Archive for the 'Politics' Category
Friday, August 21st, 2009
Update :: Art Surfaces from Sea No Evil Benefit
Shepard Fairey – Paul Watson, 2009. (All Images © the artists/Sea No Evil)
Just in are these images from the upcoming See No Evil art auction, benefiting the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, who have spent the past three decades protecting and preserving the world’s ocean life. As we previously reported, the charity event takes place next Saturday, August 29th, in Riverside, California. Amongst the most exciting contributions is a new Shepard Fairey original portrait (pictured above), depicting Captain Paul Watson, founder of Sea Shepard and subject of the Whale Wars television series. Other notable contributions include Anthony Lister, Greg Craola Simkins, Dave Kinsey, Glen E. Friedman, Gregory Euclide, Jeff Soto, Logan Hicks, Mario Martinez (Mars-1) and Tim Biskup (see the full list on our previous post).
Glen E. Friedman
For more on Captain Watson and Sea Shepherd, read Raffi Khatchadourian’s 2007 profile in The New Yorker (thanks to Trevor for the tip), which actually portrays the vigilante activist as having utter contempt for the arts:
He regards civilization’s greatest artistic and cultural achievements—from architecture to music and film—as expressions of human vanity, “worthless to the earth.” He sometimes asks people to imagine the outrage that would occur if someone were to destroy, say, the Vatican or the “Mona Lisa,” and he compares that with the indifference that people exhibit toward the mass extinction of plants and animals. “In anthropocentric society, a harsh judgment is given to those that destroy or seek to destroy the creations of humanity,” he has written.
Whether or not this is an accurate portrayal, many prominent individuals within the arts community have rallied around Sea Shepherd. In fact, some of the organization’s biggest financial supporters are well know actors and musicians, including The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Mick Jagger, Martin Sheen, Sean Penn, William Shatner, Edward Norton, and Uma Thurman to name a few.
Want to get on board but not attending the benefit? Donations can be made directly to Sea Shepherd here.
Logan Hicks
Gregory Euclide
Sea No Evil Art Show 2009
Saturday, August 29
Riverside Municipal Auditorium
3485 Mission Inn Ave.
Riverside, CA 92501
info: erin@seashepherdartshow.com
Thursday, August 6th, 2009
Sea Shepherd Art Benefit to feature Shepard Fairey, Jeff Soto, Greg Simkins, Anthony Lister + more
Anyone who has seen an episode of the enthralling Animal Planet series, Whale Wars, is familiar with Captain Paul Watson and his Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, who risk life and limb to police the world’s waters and preserve marine life, often directly confronting poachers on the open seas. On August 29, the Sea No Evil Art Show will be held in Riverside, California (near Los Angeles), with all proceeds benefiting the non-profit environmental organization. Watson is scheduled to speak and Shepard Fairey (along with donating art) will act as DJ. See below for the full list of 60+ participating artists.
Those not able to attend but who want to support the Sea Shepherd cause can donate directly to the organization or make a charitable purchase of additionally available artwork here.
Sea No Evil Art Show 2009
Saturday, August 29
Riverside Municipal Auditorium
3485 Mission Inn Ave.
Riverside, CA 92501
info: erin@seashepherdartshow.com
Participating Artists: Anthony Lister, Arnold Cornelio, Ashley Macomber, Bwana Spoons, Cathie Bleck, Cali Dewitt, Chivo, Chris Rubino, Chris Ryniak, Greg Craola Simkins, Dave Cooper, Dave Kinsey, Deph, Jose Mercado / Dire, Dustin Ortiz, Dylan Martorell, Fabian Iezzi, Jonathan Garcia, Justin Heathcoat “Faceless”, George Thompson, Glen E. Friedman, Gregory Euclide, Gretchen Ryan, Heather Carlton “Hezaa”, Joshua M. Smith / Hydro74, Iqvinder Singh, Jeff Phillips, Jeff Soto, Jeffrey Pidgeon, Jennifer Becker, Jon Chase, Kevin Christy, Kevin Peterson, Logan Hicks, Lola, Louis Henderson, Madsteez, Marc Hemeon, Mario Martinez (Mars-1), Maxx242, Maya Hayuk, Melinda Read, Michael Muller, Michael Sieben, Mike Stilkey, Munk One, Nathan Fischer, Neko, Oliver Sutter, Peggy Oki, Priscilla Iezzi, Renee Lawter, Renta, Ryan Jacob Smith, Scott Morse, Shaunna Peterson, Shepard Fairey, Six Gun Drums, Steven Daily, Tim Biskup, Travis Millard
Thursday, July 30th, 2009
Obey Iraq
Someone stationed in Iraq has been leaving these around.
Image + Info via Obey Clothing
Thursday, July 30th, 2009
Rose Museum Sues Brandeis to Stop Closure and Sale of Art
Former Brandeis President Abram Sachar (left) with the Rose Art Museum’s founding benefactors Bertha and Edward Rose (far right). Image: Rose Art Museum via Boston Globe
The battle to save the Rose Art Museum escalated Monday, when the museum’s overseers filed a lawsuit in Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to halt Brandeis University from permanently shutting it down and selling off of a collection including some 7,000 works of art estimated at $350 million.
Read on for our full story and full transcript of the filed lawsuit. Read the rest of this entry »
Tuesday, June 30th, 2009
Shepard Fairey Green Energy Print Release
The Obey Windmill print will be available sometime today via Obey Giant. The site alludes to future use of the design as part of a Green Energy Initiatives campaign, hinting to “Keep a look out as you might see this image around in the days to come.”
Tuesday, April 21st, 2009
Buy Art on the Government’s Dollar
The Telegraph clues us in to a UK government backed loan program which aims to fuel the art market with millions in revenue, while making the collecting game a bit more egalitarian. The Own Art program, funded by the government-run Arts Council England, hands out up to £2,000 in individual loans for the purchase of art, completely interest free and repayable over a ten month period. According to the Telegraph, 25% of those who have taken advantage have an annual income below the national average wage, and to date £6.5 million in revenue has been generated for artists.
We’ve taken a look and should clarify that the program does not apply to all galleries and includes approximately 250 participating venues across England. The £2,000 limit may be used for a single purchase, or spread out over the acquisition of multiple works. While only one loan is permitted at any given time, there is no limit to how many times an individual may use the program. The 0% APR is subsidized by Arts Council England, which pays all interest to the lending bank instead of the customer.
The program is also available at 38 galleries throughout Scotland, via the Scottish Arts Council and over 80 galleries in Wales via Principality Collectorplan, where it has been in operation for over 20 years.
Back in the U.S., these loan programs are worth considering, given the debate over the $50 million given to the National Endowment for the Arts via the Economic Stimulus Act. Opponents have argued there are far more crucial economic factors, including rising unemployment, to justify pumping millions of taxpayer dollars into the arts, while others have claimed the amount is far too miniscule (less than 1% of the approximately $800 billion Stimulus Act), and those in arts related professions need aid as well. Rather than residing to the Roosevelt-esque New Deal tactics employed during the Great Depression, perhaps such government backed loan programs would do more to not only fund the arts but fuel the economy at large, by promoting consumer spending and freeing up the lending capabilities of our nation’s financial institutions.
Friday, March 27th, 2009
A Moment of Clarity – Defending Danziger
Fairey and Garcia’s Obama images at Danziger Projects. Image: Sara Krulwich, The New York Times.
A number of stories have surfaced this week concerning wire photographer, Mannie Garcia’s, image of President Obama, which served as the basis for Shepard Fairey’s Obama Portrait. More than once we have read articles that accuse one NY gallery of seeking to profit from the media frenzy surrounding Fairey by selling prints of the photo for $1,200.
On his own site this week, Fairey said, “The Garcia photo is now more famous and valuable than it ever would have been prior to the creation of my poster. With this factor in mind, it is not surprising, that a gallery in NYC is now (our emphasis) selling the Garcia photo for $1,200 each.” In the last day Fairey’s statement has been reposted by several online sources, ranging from larger media outlets like The Huffington Post, to numerous smaller blogs.
In an article published in The New York Times, Noam Cohen states the following about the image in question: “Taken by Mannie Garcia while on assignment for The Associated Press in 2006, the picture is now (our emphasis) on sale at a Chelsea gallery in a limited edition of 200. The prints are going for $1,200 a piece, and at least one has been purchased by a fine-arts museum.”
A moment of clarity – The gallery in question, Danziger Projects, was actually the first to attribute Fairey’s portrait to Garcia, as they were researching a photography exhibition of media images covering the rise of Obama and his campaign. That exhibit, Can & Did, was on display at the gallery this past Jan. 20 – Feb. 28. To be clear, the availability of Garcia prints via Danziger predates the recent firestorm of press surrounding Fairey’s appropriation of it. While TAC firmly supports Fairey, his art and his legal battle with AP, it seems irresponsible to suggest that he himself is now the one being co-opted for financial gain.
Hat’s off to Charlie Finch. Back in February he reflected on the situation for ArtNet, explaining, that it was in fact Danziger’s inquiries which led the Associated Press to claim rights to the image. Finch noted that the gallerist had already sold 29 copies of the print edition – before, not after countless media outlets began to report the controversy. In short, Danziger’s due diligence in crediting a photograph which appeared at his gallery sparked the current AP-Fairey legal battle and exponential rise in the image’s notoriety. That it would all come full circle and lead to accusatory fingers pointing towards his gallery is grossly misinformed and paints a story that is at its best inacurate, and at its worst defamatory.
Tuesday, March 24th, 2009
Chelsea Goes to Havana
Andrew Schoultz will be exhibiting with Morgan Lehman Gallery as part of Chelsea Visits Havana. Image: Pulse Art Fair 2009 via TheArtCollectors
For the first time in over twenty years, New York art galleries will have a presence in Havana, Cuba, at the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. The exhibition, Chelsea Visits Havana, opens March 28 as part of the 10th Havana Biennial, and will include twenty-eight NY galleries, along with thirty-five represented artists. The event was organized by Fundacion Amistad, a U.S. based non-profit dedicated to “fostering better mutual understanding and appreciation between the peoples of the United States and Cuba.”
As noted by The Art Newspaper, in 2004 the Bush administration heightened travel restrictions to Cuba, effectively ending cultural exchange programs. Since then, numerous Cuban artists have been denied visas to the United States to claim prizes or fellowship opportunities, and efforts by the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes to bring U.S. artists to the country have continually been blocked. Abelardo Mena, a curator at the museum, said, “I don’t believe this exhibition would have been possible under the Bush administration. I hope the new president and his secretary of state recognize the value of cultural diplomacy based on mutual respect, and the free exchange of cultural goods (Art Newspaper, March 2009).”
As a side note, The Art Collectors are particularly excited for Morgan Lehman Gallery’s participation in the exhibit with an installation by Andrew Schoultz, whose visual commentary on U.S. government, capitalism and the military industrial complex should be particularly appropriate. Stay tuned for pictures…
Friday, March 20th, 2009
Transparency in Deaccession
Image still from IMA’s online Deaccession Database
While the debate over museums’ rights to relinquish works of art continues, the Indianapolis Museum of Art has taken a step in the direction of full disclosure, launching an online database of deaccessioned or soon to be sold works from its collection. Along with detailed sales records, the site also allows comments from the public, who wish to weigh in on the museum’s decisions. As reported by Culture Grrl, IMA already has plans to improve these listings with information regarding how funds raised from the sale of specific works are applied to the acquisition of new art.
IMA Director and CEO, Maxwell Anderson commented on the endeavor, stating, “In light of the recent economic downturn and the resulting financial strain experienced by museums, the topic of deaccessioning has become a front-burner issue, making institutional transparency more vital than ever. This searchable database will evolve to include information regarding how the IMA uses funds from deaccessioned works to enhance and shape the Museum collection.”
In a further mover towards transparency, the museum has published its Deaccession Policy, which clearly abides by the Association of Art Museum Directors code of ethics, stating that “funds received from all sales of works of art will be used for the purchase of works of art from the same period or culture.”
The IMA’s initiative comes in the wake of recent controversy concerning both the National Academy and Brandies University’s sale of art to meet operating costs. After The Academy sold two Hudson River School paintings this past December, The Association of Art Museum Directors implemented sanctions barring the institution from borrowing from other museums. Last week the AAMD met with National Academy representatives to discuss how they could achieve financial stability without further deaccession. A joint statement published 3/11 on the AAMD website, indicates the Academy “will begin a process to restructure its governance practices” to “include more rigorous fiscal oversight,” and halt the sale of “additional works of art as was originally proposed.”
Wednesday, March 18th, 2009
Bill Would Ban Museum Deaccessioning
The New York Times reports that a new bill introduced to the New York State Senate on Tuesday would prohibit museums from selling off works of art to cover operating costs. The bill was penned by Assemblyman Richard L. Brodsky in collaboration with the New York Sate Board of Regents and Museum Association of New York, and comes in response to recent controversy over the deaccessioning of art by at least two major NY institutions – The National Academy, which did sell two Hudson River School paintings to help meet operating costs, and Brandies University, who announced plans to close its Rose Art Museum and sell off its collection. If passed into law, proceeds from the sale of works of art could only be used for the acquisition of new works or the preservation of an existing collection.
Read a copy of the bill here