Spotlight on: Grace Allen Polaneczky

Image courtesy of athens.patch.com

We’re always excited to learn more about our visitors, so we were thrilled to find this article about 12-year-old Grace Allen Polaneczky, a Georgia Museum of Art enthusiast and Athens Patch’s “Whiz Kid” of the week.

Grace is a homeschooled sixth-grader who enjoys playing guitar, geocaching and photography, among other things. She also writes a column for the Athens Banner-Herald and maintains a blog called The Kid Reader. How has a sixth-grader already accomplished so much? Grace credits Athens’ artsy atmosphere:

“If I were in a really big city, I probably wouldn't be able to write for the newspaper. Living in a small town means I have a lot more opportunities. Athens is very welcoming of independent and up and coming artists and musicians."

Speaking of artists, Grace referred to the Georgia Museum of Art’s very own Anthony Goicolea exhibition as a source of inspiration. She attended Goicolea’s artist’s talk that took place at the museum in February and was inspired by the meaning behind his photography.

To read the Athens Patch article on Grace and check out some samples of her art, please click here.

Thanks, Grace, for the shout out and we hope to see you again soon!

Blogging the Restoration

We read this story in Art Daily a while ago about the restoration of Vincent Van Gogh's painting "The Bedroom," which is being blogged about regularly, but we hate to link to a blog until it has at least a couple of posts up. By this point, there's plenty to read on the site, which is amusingly titled "Bedroom secrets," from discussion of the preliminary examination of the painting to sources on it (previous versions, a letter Van Gogh wrote about it to his brother Theo) to consideration of the most frequently used materials in painting. It's a neat way to approach a highly technical subject.

Discount tickets for "Picasso at the Lapin Agile"

Friends of the Georgia Museum of Art will be able to receive a "buy one, get one free" discount on tickets for the production of Steve Martin’s play “Picasso at the Lapin Agile” and the post-performance audience talk-back with the director, cast and GMOA’s own Lynn Boland, Pierre Daura Curator of European Art.

This offer is available only for the matinee on Sunday, April 10, at 2 p.m.. All Friends have to do is mention the discount at the Town and Gown Players’ box office to receive it. The regular ticket price is $12.

An earlier blog post provided detailed information about Boland’s background and participation in this event. For more information about the performance, check out the Town and Gown Players’ site, and to make reservations call 706-208-TOWN (8696).

Thoughts on Art Criticism

Jonathan Jones, a blogger for the Guardian, discussed in a recent post the effects of overanalyzing a work of art as opposed to intuitively rating it. He points out that great artists have often been known to list what or who they like as well as who or what they don’t like. This manner of passing judgment is not often favored by critics and academics, but could it be, as Jones states, that this overanalyzing can be problematic? The mind can convince itself of anything through study and sympathy. Jones therefore asserts that any good discussions about art must begin with statements of personal preference to resist the “lure of overintellectualism” and “catalogue-speak.”

Analyzing a work of art does obligate the viewer to reassess his or her opinion. Insights into the context in which a work is created, the artist’s history and intention and even the processes or techniques used can add a new dimension to the work without overintellectualizing it.

In my studies, I have found that art has different goals and messages and that people respond in different ways and to different things. There are many artists whose works I do not care for, but, after learning about their background, I respect what they have produced and find it interesting on some level.

It is also important to consider that a work of art’s merit does not always depend solely on its aesthetic qualities; sometimes it is important to know the background because something may seem mundane until you learn its associations and implications. However, critics and connoisseurs must be careful not to attribute qualities and significance definitively to what they perceive as an artist’s choices. It seems to me that this is the true danger, for these assumptions may lead to people trying to make a work of art mean more than it does, which can lead to an obligation to hold that work in higher esteem.

I believe Jones has made a valuable point by suggesting that discourse about art should include intuitive observations and opinions because initial responses and “gut reactions” are important and should be investigated in order to identify personal associations and interpretations, but the study of a work of art should never end there. Observers should still make an effort to analyze other aspects of works of art to gain a more complete experience and understanding.

A Collection of Links

We've just discovered the Georgia College Curator blog, run by Shannon Morris, who works at the Georgia College and State University Museum, in Milledgeville and posts her thoughts about artists, upcoming events and exhibitions and more. It has far more information than the museum's Web site and some interesting investigations into artistic production.

This article from the Wall Street Journal's arts and entertainment section discusses those cases where facts and accuracy are necessary in art, which tends not to be a situation we think about very often.

If you've been wondering what Michael Rush, former director of the Rose Museum at Brandeis, has been doing to occupy his time, this piece from the Boston Globe on an exhibition he's organized at MIT will clue you in.

We also really enjoyed flipping through this Flickr gallery of visitor responses to an exhibition on WPA art (something GMOA specializes in) at the Detroit Institute of Arts. People were asked to imagine what they would produce if they were a WPA artist working today, and the range of responses (as evidenced by the one we selected above) is odd, amusing and inspiring all at once.

Finally, we've been meaning to post this link to the Art Newspaper's article about whether U.S. museums will be able to reinvent themselves in the current economic era. Although it ran in mid-January, its questions are by no means outdated a month and a half on, and they are serious ones to consider.

GMOA in the News

Press post-Speakeasy is starting to roll in, thanks to the wonderful press release our intern Amanda wrote, which appears below.

Speakeasy raises funds for the Georgia Museum of Art

Athens, Ga. – Speakeasy, a major fundraising event for the Friends of the Georgia Museum of Art (GMOA), was held Saturday, February 6, 2010, at the home of C.L. Morehead Jr., who also served as the largest sponsor of the event.

This rare opportunity to view Mr. Morehead’s home and extensive art collection included dinner, tours of the collection conducted by GMOA curators, a wonderful jazz performance by Faith and an exclusive silent auction.

About 100 guests attended, and the auction brought in nearly $5,000, which will be used to fund the museum’s educational programs and services. The top selling lots at the auction were a framed oil painting by Mary Hardman titled “Transition” and Jim Fiscus’ photograph “Doll Cabinet.” In all, 11 lots were donated and auctioned.

Speakeasy was sponsored by C.L. Morehead Jr., Blount Photo, Walton Media Services and Interactive Attractions.

To download photographs by Blount Photo from Speakeasy, visit our Web site at http://www.uga.edu/gamuseum/friends/event_photos.html or visit our Flickr account at http://www.flickr.com/photos/gmoa to view a slideshow.

Arts Across Georgia picked it up, and we expect to see a few more mentions trickle in. The museum also received a mention in the Athens Banner-Herald for its Luce Grant for "Advancing American Art," and the exhibition of works from Jason Schoen's collection at the Westmoreland continues to garner press notice. Finally, Kate Kretz, who received her MFA from UGA, blogs about the film "Who Does She Think She Is?" which the museum will be screening in association with Women's History Month on March 24 at the Lamar Dodd School of Art. Go ahead and mark your calendars for that one.

"Art Works"

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Chairman Rocco Landesman hit the ground running this fall with what he has named “Art Works,” a 6-month tour on which he will learn and blog about different places where art works. Landesman defines “art works” in the following ways:

1. “Art works” is a noun. They are the books, crafts, dances, designs, drawings, films, installations, music, musicals, paintings, plays, performances, poetry, textiles, and sculptures that are the creation of artists.

2. “Art works” is a verb. Art works on and within people to change and inspire them; it addresses the need people have to create, to imagine, to aspire to something more.

3. “Art works” is a declarative sentence: arts jobs are real jobs that are part of the real economy. Art workers pay taxes, and art contributes to economic growth, neighborhood revitalization, and the livability of American towns and cities.

Landesman’s first trip was to Peoria, Ill., in November with a tour of the Warehouse District, a roundtable discussion with artists and various community leaders and a performance of the Eastlight Theatre’s production of the musical “Rent.” Since his trip to Peoria, Landesman has been to St. Louis, Memphis, Miami and Washington, D.C. He plans to visit California, Idaho and Kentucky in the next few months. During and after each trip, he blogs about how art works in each place.

Despite some negative reactions to the tour and its name, the concept of NEA blogging seems like a good move overall. The blog brings art into people’s lives in an interesting way and highlights the importance of active arts communities.

The NEA has also announced a request for proposals for an “Art Works” logo. Click here for more information.

One Less Blogger in the Art Blog World

As a blogger myself, although a still fledging one, I was disappointed to hear that Richard Lacayo, the art blogger for the Time Web site, has decided to stop working on his blog. He says he is overworked and cannot dedicate any more time researching and writing for it, as he needs to be dedicating more time to the rest of his job requirements, such as writing for the magazine and for the time.com homepage about art and architecture. Lacayo talks about his reason for dropping the blog: “Within a month after I started blogging it was clear to me that a daily blog is also quite a daily grind. I may be mistaken, but I think I've been the only critic at any major American newspaper or magazine who maintains a daily artsblog that's also a one-person operation”; essentially, no time for blogging, for our Time journalist.

for more on Lacayo, check out his personal profile page on the Time website

 

GMOA in the Blogs

Julie Phillips highlights GMOA's recent snagging of three publications awards at SEMC. This is the first year SEMC added awards for content, so we're particularly proud to have received two golds in that category. You can buy all three books in our shop by clicking here.

If you're keeping track, that's two awards so far for The American Scene on Paper (the other one being an IPPY in the fine art books category), and we wouldn't be surprised if there are more on the way.

Link

Ever since Roger Ebert's most recent go-round with thyroid cancer, he's lost the use of speech, which means that he probably writes more than ever. His wonderful blog on the Sun-Times Web site is a great resource for intelligent writing about movies, but it's equally so for intelligent writing about everything, including art. His recent post on artist Chris Burden's piece "Doomed," performed in 1975 and covered at the time by Ebert (this is a revisiting of the territory and his original article) is a great example: long form, reflective, considered and just generally worth the reading (as well as somewhat theological, as many of Ebert's posts have been lately).

GMOA in the Blogs

Deirdre Sayre has a nice post about the Lord Love You exhibition, complete with an image of her own R.A. Miller.

Link

If you never visit the blog If Charlie Parker Was a Gunslinger, There'd Be a Whole Lot of Dead Copycats for any other reason, you at least might want to add the "Art of Pop" section to your reader. Tom Sutpen and co.'s selection of lovely images (from films, of the famous or semi-famous, the "Cool Hall of Fame," etc.) is fascinating and well-curated, but this particular tag, which collects the most jewel-like vintage LP covers, is full of almost too much pretty.

In the News

Another blog you should bookmark, especially if you're interested in all kinds of art and culture, not just visual arts, is the New York Times' ArtsBeat, which updates multiple times a day on art, film, gossip, music and much more. About a month ago, they asked how the poor economy was affecting artists and got hundreds of responses in the comments, which produced some surprising overall trends, summarized in this article. Freed from the constraints that come with fiscal arrangements, art is flowering in some places, and many of the responses were optimistic. The Times also put together a slideshow of some of the respondents with excerpts from their statements.

We also enjoyed this article a few days ago about how acquisitions work at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art during its Collectors Committee weekend. Curators lobby for works, and then patrons vote on what to buy with their pooled funds. It's hard to say whether this is more democratic or oligarchic, but it's an interestingly open way to go about accessions.

Links

One of our absolute favorite blogs to visit for unique musings on art is Garth Johnson's Extreme Craft. Johnson used to reside in the Athens area but relocated to the West Coast a few years ago, where he teaches. He was kind enough to plug our exhibition catalogue Modern Threads: Fashion and Art by Mariska Karasz when it came out, but that's not why we love the site. We love it because his take on art and craft and the areas where they intersect is feisty, enthusiastic and irreverent and because he updates frequently. If you think art's not punk rock enough, we strongly encourage you to bookmark his site, which will provide many an example to the contrary.

Yet another link

Our patrons are so bloggy! We just found out about Beauty Everyday, the newish blog run by Athenians Kristen Bach, Rebecca Wood and Rinne Allen. These three ladies have a lot to do with r.wood studio, which, among many other contributions to the museum, provided favors for the last Elegant Salute (which Allen co-chaired). Their blog is a great collective effort to document and spread the beauty of the South and, specifically, of Athens, Ga., and we think you should all bookmark it.