I'm ready to commit to you San Francisco, and get to the bottom of why your public is not engaging in ART. Whether it be at SFMoMa, Headlands, private gallery or non-profit, in the park, at the ocean, in the mountains.. I am going to invite YOU to participate because I know you have it and you want it. Museums have always been instruments of power, but in San Francisco we are almost waiting for something to happen there. But let us question the role of the museum within the rigid operating system of art. Is it possible to counteract the hectic, superficial nature of short-lived exhibitions and encourage delights of deceleration and depth, or collect contemporary art without merely amassing objects that will soon be forgotten when the zeitgeist changes?
Can the museum bear witness to time by preserving a common history for itself and its public? It is now time to nominate for Bay Area Now at YBCA and the SECA nominees from the SFMoMa will be announced soon. When was the last time either of these awards really took risks or got you excited about Bay Area artists? They have either been too little too late or is this mirror of the best of the Bay Area disappointing in itself? Should we just start macrameting and becoming sommeliers?
Instead of espousing the myth of the museum as a neutral venue of pure being, let's collect transience. Let's collaborate with diverse artists to execute new works and pursue works in progress. Let's reference place and continuity, content and experience, and in-depth contact with the public. This exceptionally open framework appeals to artists; with the museum as their active partner, they accept and enjoy a greater responsibility within the public sphere. I will do my best to do my part. Gathering my nuts for the Winter. Bring it San Francisco. This is a call to arms.
