         
program work group
Anthony Stepter Jules Schmuker, head George Wietor Todd Freeman Teresa Zbiciak Annamarie Buller
Minutes for March 4th The WORST part of our meeting was that we could not see Annamarie's hair. The BEST part of our meeting was that "we made a decision"! We first talked about the Mitch Cope visit. We decided that we will need to assist the facilities committee with their duties that they were given by the Mitch Cope sub committee. We then talked about food, dietary preferences, and the grocery store trip. There is a list of all of this on the Mitch Cope page. We need to figure out how Mitch Cope can know that he needs to design a studio project for the 18th. We then talked about posters and promotion. We have a list also on the Mitch Cope page that lists all of the places that posters will be distributed and by who. Hopefully the posters can be printed soon! Annamarie has decided to work on press release stuff. And that is all.
How to Present a Visiting Artist - a longwinded but comprehensive how-to.
Where are we with Mitch Cope visit? Todd is calling with an invite, most likely we are inviting Mitch for the week after spring break…. the 18th of March. The group discusses possibly coming up with a general format to go along with Mitch's visit. Concerns outlined are Church services on Friday Can't do stuff at night…. If we do a talk we will need to get chairs. Jenn thinks it would be nice for everyone to bring all the chairs form their homes but realizes this won't happen. Annamarie and Anthony are interested in creating an action type setting for interaction with Mitch. Paul suggests we go to Chicago the week after the semester ends.. How do people feel about that? Annamarie throws down Robert Morris X info Anthony Scoops it up but promises to safeguard and return it, He also waves about the print off of the Creston History info from the swiki… Jenn embarrassingly realizes that she has somehow not posted her info….. she swears to post this weekend. Jenn discusses the layout that she has tried to create amending her comments with it sucks still more work to come.. Anthony begins to edit the history. George and Annamarie pour over info from Nicolette they almost come to blows about who will do more research about Creston Discussion about new link to MSU Land use Creston site George promises to try and print maps off of site. More discussion of maps. it is agreed that more are needed. Discussion turns to Towne Club soda…. Fascination sets in The Crowne Jules drops the bomb that her mom worked for Towne Club Soda. Anthony and George wax poetically about Grand Rapids Sodas The Soda Pop Legacy dominates the remainder of the conversation.
January 28 Programming/Music listening Armadillo Group talked about making a new name for ourselves. Todd is researching Mitch Cope so that he can email him, which will be happening this week. Jules has begun an email to Marc Fischer that went out this week-waiting for a reply, but he is incredibly busy. talked about what we will do with all of our historical research. historical markers signs business size cards phamplets scavenger hunt trading cards walking trail book talked about having more visiting artists/who will be coming to the Rock Shop (community members, students, etc). discussed a pot luck and/or scavenger hunt. As a whole: wednesday with Steve about the floor 6-9 As I understand, there are some nasties that make up 2% of our floor. make decisions and preparations get nails out exposing the windows. tempera paint on the windows - Neil's Rock Shop/Civic Studio logo make definitions - have votes - Jules History Research Visiting Artists Willie Popell (Ben's suggestion) OPEN hours - 2 key holders Questions business cards how long why Creston history describe active what has changed what its like eat what you'd change
The group discussed this week the creation of a survey of common times folks would like to have access to the space. Jenn will post a calendar by wednesday and you should plan on marking when you can and would like to have use of the space for whatever reason. Next class we will look at our data and set some times. We also would like to create a key log for access to the space outside of typical hours. If you are interested in access during off hours you could get on this log and find out who has the key and contact them. This log will be up and running later today?. Speakers: Jules will contact Marc Fisher to see if he is able to visit and speak to our class. She will coordinate with Paul who has already been in touch with him about the class. Todd will contact Mitch Cope also to speak to the group. Jenn will look into the Creston Citizens Association and find out if it is still in existance. Perhaps we could get someone to talk to us about working with this group that has been working on this area of town at least since 1924. We are open to any other ideas about speakers please post if you have other ideas. Ideas! The group also discussed the idea of figuring a way to use the information we found at the archives about the neighborhood. How do we share what we are doing with the neighborhood? How do we get it out? How do we create renewed interest in the neighboorhood? Trading cards that have then and now images and info of the buildings and businesses- uniform design require 50-150 words on everyones topic and any photos Create design that we can hand out and post in building windows, give to businesses in the the building to distribute if interested. pair info of then and now with architectural studies what about change that is bad? Perhaps info should be housed at our space and teasers should be in the business windows?. Ambiguous images in the windows that have our addres and hours of being open so they can come for more information. What about instruction manuals for community and neighborhood events and ideas for promotion? IE: How to have a Parade.. Conclusions were not draw but would like to bring these ideas to the group to discuss.
This group prospects and leads in the determination of any public presentations. This includes events as well as regular weekly times we might be "open". This group can also propose or suggest possible studio works or areas of investigation. Events/ programs also may evolve from the cumulation of diverse studio work. Curator/ Producer/ Packager/ Presenter/ Publisher/ Director. Once we decide to to a program or project, a project team will be assembled from the whole studio. It is important that anything proposed for public presentation be considered and critiqued by the whole studio. It is also important that the total body of presented work is somewhat coherent and consistent. Through discourse presentations can be constructed that incorporate diverse things coherently. This is very different from compromise that is the result of rough-cutting a composite that gives everyone some space. "Fairness" can be a lazy solution that results in mutual self-indulgence and confirms for the public that art is just about artists getting to express anything they want and should not be looked to for serious or applicable ideas. As Armajani say's "maybe this means no art". Doing the discourse is hard work - but this critical intensity is the forge for finding new forms that may transcend the limited role of art. This discourse is the role of criticism in culture. In itself is an important cultural product that is largely missing. What is needed? What is salient? What is relevant? What progresses the discourse? It is important to be careful about the impulse of automatically doing a "gallery" without considering what that is and what it does. How does that work as a context of presentation? What are other contexts of presentation that we might employ; in the space or in other ways? It is an important part of the project to present things. This is the new "use" for art that we are developing. How it is done is an important consideration. What sites are there in Creston but not in our space? Even without any "events" the studio is a public space and display. Any ways that we can make evident and visible the things that we are doing and thinking about. If we are deliberate about how we arrange and groom the space - especially how it looks from the outside. The window and platform are a great ongoing display space. We might even consider some explanatory text about the project in the window. We employed the window often in the Bridge Street project. Also, how can we make our process visible? Short term: 1. Coordinate the establishment of regular weekly schedule. 2. strategize about visiting artists/ who/ when I mentioned that we'd invited Marc Fischer of Temporary Services (in chicago). http://temporaryservices.org I know the're very busy so if we want to invite him we should move soon. If Marc or his partner Brett Bloom can't do it they are likely to know any other public artists who might be in the area. There are other Chicago folks - or with flights being cheap we have options. public artists In the past we had artists in to work with us during the day on a studio and then do a public lecture at 4pm. Mitch Cope is a young curator in Detroit who headed up the Shriking Cities project (http://shrinkingcities.com) in Detroit. He would have things to share having to do with working on a engaged, international project. He could come for an afternoon. PW 1/15/2005
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