VOL 05 ISSUE
11 
September 27, 2006
BACK ISSUES | ° | ¤ | CURRENT ISSUE
VOL 05 ISSUE
11 BACK ISSUES | ° | ¤ | CURRENT ISSUE |
| TOOLS AS ART: HECHINGER COLLECTION TRAVELS TO ANCHORAGE | ||||
 TOOLS AS ART is a collection of art
about tools, in the form of tools, or made from tools started by John Hechinger Sr,
chairman of the board of the Hechinger Company chain of lumber and hardware stores, who
decided to begin a collection to fill newly constructed corporate offices in 1978. Curated
by Sara Tanguy, it's a wonderful premise for a collection and a delight to be able to see
this traveling portion at the Anchorage Museum at the Rasmuson Center recently. There
is a lot of appeal in the subject matter both to artists and to enthusiasts, and the
docents will be sinking their teeth into this exhibition. Hung salon style to
include a lot of works on paper under glass, the show reveals prints by a host of familiar
names rarely seen in Alaska, including Wayne Theibaud, whose Paint Cans
lithograph is seen in the photo at right, hangs next to Le Constructeurs, a stone
lithograph by Ferdinand Leger. A serigraph by Jacob Lawrence, The Carpenters,
(not shown) is among the many pleasant discoveries in the collection, which includes work
by Richard Estes, Jim Dine, Walker Evans, Claes Oldenberg, Red Grooms, Mark Kostabi and
numerous others. |
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CORRECTION: ARNOLD CLAW
HAMMER The Index image for this issue is the Long Road to
Usefulness by Hugh R Butt, a collection of spanners welded end to end in a spiral.
Behind this, the rebuilt picnic table by Robert Brouwer was titled Now the Lord God
Planted a Garden. A raggedy bit of astroturf completes the disingenous charm of this
one. In the large painting shown at left, Correction, by Chester Arnold, the hammer theme found throughout the show reaches its apotheosis.. The source of the ominous black smoke in the background is hinted at by a small detail of the tail of a small airplane. There is an element of harmonious introspection when an artist paints his tools; they are often splattered in vari-colored drops of paint. A two headed hammer, a glass hammer, numerous painted sawblades and a stepladder made out of paper are among the many attractions of this show. A piece by the eponymous Arman complements the signature work of Hugh R Butt. Is there really an artist with this improbable name? One interesting facet of Tools as Art is that it contains no work by contemporary Alaskan artists, many of whom have developed works based on tools and hardware on a parallel track. Jim Dault, Wanda Seamster, Sheila Wyne, the late Ken Gray, among numerous others have work that would form an excellent tool themed collection with a regional bias, some of it reference in ArtSceneAK. Mr Hechinger and Ms Tanguy should visit us sometime. |
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ARTRAIN NATIVE ART: GIOIA
VISITS AK For more than thirty years a group of railroad and art
enthusiasts called Artrain have promoted art shows in a set of train cars moved from depot
to depot in the lower 48 so that towns without museums can still enjoy first class art.
Curators cajole loans of artwork for two and three year long exhibitions, and when the
subject was contemporary American Indian art, plans were laid to bring the train cars to
Alaska for the first time. No small undertaking, the cars were barged to Whittier and
dragged by ARR to the Bill Sheffield Depot at the Ted Stevens Airport for a Jim Dandy
opening reception for the five-depot tour being presented in Seward, Palmer, Nenana,
Fairbanks, and Anchorage through the middle of October. As a send-off, the highest ranking federal arts official as director of the National Endowment for the Arts, Dana Gioia spoke enthusiastically about the Tsimshian dancers' greetings, and the number of big grants bagged by Alaska under the new National Masterpieces funding pushed through by the Bush administration. He also congratulated Delores Churchill, recipient of a $20,000 National Heritage Award this year. Gioia was in town participating in the National Association of State Arts Administrators (NASAA) executive work sessions. Our own Alaskan State Council on the Arts hosted their colleagues from state arts councils from all 50 states and Puerto Rico, said a staffer recently. Administrators were taken on side trips to see moose and sheep and bald eagles, and were given flyers detailing the abundant public art within walking distance of downtown hotels. |
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WOMB BOWL:FRAGUA POT
BOILER Clay is plentiful in the New Mexico foothills where the Pueblo
potters have for years coiled vessels for daily use and for tourist trade. In most cases
the products have some practical use, and is some instances effigies are made of animals
or even houses. Womb Bowl by Laura Fragua Cola of Jemes NM seems playful and
toy-like at first. The pictographs and designs seem decorative. The ladder
gives the bowl the connotation of a kiva, a round subterranean room generally reserved for
the use of men only. Other works were more or less commanding of attention among the diverse pieces collected from tribespeople from around the country. In a bit of interactive software on display, viewers can hear words in Iroquois while images are displayed. A gift shop and display by a local artist rounds out the tour. The participating towns are leveraging arts events with the appearance of the train. |
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DRUMMING MAN:ALUTIIQ
CENTER The architectural firm of Koonce Pfeffer Bettis Inc and the
Afognak Native Corporation recently celebrated the completion of a new Anchorage
headquarters building. The facade is shown at left, with a screen of one-inch glass
sheets with four pictographic designs from the islands sandblasted into them suspended
four feet away from the outside walls with rods and tensioning wires. The office windows
can be seen in the transparent parts of the design, representing a dancing man with a
drum, a breaching whale, a halibut, and the spiral. Inside the atrium seven masks
hang on nine giant planks mounted on a two story wall of black tiles. The Afognak
Corporation numers less than 1500 shareholders, and the building has no central reception
desk, and the masks were unattributed. They appeared newly crafted. The building
also sports a small and spectacular museum space displaying a kayak skeleton and various
crafts and native dress articles. Learn more at thet Alutiiq Museum
Gallery about the pictographs and other items of artistic interest.
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WHALE BONES:VAIT
INSTALLATION In 2003 the Alaska state government consolidated many of
its offices in the Atwood building in downtown Anchorage, ordering extensive renovations
that fell under the Art In Public Places program's auspices. Homer sculptor Leo Vait
was awarde the commission, and can be seen installing the recently completed Whale
Bones in the photo at left. The sculpture is sited outside above the parking garage,
and is made of welded sheet steel with an enamel finish. The abstract shape recalls the
whalebone arcs created in the arctic and also suggest the latitude and longitude lines of
a globe. A manufactured boulder included by Vait can be seen just behind him to the left
as preparations are made to pour the base. The polished 'rock' already had
skateboard traces across it, a sure sign of local acceptance. Vait said vandals in Homer had had a go at his similarly styled trail markers he was commissioned to build there. It's enough to make a man stop and think. |
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32 ANNUAL:WATER
COLOR SOCIETY Stop in at Artique Ltd to think about the state of
watercolors in Alaska with Karen Crandall's Voltage Amongst Fireweed fronting the
lot in the photo at left. Improbable shadows give a thoroughbred a nervous energy matched
by the impressionistic brush marks of lavender and green in this Wasilla artist's
$2000 piece. A work by Kim Marcucci, Subculture, and Michele Suchland's moody Expectations
are the large pieces seen behind Voltage to the left and to the right. Juror
Steven Quiller looked for something he calls "uniqueness of vision."
He sorted for "an individual energy and mark as well as a special way of seeing
that is put down with paint on paper." Works by Marcucci, Sheary Clough
Suiter, and Dot Tideman were at one extreme from the precision detailing of Kevin Temple
or James R Morris, with a portrait of the floatplane Solitude, the most expensive piece at $7000 (none
shown). Dot Bardarson of Seward presented Eagle Spirit Mask, a rare
opportuniity to purchase an original that was perhaps the most Alaskan of the works,
featuring eagle and salmon in a tondo composition (not shown).
ALWAYS TRACES : JUROR QUILLER PICKS A lot of the work by Alaskan artists was very good, inventive and personable. KN Goodrich continues to explore ideas of closure and self-containment with her watercolor drawing She always leaves traces when, shown at left. The 2nd prize awarded her was $510 more than her asking price for this work, suggesting that it is a bit underpriced. Juror Steven Quiller has selected a show that highlights local talent and rewards the entries from out of state. The 32nd Annual Watercolor Society Juried Exhibition features eight monetary recognitions, with three of the top four prizes among the half of these awarded to artists from places like New York, Florida, Colorado, and California. More than $3200 of the $5000 opportunity went to outside artists. Only seven of the 37 watercolors were from this source. Conoco-Phillips community relations provided financial support for an exceptional catalog showing each of the works in full color and including the juror's statement. He also shared his point of view and experience in a workshop arranged by the Alaska Watercolor Society. This group perhaps has the largest numbers of any membership based artist organization in Alaska. |
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AMERICAN
MASTERPIECES: ASCA STYLE Asia Freedman rummaged through the
Contemporary Art Bank of the State of Alaska with the help of an NEA American Masterpieces
grant to develop the beautiful gallery display shown in the photo at left. Works from a
variety of artists was included, with many of the pieces selected purchased during the
last slide review in 2001. Landscapes inhabited by humans were numerous, including the work of the Senungetuk's, a large painting by Alex Combs, and a city-scape by Duke Russell, seen on the back wall at the left. There were several carved masks, including an unusual three-faced one, and a modest sized relief carving by the late James Schoppert (not shown) among the three dimensional works. GOLDEN ARCHES: SABO The crowd pleaser at the opening was the watercolor Golden Arches over McKinley by retired UAA professor Bill Sabo. His wry sense of erotic humor shows a playful familiarity with our state's iconic imagery. Freeman discussed it animatedly, leading the crowd around the central stairwell as she expounded on her choices and the reasons for her admiration of them. Charlotte Fox, head of the State Council and charged with maintaining the state collection, spoke of spending $70,000 at the turn of the century, not mentioning that $140,000 was put aside at the time as a settlement for the amounts that UAA had refused to include under their obligation to State AS 35:27 UAA has continued a robust building program that should have resulted in at least two million dollars in commissions since then and has continued to abdicate their responsibility under the direction of Mark Hamilton, who believes it is his choice as to whether the statute is considered valid for him. Fox said nothing about prospects for another call to purchase, and the contractor charged with maintaining the Art Bank was either not present or not introduced to the crowd. This would have been a strange disconnect except that most of those visiting the opening reception were represented in the collection. Fox did not mention the status of the Art in Public Places Fund (11124), a fund meant to purchase art which is distributed to the General fund by default, apparently a continuing condition with no advocacy for change. She even authored a letter to the editor in the Anchorage Daily News saying that there was no constituency for applying the 1% for Art to any prospective pipeline project the State gets involved in. Wouldn't she be the proper person to defend the enforcement of this statute from being waived by the legislation enabling a pipeline? This is not a small amount of money involved. The show is open during business hours and will be featured on Saturday Sept 30 Art Walk in Mountain View. This is a show that the NASAA could readily have availed themselves of and would be collectors can find good examples of artists worthy of any good Alaskan contemporary collection. |
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- ARTIST OPPORTUNITIES- 9/29/06 deadline ALASKA WATERCOLOR SOCIETY invites submissions of 2D and 3D experimental artwork using any water media for exhibit at APU. Prospectus 10/4/06 deadline GIRDWOOD CENTER FOR VISUAL ARTS seeks hand-delivered entries in "Year of the Dog", a group show $8 entry fee per piece, People's Choice and two runner-up ribbons. Contact Nikki Navarrete, Gallery Coordinator 783-0911 10/16/06 deadline CITY & BOROUGH JUNEAU FLOYD DRYDEN invites submissions of qualifications and approaches for this Middle School facility's courtyard. Budget $65,000 contact Rosemary Matt 907-586-0897 Prospectus 10/19/06 panel discussion ANCHORAGE MUSEUM ALASKANS ON ART includes Dave Nicholls, Mark Baechtel, Angela Ramirez, Garry Kaulitz, Susaie Bevins, and Graham Dane. Free, from 6-8pm in the Auditorium. 343-6187 10/25/06 program ALASKA NATIVE ARTIST summit in Anchorage at the Egan Center day long register in advance for lunch or to contribute slides. 10/31 deadline ARTSCENEAK READERS' CHOICES 2006 seeks nominations for the best of's in ten visual arts categories for vote in November and announcement of Readers' Choices in December. Why not submit your nominations online right now while you're thinking about it? 11/1/06 deadline ARTISTS IN SCHOOLS RESIDENCY PROGRAM seeks applications from professional artists in Visual, Literary, Performing, and Traditional Native Arts. Contact Susan Olson 907-269-6682. Applications online at ASCA under Arts Education. To apply to host an artist, apply online. Reference Alaska Art Curriculum website. 11/10/06 deadline ALASKA PACIFIC UNIVERSITY invites Solo or Collaborative Art Exhibit proposals for the Grant Hall & Carr Gottstein Exhibit Spaces 2007-2008 seasons. 10 slides to Contact Jannah Atkins: CURATOR OF EXHIBITS APU PRESIDENT'S OFFICE, 4101 UNIVERSITY DRIVE, ANCHORAGE, AK 99508 TOOLS AS ART: THE HECHINGER COLLECTION by Pete Hamill Can't make it to the Museum's mini-block buster? Repair to your workshop with the book version of the exhibition. ArtSceneAK recommends not banging your fingers with the hammer.... NEXT: DOC OCT SHORTCUTS: Aggravated again?! Ecstatic?! Let us know you love us or hate us. Help correct attribution errors that you suspect. Tell us about your upcoming event or artist opportunity. Let us know about your website. Form makes it easy to try your hand at pumping or dumping. cf also ART IN ALASKA
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AURORAL PLEXI:AIRPORT ART 
An installation involving acrylic and LED's lit with computerized timing has been lurking
in the tunnel between the Airport and the Railroad Depot along with a linear display of
the development of the airport as photographed from the air since early days. This
luminous work can be viewed as an avi file by clicking on the photo at right. You might not
otherwise get to see this if you are not a captive of the cruise companies, for whom
this hallway was built. In Juneau, a commissioning panel awarded Dorinda Skains the balance of the Juneau Douglas High School budget for an interior mural. Juneau locals Janice Criswell and Steve Henrikson (curator of collections at the Alaska State Museum) were commissioned to produce the $100,000 Berner's Bay Ballet. Captivate your cruising company with the BACK ISSUE Index.
A tip of the hat to a reader whose work ArtSceneAK misconstrued last issue: "you gave Paper Dolls a whole different meaning than I was thinking of, but I liked it, so it's neat that it works on more than one level. I was thinking of how society entices teen girls to become "cut outs" from the same mould, but I like the sisterhood idea, too!" --- SCS Thanks for letting us know our short-coming to a
would be reader who wrote:"Try as I might I have never been able to conjure up
the magazine."- JI. Maybe a little more focus on hocus with pocus. Thank you and Welcome to a new subscriber in Anchorage and to artists in Eagle River and Spenard who renewed their subscripions, Welcome Back. Congratulations to Herwig Stark for his 2nd prize award from the Austrian Biennial. The MOA APF ordinance adopts the purpose of the : "the municipality hereby recognizes by the enactment of this chapter, the responsibility of government to foster the development of culture and the arts". From my dear friend in Florence: "I am forwarding the link to a "podcast" I did about Tuscan Countess and Matilda of Canossa. It sounds great-- I actually think Gregorian disco is the way to go click on WiredBerries Radio " --- Michelle Spike Thank You and a Spread of the Word to the MixMaster of ArtProcess, who hosts artists portfolios for free.
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text & photos © 2006 Donald R Ricker; artist's works pictured ©2006 to artists credited.
ArtSceneAK is published by Donald R Ricker and sponsored by
BETTER LETTERS, PO Box 103554, Anchorage AK 99510-3554
, a partial listing of links to Museums,
Galleries, and individual Artists around the state.
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