Sidewalk Art-making on 17th St.

Here are a few pictures from an installation performance by the Picasso Extended Collective in October, 2009. Franklin Wassmer created the basic score for this inspired by our host — the Picasso Gallery and Frame Store on 17th Street NW in Washington, D.C. As we planned this event the focus was quite open, but my impression is that we were all excited by the chance to enliven the ordinary experience of walking down the street; to capture people into the world of art. The physical presence of the frames, and the invitations to participate with the frames, encouraged people to see the world in a slightly different, playful, way.

There were a few projects within the basic concept. Andrea and others made lists of actions which participants could pick to do – like fortune cookies. The last image in this group is one of them – go across the street and purchase something while wearing a frame. Rogelio created a focus within the evening by arriving decked in balloons, a boombox, and frames; the artist arriving.

This was not intended as a “powerful” or “deep” experience and we didn’t take ourselves too seriously planning it or executing it. I wonder how many planned “powerful” and “deep” art experiences really end up being that way for participants – audience or performers? I see how people really enjoyed the experience in many of the pictures. It was even something they could do together. I don’t think we could call this “high art”, and I’m not even certain if I’d call it “art” at all, but I think the project worked in a simple, joyful way, outside of those judgments and boundaries. Click here to see a post about another project I performed with this group.

Will Online Participation Save Classical Arts? – A Note About the New NEA Report on Online Arts Participation

The NEA just released a new report about how Americans use electronic media to participate in the arts. The substantive research is marshaled to highlight a positive trend. The press release states,

“When compared with non-media participants, Americans who participate in the arts through technology and electronic media — using the Internet, television, radio, computers, and handheld devices — are nearly three times more likely to attend live arts events; attend twice as many live arts events; and attend a greater variety of genres of live arts events.”

The study is really worth a look. What the headline can’t address is how online arts participation trends in terms of certain art forms. For instance, how does online participation affect classical arts participation?

When I started Bourgeon, we were a print publication. I noticed when we moved online (in 2007) that the articles which got the most reads were amongst the briefest articles we published. Noticing that, I encourage writers to create pieces between 500 and 800 words. Online reading, actually online viewing of all types, tends toward exposure as opposed to comprehensive experience. While New Yorker.com readers might enjoy longer reads, most online audiences do not. I connect this to an NEA study from 1997, which showed that:

  • The classical music audience is aging faster than the population as a whole. In 1982 those under thirty years of age comprised 26.9 percent of the audience and by 1997 comprised just 13.2 percent of the audience. Over this same span of years, those over sixty years of age rose from 15.6 percent to 30.3 percent of the classical music audience.
  • In 1982 those under thirty years of age comprised just 17.8 percent of the opera audience and by 1997 comprised only 13.3 percent of the audience for opera. Over this same span of years, audience members over sixty rose from 16.6 percent to 23.5 percent of the opera audience.

    • While the new report is positive for my industry in terms of showing overall arts participation, it should be considered within the value structure of the arts. Should we laud a video-game model of arts participation? Does this serve our arts values? Will any arts do? Is all arts participation equal?

    I believe that there are certain values uniquely embedded in what can be called The Patient Arts (classical music, ballet, and opera.) My appreciation for the technique and craft of classical arts is really only exposed in time; I can only experience it with patience. It is not a gymnastics routine. Part of classical arts appreciation is learning to perceive with patience. A Mozart symphony rarely comes in under 25 minutes, and to appreciate a Beethoven symphony you have to be able to listen for 45 minutes. Online participation in the arts is an immensely positive trend, but within it there are real challenges to the values embedded in The Patient Arts.

    image in this post is of Galileo’s clock.

    [The issue of “is all arts participation equal” is peripherally raised in the suggestions for further research section of the new report – pg. 96.]

    Thin Boundaries in Performance Creation

    Whether in the arts, or in an office, the ability to collaborate is critical. True accomplishment is rarely a solitary pursuit. Within those bold/shy maxims, however, there are the real issues of who gets the credit, and who is in control. Participating in the Thin Boundaries project with the Picasso Extended performance art collective, I experienced this (again.)

    There was no over-arching theme for this piece, but three core visual ideas. Gail had a clear vision for her installation on the wall. Andrea had a clear idea for her installation in the window. And then Franklin added the leaves to his vision of some bed play. As we wove those pieces together with additional performers (I, one of them) elements were added, including music by Rogelio. But the foundational vision was built with those three structures.

    When we processed after it was clear that one person felt their vision had been hijacked by the group process. In really giving into the collaborative project they felt like their work was not seen – because it was contextualized by all of the other elements. As a non-visionary in Thin Boundaries I appreciate, and benefited from, what she gave (and I think the audience that night did, too.) Apropos of nothing, but there’s a necessary generosity involved in collaboration that is not always easy. Collaborations seem to only work over time if participants productively process about their difficulties, as well as their ideas.