Rubric for Art?

Rubrics have become popular with teachers as a means of communicating expectations for an assignment, providing focused feedback on works in progress and grading final products. Although the word rubric can be interpreted in slightly different ways, the commonly accepted definition is a document that articulates the expectations for an assignment by listing the criteria, or what counts, and describing levels of quality from excellent to poor. Sounds reasonable, right?

This Spring the rubric Archeology of Place is identified in an exhibition catalogue called Mound City at Laumeier Sculpture Park. The catalogue boldly proclaims that this show is, in fact, the fifth exhibition to be so governed. That means these exhibitions are somehow judged by how well they live up to the academic quest intended to “celebrate and critique the unique role our city plays in the history and myths of America.” Really? If so, where is the scorecard for the five shows?

Mound City (2014), The River Between Us (2013), Camp Out: Finding Home in an Unstable World (2012), Dog Days of Summer (2011), Night Light; (Indoor/outdoor video exhibition 2010) - these five exhibitions, of which I have become somewhat familiar, are ephemeral for the most part. Most of this work will no longer be on display in ten years, (or in one year for that matter). Artists are invited to participate and commissioned to contribute. Sometimes grants help offset the costs. The director and chief curator of the park is the driving force for each show. She is knowledgeable and plugged into academic circles, museums, art collectors and the galleries that tend to shape perceptions in contemporary art. Presumably, she is held accountable to the board, of whom she selects. These well meaning citizens are buying the rhetoric and are pleased with the results. The partnership between the county parks and the foundation seems healthy and happy.

Work is underway for a new exhibition space and renovations to the estate house. Membership drives and fundraising activity continues. It seems that all is well. I’m just wondering where I can view the scoring rubric for five years of art exhibits. Or is that too much like suggesting the Emperor has no clothes?

Question for discussion: What role should a museum play in presenting contemporary art?

A Haiku for You

Haiku poems date from 9th century Japan to the present day. Haiku is more than a type of poem; it is a way of looking at the physical world and seeing something deeper, like the very nature of existence. A haiku poem consists of three lines, with the first and last line having 5 moras, and the middle line having 7. A mora is a sound unit, much like a syllable, but is not identical to it. Since the moras do not translate well into English, it has been adapted and syllables are used as moras. 

Here are three examples of the haiku. From Basho Matsuo, the first great poet of haiku in the 1600s:

An old silent pond...

A frog jumps into the pond,

splash! Silence again.

And an example of the haiku of Yosa Buson from the late 1700s:

A summer river being crossed

how pleasing

with sandals in my hands!

Here are a haiku from Kobayashi  Issa, a haiku master poet from the late 1700s and early 1800s:

O snail

Climb Mount Fuji,

But slowly, slowly!

Natsume Soseki (1867 – 1916) was a novelist and master of the haiku. An example:

Over the wintry

forest, winds howl in rage

with no leaves to blow.

And so I offer you (humbly submitted for your review) some haiku poems of my own. They are fun to write.

Haiku Just for You.

Something fun and new to do.

Wonder of Words yet a few.

Go mighty tigers

Teaching routine kindness, calm

Character counts here. 

Blue skies and green grass

The Summer days here at last

A day in the sun

Family fun day

Memories abound for now

Gone, not forgotten

Olympic Fever

Ribbon for the Throw, Run, Jump

And the day ends with a smile

Sunset on the lake

Camelot Forget me not
Edgewater Estate

Red Yellow and Blue

Making Orange Purple and Green

White Light goes Into the Night

So the end is near;

Climate Change, Political Maze,

Miles to go before we sleep

A flower in spring

We know now, it does not mean

It is here to stay

Monument/Anti-Monument

A convener is an individual or group responsible for bringing people together to address an issue, problem, or opportunity. Co-conveners Marilu Knode and Meridith McKinley did just that to expand the conversation about the role of sculpture, public art and monuments in a context of communities. The three-day event in St. Louis engaged 300 participants in a dialogue. Along the way the region found itself proudly showcasing its own unique and powerful commitment to art as it relates to our civilization.

Marilu is executive director of the Laumeier Sculpture Park and Meridith runs Via Partnership, a firm that facilitates planning and management of public art. So they are stakeholders in such an exchange. To their credit, this meeting of minds was not at all parochial. However, they are careful to leverage the assets of this region from the Saint Louis Art Museum, The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts, The Contemporary Art Museum (CAM), Forest Park and the nearby Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site in Illinois.

“Saint Louis has the nickname ‘mound city’ precisely because this region was home to a civilization archeologists refer to as ‘Mississippians’ more than one thousand years ago. The mounds preserved here are part of that,” advises Bill Iseminger atop Monk’s Mound as he guides a group of conference participants. The Gateway Arch at Jefferson National Expansion Memorial can be seen on the horizon on this clear day as the visitors marvel at the remnants of an ancient civilization. This reference point and indeed the Arch itself serve a powerful reminder of what Marilu Knode refers to as “the archeology of place,” as the Laumeier Sculpture Park opens its Mound City exhibition with commissioned installations by artists Sam Durant, Marie Watt, Juan William Chavez, Geoffrey Krawczyk and others.     

The conference wraps up with a keynote address by artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer. His work embraces a sense of space with light, sound, technology. He has had exhibitions around the world from San Francisco, Sydney, Buenos Aires and Singapore. He inspires the artists and academics in the room. He demonstrates how public space can be energized. "My work lives at the intersection of architecture and performance art" says Rafael Lozano-Hemmer. “It is just like a club: you set things up and hope people will come in and make it a scene. If they don’t, it’s okay. You move on and do something else.”

At the Chase Park Plaza hotel in the Central West End of Saint Louis on Sunday morning the remaining out-of-towners make arrangements for transportation back to their respective cities. They are, like everyone else who engaged in this comprehensive discussion, processing what it all means in the context of art, of history, and how they might apply principals to their respective   places as artists, as academics and as citizens.  

       

Archeologist Bill Iseminger guides visitors atop Monks Mound at the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site in Illinois. The group exits Monks Mound.

A Mud Hut at Laumeier Sculpture Park (below) pays homage to ancient cultures of Mound City.

Parker, Michael and Daniel at the Old Rock House

Michael Rose (Bass), Parker Millsap, Daniel Foulks (Fiddle) in front of the Old Rock House in St. Louis April 2, 2014. 

If you live long enough, you will see some incredible things. If you are talented and ambitious enough, some of those things you will see will be early in your life.  Chances are, however, they will be out of the context of the rest of your time on this earth. Parker Millsap and his band are aware and gearing up for their performance at the Old Rock House in Saint Louis. These three musicians share a passion for performance. Out of context but in the moment.   

A true artist recognizes context, maybe instinctively, maybe with a bit of spirituality and captures it with something that resonates with an audience. The band agrees to pose in front of the venue just 20 minutes before show time. It was long enough to glean the bonds between band mates. Michael and Parker have been musical partners since ninth grade. That means they have been together maybe seven years. Daniel says he joined Parker Millsap a couple years ago. His beard is a symbol of the wisdom. He is grateful in their good fortune. “2014 has been very good to us. Things are falling into place and here we are in St. Louis.” Daniel says even as the trio can see the Gateway Arch. “Hey, can you climb up that thing?” asks Michael. The band mate joking laments life on the road leaves little time for national monuments and tourism. Scaling the Arch makes its way to the stage as part of the banter between Parker and Daniel. Parker also apologizes for the weather pattern that seems to be following them from Oklahoma this rainy night with hail and tornado watches in the forecast.

Opening Day Cardinals Baseball in St. Louis is just a few days away but the Parker Millsap band will be long gone. They may not make it to the top of the St. Louis Arch but they are on the rise. Michael, Daniel and Parker are happy to sign merchandise. They know this is part of building a brand. They do it with pleasure. Somehow they have a sense of the context by which they sign CDs and posters.

Parker says, “this is a song about junkies.” He laughs because it is rather a song about nursery rymes put into another sort of different context. Artists can do that sort of thing. Thanks to Parker, Michael and Daniel for bringing it to our town.

“Mary Mary quite contrary/How’d you get your eyes so scary/Lost your pocket full of posies /Pawned your rings and cut your roses/Now I see you out struttin’ on the corner/Working for a man named little Jack Horner”

For more information www.parkermillsap.com For Bookings  Davis McLarty - Atomic Music Group - 512- 444-8750 - davis@atomicmusicgroup.com 

Teach Your Children Well

ShareFair, Experience the STEMosphere is a FREE one-day event where students, parents, educators and lifelong learners of all ages can join us for a public exhibition of fun, interactive, STEM-inspired activities at the University of Missouri - St Louis. It took place on March 29, 2014. The event was made possible through the generosity of the Morgridge Family Foundation, a private family foundation that invests in the transformation of education for both students and educators. A leader in educational philanthropy throughout the nation, the Morgridge Family Foundation supports educational initiatives in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), environmental stewardship, broadband access, educational inclusion for hospitalized children, innovative instructional practices and educator development. 

 

 

EXHIBITORS included:  Academy of Science - St. Louis, Anatomy in Clay, The Boeing Company, Center for Nanoscience/Chemistry Dept. UMSL, Challenger Learning Center-St. Louis, Code Red Education, Custom K-12 Engineering, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, E Desmond Lee Fine Arts Education Collaborative at UMSL, Endangered Wolf Center, Gateway Greening Inc, Humane Society of Missouri, Illinois Mathematics & Science Academy (IMSA), Jane Goodall Institute's Roots & Shoots, The Magic House, St. Louis Children's Museum, Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District, Monsanto Science Education Outreach, The Nature Conservancy, Republic Services, Saint Louis Science Center, Saint Louis Zoo, Schwartz & Associates Creative, Sophia M Sachs Butterfly House, UMSL CoE Technology Learning Center, University of Missouri - St. Louis, UMSL College of Nursing, UMSL/Washington University Joint Engineering Program, US Army Corps of Engineers, Washington University, World Chess Hall of Fame and YMCA.

The Saturday included 20+ classroom intensive presentations of which I attended four: Anatomy in Clay: Experience the first interactive tool: the hand (Jon Zahourek); Khan Academy: Building Khan Artists: Developing Support Structures to Facilitate Differentiation of Instruction (Brad Avery, Wayne Thornes); Red & Black Books: Preparing Students for Life, a Funny Thing Happened on the way to Hollywood (Tina Pennington, Mandy Williams); Smart solutions in STEM Education (Ian Belanger).

That’s a lot to take in on a Saturday. That being said, like any learning experience: When approached in earnest, there are net take-aways. Here are mine: 1. Educators are passionate

2. Technology is transforming Education 3. Smart people will find ways to merge creativity and content.

P.S. -  Carrie A. Morbridge, Vice President of the Morgridge Family Foundation followed Carole G. Basile, Dean of UMSL College of Education in the kick-off of the event with the analogy of giving teachers something better than a one speed bike to climb the continental divide.

Snarky P.P.S. Carrie Morgridge inadvertently refereed to UMSL as the “University of Saint Louis” in her opening remarks. She also mentioned Lance Armstrong better bicycle as analogy for transformative tools for teachers. (I’m pretty sure teachers want NOT to be associated with any form of cheating). But you gotta love it if it was her idea to take this show on the road to St. Louis. 

SIUE Thad Duhigg and LSP Docents

Thad Duhigg (in red) flanked by visitors to SIUE from the Laumeier Sculpture Park

Thad Duhigg is a sculptor, artist, and a friend of the Laumeier Sculpture Park. He is a friend in a different way than the euphemism that implies a person who is a magnanimous patron who writes checks in support of the arts. This friend is a guy who has helped repair sculpture, produced castings that are part the maquettes for visually impaired visitors and even delivered two bronze busts for last Summer’s exhibition The River Between Us. It wasn’t long ago that he was a featured artist at Laumeier Scuplture Park himself.  

Thad is professor of sculpture at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville (SIUE) and on this early Spring day he is host to a dozen docents from Laumeier. This peak inside the SIUE sculpture department shows students eager to make art, but perhaps more importantly, learn the craft of creating sculpture. The docents are listening carefully as Thad reinforces the steps necessary for the lost wax method of casting in bronze. “There are a lot of opportunities to experience failure and when every piece is unique there are different challenges,” says Duhigg.

The nature of this lesson is far reaching. It isn’t only about manufacturing in a laboratory. It is about the commitment and attention to detail from temperatures, the “investment” and allowances you make for metal to form and air to escape. The specification covers a group of requirements that are mandatory for castings produced by the investment casting process to meet the metallurgical requirements: chemical, heat, and product analyses performed wherein the material shall meets the specified composition limits for carbon, manganese, silicon, phosphorus, sulfur, nickel, chromium, molybdenum, vanadium, tungsten, copper, and aluminum. It isn’t just art for art’s sake.

Meanwhile “let sleeping dogs lie,” is a theme that seems to creeps into the tour of sculpture and the adjacent departments at SIUE. Thad Duhigg is not satisfied to leave things as status quo. Even though recently he has “sleeping dogs” appearing in sculpture he not about to go without stirring things up. Status Quo is not his style. So when you see a pit bull on a pedestal on the campus of SIUE it is not because the artist is asleep.

Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville (SIUE )is a nationally recognized university educating and developing professional and community leaders through excellent faculty and programs. For more information www.siue.edu

Barb Wired

Barb Flunker was indeed wired for her opening at the architecture and design firm in the Grove neighborhood on Manchester Road in St. Louis on March 7, 2014. She greets everyone as they enter. She helps create excitement around her work on display. She is brave, expressionistic, contemporary and unafraid of talking about her process that includes found and re-purposed materials such as fabric, chicken wire, wire window screens and paint. “I love to recycle materials but that isn’t what I’m about. I’m not saying my work is about recycling…”

SPACE is in the business of architecture and design. Their story is chronicled in a blog series that illustrates in dramatic fashion the old fashioned ideal called stick-to-it-ive-ness. As it happens, Tom Niemeier the writer of that blog is a friend of mine and the founder of that firm. And so it goes with artists like my friend Barb Flunker. She is creating art over a period of time and at this very point in time she is showing at Space.

So it goes in St. Louis, when you have lived here long enough, your worlds collide. Tom is happy to have the traffic in his Space. Barb is happy to be showing in this Space. It is a win-win when Barb’s fans show up and are buying. Red Dots are telling the guests that the work is selling – at least six works sold in the first hour. Her friends include the docent volunteers at the Laumeier Sculpture Park where she is a charter member.

There is wine and a spirit in the space that is Space. Artists, art fans, friends of Barb and Ray Flunker, young architects, designers and people out on a Friday night in St. Louis. It is a moment in time. This is when you see that being an artist today is as much about today as it is about what you are doing now as it is about what is next. You look and you see that Barb sees things in unique and wonderful ways. Go to this space called Space because Barb will be moving on this Spring to whatever is next.

About SPACE Architecture + Design Studio…
An AIA award-winning design-build firm in St. Louis, Missouri, SPACE was launched in 2005 by St. Louis native Tom Niemeier (Tom is first on left in group shot above). SPACE’s collaborative team of talented architects and interior designers give clients inspiring commercial office, retail, schools, medical facilities, restaurants and churches to enhance the most important moments of life. As proud residents of St. Louis’ up-and-coming Grove neighborhood, SPACE participates in Public Architecture’s 1% Program, in which the firm donates 1% of its hours back to local nonprofits each year. SPACE’s community participation was recognized by St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay, who awarded them the Spirit of St. Louis Award in 2010. For more information, visit www.spacestl.com, get up to the minute news on their blog at spacestl.wordpress.com, or follow along on Twitter at @spacearchitects.