Letters From the Creative Bureaucrat, continued

I write a monthly column in Northern Arizona's arts and news monthly publication, The Noise. My column is called "Letters from the Creative Bureaucrat." Here follows "part two" of the March issue column... Click here for "part one." And be sure to pick thee up a copy of this month's Noise, will ya?

~continued from earlier...

However, “excellence” is not some abstract sense of quality that remains only known to those who work in art galleries or academia. It has to be something that can be appreciated through different eyes and many perspectives. There has to be recognition of that excellence even if you don’t like the work in question. Maybe that’s one of the “markers” I’m hoping to find in determining artistic excellence. If those who do not particularly like the work of an artist can admit to the quality of that same artist’s work, have we not found something important there? And yet…

The more I explore this thought, the more I’m convinced that what I’m seeking is a moving target. As soon as a point of criteria becomes clear, I’m sure an artist’s work will present itself which challenges us to move that criteria. Last month, I wrote, “Rejection is in the eye of the beholder.” Maybe I should have just started there with “excellence” and avoided this column altogether.

Oh, and I never got back to the “what is art?” question. I danced around it like a boxer who fears his opponent. I suppose if I were a better writer, I’d give you some neatly wrapped article that circled around and met the question I posed at the beginning with some kind of insightful and revealing finish. Did you really expect that, after I invoked Andy Kaufman? Ha!

Cheers,
JT

Letters From the Creative Bureaucrat

I write a monthly column in Northern Arizona's arts and news monthly publication, The Noise. My column is called "Letters from the Creative Bureaucrat." Here follows "part one" of the March issue column... tune in Monday for "part two" and the thrilling conclusion (or pick thee up a copy of this month's Noise, will ya?).

~~~~~

If I started this column with the question, “What is Art?” would you immediately turn to another page and never come back? That’s what I would do. I hate that question.

And yet, I feel compelled, just ever so slightly, to go there.

Let me start at the beginning. The organization I work for hosts the Viola Awards. The Violas are like the Oscars, but for the arts in Flagstaff. For the past two years, we have hosted a glamorous gala event (well, glamorous for Flagstaff) to hand out 10 unique awards.

Last month in this space, I talked about art juries and what rejection means to the artist. For the Viola Awards, the Panel that chooses the award recipients works on a different level. Rather than selecting a variety of work for a show, they are pinpointing one artist to celebrate in each of several categories.

For criteria, we tell our Panelists to choose on the basis of excellence, considering both the work of the artist as well as the artist’s service to or impact on the community. The terms “service to community” and “impact on community” are fairly manageable when looking at the accomplishments and work of an artist or organization.

But what is excellence in art? Everyone certainly has different tastes about art. If we attempted to select winners on the basis of “art we like the most,” every Panelist would likely come up with a different name. Popularity cannot be the sole guiding factor in determining excellence, obviously. Commercial success is somewhat similar in notion to popularity. While the work of those who make a living primarily on their art certainly must be of some measure of quality, it does not always equal excellence. Working in the world of the arts every day as I do, it hurts to admit that. I wish many more artists could survive, or thrive, off of their work as their primary or sole income. But most cannot, even though they may be deserving or create excellent work.

The point is: when trying to determine which artist should receive a Viola Award, commercial success is more likely to create a fuzzier picture than to clear up the matter altogether. Sometimes great art is not altogether popular. In fact, some great art expressly has the ability to challenge people’s notions of themselves, of life, or of reality. Remember some of Andy Kaufman’s performance “pranks”? He said that he wanted his audience to have an authentic reaction – or rather, interaction – with his work. And if that meant he was making them angry, at least it was a genuine response and not just the drone of a well-mannered but lifeless – and disconnected – applause.

~to be continued...

Viola Awards

It's that time of year once again. We are currently accepting nominations for the 2010 Viola Awards - to be held on March 4, 2010. The Viola Awards are given to artists, organizations, galleries and individuals who have a significant impact on the arts, and who do excellent work in the arts.

Please take a few moments to recognize some of the great work in the arts in the Flagstaff area! It is truly an honor for an artist to be nominated.

We are accepting nominations in the following categories:

• Visual Arts
• Performing Arts
• Music
• Literature

(the first four categories are for individual artists, or groups like musical acts - not organizations)

• Organization of the Year
• Arts in Education (individual or organization)
• Philanthropy (individual or organization)
• Arts Event
• Lifetime Contribution to the Arts (individual or organization)

Anyone can make a nomination for a Flagstaff-area artist, organization, gallery, business, musical act, or individual. No self-nominations are allowed, nor nominations of recipients of last year's awards. Nominations are due by December 15, 2009.

The nomination form is online here. You can also send us an email or nomination through the mail. The picture shows last year's recipient of the Mayor's Award for Excellence in the Arts, ceramic artist and teacher, Ellen Tibbetts.

Cheers,
JT

Introspective, Armed with Paintbrush.

“To enter one's own self, it is necessary to go armed to the teeth.” –Paul Valery

Artist, Dan Keplinger arrived in Flagstaff last week for a brief visit. Last April, Dan's film was shown at the NAU/TASH film festival at the Cline Library. We decided to show the film again and this time, Dan was coming to Flagstaff to speak about his life, his art and the film: King Gimp, which chronicles 14 years of his life.

Following the film, Dan spoke to a group of students, fans and fellow artists. He answered questions and took comments. After the event, I stood in line to introduce myself to Dan and let him know that I would be stopping by the hotel the next morning to escort him and his wife to the Hozhoni Day Program for a visit. I was looking forward to being there when Dan met my friends and fellow artists at Hozhoni. I once worked for Hozhoni as an art instructor. I found it easy to be myself in a non-judgmental and creative environment and this gave me permission to create in a completely uninhibited way. Within the first two months, I found myself painting each day before and after work, often waking up early, brush in hand within 10 minutes of waking, painting with half opened eyes.

I met Dan in the lobby of the hotel, his wife seated next to him. She giggled as she told me how much she loved my hair. I told her I couldn’t afford a decent hair cut so I chopped at it whenever it became necessary. I also told her that I felt as if I could get away with it in my line of work. Dan started to laugh and said that his favorite excuse is: “I’m an artist.”

During our conversation, Dan’s wife asked if they could reschedule the visit to later that afternoon? Although they were extremely apologetic, I assured them, they had in no way wasted my time. I would not have traded the chance to chat with them for an extra hour of sleep. I headed off to work, feeling inspired and looking forward to seeing Dan speak again that evening at the City’s Disability Awareness Commission’s Awards Dinner. This year the Commission highlighted artists. The tickets were only $20 and included dinner and lots of cool raffle items, donated by local businesses and artists. There were speeches from the winning artists, slideshows of their work, endless laughter and even a few tears.

Dan was the guest speaker. While he spoke, slide images of his paintings flashed on the screen. I don’t feel as if I have the right words to describe the paintings of Dan Keplinger. I find myself staring at his work, absorbing the emotions of each composition. I asked Dan if he ever feels nervous about what people think about his art and if he does, how does he deal with it? He answered that sometimes he feels nervous but that in his words his paintings “are not for decoration, they are for discussion.” I may be able to go as far as listing my feelings when I see one of his paintings but I’m not sure it qualifies as discussion. When interviewed by the magazine Ability, Dan reflected on his “visual diary” of self-portraits, “I do about two portraits a year and you can really tell how I was feeling during that time by the painting. People that know me are troubled by my self-portraits, because they do not relate how happy I am in real life. I think my self-portraits are the only way I can say what I feel inside.”

I’m guessing that I’m not the only artist who can relate to Dan’s words and the way he utilizes art as a tool for self-expression. I also believe I’m not alone in understanding the contrast between the public persona and a work of art involving emotions below the surface. This is not a new concept by any means and yet the way Dan Keplinger has mastered the ability to convey raw emotion through his own creative process is what sets him apart from many other talented artists. It is also what I admire most about Dan's work.

For Dan, creating is a journey of self-discovery, “I know I am reaching down very deep within myself to get these paintings. I still have a long way to go before I can say that I know myself.”

Dan is represented by the Phyllis Kind Gallery in Soho, New York and his work can be viewed on his website: www.kinggimp.com

Giclée: Using French makes you sound fancy!

Working in the field of Visual Arts, I’ve been asked many questions about art and artists. One of the questions I'm confronted with regularly is about the meaning of the term, “giclée”. Stamped on the tag of many a reproduction, it sneers at prospective art buyers, some of who have no idea what this fancy and intimidating word means. I hear them discussing it quietly with their friends so not to be overheard or embarrassed and often they become brave enough to ask, “What is a giclée?” Lately I’ve responded at first with a joke, telling them they are not allowed to say the word unless they are to use a condescending tone. This usually relaxes any uneasy feelings they may have about appearing ignorant. Their concern about appearing ignorant is what bothers me the most.

I like the concept of the arts as being accessible and inclusive. I’m not saying the word “giclée” will scare away potential art buyers without previous knowledge of the what the word means, but the more I read about the history and usage of the term, the more confused I became about how it is used to label the prints of today. I also started thinking about the way art is labeled and how it may be best to find a way to let folks in on the terminology in order to create a comfortable place for people to view and/or buy art.

What is a giclée? The term was invented in 1991, by a printmaker by the name of Jack Duganne. Jack needed a word to distinguish the inkjet-based digital fine art prints from the industrial prints or “Iris proofs” of his time. Searching for a word generic enough to cover the wide array of inkjet technologies of the present and hopefully into the future, he first found the French word for nozzle, which most inkjet printers use. The word: le gicleur then led him to look up the French word for “to spray” or gicler. In the end he settled for the feminine noun version of gicler which gave us a name for the fine art print some of us now know as giclée, (pronounced “zhee-clay”) or “that which is sprayed or squirted.”

Although the name was originally applied to the fine art prints created on Iris printers in the early 1990s, many artists and businesses of today are producing ink jet prints of their work and labeling the reproductions as a giclée. Of course there is a lot of controversy surrounding the use of the word and there have been attempts to set standards for what qualifies and what doesn’t.

The idea of art creating controversy usually gets me laughing, and this is no exception. I’ve overheard many serious discussions about what is and what is not a giclée. It has also been suggested in these discussions that making prints of original artwork is in itself something to be avoided. For many of the people I meet, buying art in our local galleries, the contents of the label are secondary to the work. The subject matter, the color and composition appear to be the focus. Often, like me, they are unable to afford the original and are pleased with the affordability of the reproduction.

I enjoy art, in all forms, reproductions and originals. I’m not certain I understand the controversy surrounding the definitions of things in general. I try my best to stray from too much intellectualizing when it comes to art and yet I can relate to the curiosity surrounding the basic terminology that defines it. I also understand the desire for quality when it comes to buying art. Too keep it simple, I recommend people look at a piece of art before buying it. If you like what you see, if you find it appealing, inspiring, and meaningful, my guess would be, you have made a quality investment.

The FCP Top 5 - October

Here in the offices of Flagstaff Cultural Partners, we are obsessed with lists. We love to rank the things we love (and even the things we don't love so much). For over a year now, we have done informal staff "Top 5 Lists" of everything from our favorite lunch spots, to music we can't stop playing, to exhibitions we can't wait to see. These were once in our own little world - a way for us to break up a busy day. But now, we have decided, for better or worse, to release one of our Top 5 Lists each month in the Culture Club.

So... *gulp* here goes...

The Top 5 "Hot Now" Local Artists
We define this as local artists that are catching our eye right now, or receiving a lot of exposure recently (or should be). Click on each artist to learn more about them. In no particular order...

Jason Bohnert
Jessica Dawn
Sambatuque
Karen McClanahan
Charmagne Coe

How did we get to these five? Individually, each of the five staff members at FCP created their own top 5 and then we met and chose these. Want to know what other artists were on our lists? Keep reading...

First of all, we have a special Honorable Mention. Four of our five staff members wanted to include two exciting artists in our final top 5: Joe Cornett (photography) and Robin Cadigan (ceramics, photo to left). One problem: they are both members of our five-person staff! We felt that we couldn't put them up there because we'd appear biased (and we also didn't want to exclude them because they are on our staff). Regardless, we feel that they are really, really, really good artists.

Here are the other names that were listed by individual staff but didn't make the final top 5...

Telescope
Molly Holland
Nick Rosso
Edward Haswood
Joan Scott
Sam Jones
Julie Heisterman
Jeremy Singer
Cate Ziebell
The Shindaggers
The Merkins

Our next FCP Top 5 will be unveiled beginning of November...

The Personal

An artist recently approached me to thank us for featuring a photograph of her work in a promotional piece we sent out into the community. We used the picture in an email to promote an event in which the artist was participating – so the gesture was not intended to promote that particular artist. And yet, with the message of thanks, I’m assuming the artist felt gratified by our use of the image to the point of validation of her art work.

This may sound strange, considering her gratitude, but it wasn’t personal.

Flagstaff Cultural Partners is the Arts Council for Flagstaff. We are regularly seeking to build, support and promote the arts in our community. We are here to represent everyone in the arts – from the experienced, world-reknowned artist who happens to live in Flagstaff to the first-time-with-a-paint-brush newbie. And for that matter, we also aim to give equal promotion to non-profit arts organizations, galleries, arts businesses, schools and others in the world of the arts.

Just about everyday, we work to promote the arts. We are sending out promotional materials for the next big upcoming event, whether its here at the Coconino Center for the Arts, or at another location in town. Promotion is a big part of who we are. And so we have to choose compelling images to represent those events – to inspire interest in arts and culture in Flagstaff. It’s a daily – nay, hourly – focus for us.

Choosing an image from a single artist to represent a specific event is much more challenging than it sounds. First of all, we want to choose an image that fits with the media in question, whether it be a printed postcard, brochure, email or webpage. It has to fit in thematically with the color scheme and overall ‘feel’ of the piece in question. We also have to choose something compelling that will catch the eye of our audience and give them reason to read more about the event or promotion. And lastly, we have to consider that we are the Arts Council and here to represent everyone – thereby giving equal consideration to all art work and images that we have to work with.

Most of all, we have to be sure that our mindset is never focused on choosing art or artists that we, personally, like over others. It’s a real trick to pull off, honestly.

You can be certain of this: when we use a photo in a promotion, it’s not about our own personal preference for that artwork – but rather our professional opinion about what will best serve that promotion.

In this blog, you’ll get to hear from each of the five staff members at Flagstaff Cultural Partners, and you’ll get some indication of our personal likes and even dislikes. We all have individual tastes, of course, and art work that we are draw to. We have soft spots for some artists whose work we think is just awesome … and sometimes we have soft spots for artists – and staff of arts agencies – who we just like to hang out with.

But we are always – always – conscious of working our way back out of that mentality in order to be as objective as possible in the way that we represent the arts in Flagstaff. We do this despite the fact that, in my own personal view, objectivity is darn near impossible. Still, it’s what we must strive for day in and day out.