The Cardinal Health Foundation and The Wexner Center for the Arts teamed up again this summer to support the vision of talented teen video artists through the production of 30-second Public Service Announcements (PSA) on healthy lifestyle choices.
This is one of my most favorite programs, because I am a big advocate of the intersection where art and life meet, and in this program, they do with aplomb. Also, I love supporting the work of emerging artists; watching how they work and then seeing what they come up with. It’s very inspiring! (more…)
On September 7 guitarist Michael Rother arrives at the Wexner Center’s Performance Space with Hallogallo 2010 to perform the music of NEU! We asked our friend Ryan Shafer, one of the biggest krautrock fans we know, to help set the stage and get the energy going. Here’s what he says.
Who is NEU! and what is Hallogallo, you say? NEU! was one of a nexus of bands coming out of Berlin and Düsseldorf in the late 1960s to form what’s unfortunately known as krautrock. The name isn’t particularly descriptive or useful: we know these cities are in Germany. But it is useful to know that the krautrock bands Rother played with together wrote the syntax for much of contemporary rock. At least the new bits that didn’t rely on the blues or hoary denim-and-leather-clad stereotypes. (more…)
How did Pinocchio Is On Fire evolve to encompass so many elements? Thoughts from Mark Bradford on the project in an interview with curator Christopher Bedford:
MB: The beginning really comes from living for the last 20 years or so and having my business in South Central and just always watching and seeing how aesthetics will mirror what is going on politically, socially, culturally. And how the formal markers change, or the codes get reset. Over the last couple of years, the physical structure of the black male body has been changing, like going from baggie pants to skinny jeans. (“Skinny Jeans” is the title of one of the Pinocchio Is On Fire audio tracks.) People are so funny, they say “oh that’s just popular culture,” as if popular culture doesn’t inform a larger breadth of culture. In black culture, popular culture is full of social and political references. Think of Superfly. Think of sex. Think of hair.
And so, I thought “oh that’s interesting.” The black male body is beginning to shift. So, I got interested in that, just as a sort of a detail. Then I started to think about the last time I could remember the black male body shifting. And that went back to the transition from soul and R&B to hip-hop. I think that transition moment and this transition moment have a lot in common. (more…)
You may have thought that it was time for things to cool down. Not so. The fall is full of Next @ Wex shows. Check out Wexner Mixtape # 14 for a preview of the upcoming shows.
Pinocchio is on Fire, 2010; multimedia installation; dimensions variable; courtesy of the artist and Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York
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Shortly after Thanksgiving in 2008, I had the pleasure of meeting Mark Bradford, who was visiting Columbus to begin discussions about his upcoming midcareer retrospective. His charming and generous nature made it very clear that his partnership with the Wexner Center was going to be a delightful one. It wasn’t long after this early visit that Bradford and curator Christopher Bedford decided that new work would play an important role in this exhibition. Amid these conversations, the Wexner Center Residency Award in visual arts for 2009–10 was awarded to Mark, a well-deserving candidate. It was at that moment that Pinocchio Is On Fire began to take shape. (more…)
In the four years we’ve been doing the Wex Drive-In, we’ve seen crowds consistently grow from year to year, and it’s no wonder why: great films, shown on film, under the stars with free Pam’s Market popcorn and Jeni’s Ice Cream, and beer from Barley’s. (Fine folks at Reed Arts, Orange Barrel Media, and Nationwide Insurance help make it possible.) We asked our friend Scott Johnson, who’s been shooting some videos of rock shows lately, if he would want to come and document the scene at our Drive-Ins, and that’s what you see above, shot this past July before a screening of The Talented Mr. Ripley. We hope to see you at the final Drive-In of the summer, Roman Holiday on August 19, starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. Come early, stake out a spot, visit the Market at 15th and High, visit the galleries, and enjoy what’s become one of our favorite parts of summer.
You can check out more from the kids and teens this weekend at Gallery Hop in the Short North. We’re installing a mural, made during the Take It to the Streetclasses, at the future Paradise Garage location (921 North High Street). Big thanks to Paradise Garage for agreeing to host the piece.
The best way to get an idea of what our summer classes are all about is to come to Fusion Festnext Friday, August 13, from 5 to 7 PM. At this final celebration of the classes, you can view the work of our students, meet the artist educators, enjoy cold beverages and snacks in a hip air-conditioned family-friendly environment that includes coloring tables, family activities, student-made computer video games, DJs, prizes and more!
Jaime Moore of Wayward Seed Farms stops by the WexBlog to talk about the Market at 15th and High and supporting local foods in the central Ohio area.
With market season well under way, we’re reminded of how diverse and blessed Ohio is. Fruits and vegetables, meat and cheese, eggs and dairy—Ohio has it all. We’re blessed with artisan producers of breads and jams, baked goods and vegan burgers, soaps and teas. And it’s all right here at The Market at 15th and High. (more…)
Check out images from last week’s Project Fashion Show class, part of our Summer Kids workshops. As you can see from the photos, instructor Nancy Kangas and the class were a big hit.
