Thursday, February 04, 2010

#class begins to take shape

If you're participating in #class already, you know it remains a schedule-in-progress. If you're not participating yet, there's still a few opportunities. If you think you're participating, but you haven't heard more details yet...you will hear very shortly. Throughout the event, everyone is encouraged to show up, participate, ask tough questions, and/or simply absorb.

#class
Organized by Jennifer Dalton and William Powhida

Feb 19 - Mar 20, 2010
Opening: SUNDAY, Feb 21, 4 -7 PM

#class Hours:
Wed. - Sun. 2-8 PM

Sampling of #class Events and Table Discussions

For dates and times for these and other upcoming events, visit the #class website at http://hashtagclass.blogspot.com

PLANNED PROJECTS

Jennifer Dalton and William Powhida have over 40 events in some stage of development already. There will be a few different things going on every day the show is open! A full schedule will be publicly posted once it is finally hammered out. For now, a preview.

Painter and writer Mira Schor will read her 1990 essay “On Failure and Anonymity” and lead a discussion on how these conditions might play a positive role in making art.

Hyperallergic has prepared $ECRET$ OF THE NEW YORK ART WORLD, which invites visitors to reveal who in the city's art industry owes them money. Will the pyramid scheme that is the art world collapse when the secrets come out? Hyperallergic hopes so.

An Xiao will present "Photoglam," during which she and her glamorous entourage will be photographing attendees during the opening and posting them on the Facebook event page. The photos with the top number of 'likes' will be publicly posted.

Magda Sawon of Postmasters Gallery will host "Ask the Art Dealer," vowing to truthfully answer any and every question posed to her. We're starting to collect questions now, if you post one in the comments here it will get asked!

Free Gift Wrapping! Anyone who buys an artwork during the run of the show can have it gift-wrapped by Zoë Sheehan Saldaña in handmade brown paper and twine.

Artists MTAA will demonstrate "Autotrace," a completely automatic, software-generated appropriation and shape creation system.

Rebecca Goyette will present "Market U," an art critique as experiential theatre. The Ringmaster of Market University will review the live examples of artwork of selected recent graduates of of various NYC MFA Programs including Market U. A panel of judges, internationally recognized art critics, gallery owners and artists who work for Market U will be the jury... or will you?

Sarah Smizz will give away free posters featuring her "Maps of the Art System."

Nic Rad will present "The Celebritist Manifesto," a stirring defense of celebrity culture as the boldest creative expression of a democratic society, in which it will become abundantly clear that James Franco is the most significant artist of the decade, if not all time.

Man Bartlett will be presenting "24h #class action," a marathon group intervention involving systematically blowing up hundreds of skinny balloons and popping them, without creating or harming any cute little puppies.

Dr. Lisa Levy, S.P. (Self-Proclaimed) will present "Investigating Personal Obstacles to Creativity and Creative Productivity," a workshop using the tools of psychoanalysis to begin to identify how personal history and emotions subvert and misdirect our actions to make creative work so we can realize our full potential as artists.

Yevgeniy Fiks will present a slide-lecture titled "Communist Modern Artists and the Art Market," showing how many of the the most highly valued art of the 20th century was produced by artists who considered themselves communists (Picasso, Leger, Kahlo, Rivera and more).

The Art Blahg will present "Art Wake," a funeral ritual for contemporary art.

Carolina Miranda will lead participants in "Art Yoga by C-Mon," incorporating newly invented poses to aid artists in the contortions necessary to advance their practice and career.

PLANNED TABLE DISCUSSIONS

Collecting with Your Eye, Not Your Ears
• What motivates collectors to acquire work? Is it what you hear about an artist or is it the work itself?

Nocation, Nocation, Nocation
• How does not having a traditional brick and mortar space affect the roles of independent curators, pop-up galleries, roving spaces, independent dealers?

The Critic's Panel
• What will happen when some of New York's most prominent critics come to the table at #class?

The Anti-Conceptualism Discussion
•There are a vast number of people out there who don't like conceptual art, what Jen and William do, or what Winkleman promotes. Do you think we are bullshit? We'd like to hear from you! We are inviting any formalists, purists, and ideologues with open arms into the gallery for a frank discussion on conceptual art and even #class itself.

The System Works
•What's wrong with the market? Well, for many artists fully invested in it, nothing!

The System Doesn't Work
•What's wrong with the market?! Well, for many artists with nothing invested in it, everything!

Access
• One of the defining issues at the heart of #class. Is open access for all artists even a possibility in the broadest sense of the art experience? Is it the wisdom of the crowd, a lottery drawing, or the discerning 'eye' of the curator, dealer, or tastemaker that should shape we see?

The Ivory Tower
•In the late 80's and the early 90's, you could get an MFA without so much as drawing a line, well if you don't count all the underlining and highlighting of Derrida and Foucalt. Many young artists plow through undergraduate and graduate school for degrees so they can immediately get a tenure track teaching gig in....well anywhere, without ever trying to be a working artist. There are also a lot of artists who've been teaching for decades out there. What's your take on the rise of academia and the proliferation of art programs that promise a 'career' in the arts?

The Art World as High School
•You can't possibly have a discussion about the art market without thinking about New York as a series of carefully placed lunchroom tables where even the subtlest glance, bit of gossip, or movement can set off a fight. Are you a cool kid? A rich kid? A fat kid? A jock? A nerd? An Outcast?

Bolshevik!

•An open invitation to Marxists (and sympathizers!) to have a special dialog about the aging alternative to Capitalism.

Success?

• Another open invitation to discuss how the easy and plentiful money of the art boom fueled perceptions that this one was different and that it would last forever. How does the influx of money change artists, dealers, collectors, and is it a trap that promotes a defensive, cautious position?

Image above:
Jennifer Dalton and William Powhida, "#class Purchase Application by William Powhida and Jennifer Dalton,"2010, Pencil and colored pencil on paper, 14" x 11" ( 35.5 x 28 cm). William Powhida appears courtesy of Schroeder Romero & Shredder.

Labels: #class

14 Comments:

Blogger Stefano Pasquini said...

Excellent stuff, I wish I was there to see it all.

2/04/2010 08:48:00 AM  
Blogger HMNA said...

I love this idea. There is a great non-profit gallery called SPACES here in Cleveland that put on a 2 month exhibition just like this last fall called the Plum Academy. It was a huge success that encompassed all aspects of participatory art, really a great thing to get people involved.

They even had a graduation and a prom.

2/04/2010 09:21:00 AM  
Blogger Edward_ said...

Thanks HMNA...any online documentation of the Plum Academy?

2/04/2010 09:31:00 AM  
Blogger Edward_ said...

Found it : http://www.spacesgallery.org/2009/exhibitions/main/academy/

Anyone who participated in the Plum Academy want to present a summary of what they learned through it? Accumulative awareness is one of #class's goals.

2/04/2010 09:33:00 AM  
Anonymous chris said...

sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet

2/04/2010 11:08:00 AM  
Anonymous Kianga Ellis said...

Hi Ed, you inspired my first Instress of Art post for the year. Desperados:The New Avant-Garde #class http://bit.ly/a8DmW9

2/04/2010 01:12:00 PM  
Blogger kalm james said...

This all sounds like fun. One problem though. It seems the schedule is so full, and everything is so institutionally plotted out, that the chance of real spontaneous unscripted stuff “happening” is limited. I hope Jen and Will leave some space open for those of us who prefer to boogie without putting our names on the dance card.

2/04/2010 02:14:00 PM  
Blogger Joseph Giannasio said...

James,

As your participation I think you should power the show on one of those exercise bike generators, while video taping and commentating on the events ;-)

2/04/2010 04:00:00 PM  
Anonymous Cedric said...

"Investigating Personal Obstacles to Creativity and Creative Productivity"


Hahaha, I love this!! Oh my, where do I begin....


Cedric

2/05/2010 06:02:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anybody going to do any video of these talks and events. I think this could pretty interesting for people how are not in the area.

2/05/2010 10:29:00 AM  
Blogger Edward_ said...

James????

2/05/2010 10:34:00 AM  
Blogger David Cauchi said...

When my partner saw this she immediately suggested using Vokle for some of the panels.

She's a dj on radio23.org, and they've used it very successfully to have panel discussions with questions from the audience despite people being scattered round the globe.

2/05/2010 05:42:00 PM  
Blogger Edward_ said...

I think that's a very interesting idea, David! Thanks for sharing.

I'll pass it along, but I will also kindly request folks with great ideas share them on the #class blog to ensure none fall between the cracks as we head into the final weeks of planning.

e

2/05/2010 06:12:00 PM  
Blogger #class said...

We will be streaming live audio and video of just about everything that goes on in the space to our blog (hashtagclass.blogspot.com). Individual events will also be videotaped and posted separately as much as possible.

We will also look into Vokle, I hadn't heard about it.

thanks david!

Jen

2/07/2010 10:29:00 PM  

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