VOL 02 ISSUE
19 
October 7, 2003
VOL 02 ISSUE
19 |
| COLLECTOR'S TOUR: PRIVATE GALLERIES IN ANCHORAGE | ||||
 COLLECTORS: In
generous support of the Anchorage Museum, three couples decided this spring to offer a
tour of their private collections to the highest bidder in silent auction at the Gala. Pat
Sims penciled in the winning bid ($350) and invited nine friends to accompany her on a
walking tour of the three homes, all in an established neighborhood downtown. The
group met at Paula and Berndt Guetschow's, enthusiastic collectors whose home is composed
of dramatic architectural spaces. The upstairs flyway is seen at right lined with family
portraits, several of which were commissioned by previous generations in the late 1800's.
Two portraits of their children were commissioned from Spence Guerin, formerly of
Fairbanks. Guerin was charged with making the most of a situation involving
reluctant sitters, and the images of the two young girls are all the more lively because
of it. |
||||
|
BIRCH: OVERSIZE WOODWARD One
of the largest studies of bark in Alaska by birch expert Kes Woodward of Fairbanks graces
the ample wall space above the couch. The Guetschow's collection is professionally
arranged and graced with special lighting arrangements. Eggshell colored walls allow
the whites of both the artist's highlights and the mattes of the framed pieces to provide
contrast. Ample space is provided between pictures so that each can be observed
individually, while at the same time objects of fine glass and pottery are combined into
vignettes effectively. These subjects are of importance to the serious collector,
who of course wishes to display each new acquisition among old favorites to its best
advantage. Ms Guetschow spoke of the value of an 'artist's eye' in assisting with
the arrangement of walls, works, and lighting. The deep red bas relief seen center at left
was made in the early 1980's by Ward Hulbert In the stairwell, a familiar cast plaque piqued the curious, who were rewarded with the knowledge that this is a maquette for the castings circling the outside walls of the current museum, commissioned from Alex Combs in the seventies. Purchased at a yard-sale when Combs was preparing to move to Seldovia, the piece evokes a special satisfaction for the Guetschows |
|||
 |
PI: ROSS SHAPES LIVELY METAL At the next stop on the tour, Pi, a large piece by Marty Ross graces the front yard of West High social studies teacher Dagmar Phillips and UAA history professor Stephen Haycox. Ross' imposing form is surprisingly light on its feet with structural rigidity provided by the custom I-beam design. Phillips is enthusiastic about integrating art into her landscape and close observation is rewarded everywhere. Signal among the outside pieces are a wonderful set of sheetmetal tubes of paint made by Don Decker (not shown) and a piece of baleen (whale's tooth) arced over a narrow passageway to the back yard. On a lot perched on a hill overlooking Cook Inlet, Phillips and Haycox have expanded around and contained the original log structure so that their interior has an element of Alaska road-house that is irresistable. | |||
  |
Every available surface inside stages their cheerful
collection. Although Haycox claims to 'just carry the checkbook', it is plain that his
knowledge and enjoyment of the collection indicates an active role in the decision making.
A dramatic collection of masks is mounted in the living room (not shown). In the photo at
far left, a carving of Egret Spirit by John Hoover is treated to the raking light
of a setting sun to great advantage. An iconic piece on glass by Ayse Gilbert can be seen
(barely) to the left and behind Hoover's piece. In the bedrooms downstairs the delights
continue with the more personal and sensual elements of their collection. BABY FACE BRA:DRESSING ROOM At near left, a watercolor in the style of Kathe Kollwitz and a print of a grand piano in a surreal desert surround a wicker dress maker's form fit with a brassiere whose cups are two angelic Baby Faces. |
|||
 |
Phillips is very enthusiastic about sculptor Marty
Ross, and his Power Suit is hanging proprietarily where other homes might have a
coat rack (shown at left). In a hallway leading to the guest bedroom can be seen a Grizzly
portrait by Alvin Amason and another hanging art-icle of clothing, this time a short
sleeved skin shirt sized for a child. Finally, a visit to the home of Brian and Sharon Davies began with a look at several outdoor sculptures of various scales. As the group entered the foyer, Ms Davies revealed that their collecting interests extended to the custom furniture throughout. Portions of their home seem to have been built for the express purpose of displaying their collection to best advantage, and paintings by David Woodie of Juneau and British expat Graham Dane stand out among many other worthy items (not shown). |
|||
 |
DOGE'S FIRST POTLATCH: DEROUX Dan DeRoux will be the second Alaskan invited by the Comitato Scientifico to participate in the Biennale Internazionale dell'Arte Contemporanea December 6-16 and will be representing Alaska and the USA with his epic painting Doge's First Potlach, a detail of which is seen at left. DeRoux explains that "My painting is hanging at Jens' until mid-November, and can be seen on my web site. It features two ignudi from the Sistine Chapel and a host of Tlingits in regalia going to a totem pole raising and potlatch at the Piazza SanMarco in Venice. See you there!". ArtSceneAK thinks he's on his way to an Italian medallion. DeRoux continued to say "Thank you for the reference to kicking ass at the FloBi!! I do hope it goes somewhere." | |||
10/31/03 deadline FORT LAUDERDALE /HOLLYWOOD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT national call for sound & light, contact Patricia Romeu http://www.broward.org/arts 10/31/03 deadline 3oth biennial ALL ALASKA JURIED ART EXHIBITION up to 4 slides, $20 entry fee. Juror Michael Rush, chief curator of the Palm Beach Institute of Contemporary Art $1,000 Juror's Choice Award and six awards of $500 each. contact Dave Nicholls at (907) 343-6122 nichollsdx@anchoragemuseum.org 11/14/03 deadline OLDER PERSONS ACTION GROUP (OPAG) POSTER CONTEST seeking artwork from kids about "What special Elders mean to you" and from geezers (50+) about "What mentoring children means to you". $900 in cash prizes, size restrictions, AK residents. contact Betty at (800) 478-1059 OPAG 12/1/03 deadline NEW MEXICO MONUMENTS / EL CAMINO REAL budget $101,000 for towering sculpture. contact Joy Poole at 505-854-3600 Cultural Corridors Competition 1/31/04 deadline ANTHOLOGY OF CONTEMPORARY ALASKA NATIVE VISUAL AND LITERARY ARTS Invites submissions; established and emerging artists and writers are encouraged to submit two copies of original works. Contact Alice Crow, ANTHOLOGY, PO Box 229, Bethel, AK 99559-0229 NEXT: HOOT OWL MOON FEEDBACK Aggravated again?! Get a NO Prize for proving us wrong. Let us know you love us or hate us and tell us about your upcoming event or opportunity and get a No, Thank YOU. Help correct attribution errors you suspect. SHORTCUTS: Add 6 FREE months to your membership subscription if we use your 100 word reviews of any show you've seen recently, sweet and sour. Form makes it easy. TELL A FRIEND About ArtSceneAK: Enter recipient's
e-mail: ArtSceneAK photography, reviews, programming, editing and general bottle washing spring fully armored from the forehead of the publisher, Donald R Ricker, unless otherwise credited or quoted. |
CHIPPERFIELD INTRODUCTION Architect
David Chipperfield is currently working on some very impressive projects around the world,
including the Museum Island project in Berlin, Germany that will integrate four existing
museums (one still in ruins after WWII) with a new building. The model shown at left, made
beautifully of hardwood and frosted plexiglas, is part of a display at the Anchorage
Museum held in conjunction with his slide show and public meeting in late September. In
spite of a few technical difficulties during the slide show, Chipperfield equanimously
revealed the scope of his experience. The man is actually building an addition to the
Island of the Dead in the Venice lagoon in Italy, and recently completed a museum in Davenport Iowa. He noted with
some chagrin that his projects are mostly outside his native England, with the exception
of the Henley River and Rowing Museum, the model shown at lower left. He referred to
Prince Charles famous outbursts against soulless modern architecture but said with some
pride that HRH has come around a bit with regard to this project. The slide show was standing room only in the 300 seat auditorium at the Museum, and a smaller crowd of 60 attended a Q&A opportunity two nights later. Audience members expressed concern that any new design not repeat climatological mistakes of other large public buildings such as the PAC and the Loussac Library. Chipperfield noted that the current museum seemed closed in on itself, and wants the new museum to attract visitors to the inside and let them see outside from there. He spoke of three main issues he will address: What sort of Museum? What sort of Building? How should the building enhance the City? He also expressed puzzlement at the level of 'ownership' felt by local artists for their museum. His experience with older institutions didn't match the situation with Anchorage's relatively young program which has always been exceptionally supportive of Alaskan artists. ArtSceneAK Canvass offers a way to rank your preferences among suggestions from the art community about improvements in the new Anchorage Museum for presentation to the Design Committee and the architects. Early returns have been enthusiastic, be sure to send us your opinions soon. Thanks to all who have already done so. DENALI WIND: PUBLIC ART TOUR Other sites on the tour include the downtown Fire Station, the Senior Center, the Cemetery, East high and Fairview elementary schools. Plans advance for the upcoming Art Charette: "Kes Woodward will make a presentation as an Alaskan artist, along with the visitors: Paul Ha from the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, Susanne Ghez from the Renaissance Society in Chicago and Alanna Heiss, from PS 1 in NY. Friday, 24 October, 7:00 p.m. 9:00 p.m. and Interactive Work Sessions Saturday, 25 October, 8:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m. Anchorage Museum Auditorium Attendance is Free of Charge." Please register in advance and do your homework. Get behind a mask in the BACK ISSUE Index.
New York talent Taliah Lampert writes: "Thanks! Fancy magazines are cool. Nice to hear from someone in the A&A club." She's talking about Art & Antiques, which featured one of her paintings of bicycles this month. Ah, Youth!
|
|||
text & photos © 2003 ArtSceneAK; artist's works pictured ©2003 to artists credited.
-OPPORTUNITIES- 
The MOA % for Art Public tour will take
place October 11 with a reception at the new Denali Elementary school on the Park Strip.
The building is designed by John Kumin and Associates, and the art selection jury included
Kumin and Museum Director Pat Wolf, so this is a good place to look for clues to the
direction Museum expansion might take. Denali Wind, a collection of
meaningless colored forms hung in the atrium by Denver artists George Peters and Melanie
Walker for $90,000 has all the bright vacuousness of a mobile hung over an infant's
crib. Leaving the impression that education is impossible in a chaotic world, this
piece is not among 
