BFA Students Open Bartering House for Contemporary Art
October 15 - November 9, 2009 Reception: Thursday, October 15, 5 - 7pm 133/141 West 21 Street, 6th floor
School of Visual Arts (SVA) presents “Outpost,” an artistic experiment in which the public is invited to barter goods and services for works of art. The works on view include paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures by students in the BFA Visual and Critical Studies Department. Organized by faculty member Amy Wilson, the exhibition will be on view at 133/141 West 21st Street, 6th floor, New York City, from October 15 through November 9, 2009. The exhibition will be open Monday - Friday, 9am - 7pm; Saturday, 10am - 6pm.
“We’re asking the question: what is this painting worth?” explains Wilson. “A cupcake? Ten cupcakes? A TV? What if someone wanted to clean your apartment in exchange for a work of art? What sort of value do we place on the things that we make? In order for a transaction to occur, the artist and the ‘collector’ must agree on the value of the work of art, without specifically discussing money.”
As part of a larger inquiry into the value of works of art, “Outpost” expresses the hesitance of the participating artists in pricing their works and exhibiting in a traditional gallery space. In creating a site that blurs the line between exhibition space and art object, students Katie Armstrong and Erin Franke transform an unused studio space with a colorful series of interlocking shelves and handmade, screenprinted fabric of their own design. Next to each work will be a “mailbox,” which allows members of the public to contact the artist and offer a good or service in exchange for a work of art. 34 artists were invited to participate.
Reflecting the mission of the BFA Visual and Critical Studies Department, which fosters the development of both creative and analytical skills, students will also contribute expository and critical materials that reflect on the exhibition and the greater relationship between art and commerce. These materials include an essay about the conventions of display by Melissa Havers responding to Brian O’Doherty’s 1976 book Inside the White Cube: The Ideology of the Gallery Space, an information booth designed by Kelly Cabezas that will operate during the reception and posters and brochures produced by Elektra Kuznetsova. The students have also set up a blog (http://outpostland.blogspot.com/) as another means to explore the themes of the exhibition and chronicle the process. Once the project is complete, a catalog will be produced featuring images of the art objects, bartered objects, written materials and any interesting stories of correspondence between the artists and the public that the project inspired.
The BFA Visual and Critical Studies Department is designed for ambitious students who want a strong connection between their academic and studio work. This unified, interdisciplinary approach allows students to develop the ability to understand and interpret the art, philosophy, and visual thinking of the past and present; and to make new art while learning the history of practices, theories and artworks.
School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City is an established leader and innovator in the education of artists. From its inception in 1947, the College has instituted numerous educational innovations, including the selection of professionals working in the arts and art-related fields as instructors. SVA provides an environment that nurtures creativity, inventiveness and experimentation, enabling students to develop a strong sense of identity and a clear direction of purpose.
Media Contact: For more information please contact Alia Dalal at 212.592.2985 or e-mail adalal@sva.edu.
