The first Live Review Panel convened by Artblog and The St. Claire (in partnership with The Print Center) assembled smart, articulate panelists, excellent music makers, and an audience of passionate artists and art lovers. What a great night! The panel talk was audio recorded and will be available in the future. Until then, here are my notes from the evening.
The Panelists:
Suzanne Seesman, artist, educator, co-director, The St. Claire (moderator)
Amze Emmons, artist, educator, co-founder, Printeresting
Annette Monnier, artist, writer, Executive Director, University City Arts League
Eric Abaka, artist
Tim Portlock, artist, educator
The Musicians
Akiro Rodriguez
Chloe Coover
The Venue:
Aux, Vox Populi
The Format:
7 minute segments to discuss three shows/phenomena in the context of print media; a final lightening round; a musical response to one exhibit and musical Interludes between segments
Round 1 – Peoples Paper Coop – http://peoplespaperco-op.weebly.com/
Amze Emmons: It’s a complicated project
Tim Portlock: People working there are very enthusiastic. I don’t leave West Philadelphia much. I didn’t know it was there….Printmaking used symbolically to get past criminal records; Printmaking as starting a public conversation. Think William Hogarth
Courtney Bowles (co-founder, with Mark Aloysious Strandquist, of PPC) was there and spoke to explain more about the project:
One in five folks in Philadelphia have criminal records.
PA law doesn’t allow records to go away (some states do)
Can pay thousands of dollars and get it done fast.
Takes 4 months on average
95% of cases go through (succeed in being expunged)
Faith, one of the leaders, says it’s so hard to get a job with a criminal record. It’s the stigma of what you did in your youth staying with you.
Make paper books and sell at Eastern State Penitentiary.
Partnered with print classes at Temple
Round 2 – Becky Suss at ICA – http://icaphila.org/exhibitions/7466/becky-suss
Eric Abaka – First time seeing her work. ICA is cold and empty. Christopher Knowles – Yes! It’s what I want to see. You’re in it. Becky Suss. I was amazed by the vibe. It felt immersive. I chatted with the guard. It felt like you were in your living room. There was someone sitting on the floor working on their computer.
Tim Portlock – I really like the paintings but had a hard time figuring out why the show was on the list for the panel. It pointed to paintings as objects
Annette Monnier – It’s paintings of reproductions of paintings. It’s about ownership of things
Amze Emmons – The hiding of the marks (in the paintings) is like in print making
Round 3 – Gabriel Martinez Bayside Revisited, the Print Center – http://printcenter.org/100/upcoming-exhibitions/
Tim Portlock – I had the hardest time talking about this show. I could only think of film.
Eric Abaka – I was not skeptical seeing it. I thought, how do I fit on this panel. When I saw the show, it fits. I’m happy with it. It contains all the things going on now
Annette Monnier – It’s hidden history. I needed to chase links. It’s beautiful
Amze Emmons – Printed film
Eric Abaka – It’s cool to see on phone but as installation was immersive. Instagram. Representation of representation of moment. I didn’t expect to love it…There are a lot of Instagrammable things (in the show) but you have to experience it.
4th Round – More on Peoples Paper Coop
Amze 0 Tim talked about the symbolic nature of documents. they exist online. elegance to printing it out and destroying it.
Annette Monnier – how do you know it’s really gone?
Tim Portlock – Print for Utilitarian reason – I need a job
Annette Monnier – the art work might be the least important of whole process. Other things more important
History of Print and organizing
Annette Monnier – Flyers – get the message out
Amze Emmons – Produce work, give it away, multiples become currencies; Where does the art reside? It becomes unclear.
Suzanne Seesman – It’s all the art
Amze Emmons – We give power to things that are printed, not handmade. Example. Ikea directions for assembly. (Unreadable, ununderstandable, yet we try to use them)
Eric Abaka – My Prints go out on clothing made at a place on Baltimore Ave.
Musical Response to Becky Suss by Akiro Rodriguez and Chloe Coover
Lightening Round
Tim Portlock – I wish there were more art spaces in West Philadelphia
Eric Abaka – Me too. I hate First Friday, you have to go out elsewhere
Amze Emmons – Nobody shows up at openings
Eric Abaka – Twin Peaks
Amze Emmons – Why take me to her grandparents’ house?
Eric Abaka – I felt I was there for the weekend
