Joyce Owens: Artist On Art

Creative Artist or unoriginal technician?

There is a lot of pressure on artists. How do you separate your creativity from everyone elses?

If you succumb to trends, and intentionally reflect in your work currently successful artists, are you in a school of art, are you a copyist, are you a sell-out? Or, if you  cash-in, are you just clever?

Retro-racing Picasso series (two views) in N'Namdi collection. These sell very well.

What I know for sure is your art has to be meaningful to people who have the ability to exhibit it/collect it. Should an artist make work that conforms to the work already being shown, or does the artist's heart and mind always need to dictate what they produce? We can be influenced by other artists - this is a long and wonderful tradition...but where is the line drawn between being influenced and outright appropriating aka copying?

 Is there room for all kinds of art? Yes. (OK, that was easy).

But, there clearly is not room in all kinds of institutions. I have exhibited in some museums, but would love for curators to find more ways to include my work. I am still a painter. What about my sculptures...they are paintings on 3D supports. 

I am an artist who works in found materials. I will transform a piece of trash that will not obviously show the origins of the mediums. This is a very contemporary practice that I have used starting in grad school.

 This one sold, too!

This Obama is based on a form that was sent to artists across the country! The results were all distinctly different. So, even "Visions of Our 44th President" has been shown in Detroit at  the Wright Museum and in Miami during Miami Basel.

Wright Museum, "Visions of Our 44th President"

 
DuSable Museum of African American History honoring AfriCobra. The black and white drawing is a piece by me selected because I was influenced by the group.

 

 Cubism sneaks into my work again and again.

 If the art does not relate to an existing form, then how do you know it is art??

 

 

 

If it's not one thing it's another!

For artists there is always another challenge.

Not like slavery and lynching, of course: "The Medieval in America" by Joyce Owens

I started writing about artists' issues in May of 2008 and I really haven't seen a lot of progress during these past two years.  Hamza Walker just won a major honor and cash prize of $100,000.00 that he can use as he pleases. As a curator at the Renaissance Society in Chicago he has addressed issues significant to a range of artists, including artists of color. Kerry James Marshall is part of a major exhibition at Chicago's MCA on the artists studio a citywide project that I wrote for about Richard Hunt's studio.

On the one hand this news is good news. We have a toe in, but the possibilities available have barely been tapped.

At least, in my opinion.

Clearly I think challenges are what art is all about! Dealing with personal and global issues, finding a way to make art, all of that!

Lately I have been thinking a lot about the challenges women artists face and why there are not more famous women artists who are household names, like Picasso or Van Gogh... I lie; I have thought about this for quite a while. Women artists of African descent have an even harder road to hoe!

And you may know that I wonder, and have not yet found the answer to, why EVERYBODY who is creative is called an artist, from chefs to bricklayers to politicians! Not to say these people aren't creative. George Washington was certainly creative, but not an artist. Call them creative, call them artistic, but for language's sake, let's not call them artists!

George Washington portrait saved from the fire of 1812

An artist is someone different than what these other folks do and we visual artists deserve to own this.  If the title "politician" had a better, more agreeable, more generally positive connotation maybe everybody would say, "I'm a politician" as so many describe themselves as an "artist"!

OK< I have ranted about one thing, so let's get to the other! Not just making the art, but  promoting the art.Like I said, if it's not one thing, then it's another!

If you are famous, you may be stuck doing one kind of work, if you are struggling you may decide to do too many kinds of art trying to find your voice, your audience, your money for rent. So in the early days you are finding your voice, right? You learn about a variety of mediums and about supports and the basics of art and design, how to balance a picture, the Golden Mean, the value scale and all about color harmony.

Then you get to the expressive part and imitate others. As time passes you, hopefully, notice your preferences and start developing your own style. And you can't wait to be an artist! For some, they consider themselves artists from the giddyup as they used to say when I grew up in Philadelphia (it's a horsey term, meaning from the very start).

Artistic egos are amazing and intriguing, like people, in general. Some are quiet, introverted and shy and some are loud,  forceful and believe in themselves, insisting that everyone else does, too. Lots of artists exist somewhere in between!

It took quite a while for me to believe I had the skills to consider myself an artist, even when others cheered me on. I still constantly question what I do. I always want to make it better; that only seems natural, though, right?. Some people think, or at least say that their work is great; when I look at it I can can only shrug! It's also shocking hearing folks do that.

Does the public, including art critics, curators and collectors believe an artist is good because the artist him/herself insists he or she is? And is the quiet, non-tooter of his or her own horn likely to be overlooked for the same reasons, that he or she does not toot?  How much is too much. How much should we believe when reading someone's personal website? Where can you go to find out if an artist is good besides hearing it from his or her own mouth, especially since a lot of people don't get an art education?

   Got any ideas, Mr. Washington?

21st Century: New Rules for Artists

Tom Lucas, Preston Jackson, collector Robert Derden, Joyce Owens, Barlow at our 2007opening, Nicole Gallery

No artists = No galleries!

Can you imagine? NO art on the walls. No sculptures on pedestals. No installation work or videos on display in an art gallery?

As a conceptual idea, OK. It could signify the death of art. Again! On various levels...suggesting various ideas...but that's not where I'm going with this. And even with much art being virtual, another possible implication that art (as we know it) is dead, I'm not going there, either.

ARC Gallery, my work on back wall.

Taking this out of the conceptual realm, I have noticed a dynamic between some artists and galleries that suggests there is a deep pathology that needs surgery, or at least, "meds" in order to stave off some sort of art gallery tragedy! As they close one after the other, now may be the time to think about what we can do to improve conditions and make them artist-friendly.

Artists have other choices, so I hope the galleries will listen up! Most artists I know do prefer to show in galleries, at least, sometimes!

I just don't get why some galleries persist in treating artists as if they are secondary and not the reason for a gallery's existence! Here is my partial list of the "how comes"  that artists (and galleries) can consider:

1. Why are artists made to quake in their boots when they approach some galleries?

2. Why don't all gallerists divulge the names of buyers to the artists?

3. Why don't all galleries consult with and/or respect the wishes of artists on how their work is displayed?

4. Why do some galleries discount from the artist's portion of the sale, too and not from the gallery commission?

5. Why do some galleries not publicize the exhibitions and promote artists they show?

6. Why do some galleries ask artists to pay for photography and publicity on top of the commissions?

7. Why are some galleries not run as other businesses are, keeping regular hours, etc.?

8. Why do some galleries delay paying their artists when work is sold? 

9. Why don't artists get paid interest on monies galleries have held back over 30 days?

We have established that anyone can open a gallery with no training in art or even business, so maybe we can address a couple of other questions:

1. Should galleries be rated on the care and handling of the art and artists they show ?

2. Should there be a system to rate galleries such as the Better Business Bureau or something like Angie's List or the equivalent of Rate Your Professor/teacher sites for college professors? Artists could then anonymously give galleries a thumbs up or down.  Services such as these would forewarn other artists if their brethren didn't get paid for sold work, were not treated well in general, had work damaged or stolen and other atrocities that have been reported in the press and shared word-of-mouth.

One game some galleries play is the same one that some mothers tell their children. If you miss one train (boyfriend/girlfriend) another one always comes along. Just wait. Galleries know that there will always be artists willing to put up with, and be grateful for, gallery exposure, so if one artist stomps out in anger and feeling mistreated, another artist is waiting to be next!

OH NO! Bad behaving artists?

This had to come up next! Difficult artists give gallerists and curators the blues. They should also be outed, although as we all know, difficult artists often get rewarded, not restrained. The "talent" is enough to make excuses for bad behavior and the audiences are mesmerized by behavior outside the so-called norm. That's why we fixate on these reality show folks and other train wrecks (don't want to get sued so I won't name names...) that we can't keep our eyes off...actors, politicians, golfers and others who misbehave mesmerize us!

Professionally run, artist-friendly galleries should be rewarded! And there are a lot of those; Parish Gallery in D.C. is one. Nicole Gallery in Chicago is one. Homewood Studios in Minneapolis is one, Woman Made Gallery in Chicago is one, and there are many others! I hear Packer Schopf is one and Ann Nathan, too. I know Robert Henry Adams, now closed, was one. June Kelly is one.

Collectors, you have the power to change this bad behavior as well. I know the artists tell people about the bad behavior. So supporting the "good" galleries to buy could help; artists look for representation at the good galleries and respectfully speak out when a gallery treats you or your work badly! Sometimes the ONLY education people running these places get is from their artists! 

So many guests at Richard Hunt's N'Namdi Gallery opening it was hard to see the art...

I wish I had a top ten artist-friendly galleries in every US city, if not globally. I found this post on Art business.com that explains the ideal gallery and artist/gallery relationship. If you're not getting this you may be getting the short end of the stick!

Chicago Artists Month Collector's Tour

The Diasporal Rhythms Collectors group opens their individual private spaces for a regular tour of their extensive collections. This group of  people, who are educators, scientists, entrepreneurs, and extraordinary art lovers are committed to supporting Chicago-based LIVING  artists, especially African American artists, but they don't discriminate against other ethnic groups. They are dedicated to supporting artists and have demonstrated their interest in many ways.  Each year they select 5 artists to honor. (I was honored.)  Below are this year's batch of artists whose art you can see if you take the tour! Click on image to enlarge:

Collectors, Where oh where are you?

It's just too easy to select famous artists for a collection !

Richard Mayhew, Philip Pearlstein, Jean Michel Basquiat, Lucian Freud, Jeff Koons, Georgia O'Keeffe,  Damien Hirst,  Richard Hunt,   Kara Walker, Judy Pfaff, Gordon Parks, Elizabeth Catlett, Faith Ringgold, Ed Paschke, Jacob Lawrence, Elizabeth Murray,   Kerry James Marshall, Geraldine McCullough, Walker Evans, William H. Johnson, Henry O. Tanner, Joshua Johnston, Mary Cassatt, Glenn Ligon, Martin Puryear, Edmonia Lewis, and many other gold seal artists are easy choices, if you have the money.

I have a few in my collection, but I purchased a student work recently. And have purchased art by emerging artists and artists whose work I like regardless of their exhibition history, degrees, or critical   reviews. Thank goodness the same has been done for me.

Members of the three year old Chicago collectors organization, Diasporal Rhythms, have buoyed many local and national artists under the leadership of Daniel T.  Parker and Patric McCoy.

Here are the really rich collectors. Forbes has a list. Take a look at this mind-boggling read.

What collectors, of any stripe, can artists hope to attract? Remember when Brad Pitt purchased a piece of high school student work from the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago? That's lucky! Not that Brad Pitt or any other celebrity should make a difference, but the idea is that they can buy any thing they choose and have traveled and experienced a  lot of work so they may have an experienced eye for art.

I have been added to some very good collections,  too many to enumerate, but I would love to be in more.  I went to a talk by some well-known collectors at a museum on the southside of Chicago. I had seen them on CBS Sunday Morning. I had also heard my uncle's name (Jack T. Franklin) mentioned as a premier photographer on CBS Sunday Morning when he was in an exhibition at  the Smithsonian. So I was not intimidated by these collectors that I went to hear speak when they visited  Chicago.

As I listened to them and saw the representative  works in their collection I became very aware that these were collectors who were following the crowd, purchasing already well-established artists. When I asked them how one got seen by them, you know,   I would really love for you to see my work, kinda thing,  I was told if I had to ask then it wasn't for me.

I took that to mean one of two things:

1. I should just forget about being added to their collection since I am not  Henry O. Tanner,  Joshua Johnston, Elizabeth Catlett or Johnathan Green.

2. They were not  interested in work by anyone not on the usual list.

(The catch-22 operates. )

Should we care what collections we are in?

If we do care, what can we do to raise our visibility?

Besides  exhibiting...

I can see that associations with other artists makes a difference and increases visibility. The Spiral Group, The Hairy Who and Imagists, The Guerrilla Girls ,  even looking back to the Cubist collaboration between Picasso and Braque, the Impressionists who produced separate exhibitions, and in the 1960's the AfriCobra artists.

Should the artists in Chicago create a NEW art style?  Pass-it-on art could be fun. Like that game  where you whisper  down the line and see what you get at the end. One artist could start a piece and send it on from one artist to the next to see what ends up. The last artists signs the piece.  If 20 works start and end up  with one of 20 artists then each artist would complete one piece for a group exhibition.  A new kind of collaboration and a challenge to creativity as well as a statement on  cooperation,  something we are desperate  for locally, nationally and globally. 

What about a top ten list of things artists should do to get their name out there?

Anni Holm, a Chicago-based performance artist literally had people (I was one who volunteered standing in front of Macy's) hold up signs with her name on it to "get her name out there".

I have work to do so I am ending this one, but while I work, can you send out some answers, some anecdotes, some other questions???

The photo above is of artists honored by Diasporal  Rhythms at Gallery Guichard...my painting "Writers on the Roof" in the D.E. Simmons collection, is in  background.  I am 2nd from the right. Left to right, Gallery Guichard owner, Andre Guichard, Malika, Joyce Owens and Faheem Majeed, sculptor, fellow Howardite and executive director  of Chicago's South Side Community Art Center.