A New Hat

Rene Magritte - A Pilgrim - 1966

Being an emerging artist in these contemporary times means one has to tap into many different skill sets to run one's business. There is the creative maker side, who makes the work, finds and taps into the inspiration. There is the analytical archivist who catalogues and organizes the work. There is the curator who, well, curates the work, considers the presentation, and directs the audience. The list goes on, marketing, website management, logistics, etc.  To do it all is a momentous feat, as each job requires a different skill set not often found in the same individual. To transition between these roles in my working arts practice, I envision myself donning virtual caps, to delineate the particular job at hand. There are also the other personal 'hats' in life, each with their own demands, taking time and energy away from the creative making part of an artist's life.

Well, I have a new 'hat' -- Teacher. I just finished my first teaching job. I was doing a community outreach project through the local junior college at a private arts focused school, teaching pinhole photography to some local middle schoolers. The experience was terrifying, energizing and fun. Being a huge history buff, and wanting my students to understand the historical precedents, I started the class out with "The History of Photography in less than 15 Minutes",  showing Photography's evolution from Mo Ti's observations in 400 BC, through the 1800's chemical discoveries with Daguerre and experimentation by Henry Peach Robinson, continuing through the early 20th century with Alfred Stieglitz and Ansel Adams, onto the Bauhaus, and finally showcasing a few contemporary photographers.  This was a lot of information in a very short time, missing entire epochs, and important figures, but this severe edit was necessary. I had to make it just short enough to keep these adolescents engaged through the entire narrative. They were a bit overwhelmed after our first hour together, but the fires had been lit. That spark was evident in their eyes after experiencing being inside the camera, in a camera obscura I'd built in the schools copy room.

The students went on to make their own cameras, spent several hours in the darkroom, creating lots of great pinhole photographs and experimented with placing objects directly on the photo-paper, creating photograms. After selecting their best images, the class concluded with an exhibition at  a local arts center.

To share my love of the craft with creative young souls was expansive. It was energizing to my own creative practice, and I think they taught me as much as I hopefully taught them. It's a new hat I am proud to wear.

Man Ray - Photogram - 1941

Leaping into the not so certain future...

Photographs by Laura Brent

Last night's closing reception of SKY HIGH was a successful ending to an enjoyable exhibition, although a tad bittersweet. The three month exhibition netted me my best sales period in the history of the gallery. The cloud photographing continues, however, as I plan to continue this documentary project for an entire year, capturing all seasons of skies, to complete the project of cataloging these transient objects. The future form the work may take is undetermined, but will offer opportunities for a reappearance in the future.

So what is next for Valhall Arts? This is a question that is a bit up in the air. The past status quo changed a few months ago with the sale of the historic Post Office building to a new owner. Luckily this means that many of the 'ten year past their useful life' mechanical HVAC units in the building are going to be replaced. A much need upgrade of the building will occur, and I hope this creates a new liveliness. How these changes will affect the spirit of the building remains to be seen.

There has been lighthearted talk of 'ghosts' in the building, and the entire Oak Street plaza area was once a graveyard, home to civil war casualties and honored soldiers. (although the bodies were probably moved...more research needed.*) Could it be the tainted soil which is beneath us that causes the lackluster energy? or is it the stagnant art community that pervades the area? Of the several artists that rent spaces in the building, some have decided to use this change as an impetus to move on to new adventures. Others are still debating what to do, considering possible studio trades, and/or re-locations within the building. The trouble of finding a concrete solution is compounded by the lack of information coming from the new landlords. There is gossip about other non-art tenants coming in, (possibly a restaurant), rent raises, and proposed remodeling.  It is hard to make a decision without all the facts, so I am in a 'wait and see' period of stagnation.

All this instability in the structure of my work space has distracted me from really creating any quality substantial work. I have been playing in the darkroom a bit, making photo-grams, and printing some older shots, but it has been far too long since I have used my pinhole cameras and I am lacking a clear direction of where I want my work to go. In the forefront, at this time, must be the marketing of my recent projects to other galleries in major art cities.(Santa Fe, NYC, Chicago, LA) Although I am grateful for the 2% of my local audience that appreciates my work,  I must expand my audience to reach more of those who it is intended for, the 'literati' of contemporary art, as it may be. As such, Valhall Arts, the gallery, will take a back seat. What the new year holds will be determined when it gets here.

*planning a trip to the new Fort Collins Museum of Discovery historic archive!

SKY HIGH

SKY HIGH ~ Artist's reception December 7, 2012, 6-9 pm

“The clouds were there for everyone.” -Alfred Stieglitz

“The photo can optically replace its object to a certain degree. This takes on special meaning if the object cannot be preserved.” –Bernd and Hilla Becher

SKY HIGH is an exhibition about beauty. The presentation is a typology of skyscapes. The photographs, a catalogue of our skies, document the variety of shapes, forms, colors, and textures, seen in the clouds above us. Each viewer sees a unique picture, the personal experiences and histories affecting the truth of what the viewer sees. The collection, and its presentation, is founded on historical precedents.

The subject of clouds was much studied by one of photography’s, and American Modernism’s, pioneer, Alfred Stieglitz.  His series, ‘Equivalents”, was produced later in his career, (most were made between 1925-1935) and were purely lyrical abstractions, intended to function evocatively, to elicit emotions in the viewer. The photograph is a metaphor, the cloud shown in the picture, is more than the ‘thing’ pictured, but primarily a ‘function’, a device, to generate a feeling in the viewer. (Equivalence: The Perennial Trend. Minor White, PSA Journal, Vol. 29, No. 7, pp. 17-21, 1963)

1923. Gelatin silver print, 4 5/8 x 3 5/8" (11.8 x 9.2 cm). Alfred Stieglitz Collection. Gift of Georgia O'Keeffe. Held in collection at The Museum of Modern Art, New York

Bernd and Hilla Becher were married German photographers who catalogued the existence of many industrial buildings, and other architecturally interesting structures, and presented them in the grid form. Their motivation was to create an historical record of this "nomadic architecture which had a comparatively short life -maybe 100 years, often less, then they disappear. It seemed important to keep them in some way and photography seemed the most appropriate way to do that." (quote by Bernd Becher)

Bernd and Hilla Becker, Installation view

What is more transient than the ever-changing vista above our heads? How often are you aware of the beauty above? If we take the time to look, the beauty is there for everyone. Remember to notice, and do not lose this treasure, the ability to find beauty.

Exhibition featured at Valhall Arts, please visit the website for more details. 

Soundscapes selected by Chris Reider,  ambient sounds and experimental music, all part of creative commons, and free for anyone.

Photograph by Laura Brent, 2012

SKY HIGH, 28 Photographs by Laura Brent, installation view

Clouds, Stieglitz and O'Keeffe

Over the last few months, I have been working on a new digital project, photographing clouds, evocative of Alfred Stieglitz's "Equivalents". At first, when I saw these Stieglitz photographs, I did not find them as interesting as his earlier works. They seemed so empty of any 'big' ideas, and I thought perhaps they were byproducts of his advanced age, an indication that he was going 'soft in the head' producing these saccharine images. With more research however, I discovered that his motivation for this project was a desire to do something 'hard', to test his knowledge and mastery of photography. They were first presented in 1923 as "Music: a sequence of 10 cloud photographs", later "Songs of the Sky", and in 1925 he started to use the term "Equivalents".  Stieglitz stated that these pictures were the equivalent of certain human emotions, documents of eternal relationships, perhaps even philosophies. They were lyrical abstractions and he would turn or flip them as needed in their presentation to express the emotion he was portraying. He went on to say that essentially, all his photographs were 'equivalents'.

Alfred Stieglitz: Equivalent (Set H, Print 1), 1923; gelatin silver print; 4 5/8 x 3 5/8 in.; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Alfred Stieglitz Collection

I have come to see them as expressions of his happiness, passion and love for/with Georgia O'Keeffe. There has been much discussion on this famous art world love story, and I firmly believe that O'Keeffe, with her sensual relation to the natural world, impacted him to move his work in this direction.  There is a particular painting of hers that was produced around the same time as these photographs by Stieglitz, and the similarities are striking.

A Celebration, 1924. Oil on canvas. Georgia O'Keeffe American, 1887-1986 34 7/8 x 18 in. (88.6 x 45.7 cm) 36 1/4 x 19 3/8 (92.1 x 49.2 cm)  in the permenant collection of Seattle Art Museum

Alfred Stieglitz, Equivalent, 1924 - 192

"I was told yesterday that I seemed to be faraway all the time yet seemingly in contact with all that's here. I had to laugh. When one is playing with the clouds & one's best part is far so faraway - near the endless sea - one cannot be entirely amongst those who know little about clouds - little about sea - "

" - I still continue to learn - There is so much to learn. - Not in the ordinary sense - not the knowledge talked of & which it is said one should have - but a learning about something which very few seem to know much about - "

Alfred Stieglitz, in a letter to Georgia O'Keeffe, (Lake George, NY, September 25, 1923)

From "My Faraway One", Selected Letters of Georgia O'Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz, Volume 1, 1915-1933, edited by Sarah Greenough, Yale University Press, 2011.

Other references: "Equivalence: The Perennial Trend", Minor White, PSA Journal, Vol. 29, No. 7, pp. 17-21, 1963