I have finished my stint at the Chinati Foundation (about 2 weeks ago), and I have already extolled some of the many virtues of it on this blog. I must say now that I came to think of 'intern' as a term of endearment toward the end. I miss the beauty of Marfa and the lovely people dearly. I will try to incorporate the tranquility and openness of Marfa here.
Switching gears, last night, I saw a wonderful talk at the Weatherspoon by Sherri Lynn Wood. Sherri was extremely humble yet articulate about her work, for which her working title is "Social Practice." Her work ranges from bereavement quilts, which she works with families on, to a vintage trailer she affixed a church sign to, and which she carted around the country. During her travels, she invited people to come inside the trailer, which is a meditation space she will not allow photographs of, and record their own personal mantras.
I was extremely compelled by a comment she made that her work cannot be critiqued by the "avant-garde." I was curious as to where she gets the strength to not participate in the avant-garde, and whether or not she feels pressure to, especially to get funding. In an answer to a similar question from the audience, she seemed to imply that she hasn't figured out how to describe her work to the avant-garde in terms that it can appreciate. She seems to get her strength from the relationships that she forms with people through her work. Towards the end she made a comment that I love, something to the effect of, the avant-garde has not yet convinced her of its importance. What a strong woman!
The show, Our Subject is You, which features Sherri, Steve Lambert, and others, is great. I am excited to have come back to it!
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2 comments:
you were there!?! i wish i'd seen you.
a book called "conversation pieces," which she mentioned, is where her questioning of the avant-garde critique comes from. strangely, i had just checked it out a few days prior and it is really good! community and communication, dialogical art...steve lambert is coming next week and will hopefully discuss a lot of the same things.
Cool. What are you working on these days?
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