I was here

Michelle Diller's photo of the Mona Lisa paparazzi

I saw this photo of Michelle's yesterday and it reminded me of a Marcel Berlin article I read (via a link from C-monster) about photography at museums. Berlin wrote about his recent experience watching the behavior of the photo-crazed 21st Century museum patrons, saying,

"They were there not to see and be inspired by artists of genius, but to take snaps to prove they were there."

He goes on to say,

"People were taking pictures of their partners or friends posing next to, or even in front of, some of the more famous works. Neither snappers nor subjects had bothered to scrutinize the art itself, though I saw a few consulting the adjacent label - no doubt to make sure the artist was a really famous name, not some lesser-known dabbler."

Is this the real "death of painting"? - paintings as wallpaper/backdrops for your new facebook photo?...I admit to being guilty of having done that before- seen here in front of the Kasmir Malevich's "White on White" - but the article does raise some interesting questions...why do we snap photos of famous art at museums? If it's a way of saying "I was here" - in essence it is not much different than tagging a cement wall with spray paint or carving your name in an aspen tree.

Berlin goes on in his article to insist that people spend some time with the works they are snapping photos of or be "fined for each second of non-inspection". That would certainly do nothing to get more people in the door of already struggling art instutions. After a couple of semesters of teaching 'Art Appreciation' I think that part of the reason people may not be spending time "inspecting" the work is they don't know what they are looking at, and perhaps don't care. Is that the fault of the artist? the museum? the patron? the art?

The Polar Landscape

The iceberg (around 1875) by Frederic Edwin Church

The Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts, is exhibiting a collection of art based on the arctic landscape called, To the Ends of the Earth: Painting the Polar Landscape.

Denver Community Museum

via designklub

I'm happy to announce a project I've been working on for quite some time, the Denver Community Museum (DCM). Carried out in the form of a pop-up gallery, the DCM will be a temporary arts institution located in downtown Denver, CO.

Contents for the museum's monthly, rotating exhibitions will be based entirely on community submissions. Every month a new 'Community Challenge' is issued and the results will be put on display.

Submissions are now being accepted for the first Community Challenge, titled "The Missing Map". The challenge is to: create a three-dimensional globe - of any size, using any material, sharing any narrative you desire. Submissions can be turned in 9.26 or 9.27 between 12-5 PM to the DCM at 1610 Little Raven St. Suite 120.

The DCM is free both to participate in and to visit. Submissions are welcome from people of all skill levels and ages, the only requirement is that you must be a resident of the City of Denver. The museum officially opens on Friday, October 3rd - future hours will be: Thursdays, 2 - 7 PM, Fridays and Saturdays, 12 - 5 PM and by appointment.

Much more to come, but for now visit the DCM website here. I will be gone for most of the week, regular posting will resume 9/8! Start making globes.

Museum Chairs

Art Museums always have the best seating.

These last two photos were taken by me at the Denver Art Museum - the rest are from flickr - click image to see photographers' page.