Snowmass Rodeo

Blurry Pictures: Lens Edition. Full moon, June 2, 2015

Experimental photographs made during the full moon by Laura Cofrin. 

Camera as paintbrush.

State of the Arts: Fort Collins

Alternate title: Still Nothing There. (Part Two)
Naming no names.

Flying over a flyover state.

My lack of interest in this blog is a good indicator of my opinions of the current state of the arts in ole Fort Collins. All too often, the community's lack luster reception of contemporary art makes it a frustrating and unrewarding experience for the artist. (At least for this artist - I speak for myself only.) The avant-garde is shunned, any artwork that is too unusual, too challenging, or different, is scoffed at, or worse, ignored. There is a serious lack of critical thinking on art, and a total lack of good dialogue going on in this town. Luckily, there IS some great work coming out of the region, there are many great artists in this town, and a few fabulous galleries. It's the reception of the art works, the faked interest, that undermines my efforts to expand my communications with my local audience. Why bother? There is nothing, or rather, no one there.

Further proving my point was the hype around the hiring of a new 'arts and entertainment' writer at our local paper. This has again proven to be a disappointment. This writer's youth, (evidenced by her twitter TL) and her lack of knowledge in the arts, (probably due to a lack of education in the area) is obvious in her writing.  It is a lack of respect for the discipline, knowing what it is to be an artist, how art is made and what makes a good gallery/museum/exhibition.  The in-ability to articulate well to the reading public, to contribute meaningful dialogue to the discourse of contemporary art, is a dis-service to the reading public, and has only managed to maintain the "blah", status quo of Fort Collins' art scene.

Photo by Alex Kuznetsov, http://www.calgarygemshow.com/2012/02/nothing-rock-shop/

I have not completely lost hope, however. Nothing motivates me more than a challenge. I do have high hopes for the Fort Collins Museum of Art with the hiring of a new executive director. Patience will be needed however, as it will take several years to see the changes in the exhibitions. Other bright spots in our local art scene include the growing group of artists active in promoting a vibrant art scene. It is not an over intellectualized state of mind that I am craving, rather a curious disposition, a mind full of wonder and a spirit engaged in raising the bar, expanding ideas, and through these interactions gaining a greater understanding of one's self, one's community and the world.

"Somewhere over the Rainbow" photo by Laura Cofrin, 2014

To see the previous post regarding my ongoing struggle with the local art scene,
please click here.

Unsettled Landscapes, a new take on the biennial at SITE Santa Fe

I had the great experience of attending the opening festivities of the new biennial at SITE Santa Fe. This was a "radical rethinking" of the biennial model, and a rebirth for the show after a 4 year hiatus. The process of re-evaluating the biennial model was instigated with Irene Hoffman's arrival in 2010 as the new director and chief curator at SITE. With this change in leadership, there was a critical re-evaluation of the institution, and the concenus was that a change was needed in the biennial exhibition. There have been umpteen other biennials that have sprung up around the globe since the first Biennial show at SITE in 1995, and these shows have become just another venue for the commoditification of the arts. SITE's leaders wanted to find a way to create a more sustained engagement, a more art (and artist) centric, engaged platform, a furthering of research in the creative arts of our times. It was a collaborative curation, with the involvement of Janet Dees (SITE Curator of Special Projects), and two other guest curators, Candice Hopkins (from Canada) and Lucia Sanroman (from Mexico). The idea of focusing on the Western Hemisphere was hatched and the ideas for the show percolated from the artworks.  The structure of the biennial was changed into a six year process, a tri-biennial, if you will, with the next three exhibits over six years exploring the ideas behind the new title, "SITELINES; New Perspectives on Art in the Americas".
This year's theme, "Unsettled Landscapes" came from the artists' ideas, and the works, and it became apparent after much discussion and dialogue with experts and other consultants that there was a a changing idea about landscape. "Landscape is not neutral", Hopkins says, and the idea of "landscape as a form of alibi" was raised by Sanroman. There are many political and social ideas in our perceptions of landscape, including occluded histories, native issues and ongoing imperialist and colonialist issues. The curators did not want the show to be yet another colonialist gesture, and much "deep time" was spent with the works, the show and the place. This slow contemplation is balanced with the current state of urgency that is needed in the arts in all parts of the Americas. There currently may be inclusion in the art world for many artists coming from non-traditional locations, but there still needs to be an equalization across the board, an up-ending to conventions and an unsettling of ideas. This will bring the arts into the future. It's an Unsettled Landscape for sure.

Fort Collins Studio Tour - Part II

Non-Object Art

I am so happy to be sharing a studio space with Loretta Cummings. She is an artist who works conceptually. "Use attention, perception and time as your art materials and the world becomes your studio," she has said. Her gallery is often found on Twitter, or nowhere, or in her own presence during the action, a moment made art, through its ritualized recognition of the action.

I remember when I met Loretta. She and I both were students of Jennie Kiessling, an amazing Front Range Community College teacher. We were enrolled in a summer session of an art appreciation class exploring contemporary art. It was a fun learning experience, with an energized group of folks, and involved much traveling around our regional area on field trips seeing lots of great art. There was much discussion about the works of contemporary artists, including Piplotti Rist, Bill Viola, Marina Abramovic, Cindy Sherman, among others. This was my first time experiencing many of these artists, and what I learned in this class still impacts my work today.

After the class was over, there was a group of us that continued to meet. Our discussions, and museum and gallery field trips were just too enjoyable to discontinue. To this day, they are my biggest resource for support and inspiration in my art practice. They are my critique group, my educational resource, and my back up. I can count on this small group of fellow artists to keep me on the right path.

I remember very clearly the first group critque session we had after the class. This is something that can be difficult to find once an artist leaves the educational institution. A good critical discussion about the work is needed if an artist is to grow and expand in their work. Needless to say, seeing Loretta's work for the first time blew my mind. (See her piece she shared with us, "Post Cleaning Me - 7 hours of not cleaning" below.)She was working in such a way that I had rarely experienced in the past. Her ideas are the work, her actions its manifestation. The objects created, or documents of the project are secondary bi-products of the work - NOT the work. This was totally new to me, but I was intrigued. I too, have my reservatons about making objects to sell. Art as commodity is not really what I am interested in. To create work and sell the work for large dollars is not why I am an artist. The art market is daft, as I have said before, and I am not very interested in it as a creator. It is the creative gesture, the expresive actions that motivate me to return to the studio.

For the Studio Tour, Loretta will be performing a new work that involves the audience, a decision and a documentation. Intrigued? This will be an opportunity to actively participate in an art work's creation, to become the medium, and express your ideas in the action. Where do your values lie? What do you value more, experiences or acquisitions? It is sure to be a sweet or rewarding experience, so stop in to our studio to experience her art for yourself. Don't delay, supplies are limited. (Download the map from the Lincoln Center website.)

Post-cleaning me – 7 hours of not cleaning

 Loretta Cummings

In this artwork I spent consecutive 7 hours not cleaning anything. From 10am to 5pm I did not pick up after anyone, even myself. I did no scrubbing, sweeping, vacuuming, ironing, washing, bill paying, or financial organizing. I did not play support services to any family member.  If the phone rang and I thought that my help would be requested I did not answer it.

I wanted to induce helper mentality deprivation in myself.  What would happen if I allowed myself the sheer luxury of not feeling compelled to help anyone for a short period of time? How would I feel if I forced myself to drop that sense of “obligation to help” that defines how I unconsciously think of myself, what I regard as my reason for being here on the planet. This sense of obligation has been part of my life forever.  Every moment of every day I scan to see what I can do to make life run more smoothly for those around me. Not doing this requires minute by minute resistances to my habitual reactions to what I observe.

How would I really feel if this obligation suddenly disappeared? Empty? Worthless? Purposeless? Would I begin to scan for something different instead? How would I use my time? Was 7 hours enough to even get a sense of this? What if I could really live a life in which I felt more empowered to act on my own ideas and less obligated to take care of the needs of those around me? In my life (my perception of it anyway) everyone needs my help all the time and it is simply easier to take care of all those needs rather than doing my work. What if I gave myself the gift of all the time I wanted to pursue the ideas I have?

This is an on-going artwork that I intend to remake often.

Resistances

·       I noted that the toilet was developing a pink ring. I did not clean it.

·       After I ate a slice of toast I placed my plate in the sink. I did not load it into the dishwasher.

·       I noted that the bathroom sink was dirty with drying toothpaste caked on it. I did not clean it.

·       I noted that the bird feeder was empty. I did not fill it.

·       I noted that the cat was begging for a treat. I did not give him one.

·       When it crossed my mind, I did not go online to look at Christmas presents for anyone.

·       I made a pot of tea but I did not offer any to anyone else.

·       I saw that the plants in the kitchen needed watering and trimming. I did not do this.

·       I noted the kitchen floor was full of cat hair. I did not sweep it.

·       I noted the kitchen counter was covered with crumbs of toast. I did not wipe it.

·       I noted there were tea bags in the sink. I did not put them in the compost bucket.

·       There were two phone calls I needed to make to arrange appointments for others. I did not make them.

·       I noted the frames on the pictures in the front room very dusty. I did not clean them.

·       I noted that Mick’s gloves and keys were misplaced. I did not move them.

·       I remembered I needed to make a grocery shopping list but I did not do this.

·       I wanted to make crackers because we didn’t have any but I did not.

·       I noted that our bed was not made. I did not make it.

·       I noted the cheeseboard was left on the kitchen counter. I did not put it away.

·       Our dog was whining. I did not feed him.

·       I noted that the toilet seat on the downstairs toilet was loose. I did not fix it.

·       I heard the doorbell ring. I did not go to see who had arrived.

·       I was worried about my children but I did not call them.

·       I noted that the bathtub was dirty and the shower stall was covered with soap scum. I did not clean it.

·       I heard people downstairs. I did not check to see who it was.

·       I noted that drawers and cupboards were open in the kitchen. I did not close them.

·       The phone rang and Mick answered it. I did not check to see who it was.

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

Sage and Sky

Sage and Sky, pinhole photograph by Laura Brent, 2013

Summer is a time for traveling, and long road trips are the perfect opportunity for uninterrupted thoughts. The southwest is the perfect location for these wanderings, with its brilliant light and expansive air. I feel refreshed and energized having recently returned from those magic desert places. The ideas, mulled over with the miles, have incubated and are ready to come forth through new works.

Road Trip, pinhole photograph by Laura Brent, 2013

 The journey is long, an unending path. The quest - for beauty - in the eye, the mind, and the heart.

American Beauty, pinhole photograph by Laura Brent, 2013

 "To calculate on the unforeseen is perhaps exactly the paradoxical operation that life most requires of us."
"...one does not get lost but loses oneself, with the implication that it is a conscious choice, a chosen surrender, a psychic state achievable through geography"
          - Rebecca Solnit, A Field Guide to Getting Lost

Tommy Knocker Trail, pinhole photograph by Laura Brent, 2013

Why wander? Will the destination offer up a respite? What discovery will come from an aimless ambling? Looking for the happy happenstance, the quirky coincidence, the surprise prize. What spirits are leading the way? How well do you know them? If you are aware, you can almost see them. And remember, at the end, we all become the dirt of the roads, forever left in the rear-view mirror of life. I plan on leaving something behind.

Transfer of spaces, objects, ideas,

Laura Brent, untitled photo-gram,2011

A time of change brings with it a great opportunity to move in a new direction, and with a stronger intent. The work that will come from this transition will be interesting to see, I am excited to witness its unfolding. The new location adds the ability to work without distraction or intrusion. The security that comes from this will bring an adventurous spirit to the creative work. The timing of this beginning, its happening in company with my audience during the studio tour, will forge a deeper connection with the work. My dedication to 'getting it right' is bolstered in these actions.

With these ideas I forge ahead into the next big event, the Fort Collins Lincoln Center annual Studio Tour. I participated in the tour many years ago, when it was organized by the art museum, and it was not a great experience for me. It was not a particularly high point of my career. I was still learning. This year, already, has been a great experience. Partnering with Jennifer Davey has kept my spirits up, and we encourage and challenge each other to make it an enriching event for our audience. We are offering a special chance for collectors to forge a deeper connection with artists, an opportunity to witness the creative processes. We want to draw the viewer into our experiences. We will each offer something for the visitor to do, a chance to be an artist with us, and create something unique to themselves.
The studio tour is June 22 and 23, from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm each day.
The exhibition featuring one work from every participating artist, opens June 14th with a reception from 5-7 pm at the Fort Collins Lincoln Center Gallery. The exhibition continues through June 29th. Gallery hours are Tuesday - Friday, 10-6 and Saturdays 12-6. There will be extended gallery hours during the tour, June 22 and June 23, 10-6.

...a reflective look back.

American Beauty

Valhall Arts has come a long way in its last 5 years of existence. Like a toddler, there were the awkward moments, and mistakes, but overall it has been a fun and successful run. The growth of my photography has only begun, and I feel like a child exploring, as I make my way forward in my practice.

With the probability that the current situation is coming to an end, this month I offer a Retrospective, opening Friday May 3rd, 6-9 pm. The exhibit offers a look back at past exhibitions, and the opportunity to see the progression of my work. The gallery began with straighforward photographic exhibitions, showing the work I did while talking classes at Front Range Community College. I had good luck with the fact that the local educational institution was home to some world class instructors, and my passion for photography and the arts was ignited.

Even as I opened my first few shows, I knew I would grow tired of the standard presentation of photographs presented under glass with white mats in black or white frames. From the very beginning I was more interested in experimenting with the medium, expanding the ideas of what a photograph could look like and how a photography exhibition could be presented. I was interested in engaging my audience, really inspiring them to interact with the art works, bringing in relational aesthetics, and other contemporary practices into my projects.

Come see the transitions and changes that occurred over the five plus years at Valhall Arts.
More details and images can be found on my website, http://www.valhallarts.com.

Thanks! Hope to see you at the receptions May 3rd and June 7th,
                                                                                         ~Laura Brent

New site for my pinhole photographs

Sunrise Over Hernandez, Laura Brent

As a way to streamline the viewing of my pinhole photographs, I have created a new website.
Visit laurabrent.org to see them in all their glory.  Please take a look and let me know what you think.

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

Duchamp, nothing and an already made artwork

Every summer, I take time off from the gallery life, and take a sabatical from the exhibitions at Valhall Arts.  Instead, I leave behind something for my visitors to see.  Something that is nothing.

Last summer it was an installed hole in the ground, dug in the middle of the gallery, an obvious falsity, (and Andy Goldsworthy reference)

I presented it as a joke, but also a truth.  The title, The Artist is not Present, was a direct reference to Marina Abramovic's performance (that I went to see) at the MoMA, and the shovel left in the space as a nod to Marcel Duchamp (specifically his "In Advance of the Broken arm"). The multiple choice question didactic was a way to playfully engage the audience, while dropping clues to some of my favorite popular cultural ephemera, as well as a statement of my feelings toward the reception of my artwork by my local audience. It's a construction of an environment, one that the audience was excluded from (only able to look through the window in the closed and locked door), using common objects, symbols, and cliched ideas.

This year I have installed something along this vein, however at the this point in my work, I have reached a state of utter disregard for my local audience. I feel like after the 4 years that Valhall Arts has been open, I have taken them as far as they are willing to go in regards to viewing and thinking about contemporary art. Their responses are baffling and frustrating, and mind blowing in their ineptitude. I am instead focusing on my ideas, my work, and marketing it to a broader audience, beyond my neighborhood, hopefully for viewers who care to take the time to understand it. This situation could be considered a brief re-enactment, an homage of sorts, to Duchamp and his behavior at the end of his career when he stated that he was no longer going to make any more art, and instead, just play chess. (Image below is Duchamp's window display for Andre Breton's  Arcane 17 at the Gotham Book Mart, 1945)

Time would reveal that this was a sort of performance art in itself, as Duchamp was busy for many years creating his final grand artistic gesture. (The creation of Etant donnes -- link via ToutFait.com, is to an animation by Robert Slawinski, and involves the five following unaltered works by Duchamp in the order in which they are listed below:

Window Display for Andre Breton's Le Surrealisme et la Peinture, 1945
Given: Maria, the Waterfall, and the Illuminating Gas, 1947
Study for Given: 1. The Waterfall / 2. The Illuminating Gas, 1947
The Illuminating Gas and the Waterfall, 1948-49
Given: 1. The Waterfall / 2. The Illuminating Gas, 1946-1966)

I want to leave my audience to wonder where I've gone, as I go out into the world to enjoy all it has to offer. I leave them only a tiny clue, easily overlooked, a QR code to scan, itself a bizarre object unique to our contemporary digital culture. I wave a fond farewell, as I bid them  to "piss off!".  To those curious few who make the effort (and have the smart phone ability) to scan the code, a surprise. See what it will bring? Yep, "Nothing Here."