Eric and I went to First Thursday in the Pearl last week. Eric was having dinner with his daughter first, so I started the evening by myself, stopping at some of my favorite galleries, such as Black Fish, which never disappoints. This week I particularly loved Tony Kordosky's work. A student from Linfield College, he had taken large cross sections of logs, leaving the bark and moss on the outside, but carving and painting the inside in abstract patterns. I loved the juxtiposition of the natural and the contemporary.
Next I visited the Augen Gallery and the Froelick Gallery...both had beautiful and inspiring pieces of art, most of it for sale...and I guess reasonably priced for the unique and intricate works presented.
After Eric joined up with me we stopped for a glass of wine and then headed over to PDX Contemporary Art where they were featuring an exhibit called "The Classroom." The exhibit featured various "tools of learning" in which the artists were making a statement about the educational system. Their website, in part, says about the exhibit,
"With the current inflation of people pursuing higher education, despite its mounting cost, increased privatization and decreased rigor, it seems particularly appropriate to portray the classroom transparently as a place of commerce. "
Hmmm? Interesting, no? Come with me while we explore this exhibit a bit more closely.
First is this desk with a pillow attached to the writing area. It made me smile...yes, there were many times in high school and college that I wished there were a pillow on my desk. So what is the artist trying to communicate? Education has become boring. The passion of learning no longer exists for these students. Ok...I guess I can make the leap from the "sculpture" to that statment.
Next was this very simple print. Again, the artists make the statement....students blindly following the perscribed program of classes designed to make the university money, but not neccessarily inspiring the student..and this print says so in black and white.
We circled the room and then came across this "sculpture" on a pedestal.
It's two packs of lined notebook paper stacked, just so. I did a double take. Did someone just leave some paper accidentally on this pedestal? No, there was an exhibit sign, "Paper" with a price tag on it. Hmmm....I looked more closely. Was it perhaps a clay or ceramic sculpture so well done that it looked incredibly realistic? No....it was just as it appeared to be. Two packs of ruled notebook paper. And what was the price for this statement piece? Only $600! So, I'm wondering, if you buy this, how would you display it? Would you constantly worry that your 7th grader was going to grab it and use it for their homework assignment or that the wife would remove it from it's pedestal and put it in a drawer "where it belongs"?
Shaking our heads we went to view another "sculpture". This one a pack of the ubiquitous #10 yellow pencils. I always loved cracking open a new pack of pencils at the start of each school year. I loved the smooth feel of the yellow paint, the pristine unused pink eraser top, and the smell of the cedar wood surrounding the lead. Yes, this sculpture stirred up some happy school time memories for me. The pencils were neatly arranged in a pencil box. How much would this bit of elementary school nostalgia set me back if I wanted to buy it? Only $850...what a bargain! (I'm being sarcastic, can you tell).
I can appreciate using ordinary objects, arranged artistically, as a way to make a statement....I get that. And when I first walked into this exhibit, I was going with that...going with what statement the artists were trying to make. But then, when I saw the prices for these ordinary objects (arranged in ordinary ways)....it seemed like a joke. Perhaps it was. Perhaps the artists were trying to make the statement that they felt their own educations were as ridiculously overpriced as the art they were presenting for sale. Hmmm....maybe that's it. Maybe even the prices were a statement that the artist was trying to make. They weren't really for sale. Yes, that's it, I told myself. Then I looked to my left. I saw four blocks, about 5" wide, covered in blackboard paint. Each block had a letter written on it in chalk. The letters were, R - E - A - D. The price? $500 per block. Another sly statement by the artists, I think. But, no, on the price label was a small red dot, indicating that someone had purchased the exhibit, for the whopping price of $2000. I'll bet the artists are laughing all the way to the bank to pay off their student loans.
Disclaimer: The views of the artist are not necessarily the views of the writer.
that is nuts!! did anything sell!?
Posted by: Patty Stephens | July 04, 2010 at 10:45 AM
Yes, actually some of it did. You have to wonder who bought it!
Posted by: Eric Olmsted | July 04, 2010 at 01:36 PM
We appreciate that you took the time to go see our exhibition at PDX Contemporary Art, and we appreciate all the thought that you put into writing about it, but we wish that you would have taken a bit more time looking at the work itself. If you had, you would have noticed a few things about some of the works you mentioned, like that the #2 pencils each have hand-carved text on them, or that the textual works (like the one reading 'READ WRITE EAT SLEEP') is a painting not a print, or that the notebook paper you wrote of is all hand-drawn with ball-point pen. But, the main thing that we want to clarify is that we are not in any way attempting to pull the wool over the eyes of would-be collectors. We put a great deal of time, effort and thought into the things we make. And, we definitely aren't 'laughing all the way to the bank,' because the sales of our art (which is pretty reasonable priced as these things go) barely cover our costs. We consider collectors to be the ones making it possible for us to continue doing what we do, and for that matter, they also are the ones who make it possible for you to go out and have something to write about.
Posted by: Anna Gray & Ryan Wilson Paulsen | July 15, 2010 at 03:50 PM
Since a previous post wonders who would have bought the work of Anna and Ryan – I proudly state – that I did! I have for some time been intrigued by the work of Anna and Ryan. I find them to be extremely sensitive, interesting artists, whose work evolves continually - can be playful - serious - ironic – intelligent, demonstrating a foundation of thought and execution. Immediately, when I saw Order of Operations – I was struck by the mantra of Read, Write, Eat, Sleep. It stirs in me the images of Barbara Kruger and her bold declarative statements, or Jenny Holzer, a conceptual artist who employs the use of words as art. It also stirs in me personally a mantra of my own desired discipline. It makes me laugh, it allows me to recognize the simplicity of what could be an interesting quality of life – if one could truly follow this simple recipe of consumption. While the artist(s) may have presented works in this exhibition as a statement on the educational system, it struck a chord in me – beyond their original intent.
That is the wonder of art, the practice of creativity – it is a personal expression for both the artist and the collector. While there are many reasons why one would choose to purchase a piece of work, ultimately it is a personal aesthetic – a visceral connection and in my case, an intrigue in the artist(s), their body of work and an enjoyment to see their evolution of thought and the ways in which they continually find means to express their observations.
As important, it is the act of patronage, supporting the arts. While we can enjoy walking through exhibitions and seeing the works of many artists on view, artists are professionals and their work has value. My recent purchase, the opportunity to collect a work from Anna and Ryan not only allows me to live with a piece from their evolving body of expression, it also demonstrates my support of their creative practice and their continuing exploration as artists.
While the appreciation of art is subjective – criticism should be based on a foundation of an informed perspective or else it is truly, just chatter. As a collective of individual opinions, we should aspire to more than just that. In fact I wonder, if perhaps we should all commit to the mantra of Read, Write, Eat, Sleep!
Posted by: Ann Hudner | July 17, 2010 at 10:48 AM
Ann, Wow, thank you for your thoughtful comments. I do understand art is subjective, and what speaks to one, does not speak to another. I am far from an expert in art...I only know what I like...what speaks to me...what stirs emotions. The work of Anna and Ryan did that for you...and truly that is all that matters.
This particular blog post has been such an interesting one for me. I have learned something about art...something about artists...and something about collectors.
Again, thank you, sincerely, for sharing your insightful comments.
Posted by: Nancy | July 18, 2010 at 01:55 PM