Visual Art In Which All the Good Ones Go Elsewhere
posted by on March 5 at 14:18 PM
Am I missing something or do all the best contemporary art speakers go somewhere else besides Seattle when they come to the Northwest?
I bring this up today because today, San Francisco artist Kota Ezawa (who made the cartoon version of the OJ Simpson trial that showed at Seattle Art Museum a few years ago) is speaking in Spokane. It’s part of Eastern Washington University’s 2007-2008 Visiting Artist Lecture Series, Real, Surreal and Cartoons, focusing on artists whose work “is variously populist, anti-establishment, and plain fun.”
When’s the last time the University of Washington art department brought in an artist that drew a crowd? Not the Henry, mind you, but the art department?
Portland is the real heavy-hitter, though. French Philosopher Jacques Ranciere, Chicago artist Nick Cave (he’s responsible for the Soundsuits in SAM’s African galleries), artist Emily Prince (known for her project recording every death of American soldiers in Iraq, seen at this summer’s Venice Biennale), and Turner Prize-winning artist Richard Deacon all have spoken in Portland in the last month.
Can the budgets for speakers get a little more love around here? The art’s out there in the middle of crickets.
because uw art department ain't shit*. we just pretend it is because it's all that's here and we are invested in that scene.
*unless we are talking glass or ceramics or other crafts, i guess.
I agree!
Stephen Sagermeister was at UW last night that was a great talk. Technically he's a designer, but his work looks and affects like art.
second that. Uws art dept is dookiesville.
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