Contemporary Art as Event

In discussion with my group, we mused over examples of how contemporary art is generated and displayed as more of an event than artifact. Naturally, contemporary art has not aged and therefore does not have the status of the objects in the Anthropological realm. It is interesting, however, to see the new ways in which current artists and galleries seek patronage. Dale made a good mention to be careful with clearly separating the terms gallery and museum. A gallery's intention is to sell art and a museum's intention is to preserve and display art. I think this will lend itself to an interesting dichotomy in our projects.

The examples I was thinking about are in the LA art scene, since I am not fully clued into the East Coast art scene. Many new artists are turning to galleries that are events themselves. The Hear Gallery http://www.myspace.com/theheargallery and Daydream Republic http://www.daydreamrepublic.com/Daydream_Republic/Home.html are two examples of contemporary art as event. They are open spaces in the LA area that bimonthly/monthly host what is like a club to display art. Artists are selected and displayed but for one night only when there is a DJ and dancing and drinks. Usually the space is multi-purpose and rented out for other events, bringing back into mind the economies of displaying art. Obviously this falls in line with attracting the younger generations but it seems to be a popular form of mixing gallery and event.

An example concerning more established contemporary artists is Bergamot Station http://www.bergamotstation.com/, of which I think any contemporary art gallery designer should be aware. It used to be a trolley stop and then a food factory. It is 8 acres in Santa Monica/LA that has been converted into galleries and artist studios. If you look at the map on the website, though, you will notice the plan follows what is very local to Southern California lifestyle, and that is the outdoor shopping and entertainment venue. When you visit Bergamot, your experience there of "shopping for art" or just "window shopping" is the same as if your were shopping for fashion with your friends on a Saturday afternoon. It is like an outdoor mall for art that is more inviting to the general public than the more traditional galleries and studios.

So, just some thoughts to share...

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Have a great semester everyone!