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
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.
