This weekend hundreds of artists
across Brooklyn opened their doors to the public in the hope that they would
win –by popular vote- a show in the Brooklyn museum.
It was amazing.
First off, it was amazing to see just how many artists live in Brooklyn, and how many lived just on our block. Like little fairies green dots appeared everywhere to remind us that we are surrounded by those that are committed to seeking beauty and meaning within it.
Then there was the fact that you could waltz around following these little green signs and their arrows, a little like Alice in Wonderland, go up the stairs, down the corridors, scroll and dial, decipher passages, and then, when you least expected it, come face to face with the art.
I imagine most people did their research and thought in advance what they wanted to see. I didn’t. I didn’t have the luxury of much time, so left it to chance, and got to see a life-size tapestry tank (which took over three years to build), home made clothes as a form of rebellion to consumerism, photography trying to use the body as sculpture, no more than a malleable form, and paintings that tried to twist, represent, alienate, or build by hiding…
we saw an angry sea under the sunlight, and where told the story of the canvas. We saw 20 layers of color that sought to create a shadow of something so familiar you probably would not even recognize it….
The added beauty to this was getting to meet the artist, and getting to see the home of the art. It was fun to see where it all came from, who the artist was, why they did what they did, how it all came together. It was interesting to hear how other people interpreted the art, and I imagine much more so for the artist.
It's the first time that the Brooklyn museum does this, and I really, really hope that they will do it again.
Can’t wait to see who is selected. I can’t wait to be able to go on a ‘nocking once again.
