Los Angeles Art News, Art Blog

ART BLOG

ARTICLES FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER 2011
Contributing Bloggers: John Harbinger Jr.and David Harbrenig

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The Resale Royalty Act will be put to the test

With so much money turning around the contemporary market, where the works of living artists are changing hands for seven figure amounts at auction, the old saying that only when an artist dies does his/her work become valuable, is no longer valid. Living artists have the opportunity nowadays to have both fame and fortune –at least in California. Back in the 60’s and 70’s a group of young American artists, frustrated by not having a slice of the pie - (the pie, they had made)- lobbied for legislation to give them part of the huge profits collectors and auction houses were making from their work. California was the only state to agree with their arguments and the California Resale Royalty Act, was signed into law by Gov. Gerry Brown in 1976. The Act specifies that visual artists whose work ["an original painting, sculpture, or drawing, or an original work of art in glass"] is resold are entitled to 5% of the sales price if the transaction takes place in California or if the seller resides in the state and that certain other conditions are met. This is not an Act written for the high end market only - the 5% royalty applies to sales amounts (not profits) exceeding $1,000.

Today’s L. A. Times (Oct 25) carries an article about acclaimed local artist Mark Grotjahn who has decided to enforce the resale royalty law by filing a suit against a collector who has acquired his work in the past and resold 3 of them at auction with nice profits. Lawyers for the collector claim the language of the law says, that if a third party, whether an auction house or gallery, sells the work, it's incumbent on them to collect the royalty fees and distribute them. They’re passing the buck onto the auction houses and, of course the latter dispute their “reading of the language.”

It would seem that interpretation of the law is far from simple since the dispute between Grotjahn, the collector and the auction houses involved in the three sales has already been heard and referred onward by a couple of courthouses already. A trial has been set for March, 2012. Let the jurors decide!

It baffles me why there is any controversy about this at all. Musicians get royalties when their music is played; directors and movie stars get royalties when endless repeats of their films appear on TV – why is it so difficult for painters and sculptors etc. to get the same conditions without having to appeal each time to the legal system? The law is there. It’s time to start obeying it.

When Life really is Art

The term “opening” reception will take on new meaning if things go as planned for the upcoming performance piece at Microscope Gallery Bushwick, Brooklyn, NY. This Saturday October 8, 2011, a Bushwick-based artist named Marni Kotak begins a performance piece in which she will give birth to her first child in the gallery. Ms Kotak and her husband have been busy recently setting up a homebirth room in the gallery space with an inflatable birthing pool, shower, bed and rocking chair. An exhibition on the walls will show stages of her pregnancy: – the pregnancy test, the lab tests and other images.

The expectant mother/artist doesn’t know when exactly the baby will be born so a month long event has been planned around her due date but, who knows? Maybe opening night will include an opening of the womb and the beginning of a new life. How many children can say they began life as a work of art?

After giving birth in the gallery the artist intends to spend several hours there each day on view with the baby doing what mothers and new born do… While the performance piece runs the gallery will have extended open hours from 11am to 6pm.

“The Birth of Baby X” opens on Saturday, October 8 (6-9pm) and will run until November 7 at Microscope Gallery

The Artist waiting for the “show” to start in the transformed gallery

Blog October 7 2011

What a difficult task art teachers have nowadays.

What a difficult task art teachers have nowadays. They find themselves in an unprecedented situation - How do you train a new generation of artists who often go on to decide that, in order to make art, they must reject almost all the practical knowledge the teacher can give them?

The first role of a teacher has always been to impart knowledge; to teach the tools of the trade as a master craftsman trains an apprentice to carry on the work after him. The second has been to inspire students to do new and greater things. Despite the ever increasing rapidity in which art movements come and go, today’s teachers are facing up well to the challenge and are continuing to meet those two objectives.

Many art schools are adapting their programs to adjust to the new realities in the arts. Much of the “hottest” contemporary art is purely conceptual. The visualization and realization of an idea into an accepted tangible artwork does not seem, anymore, to require the traditional skills of the artist. While there is less advocacy on the need for today’s art students to learn drawing, composition and color technique more teachers are encouraging their students to create with a raw vision and with “un-educated” skills. They are emphasizing the potential for students to go with their own ideas and to question all past rules about art; they are teaching them to question the fundamental ways we make art. “What is art?” What does it mean to “see” something? How is looking different from seeing? How do you know when you really “see” something? They encourage their students to become invested in the exploration of new ideas and in the big questions which have always surrounded the role of art in society.

Picasso, in order to become the Picasso who taught us a new way to see art, had to undo years of traditional teaching to find his true style. Teachers now are looking for ways to direct students to find themselves without going through the same cycle. This doesn’t mean teachers are standing by expecting their students to staring at blank canvases while waiting for a lightning bolt of instinctive creativity. While students are encouraged to rely on their own intuitions they are nevertheless encouraged to compare the ideas they have with other contemporary artists, to take what they wish from the past and reject what seems irrelevant to today.

Why don’t more artists write reviews?

I’m sure most of our artLAnow members attend art shows regularly. Artists like to view other artists work because they have special understanding of the creative process of Art, they want to keep informed of what’s going on around them, and they want exposure to new ideas. There are two old sayings: 1) The more you experience something, the more you learn; 2) the more you taste something, the more refined your senses become. Artists, by the amount of time spent producing art and viewing art, are probably as qualified as anybody could be to make a “judgment” about what is good or not good art - to make a “qualified” critique.

Yet, so few ever take the time to talk or write about work except their own. Few artists ever consider writing an in-depth critic or art review of shows they’ve visited. At the same time, let’s admit we are only too pleased when someone will come along and review our shows.

Maybe, it’s because so many of us have become accustomed to condensing our thoughts about everything into short quips and limited posts on our websites and social network accounts. If ever any of you would like to try your hand at writing a review (especially if it concerns one of our members latest shows), we invite you to send it in for publication.

There is so much good art to see in the Los Angeles area. The more we write about it, the more we can encourage others to enjoy as much as we do! Having said this, if you’ve never written a blog or review before, I’ll proffer just one tip: Start the easier way. It is harder to write a review about art you don’t like than art that inspires you and sparks your imagination.

Art Platform – This weekend in Los Angeles.

Try to take in Art Platform during the first weekend of October at L.A. Mart 1933 S. Broadway -at Broadway and Washington- Los Angeles CA 90007. About 70-80 galleries, almost all local, and who represent a lot of Southern California artists, will be exhibiting. One of this art fair’s missions is to demonstrate the rich and diverse cultural landscape of Southern California and underscore Los Angeles’ influential position within the contemporary art world.

To demonstrate this position, priority at Art Platform is given to single artist presentations or to curated presentations of Los Angeles based artists. Art Platform - Los Angeles is launching the same weekend as the Getty sponsored “Pacific Standard Time: Art in LA 1945 - 1980,” an unprecedented collaboration of more than sixty cultural institutions across Southern California, coming together to tell the story of the birth of the L.A. art scene. Some great art events in the offing!

Opening Preview: Friday, September 30, 2011 with a Vernissage Party benefitting the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art and The Museum of Contemporary Art.)

General Admission: Saturday, Oct 1 • 11AM – 6PM Sun, Oct 2 • 11AM – 6PM Mon, Oct 3 • 11AM – 4PM

Juried Art Competitions and Events – October 2011

The fall edition of “Affaire in the Gardens,” the bi-annual Beverly Hills art show will be held this month on the weekend of October 15 & 16 from 10am to 5pm. The event features art by 250 exhibitors from around the nation, who showcase their work in painting, sculpture, watercolor, photography, mixed media, ceramics, jewelry, drawings and printmaking. We send our best wishes to the artLAnow members and friends who are participating. See you there!

1650 Gallery in Los Angeles, CA seeks entries from photographers worldwide, 18+ for a juried photography contest/exhibition called “The Dark Side” October 22 - November 4, 2011. There is a $25 entry fee. Juror: Joshua Hess. 35-40 works will be selected for the exhibition. Visit http://1650gallery.com for details. Questions? 1650gallery@gmail.com DEADLINE: October 5, 2011

"I Have the Right," a Juried Art Competition sponsored by The PICTURE Art Foundation seeks artwork from artists for an upcoming art exhibition, November 2011 - August 2012 at PICTURE Cultural Art in Carson, CA. Awards: $5000; $2000 for Best of Show and $750 for each of 4 categories. Accepting all media illustrating a cultural interpretation of the exhibit theme, human rights and freedom of expression and religious freedom etc. Submissions should include: 1) Artist Biography 2) Photographs of Artwork 3) Size and media description 4) Artist Statement regarding the submitted work, describing its connection to the exhibit theme. This statement will be used in the exhibit catalogue should the piece be selected 5) Confirmation that submission in the exhibit does not infringe on any copyrights 6) Insured value 7) Sale price, if applicable 8) Any special installation requirements. Limit: 3 pieces per applicant per category. Submissions may be sent via e-mail or mail. No entry fee. Visit website for details, http://www.pictureartfoundation.org or send a SASE to: 437 Via el Chico, Redondo Beach, CA 90277. Email: mjohnson@pictureartfoundation.org or 323-363-7044 DEADLINE: October 6, 2011

DIGITAL ARTS: CALIFORNIA, a division of Art and Design Initiative, invites digital artists and photographers to submit images they consider, simply, their best! Every imaginable type of image, from painterly to wildly abstract, that uses a digital process in its creation or presentation is eligible. Works chosen as finalists will be showcased in solo online galleries that show the work of only one artist or photographer. Solo galleries will remain online for 7 months. Artists and photographers may choose to offer their work for sale online or to use their gallery purely as a showcase for their work. A physical show will be held in a gallery in Los Angeles, San Diego, or another California creative center. No fee or commission taken for works sold online. Visit http://www.DigitalArtsCalifornia.com for full details. DEADLINE: October 15, 2011

The North Valley Art League seeks entries for their 28^th annual national juried show, January 24 - February 25, 2012 at the Carter House Gallery in Redding, California. Prizes:- $1000 Best of Show, (5) $100 awards of Excellence, (5) $50 Awards of Merit. Juror: Mark E. Mehaffey. This is open to all artists 18 years and older, residing in the United States. There is an open theme, with a size limitation of 40 x 40 inches, including frame. All two-dimensional works in the following media will be considered: Paintings in oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel and gouache; Drawings in pencil, pastel, pen & ink; Printmaking & Mixed Media. $10 per entry for NVAL Members and $15 per entry for Non-Members. Visit http://www.nval.org for prospectus, or send a SASE to: North Valley Art League, 48 Quartz Hill Road, Redding, CA 96003. Email questions to: nval@sbcglobal.net or call (916) 812-7595. DEADLINE: October 29, 2011.

Monterey Peninsula College Art Gallery has a call out to Artists for submissions in Acrylic, Ceramics, Crafts, Mixed media, Metalsmithing, Sculpture, Oil, Pastel, Photography & Watercolors. They are currently reviewing exhibition proposals for six exhibits in the 2012 - 2013 academic year. This is open to U.S. residents. Limit 10 images. $20. entry fee. Email for prospectus. Monterey Peninsula College Art Gallery, MPC Art Gallery 980 Fremont St., Monterey, California, 93940, United States DEADLINE: October 31, 2011