In May 2007, I diagrammed Kerry Schneider's Master's Thesis, in which she attempted among other things to develop a metaphor for arts administration based on imagery of sound and fluidity. Her colleague, Elzabeth Chodos, organized an exhibition as part of an Arts Administration Symposium at the Chicago non-profit gallery, ThreeWalls. Below are stills from an as yet unedited video of a conversation the three of us had about the process and results.
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Co-Chaired by Elizabeth Chodos and Kerry Schneider
CHICAGO: ThreeWalls is pleased to present The Arts Administration Symposium, May 5 through May 19, 2007. Join us for two weeks of programming, including a special exhibition by Adelheid Mers, film screening curated by Britton Bertran of 40000, artist-in residence talk with Packard Jennings, panel discussion and salon conversation.
Because arts administration often borrows from other languages, that of the Curator, Art Historian, Executive Director, Financial Officer, or Artist, to name a few; the practice lacks its own distinct vocabulary. By inviting professionals in their respective art fields, we hope to create discussion, debate, and agreement as to what distinguishes arts administrative practice. We also aim to define how the Administrator’s role in creating a context influences the production and reception of the work of art itself. Exploring where the boundaries of arts administration, curation, and art making exist, blur, and intersect, The Symposium seeks to generate ideas and vocabulary to better describe this unique creative practice.
The corresponding publication Sketches: Organizing Arts, designed by The Green Lantern Press will be available at ThreeWalls, Green Lantern, Quimby's and Amazon.com. It contains a diagram after Duchamp's lecture "The Creative Act". 500 special editions contain a screen print of the diagram. Download the diagram pdf here.
Saturday May 5, 2007 5:00 - 7:30 PM
Opening Reception: KS(AM)EC Art Work by Adelheid Mers
On View: Filmed discussion between Adelheid Mers, Elizabeth Chodos and Kerry Schneider
Documented by Daniel Zox, Filmmaker, on May 1, 2007
Sunday May 6, 2007 1:30 PM
Panel Discussion: Creating a Context
Panelists: Judith Rodenbeck, Ph.D., Editor-in-Chief, Art Journal and Noble Chair in Modern Art and Culture, Sarah Lawrence College; Hamza Walker, Director of Education for The Renaissance Society; Adelheid Mers, Artist, Adjunct Faculty at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Closing remarks given by Annie Morse, Senior Lecturer, Department of Museum Education, The Art Institute of Chicago.
Tuesday May 8, 2007 7:00 PM
Artist-in-Residence Talk: Packard Jennings.
Sunday May 13, 2007 3:00 PM
Film Screening: Altruisms and Obfuscations
Curated by Britton Bertran, founder of 40000.
Featuring films by: Jillian McDonald’s, Screen Kiss; Jeruschka White and Caryn Capotosto - COME ON DOWN! (Trailer); and Peter Finnemore, Project Jedi: Selections.
Tuesday May 15, 2007 7:00 PM
ThreeWallsSalon: Reinterpreting Practice
Guest Respondents:
Kate Dumbleton: Founder of Cafe Royale in San Francisco, an exhibition and performance space, programmer/curator/artist manager
Andrew Lochhead: Artist, writer, critic and music industry executive originally from Windsor, Ontario Canada
Packard Jennings: Artist-In-Residence.
Friday May 18, 2007 6:00 - 9:00 PM
Closing Party