NY Historical Society’s Armory Show Reveals Interesting Parallels in the Art World Today

I went to the NY Historical Society’s exhibit on the Park Ave Armory Show of 1913. It was a fascinating glimpse into –well- how little the world of art business has changed. With so many gadgets and technological advances, one would that think we, too, as a species would evolve as quickly. But, we don’t- and in this instance, it was a very reassuring feeling.

In 1913, the upheaval the show wrought to both the artistic illuminati and ladies who lunched not at all surprised the curators; in fact, they planned for it and tried to cull it in a very logical manner. For those unfamiliar with the show, essentially, the artistic community brought modern painting and sculpture – primarily from France –  to NYC.  The public were shocked with what they saw.  (You can read more about it on NYHS site: http://armory.nyhistory.org/about/) However, in anticipation of this kerfuffle, the curators developed a strategic plan.  The armory, for anyone who has been inside, is a huge space and the curators didn’t just hang up stuff randomly. They cut the room out into smaller exhibit rooms- starting from 1813 to the present day- all the while trying to clarify to the public that what one thought was shocking in 1813 is now the norm and who knows- maybe what is shocking in 1913 may be the norm in 2013 (which people thought was an insane conjecture! Matisse, Picasso, Duchamp? I mean- come on- who are these chumps?).

A less optimistic person may read this and say- Courtenay- how is this reassuring? I mean, these curators obviously tried to clarify to the audience their mission and still caused a stir! If you can’t please them…why try?

Well, I say- ever heard of Matisse, Picasso or Duchamp? And aren’t you glad you have?

Another interesting factor is how much the American curators desired illustrating American art with the European art. In other words, it was important for them to curate a comprehensive survey on Modern Art; a very novel and ambitious idea for a young country to partake.  And, thank god they did- for the American public and artists were greatly influenced by the exhibit and art was never the same.

On November 22nd-23rd, “21C Liederabend,” curated by Paola Prestini, Executive Director of VIA, and Beth Morrison; produced by their companies, VIA, Beth Morrison Projects and with Trinity Wall Street; and, presented at BAM as part of their NEXT WAVE FESTIVAL, will present a similar survey of contemporary living composers from around the world. Using the traditional term to describe intimate parlor performances of song, this 21C Liederabend hopes to bring it into its modern guise. For you Schubert lovers out there, or Wagnerites, its our hope that when you do hear modern art song, you will reflect on what Schubert and Wagner were trying to do in their day and listen with open ears. We think you will like what you hear! For those who still have no idea what this “Liederabend” is, we think you will enjoy the ride! And, either way, shocking or not, we think that this world survey of song will illustrate that modern music is alive and well. Aren’t you the least bit curious to see what it’s all about?

www.21cliederabend.com

 Duchamp's Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2

Why Kickstarter is the "New" Audience

as posted on VisionIntoArt's blog: http://www.visionintoart.com/why-kickstarter-is-the-new-audience/

An article titled “Only Connect the Prose and the Passion- A Manifesto” by Marian Godfrey was posted on the Grantmakers in the Arts website last week (and later re-posted on Artsjournal.org). Godfrey has worked for over 30 years in artistic administration, both as a grantmaker and arts manager. As part of her manifesto she declared: “art organizations have a direct and necessary part to play in building connections among artists and the people and places and communities in which they are grounded.”  I think Kickstarter’s success is driving this point home.

Among art administrators, it’s a common frustration to seek and hold dearly onto “new audiences”. Grantmakers want us to share our strategies on how we intend to do this, the dwindling audiences have our boards in a tizzy… when quite simply-- the standard model is obsolete.

I like to recall a statement I overheard from a frustrated art administrator: “New audiences? I have been trying to find those for 30 years.” Although we all share her pain, we also may be overlooking the obvious - the new audience is the one we’ve had all along.  What’s new is how we connect with them so they keep coming back and, hopefully, support our organizations beyond the ticket price.
Human nature dictates our need to connect.  In the past, to see a performance you’d go to the concert hall, meet some friends, sit down and listen to the music and maybe, if you were lucky, meet the artist afterwards. Nowadays, music is in your pocket, art is on your phone, the newest movie or something like it is on your computer, and if you are fan of someone, you can connect with him or her on twitter or facebook. Some would think this would cause competition, when in fact; it’s proof that audiences want a more personal connection with performing arts. Moreover, what seems to be so isolating –sitting at a computer all day- is actually facilitating an easier and more efficient way to become more involved. What Kickstarter invites fans to do is to take this step further and become involved in projects from the beginning, allowing the fans to be, rightly so, part of the artistic process. These intimate connections provide artistic projects normally not funded in the standard old way- grants and people with large sums of money- to be funded by the entire audience.

On the flip side, beautifully described in Amanda Palmer’s TED talk, is that we shouldn’t worry about making people buy music; we need to let them. To this end, Kickstarter allows our audiences to know what is happening and to be part of the process. For today’s audiences, it’s our jobs as artistic managers and artists not to find these people and present our ideas to them; it’s our job to invite them to the conversation.

(And I invite you to our conversation by visiting VisionIntoArt's Kickstarter Campaign!! Please RSVP by clicking here! I also invite you to see VIA Artist, Jeffrey Zeigler’s, post on CELLOBELLO about our Kickstarter Campaign.)