<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; "><DIV>Hi every one</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>In response to the dialogue on curators (Jerome and Joe):</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>First of all, I think that artist residencies are one of the best ways to get funding and resources to artists. An artist residency can be more effective for the artist than cash, because a residency includes an institution that has a vested interest in seeing the work completed and publicized, and can support the artist in securing access to production resources. As a vehicle for public funding, it can also be effective, because it is less vulnerable to be seen as a gift to an individual instead of an ongoing program to strengthen our cultural dialogue.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Nonetheless, I would be concerned about the role of curators in selecting artists for residencies and overseeing production. Curators have their own visions, and they want to see work produced that supports their theories. These theories may be fantastically interesting and stimulating, but they are not necessarily the reflective of the full range of new directions in art. If, as Jerome says, contemporary curators are "the a creative node between artists and institutions' work force, framing and making these production happen with the artists and sometimes hundreds of other people..." then are we not in danger of turning artists into journeymen (journey-people) who merely produce work that is commissioned by powerful patrons? Are we sacrificing autonomy? Original thinking?</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>On flip side, of course, is the argument that artists who do not listen to the advice of curators/patrons are in danger of loosing touch with the public completely. This is an important consideration - and one that might be convincing were it not for the fact that the current curatorial direction seems to be a feeding frenzy centered on super-stars, and that many (not all) prefer artists with work that is easy to explain, favoring one-trick work over multi-faceted complexity.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>How do we find the right balance? </DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Cynthia Beth Rubin</DIV><DIV><A href="http://CBRubin.net">http://CBRubin.net</A></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><BR><DIV><DIV>On Aug 25, 2007, at 8:00 AM, <A href="mailto:idc-request@mailman.thing.net">idc-request@mailman.thing.net</A> wrote:</DIV><BR class="Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">essage: 2</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Date: Sat, 25 Aug 2007 01:01:29 -0500</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">From: "Jerome Grand" <<A href="mailto:grandj@gmail.com">grandj@gmail.com</A>></FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Subject: Re: [iDC] media curating lists as pedagogical,<SPAN class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </SPAN>exploratory</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"><SPAN class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </SPAN>and speculative texts</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">To: <A href="mailto:subbies@redheadedstepchild.org">subbies@redheadedstepchild.org</A></FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Cc: <A href="mailto:idc@mailman.thing.net">idc@mailman.thing.net</A></FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Message-ID:</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica"><SPAN class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </SPAN><<A href="mailto:3809114f0708242301g162002dfs7f8aaa48eacbaa66@mail.gmail.com">3809114f0708242301g162002dfs7f8aaa48eacbaa66@mail.gmail.com</A>></FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><BR></P> <BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 10.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">They are as much middlemen as curators.<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>Curators are not producing art, they</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 10.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">are producing information about art.</FONT></P> </BLOCKQUOTE><P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><BR></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">In response to your idea that curators do not produce art but simply</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">relate the information about it is a narrow view of the curatorial</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">work and today's art production. Modes of production in the</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">contemporary art world are becoming more and more elaborate. Many</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">institutions do not only collect and mediate art, but engage in</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">extensive production. (a big long list could be plugged in here).</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">Museum's and art center's of all sort work directly with artists and</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">commission pieces/projects that are 'not yet made.' For these 'not yet</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">made,' institutions offer funding, space/sites, time, fabrication</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">crews, and an active dialogue with the artists. The institutions</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">define a frame for the artists to explore and allow the production of</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">these projects/pieces. The contemporary art curator is (I'll try to</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">state it simply but not grotesquely) the a creative node between</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">artists and institutions' work force, framing and making these</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">production happen with the artists and sometimes hundreds of other</FONT></P> <P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT face="Helvetica" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Helvetica">people...</FONT></P> </BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR></BODY></HTML>