Friday, September 25, 2009

It's blog-tastic.

I’ll start my guest blogging with a short introduction, a few thoughts, and a modest request.

My name is Jacob Breeden…and I’m an Amarillo artist. That’s my introduction.

And believe it or not, Amarillo is an art town.

This town is filled with artists.

Artists who work. Artists who try – then fail – then try again. Artists who are in dedicated pursuit of an idea. An idea they may have been chasing for a few months, a few years, or a few decades.

There are realists and abstract thinkers. There are painters and poets, builders and bohemians, picture makers and picture takers. Men and women. Old and young. We are all different, and yet all the same...our sameness derived from our collective belief in the power of action.

You see…art making is action. Art making is work. As Tom T. once said, “Real work comes from work.” This is something we all know. Art, for each of us, is not a “hobby”. It’s not a “past time”. It’s an obsession. It’s work.

So why do we do it? Ask a hundred artists and get a hundred different answers.

I create because I can’t say what I want to say with words. I create because it keeps me sane. I create because I have a damn good time doing it. I create because I have to. But that’s just me.

Is what I create art? I sure as hell hope so.

With time, dedication and patience, anyone (really – anyone) can learn the skills it takes to paint a landscape filled with happy little trees, model with clay, or take a picture. Do you really think artists are born with the skills it takes to create their creations? We have all spent years learning to speak our chosen “language”.

But is hand-eye coordination really all it takes to make art? Or is there something that separates the art from the other?

Take the time to look at the art being made in our town. Take the time to really look. Then think about this…what you see is not always all there is.

When something moves you…when it makes you stop and think – when you can’t take your eyes off the image, or get the song out of your head, or stop repeating the poem – think about why. Chances are the artist did.

Those are my thoughts for the day.

And finally, here is my request. I am asking you to seek out and support great local art, to stop buying couch sized paintings for $29.00, and that the words, "You should go to Santa Fe!" never again escape your lips.

j. breeden

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Chuck Olson at the Amarillo Museum

Let me start by introducing myself, I moved to Amarillo a year ago to teach photography and digital imaging at Amarillo College. One of the determining factors, besides the facilities and people that I would work with, was the art and culture available in the area. The Cadillac Ranch is world famous but what else was here? What kind of resources would be available to my students?

The first thing I discovered was the Amarillo Museum of Art. The museum is housed in a clean, contemporary, and beautifully designed space. Under the direction of Graziella Marchicelli, the museum has enjoyed steady growth while providing the community with exceptional contemporary Art. The quality of the exhibits in the last year has been astonishing.

Currently, the museum features large scale abstract paintings by Chuck Olson. He has a gestural quality to his mark making, a bold sense of color, and his paintings really pull the viewer in. Four of the paintings were made in response to the vast Amarillo sky that he experienced for the first time two years ago.

Olson gave a gallery talk at the museum last Thursday night, and played a few songs with a local band “Gravy.” Friday morning he visited with the art students at Amarillo College, and that afternoon started teaching a 3 day workshop at the museum. On Sunday night everyone met at the Sunset Center for a pot luck dinner and a song circle with local musicians. It was an amazing weekend my battery is charged, I am full of new ideas, and ready to be creative.

These types of events are so important to the culture of an area, and especially to aspiring artists growing up in this community.

This is my first post and I will be writing about being a newcomer to the area, and about the artists featured in this season of Art: 21.

Embracing Art and Education


Help us to welcome our newest guest blogger, Nicole Mahan. Originally from Amarillo, Nicole graduated with her bachelor's degree in Art History at the University of Mississippi. She is now pursuing her doctorate at Florida State University. Nicole's perspective as a Panhandle native pursuing a career path with a contemporary art focus seemed a natural fit for the Art:21 project.


When I was first approached about writing for the PBS Panhandle Art:21 blog, I was ecstatic about the opportunity to express my gratitude for the many institutions in Amarillo that have shaped my career as an aspiring art historian. My path towards what sometimes seems to be a never ending cycle of class and research began in the Texas panhandle where I was born and raised. After graduating from Amarillo High School (where I was inspired by Mr. Gary Biggers to study the history of art and music), I entered the University of Mississippi, more lovingly known as Ole Miss, without any idea what field of study I would pursue. My final decision to study art history may have come as a surprise to my family, but in hindsight, my passion for art began from a very early age. I am currently a graduate student at Florida State University in pursuit of my doctorate. I am finishing my Master’s thesis on Krzysztof Wodiczko, a video projection artist featured in season three of Art:21. It has been over fifteen years since I enrolled in my first art class in the museum school at the Amarillo Museum of Art, and I still live and breathe art like I did when I was six years old and enamored by the beautiful colors, inspiring messages, and messy (but uniquely beautiful) art projects I had the chance to create.

While I’ve been pursuing my passion for Contemporary art from coast to coast, my hometown has evolved into a cultural center where artists, students, patrons, and enthusiasts have more access than ever to a vibrant local art scene. The Amarillo Museum of Art has recently exhibited major artists including Chuck Olson, David Levinthal, Grace Hartigan, Ray Howlett, Carol Feuerman, and many others. The galleries at Sunset Center provide an excellent opportunity to support local artists, Third Thursdays at the Amarillo Museum of Art offer educational films and lectures, and local museum and art schools bring a world of creativity to children and adults alike.

The most recent development in the Amarillo art scene, the partnership between KACV and Art:21, gives Amarilloans an easy way to become involved in the local and global art scene. I encourage everyone to take advantage of this opportunity regardless of their prior interest in the arts. The Art:21 DVD series is an excellent way to introduce yourself to the most important artists working in the twenty-first century. No matter what your background or interests are, you can find something inspiring or interesting in either the Art:21 partnership or a local museum or gallery.

I was recently flying back to school from New York City, and a conversation with the man seated next to me made me realize why I feel so strongly about art appreciation. He asked a simple question, “What do art historians study? Do you make art or do you just read about it?” That was when I realized that the vast majority of my art research didn’t even have anything to do with the artist or object I was writing about. I go to the library, my second home, and bounce through the five stories of resources—art on the fourth floor, history and political science on the third, psychology and philosophy on the fifth, and photography and technology inconveniently located in the science library about a twenty minute walk away. And I thought I was studying art…

I tell this story because whether you are an engineer, a teacher, a doctor, a lawyer, a politician, or any variety of other “non-artistic” occupations, you can find something to learn or appreciate in a museum, gallery, or classroom. Even children can learn so much about the world by taking simple art classes at local museums. Not only are the children creating “masterpieces” they can be proud of, they also learn to “read” a picture, to make inferences about what they see hanging on the museum walls, and to ask questions about the context of a work of art. Just take your child to an art museum and have them tell you all about what they see. You will be amazed by the creativity and imagination that a simple painting or sculpture can inspire. While they may not grow up to be the next Cindy Sherman or Damien Hurst, they will learn valuable lessons that will impact the rest of their lives.

While I would love to keep going on about how important it is to become personally involved in supporting your local art community, I should probably return to my own studies that are calling me from my office. In my next blog, I will be writing about an artist who has not only been featured on Art:21, but has also been the focus of my research for the last year, Krzysztof Wodiczko. The Polish-American artist/professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has produced politically and socially-charged video projections on public monuments and architecture in over twelve countries for the last three decades. Until next time, visit a museum, create an art project with your children, or check out the Art:21 KACV blog/facebook page/flickr, and bring some art into your life!

Friday, September 18, 2009

The Art of Motion

Help us welcome Art21onKACV’s newest guest blogger, Dale Robinson. In addition to shooting, editing, doing graphics and many other unseen aspects of putting television productions together as a Production Coordinator for KACV, Dale is also the station’s web master (and as such, helps with many aspects of this project). Outside his television life, Dale handles special video/web projects, plays guitar, INSERT WHADEVEH… Plus, he’s a really deep guy.


How is video an art form? Or rather how is video its own art form? When I use the word video, I am referring to motion pictures, including film, video, still frame animation, all forms of visual medium which require the passing of time to convey their content. Of course video was immediately adopted for and has exponentially matured in its ability to intensify literature through linier story telling. It is obviously an outstanding medium for that application, but video is much more than just a tool for enhancing artistic characteristics that I feel are primarily the property of other art forms. Video alone has the unique ability of delivering changing or evolving composition.


Several years ago, I was involved in a local production at KACV-TV called “Roundings: Texas Sounds and Symbols.” The project involved the Amarillo Symphony performing an original score based on 5 public New Deal-era murals focusing on 5 regional icons, the windmill, oil well, locomotive, lariat and plow. Each of these was a literal display of the circular shape or motion and could also be used to symbolize the cycle of life. Back to my point, the project was done and promotion began. The print people preparing the package art for the video came to me for still frames of the 5 elements to be composited into one piece for the box label. No problem, until I got to the lariat. And although the video sequence I used in the open to represent the lariat was probably my favorite of the 5, I couldn’t isolate one particular frame of the cowboy rotating the rope at his side that was better than any other at capturing the feel entire sequence.

(use the slider to move through the video one frame at a time)



After 3 of us finally settled on a still, we all agreed it was the circular movement or changing composition of the rope that made the video so aesthetically pleasing. In my humble opinion whether it is a rotating lasso, a butterfly opening its wings, or a dividing chromosomes sequence, it‘s that changing composition or the constant of change itself, that only video can claim ownership to in its ability to convey the expression of true art.

–But this is nothing new. Check out the Muybridge galloping horse photos that were taken between 1878 and 1887 also on Life’s 100 photos that change the world. His pictures were used to create the very first motion photography sequence and could not illustrate any clearer video’s unique ability to display changing or evolving composition.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Photorealism coming to Canadian, Premiere Screening of Art:21 at Amarillo Museum of Art and more...

I just returned from an extremely pleasant visit to Canadian and the newly-opened Citadelle Art Foundation. The two-hour drive couldn't be more spectacular from Amarillo, in my humble opinion. First, the oh-so-flat horizon line with little to disrupt your view, then the land opening up with all of those hills and breaks... Can you tell I've got 'landscape' on the brain?


But back to the art... I'm happy to share that photorealism is coming to The Citadelle. Check out Executive Director Liz Seliger's clip here: http://www.youtube.com/art21onkacv In addition to permanent collection artworks displayed in the 8,000 square-foot mansion (formerly Canadian's First Baptist Church and then home to Dr. and Mrs. Malouf Abramam), the Citadelle brings in special exhibitions which are displayed in a newly-built Gallery on the museum's lush grounds. Super Real: The Different Angles of Photorealism opens September 24th and closes November 29th. The nationally-known artists - Gary Godbee, Dennis Wojkiewicz, Ellen Wagener and Scott Fraser - all approach photorealism from different angles (hence the title) but all have such a WOW-factor in their work, that I'm really looking forward to it. Fall Foliage Festival, anyone?



In other Art21 on KACV news, look forward to a guest blog this week from Rene' West (artist, Art Instructor at Amarillo College, and Texas Panhandle newcomer) who will share, among other things, her thoughts about the Amarillo Museum of Art and their Third Thursdays program. Speaking of which, at THIS Thursday's Third Thursday event (9/17), there will be some really great things going on. Artist Chuck Olson is back in town for a gallery talk on his exhibition, Chuck Olson: Visual Histories, an art activity inspired by Olson's show - mixed media maps - will be available for all ages, the band Gravy will perform and last but not least, the Panhandle's Premiere Screening Event for Art:21's newest season is happening at 7:30! The first full episode of Season 5, Compassion, will be shown featuring artists William Kentridge, Carrie Mae Weems and Doris Salcedo. Visit AMOA's website for more info about their Third Thursdays event: http://www.amarilloart.org/


Also coming up, look forward to guest blogs here from artist and Chair of Amarillo College's Visual Arts Department, Victoria Taylor-Gore, KACV Production Coordinator/Web Master Dale Robinson and video clips from chats with Jason Barrett at The 806 (coffee+lounge+cafe) about art they show, photographer Jim Jordan about his new works, and more! So, become a follower of our blog tell your friends to, too!

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Local landscape as art influence: Palo Duro Canyon

Shameless self-promotion? Maybe. Art related? You bet. We can't help sharing that KACV is premiering its newest show, The Natural Wonder of Texas: Palo Duro Canyon tonight on KACV at 8:30 p.m. One part of the show is about the inspiration the canyon has provided to artists, from the past to present. On our new YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/art21onkacv , Producer/Writer Marcie Robinson talks about this aspect of the show. Check it out and subscribe to our channel. We'll also keep you posted if the show becomes available off the station's web site as well - www.kacv.org

Landscape is a frequent source for artistic inspiration in lots of different styles and media. In our first YouTube channel post, Alex Gregory from the Amarillo Museum of Art even talks about this topic in new works by Chuck Olson up now at the Museum.

Artists out there...does the physical landscape of our region influence your work? If so, how? What say you?

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Welcome to Art21 on KACV's blog

We're so glad you're here!

What is Art21 on KACV all about, you might ask? Well, this project is a new experiment where KACV (the Texas Panhandle's PBS affiliate) is providing a platform for promoting, discussing and sharing contemporary art in the Texas Panhandle using the PBS program Art:21-Art of the Twenty-First Century- as a springboard. Thanks to a mini grant from Art:21, the project is allowing KACV to use social networking in new ways. By going this route, we hope to not only highlight and pose questions about what's going on in the Panhandle art-wise, but to empower YOU to share, discuss and promote your own work or work you're interested in. Sounds a bit nebulous? Sure. We're still trying to get a grasp on all of this ourselves, but we're definitely excited to give it a try and see what happens. Here's a little Q&A to hopefully spell a few things out.

How do I join the discussion? Follow this blog (www.art21onkacv.blogspot.com) and subscribe to our social networking venues, including:

Who is this project for? Whether you're an artist with Texas Panhandle connections, a classroom educator, college/university professor, art student, collector, museum or gallery professional, or simply someone interested in or curious about contemporary art and artists, we think you'll find topics here worth exploring and discussing.

How do I share my own content or thoughts? Post your own comments/feedback through the social networking discussion threads. Email your contemporary art-related photos, video or suggested topics/artists to highlight at art21onkacv@gmail.com Don't have your own portable web camera and want to use one for this project? Borrow one of ours for use in this project! Contact us at art21onkacv@gmail.com for loan info.

Who else will I be hearing from in this blog? In addition to project staff, you'll enjoy posts by guest bloggers who will share their own points of view about contemporary art in the Texas Panhandle as well as their responses to Art:21.

What is Art:21? Art:21 - Art of the Twenty-First Century - is an Emmy-nominated PBS program that airs every other year. It is the only prime-time television program in the U.S. featuring contemporary art and artists. KACV will air Season 5 of Art:21 on Wednesday nights this October at 9 pm and we can't WAIT! Find out more at www.art21.org

We'll have plenty more to come, but want to sincerely welcome you to the discussion. Let's see what happens together!