Our Mission:

FRCC Museum & Gallery Studies
Fourth Annual Exhibition

Exploring the evolving definition of sculpture
through objects, conceptual ideas and social media

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Update:

To MS2 Participants:

This week I've been trying to allow all particpants in Museum Studies the opportunity to Twitter, however since the site was hacked earlier this week I changed our password in order to ensure our safety on-line. Hope y'all don't mind too much & had the opportunity to experience how the social networking site works, if not already familiar with the process.

I found a place that might be interested in holding a "art reception" for us either the first Friday or second Friday in December, Momo Lolo in Campus West. Please stop by and check it out if you haven't been there before and I think we can fit 6 sculptures or happenings in the space quite nicely. Please understand I'm only offering this up as a suggestion since we had once talked about the coffee shop idea.

I'll be working on the blog some more this weekend to include Amy's ideas that she sent me via e-mail and post a call to artists once I get it approved by Jennie & Karl.

I also created a profile @ Saatchi Gallery On-line under my name & Front Range Community College. I used the same picture I've been using in all our stuff so far, just as an attempt to create some sort of visual identification with the genral public until it changes for the show or if I ever run across someone who is more of a graphic designer than myself. I also used our mission statement ( as it stands right now) for the section where it says "tell us about yourself," because this is suppose to be about us as a community curating, discussing, etc. I just couldn't figure out how to list Museum Studies rather than a single person, so I'll be working that as well.

Please let me know if you have any more suggestions & enjoy your museum experience tomorrow!

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Ask Charles Saatchi a Question On-line:

I just posed the following question to Charles Saatchi Online at facebook.com/saatchionline :

We, Museum Studies students @ Front Range Community College, are exploring the evolving definition of sculpture in Contemporary Art through objects, conceptual ideas and social media; can you comment on how you believe Contemporary Art is changing and how this is affecting both museums and the art market?

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Adobe to Do Digital Museum On-line

This is exactly what we were talking about in class & thought it was so fitting with our idea of a virtual show. In Adobe's case the museum is matching the media. Please take a look for yourselves! http://bit.ly/bQMoyW

Monday, September 20, 2010

Tell Us Whatcha Think:

We are very  in the opinions of our audeince so please let us know your thoughts!

*Is the exhibition space still needed if we have the ability to have a show on-line, reach a greater audience without the price of admission? What are the advantages/ disadvantages?

*How would you define sculpture considering how far Contemporary Art has progressed?

Free Museum Day Across the US

Free Museum Day across the US  September 25th sponsored by the Smithsonian. See the website for participating locations!http://ow.ly/2GThk

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Stand Alone Pages?

Would you all like me to add stand alone pages to this blog so that we can document & track each of our progress seperately or for any other reason? We can add up to 10 pages to this blog apparently...please let me know what you think!

Let Them Eat Cake...

It recently came to my attention that one of the project participants had the brilliant idea to involve a cake. Pretty clever...Let them eat cake right? Makes sense, and has some pretty powerful connotations which may or may not be intentional and fits perfectly with the idea of now you see now you don't aspects within the Object, No Object idea for our exhibition.

So are we acting as artists/ curators or it that still TBA? I wanted to work the quantum physics principle that "the very act of observation changes that which is being observed." But am I the artist, curator or the sculptor? I would love to have us act as all... I welcome the opportunity to consider this project from all angles & would like to get others opinions on this.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Have been looking at the Loveland Feed and Grain as a possbile venue for Object, No Object. Sounds like they would be great to work with! The space is really interesting lots of possibilities and lots of work. Here are some specs...

Hi Jennie. Thanks for the email!
I would be more than happy to help you with your project and I can work with the owner to get the dates worked out.
There are few hurdles to keep in mind:
_________________________________1. We have done exhibits in there before:
http://gallery.me.com/thetenfoldcollective/100066
http://gallery.me.com/thetenfoldcollective/100183
Since then however, the owner of the building has moved a lot of furniture into the main rooms that you see in those pictures. We would need to move the furniture and and clean the main rooms. It would take a lot of work to get the rooms ready again.
_________________________________2. Lighting is always a challenge because electricity is always a challenge. We always scrape by with Christmas and construction lights, but it is definitely not museum quality.
_________________________________3. The building has no heating or insulation. December would be a very cold time to exhibit. The shows that we have done there were in October, and even that was pushing it.
_________________________________4. The room that is best for displays has some pretty severe leaks in the roof. When we have snowstorms, then sunshine, which often happens in December, we often have waterfalls.
_________________________________5. There is a lot of wildlife in the building (cats, raccoons, and skunks). We have left artwork in there before, but it is something of which to be aware.
Also, it is difficult to really lock the building up all that well. Security is always an issue._________________________________6. Events at the building are always a little more difficult than other buildings because the Feed and Grain does not meet modern fire safety standards. Usually this limits the number of people that can be in the building to 50.
_________________________________
I'll help you if you really want to try to make it happen. Let me know what you think.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Banksy Unavailable for Comment:

I recently wrote a little note to Banksy, the well known graffiti artist:

On 11 Sep 2010, at 21:29, Kathy Webb wrote:

Hi!


I am a student at Front Range Community College  in Colorado who is interested in exploring the very definition of Contemporary Art. I am currently working on a conceptual sculpture in which social media is the material hoping to illustrate that social networking forms a structure on its own…a so-called Sculpture of Contemporary Culture.

My ultimate aspiration, in using this e-mail, is that someone will get back to me with thoughts, video,  and/or a sculpture response to what contemporary art is or has become to use in a exhibit for my tiny little school and our program.

If you’d like to check out our  ideas please use the blog:http://be-art-smart.blogspot.com/ or our  Twitter account at: http://twitter.com/SculptureIdeas
Sincerely,

Kathy Webb

Artist & Curator (in the making)


PO BOX 149

Laporte, CO 80535

Bansky responded:
Hi Kathy,

Sorry Banksy isn't available to comment.

all the best

Pest Control Office



This e-mail is confidential and is intended only for the addressee(s) 
!)
named above. If you have received this message in error please notify 
the originator immediately by a short reply to this email. The unauthorised 
use, disclosure, copying or alteration of this message is strictly forbidden.
©Pest Control Office 2010.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

How would you define Contemporary Art?

I don't like much Contemporary Art to be honest.

I am a member of Generation X, just so you have some idea of what filters may be clouding my perspective, and I find myself struggling to find exhibitions and/ or artists that speak to my direct experience of growing up with MTV, microwavable dinners, divorced parents and Madonna while simultaneously acknowledging the impact of 9/11 and the socioeconomic and political aftermath it had on all of us the world over.

My senses are routinely assaulted with flash images, sound bites and video clips however my intellect is crying out to be stimulated. I can name only a handful of artists who currently meet this criteria; so where are the exhibits that are informative, educational, socially aware and  directly responsible to the communities in which we serve while paying due respect to the timeline and heritage that precede their efforts?

I've heard the contemporary age of art referred to as "post post-modern" or even "hyper-modern", but how would all of you define it?

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Object, No Object: Sculpture of Ideas

I will try to define our ideas behind the theme of the exhibit and summarize what was said at our last class meeting. Of course this will continue to evolve as the show comes together. We discussed our mission and how it may dictate our choice of venue and theme. It was concluded that we want to offer educational opportunities through art interpretation and presentation via 'info-tainment' and try to raise the consciousness without offending anyone. By presenting an experimental exhibit, contrasting both mediums, the traditional (object) and the digital/simulated (non-object) we could get the audience to think about how it 'sees' art and especially contemporary art.
Loveland is certainly well known for its sculptural arts, with the big show in the August and the number of sculptors and forges in the area. 3-D works are also very obviously objects, occupying space as they do. To play off these long held notions, and local traditions, (and hoping to secure the Art Lab Loveland as our venue), we will present the same sculptural works we chose to include, as non-objects as well; so each piece in the exhibit will actually consist of two parts, the object and the non-object interpretation. This will be accomplished through a collaboration between the sculptor and the curator, (six pairs).
I can forsee many options of intrepretating the objects, with sound, light, text, spoken or recorded words, space, performance etc. By seeing an object and an abstraction of that object, how does one gain perspective about the art? By considering the various ways of looking at objects, do we as viewers gain knowledge of the same object and a new way of thinking about art? Time will tell...

Ideas for the blog:

* Do we need a Facebook page & Twitter account associated with this blog and subsequently our show?

* Individual pages to track each curator & sculptor pairing?

* Please let me know if any of you would like to contribute something, notes or otherwise concerning our   mission statement for the show/ blog

Thanks Ladies!

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Letter to Keith Jentzsch

Hi Keith,

My Museum and Gallery Studies II group has come up with an exhibition idea for their required exhibition in December. They are interested in partnering with sculptors, in particular,
grad students from CSU's sculpture department. Each student curator would be paired with one sculptor the topic and title of the show: Object, No Object: Sculpture of Ideas. Below is our website which will document our entire process.

http://be-art-smart.blogspot.com/2010/09/to-do-list.html

The students are exploring the de-materialization of the object in the 21st century. We anticipate doing an actual show at the Loveland Artlab ( we are awaiting confirmation from them). Five or six works by the sculptors... key to this is....is there going to be an object or not? Something to be decided upon by the curator and sculptor. Is the sculpture material? Does it take on a digital form? hmm....

Grad students in sculpture at CSU are our first choice. Please let us know your thoughts as soon as possibile so we can move in a different direction as need be....Interested students can contact the curators directly thru the blog. We are in real time... building the plane and flying it simultaneously!!!

After looking at the website please feel free to ask questions. We would like folks to respond entirely on line thru the website we are considering this as a a form of sculpture as well.

Cheers!
jennie

Sunday, September 5, 2010

To Do List:

1. Put everyone on as administrators. (invitations sent, please check e-mail)

2. Blog will be used by all curators as real time conversations to document process of exhibition. i.e all on line conversations concerning show will be on blog so all can read and participate. This documentation may be used as part of exhibition.

note: Kathy M will start by participating in conversations on line, just logging onto site. She will participate as administrator within the next two weeks.

3. New blog title: Object, No Object: Sculpture of Ideas

This is the title of the exhibition (done)

4. Looking at Loveland Artlab - Laura and Aimee ( will let us know, via blog)

5. Each curator works with one sculptor to explore topic

6. Looking at Lucy Lippard's Dematerialization of the Object - Kathy ( will let us know,via blog)

7. Remember general laws of courtesy when blogging.( not that others who blog do...I am holding curators to a higher standard)

8. Everyone sends K Dub their stream of conscious notes from 9/4 class ASAP. K-Dub uses these to put together an opening statement for the blog that talks about the curatorial philosophy/mission/inspiration going into the project. All need to view this on line and make addition's subtractions online as administrators.

9. First Choice for sculptors will be graduate students from CSU Sculpture dept. ( we can expand this to other three dimensional work)

10. Contact Keith to see if he is interested - Jennie ( will let you know on blog)

12. One piece of work is created ( or not) based on the theme for each pair.Curator and sculptor work together conceptually. There should be a size limitation. We can think on that.

13. Be sure we all sign up to get the blog so we can see postings as soon as they arrive.

14. Please post this on the blog.  (check)