ARTIST – CRAFT MONTH in NYC / SEPT 2023 . . .
continues / this time, with a little ‘mind-power’, thrown into the mix . . !!!
you might think it a stretch to include artwork by GERALD FERGUSON, under the subtext of: craft,
but, I would totally disagree. thinking hard, and breaking down barriers . . is a craft.
making paintings that lead to future theoretical pathways, being able to inspire generations of young artists through teaching, and through your work, and continuing to be mind-rattling – is a craft.
education is a craft.
GERALD FERGUSON, ‘LAST LANDSCAPES’, & . . 2 EARLY STENCIL WORKS, (1968) on PAPER.
SEPT 8 – OCT 21, 2023
CANADA GALLERY, 61 LISPENARD ST., DOWNTOWN NYC
CURATED by . . . LUKE MURPHY
GERALD FERGUSON, ‘Trees and Rock’, 2008.
enamel on canvas / 48 x 55 in.
that’s a lot larger than the work might seem in this, straight-on photo.
as opposed to an installation shot, anchored by a gallery wall, etc.
think: 4 ft. x approx. 4-1/2 ft.
so, here’s the deal on GERALD FERGUSON,
he was many things. Above all else, he was an exploratory artist; both in thought, exploring new philosophies and theory on art, be they conceptual or minimalist / but, also an exploratory artist in terms of his own work, how he used common hardware store materials, such as ropes, rods and chains, to breach traditional boundaries. ‘Landscapes’ might be the furthest thing one might expect therefore from so entrenched a visionary and forward thinker, yet the ‘craft’ of these
landscapes, speak for themselves. all his art was the ultimate ‘stretch’ of the imagination meets future concept, so I think it’s not a stretch to associate his body of work with craft, which is very much foremost a skilled and though-out, albeit passionate endeavor.
You could rightfully say, he was to ‘craft’ a new philosophy of art-making, one which made room for the breaking down of barriers between outsider art, folk art, simple everyday objects such as hardware tools as pictorial subjects, within a minimalist design mindset that we increasingly embrace, today.
GERALD FERGUSON (b. Cincinnati, OHIO 1937 – d. 2009) was a conceptual artist and painter who lived and taught in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
“In the late 1960s, Cincinnati-born Gerald Ferguson traded in New York’s conceptual art scene for the chance to transform a provincial art college in Nova Scotia, (Canada). For Ferguson, who was in the same crowd as Lawrence Weiner, Dan Graham, and June Leaf . . . it wasn’t an easy decision to forgo the sophistication of Manhattan for a remote, impoverished navy port that valued hardiness and results over ideas; but he believed that the gallery system was starting to subsume the conceptual art movement by covertly supporting the things that he rejected – fame, excess, privilege, war. (and, probably the pressure to make salable ‘product’). Over the next decades, Ferguson worked to turn NSCAD (Nova Scotia College of Art and Design) into a conceptual hub importing visiting artists such as Gerhard Richter, Sol Lewitt, Eric Fischl, and Vito Acconci.
“Over his almost forty-year career, Ferguson wrestled with two constants. The first was a relentless battle with depression. The second was his art practice, which consisted of conceptual works and frottage paintings . . . In his frottage paintings, he treated folk and decorative art elements with a post-minimalist approach, rubbing black house paint over canvas purchased at the local sail-making shop. repeating patterns of mostly quotidian objects such as Victorian fireplace panels, chains, ropes, and rods, which leave the viewer with a sense of hard-earned humanity.
“The landscapes presented here, Ferguson’s last series of paintings, differ significantly from his past work. After breaking his arm in a car accident in 2008, Ferguson found himself unable to move his usual ropes, rods, and chains . . . Unwilling to disrupt his studio practice he returned to the paintings that inspired him as a young man . . Drawing on his prodigious knowledge of art history, and using a cheap hardware store 2.5” roller, Ferguson painted directly on raw canvas with his good arm, synthesizing elements from Cezanne through the third and fourth string landscapes that form the bulwark of American art in the first half of the 20th century to Hartley.He even let himself do a variation on plein-air painting by driving around the back roads of Nova Scotia, a diet Coke in the cup holder, a cigarette in the ash tray, fabricating sketches through his car window and a modernist American lens. Although resoundingly irascible, Ferguson was delighted to find this unexpected new studio process was marked by the presence of joy. The results in his words: ‘Dangerously close to real painting.'”
~from the wonderful press release essay by: LAURA MacDONALD
see: the press release in full / CANADA – ‘Last Landscapes’
GERALD FERGUSON, ‘Untitled X’, 1968.
enamel on brown paper / 40 x 37 in.
that’s also larger than it appears . . being, approx: 3-1/3 ft. x 3 ft.
1968: he was so ahead of his time,
& really – where is the rest of that gang now. this work just keeps on, keeping on, right on point, 50 years later. it must have been so wild, and off-the-grid, back in 1968. the art world probably didn’t what to think, if they didn’t just outright ignore him /
at that time, everybody was buying Andy Warhol, weren’t they ?
no wonder he left. this is such a major, major piece of American art history.
it’s like Ruth Asawa, is all I can say /
I remember seeing this piece in an early group show at Canada, though nobody can remember exactly which one. it had a profound, validating impact on me: stencils, cut paper. common, freely available (at least back then) brown grocery wrapping paper. (you can get it for free now, in Prime Amazon boxes.) minimalist colorways, minimalist attitude, but all soul. sustainable, could be spontaneous, with a heady folk art nod, an American quilt history nod. antique woven ribbon nod. all about hardware store – arts & crafts / DIY.
in other words: AMERICANA / CRAFT TO THE MAX.
and, I’m pretty sure – I wasn’t the only one, who was hit so hard.
one can only imagine, all the ‘old stock’ hardware stores & old textile purveyors of woven ribbons, and other miscellaneous ‘notions’, including hand-woven, or early machine-made fluttering finery, such as fine white lace, and collars. the old dark wooden display cases, and old creaking wooden floors, and probably rolls upon rolls of brown wrapping paper, that Gerald Ferguson must have strolled amidst. the old tools, and brass stencils, and even the stenciled signs – that, for sure abounded in an old trading port like Nova Scotia. Downtown NYC used to be like that – all along Broadway, from Houston to Canal St., up until the late 90s, when they all got priced out, who knows where all that historic inventory ended up. real pearl shell buttons, yards and yards of woven, ribbon rolled onto paper display discs. some of it felt pioneer, it was such ‘old stock’ / straight out of Little House on the Prairie.
CRAFT. TOOLS, SKILLS. MAKING THINGS, DIY . . AMERICANA.
maybe you bought the fancy imported fabric / but, you sewed the dresses yourself.
ps: in my notes from Luke Murphy, who studied with Gerald, and curated this show:
“He was quick with biting comments and the problem was that, when it came to art and painting, the bastard was almost always right. He had such a fine and deep sense for authenticity in terms of work that nothing really got past him. I think that’s why he was also such a valued art picker for many collectors. (!!)
At one point he donated more than 500 duck decoys to the AGNS / Art Gallery Nova Scotia.”
I knew it / of course . . . !!!!!
CRAFT BABY, all the way home.
LUKE MURPHY, sometime in the mid 1980s, shearing sheep / just a few years before starting studies at NSCAD / Nova Scotia College of Art & Design, in Halifax where he studied with Gerald Ferguson, “mostly from 1987 – 1991 / then we shared a studio, and then we were friends.”
VINTAGE PHOTO COURTESY: LUKE MURPHY
GERALD FERGUSON (L), and JOSEPH BEUYS (R), in Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia.
VINTAGE PHOTO COURTESY: LUKE MURPHY
GERALD FERGUSON in his studio, Halifax, Nova Scotia / looks like it’s 2008, and that’s one of his later landscapes – on the wall behind him.
note: the vintage, and/or antique . . hand-carved & hand-painted duck decoys, arranged along the top of the back wall, on a recessed shelf.
his work may have been cutting-edge conceptual, but his ‘eye’, and ‘heart’, were all fine-tuned by . . . CRAFT. CRAFTMANSHIP. and the history, of . .
VINTAGE PHOTO COURTESY: LUKE MURPHY
~GERALD FERGUSON . . ‘LAST LANDSCAPES’ / CANADA GALLERY, DOWNTOWN NYC / thru OCT 21V |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | September 22nd, 2023, 1:40pm
ARTIST – CRAFT MONTH in NYC . . . !!
CONTINUES . . . !!
DANA ARBIB . . ‘VETRO ORTO’ / ‘THE GLASS VEGETABLE GARDEN’
AN EXHIBITION of MURANO GLASS VESSELS & LIGHTS /
OPENS TO THE PUBLIC / WED SEPT 20th
& continues thru . . . OCT 13, 2023.
TIWA GALLERY, 86 WALKER ST., 5th FLOOR, DOWNTOWN TRIBECA, NYC 10013
note: GALLERY VIEWING HRS: WED-SAT / 12 – 5 PM
for the duration of this exhibit / SEPT 20 – OCT 13, 2023.
image via Instagram @tiwa_select
PHOTOS BY NANCY SMITH – OPENING PREVIEW / SEPT 19, 2023:
DANA ARBIB . . . designs & works with a professional glass-blowing team, to hand-craft each piece. the glow of the minimalist colorways, along with the subtle ‘organic’ embellishments – is insane / just check out her golden, light-infused wall sconce, on the left.
DANA ARBIB . . . table lamp, in ‘Vetro Orto’ / ‘The Glass Vegetable Garden’.
DANA ARBIB, generous but not . . pedestrian.
more: glowing, and . . . growing. open, but secretive.
DANA ARBIB, total beauty, even . . on a rumpled white tablecloth.
DANA ARBIB, even the simply clear pieces, held great . . . magic.
DANA ARBIB. the sconce / light fixture, is a very old form of fixture (to a wall), historically used with candles & oil lamps. they work beautifully here, and throughout the toned-down, retro Americana Tiwa space, in classic pairs.
DANA ARBIB, from garden, to kitchen, to . . . books.
this illumination, is of a gentle narrative touch – via glass: a most fiery, powerful, and difficult medium.
DANA ARBIB: an alchemy. a poem. a luminous, glowing, seemingly . . growing, kitchen celery, of the mind !!
PHOTOS: Nancy Smith
~DANA ARBIB . . ‘VETRO ORTO’ / TIWA GALLERY / DOWNTOWN NYC / OPENS WED SEPT 20 / UP-DATE: PHOTOS POSTED |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | September 19th, 2023, 7:57am
between . . shaker sweaters, colonial era weaving, gun-making, send-off ceramic flowers & artist books, this looks to be shaping up into /
ARTIST CRAFT MONTH in NYC . . . !!!
POWERS & LOWENFELS PRESENT / ‘PICNIC: LETT-HAINES / GEORGE OHR & MORE’
thru . . . SUN SEPT 17, 2023.
53 STANTON ST., LOWER EAST SIDE, NYC
HRS: THURS-SUN / 12-6 PM
“We are a NYC gallery exhibiting a Venn Diagram of Outsider, Self-Taught & Contemporary Works of Art”
GEORGE E. OHR, (1857-1918).
Glazed earthenware / Jefferson Snake Mug, ca. 1896.
3-3/4 x 4 in.
~incised to outer: “Here’s (to) your good health and your family’s and may they all live long and prosper J Jefferson”.
~impressed signature to underside “G.E. OHR, BILOXI’ with incised date and number “3-18-1896”, (partially obscured from glaze.)
~Provenance: James carpenter:, Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 1973.
Image via Instagram @stevenspowers
GEORGE E. OHR, (1857-1918).
Bisque fired earthenware ca. 1905
3-1/2 x 4-7/8 in.
~Signed to underside: “Mud from New Orleans Street/ G.E. Ohr / Times Democrat 1905”
~Provenance: Collection of Dr. Ellis F. Rubin and Suzanne Borow Rubin
Image via Instagram @stevenspowers
Image via Instagram @stevenspowers
GEORGE OHR, ‘MUD FROM NEW ORLEANS’
with George Ohr’s signature: “in-body twist”, and “ruffled” rim.
Image via Instagram @stevenspowers
~GEORGE OHR . . POTS, etc / POWERS & LOWENFELS / LOWER EAST SIDE, NYC / LAST WEEKEND |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | September 15th, 2023, 1:32pm
CRAFT WEEK in NYC . . . !!!
when a commercial, knitwear sweater – from the British label, Warm & Wonderful, and not even an exclusive ‘haute couture’ design, / achieves outrageous auction success /
you know . . .
it’s most def, the season of the . . . CRAFT !!!!!
Princess Diana’s . . iconic ‘Black Sheep’ / in a sea of Red Sheep, knit sweater, famously worn just before her ill-fated wedding to Prince Charles, sold for $1.14 MILLION USD, at SOTHEBY’S NYC, yesterday / Sept 14, 2023.
~PRINCESS DIANA’S ‘BLACK SHEEP SWATER / SOTHEBY’S, NYC / $1.14 MILLION |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | September 15th, 2023, 10:02am
MAX SCHUMANN, then the Associate Director of PRINTED MATTER,
at his customary perch inside the alternative book shop.
Archival Photo by: NANCY SMITH, NYC, Oct 22, 2005.
MAX announced this past January, 2023 that he would be stepping down as Executive Director, and sure enough, slightly behind schedule, Printed Matter announced that this Sept 13th, 2023 week, would be his last. “After eight years in the role of Director, and more than thirty years contributing” . . immeasurably to the growth of this arts-focused indie voice, including the Art Book Fairs, in multiple & various roles, and in a big way inspiring the indie Zine movement & personally bringing to life, along the way – many small, limited edition artist books.
“With so many exciting projects on the horizon it will be difficult to leave, however I feel that the time is right for me to move on to other pursuits, chief among them my return to my artwork.”
~Max Schumann
There will be an “informal send-off” to Max on Thurs Sept 14, 2023 from 6 – 8 PM at the Chelsea storefront, 231 11th Avenue, NYC.
see: PRINTED MATTER
“return to his artwork”, is not a glib statement / Printed Matter, the N.Y., and now L.A. Art Book Fairs, and other people’s projects in general devoured Max, and he gave his creative and visionary ‘all’ – but, now maybe the painter inside Max can step forward again, and
may the new, great American atmospheric, realist, politically-hinged painter of our generation, emerge, and receive the recognition he deserves.
I caught a few of his humble, but deeply-felt, early painting shows, but my fav was:
‘Max Schumann: The Return of Freedom’, Taxter & Spengelmann, Chelsea, NYC /
November 30 – January 12, 2008.
this was the hard copy invite, exhibit poster / card. it was approx 4 x 6 in.
the illustration is a work of Max’s, ‘CHEVY CHASE’S GRAND BAHAMA VACATION.’
MAX SCHUMANN, ‘Untitled, (The Last Terroir)’, acrylic on board / 42 x 72 in.
MAX SCHUMANN at the ‘Return of Freedom’ opening.
MAX SCHUMANN, ‘FREEDOM – $500′.
I think that was the price, but maybe the title.
maybe – both !!
hard to say – so many years later.
my notes long lost – into years’ worth of filed archive binders.
but – great painting, no doubt.
MAX SCHUMANN, ‘EXCELLENCE – $200’, in ‘THE RETURN of FREEDOM’, PART I,
his second solo show at TAXTER & SPENGLEMANN, NYC.
November 30 – December 22, 2007
ALL PHOTOS: ARCHIVAL COLLECTION of NANCY SMITH / NANCY SMITH PHOTOS, NOV 30, 2007
~MAX SCHUMANN steps down from PRINTED MATTER . . . |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | September 13th, 2023, 4:30pm
MAKE MY DAY . . . !!!
MY DARLING LITTLE CHARLIE BROWN WANNABE – UPDATES . . !!
SOME FREEZE FRAMES – from a new Luke Murphy LED animated project.
LUKE MURPHY, ‘Reading the News’, 2023
CANADA GALLERY BOOTH 5 – FREIZE SEOUL
up thru . . . SAT SEPT 9th.
LUKE MURPHY, ‘Reading the News’, 2023.
wire armature, LED matrix panels, video driver hardware, software, power supplies,
PC, code. 30 x 25 x 2 in.
Audio by Luke Murphy / yes, you want the ‘spacey’ . . audio !!
see the animation: @canada.nyc / Instagram
note: all screen shots via @canada.nyc Instagram
also, see: @lukemurphy49 on Instagram
PLEASE, also note: LUKE MURPHY designed & installed – the animated DELI LED ‘RESIST’ BANNER that runs, like a new age, cross-stitch embroidery,
at the top of this page . . . !!
~LUKE MURPHY . . ‘READING THE NEWS’ / CANADA at FREIZE SEOUL 2023 / thru SAT SEPT 9 |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | September 9th, 2023, 12:11pm
so long, ALFIE !!
yep.
Still, finding s-o-l-a-c-e for Alfie / Alfredo Martinez – The Real Fake Basquiat, RIP
in all . . the right places.
may you be on your way – to sweeter, kinder, and smarter . . pastures.
DINI DIXON , ‘I’m Basking’, 2022.
Porcelain, Kintsugi. 7.5 x 5 x 4.75 in.
image courtesy of the gallery
ED. VARIE is pleased to present:
DINI DIXON – ‘DEPICTING RESURGENCE’
a SOLO SHOW of NEW ARTIFACTS / CREATED in COLLABORATION with ARTSHACK, BROOKLYN
the ARTSHACK RESIDENCY PROGRAM -&- is CURATED BY: ALVA CALYMAYOR.
OPENING RECEPTION – FRI SEPT 8 / 6 – 9 PM
the exhibit continues thru . . . SUN SEPT 24, 2023.
ED. VARIE, 95 Avenue B, Ground Floor, L.E.S., NYC 10009
just off Tompkins Square Park, take the L to 1st Ave; F to 2nd Ave; or 6 to Astor Place.
Gallery & Bookstore HRS: Weekends 12 – 6 PM
& also by Appointment
a little about . . DINI DIXON:
“this is a new body of work from the California and New York-based artist . . created in collaboration with Dixon’s summer residency at Artshack, Brooklyn. For the past 10 years, clay has been Dixon’s primary medium. It is through the unruly medium of clay that Dixon feels she can most intuitively express the precarious quality of the mind & externalize her emotions.
The resilience Dixon observes in nature is a beautiful representation of malleability. The forest is always adapting to changes in climate; stalks & flowers are fortified by the wind, cold, and other challenges. Similarly, the mind can evolve after traumatic experiences. Threats in nature are visible whereas the emotional struggles people face are frequently internal. In order to heal the spirit one must first acknowledge conflicts, giving them a tangible state that can be deconstructed. Often difficult as our personal struggles can be pitted against us.
Clay is often associated with fragility and vulnerability, similar to qualities women are asked to disguise in order to be taken seriously. Dixon confronts these associations by subverting conventions of the craft, allowing cracks that materialize to show. Visible flaws embody the transparency surrounding mental health Dixon celebrates in her work.”
DINI DIXON b. 1991, Santa Barbara, CA, received a BFA in Ceramics from Pratt Institute in 2015. Dixon works on her ceramics & clay animation at her studio in Brooklyn.”
~ED. VARIE PRESS RELEASE
~DINI DIXON . . ‘DEPICTING RESURGENCE’ / ED. VARIE / LOWER EAST SIDE, NYC / OPENS FRI SEPT 8 |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | September 8th, 2023, 9:16am
still seeing . . . . s-o-l-a-c-e for ALFIE / ALFREDO MARTINEZ – THE REAL FAKE BASQUIAT, RIP
in all the right places !!!!
‘ANTONE KONST: IN a SEA of NOTHING’
SEPT 6 – OCT 28, 2023
JACK TILTON GALLERY, 8 EAST 76th St., NYC
ANTONE KONST, ‘The Lady (Dancer with Flutes)’, 2023.
oil on linen / 82 x 86 in.
image courtesy of the artist
in the invite:
ANTONE KONST, ‘Flowers’, 2023.
oil on linen / 125.5 x 77 in.
~ANTONE KONST . . ‘IN A SEA of NOTHING’ / JACK TILTON GALLERY, NYC |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | September 8th, 2023, 8:42am
meanwhile, over in Detroit – things are a little bit less gritty,
but, no less hard-core.
but, maybe – more dirty ????
or, dir-tay, as they say !!!!
Par-tay on !!!! Detroit !!!! !!!!
and, if Alfredo’s ghost is flitting about – my man, go find some . . respite.
among – the flowers.
shout out to: JEFFREY TRANCHELL.
PLANT EXCHANGE – @lavendercountrydetroit
SAT SEPT 30, 2023 / 4 – 7 PM
12333 MacKay, DETROIT
seeds, starters / bulbs & clippings / house plants, too
GIVE / TAKE / TRADE
~LAVENDER COUNTRY DETROIT / PLANT EXCHANGE / GIVE, TAKE, TRADE / DETROIT / SAT SEPT 30 |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 31st, 2023, 10:53am
LABOR DAY WEEKEND . . . !!!!!!!
‘MANY MOONS’,
PAINTINGS BY ALBERT SHELTON aka REALIST_RADIO
CLOSING PARTY & BBQ – LABOR DAY, SEPT 4 / 3 – 7 PM
FREDDY’S BAR & BACKROOM /
627 5th Ave., Brooklyn, NY
ALBERT SHELTON, ’90 Seconds to Midnight’, 2023.
watercolor, sumi ink on Arches paper.
24 x 18 in.
USD $400 (SOLD)
image courtesy of the artist
ALBERT SHELTON, ‘Springs Eternal’, 2022.
watercolor, sumi ink on Arches,
24 x 18 in.
USD $500
image courtesy of the artist
ALBERT SHELTON, ‘Space Dusted’, 2023.
oil on canvas
48 x 36 in.
USD $3,000
image courtesy of the artist
~ALBERT SHELTON . . ‘MANY MOONS’ / FREDDY’S BROOKLYN / CLOSING PARTY & BBQ / SEPT 4 |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 30th, 2023, 10:09am
