Review - Conversation with the Elders 4.

ART SOCIETY OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

Conversation with the Elders 4.

The Visual Arts and Design in the Twenty First Century – Quo Vadis

The Art Society of Trinidad and Tobago.

ASTT Headquaters,
Corner of Jamaica Boulevard and St Vincent Avenue.
Federation Park,
Trinidad and Tobago.

 

Panelist.

Chel Lovelace – Contemporary Artist.

Tomely Roberts – Artist and Art Educator (Tobago).
Lesley Ann-Noel – Industrial Designer and Coordinator , Visual Arts Unit – University of the West Indies.
Richard M Rawlins – Graphic Designer/Contemporary Artist.

 

“In the absence of museums with significant contemporary art collections and well-developed academic art history departments dedicated to 20th- and 21st-century art across the region, exhibitions have become more than just sites of display and interaction. The curatorial strategies and institutional demands reflected in exhibitions, and the texts accompanying and framing them, are the most visible source of art historical narratives currently being generated in the region. To examine the implications of this phenomenon, Asia Art Archive has engaged some of the most prominent voices in the field to come together over three days of debate, discussion, and reflection.
"Sites of Construction: Exhibitions and the making of recent art history in Asia" marks one of the Archive’s most ambitious programmes to date, and is presented in collaboration with the Hong Kong Arts Centre. The symposium invites scholars and practitioners to frame a broader enquiry into this expanded role of exhibitions in the reception and historicization of art in Asia. Between 21 and 23 October, the symposium will be punctuated by keynote addresses by three of the world’s most influential critical thinkers: John Clark, Gao Shiming, and Irit Rogoff.”

Asia Art Archive Sep 17 2013.

 

I write this post budget and post the Conversation with Artists Series, hosted by the Trinidad and Tobago Artists Society, Friday 13^th 2013. There was a reputable table of artists Richard Rawlins – Designer, Lesley Ann Noel – Industrial Designer (also head of the Visual Arts Department, UWI), Che Lovelace – Visual Artists, Rodell Warner – Visual Artists.  

First I would like to congratulate  the Art Society of Trinidad and Tobago for hosting of this series. One thing I noticed was the camera - cool that it was being documented, would there be a publication? That will be useful and dynamic in a space that is becoming less and less intellectual within the visual terrain. Postmodernity has imposed a certain morality in art and design that has opened up the notion that all art is good art.  When all art is art and there are self-imposed titles of artists, master artists, luminaries, master designers etc. in addition to these titles also being placed on the multitude of designers that have cropped up in the Carnival feather bands, then we need to reflect on the meanings of art and design for the contemporary era. Postmodernity has clearly set a challenge for the intellectual and philosophical moorings of what this means for us here.

 

Anyway, let’s get back to the night. There were these buzz words mentioned,

ANTHONY PAYNE -
 Routing a length of wood. One extension of the Studio.

 

 SOME BUZZ WORDS THAT CAME OUT IN THE PRESENTATIONS WERE -

 “Increased Research Activities”,

“Increase Public Engagement with Public Stakeholders”

“Help Develop”

“There is the construction of a gallery at Fort George”

“The Wider Audience”

“Trans National Experience”

“Bad Art”

“Globalization”

“We need to encourage Criticism”

“Commissioned by the City of Florida”

“Propelling Artists”

“I’m a Designer not an Artist”

“Criticism of DCFA”

“Criticism of the Trinidad and Tobago Artists Society”

 

These words come in the wake of a budget presentation that has seen the arts almost co-opted into machinery that will direct or dictate how and where it will go, time will tell. We have been told that there is a cabinet note for a priority listing of  seven items that the Minister of Culture, the Honourable Dr. Lincoln Douglas and his 5 supporters in the Ministry will have to negotiate for, which you’ll be able to find in the below chart  –

 

INDEPENDENCE SQUARE - Creole Doubles

 

THE MINISTRY OF ARTS AND MULTICULTURALISM PROPOSAL FOR THE 2013 BUDGET PROPOSAL

http://artistscoalition.wordpress.com/

 

NUMBER	PROJECT	COST	PAGE
0.0	Rationale- 4 year projections		0
1.0	The National Arts Council	$50 m	2
2.0	The Heritage Warehouse	$34m	5
3.0	La Fantasie Home for Sector Groups/ Regularised Sector subventions	$21m	8
4.0	Panyard Tenure Regularisation	$3 m	9
5.0	East Port of Spain Heritage Project	$4m	11
6.0	NAPA and SAPA forensics and redesign	$12m	14
7.0	Refurbishing the walkpath, railings & façade  of Queen’s Park Savannah	$.5 m	16
8.0	Redesign of 12 panyards to Schools-in Pan model	$6.5m	18
9.0	Fashion Industry Warehouse and Fashion Week	$8m	20
10.0	Completion of Little Carib Theatre& Salvage of the Beryl Mc Bernie House	$2 m	22
11.0	Fund for local programming on CNMG	$10m	23
12.0	SUMMIT.org- connecting our genius diaspora	$5,166,000	26
13.0	Commission report on tertiary level cultural education & create a Civics cultural module	$.5 m	29
14.0	Open 1 Secondary level Magnet School for the Arts	$.5m	31
15.0	Funding for Rights Collection organisations	$5m	33
16.0	National Theatre Strategy	$10 m	35
17.0	The Arts Legislative Agenda		38
18.0	Industry trained Cultural Attaches	$10m	39
19.0	Package of Carnival Interventions	$8m	41
20.0	World Chutney Competition and World Tour	$3m	43
21.0	Pan 7s	$1 m	44
22.0	National Cultural Theme Park	$3m	46
23.0	Music Incubation Project	$10 m	48
	TOTAL	$202,166,000.

 

So out of these 23 items,  there will be 7 items that will be able to pull our cultural sector into the 21^st Century.

As I listened to what was said, there is a reality of the disappearance of the work of artists from the imagination of a community, as well as a tenseness and laziness that exists within the artists community.

 

As was mentioned at the meeting there needs to be some kind of active participation and synergy within the artists’ community and with artists and their institutions. This will invariably lead to an enhanced awareness of the role the arts can play in the development process.

 

This will mean that the institutions - The Trinidad and Tobago Art Society and the Department of Creative and Festival Arts of the University of the West Indies, will have to engage further.

 

PIE HEIN EEK - work space

“Increased Research Activities”

2.0 – The Heritage Warehouse – this is being proposed as one way we can evolve to a space where research and development can happen. Research and development should also be ongoing at the DCFA; through critical analysis and publication of institutional and collaborative projects. The Art Society will also have to improve on their conceptualism of their projects, develop a philosophy and stick with it.
Read the beginning statement.

PIE HEIN EEK - Show Room or can we say gallery.

 “Increase Public Engagement with  Stakeholders”

The studio without walls is something that had been happening with the artist’s studio, Studio 66 is a fine example of that. This is the future for art. A studio practice that will see artists working in a socially driven multi-disciplinary simulation that will allow them to engage many constructs, materials, systems and dynamics. The trick here is a grounded philosophy.

 

MARLON AUGUSTINE -
Floor Supervisor at David Blake, circa 2012

“Help Develop”

One of the panelists mentioned that he like being at the DCFA, because he can help develop the programme. Artists need to be more involved. Historically engaging with the institutions in Trinidad and Tobago is problematic, the institutions needs to mature. I remember well, Chris Cozier, explaining the flaws of the Oval Mural Project in an open email to the Artists Society, they refused to listen or even attempt to adjust the project, that is the arrogance that dissuades participation. 

 

“There is the construction of a gallery at Fort George”

Tomley Roberts, of Tobago mentioned that through their activism (Tobago Artists) they have been able to get a gallery built on the Fort George site. Great, I will like to think that they will get a state of the art gallery, proper wall height, storage, office, store front, dinner (not optional).

http://www.fabjob.com/ArtGalleryOwner.asp

http://www.ehow.com/how_5456086_design-art-gallery.html

 

MEDULLA GALLERY -
Edward Bowen, presentation circa 2013

“The Wider Audience”

Art is still a One Percent audience; we need to develop the wider audience through open projects which will eventually democratize art.

 

“Trans National Education”
Transnational experience normally happen at the expense of indigenous knowledge, one example of this, is in the work of artists who attempt feminist art, which reflex North American feminists constructs and disciplines, while there exist a wide body of work on Caribbean feminism.

 http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ860736

http://www.transnational-education.com.au/

http://www.transnationalstudy.com/Aims.html

http://www.transnationaleducation.org/?page_id=22

 

“Bad Art” The Brian McFarlane Issue.
Art is art, but there is art that doesn’t read right. When something doesn’t read right, it can be due to bad conceptualism, faulty production process and marketing. The Brian MacFarlane issue, represent something more in our society which is “ Ah Out of Timing” due to an absence of analysis and critical discourse, the artists become even more than what they are, capturing titles and awards which don’t really belong to them. The state believes that they are all that they aren’t and are given the trough. The art work will be considered bad, not because it is bad technically or he kah draw, or he is ah bad painter, (the Sugar Alloes affair), but because the work is unethical in the idea of originality. Artists are all thieves; it through a consistent work process the artist can normally find their original voice, all at the same time referencing other artist’s styles, which is imbued within the original. It’s this ability to make this line blurred or not is the skill of the artist.  
http://blog.oup.com/2013/07/what-makes-art-bad-exposure-effect/

IMFORMAL HOUSING -
This can be a source of design inspiration.

 

 

“Globalization”
As with “Trans National Experience”. But Globalization is Western.

 

“We need to encourage Criticism”
Artists need to work on this one, especially the institutions, as we speak about our institutions they shun you.

“I was commissioned by the City of Florida”

This was compelling as I wanted to ask what that meant, what was the process like, etc.

 “Propelling Artists”

There must be a place where artists can present their work in a properly design space (what does that mean – proper height on walls, proper viewing , the work documented, reviewed and can then be used by the artists to attend artists residencies around the world, invited to biennials. Art school was that space, even in Toronto, I met artists who would be enrolled in art school programmes to access their equipment. So when you  consider that foundry, moulding, woodwork, welding, plastics, screen printing   

NATIONAL MUSEUM TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

 “I’m a Designer not an Artist”

I challenge this statement. The contemporary visual Artists and the contemporary designer consider many of the same technical, material, structural and scientific concepts that required to propel their work into the market. The idea of separation is purely due to a practical consideration within the history of academia and market forces. If there must be a separation and this is purely hypothetical, the visual artist prepares their product from an objective position, while the designer prepares theirs from a subjective. Postmodernity has turned this on its head. But I will contend that all factors are inseparable to the contemporary visual artist and designer

 “What is the most widespread misunderstanding about design or designers? It's the idea that designers think about how a product looks, or perhaps that they think about how it's produced, like an engineer. But I think it's only possible to make a good design if you understand everything from the first idea to the market. Every aspects of the product is a reason not to sell it, so if you design you have to take care of all those aspects. The major quality of the designer is being a generalist, understanding everything about the product and the society and the people who use it. And I think we should recognize that designers should be involved in the bigger part of the process—so not only the look and feel of the product, but the company board, for example.”

Interview with Piet Hein Eek, Core 77

http://www.core77.com/blog/core77_questionnaire/piet_hein_eek_on_making_furniture_from_waste_building_the_perfect_work_environment_and_why_designers_should_be_generalists_25554.asp 

 

“Criticism of DCFA”
13.0 - Commission report on tertiary level cultural education & create a Civics cultural module - $.5 Million
The DCFA is 25 years of age. The future of Visual Arts will have to see the DCFA expanding their academic offering; at this point there is one Masters Programme and that is in a M.A. in Creative Design: Entrepreneurship, there should be a Masters in Fine Arts (and why not a PHD), especially in a society where painting is so beloved. They will need to expand their existing allocation of space to their student body, tools, set up an institutional frame work.

We need to see young artists entering, gaining experience through studio emersion – building, construction, painting, design, curatorial experience in the gallery, project management, language and social skills (engagement in community). Obviously there is a design push within the Visual Arts Department, Should the Artists Society of Trinidad and Tobago question this, Yes!, at least to find out its validity or not, have they?   

DCFA’s success or failure will lie in their institutional framework. That institutional framework should spell out the – political, philosophical and ethical reasoning to their students and the wider artists’ community. At this point there exists a definite hierarchy of behaviour that has led the institution into a narrow and limited agenda.

MEDULLA GALLERY

 

 

“Criticism of the Trinidad and Tobago Artists Society”
The Art Society, will have to realize that their future will only happen if they become even more vigorous in their intentions for the artists community. They will have to align with other institutions and be critical of policy and behaviour that is damming to the artist’s communities. They will have to align with groups but at the same time be critical of the very groups; they will need to be independent. Why has the Art Society never really questioned why in 25 years there isn’t a Master’s Degree in the Visual Arts or a Ph.D in Visual Arts? At the Department of Creative and Festival Arts at UWI, there is a need for more PHDs. Why haven’t they registered their discontent for the art education or the creative education model in our schools nor had discussion on the proposed Magnet Schools for the Arts, 14.0 in the chart above.

Here are some thoughts to consider.

1.   First the expansion of the existing facilities, a more developed gallery, office and shop.

2.   Voice their opinion on issues that affect art, start with the Pat Chu Foon Sculpture. Budget, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Planning etc

3.   Develop and produce proper ethical, critical and beneficial projects, for both their community and the society that we belong.

4.   Develop linkages, with local and international organizations.

5.   Support artists.

6.   Make up their mind if they want to be Sunday School organization or a international organization – One example of an organization to emulate is the Toco Foundation.  http://tocofoundation.org/

 

 

Both the UWI/DCFA – Visual Arts Programme and the Art Society, suffer from the same thing a historical quietness that needs our voices once they will accept us.

 

Conclusion.

The future of art will evidently and eventually sit within the discourse of national state agencies in charge of development, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Planning and Sustainability. With this in mind it will mean that artists should be involved not only in the development of their own studio practices but also in the development of projects that will challenge the walls of the studio, gallery and state agencies while at the same time seeking the wider audience. To make this operate in a developing society, evolving, insecure with it status in the international market; will mean activating projects, while in real time analyzing data, developing dialog through symposiums, conferences and publications. The future of art will be in a innovative space, dedicated to the investment, the development of ideas and form, conceptualization and intellectualism, philosophy and aesthetics.

 

The future of art will lie first and last, in the development of the artists.

 

Dean Arlen

The Cannibalism of Art - The Story of Basketry 101, University of the West Indies, circa 2010.

The Cannibalism of Art – The Story of Basketry 101.
Installed on The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus,
Trinidad and Tobago circa 2010.

 

Project Title: UWI Sculptural Project.

Client: University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus.
Project Convener: Dean Arlen.
Participating Artist: Edward Bowen, Shastri Maharaj, Che Lovelace, Susan Dayal, Paul Kain, Dean Arlen and Lesly Ann Noel.
Circa: 2006-2010

BASKETRY 101, INSTALLED 2010.

I write this, 7 years and 3 years post the installation of Basketry 101 on the campus. A sculpture sits beaten, rusted and worn. The sculpture’s situation is a reflection of failure, failure of our people, to place systems within The University of the West Indies to protect this acquisition. It presents the dysfunction of people within that institution to take care of one of its own artistic production. Basketry 101, has been abandoned, why? What makes people who belong to an institution whose remit is the pursuit of knowledge and intellectual development disregard this very remit? The University of West Indies is a noble institution that has included intellectuals like Lloyd Best - Economics, Prof. Julien Kenny – Life Sciences and Environmental Studies, Prof. Rex Nettleford – Dance, Prof. Kamau Brathwaite – Literature, Prof. Bridget Brereton – History, Prof. Patricia Mohammed – Gender and Cultural Studies etc. Its halls are filled with ideas, concepts and contributions to the idea of humanity. What has happened, flies in the face of this noble pursuit in studio scientiae. What has happened; what is happening tells a story of the wider society, small things leads to bigger problems. Artists complain constantly about this uncaring system that beats into us, yet we fail to put a voice to the things that we care about, our own vocation.   



THE PRESENT TENSE.

Where can the change come from? Basketry 101 was installed through the commitment of people who cared about art, they weren’t artists, they belonged to The University of the West Indies not the Department of Creative and Festival Arts, DCFA, nor the Trinidad and Tobago Art Society, or any other cultural organization, they belonged to a group of people who wanted to see something happen, they supported an energy, an idea, a possibility,

in studio scientiae et ethicae illustratio

Even if this possibility came with the economic, intellectual and social biases that contemporary art exudes. Alas it happened, there was an installation of a major piece of sculpture onto the grounds of The University of the West Indies, by a notable designer who belonged to our community, who belonged to the University of West Indies, St Augustine Campus, and this was a revolution, a big step in the politics of aesthetics on the Campus. The sculpture, with its own critical analysis considering space and materiality, was installed with the silence of a knife through butter; you could have heard the pin drop. Not a sound from the Department of Creative and Festival Arts or The Office of the Principal. It was like it was all done under duress. Like there was a gun to their necks. There was a silent shunning of the work, the energy of it all seemed obscene.

 “non fuit consilium nostrum” -“It wasn’t our project”

POLICY  imparts empathy where there is an absence.

Policy directs the institution and in extension, people, to a more profound, humane behaviour towards the things that may not be considered important at that time.  The catch 22 to that is you need progressive people to direct and implement progressive policy.

BELOW ARE SOME RANDOM ACQUISITION POLICIES. THAT CAN GUIDE HOW WE MAINTAIN ART COLLECTIONS. THESE DOCUMENTS ARE NOT LONG. SIMPLE TO THE POINT.

UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON www.uh.edu/af/docs/SWAAC/policy.pdf

University Museum of Art at Loyola University Chicago

http://www.luc.edu/luma/collections/collections_acquisition.html

 

 

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA.

http://w3.unisa.edu.au/policies/policies/corporate/c25.asp

POLICIES ALSO GUIDE ACQUISITIONS AND DEACQUISITIONS OF ART WORKS

 

 

A 2^NDThought.

People, artistic people and the artist community portray a constant silence about the things that are important to us. Our ability to be inconsistent about the things that we do, to belong to a community yet be so self-involved that we become invisible to the imagination and growth of that community. We become irrelevant due to inertia, protesting only when it affects our bottom line.

 

Ibi semper est artifices vocem - There has always been an artists’ voice.

 

The voice of the artist’s has been there, will always be there.

 

But when a Pat Choo-Fun sculpture is painted over and another sculpture sits there rusting away, what does that really mean? For us? For the state, private sector, community?

 

Where can stimulation come from? Post-NAPA, has proven that the relationship with power has become more hostile, confusing and desperate, even while the state has acknowledged the potential benefits of the arts to the society and for the first time moving to harness its magical powers through the creation of a company that will harvest this magic. There is still an acknowledged hostile approach to negotiation with the arts sector, due to the fact that we have been a passive negotiator in the politics of cultural thought and praxis. Will articulation come from…

The Art Society is an organization with a well developed structure, membership and community and political weight. But for some reason it has not been able to engage the imagination of the political executive and the wider community, due to their in-articulation of the art language, philosophy and critical analysis of endeavours.

The Artists Coalition of Trinidad and Tobago, ACTT – in its short history has placed the arts on the table of national development and in the imagination of people. ACTT, has taken real cuff and pain and has taken on the fight, have been offered gifts and positions, an acknowledgement of persistence to power, in the discourse of cultural shaping. The primitive conceptualization of our cultural politics has set the course for an incorrect relation with the arts and their contribution to our evolving culture. This will only be challenged by the natural unravelling of our current social and economic reality, the current tense situation. The politics is hard and entrenched, behaviours violent, ignorance is applied, arrogance applauded. The future of ACTT will lie in it morphing into an independent Arts Council, starting on its own terms but which will eventually be supported by state but on their own terms.   

 The Trinidad and Tobago Film Company – has managed to explode onto our space a different language of plasticity, poetics of movement, re-represented industry and technology to a new and old generation of industrialist, a possibility of representation. But we have seen them come under fire from the state and have held them at bay; the state has rethought its position and formed another company that will confront the TTFC.

The Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival has presented art to the community, and has sparked their imagination of the possibilities of indigenous representation and diversification.

The University of West Indies, Film programme (which will be moving into their own building); the Animation programme at University of Trinidad and Tobago, UTT, and the Animae Caribe Festival is another powerful story that has highlighted the fractured relationship between the state and the academic art community, as this has come under fire for being acquired under duress.

We have seen film come in and take centre stage in the development discourse, while the plastic arts have continue to be marginal, in the corner, to be given only paltry concern, the mad child that you hide in the room chained to the bed post. Film’s monumentality in the imagination of people and in the politics of Trinidad and Tobago, rests on the shoulders of the people who have laboured in Banyan, Gayelle, the Trinidad and Tobago Film Company and The University of the West Indies, Film Programme.

Imaginatio populum ædíficant- People build Imagination

It jus doh fall from a breadfruit tree, Buu-Dooop. We have to build things, engage with the institutions that you belong to.

The failure of Basketry 101 is the failure of the plastic artists to coalesce activities that build imagination within people that makes people want to be involved with you, invest, even try to intervene and therefore have you on your toes to defend our imagination.

 

To build imagination means that artists need to collaborate within the institutions to which they belong. Start talking to departments; organize co-operative collaborations and agreements of understanding with industry, other professionals and organizations that can place the artists and their work within the larger conceptual framework of institutional and national development.

ARTISTS NEED TO CARE.

 iungere circuli- join the circle.

 

THE ARTIST PROPOSALS

  

SUSAN DAYAL

DEAN ARLEN

PAUL KAIN

EDWARD BOWEN

 


SHASTRI MAHARAJ

     

 

 

 

 

Dean Arlen

July 19 2013.