Broad Vs. Broad
Long before Edna started stirring things up electronically...in fact long before I was actually aware of the art blogs community at all, I got my recommended daily (or quarterly, anyway) allowance of funny and furious and feminist commentary on the state of the art world from two self-declared "Lady Artists with Bees in Their Bonnets" who published a 'zine called Broad Sheet. It's New York, if not Brooklyn, centric, and refreshing and fearless. From the very first issue, I was hooked. Here's the piece that made me laugh out loud and an instant fan (from their inaugural Summer 2003 issue):
The Kranky KornerWell, I'm pleased to discover that the Broads have gone digital. You can get acquainted over at http://broadvsbroad.blogspot.com, where they've kindly posted their past issues in PDF format and outlined an agenda for their new virtual home. They're new to the blogosphere, so show them some love.
Top Ten Excellent Art Venues You'll Never Visit Unless You're Showing
There (Don't Lie!)
- The Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art (you've been meaning to)
- The Longwood Center (it's on your list)
- Bronx Musem of the Arts (you even miss all your friends' AIM Program shows)
- Snug Harbor (gasp! the ferry!)
- El Mueso Del Barrio (We were at the opening. Didn't you see us?)
- Any gallery on the upper east side (be real)
- The Brooklyn Museum (right in your own backyard!)
- DIA @ Beacon (yeah, right, talk to us in a year)
- Rotunda Gallery (there's really no good excuse)
- Queens Museum (don't worry, you'll be in a show here soon. We think that's them on the phone now!)
posted by Edward_ at
8:05 AM
22 Comments:
Let me pat myself on the back for having promoted and visited about 1/2 of the venues listed. Some even twice! ;-)
I'm embarrassed to say I've visited only 8 of these venues...I won't mention which two I've missed, but DIA isn't one of them.
I actually grew up in Snug Harbor. I lived about three blocks away from it until I left for college at 17. I still go back although I haven't been there in a couple of years. It's been amazing to watch it change; I used to hang out there when they still had sailors in residence.
They hang some seriously atrocious art -- they seem prone to awful installations, at least they used to be -- but I've seen some amazing work there, too. The John Noble Museum is there; my father collected John Noble lithographs for many years, and in fact I have one on my dining room wall now. I imagine John Noble would be dismissed as an illustrator by most art world people.
Snug Harbor was also the place I saw probably the best scultpure installation I've ever seen. What made it great was I wasn't even sure it was supposed to be "art."
I should make a trip back there and write something up about it.
This made me laugh, however, I feel good being able to say that the monthly gallery crawls from Artists Unite that began this year have already gone to the upper East side galleries, El Museo del Barrio (which had a great show on Pedro Pietri), and Queens. Of course, we're up in Inwood, which makes us more open to the idea of traveling to begin with, and also makes us about an hour closer to Dia:Beacon!
I went to Brooklyn Museum of Art once for Sensation. The night I got into town it was on the news that a 62 year old man smeared white paint on the Chris Ofili. So the next day when I went, they had several sheets of bullet proof glass in the narrow alcove it was in. Along with a guard on oneside and an armed NYPD cop. I thought it was great that art had to be protected like that. I have not gone back. Although I almost saw the William Wegman Funney show.
I think I mistakenly went to some Upper East side galleries too. That's like where Mary Boone has one right? They are all up on floors of highrises? I don't know, they were in TimeOut. Maybe it was midtown. I DONT KNOW.
PS, New York has such quaint names! Snug Harbor, Yonkers, Cape Cod, Schenectady
Ed, your headline made me think they'd pissed off Eli.
AE sez:
New York has such quaint names! Snug Harbor, Yonkers, Cape Cod, Schenectady
Cape Cod?
Snug Harbor is descriptive. It's short for Sailors Snug Harbor, which is what it was back when it was a retirement home for aged and infirm sailing men, the seafaring life not being one known for its medical benefits.
Unfortunately they ran out of aged and infirm sailing men and were forced to find another pathetic community of misfits to support, so they turned to the New York arts.
They have a very nice little duck pond.
The Aldrich is starting a bus shuttle from the train station to encourage New Yorkers to go there. Do. It's a great museum. (Yeah, yeah, I've only shlepped to Ridgefield when a friend had shows there, but still...)
If people aren't going to drag their asses to Staten Island -- which is part of the same city, dammit -- what makes anyone think they want to go to Connecticut? As far as I know, Connecticut is just the Bermuda Rectangle between New York and Boston.
Cape Cod? Cape Cod.
I don't know. I guess people from the midwest generalize about the coasts like people from the coasts generalize about all the stuff in the middle.
I am not in ew York and I saw half of these, many times.
I would go at Barrio if there was, say, a retrospective of Gonzales-Torres.
I would go at Brooklyn Museum if there was a retrospective of, say, William Wegman.
I would go to an Upper East gallery if there was a show by Monica MaJoli.
I would go to Dia Beacon if there was a ....oh no...not yet another retro of Agnes Martin? Come on: it's been like, 4 years in a row.
I would go to...Hmm...ok...When was the last time I went to Aldrich?
The Snug Harbour honestly, I find to be fabulous. There is only one great show each two years that make me go there. They need money and a good curator, it could be so much more. I would exhibit there before a thousand other places in New York.
Never been to the other places.
Cheers,
Cedric Caspesyan
centiment@hotmail.com
Never been to the other places
Cedric, if you have a chance you should definitely check out Cape Cod. It's near the upper East Side.
I don't know. I guess people from the midwest generalize about the coasts like people from the coasts generalize about all the stuff in the middle.
Of course if you're in NYC, any part of New York that isn't in the boroughs or on Long Island is considered "upstate".
David sez:
Of course if you're in NYC, any part of New York that isn't in the boroughs or on Long Island is considered "upstate".
I disagree. Anything north of Yonkers is upstate. Imagine my surprise when I saw how much New York State is upstate! That damn thing goes on forever, man.
And Staten Island isn't really considered part of New York City unless you're from there. If you're from anywhere else in New York City, Staten Island is New Jersey.
Which is accurate. Staten Island is New Jersey, only without the good parts. Which is saying something.
Rockland and Westchester Counties are not considered upstate.
The best thing about moving to Montreal from New York, is that when I drive home for a visit, I get to both Dia:Beacon and Storm King. (I usually break the drive with one of them each way.) I lived in Manhattan 25 years without ever getting farther north than the New York Botanical Garden (which has a wonderful small gallery of rare books and prints, BTW).
Chris
>>>Which is accurate. Staten >>>>Island is New Jersey, only >>>>without the good parts. Which >>>is saying something.
Just how bad is Staten Island?
It seems nice when I go there.
David: Is Cape Cod to Upper East what Maine is to Harlem? Or is there really a place called Cape Cod in New York?
Actually I'd love to go to Cape Cod this summer.
Cedric
I went ahead and downloaded some of the Broad Sheet zines. They are pretty great. I did the first volume and read them at lunch. There is a lot to be said for zines, especially when they are as good as the issues I checked out.
All the stuff blogs don't have, cutting and pasting, collaging, DIY. All the stuff blogger smoothes out. I miss that stuff.
Or is there really a place called Cape Cod in New York?
Not as far as I know; I couldn't resist picking on you about that. If you make it to the Cape this summer watch out for the quahogs :)
We call Inwood, which is above 200th St "Upstate Manhattan."
Cedric, you just missed a big Gonzalez-Torres at El Museo. It closed on May 21st.
Cedric says:
Just how bad is Staten Island?
It seems nice when I go there.
Staten Island doesn't even qualify as an armpit, because armpits are useful, worthwhile things to have. There is very nearly nothing redeeming about the place, and once I was able to move away, I did, and I hate ever having to go back for any reason.
Thanks Chris.
And Sky: I actually went to all these exhibits I referred to.
That includes the 4 times at Dia.
;-)
Cedric Caspesyan
centiment@hotmail.com
PS: it was a small gonzales-torres
exhibit: two rooms, a couple windows of press clips and archives. Why present that? Why not wait for a full retro?
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