Re: The Current State of Art and its Writing in Victoria by Brian Grison

Too many possible areas for further conversation have been suggested.   Too many of these issues require further examination, sans ego.  I would like to focus on the responsibility art writers have to promote and uphold professionalism in the art community.
It seems to me that the question of what constitutes quality in art becomes needlessly blurred with what constitutes professionalism in art.  Evaluation of quality should reasonably be a reflection of the professionalism, amateurism or student nature of the work being produced.  It would not be fair (or useful) to evaluate the progress or accomplishments of the beginning/student pianist using the same criteria for a professional concert pianist of thirty years.  By the same token, comparing a twenty year, beer-league hockey player with a promising first round NHL draft pick is inappropriate at best and at insulting at worst (likely to both parties).
In many other vocations, professionalism is clearly identifiable – the professional athlete is readily separated from the amateur or enthusiast as is the professional biologist from the avid naturalist, the historian from the history buff and the professional musician from the recreational guitarist.  In most cases, education/training is a primary attribute separating amateur from professional – however, intent and ambition play as much or perhaps more of a role in distinguishing the achievements and contributions of the professional.  True, there are (very) rare exceptions in which the achievements of the student or amateur transcend the gulf separating the enthusiast from the professional.  The popularity of “American Idol” type entertainment seems to point to our collective need to embrace this mythology.  However, focusing on these rarities is distracting and helps to perpetuate the fairytale of the ‘overnight sensation’ or the ‘undiscovered talent’ and unfortunately helps to overlook the years of study, dedicated work and perseverance that more typically accompanies genuine success and professionalism.
In our little community, saturated as we are with amateurs and enthusiasts, those who are tasked with writing about art need to be clear about their purpose.  If their purpose is to support discussion, promote interest and spark debate about accomplished art and our professional artists (and yes, there are some) then we all benefit from an elevated discourse, sincere examination and improved appreciation of the visual arts in our community.  However, if those who write about art continue to promote amateur artists (arguably the very act of writing about amateur artists is in itself a form of promotion) as if they warranted professional consideration, the deeper our collective awareness and appreciation of legitimate, professional work sinks into the murk and mire of mediocrity.  It is up to our writers therefore, not only to be able to distinguish between the accomplishments of the professional verses the amateur, but to rigorously promote criticism and debate about the quality, nature and direction of the visual arts in Victoria.
It seems to me that amateur enthusiasm could be a fantastic vehicle for growth and support of an arts community.  Critical mass is needed for sustained vitality in any aspect of the arts and even though our population certainly comes no where near that of a major art metropolis like London or New York, the generally high level of local interest in visual expression could potentially be refocused in support of our best and brightest – I like to believe this in my most optimistic moments.  Unfortunately, it also seems to me that ego is likely an unconquerable deterrent to this possibility.  How many amateur artist statements begin with “so and so has been a practicing artist/painter/sculptor for however many years” not as an indication of time pursuing their given hobby but as a means of falsely legitimizing their work as professional?  Imagine how many amateurs, after years of amateur ambitions and accomplishments, would happily concede the title of ‘artist’ to the professionals and furthermore value (in all the implied meanings of this word) truly accomplished work over their own?  I am willing to bet not many.
To continue the conversation then, sincere writers about art in Victoria are then left with a difficult task – how to convince a readership largely predicated on amateurism that not only is professionalism a thing to be valued in the visual arts but also entirely distinguishable from enthusiast, amateur or student work.  I would be very happy to see more examples of writing which provide supportive details and thoughtful examples of how professional quality work and art practice distinguishes itself and should therefore be valued.  I would also be very pleased to see more rigorous criticism of work which claims to be of a professional quality yet perhaps falls short of that ambition.  As a secondary art instructor, I am very clear about my expectation that students approach their work in exactly that light – they are ‘art students’ not yet (likely never will be) artists and should be allowed to make mistakes, celebrate small achievements, critically evaluate their development and look for potential future areas of progress in otherwise imperfect work.  I feel fortunate that the majority of young people I work with have not yet established an ego which prevents them from having the ambition to improve or perhaps prevents them from recognizing the limitations of their own interests in pursuing visual arts.  For the few that do already carry the spirit of amateurism with them, those who respond to guidance or criticism with “…but I like it like that” I frequently offer the following response:
“You may also like McDonalds, but that doesn’t make it good food.”
Writers in Victoria need to focus on the fine cuisine offered by the professionals in our community and to justify for us why it is not only worth appreciating and indulging in but essential and necessary to our collective culture.  We’ve already got enough people that eat at McDonalds.
Andre Gogol
Dec. 31, 2010

Re: The Current State of Art and its Writing in Victoria by Brian Grison

If the objective is to stimulate productive discussion on art, art writing and art education, it would have been helpful to state clearly what is (are) the standard(s) against which to judge Victoria's situation. Then folks could either agree/disagree with the standards, or whether the facts about Victoria are correct.

 My understand the author thinks there is something called "good art," whose exercise is possible only in a few cultural centres, and which can only be fully understood by artists or persons with degrees in art history. Victoria is provincial, and so by definition its "artists" are unsophisticated amateurs who make art for pleasure, even if some also sell some pictures to other provincials. Art writers and art schools cater to this provincial clientele.

But wait. What is "good art?" And who says? and why? and when? (Consider the pompiers. Or the socialist realists. Or, more controversially, the group of 7. Were they "good?" Who said so? Why? Do we still say so?)

 By all means, let's discuss the Victoria art scene. But to do so, we need a starting point which, unlike this article, is more than a potpourri of pejorative remarks, interlarded with name dropping. 

Frank Mitchell

1 comments:

Philip Willey said...

I don’t think any one person can tell you what is good and what is bad in art. It’s too subjective. It’s a historical process arrived at by selection and consensus that decides what is forgettable and what is great. With contemporary art it’s more a question of getting work into certain galleries Gagosian, White Cube, Sonnabend, being written about in certain magazines, or bought by certain collectors i.e. Charles Saatchi. Achieving this is difficult for artists living far from certain urban art centers. I do think there is a difference between major and minor art. This can be a question of subject matter, theme, originality or eye-catching technique. Or it can depend on things like promotion or the level of an individual artist’s ambition. Victoria attracts people who just want to live somewhere nice and paint pictures. Nothing wrong with that but that’s what makes it provincial. Mediocre? Maybe but there is plenty of mediocre work in New York and London too. I thought Brian said a lot of things that needed saying in his article. I doubt if it will result in any major changes but perhaps he’ll write another one pointing a way forward.

Re: The Current State of Art and its Writing in Victoria by Brian Grison

If the objective is to stimulate productive discussion on art, art writing and art education, it would have been helpful to state clearly what is (are) the standard(s) against which to judge Victoria's situation. Then folks could either agree/disagree with the standards, or whether the facts about Victoria are correct.

 My understand the author thinks there is something called "good art," whose exercise is possible only in a few cultural centres, and which can only be fully understood by artists or persons with degrees in art history. Victoria is provincial, and so by definition its "artists" are unsophisticated amateurs who make art for pleasure, even if some also sell some pictures to other provincials. Art writers and art schools cater to this provincial clientele.

But wait. What is "good art?" And who says? and why? and when? (Consider the pompiers. Or the socialist realists. Or, more controversially, the group of 7. Were they "good?" Who said so? Why? Do we still say so?)

 By all means, let's discuss the Victoria art scene. But to do so, we need a starting point which, unlike this article, is more than a potpourri of pejorative remarks, interlarded with name dropping. 

Frank Mitchell

christine clark said...

It's true that without specifics this article reads as slightly irrational. To whom are you referring? Are you suggesting that all the artists, writers, instructors and galleries in Victoria are provincial and mediocre? If you have something to say, you better quit pulling your punches. It will make for a more convincing argument and possibly even an interesting discussion. Pugilistically, Christine

Philip Willey said...

Wow....you really stuck your neck out. It's refreshing to read something like that and I agree with a lot of it. On the other hand I think a lot of people/artists move to Victoria to get away from all the hype and hoopla. Hopefully you can find a balance between escapism and the desire for recognition. I wish you the best of luck.

roygreenart said...

well done Brian...I agree with everything you say...sometimes all Mr. Amos does is quote the press release for the show without offering any opinion about it, ie. the recent Martin Golland exhibit...easy tepid images of lazy flowers,scenic pictures of boats or quaint domiciles and abstraction that is only about 60 years behind the times are prevalent in our fair town...the majority of painters in our bucolic center of somnambulism want to create pictures rather than paintings... I miss your articles in Focus and I look forward to your postings...

Wendy Welch said...

Its quite astonishing to read an article that does an such an excellent job of integrating self-aggrandizement with self-righteousness. Add a little content to this and you might have something of sustenance.

howboy said...

I'll send along by email the longer comments I just posted and were not accepted because, evidently, there's a word limit on comments. Dang. But let me say here, good analysis Brian, but let's not throw the baby with the bathwater. Everything is changing and Victoria is as likely a place as any to be engaged with that change, possibly better. - Rob from ReadingArt.ca

Brandy Saturley said...

There are several magazines that publish articles on art in Victoria, but none of them are 'art' magazines, I think that is the issue. I think the only Canadian art magazines that I have actually purchased or choose to puruse are Canadian Art and Whitehot Magazine. Victoria is a more 'crafty' art group and Victoria art fairs are more like 'flea markets' than art shows. Even the Moss Stret Paint-In, which I have exhibited in, is mostly a glorified flea market. We are very remote and far away from the serious art of the world. I love living in Victoria and have a great respect for the community, I am second generation Victorian artist, but I spend most of my time educating myself on art in the major art centres and traveling as much as I can. I still cannot bring myself to move away from this beautiful place and do belive it is possible to be a respected, successful, serious artist living in Victoria as long as you regularily travel and experience art elsewhere and in places that have a deeper art history than North America.

John Luna said...

I do find these comments very general, and this is disappointing. It's not revelatory (nor was it ten, or even fifteen years ago) to broadly indicate the perpetuation of mediocrity in art exhibition, education and critical reception in Victoria if you will not attend to the exceptions. I look forward to a closer reading in the future.

john luna said...

In the last month, Jessica Berlanga Taylor's imaginative catalogue essay for Daniel Laskarin appeared in print, Debora Alanna wrote an erudite and impressionistic review of Shannon Scanlan for Exhibit-V, Christine Clark managed to be both disarming and sharp in many of her observations on Laskarin (also in this forum), Vanessa Annand offered an engaged, experiential review of Wunder Worry in the Martlet, and I wrote a perfunctory but adequate review of d.bradley muir's exhibition at the Nanaimo Art Gallery for Border Crossings. I would argue that criticism is in fact experiencing a groundswell in Victoria just now, but not at the hands of self-declared authorities. I am concerned that if you don't evince attention to the ongoing progress of your practice, you will risk being perceived a reactionary. I don't recall seeing you at either of the talks about art criticism recently hosted by Open Space, but hopefully you'll be attending Robert Enright's talk this January. In the meantime, I look forward to the dialogue that might take place here, and encourage the rest of you (you know who you are) to weigh in critically and conscientiously.

Re: The Current State of Art and its Writing in Victoria by Brian Grison

Dear Brian,

Tourism, geography, retirement and amateurism. This a great set of categories to address questions about art criticism and art. Not the only ones but interesting ones for sure. Let me deal with them in order.

Tourism: We are all cultural tourists at this point, spectators to the global "show" being staged by the Saatchis and Gagosians of the world art market. Consider Nuit Blanche, for example, whch in Toronto attracts almost a million people over one 12 hour period to view contemporary art. There is no real public engagement; it's a big party. But, on the other hand, it's a very big party. More people are seeing more art of arguably better quality than we have witnessed in over 50 years, possibly ever. That means something, it's just to early to tell what exactly. So Victoria is not particularly exceptional if the art tends toward the tourism trade. Take it to be symbolic of a general cultural trend, not an end point, possibly a beginning.

Geography: Everyone has incredible access to information today. For art education, it does not matter where you are. Of course it's a different story for production and connections and exhibiting, but practically there's no reason an artist in Victoria cannot be working at the same level as anyone in New York, London or Berlin. In fact, I believe this is reflected in the quality of work of younger artists coming out of the art schools. They will never get New York style attention living in Victoria or Lethbridge or Brandon or Fredericton but a lot of smart, well informed artists are coming out of the art schools and producing work informed by the prevailing global ideas and styles. Whether that art is good or bad is a different question.

Retirement: Victoria is quite possibly at the cutting edge of what will be Euro-North American phenomenon in the coming two or three decades as the baby boom hits the proverbial wall. It may look like Sunday painting right now, but as those boomers see their ever shortening horizon, and absent pension funds, they're going to get busy. Creativity, DIY, innovation will all be part of the last ditch effort to survive and to make, finally, some kind of difference. It underestimates this "aging" population to think they are not as bored as you are by flower painting. It's just that nobody has yet presented them with anything they can sink their gums into:)

Amateurism: This is the most interesting and difficult of your categories. Depending on which pundit you follow, we are either in a period of unprecedented "dumbing down," or of unprecedented creative opportunity. I favour the latter view because art has over the past 30 years become extremely professionalized. It has not broadened and become more inclusive (except as spectacle) even though those were values championed in the 60s and 70s, manifested in myriad critical kinds of art practices. I refuse to believe that those artists were just playing a game of critique or that they eventually "sold out." Seeds were planted then that are sprouting only now. It's time to start looking for art where you least expect it. And that goes for artists as well as critics.

So, what else? You're obviously seriously interested in debate and upping the ante as it were. If it's not too presumptuous of me, I'd suggest you hook up with the folks at Open Space and the Art Gallery of Greater VIctoria and the Maltwood, and maybe even get some of those smarty pants across the Straight over at Filip involved, to get this topic into some kind of public forum. You  just might find a lot of people in the Victoria community to be more interested, possibly even desperate, for something of substance like that. Marketing of course is key today, so find a sponsor, a bank preferably:)

And finally, it's hard today not just to find good criticism and also to write it, but more, to find good readers. Believe me, I'm trying. Drop by my blog, http://www.readingart.ca/blog/. Leave a comment. Please.

Write on!

Rob Labossiere

Toronto

www.readingart.ca

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