Object, No Object: Sculpture of Ideas

Exhibition Review

2010-12-11T08:22:00.000-08:00

The exhibition, "Object, No Object; Sculpture of Ideas", had great potential, the thought inspiring title getting the visitors’ ideas going, even before stepping into the space. The show featured several locally well known artists, including Sarah Vaeth, who recently was included in the show “Drawing in the Expanded Field”, juried by Deanna Petherbridge at the CSU Hatton Gallery, and Keith Jentzsch, a CSU Art department faculty member, among others.

The room, basic to say the least, was large and open allowing for easy traffic flow throughout the exhibits. The large space, a bit sparse, seemed somewhat empty, and the vaporous quality and delicate nature of some of the pieces, like Sarah’s “Snow Cave”, required an extended contemplation by the viewer to appreciate the full beauty of the work. The conceptual based pieces by Rachel Browning and Elizabeth Morisette, featuring art creation by the audience, were unusual with their participatory nature, but the visitors playfully jumped right in, becoming artists. The broad scope of included works, with their disparate styles, could be a bit disconcerting, however the variety instigated an expanding definition of what could be considered sculpture, and ultimately is what the exhibit was about. Keith Jentzsch’s piece "2 x 4", which featured a collection of building materials, really expounded on this idea. He presents the materials as they are, along with the uninitiated artistic creation of a final piece. He raises the question of where, in fact, the artwork is found; it is not just in a finalized object, but also in the process and contemplation by the artist.

The ideas, theories and viewpoints presented, offered something for every taste, with contemplative pieces being balanced by playful works. Amy Reckley’s piece, "Gleen/Sweep", at first appearance seems to be merely a 2-dimensional work, similar to a collage, however the meaning is expanded when the visitor learns that the form was a replication or map of the room’s dimensions, and the debris attached to the surface, the effluence from the floor, in effect replicating the space in a secondary way, giving an awareness of one’s presence and perceptions of the time and space in which the work exists. Martin Mayer’s, "Make a Buck", was a fun interactive work that allowed the visitor an alternative way to think about our currency and the perceived value one assigns to random objects. Frank Stanley’s fish, "Steve", was a comic play on human relations with an object, and offered a first hand view through the ongoing monologue of how an object may perceive our dealings with it.

Over all, the successful exhibit was quite enlivening, with art making going on by visitors at two places, and the variety and scope of included styles and mediums expanding the definition of what can be called sculpture today.

Opening Night!

2010-12-08T14:23:00.001-08:00

Photos by Laura Brent

See more pictures of the event on our Facebook page or on Flickr.

Our Exhibits Debut at the FCMoCA

2010-12-04T15:26:00.000-08:00

On Friday December 3rd we debuted both our exhibits; a onsite invitational including work by local artists and an online international juried exhibit including both photo stills and video.

This blog will be continue over be updated over the next few weeks with pictures of each of the installations... So stay tuned, there is still more to come.

As you can see, the children in attendance loved being part of the experience so you know the adults did too.

Both our online and local communities are to thank for our big success! We sincerely appreciate all your encouragement & support.

See more pictures of the event on our Facebook page or on Flickr.

Ten Days & Counting

2010-11-24T22:11:00.000-08:00

Front Range Community College is closed for Thanksgiving Break. However, our on-site exhibit at the Fort Collins Museum of Contemporary Art opens in ten days and there is still quite a lot to do in order to prepare the space and promote the event. So today a few of the Museum/ Gallery Studies participants met at the museum.

Curtains were created for the space, the last interview for our brochure was conducted and Rachael Browning began installing her piece for the exhibit while participants assisted. From home Flickr sets were pieced together in order to document the process we've gone through, e-mails were gathered, images sifted through to strengthen our online presence and loads of twittering took place! Quite a lot to do and yet we are truly grateful for all the support we've garnered from both our local and online communities which are great sources of encouragement. We appreciate you all, there is a lot to be thankful for this year!

John Baldessari Sends His Best Wishes:

2010-11-18T22:23:00.000-08:00

The Initial Inquiry

Dear Mr. Baldessari,

My name is Kathy Webb, a participant of Front Range Community College’s Museum & Gallery Studies Program, exploring the evolving definition of sculpture using objects, conceptual ideas, and social media. I am completing an independent study in art criticism and theory and would like to invite you to comment on our collective project Object, No Object: Sculpture of Ideas. We are not only curating concurrent on-line and site/time specific exhibits but also hopefully facilitating a public dialogue about the very nature of contemporary art, it's direction, and the commentary it makes on a digitally enhanced, hyper-modern society

I am particularly interested in the developing discourse of what drives interest, audience and the artist. Which is more important the product (object) or the recognition of the process (non-object)? This very question, I believe, is the crux of where the current debate sits among artists, critics and academics alike.

I would like to ask you what you believe are the most significant changes to occur in art in the last 100 years and how the audiences’ appreciation has also changed.

I sincerely appreciate your time & consideration.

Best,

Kathy Webb
FRCC Museum & Gallery Studies
http://be-art-smart.blogspot.com/

The Response

Dear Kat(hy),

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. John was back for a very short time before he had to travel again to new york and miami. I'm sorry but he will not be able to comment on your project because of his overwhelming travel and exhibition schedule. He sends he best wishes for your project.

Kind regards,

Shelly

Prepping the Space:

2010-11-15T15:11:00.000-08:00

On Friday November 12th the participants in FRCC's Museum & Gallery Studies program began prepped the area in which we've been meeting; this same space will become our exhibition gallery at the Fort Collins Museum of Contemporary Art on December 3, 2010.

Today artist Sarah Vaeth began her installation and we invite our audience to visit our Facebook page to see how this work progresses over the next few weeks.

Sarah Vaeth Begins:

Gridding Off The Wall

Materials

Mapping Out the Design

Fort Collins Museum of Contemporary Art

2010-11-10T20:30:00.000-08:00

The Fort Collins Museum of Contemporary Art is hosting our exhibit First Friday from 12 noon- 9pm
December 3, 2010.

FCMoCA is located in Old Town Fort Collins at 201 South College Avenue.

For more information please call 970.482.2787

Deadline Extended to November 17!!!

2010-11-08T14:32:00.000-08:00

The deadline for our Online Exhibit has been extended to November 17th!!!!

There's still time.

Eliabeth Morisette Using Social Media to Construct Her Interactive Piece:

2010-10-30T07:50:00.000-07:00

Artist Elizabeth Morisette is using a blog and asking the audience to become part of the process & a Community Arts Project, to be part of our exhibit, by allowing them the opportunity to show their work at udraw.blogspot.com/ .

...Other Than Planning Exhibits:

2010-10-28T10:38:00.000-07:00

FRCC Museum & Gallery Studies participants often explore museums and galleries throughout Colorado and Wyoming in an effort to understand current operational procedures and practices.

Tomorrow we will be in the field learning about our craft at The University of Wyoming Geological Museum.

Museum Hours

Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Saturday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Sunday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Closed Mondays

Visit their website for more information: http://www.uwyo.edu/geomuseum/

Meet the Invitational Artists

2010-10-23T15:22:00.000-07:00

Artists presenting work in Object, No Object: Sculpture of Ideas exhibition in Fort Collins, Colorado December 3, 2010 at the Fort Collins Museum of Contemporary Art are:

See our additional blog ARTiculation for more information!

Michael Fenton to Design Posters for Exhibition:

2010-10-23T11:51:00.000-07:00

Michael Fenton has been an artist and a teacher in Northern Colorado for over ten years. He currently teaches art history at Colorado State University and the University of Northern Colorado. Michael also works in the media of drawing, photography, and computer graphics as a freelance artist.

In addition, Michael designed the badges currently being displayed on our Facebook page and on the Twitter account associated with this project.

Contact Michael at: mfenton01@msn.com

Two Blogs, One Aim

2010-10-23T02:57:00.000-07:00

Today FRCC Museum & Gallery Studies participants met with local artists to formulate plans for our on-site invitational exhibit December 3, 2010 at the Fort Collins Museum of Contemporary Art. During the round-table discussion with curators, artists and logistical taskmasters all in attendance it was made clear that additional virtual space was needed in order to accommodate the discourse surrounding the conceptual ideas and pedagogical stance of each artists as it pertains to the aim of the exhibit Object, No Object: Sculpture of Ideas.Therefore a second blog.

ARTiculation intends over the next month to introduce you to the artists invited to the exhibit allowing the audience to approach the work with new insight into a variety of individual artistic processes. Comments and questions are highly encouraged in hopes of engaging our audience in discourse related to the evolution of sculpture.

Discourse Turns From Theory to Practice:

2010-10-21T23:44:00.000-07:00

"Art is not what you see, but what you make others see."

— Edgar Degas

The idea of sculpture has always been an interactive one; a three dimensional design encapsulating a moment of frozen imagination. Architecture, ceramics, and sculptural objects are meant to be enjoyed from a variety of perspectives both within ourselves and within our communities.

Therefore I have listed three curatorial statements under the new tab on the blog and invite you to join us as we embark on the journey of curating two simultaneous exhibits; an online international juried exhibition and a local on-site invitational, intertwined through our use of social media as we aim to explore the evolving definition of sculpture.

Tomorrow we are meeting with some of our local artists to discuss plans for the one day invitational while taking time to consider some of the entries we’ve received for the juried exhibition so far.(Deadline to enter is November 1st!)

Please know this is meant as an interactive experience; your comments and questions are always appreciated!

Only an Excerpt from Smithsonian's Collection Blog:

2010-10-20T19:07:00.000-07:00

How Can I Get a Job? (Libraries, Archives and Special Collections)

Dear Readers,

I don't have to tell you that it's a tough job market out there. The economy has been rough for everyone and museums, archives, libraries, and many other art and collection based jobs have been put through the wringer when it comes to budget cuts, layoffs, program cuts, etcetera. If you're starting in the curiosity phase of pursuing a job and education in a libraries, archives, or special collections field it is good to be realistic when looking at what the job market looks like now, and in the future. I have high hopes, history, and some factual based projection that the economy will continue to grow back, and the profession will continue to grow as it has been since its inception. In fact, when looking at the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2010-2011 edition for Archivists, Curators and Museum Technicians, you'll see the profession is projected to grow a faster than average 20% by 2018. The statistics for Librarians are also expected to grow at least 8% and job competition to be favorable to potential employees as many librarians retire in the coming years.

This post aims to educate and help provide you vital references no matter what phase of the profession you are in.

Would you like a job at the Smithsonian? All Smithsonian jobs go through the USAjobs.gov website, where you will also find library, archives, and special collection jobs with the National Park Service, the Army, the National Archives, the Library of Congress and many other federal institutions.

See their site for more information! Excellent resources:
http://si-siris.blogspot.com/2010/10/how-can-i-get-job-libraries-archives.html

Artist Call Has Been Posted!

2010-10-12T20:57:00.000-07:00

See our artists' call.

http://be-art-smart.blogspot.com/p/artists.html

Exhibition Location

2010-10-12T20:06:00.000-07:00

We have just received word that the location request for the exhibition has been approved!

The site specific exhibition of Object, No Object will be at the Fort Collins Museum of Contemporary Art www.fcmoca.org

Stay tuned for information on invited artists!

Please read some of the posts here and share your thoughts regarding your studio practice as a sculptor and what you think is important in the field at this time. We have been hearing from some folks internationally as well as nationally...let us know what is happening in your part of the world and what part of the world it is!

Another Perspective

2010-10-12T15:44:00.000-07:00

We talked in class about audience. Curation requires a vision, but it also requires an understanding of the audience. When creating an exhibition, which is considered first? What brings the audience? Knowledge of a concept, and resulting appreciation of its expression, or the presentation of a concept, and stirring the audience to look further into the concept? One presupposes that the audience already understands the concept, the other seeks to educate, inform them. The reasons people view art are as diverse as the reasons for its creation.

How do we create an exhibition that speaks volumes to our audience about this concept? If they are not aware of the crossroads elaborated on by this article, what needs to be the topic of the exhibit? Where do we start? In and through class I am learning about current artists and the concepts they are presenting in a way I would never encounter otherwise. It is fascinating, and definitely beyond the scope of everyday conversation at FRCC, or my dinner table (this is changing though!).

Recently in our area, at the Loveland Museum, an artwork by California artist Enrique Chagoya entitled “The Misadventures of Romantic Cannibals” was all but destroyed by a member of the audience from Montana, on the auspices that it was profane. I wonder if the perpetrator had any understanding of the work prior to her act. Had she researched the artist, learned about the piece, made an informed decision, or was this a reaction to media? Upon reflection of the article, was her act “art”? It certainly was matter transformed by energy..AND political..What does this mean to our exhibition?

So, fellow participants, what do you see as the starting point? How art savvy do we perceive our audience to be? Do we want to inform or confirm? Our personal experiences with the art world definitely color our personal point of view so I am asking for yours. Who is our audience? How far down the rabbit hole do we go? How obvious do we need to make the message? How subtle can we be and still get it across? Or do we let each artist do this work, and we set up the exhibition and stand back? How far does curation go?

~ Alnasl

All that glitters..... isn't all diamonds

2010-10-11T06:51:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have been watching the HirstDamien saga. A colleague of mine who is also working with and researching social media as the part of their practice sent the following:

"I bought something from the website (total with shipping $3.55 USD) - and the payee on the account was andraz begus, who I googled of course. He is indeed an unknown Slovenian artist. So this would require Hirst to do a rather elaborate double agent type of impersonation. I just don't think he would bother with that merely to chat with the hoi polloi. He would have to be shockingly bored with his life of untold wealth and would have to be vastly different from the person he seems to be to go to those lengths... IMHO. And I think this guy has done a pretty good job of appearing like Hirst's less evil twin...."

"did a little digging on the @hirstdamien Twitter account and found out it is being maintained by Andraz Begus, who is indeed from Slovenia."

www.andrazbegus.com

www.140hours.com/artist%20bios/pages/andrazbegus.htm

Understanding the Root Discourse I

2010-10-10T14:22:00.000-07:00

Among the seminal ideas participants in Museum/Gallery Studies should be considering…..

Lucy Lippard and John Chandler write the essay The Dematerialization of the Art, published in

the February 1968 issue of Art International.

An excerpt: “During the 1960’s the anti-intellectual, emotional intuitive processes of art-making characteristic of the last two decades have begun to give way to an ultra-conceptual art that emphasizes the thinking process almost exclusively. As more and more work is designed in the studio, but executed elsewhere by professional craftsmen, as the object becomes merely the end product, a number of artists are losing interest in the physical evolution of the work of art. The studio is again becoming a study. Such a trend appears to be provoking a profound dematerialization of art, especially art as object, and if it continues to prevail, it may result in the object’s becoming wholly obsolete.

The visual arts at the moment seem to hover at a crossroad that may well turn out to be two roads to one place, though they appear to have come from two sources: art as idea and art as action. In the first case, matter is denied, as sensation has been converted into concept; in the second case, matter has been transformed into energy and time-motion.”

New Layout For Blog:

2010-10-09T05:12:00.000-07:00

There have been a few comments about how the blog was confusing to navigate and looking a little messy; it's now been reformatted in an attempt to make it more user friendly. Please let us know how you like the changes.

Your feedback is extremely helpful and enables us to learn about how to best maximize our digital footprint.

My Understanding & Our Progress:

2010-10-09T04:58:00.000-07:00

The other participants in this project and I met today to discuss how to move forward with the idea of our exhibition, "Object, No Object." Given the title, it is fair to say the discussion was equally fractured; opposing and contradictory ideas spring to mind just contemplating how to properly curate a very tangible and yet completely conceptual show. Our dialogue could not progress unless we first recognized how a parallel disconnect had also emerged in the current art world(s) and art market(s).

This is also why there is another part to the title of our exhibit "Sculpture of Ideas." It is our attempt to engage in an emerging conversation of what drives interest, audience and the artist. Which is more important the product (object) or the recognition of the process (non-object)? This very question, I believe, is the crux of where the current debate sits among artists, critics and academics alike. I also believe as curators it is our sole responsibility to present the discourse, not only in a visually stimulating manner, but also without bias.

The delegation of duties and basic logistics, such as the space, were eventually hammered out. However because of the difficulty we are having trouble articulating our curatorial perimeters given the nature of how we are tackling this debate (which is in an exhibit) ; the statement, artist call and invitations will eventually develop once we all have had a chance to meditate on the various ways to approach this topic.

We are not only curating concurrent on-line and site/time specific exhibits but also hopefully facilitating a public dialogue about the very nature of contemporary art, it's direction, and the commentary it makes on a digitally enhanced, hyper-modern society.

Loveland Museum Incident Results in Arrest over Controversial Piece:

2010-10-06T20:23:00.000-07:00

Please leave your comments about this incident. We'd love to know your thoughts...
http://tiny.cc/plwjo

Storify

2010-10-06T10:48:00.000-07:00

Behold the future of blogging! I thought this might be an interesting way to put the story of our project on-line. Storify would allow us to include tweets, video, pictures and text all in one place and embed it into our blog or give us yet another avenue of communication. Please let me know what you think & check out Storify on-line:

http://storify.com/

Damien Hirst Responds to us on Twitter:

2010-10-02T12:49:00.000-07:00

See how Damien Hirst (the most expensive living artist to sell at auction) responded to us on Twitter when asked about how the definition of sculpture & art appreciation has changed over the last 100 years!

http://www.facebook.com/Sculpture.Of.Ideas

...but is it real or is it "The unknown Slovenian artist Damien Hirst"?
http://tiny.cc/t5ri3

Update:

2010-09-23T15:35:00.000-07:00

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!

Ask Charles Saatchi a Question On-line:

2010-09-22T16:55:00.000-07:00

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?

Adobe to Do Digital Museum On-line

2010-09-21T20:15:00.000-07:00

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

Tell Us Whatcha Think:

2010-09-20T18:05:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-20T08:46:00.000-07:00

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

Stand Alone Pages?

2010-09-16T17:44:00.000-07:00

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...

2010-09-16T17:17:00.000-07:00

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.

2010-09-15T14:39:00.000-07:00

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.

Banksy Unavailable for Comment:

2010-09-14T14:19:00.000-07:00

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)

Museum.muses@gmail.com

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.

How would you define Contemporary Art?

2010-09-12T15:30:00.000-07:00

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?

Object, No Object: Sculpture of Ideas

2010-09-09T15:36:00.000-07:00

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:

2010-09-09T14:28:00.000-07:00

* 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!

Letter to Keith Jentzsch

2010-09-07T17:26:00.000-07:00

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

To Do List:

2010-09-05T13:18:00.000-07:00

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)

Ask a Curator

2010-08-31T15:00:00.000-07:00

Ask curators from around the world questions on September 1, 2010 & then follow on Twitter!
http://askacurator.com/

Museums Come into Digital Age

2010-08-27T18:44:00.000-07:00

Here is a wonderful link by the Guggenheim exploring how museums are coming into the Digital Age:
http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/interact/participate/youtube-play/the-take/moving-images/3685-new-video-maker