Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Mark your calendars
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One of the best events in Indy in my opinion is coming up next month. Art vs. Art happens on June 16th. Preliminary painting competition takes place on June 3rd. Visit Primary Colours for more information.
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Personal aside: I would like to say goodbye to Jim at 11 am Air Raid who has decided to stop blogging to pursue other writing endeavors. Best of luck and I will miss your insight and observations on Indy's music, culture and soccer scene.
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15 Responses to “Mark your calendars”
May 9, 2006 at 5:18 PM
Do you sincerely Think so Chris?
I think it's the stupidest event in town. I swear...
May 9, 2006 at 6:25 PM
We discussed this on IMN...people with back issues can't do the sit on the floor and paint thing. (ow! ) Still...it sounds like loads of fun to me....I love competetive painting that's not total plein aire. (that's too hard! ;) ) I would love the painting part, not the voting and destroying part so much though....
May 9, 2006 at 9:24 PM
Although I know this is not the most popular event with everyone, I think it's one of the most innovative and fun art events I have been to anywhere.
The come drink wine, bid on our silent auction, maybe watch a fashion show event has been done so much it's a complete bore. The let's have an art show, invite 50 bands to play, get a fake tattoo and your hair done may be fun, but does anybody remember anything about the art?
Art vs. Art forces you to look. To discuss. To choose your favorites and be able to defend your choices. You cheer (and hopefully bid) for paintings you deem worthy in a public forum. And you boo when a painting you deem unworthy is somehow spared.
No one who participates is surprised. The rules are clearly laid out. The one thing I would change is that I would not restrict the medium and I would not limit the time frame (ok, that's two things). I say let the artists create a piece for a month or a year with whatever materials they want for this event. Let them and their friends, studio mates, family, etc. get attached to and fall in love with the piece. And then sacrifice it to an organization that does some really good things in this community. There is always a gem or two in the event (I really liked the painting that won last year), but there's also a lot of crap and honestly I'm probably not going to bid on a piece that was made in a four hour competition, but that's just me. That being said, I might have bid on the bunny last year but I was broke. And I'd like to see more art die in a tub of acid (3 things now).
Bottom line is, if you want to introduce someone to art or teach people that art need not be intimidating, this is the event for you. You can take your friends, you can take your family, you can take a first date. It's just fun.
Oh yeah, the fourth and final thing I would change would be to remove the dirty sanchez from the wheel of death. That's just gross.
May 10, 2006 at 7:55 AM
So is it the June 3 or June 16? Doesn't the poster say June 3 (or am I reading it incorrectly?)
May 10, 2006 at 9:59 AM
Thanks, Chris.
We're finally going to go to Art v. Art this year! We've meant to go the past couple of years, but something always comes up.
braingirl, the painting of the entries into the competition takes place on June 3. The head-to-head competition takes place on June 16th.
May 12, 2006 at 3:18 PM
What I love about this event is that it does ask some sublime questions about the meaning of art. Primary Colours is very aware of the position that the spectators and the artists allow themselves to be placed into. They even pay for it.
It's funny, as I write this I begin to think about the party that masqurades as our fastest growing "progressive" art showcase, yet has no real critical thought behind it....okay Oranje, there I said it.
Art vs. Art acknowledges fully what it is. The value of the event is in the power dynamic which is formed between the work, the artists, the spectators and the Wheel! Pure survival. Now that is progressive. Sucks that I am going to miss it this year.
May 12, 2006 at 5:37 PM
How is that progressive?
Art has to be conveyed into everything else to atract people. That is wrong. Nobody is going there for the art as Christopher him self said "honestly I'm probably not going to bid on a piece that was made in a four hour competition". People go for the event. To see other people, to drink, cheer, and forget about life. That's alright. But art isn't what matters there. If you did the same with cars, people would go too, cheer as well and have a good time saving cars from the dirty Sanchez. I'm tired of museums having to do everything else to attract people, galleries having to put up gimmicks to attract the dumb people who at the end cares little or nothing about the fucking art. That interview with Zach Feuer was very insightful. He talks about getting the artists what they need. To promoting the artists almost as if they were family, sounded. I want an art venue that will show all arts, videos included, without the freaking gimmicks, is that so fucking hard? I'm tired, gonna go take a shower.
nano
May 19, 2006 at 8:37 PM
Nano,
I think you're posting on the wrong blog. Maybe Anonymouscrybaby.blogspot.com is where you should be posting your bitter and inept scrawl. Art vs. Art has created a tremendous buzz in the Indy art scene. It's open the door for a lot of new and creative minded individuals into the art world. Regardless, of your personal feelings about the event, it's doing a hell of a lot more to grow the art scene in Indy than I suspect you are. Your writings and thoughts on art as an elitist past time, are why so many people hate the art scene here (and any where, for that matter).
As for your statement "People go for the event. To see other people, to drink, cheer, and forget about life. That's alright. But art isn't what matters there." I think you're completely off base. The art is what got them there. In fact, last year more than 2000 people voted for their three favorite painting before the event. That means they took the time to go the web site and look at 64 paintings. Additionally, they felt so compelled that they submitted an email address to log their vote. Then a large number of them came to the event to see who made the cut. If that isn't about the art, I don't know what is.
We do need to cultivate an art scene in Indianapolis and in our culture in general. No arguement from me there. But this is a great way to do it. And I will do everything I can to support it, including dispell your pathetic rants.
Nano Destroyer
May 20, 2006 at 6:24 PM
The idea that we must make art more interesting, more fun, and more accessible, by changing what it is, seems really stupid to those with a genuine interest in it. You then call them elitist for this interest?
I find golf boring, but I'm pretty sure it's because I have no real interest in it, and not because those who love golf are too elitist to join in making it interesting for me.
It's so easy for art to be hijacked and used as a sort of social identifier. It's not the gravest issue on earth, but it's very tiresome for those with a deep appreciation for art.
May 20, 2006 at 9:28 PM
To continue with the golf analogy, art vs. art is like putt-putt. It's fun and you don't have to invest much to easily enjoy it. Not a thing wrong with this.
But the idea that this is addressing sublime issues about the meaning of art? That it helps people get over being intimidated by art? If I wanted to introduce someone to golf, I don't think I'd take them to play putt-putt, regardless of how scary a big ole regular golf course seems. Putt-putt is dumb fun.
And it's not this dumb fun art v. art event that bugs me. It's this whole 'let's cultivate an art scene' mentality. It's so backwards (not intended to mean culturally). As the art gains vitality, so does the 'scene'. This prefab scenesterism tends to lead to crappy art because the work is secondary or even irrelevant to the event/marketing... and yes, this is making some of us a little crazy. I really don't enjoy being curmudgeonly, but damnit, Indianapolis is one location where we artists can exercise independence from art world tyranny.
I will say that art v. art is one of the better conceived and executed of this sort of event, though ;}
May 21, 2006 at 1:48 AM
To the last two commentors,
I believe my views on this topic are completely in line with what each of you have said. Thanks for your perspectives. I have been meaning to comment on this for awhile but have been VERY sick for the past week. (Note: that is why there have been no recent posts, some coming soon I promise.)
It is always interesting to see how so many of us view art in Indy from so many different perspectives and desires...
May 21, 2006 at 11:19 AM
I hope you feel better soon Scott.
Nano Destrouyer:
Thanks for that wonderful comment on my post, I asume you are one of primary colours vicious members.
So it's really expected that you would deffend with such tenacity and such emocional reaction your own event. Next time I would love to see your nick name in blue, that will please me a lot more.
"Art vs. Art has created a tremendous buzz in the Indy art scene". Now you can't be serious. What does it take to cause a tremendous buzz in Indy's art scene? The purchase of a new brush maybe? What I really like was the comment:"It's open the door for a lot of new and creative minded individuals into the art world." I mean seriously. LOVE IT! Usually when people say "art world" (it could be capitalized as well) they mean people who are in the international market of contemporary art. Selling to real collectors, museums and other institutions. So I bet what you meant is that those couple of hours paintings done by these people are now being sought after by the Altoids Collection, the Walker and/or the MOMA, right? Yes gimmicks are annoying and I personally don't care if people who don't give a shit about art, sees art or are forced to be placed in front of it, because there was a promisse of some frat distruction of some crapy art. Sorry, I dont' give a damn about that. I do believe that Hardees should sponsor you guys. The culture of "guys eating with open mouth and making digesting noise" would match this event perfectly. Nothing elitist about not wanting to see art used as a platform to sell beer and t-shirts.
But that again is me and my opinion. Don't feel so theaten by it.
May 21, 2006 at 11:21 AM
last comment was posted by nanotech, sorry I forgot to sign!
May 21, 2006 at 5:29 PM
I agree with Nano, even though his or her writing style is unnecessarily abrasive. These kinds of events are so unimportant. Everyone doesn't have to be involved in something and willing to VOTE on it in some American Idol style election in order for it to be valuable. In fact, perhaps that makes it LESS VALUABLE?? Elitism has nothing to do with anything. People who think supporting this event has anything to do with actually improving the art scene in Indianapolis are misguided. This is like those silly fairs they put on in Chelsea where Nicole Eisenman has a kissing booth or whatever, and that's cute and fun, but no one believes that THAT is what is making the art scene vibrant in Chelsea! The art scene is vibrant because people in New York BUY and WRITE ABOUT a whole lot of really interesting new art that (generally) takes more than a few hours to create.
May 21, 2006 at 5:32 PM
Also, the idea that we don't need a really hip art magazine here in Indy is WRONG. THe whole "blogging is the new black" thing just doesn't cut it. Blogs are haphazard and casual and as has been pointed out, this one doesn't even deal with Indianapolis art most of the time. Who is cool and rich enough to take THAT project on?
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