Fresh off the heels of ArtPrize comes a stunning series of Office for Public Culture (OPC) events made possible due to an incredible collaboration with local, regional and international partners to achieve what I believe to be one of the highlights of our fall contemporary arts schedule.
As reported in G-Sync in the past and as reflected in the journals, magazines and books on contemporary art, the very way we define art is once again undergoing an exciting transformation and its impact could literally change the world.
On Thursday night Kendall College of Art and Design’s Federal Building will host a lively “Code GR: From Public to Private and Back Again” panel discussion from the OPC. The discussion features Grand Valley State University’s Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies, ArtServe Michigan, and Lawyers for a Creative Economy and will include panelists Tom Williams, attorney; Kendal Henry, artist and curator; and Jenny Mikulay, professor at Alverno College with GVSU associate professor of art and design’s Anna Campbell as the moderator.
Paul Wittenbraker, OPC and GVSU associate professor of art and design, claims that the invited panelists will be discussing the topic of public and private art using the backdrop of a recent local controversy: Alexander Calder’s “La Grande Vitesse” in contrast with the David Dodde appropriation of it for his ArtPrize entry. This is sure to be insightful if not timely.
On Friday and Saturday, though permission with Creative Time of New York, the OPC and the Grand Rapids Art Museum will be presenting a live broadcast of their annual conference The Creative Time Summit, where international voices are showcased on the New York stage and broadcast around the world to engage our large classroom around the topic du jour. This year’s theme is displacement and it could not come at a better time.
We are experiencing some of the same growing pains that are also impacting other cities around the world. As we look to our region and define ourselves as a community devoted to free expression of art and the practices emerging therein, the chance to attend the Creative Time Summit in the past may have been seen as elitist fantasy.
The flattening of these lines via the selection of the OPC and the GRAM as a broadcast site means that local artists (but also other members of our community) can begin to interact with one another (and a few of the speakers live from New York) around these emerging and vital topics.
"Both events dig into the details of how culture is a central component in the development of contemporary cities. It is in the cultural domains that space, economy, law, and imagination all come to life,” says Wittenbraker. “Territories are opening up that challenge the way we organize a dynamic and just public life. The Office for Public Culture works to bring critical reflection and discourse to our local development, and connect our creative thinking to broader discourses."
Both events are free but the OPC strongly encourages that you register in advance to attend the Friday and Saturday conference, which is being hosted by Anthony Stepter from the Museum and Exhibition Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Social note: Leading up to the event, please use #CTSummit to tag your related content.
Admission: Free
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