The Agency of Making...

 

I recently wandered into an art gallery in Chelsea, NYC, and to my surprise, encountered a meticulous recreation of William Kentridge's studio. Among the works was a stop-motion animation, filmed with an 8mm camera, depicting the evolving portrait of a coffee pot. The animation subtly reinforced the analogue, tactile nature of Kentridge’s practice—rooted in process exploration and object intrigue.

Kentridge once said that drawing is “a testing of ideas through the hand.” His trees seem to test the boundary between representation and abstraction. They also echo his larger interest in process—they are not hyper realistic depictions, but meditations on form, memory, and time.

Chelsea.Whitney.Andy.Morgan.Frida.

This past week was our annual New York trip! The students were up close with some pretty incredible art. We toured the Chelsea galleries first and that always challenges our thinking and instigates excellent conversations around process, meaning and product. 

Laura, Kelly, Susan & Heather

The Whitney was lively with Andy Warhol's prolific and exuberant documentation of celebrity and history in saturated color and energy.

The Morgan Library was a new destination and it did not disappoint! Illuminated manuscripts, incredible photography, 

mesmerizing architectural spaces.

When the gang is all here....

The culmination of our journey was experiencing the Frida Kahlo exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum of Art!  Serendipitously it was International Women's Day!

Fierce Women

Frida & the Bull

It was an outstanding experience! 

The students were awesome. My colleagues were outstanding. Each venue we experienced gave us so much to think about...we continuously move forward.

                       

 

      The New York Trip was outstanding! We accomplished so much in two day! I am just going to highlight the Chelsea Gallery district today. The photography students loved the tour, even though we were schlepping through giant snowflakes and high winds! The art work was riveting. We saw a variety of digital installations, photography, painting and sculptural installations.

 

                   Doug Aitken was a favorite at 303 Gallery with his installation that took out part of the concrete floor and had water dripping from the ceiling it tantalized the senses! Additionally we got to see the always edgy street artist from the 80's  Jean-Michel Basquiat at the Gagosian.   Another highlight, Ragnar kjartansson's a nine panel video and musical installation that really made an impact with the students!  Charlotte Dumas had a very intimate portrait exhibit at the Julie Saul Gallery of the burial horses from Arlington National Cemetery. It was an incredibly handled and remarkable viewing experience.

                     Merrily Kerr did a fabulous job moving the students through each gallery space and safely in the crazy snow!  Sadly, it was snowing so hard I was doing my best just to walk (those of you who know me, know this a challenge on a sunny day) and not fall down that I did not get any photos of the snow! My students captured some lovely images, perhaps they will let me share here sometime.

        This first experience in New York really set the tone and raised the bar for a superb trip! More soon....