THE  CAMILLE  AND  ERIC  DURAND  DOCENT  COUNCIL  

Orange  COUNTY  MUSEUM  OF  ART  Docent  Doings  

   

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February  2013  

Presidentʼs Message  

Meaningless work. You may have encountered this term while learning about Richard Jackson’s concern with the nature of work. It sounds simple. The catalogue essay for Ain’t Painting a Pain explains artist Walter de Maria’s term,  “By  meaningless  work  I  simply  mean  work  which  does  not  make  money  or  accomplish  a  conventional  purpose.”  However,  in  looking  more  closely,  de  Maria’s  definition  gets  confusing,  contradictory,  and  conceptually  challenging.   He writes: “Meaningless work is potentially the most abstract, concrete, Individual foolish, indeterminate, exactly determined, varied, important art-action experience one can experience today.”(March 1960) So, how is this meaningless? It starts with an activity like moving blocks from one box to another box, and then moving the blocks back to the original box. But if you think about this (maybe over-think?), the definition of work begins to seem very subjective. What is defined as work to one person might be fun play to another. If we volunteer as unpaid docents, are we halfway to meaningless? I don’t think so. Obviously, meaningless isn’t the same as valueless. Is it? Ultimately, this examination of the concept of meaningless work led me to the critical question

of how one chooses to spend one’s time. If we find value in an activity, then it is probably worth spending our time doing it. This might be something to keep in mind when touring 1000 clocks! Bonita Stern President  

Important Dates to Remember 2.16.13/8:00pm Private Opening of Richard Jackson: Ain’t Painting a Pain 2.17.13/11:00am Public Opening of Richard Jackson: Ain’t Painting a Pain 2.18.13 President’s Day: OCMA offices closed 2.19.13/7:00pm Evening Walkthrough of Richard Jackson Walkthrough of OCMA’s exhibition, Richard Jackson: Ain’t Painting a Pain with Curatorial Assistant Fatima Manalili. RSVP to Merle Stern at merlelee@roadrunner.com. 2.21.13/6:00pm Third Thursday: Redefining Painting Participate in a 6pm interactive tour of Untitled (Maze for Eugenia Butler Gallery, Los Angeles) followed by a 7pm panel discussion with Richard Jackson. This panel will explore the issues surrounding the medium of painting and the artists who are pushing the medium of painting to its limits.

 

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2.24.13/11:00am Studio Sunday: Animals in Art Printmaking Workshop Learn to create multiple images by carving blocks that are transferred onto paper. 2.25.13/10:00am General Council Meeting/Continuing Education Join Docents and members of the Education Department as we brainstorm strategies for touring and accessing the exhibition Richard Jackson: Ain’t Painting a Pain. Stay for example tour stops as well as a preview of the hands-on art making experience in the studio! 2.26.13/10:00am School Tours start 2.28.13/1:00pm Public Tours Start 2.28.13/4:00pm Evening for Educators Engage in gallery dialogues and take part in the creative process through hands-on art projects designed for the classroom. Please register on OCMA’s website here <http://ocma.net/index.html?page=teachers#Evening_for_Educators>. 3.5.13-3.10.13 Education Staff out of the office 3.7.13/8:00pm Cinema Orange Film screening on OCMA’s patio, weather-permitting. Come early to try the Dos Chinos food truck! 3.11.13/10:00am Art and Music Preview Join musician and composer John Zeretzke for a preview of the musical component of the annual Art and Music program.

3.12-15.13 and 3.19-22.13 Art and Music Program 3.21.13/6:00pm Hard Work: Richard Jackson and the Artistic Process Participate in 6pm interactive tour of Deer Beer followed by a 7pm panel discussion with Richard Jackson, curator Paul Schimmel, essayist John Welchman, and UCLA art historian George Baker. This panel will discuss how post-studio practices have changed the way artists make work, the idea of self-reliance, and the way artists maintain control over their practice. Dorothy McClelland Tour and Studio Programs Assistant

Docent - to – Docent

Docent Field Trip, January 2013 Ken Price Sculpture: A Retrospective

LACMA When the flu threatened to disrupt the trip, Dorothy McClelland and Pat Jorgensen stepped up to drive and the adventure was on. The day was beautiful with crystal clear blue skies forming a stunning backdrop to the Los Angeles cityscape. Some of us took advantage of a few minutes window of time to visit the Levitated Mass by Michael Heizer and were properly impressed as the morning sun entertained us with a different view at every turn. Lois, a creme de la creme of a docent, guided us through the impressive fifty year journey of Ken Price’s contemporary sculpture. Price’s work has been known but not widely exhibited until recently. Architect Frank O. Gehry, a friend of Price for fifty years, designed the exhibit. Lois

 

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pointed out the coordination of the architectural details of the exhibit with the lines and curves of Price’s ceramic sculptures. Curator Stephanie Barron has installed the show in reverse chronology. It starts in the present and works backward from the movement of the incredible forms begun in the 1990s through the more structured objects of the 80s and 70s to the miraculous balanced eggs of the 60s. Lois afforded us a real treat when she showed us the colorful geometric tea cups displayed at eye level for optimal viewing. One of the favorites was a small sea turtle balancing on a red or blue tea cup all languishing on a bed of sand. When asked why he put a turtle on a cup, Price answered that the cup just needed a turtle. Even though the stars of the show, the forms from the 90s, sometimes look like limbs wrapped around each other or as Lois whispered to us, “one looked a little like something your dog leaves for you to pick up on your morning walk”, they are strictly abstract forms with fun whimsical names. All are completed with layers of acrylic paints then sanded down to reveal bright color after color resulting in a shining mystical effect. A finish touch with cotton swabs dipped in paint gives it even a further three dimensional look. Sometimes a surprise of a different color shows itself if one looks closely enough. Most of the sculptures have a mysterious opening to view with fascination at every angle. Price worked exclusively in acrylics during his later years never to return to ceramic glaze. Just as we were finishing our tour, Dorothy whispered to us that Julia Roberts and husband were viewing the exhibit. Much to our surprise we were seated next to them at lunch. All the cool Los Angelenos were giving them space so we did as well, acting urbane and smooth as much as an Orange Countian can. So no one said a word until they got up to leave and one of us whispered, “cute blouse”. By the way, Miss

Roberts had salad, no dressing, no bread and her hair was perfect. Over all, a fine day. Phyllis Ham Guest of Connie Sakamoto

Figure  1  Phyllis  Ham  in  front  of  Levitated  Mass

 

 

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Figure  2  Under  the  Levitated  Mass  with  sun  rays.  

The Art Thief Gets Away The Docent Book Club had the most interesting discussion at our January meeting. We agreed that "The Art Thief" contained a concise history of art, both by a lecture of one of the characters, Simon Barrow, and the contrast between the two (?) stolen pieces of art: Caravaggio's Annunciation altar piece and Malevich's "White on White." We were curious as to Christie's auction value placed on the Malevich, the authentication of the paintings and the motivation of the thief or thieves. We wondered about the planner(s) of the thefts. Read this first novel of Noah Charney, Professor and art theft lecturer and decide if you think these events could happen, if you think that

Christie's values were realistic and who the villains or heros were. Doris Felman Docent

GENERAL MEETING/CONTINUING EDUCATION

A Continuing Education program for the upcoming Richard Jackson exhibit is scheduled for Monday, February 25 at 10:00 AM in the Galleries. The Continuing Education session will take place after the short General Meeting. Please plan to attend! Sandy Simar Continuing Education Chair

Deadline for next DOCENT DOINGS March 28, 2013

 Submit  all  copy  in  writing  to:  connies7@verizon.net

 

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HAPPY  FEBRUARY  BIRTHDAYS  

Claudia  Christensen  Feb.  3  

Phyllis  Mandel  Feb.  7  

     Fe    

Lillian  Friedlander  Feb.  16  

   

Lorna  Carlin  Feb.  18