Collaboration of Hard Work and Inquisition

This entry is written in direct response to the work ethic of this class as a whole. As a level 4 | 5 student, you are responsible for representing the highest level of art-making that this program offers, and it is your duty to represent it with respect to both yourselves and to the work and energy put into this program’s making. As an instructional leader of this department, I take great pride in what we do here. I work as hard as I can to stay informed about art in its current state, and constantly seek creative and innovative ways to relay that information to my students. My goal is that the upper level students of this department accept the responsibility of being artistic leaders, and work equally hard to promote a learning environment that can take pride in its students' conceptual thought and creative art-making.

I’m writing this in reaction to the results of our Critique Week with the expectation that the work ethic and invested thinking will improve in the next nine-week period. Be reminded that you are all the role models to the students who are in levels 1,2 and 3. Those students in the lower levels will look to your example as they work through the ranks of our program. It is essential, for the future growth of our program, that your artwork is representative of a program interested in conceptual, forward-thinking artwork that is both personal and truthful.

There were many students in my classes whose work was incredibly personal and thoughtful in solving the artistic problem for the nine-week period. Though there are many successes to celebrate from our first quarter together, there were also a number of students who did not demonstrate the work ethic that this department expects of its students. I want each of you to feel like a part of this department and I want there to be a collective work ethic that is unrivaled by any other art department in the State. The only way to ensure this is to have each of you working and thinking as hard as possible while in my classes. Achieving this level of excellence reaches well beyond my classroom, and requires you all to be more aware of your self, your environment, and the art community of which we are all a part. I realize that I expect a great deal of my students, but please understand that it will never be my aim to discourage your efforts, but rather it is my goal to help you attain your own artistic and conceptual potential through a collaboration of hard work, and inquisition. We have all of the tools to become exemplary, we just have to learn to use them with efficiency, creativity, and exactitude.

Explore To Inform Your Work

There is a limit to how much I will be able to teach each of you in this class, so it is imperative that you also seek information on your own. I think it can be honestly written that each of you has the goal of becoming a successful artist and conceptual thinker during your time in the DRHS Art program. Knowing that truth, it is essential that you seek to inform your own artwork by knowing what is being produced at the highest levels in both the academic and professional art arenas.

My last Blog entry introduced the artists of this the Venice Biennale, one of the most innovative and celebrated art exhibitions in the world. Hopefully, you took the time to explore the work and investigated the meaning behind the making of the imagery that was on display. Now, I would like to challenge each of you to explore some of the work that is being produced at the university level. One of the best resources for your work is the internet, as it can immediately connect you to the images and concepts that are being produced in America's most prestigious art schools.

Take the time to explore some of the online galleries of the schools that I have listed below. Look with an open mind, and do not be quick to judge what you see. Remember, the artwork in the 21st century is more often about ideas than it is about technique. As you look through these galleries ask yourself questions, and take notes on what you find interesting. It's not wrong to borrow parts of ideas for your work as long as it truly becomes "your idea" by the time you have finished with it. Here are some schools to explore:

School of Visual Arts
Rhode Island School of Design
Carnegie Mellon
Corcoran Museum School
Virginia Commonwealth University
Parsons School of Design
Savannah College of Art and Design

In addition to viewing all of these online galleries, please make a conscious effort to explore the local galleries around Richmond. Below is a list of some of the most forward-thinking galleries that Richmond has to offer:

1708 Gallery
Page Bond Gallery
Red Door Gallery
Art Space
Reynolds Gallery
ADA Gallery
Plant Zero
Gallery 5

The Venice Biennale

I went to a symposium last night at VCU and listened to a panel of artists, critics, and educators discuss their recent trip to Europe to view the international displays of artistic concepts at the Venice Biennale, Documenta, and the Munster Sculpture exhibits. These were the distinguished presenters at the symposium:

Amy Hauft, Chair, Department of Sculpture + Extended Media
Richard Roth, Chair, Department of Painting and Printmaking
Gregory Volk, Critic and Joint Professor of Painting and Printmaking & Sculpture + Extended Media

The discussion and presentation left me with an undefined understanding of art in our current time. One certain is that the curators of these major exhibitions were concerned with the social condition of our world, and used the participating artists as a voice for their concern. Many of the works were politically charged, and full of commentary about global conflict, oppression, and devastation.

When I look at the work of these exhibitions from the an art historical perspective, I see the high art of our time as reactionary, and in some cases, "regressive", as voiced by Gregory Volk in his presentation. To me, many of the works in the Biennale seemed rooted in things that truly matter to the people of today, but at times, the art seemed aimed at confusion, disconnection, and random association. The range of art seen in these exhibits was so broad, that it makes me wonder how the art of today will be categorized and defined in fifty years. Most likely, there will be no simple way to categorize the current direction of art.

There were many artists discussed at the symposium who inspired me and made me think in a way that I had not before. It's always refreshing to be met with an image or concept that shakes me up, making me use a new perspective, and there were certainly a number of artworks discussed that did just that. Below, I have provided a list of some of the artists whose work I found to be very interesting.

Interesting Information About the Exhibition
Italian Pavillion (video)
New York Times :: The Venice Biennale
New York Times :: "Serious Art" video report
Interactive Map of the Venice Biennale

Some Artists from the Exhibition

El Anatsui

Born in Anyako, Ghana, 1944

Lives and works in Nsukka, Nigeria

Felix Gonzalez-Torres

Guaimaro, Cuba, 1957 - Miami, FL, 1996 (see video)

Sol LeWitt

Hartford, CT, USA,1928 – New York, NY, USA, 2007

Morrinho group

Live and work in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Joshua Mosley

Born in Dallas, TX, USA,1974

Lives and works in Philadelphia, PA, USA

Iran Do Espirito Santo

Born in Macoca, Sao Paulo, Brasil, 1963

Lives and works in Sao Paolo, Brasil

Izumi Kato

Born in Shimane, Tokyo, Japan, 1969

Lives and works in Shizuoka, Japan (see video)

Sigmar Polke

Born in Oels Schlesien, Germany, 1941

Lives and works in Köln, Germany (see video)

Emily Prince

Born in Gold Run, CA, USA, 1981

Lives and works in San Francisco, CA, USA

Gerhard Richter

Born in Dresden, Germany, 1932

Lives and works in, Köln, Germany

Susan Rothenberg

Born in Buffalo, NY, USA, 1945

Lives and works in Galisteo, NM, USA

Cheri Samba

Born in Kinto-Mvuila, Congo, 1956

Lives and works in Kinshasa, Congo

Lawrence Weiner

Born in New York, NY, USA, 1940

Lives and works in New York, NY, USA and Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Franz West

Born in Vienna, Austria, 1947

Lives and works Vienna, Austria

Jenny Holzer

Born in Gallipolis, OH, USA, 1950

Lives and works in Hoosick, NY, USA

Yang Zhenzhong

Born in Hangzhou, China, 1968

Lives and works Shanghai, China

Sam Taylor Wood

Born in London, England, 1967

Lives and works London, England (video and interview)


This list is just a few of the artists whose work was entertaining to me.

More Than One Right Way

I've decided to take a minute to discuss two recent figure drawings from my Art III course. I've chosen these drawings not because they are "the best in the class", but rather because they are so different from one another, yet both adequately meet the requirements of the assignment.


This figure drawing by Cody is exceptionally expressive and was made with vigor. I really enjoy the variety of line weight that he has created through the pressure of his marks. Also interesting is the way he has chosen to arrange the figure in the space. The composition of this piece really reminds me of the figurative work that Alberto Giacometti did in the 1950's (very centralized and surrounded by an atmosphere of gestural marks). Overall, I found this drawing to be much more expressive than the usual "long-pose" figure drawings that are created by my Art III students.


This drawing by Jeb is equally impressive, but has been made in a much more meticulous and calculated manner. Compositionally, there are several similarities between these two drawings, but the making of the marks couldn't be more different (yet neither is a more correct than the other). It is clear when viewing this drawing that Jeb has control of his space, his pencil, and his vision.

The part of the drawing that get my attention the most is the arm of the figure that has been carefully rendered in a manner that alludes to the marks made by the old masters. Jeb has followed directions carefully, not letting the rendered areas become "shaded", and has carefully hatched his values with exactitude. The manner in which he has hatched is very academic and of exceptional quality. Also interesting is the way that he has purposely chosen to leave areas of the drawing un-rendered, in much the same fashion that Jim Dine had done with his early drawings of tools. If you haven't seen those drawings by Jim Dine, look them up! You'll be impressed, I promise.