Contemporary Consciousness

Rochester Contemporary Art Center

NO SOIL BETTER:

THE

ART AND THE LIVING LEGACY OF FREDERICK DOUGLASS

A celebration of Frederick Douglass is now on view at Rochester Contemporary Art Center and it is part of a larger enterprise reminding us of the accomplishments of this great man.  The title of the present exhibition "No Soil Better" comes from a speech that Douglass wrote many years ago, and it holds forth the promise that here, in these United States we have the best time and place to make a difference for our fellow human beings, no matter what race or religion or ethnic background they come from.

Portrait of Frederick Douglass

by

Thievin Stephen

At the entrance to the show there is a fine painted portrait by Thievin Stephen opposite a little library of books featuring the writings and speeches of Frederick Douglass, and I am looking forward to reading these books in the future.  I want to know more about his time and his effect on this country.  The subtitle of this present exhibition is: "Art & The Living Legacy of Frederick Douglass" and that presents the opportunity for you to view artwork from 12 working artists and see how they come to terms with this famous man.

Opening night hand shake

I noticed an actor having his picture taken during the opening and I thought that this fellow was doing a very credible job - a performance artist impersonating Douglass - in front of a painting of Douglass.....

Reading room

as you enter

and the 

Frederick Douglass Monument

Also as you enter the show there are photos of the statue that memorializes Frederick Douglass, soon to be moved to a new location here in Rochester.  Artists, like my office mate Luvon Sheppard respond to what Douglass wrote, and what he stood for.  Luvon is well regarded for his watercolors made over the years in tribute to Douglass, and there are a group of them presented here.  Luvon's paintings include quotes from Douglass that echo the theme of this exhibition.  Carefully conceived, the portraits are made in layers and have a friendly but earnest glow.

Watercolor by Luvon Sheppard

Words also come up in many other parts of this exhibition.  Meleko Mokgosi has pencil drawings that set Douglass's statements on paper along with commentary and you can learn a lot by stopping to read all parts of these drawings.  In another section of this exhibition a large painting by Shawn Dunwoody appears to be at a demonstration with protesters holding signs that say: " I Am A  Man".  A fight has ensued with one man down, while the other hovers over him with a bright halo around the man left standing.  In big letters at the bottom of the canvas - the word is spelled out: RESIST - which seems to come up a lot now around the Trump Presidency.

Painting by Shawn Dunwoody

One might say that recognition of racial and social problems comes with the territory, and our hope is that there will be constructive efforts made to deal with these problems.  Art can point to these trends, but we still as a constituency have to organize to do what we can to deal with our problems. The visual arts can respond to social pressures - this is ripe material for artists of all stripes to wrestle with.  

Painting by Rodney Taylor

An arsonist's fire consumed property that Frederick Douglass owned and Rodney Taylor sums up the terrifying picture in the image above.  Connections to the time and environment in which Frederick Douglass lived is important, and with Caitlin Cass, the projections on the wall tell it like it was at the time.

Drawing and projections by Caitlin Cass

Around the corner there is a large and  recent drawing from Olivia Kim of a dancer, and here I am thinking more of  the exercise of the freedom of expression, but I am less sure of the connection to Douglass.  I think of Olivia and her engagement with the dancers in the Garth Fagan troupe and her drawing is full of life and vitality, and a sense of relief and hopes for the future.

Olivia Kim at the Opening of "No Soil Better"

at 

Rochester Contemporary Art Center,

Rochester, New York

now thru March 18, 2018

What an inspiration to have an exhibition dedicated to Frederick Douglass.  I first heard of this celebration listening to Evan Dawson and Blue Cease in a dialog on radio station WXXI.  When I went to see the show I found many interesting artworks built around Douglass's life and writings which still have great relevance today.

Poster take away 

Juried Show

Rochester Art Club

A juried show

at St. John Fisher College

Joseph Skalny Welcome Center

If you are an artist, how many times have you entered a juried show?  Like me, getting rejected is always tough on the ego, but a necessary part of the give and take in the art world. Will being rejected change anything that you do in the studio?  Probably not.  When you step up to play, you can expect a bit of rough and tumble, and you can take that into account if you are asked ( as I was ) to jury a show.

302-B  "Stand With Fist", oil on canvas

The Rochester Art Club asked me to look over a large raft of art work this week and I made my choices on the spot, and then had a chance to review my picks and say something about the works that I juried into the show.  This time around I took careful notes, and wrote some reviews along the way.  Also, I felt the organization of this operation was very carefully orchestrated and they even asked if wouldn't mind writing up a critique.  I have juried many shows, and this one was no different in some respects - the quality in general was very high, and the artists in the RAC have their accomplishments to be proud of.  This is a club you would like to join!

More sculpture please....

The judge ( me in this case ) should just look at the art and not care about the signatures, to be impartial.  I look for evidence of commitment to the work at hand, and maybe  I will see something new and different.  I have been involved with visual art my entire life and I have seen my share of giants and nothing-burgers, and have even created some of them myself.

222-A  "Surfside, Winter", mixed media and intaglio

In Rochester, I am always surprised that I don't see as much sculpture as painting, but then again, there is the problem of storing and carting sculpture around that you must contend with if you are an artist.  Another concern I have has to do with the generations of people represented in the shows I have juried...and in particular - where are the younger participants?  I hope the art clubs actively look for younger folks to join the society supporting a younger generation coming up.

258-B "Little Miss Furia", pastel

In this particular exhibition which will be opening at St. John Fisher College, my feeling was one of inspiration - I really got into the imagery that people here pursued in their art.  Some of these artists I have seen before, though not these particular pieces,  so it was all new to me.  When I was jurying the show, the art works are identified by number, so I was never really aware of who did what, I just looked at the evidence.  It was fun making selections, and I thought it was interesting that several artists had made animal portraits of a very high quality.  You expect a certain number of human portraits, but a portrait of a Lemur?  That was unusual... especially since I thought this was an oil painting, but up close I could see it was a pastel.

237-A  Thawing Creek

I am glad to see that people go outdoors to paint.  There are several very respectable painters out in the field today, and they remind me of the artists I studied with including Edwin Dickinson, Wolf Kahn, and Paul Resika.  There is a renewal of interest in this form of art these days, so folks, keep at it!

237-B  Old Shed

I did make a comment that I feel people are too dependent on working from photos, and while that may serve as a reference, I think it is more important to work directly - and challenge yourself to see and feel in three dimensions.  So if you have a chance, go and see the art work for yourself at the Joseph Skalny Welcome Center, opening this coming Friday.  I hope you like the choices I made.

Rochester Art Club at St. John Fisher College

Major Master

Wendell Castle ( 1932-2018 )

master of wood work and so much more..

This new year, I am sorry to say, has started with sad news of the passing of my valued colleague at Rochester Institute of Technology, here in Rochester, New York.  Wendell Castle was 85 years old, and had just been celebrated for the past three months with an exhibition and book  ( Wendell Castle Remastered ) at The Memorial Art Gallery here in town.

Wendell Castle at work in Scottsville, NY

When I first arrived here to teach at R.I.T. in the late 1980s, I was well aware of the work of Wendell Castle, having admired his fine wood works in galleries in SoHo and in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan.  So, I was surprised to be able to sit down and converse with Wendell at my first faculty meeting at R.I.T.  Wendell has been associated with the School for American Craft for many years, and he maintained his relationship with SAC and our college for many decades.

Wendell Castle at The Memorial Art Gallery 

Wendell Castle's work has had strong effects on the world of fine wood working and beyond.  His art has been collected world-wide, and his honors and awards are the highlight to a career of amazing accomplishment.  While the recent show at The Memorial Art Gallery had a focus on the use of digital tools to help in the construction of his art, it should not overshadow the fact that Castle blended sculpture and furniture in such a way as to construct a totally new genre.

Wendell Castle and "Mr. Chips"

in studio

The artwork of this individual has had a far-reaching impact, his vision was unique, and in a way he represents a guiding light, like what Frank Lloyd Wright had meant to  architecture.  Wendell always had a friendly greeting for me and I was happy to see him working with students here at R.I.T.

For Nancy Jurs, and their son Bryon Jurs, and the rest of their family, I extend my condolences.  Wendell Castle certainly will be missed by many, and his work lives on.

Wendell Castle, remembered...

 

Winter Wonderland

One degree in the morning

Rochester, New York, 2018

January

This Sunday there was a note in the obits of The New York Times about the passing of a terrific ceramic artist - and that was Betty Woodman.  I have been a fan for many years having had the opportunity to watch her work gather great recognition with major museum shows, and really interesting artworks.  

Betty Woodman at The MET

An invitation

to a show of Betty Woodman's ceramic art

I met Betty Woodman several times in Manhattan and even had a chance to meet her husband, George Woodman who was a painter having an exhibition of his paintings at The Guggenheim Museum in New York City.  The Woodman family ( Francesca Woodman - their daughter was a photographer who had a tragic end - but was truly gifted ) has made many artworks that will be remembered.

Perhaps you have seen Betty Woodman's interesting and colorful ceramic works - for a long while they would greet you if you walked into The Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan.  Her art has great spirit, it is colorful with a little bit of the theatrical and a sense of humor. She will be missed.

Locally, it has been a snow scene, but the show must go on!  I went out to The Geisel Gallery in the former headquarters of Bausch & Lomb in downtown Rochester, to see the artworks recently installed of my colleague, Bill Finewood.  I recruited Bill to teach at Rochester Institute of Technology years ago, and he came to work as an illustrator with a specialty in cut papers, and pop-up books.  On view at The Geisel Gallery - Bill's work has a sense of purpose and clarity as you will see if you visit the show.

Bill Finewood's Alphabet

Many of the artworks on display at The Geisel Gallery highlight Finewood's gift for using cut paper to tell a story.  Sometimes it is a portrait, but always with a lot of invention and care in the details.

Emmett Kelly by

Bill Finewood

Bill Finewood spends a fair amount of time in Montana, so we have some wonderful wildlife drawings that he has made there including the mountain goat below seen in Glacier Mountain parks. His drawings are carefully rendered portraits of birds and animals that are thoughtfully composed and crafted.

Bill Finewood at The Geisel Gallery

My sabbatical is over so I go back to work at Rochester Institute of Technology where I can catch up on the exhibitions held at The University Gallery in Booth Building.  Roger Remington, who is largely responsible for the Vignelli Design Center is being given his first exhibition there, and it is of his early serigraphs which have never been viewed together and shed some light on his artwork in the 1960's.  Roger found inspiration during his graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin and worked with his teacher Dean Meeker to produce a series of silk screen prints.  We can learn that Roger had many exhibitions of his prints , winning awards and recognition for his artwork and he was appointed to the faculty at RIT in 1963.  Roger is still working at RIT, and he has an international reputation for his work in graphic design, and as a historian of design.

Roger Remington's print "Modular"

It is truly an honor to work alongside these teachers, men like Bill Finewood and Roger Remington. They both bring distinction to the cultural studies and creativity of visual art from their different perspectives.  I know I will be bringing my class down to see Roger's artwork, and maybe get him to say something about his  deep interest in the subject of printmaking.

Roger Remington serigraph from the early 1960s

Some Of Its Parts

An Award Winner by

Kristine Bouyoucos

at

Rochester Contemporary Art Center

Rochester, New York

Has your year been busy as usual?  Maybe, political theatre has taken your energy and attention.  Sometimes,  I just have to turn off all the devices and have some peace and quiet.  But then, I want to be part of the discussion and I pick up where I left off, ruminating about the state of the arts.

A popular image "Cuba" by Jim Hartson

at

Rochester Contemporary Art Center

With so many people involved in the visual arts, questions come back around to - why do it at all?  What is to be gained from all this activity - to say nothing about the money spent on all those art supplies!  Today, there is much more being done in the way of art then there is a paying audience. So, it all comes back to the individual - what do they value? What do they have time for, and how motivated are they in pursuit of their goal?

Lydia Boddie-Rice

" Seeing Clear"

I got involved writing this blog seven years ago because I saw a paucity of coverage for the local visual arts scene to say nothing of trying to make some sense out of all this creative energy.  People were investing time and money in this work but who was there to appreciate that except maybe a group of other artists working on their own.  How do you get the word out?

Quilted fiber art from Pat Pauly

One place that draws me back for an update every year is the members show at Rochester Contemporary Art Center, and this year seems to have many strong examples of the vitality of our visual arts community.  At RoCo you also have a chance to leave your vote ( a yellow dot sticker ) for your own favorite artwork, and if you visit you will see that there is an aggregate of popular votes given to certain standouts.

"Fooling Around With Red"

by

Bill Keyser

I was surprised that some of my choices didn't have a single yellow dot, but certainly deserve some recognition.  There are always a few works that leave you wondering - how did that artist create that work?  You have to wonder - what is it I am looking at?  The work below is one of those - at least for me.

Sorina Susnea  at RoCo

Writing for this blog in the past I have mentioned that sculpture does not seem to do well in this circumstance and that seems to be the case again.  I am sure that there must be terrific things we are not seeing, and I wonder why there is not more follow through on the part of the membership.

I hope that you still take the time to go through the show and find things that have a strong appeal, maybe you will leave your vote, and respond to the work that you see.

Members Exhibition at RoCo

If your tastes run to something of a natural outdoor scene, you are bound to enjoy the series of small paintings that has recently opened at Axom Gallery in Rochester.  Rick Muto is the artist, and he has been painting outdoors en plein aire for many years.  You can get drawn into looking at the development of the paintings by making some comparisons.  How does Rick Muto indicate trunks of trees, how does he deal with reflections on water, how is the paint applied for rocks on a shoreline...

Axom Gallery and Rick Muto

Rick Muto is into colors and textures, he is a keen observer of light in nature, and these paintings are mostly intimate works done on the spot, so he is responding to what he sees and feels at that certain time and place.  These are postcards from the real world, and you just want to take one home and put it up on the wall.

Rick Muto "Embracing the Landscape"

thru January 13, 2018

176 Anderson Avenue, 2nd floor

Rochester, New York 

14607

New Sunflowers

Sunflower, 2017, Transfer print by Alan Singer

Toward the end of the year here in New York State, we who love and support the arts should be thankful and grateful to those people and institutions that celebrate culture ( rather  than tear it down ) and who also work to bring us this bounty that enriches our community in so many ways.  I am thinking about the cultural workers who behind the scenes engage in a daily basis to highlight what is happening near and far.  Galleries and museum curators and their directors are working hard, not only to attract attention to their latest offerings but who try to make sense out of a tidal wave of cultural production.  We are fortunate to live in a relatively peaceful period and locally the arts are one of the factors that make our lives so much more interesting.

Here we have a vital arts sector and there needs to be continuing support from the business world and from local news media - because the arts are necessary for many, and getting the word out is tricky.  With so many choices, it is difficult in the best of times to make a living with the arts as your main focus.  Artists have to capture your attention, and make you curious about what it is that they are offering.  Artists have their experience to share in a form that attracts and activates the senses.

During the year we have been to see many exhibitions and there are many that were missed sorry to say.  Seven years ago I was able to start up this blog with the encouragement of  Bleu Cease at RoCo and soon I will have published my 300th posting, so if you have been checking in to see what is on The Visual Artworker - Thank You!

At Warren Phillips Fine Art & Frame

Hungerford Building

1115 East Main St. Rochester, NY

Along with the artists who have a major representation on view such as Wendell Castle who has a show that will be ending soon at The Memorial Art Gallery, there are other shows to be seen including one in my studio building - The Hungerford - that houses Warren Phillips Fine Art & Frame.  This end of the year group show always has some surprises and it is attractive to collectors who want something a little different.  Below is a new painting by George Wegman which is all color and atmosphere - so what happens to those shapes?

I was happy to speak with some of the artists at the opening for this show, and I enjoy the mix of styles that are found in the gallery.  Below are some colorful images from Jill Gussow, who I once shared a studio with when we were in college together at The Cooper Union.  It really is interesting to contemplate the growth of an artist's work over many decades, and I last wrote about Jill's ceramic murals that she has been engaged with in our area ( on Scio Street ).

Sampling of works by Jill Gussow

Over the holidays and beyond if you are in the Ithaca area, and you want to get some fresh air, stop in to the Laboratory of Ornithology in Sapsucker Woods - www.birds.cornell.edu/  

Cornell's Laboratory of Ornithology

You can take the path around the pond, and then stop in to see the exhibition we have mounted of my father - Arthur Singer's artwork which will be on view thru February 28th.  Check out their website for the holiday hours.  There are almost 30 works of his that we have mounted on the walls of their auditorium, and if you go - please sign our guest book, and look at the Fuertes paintings while you are there on the second floor.  The entrance inside of the LAB has great murals of birds by Jane Kim, an outstanding young artist who was a guest speaker in my class at R.I.T. last year.

All-in-all this has been a very rewarding time, I have enjoyed my sabbatical and I am looking forward in 2018 when I will be publishing a new book about my own artwork, including the image at the top of this post....so stay tuned!  Enjoy your holidays!

Arthur Singer, The Wildlife Art of an American Master

at

Cornell's Laboratory of Ornithology

Ithaca, New York

Back To Brooklyn

"Proof" with art by:

Sergei Eisenstein, Goya , and Robert Longo

at

The Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, New York

We can't leave New York City without stopping into the Brooklyn Museum on Eastern Parkway.

For years, we lived in Park Slope, so walking into the Brooklyn Museum was like coming home - only it has changed...it has gotten better!  The new entrance is expansive and the way that the museum curators have crafted their exhibitions is far more interesting now.

Etchings by Goya (1746-1828)

It is an unusual concept to pair the Spanish artist, Goya - who made some great etchings - with a film maker and a contemporary artist  who works in charcoal on paper.  There is a visual chord that is at play here and also a commitment to issues of human welfare and well-being. Another major factor that ties these works together is the black and white  nature of the present show which can be seen - now thru January 7th, 2018.

Robert Longo in the exhibition: "Proof"

When you walk into the show: "Proof" you see large screens and projections from filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein, then intimate but moving graphics of Goya, and monumental drawings from Robert Longo, an artist whose work I followed from shows at Metro Pictures back in Soho days.

I learned about the films of Eisenstein when I took a class in the history of cinema and most of his works dramatized social and political issues that were a featured part of your life if you lived in the Soviet Union in the early 20th century and were part of the Bolshevik Revolution.  Eisenstein's films like "The Battleship Potemkin" and "Alexander Nevsky" are powerful in black and white, and his method of shooting sequences of dramatic action pointed out his use of montage as a guiding principle.

In the Brooklyn Museum, the curators have set up large screens and the Eisenstein films play very slowly so you can really study each composition like you would for a painting.

Goya etchings at The Brooklyn Museum

In the Goya etchings the imagination of the artist meets up with social realities and the use of poetic metaphor propels these works into our conscience. Goya is known for his dark periods ( as well as his fancy court paintings ) and the etchings on view in "Proof" have a somber even threatening point of view.

Robert Longo studies Joan Mitchell

After my visit with Goya who was working in the early 19th century we step into the large galleries that hold the monumental drawings by contemporary American artist Robert Longo.  First confronted by these large scale framed works they appear to be photographs, but when you step in really close, you can see that these are drawings in charcoal, and they stay true to their sources.  The drawing above of the refugees in their raft, and the study of the Joan Mitchell painting are awe inspiring.  How does he do it?

The Mummy Show

Downstairs we go around to look at the Animal Mummy show, and so much more.  Wall labels let the visitor know that the Egyptian people had their pets and other animals mummified.  The animal caskets are really remarkable considering when they were created was thousands of years ago.

Ibis Mummy casket

There are terrific carvings and so much history to take in at The Brooklyn Museum.  They have a wealth of material on antiquity, so if you want to know more about the customs of ancient Egypt

just look through this show, and you will learn so much ( for example there are estimated to be millions of animal mummies kept in vaults underground in parts of Egypt ).  Who knew?

Painted caskets at The Booklyn Museum

Ancient Mummy at The Bookly Museum - now thru January 21, 2018