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Wed, Jun 23, 2010
Columbus, OH—Pinocchioisonfire.org, a microsite devoted to artist Mark Bradford and the exhibition of his work now on view at the Wexner Center for the Arts, is on the shortlist for a Cannes Cyber Lion award at the Cannes Lions 57th International Advertising Festival. The site was created through a partnership between the Wexner Center and Resource Interactive.
Notes Wexner Center Director Sherri Geldin, “We are thrilled about this recognition at Cannes. Pinocchioisonfire.org is a remarkably rich and pioneering educational site, and we remain enormously grateful to our friends at Resource for the creative, intellectual, and financial investment they made in this project. This unique site will continue to travel with the show to venues in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, and San Francisco through 2012.”
“We partnered with the Wexner Center to create a site devoted solely to one artist and one exhibition,” says Nancy Kramer, Resource Interactive founder and CEO, and a Wexner Center Foundation trustee. “We were thrilled to honor Mark Bradford’s work by pushing the boundaries of our own—resulting in a site that provides an interactive, in-depth look at both an intriguing artist and exhibition.”
The microsite (whose title is taken from the title of one of the works in the exhibition) provides a dynamic online experience allowing the public to learn more about Bradford’s process, background, and select works in the exhibition (click on “The Art,” and then on the title of the specific works). The site offers an “inch by inch” view—with a zoom tool—of Bradford’s highly textured, multilayered paintings; a multitude of short video and audio excerpts of Bradford talking about his work, life, and process; descriptive text; biographical information; music; and more. It also includes an interactive section on Hurricane Katrina and Bradford’s Mithra, an outdoor “ark” he built originally for New Orleans’s Lower Ninth Ward in the aftermath of Katrina; a portion of that ark is on view in the Wexner Center’s galleries. In this section (called “Perception,” within “The Studio”), site visitors are asked to post their comments about Katrina.
The site has been used by the general public as well as by students, including participants in the Wexner Center’s Pages program, a months-long program for area high school students focused on writing and literacy using contemporary art as a springboard. In addition, teen boys in the center’s Expanded Classroom program at Delaware, Ohio’s Scioto Correctional Facility this spring used and interacted with the site in preparation for a project inspired by the work of Mark Bradford.
The exhibition Mark Bradford—the first major museum survey of Bradford’s work, curated by the Wexner Center’s Christopher Bedford—premiered at the Wexner Center May 8 and is on view through August 15. A 2009 MacArthur Foundation “genius” award recipient, Bradford is best-known for his large-scale abstract paintings made from a variety of collaged materials. These works, which form the backbone of the exhibition, not only extend the possibilities of contemporary painting but also offer an unusual and highly individual examination of the economies (often defined by race, gender, and class) that structure urban society in the United States, and specifically in Leimert Park in Los Angeles, where Bradford maintains his studio. The exhibition features more than 50 works spanning the last decade, and other highlights include video, sculpture, and several new works created under the auspices of a Wexner Center Residency Award in visual arts. Among the new projects is Pinocchio Is On Fire, a mixed-media installation with sound that lends the microsite its title and is one of works investigated most fully in the site.
Following its Wexner Center debut, the exhibition will tour to the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston (November 19, 2010–March 13, 2011), the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago (summer 2011), the Dallas Museum of Art (October 16, 2011–January 15, 2012), and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (February 18–May 20, 2012). The microsite will “follow” the museums on the tour.
About the Wexner Center for the Arts
The Wexner Center for the Arts is The Ohio State University's multidisciplinary, international laboratory for the exploration and advancement of contemporary art. Through exhibitions, screenings, performances, artist residencies, and educational programs, the Wexner Center acts as a forum where established and emerging artists can test ideas and where diverse audiences can participate in cultural experiences that enhance understanding of the art of our time. In its programs, the Wexner Center balances a commitment to experimentation with a commitment to traditions of innovation and affirms the university's mission of education, research, and community service. For more information, visit wexarts.org
About Resource Interactive
Resource Interactive is one of the nation’s top-rated independent agencies with offices in Columbus, Cincinnati, and Palo Alto, leading Fortune 500 companies through the real-time web while creating bold opportunities for consumer engagement and competitive advantage. Now in its 29th year, Resource is the largest independent women-owned agency in the nation. Clients include Procter & Gamble, Hewlett-Packard, The Coca-Cola Company, Victoria’s Secret, Sherwin-Williams and Nestlé, among others. For more information, visit resource.com
