NEW slide show on YouTube from the Norton Museum with curator Charles Stainback interview from last Sunday's show. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQ7YDAigvyE
Next week - Director of Education at the Bass Museum of Art, Adrienne von Lates.
During the Mosaic of Art broadcast (click arrow at right), we meet Charles Stainback. He is the Norton Museum of Art curator of photography and provides a "backstage" account of the pleasures and challenges of the curatorial profession - and eloquently presents his particular style of com-mitted practice. We begin with a short characterization of the normally arduous process of creating an exhibition.
VIK MUNIZ, The Tragic End of 125,000 Miles of Air Travel
Courtesy of the artist and Sikkema Jenkins & Co.
The hard work begins about a year out. Six months out we're dealing with all sorts of issues from presentations to loans for borrowing works from other institutions. The last two weeks are the funnest part, because we're actually in the gallery with the art works and sometimes with the artists actually installing the show. So after working on something for a year or two, we have maybe two weeks to play and enjoy it and then there's the opening and then we start the next project.An exception to this timetable was the "Now WHAT?" exhibition from last winter.
ALLYSON STRAFELLA, Inverted Red Catenary
Courtesy of the artist and Von Lintel Gallery
We started December 1 at 10 o'clock on Wednesday morning and we just started walking. The one thing that we said is that we wanted it NOT (to be) sort of a top 40; we wanted it to be an exhibition where there was a thematic connection between the art work, so it made a more significant curatorial statement.
This show, from the starting of the curatorial process to the opening, was about 10 days, which some of my colleagues basically asked me if I was crazy! But it was a fun exercise ...and it's really an exciting exhibition.
JULIAN MONTAGUE,
Volumes from an Imagined Intellectual History of Animals, Architecture and Man
Image courtesy Black & White Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
We consider the connection between collecting now and collecting when the Norton Museum was founded.
When you look at the history of the Norton Museum and Ralph Norton, his collecting philosophy in the 20s 30s and 40s... he basically was collecting contemporary artists. So following that tradition we want to really embrace Ralph Norton's sort of daring acquisitions of about 70 years ago and make sure that we are addressing the art of the moment.
NICK CAVE, Soundsuit
Collection Norton Museum of Art
In Stainback's view there's a prevalent misconception about the role and power of the art Establishment.
People think that curators and museums define the art world and define the art, and it really is the artists. Artists show us and tell us what is significant and our job is just to respond honestly to what the artists are doing.
ISAAC LAYMAN, Blackout
Courtesty the artist and Elizabeth Leach Gallery, Portland
The curator describes one museum patron's reaction to a piece in the "Now WHAT?" exhibition.
David Shapiro.. makes drawings of every receipt for everything that he spends money on from his cable bill to his cab ride... and he draws these things with exacting detail and they're done on basically a long scroll... The drawings are exacting in their detail. I've even had heated discussions with people who try to tell me this cannot be drawings - that they're xeroxes!
DAVID SHAPIRO, September
Popularity isn't paramount in his decisions when he feels it's time to showcase important work.
Last summer I did a show that was a video exhibition.. we knew that virtually no one would like the exhibition, but I felt that the topic was an important one in terms of introducing video art to the general public in South Florida. Video is really very much a part of contemporary art. The comment book in the gallery... I would say 75% of the people were just outraged, but there were 25% of the people who thought it was fabulous!
This certainly demonstrates a "glass half full" attitude, and Stainback has a great appreciation of his position at the Norton, which gives him full opportunity to express his creative voice.
J.D. OJEIKERE, Onile Gorgoro
collection Norton Museum of Art
That's the great thing about museum work, and that's the great thing about this museum. They really do allow the curators to make their statement, to sort of say here's what I think is significant; here's what I think we should be thinking about.
Please tune in to www.blogtalkradio.com/MosaicOfArt 3pm on Sunday to hear the full conversation. (Register if you like, so you can join the chat room) Charles Stainback is clearly passionate about his work and gives a clear sense of what goes with the territory.
Thanks!
George Fishman, producer/host
NEXT SUNDAY, APRIL 23, WE'LL HEAR FROM DR. ADRIENNE VON LATES, EDUCATION DIRECTOR AT THE BASS MUSEUM OF ART.