. They were renovating a house and someone had just broken into their garage and stole a bike and their couch. So they seemed hesistant with little ol me walking up to them. We spoke about the street over cookies and they told me they had never been to iMOCA. I gave them my card and invited them to the museum. Lora emailed me and came in to give me her opinions of our current exhibit and answer a few questions…
Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Lora papov and I run a restaurant/pub, it’s called black swan brew pub.
What is your background?
I have a Degree in business and an artistic family. I am Not personally artistic.
What do you define as art and what is good art?
Something that can be appreciated. Good art is something that someone has put time and effort into expressing what they have made.What they think or feel.Good art is something that not everyone can do. It is that rare quality of doing what others cannot.
Do you have any obsessions? I am interested in the renaissance era. It is very detailed and intricate like the Sistine chapel. I personally don’t think I would not have it in house but I am obsessed with looking. Blows me away with how detailed it is. I almost feel like these days,we maybe have artists that aren’t as great. People back then didn’t have classes. They just drew. Think of the Egyptians they built pyramids that withstood today and then we have our building don’t…it’s almost like people were smarter back then.
Not art obsession- I am also obsessed with food. Good culinary is an art. I also HAVE to be organized. I am getting our new house together and I can’t stop working on it. Ashley always askes me if I am on crack or snorting Aderol.
If you are an artist what memorable responses have you had to your work?
If not what is the most memorable piece of art for you good or bad?
Well,five and a half years ago we went to Turkey and we went to see the blue mosque. We go to see it and it was in the middle of summer so we had on skirts and they gave us things to cover ourselves. Charter buses everywhere…you go in and its huge and beautiful but its also really weird because when you are walking in there are roped off areas for people praying, then hoards of people walking through. THEN here is the kicker..when you go in, it’s against the rules to have on shoes. It left the most atrocious foot odor. Its like a real life oxymoron you’re in this beautiful wonder of the world with people praying.The smell was so bad I only stayed for fifteen minutes. Some people were four hundred pound couples taking their shoes off..it was awful.
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Ben Valentine grew up in Richmond Indiana, where he graduated from Earlham College. Upon graduation he interned for the Indianapolis Museum of Art and exhibited his own art in different venues across Indianapolis. Valentine moved to Brooklyn New York where he worked for artists such as Tara Donovan, Allan McCollum, and William Lamson. There he also interned for the public art non -profit, Creative Time. Currently he works as a staff writer for the NYC based art blog Hyperallergic and lives in Berkely California.
Who are you and what do you do?
-My name is Ben Valentine, I live in Berkeley, CA, but I am from Richmond, IN. I recently moved here from Brooklyn, NY, where I was an artist assistant for Tara Donovan, Allan McCollum, William Lamson, and others. I interned for Creative Time, C-monster, and became a staff writer for Hyperallergic, where I still blog. What I do is hard to say, I do a little of everything: I write, make art, I curate shows, I volunteer, I walk… I am someone who is trying to do meaningful and interesting things to keep myself busy.
What is your background?
-I was raised in Richmond, IN and hated it. I dropped out of Richmond High School when I was 15, which wasn’t too shocking as that Richmond High School had a 50% dropout rate… but then I went to college instead and graduated in 2009 with a studio art major. Then I moved to the big city (Indianapolis) and interned for a year at the Indianapolis Museum of Art documenting installation art in the conservation department and started showing my work at Christopher West Presents, Bootleg Exhibitions, and the Harrison Center. I founded a blog, and had a show of contemporary photography inside of a u-haul truck outside of Christopher West Presents in 2009, that was the first show I curated and I loved it. I moved to Brooklyn, started working for Tara Donovan and tried to familiarize myself with the NYC art scene as well as the NYC transit system. I loved NYC but I love friends more, so when three of my favorite people in the world converged in Berkeley, I couldn’t miss out and moved after a month long residency in Iceland.
Now I am in Berkeley enjoying the sun.
What do you define as art and what is good art?
-Art is anything called art by someone who says that they are an artist. It’s a boring, nearly meaningless word because it is so broad. Good art is much harder to define. Good art is cohesive in craft and concept, it doesn’t have to be well crafted if the concept doesn’t demand it. Good art offers a new way of looking, it teleports you into a different perspective which should bring up more questions than it answers. Usually art is without a function, but recently I have been thinking about whether good art can actually do something, like effect change, I’m currently on the fence.
Do you have any obsessions?
-I used to be completely obsessed with contemporary art. In NYC I was going to a couple of museums and maybe 30 galleries a week and also scouring the blogosphere for pieces that were expanding what art could be. Now, I am obsessed with finding something meaningful I can really get behind, art or otherwise. I sincerely want to contribute something positive to the world, and I’m obsessed with finding out what that will be. I imagine whatever it is will constantly be changing. For example, this show, “Global Space,” is a small attempt. In trying to illustrate and understand this vastly interconnected and increasingly online world, maybe we can recognize potential hazards, exciting directions, and new opportunities. Maybe not. Recently I have been doing a lot of volunteering and maybe that is my new obsession.
If you are an artist what memorable responses have you had to your work?
-At the Harrison Center someone licked a sculpture of mine that was made out of ice. At first I was mad, I thought that my work was really serious. But then I realized it really wasn’t serious, that everyone takes what they can and want to from life, and I was really happy that there were young people in a gallery having fun. I never had galleries to hang out in when I was young, if the art world is only for old people looking at artwork with great respect and contemplation, it will suffer. -
iMOCa’s current exhibit ColorMe___ is a show where our visitors are also the artists. We have had so many children excited about this show so I have altered my usual questions for our younger demographic. Seven-year-old Kyler Roberts was so excited about ColorMe__ after coloring as much as his energy would allow after maneuvering the giant markers, he agreed to an interview. -What is your name, and how old are you?
My name is Kyler Roberts and I am seven.
-What do you want to be when you grow up?
A soldier.
-What did you see when you walked into iMOCA?
I saw the big markers, and the paintings,and the giant sunglasses.
-What was the first thing you did?
I just looked all around me. I looked at the giant markers and asked if I could paint.
-What are your favorite things to do in the whole world?
I love to play with my family, and my cousins.
-What did you think of this exhibit ColorMe___?
I really liked all of the nice colors, and I really really like the giant markers.
-What was your favorite part?
The big art on the wall was my favorite and because I could draw on it.
-What is Art?
Art is paintings, shapes and colors.
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When I speak to the people that come into the museum, It is mostly (but not always) people that come from somewhere else. They have either heard about iMOCA, found it searching the web, or have read about it in the paper. Therefore, they travel to see us. This is SO appreciated and I love meeting people from other places. I am interested in hearing about what they expected from iMOCA and how they felt about their experiences here.
BUT..today I wanted to change things up and walk around the Fountain Square Community. Just to talk to people that don’t have to travel or plan the day around a trip to iMOCA, simply because they are right down the street. Fountain Square is a diamond in the rough and it is changing for the better. So, I wanted to let the locals here know that Art is here in their community, just in case they weren’t aware.
SO..I headed to the grocery store to get some ingredients for my peace offering. Cookies, everyone loves cookies. After burning my first batch I got the show on the road and made my journey. Olive street was my focus today. I walked to every house and knocked on the door and simply introduced myself and offered cookies and friendship. Most people didn’t answer their doors but those who did were very friendly, and extremely interesting.
I met two men named Bill and Mikey who were in their mid-forties/early fifties. Bill was asleep on the couch but happily woke up for cookies and conversation. I asked them if they had been to iMOCA and they had not so I explained our upcoming event and they were excited to come to our First Friday in December. I continued to ask them about what they thought the definition of Art was. Mikey said he believed that art was anything that made him feel good and that made him think. My next question was , “Do you have any obsessions?” Bill went on to explain his history in antique collecting. He showed me some of his priceless pieces and was particularly fond of his antique family crests. They were framed and displayed in the corner of the living room. Then, I asked the men if they had any memorable artistic experiences. Mikey said, ” Well, one thing I know is that the dude around the corner, everyone calls him Speck. He invites everyone and anybody into his house to play music, cards,drink smoke pot and just paint or draw or whatever kind of art they feel like doin,’ so we like to do that. That’s pretty cool.” He explained how Speck has an entire room set up for anyone who just wants to come in and play music. We talked a little more about the neighborhood they grabbed another cookie and I left feeling grateful.
I love that this community has a place like Speck’s. Somewhere they can just go and express themselves. Hopefully I can meet Speck soon. During the next few months I am hoping to have the chance to go out at least once a week and meet new people and hear new stories. I will always share them..I made so many new friends today and it will be an ongoing and exciting experience.
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-Who are you and what do you do?
Carl Chandler I Work in a manufacturing office.
-What is your background?
I call myself a college educated Veteran.
-What do you define as art and what is good art?
Art is anything aesthetically appealing. I guess that is good art too.
-Do you have any obsessions?
I love Photography , work, and fantasy football
-If you are an artist what memorable responses have you had to your work?
It’s memorable when my friends tell me that my work is good and that I should do something with it.
-If not what is the most memorable piece of art for you good or bad?
I have a Bike coated in ice after ice storm. It’s red with bright green handle bars. It’s the first thing I have ever had framed.
My favorite quote is:
-“American treats religon as a 5 year old treats ketchup.. we pour it over everything.”
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—Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Abbey Chambers and I am the Director of the Basile Center for Art, Design and Public Life and an Associate Faculty member in Art History at Herron School of Art and Design
-What is your background?
I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Art History from Kendall College of Art and Design (Grand Rapids, MI) and a Master of Arts degree in Art History from Indiana University (Bloomington, IN). My first real job out of graduate school was working in the Community Programs Center at the University of Indianapolis. Half of my job was spent doing administrative duties for the staff of the Community Programs Center and the other half of my job was spent coordinating art exhibitions and events at the Wheeler Arts Community in Fountain Square. After about a year of working for the University of Indianapolis, I started working for Herron. At Herron, I have had a variety of positions: Administrative Support Specialist for the Herron Galleries and the Basile Center for Art, Design and Public Life; Academic Advisor and Recruiter; and now Director of the Basile Center. Ever since I began working at Herron, I have also been teaching art history classes. I have taught Art Appreciation and the History of Fashion, but my area of expertise is in American art, and so I teach a variety of classes in American art history from the Colonial period through the first half of the 20th century. For over five years, I have also been actively involved with the Indianapolis Downtown Artists and Dealers Association (IDADA). The organization works to develop public awareness about the local visual arts scene, encourage community support of the visual arts, and promote high professional standards. It has allowed me to meet many artists and arts professionals in Indianapolis and has helped me get connected to the Indianapolis visual arts community at large.
What do you define as art and what is good art?
While the definition of what is art can be very open-ended, my opinion of what I define as “good” art is more refined. The artwork that I tend to appreciate most typically seeks to solve a problem, suggest solutions to problems, or tries to answer questions that are relatable to people on different yet unified levels. The problems or questions could be relatively simple or they could be very large and complex. Throughout history, it seems that the best art has been the kind that engages with the audience in a variety of ways. Artworks that I am drawn to tend to show a certain amount of technical ability or endurance, they sometimes have a narrative quality, and they might challenge the viewer’s understanding of a certain concept or object.
-Do you have any obsessions?
From an art historical standpoint, I’m obsessed with the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. If I could travel back in time, this is where I would go. I’m also obsessed with Pride and Prejudice.
-If not what is the most memorable piece of art for you good or bad?
Two artworks came to mind when I read this question. One was Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain (1917) and the other was John Singer Sargent’s Lady Agnew of Lochnaw (1892). Duchamp’s piece came to mind because it was not until fairly recently that I have begun to appreciate the impact that Dada art has had on the course of modern and contemporary art. It opened many doors and helped shape what the art world has become, for better or for worse. Sargent’s painting has been one of my favorites ever since the first time I saw it in a class in undergrad. Sargent was a masterful painter and was very skilled at painting the human figure in a way that still conveyed a lot of personality. I like Lady Agnew in particular because of her deep, striking eyes and her dark hair juxtaposed against her fair skin and gauzy white dress. The way the viewer can make out the shape of her leg under her dress from her hip to her knee adds a sensuousness to the painting, which is accentuated by the artist’s heavy brushwork. The whole painting—her beautiful features, fine clothing, cool and relaxed pose, and the artist’s thick application of paint—exudes a sense of rich confidence that appeals to and excites me as a viewer. Overall, I’ve always thought this was a really beautiful and even sexy painting, maybe even more so than Sargent’s Madame X (with or without the falling shoulder strap).
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“She Wears A Lot of Different Hats” Image from my solo exhibition September 7, 2012
-Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Amanda DeVary, I am a sculptor and senior at Herron.
-What is your background?
I think my interest in art grew from my ever-present curiosity and being an artist allows me to experiment and investigate anywhere my creativity leads…but I don’t think I realized I wanted to be an artist until I was a full year into art school; I think I chose Herron just because I felt at home the first time I walked through the doors.
-What do you define as art and what is good art?
I think the art label is determined by the intentions of the creative behind the work. If someone traces their hand or collects rat feces and says it’s art, then fine… but it doesn’t make it good. Good art provokes you; it incites you to question it or its place in this world. Something that breaks you out of your everyday routine, snaps you out of the mediocre… that’s the good stuff.
-Do you have any obsessions?
I can’t stop people watching. I have also utilized mundane repetition in my work like hammering hundreds of nails or using thousands of needles to convey a concept. I like to glue found objects together and put them on my head: (picture)
-If you are an artist what memorable responses have you had to your work?
I made an art piece called “When the Oil is Gone” that dealt with what life would be like after a modern apocalypse, one of my classmates was moved to tears. Making people cry is pretty cool.
-Favorite Quote
”Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable” -Cesar Cruz
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Today an older gentleman entered the museum.He seemed a bit rough and I felt like he had been through a lot. He came in with a 40’s Mickey Mouse, sat it on my desk and said, “take a look at this”.-What a conversation starter.He continued to talk about Fountain Square and said he wanted to be mayor and that he had so many ideas(artistic ideas) in his head that he could not even sleep at night.-I listened.He stood here for an hour..he laughed, cried, and was nervous and vulnerable but I listened. He said he was a child left behind and he wanted to make a name for people like himself.Good luck on your endeavors Greg. It’s people like this that interest me and make me think about how funny life is. This man could have had a rough life full of judgement, mistakes and whatever else. But he wants to change. He wants to make a difference. He may be weird but I think those who are “weird” are artists and those people are our future.
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Hello fellow art lovers! My name is Mystica O’Connor and I am the Community Outreach Coordinator at the Indianapolis Contemporary Art Museum (iMOCA) in fountain square. The purpose of this blog is mostly just to share the thoughts of people who stop in and observe. iMOCA has a huge variation of Contemporary Art and to me, it’s extremely interesting to hear what people have to say.
Art is everywhere and people always have an opinion. While I monitor the gallery I get to hear those opinions. It is riveting when someone starts with their own insight of the current exhibition and this topic almost always leads to something about themselves and a time in their lives when they could relate to what they are viewing. That is Art in itself. So please follow me on my journey with iMoca and it’s many spectators!
