Written in response
to “A Brooklyn Storefront Hid an Artist’s
Decades of Work,” (http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/04/26/nyregion/creating-art-in-the-shadows.html) on behalf of myriad New York City artists who do anything BUT hide
their work, but nevertheless are largely unknown to your readers.
As the life
partner of Mark Wiener, an artist we lost in September 2012, I have been
struggling to find a way to keep his work alive and before the public, as well
as simply pay to safely store it until it is placed.
Mark never owned
a building in Brooklyn or had a home in Westport, he also never shunned or
feared the art community, and certainly never threw an object at someone else’s
painting. He cared about his art and other artists, used his journalistic
experience to support deserving work, and kept his Chelsea studio (it was at
551 West 21st, you covered story of it’s impending demolition and
re-development in 2012. Mark also appeared in the year’s
end online edition of “The Lives They Loved” as submitted by Giandomenica
Becchio) open to all and had amazing experiences, ranging from surprise major
sales to a little girl leaping from found object to object over the paint and
ink and water on top of a mural he was staining with its first layers.
His story is
that of a man filled with gratitude and joy for what he had, his work, his
friends and colleagues, the visual culture of New York City, rather than given
to ruminating over what had not yet arrived. His character was documented by
Peter Frank http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-frank/in-memoriam_2_b_1948526.html -- quoting --
“One can only hope that Mark Wiener's spiritual legacy, the early-SoHo legacy of the on-the-ground artists' community, can endure and flourish in his beloved New York. We don't want Mark's sub-species, the Public Artist Character, to vanish with him.”
He did not fit the mold of the irascible, inhumane artist living under the dark cloud of his own discontent, but nevertheless he created strong and meaningful paintings, as do so many others who have no time for brooding and drama.
“One can only hope that Mark Wiener's spiritual legacy, the early-SoHo legacy of the on-the-ground artists' community, can endure and flourish in his beloved New York. We don't want Mark's sub-species, the Public Artist Character, to vanish with him.”
He did not fit the mold of the irascible, inhumane artist living under the dark cloud of his own discontent, but nevertheless he created strong and meaningful paintings, as do so many others who have no time for brooding and drama.
Mark always
wanted to support other artists in that middle ground of hitting their creative
stride yet finding the spotlight elusive. I am working to honor that by finding
ways to bring attention and sales to these artists, who don’t yet earn the money
it takes to retain PR agencies and rent galleries, even though that can be what
it takes to make more money. It has become my struggle to find them a way as
well. These artists are not only masterful creators who, like Mark, will never quit,
they are Good People. Their work should be seen, their stories should be told,
because they would be appreciated, acquired and enjoyed.
The suggestion
in another recent Times piece that an alternative for would-be collectors
priced out of high-end originals should be high-end prints was also
disheartening. They can own original, unique work they love for the same cost
by going to middle-market galleries, dealers and consultants, or directly to
the artists (open studio events are a great portal), keeping the market vital
and evolving and even possibly have something of more value down the line.
Not only are so may amazing artists underexposed, their potential audience is tainted by the focus on negative stereotyping of artists as having unpleasant personalities, and the public perception of the quality of art, distorted by the pay-to-play side of the business, where, while some of the art has merit, it is simply not the deciding factor as to what is on view even though the public is not aware of these criteria. They see a big beautiful gallery and believe that this (which they may not think is very good at all*) is the finest work being created, and the gallery is supported by its sales. Who is there to tell them that so much art they could love is right around the corner but not receiving a glossy showcase. And what criteria do the media use? It needs to be transparent.
Not only are so may amazing artists underexposed, their potential audience is tainted by the focus on negative stereotyping of artists as having unpleasant personalities, and the public perception of the quality of art, distorted by the pay-to-play side of the business, where, while some of the art has merit, it is simply not the deciding factor as to what is on view even though the public is not aware of these criteria. They see a big beautiful gallery and believe that this (which they may not think is very good at all*) is the finest work being created, and the gallery is supported by its sales. Who is there to tell them that so much art they could love is right around the corner but not receiving a glossy showcase. And what criteria do the media use? It needs to be transparent.
What do we really want
to see in museums an auction houses for the next century or so? Will it get
there if the artists can’t pay rent or buy supplies right now? As members of the art community and the
media, we will influence the outcome of our era. Let’s get real.
Linda DiGusta
New York, NY
* True anecdote from an earlier post:
A youthful cashier was making pleasant conversation as he packed my groceries, but when I told him I wrote about art he came to a dead stop, looked me right in the eyes and asked:"Why is all the art in Chelsea so bad?"
full entry at http://beauartsltdq.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-emperors-tailors-strike-again.html
Blogger's note: I am ready to back this up by presenting my iPad portfolio or bringing you to studios chosen according to your art interests, any time!
* True anecdote from an earlier post:
A youthful cashier was making pleasant conversation as he packed my groceries, but when I told him I wrote about art he came to a dead stop, looked me right in the eyes and asked:"Why is all the art in Chelsea so bad?"
full entry at http://beauartsltdq.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-emperors-tailors-strike-again.html
Blogger's note: I am ready to back this up by presenting my iPad portfolio or bringing you to studios chosen according to your art interests, any time!
