What's In A Name?

The Mandelbrot set

I'd like to devote my post today to one of my greatest artistic inspirations, mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot, who died Thursday at the age of 85.  Mandelbrot, who coined the term "fractal" to describe irregular shapes that are infinitely self-similar, was an innovative scholar and a pioneer in the field of fractal geometry and chaos theory.

My own interest in the topic, which developed while I was studying painting at Boston University, is the reason for the title of this blog.  Fractals describe the shape of the world we live in, from the microscopic beauty of an individual snow crystal to the epic grandeur of growing nebulae.  The study of fractals is fundamentally about the recognition of patterns in seemingly random forms and events, and I believe that this principle applies equally to art.

Fractal patterning continues to play a major role in my drawings and paintings, and for this I owe a debt of gratitude to Dr. Mandelbrot and the countless other scientists and mathematicians who work in this field.  I am particularly grateful for publications such as Exploring Chaos (ed. Nina Hall), now quite outdated at nearly 20 years old, that dissect these phenomena for a general audience.  

Graffiti Grows Up

5Pointz artist studios, Long Island City

Everywhere you look there are examples.  From Shepard Fairey's iconic Obama poster-turned-sticker-turned-t-shirt to Banksy's Simpsons debut on Sunday evening: graffiti artists, formerly known for their guerrilla tactics and brushes with the law, are going mainstream with gallery shows and national labels, and not just in America.

It's hardly the first time that graffiti has been recognized as a serious contemporary art form, as fans of Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat will be quick to point out.  But with today's globalized digital culture, it may be the first time that the trend has become truly widespread, as opposed to being a localized phenomenon in metropolitan areas.

The legal system, however, has been slow to get the memo.  On more than one occasion, the police have used high-profile gallery openings to haul artists into court.  Opponents argue that graffiti "has an adverse effect on the quality of life" and "can be a precursor to more serious acts of crime and violence," but these are unsubstantiated claims.

Personally, I can't imagine how much duller a morning commute on the 7 train would be without views of 5Pointz.  Graffiti enriches the urban experience, providing many young people with the most vivid encounters they have ever had with art.  Graffiti speaks the vernacular tongue of city residents who have never been to an art museum because it's too expensive, or because the works on display leave them cold.  It is a shame that young artists, inspired by the examples of predecessors who have been innovators in the contemporary art scene for the past thirty years, mostly lack suitable legal outlets for their work.  If we value art as a cultural phenomenon, we need to do our best to change this.

Pitchers and Pros

As any aspiring arts professional knows, networking is key to building your contacts and eventually acquiring a job.  And the Emerging Museum Professionals, a career group created by the American Association of Museums, is a great place to start.  There are EMP chapters in major metropolitan areas across the country, each with their own events and members.  Participation in many, if not all, of their events is free, and information is available on Facebook and LinkedIn.

In September, I attended EMP-NYC's happy hour meet-and-greet, regularly held on the second Tuesday of the month, and had a marvelous time chatting with staff from dozens of local museums, as well as people like me who were trying to break into the field.  The atmosphere was relaxed, the attendees were friendly, and everyone was willing to give advice and commiserate.

The next event takes place tonight from 5:30-8:30 pm at Molly Pitcher's on the Upper East Side.  It promises to be a great evening, so take a break from sending out resumes for a few hours and join the group!

Spanish Drawings at the Frick

Jusepe de Ribera, Head of a Man with Little Figures...

First point about the Frick's latest exhibit, "The Spanish Manner: Drawings From Ribera to Goya": it's actually two shows neatly collapsed under a single title, one primarily featuring seventeenth-century religious works, and the other examining Goya's mature drawings, ca. 1800-1820.  The curators attempt to integrate these temporally disparate categories in their introductory text, claiming that continuity is born out of a similar national spirit, but the argument is not particularly convincing.

It's hard to see how Goya's social critiques of human folly and brutality descend from the serene Madonnas and contemplative saints on view here, particularly given the "strident anti-clericalism" the curators note.  Even when the subject matter is analogous, as in Goya's Torture of a Man, ca. 1812-1820, and Vicente Carducho's Martyrdom of Father Andres, ca. 1632, the enormity of their difference is clear: Goya's drawing indicts man's pointless cruelty to his fellow man, whereas Carducho's work exemplifies the Christian cultural crusade against the Ottoman Empire.  And Sebastian de Herrera Barnuevo's delicate pen-and-ink treatment of an auto-da-fe, ca. 1660, emphasizes not the horror of what is about to occur, as Goya might, but rather the festive nature of the spectacle. Onlookers peer from their balconies and gossip jovially in the plaza, one even hoisting a young child onto his shoulders to get a better view of the condemned men awaiting their fate on the platform above. 

That being said, the exhibition is stunning throughout, showcasing exquisite draftsmanship spanning more than two hundred years.  Ribera's playful lilliputians and grotesque, used in the promotion on the Frick website, are certainly memorable, but there are also a number of gems by less well-known painters that should not be missed.  The show will remain on view through January 9.

Mehretu x 2

Julie Mehretu, Middle Grey

For those who haven't yet seen "Grey Area," Julie Mehretu's series of paintings for the Deutsche Bank and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, time is running out.  The show, which closes tomorrow, is well worth the visit.  Her monumental canvases, inscribed with sweeping architectural lines and flocks of calligraphic strokes, are a visual delight for art-lovers of all stripes, demonstrating an old-masterly command of mark framed with contemporary sensibilities.

Fans of Mehretu need not be dismayed, however--a solo exhibition of her works on paper, "Notations After the Ring," is on view at Gallery Met.  The clear star of this show is the artist's 15-foot etching, Auguries, beautifully editioned by the master printers at Gemini G. E. L.  Mehretu's mark ebbs and flows through the twelve panels, creating an epic narrative worthy of exhibition's Wagnerian namesake.  Her small graphite drawings, while lacking the fluid precision and polished composition of her larger work, possess a refreshing spontaneity. 

If you plan to visit the show, keep in mind that while entrance is free, the Gallery Met's hours are limited: 6 p.m. till last intermission Monday to Friday, and noon till last intermission on Saturdays.

Your Brain on Art

I'm very excited this year to have the privilege of participating in the Guggenheim's Learning Through Art program as an artist assistant.

For the last 40 years, LTA has been integrating visual arts into the academic curriculum at art-starved elementary schools throughout the five boroughs.  The program is even more remarkable when you consider the caliber of artists who have participated in the past, including Robert Rauschenberg, Paloma Picasso, and Keith Haring.  

Earlier this week, I attended a professional development workshop for LTA at the Guggenheim that featured a talk by Laurel Schmidt, educator, author, and advocate for arts instruction in the school system.  She was an engaging speaker, discussing the importance of art and inquiry in the classroom through the lens of recent neurological research that suggests that our brains achieve satisfaction through the release of dopamine, triggered by novel experiences, and cortisol, triggered by challenges.  She makes a compelling argument for moving away from the barren, test-laden approach favored by No Child Left Behind, towards an arts-rich model that encourages students to think.

As a fellow educator, I applaud Ms. Schmidt's approach and sincerely hope that administrators heed her advice.

The Caste System of Arts Employment

Caspar David Friedrich, Wanderer Above the Sea of  Fog

In April, the New York Times published an article about the legal crackdown on unpaid internships, causing many organizations including my employer, a small historic house and arts museum, to scramble to bring their operations into compliance with the previously under-reported laws that govern such positions.  But as someone who's been searching for low-experience or entry-level positions in the arts, I can tell you that six months later, the unpaid internship is still thriving in New York. 

Why is this such a problem?  Of the 200+ openings currently listed on the New York Foundation for the Arts website, more than one-quarter (60+) are for unpaid internships, or "paid" internships that do not meet minimum wage requirements. 

In order to be considered for "entry-level" positions in the arts today, it is increasingly necessary to have several internships on one's resume.  However, this practice fundamentally constricts the labor pool to a tiny percentage of qualified candidates, namely those who are willing and able to work for free indefinitely.  We must recognize that by limiting potential museum employees, we limit the vision of our organizations.  If we want to be relevant to the middle class and working poor in an age of declining museum attendance and funding, perhaps we should start by examining our institutional diversity, or lack thereof.