ALEXANDER CALDER at OCMA

Sunday I attended opening day of a new exhibition at the Orange County Museum of Art in Newport Beach, CA, which I highly recommend, if you're in Southern California. It runs until September 4, 2011, and it's called:

Alexander Calder and Contemporary Art

Form, Balance, Joy

Calder (American artist, 1898-1976) invented the mobile. They did not exist before him. And if you think building a mobile is easy, I encourage you to get some wire and some shapes, cut out of whatever material you find, (even pipe cleaners and paper) and try it. It's very hard to get the balance right, and to create something that looks so effortless. And graceful. And joyful.

Apparently, Calder's art has not always been considered serious enough to be important. It's interesting, because what I like most about him is his joyfulness and playfulness. Maybe Calder makes it look too easy...

It's just shapes hanging from a few wires...

A funny bird, made from old cans and wire...

A face made from discarded glass and wire...

Or one of many figures and faces he sculpted from wire. He called it "drawing in space" with wire, creating a sculptural line drawing.

Just go to Google and search Images for Alexander Calder, to see some of what he created. And then search for Calder's Circus, to watch a big kid at play. So inventive, creative and fun.

Or go to the Calder Foundation page at

http://calder.org/home

His art makes me smile. How can bits of steel, scrap metal and paint cause a positive emotional reaction like that? How can he make heavy steel look so graceful and balanced? I think that's an amazing accomplishment for an artist.

This exhibition also includes the works of several contemporary artists who show the influence of Calder's earlier works. It's interesting to see his influence in more recent interpretations. But his pieces are still my favorites in this group.

This exhibition first opened at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. (In fact, I viewed it there, on Day One of my 30-days of travel in September 2010.) In Chicago they included more of Calder's pieces, and I'm glad I got to see them. But I'm thrilled to be able to see it again in California.

For information, go to the OCMA website:

http://www.ocma.net/index.html?page=current

Click on "Visit" for directions, admission, etc.

And while I encourage you to support the museum by paying admission, if you're on a tight budget here's a tip.... Free Second Sundays, sponsored by Target (thanks, Target).

For more information about Calder, Artsy.net has compiled some great information. Here's the link to their Calder page:   https://artsy.net/artist/alexander-calder

Bravo's Work of Art Finale

Tonight was the finale for Bravo TV's "Work of Art".

The three finalists all had very distinctive styles:

Miles had his conceptual, "let's get deep inside my head and see what sorts of black and white images, shapes, and pixels are inside there" exhibition.

Peregrine took us to a country fair, with lots of color (no black and white here) wax heads, melting frames, little horses, pictures of vomiting kids, cotton candy, and a picture of taxidermied unborn fawns. Whew, that's some country fair.

Abdi showed striking large sculptures of figures lying on the ground, and paintings of figures, and body bags.

Simon DePury made the rounds to the artists' homes (a la Tim Gunn on Project Runway) in the months prior to the finale, to check up on their progress. It's always interesting to see where people live and do their work. It looks like Peregrine has a fabulous loft space, which very few people can afford any more in New York City... and may be one good reason to move to Kansas City, MO.

The winner of the show, $100,000, and an exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum, was Abdi. I liked this outcome, as I enjoyed watching him grow throughout the series. His positive spirit and attitude counter-balanced some of the other contestants, who appeared more cynical or manipulative about the playing the game. Of course that's all part of a reality show, to be willing to do anything to win. And a variety of personalities is needed to make a good TV show, so Work of Art did a good job there, with a pretty good variety of creative types. But Abdi seemed to just enjoy doing the art, with humor and charm. That was fun to watch.

The judging of art and any other creative endeavor is completely subjective. There is no one right or wrong answer. Everybody has an opinion about art they like or dislike. And they're all right. There may be some consensus regarding whether someone has good technical skills, although that can be debatable too. Everyone will never agree ... No one will always agree. Well, however you look at it, everyone is entitled to their opinion. This is clear on various blogs, recaps, and comments sections that have followed this show.

Work of Art allowed us to see how art critics, gallery owners, and other artists, look at and talk about art. The art world is a mysterious place. If you're not in New York City, or London or some other large city, then it can be a mystery what makes something a good piece of art. In Work of Art, a TV show exposed that process to millions of American television viewers, who could see and listen to people making art and discussing art. So even if you live in the so-called fly-over states (everywhere that's not NYC or LA), you could watch, listen in, and even share in the conversations about the creation of a Work of Art. And what can be wrong with that?

Bravo to Bravo TV's "Work of Art"

Bravo TV has continued their skill competition-reality show genre, which started with Fashion Designers (Project Runway, which is now on Lifetime), and Chefs (Top Chef and Top Chef Masters), with a look at Artists. Work of Art (on Wednesday nights, currently on its 8th episode) features artists, competing with limited time and materials (just like the Fashion and Chef shows) and some specific parameters, to create a work of art. They're not just random characters being arbitrarily "voted off" a reality show. They are people with a specific set of skills/talents/abilities/knowledge, so seeing how they think through a challenge is fun to watch.

It's a fascinating look at the creative process. You may not agree with who wins or loses, you might debate whether a "work of art" is actually a "work of art". But to bring that debate about art and creativity to a wide television audience is, I think, a really great thing. Even if you're not a fashion designer/chef/artist, you find yourself thinking, "hmm, what would I do with that assignment?" A few of my friends have discussed doing each assignment ourselves and having our own competition each week, though it's hard to find the time in our busy daily lives, which is a shame.

Creativity (right-brain thinking) is less emphasized in our schools than logic and reason (left-brain thinking). So I think it's important and valuable for the general public to have a look at just how creative people create. How do they do it? What is the thought process? How did they think of that? Sadly, too many people believe "I'm not creative at all. I can't even draw a straight line." I always say, well, that's okay, because a straight line is not creative at all!

It's good for more people to see and learn how new ideas form and change, throughout any creative process. Creativity is an important problem-solving skill. It is, by definition, thinking outside the box (I hate that expression, but I think people understand the concept), and thinking of things that haven't been thought of before, creating something new. A new idea, new product, new process.

On the official website (www.bravotv.com) you can read more about the show, and read commentary about and by the artists who competed.

And there's a great feature at the New York Magazine website. Jerry Saltz, the NY Magazine Art Critic (I hope that title is right), was one of the Work of Art judges. He is writing recaps of the show after it airs each Wednesday. So, he's watching it with the rest of us, now that it's been edited and aired, but was also part of it when it taped months ago. His perspective is unique and a great discussion goes on in the comments section each week. Mr. Saltz is graciously responding to many of the comments and questions about the show, his experience, the artists, art, etc. It's really fascinating and adds a great deal to the show each week. You can check it out at:

http://nymag.com/tv/work-of-art/

Some commenters debate the artistic value of what's being created, but I think the exposure to the creative process to a larger audience is the most valuable thing going on here. This is essentially a TV show, after all. A TV competition show where someone will win a reward at the end, but a TV show just the same. The producers' first job is to make a good, interesting TV show that lots of people want to watch.

You need good artists, but if they were all too shy and afraid to talk to the camera, then you have a boring TV show. So personalities do enter into it. I think that the key to this type of show is in the casting and editing. The casting of talented people, with a blend of interesting and varied personalities, is combined with editors who can take a gazillion hours of tape (perhaps not an exact figure... just an estimate) and edit it down into an interesting story, told in about 42 minutes each week. That's a challenge that is more difficult than people think. But these Bravo shows typically do it very well, and Work of Art is no exception.

Sarah Jessica Parker is one of the producers who created this show, and I'm glad she did. It's fascinating, fun to watch, and interesting to talk about it afterwards, and read the discussions that follow each show. I hope Bravo picks up this exploration of the creative process for a 2nd season.

Will Right-Brainers Rule The Future?

Now that we're in the 21st Century, can we tell what changes are occurring from the 20th Century that is now behind us? Can we predict what will change? What jobs and careers will develop that didn't exist before? What skills will we need?

The transition from the 19th to the 20th Century saw many changes. We changed from an Agricultural Age to a new Industrial Age -- making steel, cars, heavy industry. In more recent decades, we moved into an Information Age -- workers off the assembly line, now sitting at a computer monitor.

Currently, the emphasis in many jobs is on the logical, linear, analytical -- Left-Brain thinking. In the future, will companies begin to give equal importance to our Right-Brain abilities, which are more intuitive, creative and empathetic?

That's the theory behind a great book that I am re-reading:

A WHOLE NEW MIND

Why Right-Brainers Will Rule The Future

Written by Daniel H. Pink

Pink explains it all much better than I can, but let's see if I can cover some basics. He refers to the era we're entering as The Conceptual Age.

Computers are good at doing logical, sequential work. And many computer programming jobs are easy to outsource. But it is harder to outsource creativity, inventiveness and design.

While logical, linear thinking is still important, it's no longer enough. Creativity, design, and seeing the big picture are also valuable.

We tend to value the logical, left-brain as being the smart, more important side. The creative, artsy right-brain, has often been thought of as silly, or not as important. But that may be changing. For example, they have found that a well-designed hospital room that uses certain colors, can actually help people heal faster. So, perhaps good design is not silly.

For my own selfish reasons, I hope this theory is correct. The many jobs I've held over the years have mostly utilized my left-brain abilities (organization, administration, common sense). But if I could also use my right-brain skills (writing, art, design, inventive ideas) it would be so much more interesting and enjoyable. Most positions want you to pick one or the other, especially in large corporations, where they like to categorize and pigeon-hole people.

This book was written in 2005. In the last 5 years, I wonder if the author has started to see this change taking place in many companies... any companies? Change always takes time, and if we're in the midst of it, we may not realize it's changing until sometime in the future, as we look back. I hope it is happening. It would be nice of we could introduce more artistry, creativity, empathy, storytelling and play into our work days, wouldn't it?

Artist Jeanne-Claude

So sad to hear of the death of Jeanne-Claude. Her husband, Christo, is perhaps the more well known name, but together they've created amazing things. I was fortunate to see both The Umbrellas in Southern California in 1991 and The Gates in New York Central Park in 2005. Check this YouTube link, for a short video of my experiences with both projects:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l14w4izSXfA

Their projects sometimes caused controversy, but I was always amazed, first of all, how they even came up with such bold, inventive ideas, and then, how well executed the projects were. Before The Gates opened in NYC, I read an interview with Jeanne-Claude. I may not have the quote exactly right, but here's how I remember it. She said when asked, about The Gates, "What are they for?" she replied, "They are not for anything. It is art. That is all."

Both The Umbrellas and The Gates made me smile. Inventive, playful, bold ideas, for art, for beauty, to make people smile. What can be wrong with that? It's very right-brain thinking.

I hope Christo will continue to create the inventive works he's known for, though I'm sure it will be difficult without his life and art partner.

Free Art, Museum Day, Sat. Sept 26

Sponsored by Smithsonian Magazine, a selection of museums nationwide will be open for free this Saturday, Sept. 26. Go to their website:

http://microsite.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/

Search for the list of participating museums (listed by state, or zoom the map into your area and check the marked locations). Then complete some basic information, print out your Museum Day Admission Card, and take it with you to the museum of your choice.

Enjoy a free day at a museum near you!

Ceramics at the OC Fair

The Orange County Fair in Southern California is in its final week, ending August 9. I have volunteered a few days at the Ceramics area, in Crafters Village. There are people throwing pots on the wheels, but since I don't know how to do that, I'm demonstrating hand-building, and have worked on some small sculptures. Here's a picture, (not my best look, but oh well) on a night when I worked on a tree, a tiny bust, and in my hand... is a clay hand. The hand looked a bit creepy actually, looked kind of real... Now I have to decide if I will have these fired to make them permanent.

I have one more shift to work, this Friday afternoon, August 7. It's been fun, chatting with fairgoers about art and clay and various things. It's interesting how many people stop and say, "I used to do that, back in high school." I have encouraged them to try to find time for creative projects, but everyone seems so stressed about finding time. It's understandable, but it's a shame. Kids like to stop and look, since it's basically playing with mud. One boy asked me, "What if you make a mistake?" I said, "That's okay, it doesn't matter. You do make mistakes, and you just keep going." He looked a little shocked, actually. I guess we're so focused on doing things "right", whatever that is, that I think it keeps people from doing creative things. Somewhere in my readings about art, it said you had to be willing to do a lot of bad art, so I try to remember that and just keep going. I think it is the key to doing anything creative, to not worry about everything being perfect... or even good... but to just keep going. It's often easier said than done.

Working on art at the Fair in front of people can be difficult. It's intimidating, especially when you're just starting, and you have a blob of clay in front of you. People pause and look, puzzled, trying to figure out what on earth you're making. Another lesson I learned at some point is that in a situation like this, you have to just not care. And I mean that in the most positive way possible. You can't worry about what people are thinking, you just have to keep going. Even if, as happened the other day, you're working on a sculpture of a woman dancing... and several people think it's a chicken.

Free Art

Today I'm feeling Overwhelmed and All Alone... hmm, I should write a country song.

Having recently been laid off from my office job, it is time to regain my own balance. I have escaped from the cubicle! Now what? Will I end up back in the cubicle world? One never knows. Honestly, it was beginning to feel like I was living in a Dilbert Cartoon, so maybe in the long run, it's good to be out of the cubicle... at least for me. Perhaps I can create something new, by creating some new things... those right brain activities of creation and invention.

In the meantime, while I search and rebalance, it's good to see what others are creating, and it's even better (when one has no current source of income) if you can do these things for cheap or for free!

Here are 2 weekend tips for free art in Southern California. One in LA, one in OC:

Saturday and Sunday, there's a craft fair in downtown LA, called the Renegade Craft Fair. I have nothing to do with this, and apparently it's the first Renegade Craft Fair in LA (looks like they've done this in other cities.) I don't know if I'll get there this weekend, but it looks kinda cool. And.... it's free! http://www.renegadecraft.com/los-angeles?site=la

Also, the Orange County Museum of Art has their Target Free Second Sunday on July 12. Thanks Target for sponsoring arts organizations like this one, giving us free admission to the museum for the day. For more info, the museum website is http://www.ocma.net/

If you go to a museum free admission day, it's nice to donate a little something while you're there, if you can. I think even a dollar or two, if that's all you can afford, would be appreciated. Support the Arts! ... even a dollar at a time will help.

Those are your Frugal Fun tips for today. Get out and see some creativity in action!

What is Cafe Marian?

I'm all over the map, racing to keep up with the creative monkeys who are spinning around in my head!

Okay, that starts to sound like some sort of psychological problem, but there is so much in the world to see, fascinating new things to learn and interesting new places to explore. I've never been very good at concentrating on only one thing for very long. The world seems to want us to specialize, but that's hard for me. I get bored and restless.

After years of living in my left brain (that practical, rational, analytical, logical place where most of us reside), I'm working to spend more time in my right brain (creativity, inventiveness, intuitiveness, empathy and joy). I believe the key to it all is balance. Balance seems easy enough, but the trick is finding the balance point that works for you. And beware, that point is constantly moving, so when you lose your balance... and you will... readjust and keep on going.

So, here we are, at Cafe Marian, a gathering place where I can write and share the stories I find that are interesting, smart, amazing, fascinating, genuine, amusing, impressive, clever, inventive, creative and fun.