Finally, after a six month wait, it is here…

The audio from the 2007 Stone Summer Theory Institute: Is Art History Global?

This will be a series of six or seven 2-4 hour excerpts from the week-long event. In advance of the second iteration “What is an Image?”  You can find more info and the application for the 2008 Institute at… http://www.stonesummertheoryinstitute.org

The 2007 participants can be viewed at http://www.badatsports.com/megsmagic/2007-panorama.jpg

Keep in mind that this audio is rough “B-side stuff,” but nonetheless provides a chance to go behind the curtain on this thoughtful conversation.

In this episode we present… “The Intro Round Table Event.”

http://badatsports.com/elkins/Intro_To_Stone_Institute.mp3

From The Stone Summer Theory Institute Site…

2007: The Globalization of Art, co-organized with Zhivka Valiavicharska

The book will be co-edited with Alice Kim; please see the book series for more information.

The “biennale culture” now determines much of the art market. Literature on the worldwide dissemination of art assumes nationalism and ethnic identity, but rarely analyzes it. At the same time, there is extensive theorizing about globalization in politics, postcolonial theory, economics, sociology, and anthropology.

This was the first event of the series to bring political theorists together with writers and historians concerned specifically the visual arts and its art history.

Seminars were taught by Fredric Jameson, Harry Harootunian, Thomas DaCosta Kaufmann, Shigemi Inaga, Susan Buck-Morss, James Elkins, and Zhivka Valiavicharska.

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Sorry. We were a little slow due to power outages and the mediocre AT&T.

Art Critic Greg Cook (The Boston Globe, The Boston Phoenix) joins Matt Nash, James Nadeau and Christian Holland of Big RED & Shiny to discuss
the 2008 AICA New England Awards.

Using the list of winners as a starting point, they discuss the state of the arts in New England and what they thought was great, mediocre and terrible. Disappointment in the new Institute of Contemporary Art is expressed; AICA is scrutinized; and conclusions are elusive.

And the magic of Mike Benedetto.
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The short of it (and trust me this is hard to boil down) is that a art duo out of Seattle by the name Lead Pencil Studio had been accused of “copycatting” other Seattle and International artist’s work.

As can be seen in the photos two of their pieces have similar themes and executions. Does this imply intelectual theft, plagiarism, imitation, adaptation, or pastiche. How far can a work go in copying, what is original thought and more importantly (albeit I am sure more inflammatory in art circles to ask) which executed the concept better?

There is an ever increasing news article and discussion on the topic that can be found here what do you think?

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The show opens with a bang! Britton Bertran’s car is hit and we are the witnesses.

And as you listen to this week’s intro designed specifically to irritate Duncan, pause a moment and say to yourself…”Seriously? Episode 104?” Richard’s parents have called us both to mention how happy they are. Here we are poised on the cusp of another Bad at Sports season and this week Duncan is joined by friends of the show Lane Relyea and Claire Pentecost to interview/interrogate French American Theorist and Art Critic Brian Holmes.

As we roll over the two year mark we once again are faced with questions about the Bad at Sports Project. We know what we think but once again we want to hear from you. Please email your thoughts about the show and your hopes for it’s future to badatsports@gmail.com please use the header “Hope Chest.” Thanks in advance for taking the time to help us get better.

Piet Zwart Institute Bio for Brian Holmes-
Brian Holmes is an art and cultural critic, activist and translator, living in Paris, interested primarily in the intersections of artistic and political practice. He holds a doctorate in Romance Languages and Literatures from the University of California at Berkeley. He was the English editor of publications for Documenta X, Kassel, Germany, 1997, was a member of the graphic arts group Ne pas plier from 1999 to 2001, and has recently worked with the French conceptual art group Bureau d’études. He is a frequent contributor to the international mailinglist Nettime, a member of the editorial committee of the art magazine “Springerin” and the political-economy journal “Multitudes”, a regular contributor to the magazine Parachute, and a founder of the new journal “Autonomie Artistique”. He is currently preparing a book in French, entitled “La personnalité flexible: Pour une nouvelle critique de la culture.”

http://brianholmes.wordpress.com/

Theo Hakola is a god among men.
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The City Council is on the verge of passing an ordinance that is bad for Chicago, bad for its citizens and particularly bad for the art community.

We have proposed an alternative ordinance that will not be considered unless you act.  We are the following groups: Bad at Sports, the Chicago Artists Coalition, Lumpen, Sharkforum, ArtLetter and others to be named soon.

Short Story:

Mayor Daley and the Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) have proposed a terrible ordinance to modify the Public Art Program.  The stated reason makes no sense: that the meetings were open to the public was cumbersome and unnecessary in their judgment.  That the previous ordinance existed for 25 years and that the City has an exemplary art collection they deemed irrelevant.

• It “privatizes” the the selection of public art by eliminating all Open Meetings.
• It means the DCA does not have to post thorough information on their website about upcoming commissions.
• It will remove transparency and accessibility from the Public Art program and  art commissions.
• It eliminates voting, democracy and public recourse.

Unless the art community acts the City Council will approve their proposed ordinanceon the 13th of June.  The best way to prevent this from happening is for artists to

stage a large rally at 5:30 PM Monday, June 11th at the Picasso Sculpture

and a letter writing campaign to make the Mayor and the Aldermen aware of what Chicago artists think and want.

Full Story:

• Visualize 100’s of Chicago artists rallying around a single cause – Artists’ Rights.
• Have you ever read about a large group of artists speaking out publicly with one voice?
• Think about the media coverage.
• To a large extent the events of the next ten days stand to significantly affect the future of Chicago artists (and Chicago galleries that care about their
  Chicago artists).

Here’s the deal:

In mid-May at the request of the Commissioner of Cultural Affairs (Lois Weisberg), Mayor Daley proposed an ordinance to revamp the Public Art Program. 
This proposed ordinance is bad government, bad for Chicagoans and particularly bad for the Chicago art community and artists.

Shortly after the ordinance sailed through committee (despite us “winning” the discussion) a few of us succeeded in having the measure postponed by the City
Council.

WELL, the issue is coming back up for a City Council vote on June 13th.  We’ve spoken to a number of aldermen.  Most aldermen think: If the artists don’t care, we don’t care.

It is possible to change the system and it is not going to be easy. 

It is time to step up or get stepped on.

As an artist or a member of the art community in Chicago, or elsewhere, if you ever want to able to apply for a commission, or give a damn about your peers
being able to, now is the time to act:

• Appear at a RALLY FOR ARTISTS’ RIGHTS on the Monday the 11th at 5:30 at the Picasso
  – 2 days before the City Council meets to vote on the 13th.
• Write letters to the Tribune & Sun Times editorial page.
• Write a letter to the Mayor
• Write a letter to your alderman. Speak to your alderman.
• Speak in favor of Our New (alternative) Ordinance supporting Artist’s Rights
• Send an email to me or a member of our team telling us what you think. We’ll count them, print them and share them where they’ll hopefully make a difference.
• Under the pretense of streamlining the selection process, the DCA’s proposed ordinance means the DCA does not have to have “open meetings” to give or get any information to artists about upcoming commissions, nor answer to anyone about selected commissions.
• They do not have to put information on their website anymore (they’ve been doing a horrible job putting out information so far.)
• They do not have to allow artists to apply for specific projects.
• They do not have to respond to the community.
• They do not have to be responsible for their actions.
• They do get to keep their inbred selection process whereby they dip into their archaic database, pick whoever they want, sometimes repeatedly, and not have to tell artists why or how they chose or choose.
  If you are going to write a letter, here are some key points.
• No fair, honest or open consideration of Chicago artists
• No Open Meetings.
• No useful listings of commission possibilities
• No applying for a specific commission
• No knowing why you weren’t considered
• Under their proposed new ordinance, the finger-pointing will shift from the DCA to the aldermen because alderman will be asked to have ward forums to discuss art commissions in their ward. This will be an added logistical and financial responsibility for the alderman they may not want.  The aldermen will be responsible to post notice of the forums (many don’t have web sites). They will have to pay for postage out of their own pockets. They will have to host and attend art meetings in their wards. They will have to put up with the potential for dividing their community over art issues. These selfish reasons may be sufficient reason aldermen will defeat this ordinance June 13th – if they are informed.
• If the aldermen think you care, you will be heard.
• If the aldermen don’t think you care they will automatically vote with the Mayor and pass this ordinance assuring a closed doors, patronage system where those who are favored will get the most commissions.  It will not be based on quality, or a competent committee considering your work.  Instead of a democracy we’ll have the Department of Cultural Affairs acting like a country club, picking who they want, why they want, without opening up the selection process and broadening the amount of art they can consider.
• The artists suffer.  The City suffers. The community suffers. The DCA gets a free ride.
• Think about Chicago’s reputation in the rest of the country.
• We are already being discussed by National Public Art Administrators
• We will be a topic of discussion at the National Public Art Conference in Las Vegas.
• Is this going to look good for Chicago in the rest of the country?
• How about internationally?
• How about the Olympics?
• Every Olympics has a large Cultural Olympics held concurrently.
• Do you think the Olympic Committee is going to be favorably impressed with this ordinance?
• You and the Olympics
• Hidden in the bowels of their ordinance is a distinction between Percent for Art and Public Art. The DCA has succeeded in keeping this totally vague. All Percent for Art (a specific term) is part of Public Art (a general term).  Only the Percent for Art must have public forums.(Percent for Art applies to money spent in City government buildings and land.  But Public Art also includes money for art not for city property yet still administered by DCA – like housing to be constructed for Olympic athletes – which could be billions of dollars.) Can you say cronyism?
• Well get this: According to their proposed ordinance they only have to have forums (namby-pamby discussions with not binding authority and no vote) with Percent for Art. Okay, but for Public Art they don’t even have to have any forums at all.
• Who do you think they are trying to take care of?
• Actions speak louder than words.

Do
you understand why the Mayor doesn’t care about you – the Chicago artist? Or why the Alderman don’t, or the rest of the world for that matter?  Because you haven’t made yourself seen and you haven’t made yourself heard enough.

It is time again to assume responsibility for your career, to take a stance.

Can you visualize the impact just 500 artists showing up at a rally could have globally?

Do you realize the publicity Chicago artists can get?

Do you grasp the impact the discussion of this ordinance will have?

You can either shape your future constructively or get screwed.

It is up to you.
Paul Klein

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