Programmer and blogger Andy Baio thinks fans should commission work from their favorite artists (particularly through Kickstarter, where Baio is an adviser). His recent article for Wired is mostly about music and events, but micro-patronage could just as easily work for visual art. There are barriers in both cases—we’re talking about challenging entrenched power structures here! But why should wealthy patrons and board members have all the fun deciding which projects get funded? As an added bonus, fan-commissioned work would lend itself best to areas like public art, performance, video, and net art—exactly the kind of stuff that doesn’t sell to conventional collectors looking for trophy pieces. So, anyone want to go in on a Doug Wheeler with me?
Public Art
Visitors to Central Park might see an airplane do a back flip.
Famously reclusive artist Michael Heizer may have declined to be part of MOCA’s current land art exhibition, but that’s probably because he was busy mounting a 340-ton rock into LACMA’s backyard.
Sky blue spikes, a sound system, water cannons, giant fans, and pollution-fighting skin: Wendy pulls out all the stops to set the stage for the ultimate summer party spot.
Artist Meekyoung Shin renders a genuine soap opera of ancient artifacts.
Tom Sanford pays homage to some of the Lower East Side’s most prolific residents.
New York City had its cows; London will have its booths.
BAM is a great place to catch a movie or see some live theater, and now with their new public art initiative, there will be plenty to entertain outdoors as well.
With its commanding presence and message of peace and unity, Ilya and Emilia Kabakov‘s Ship of Tolerance stands out amidst the other artworks at the eleventh annual Havana Biennial, which opened last month.
Forget The Dorchester. The best London city views are from high above Southbank Centre, which is precisely where artist Fiona Banner chose to erect a one-bedroom houseboat available to the public for one-night-only stays.
If the thirty-foot-tall blow-up bottle of ketchup nestled inside City Hall Park interrupted your daily trek to work last week, don’t fret. The balloon is part of Common Ground, Public Art Fund’s annual summer art spectacular.
When David Koren visited Governors Island in 2005, he saw more than an idle mass of land plagued by a federal government deed that prevents permanent housing from being erected there. Instead, he saw a crowning destination for the arts. In 2007 he organized Figment, a participatory arts festival that brought together resources from the island, area artists, and a crazy-cool ethos gleaned from Burning Man in Nevada.
