The Chronicle, Vol. LXIV, Issue 3

              Page 19 The Chronicle • October 23 1998
Picotte Art Exhibit / “The Expedient Substitute”
Behind The Scenes: An Art In The Making
By: L isa Black and
S .J. Palkovic
Staff Writers
Theprooessbegins with physical spaoe-the
quietly lit, empty, white walled
space known as the gallery .The ques­tion
is not about filling the space, but how to fill
the space. Artists of every medium including
photography, sculpture, painting, drawing and
graphic design have submitted their pieces.
There are however, far too many pieces to
comfortably fit the space.
Therein lies the curator’s dilemma. Choices
need to be made, and the choices need to fit the
space. Curating the show is as much a work of
art as are the pieces being shown, the physical
space becomes the curator’s piece. It is like a
symphony, with the many parts, seemingly
incongruous,cominglogptherlomakelhe whole.
The choices are made and the pieces are placed
or hung appropriately, so as not to crowd one
another. Each piece requires special attention
and is let alone to make its individual statement
within the whole, to be a part of the completed
space— the transformed space that is the ex­hibit.
The curation of an art show is a process. It
is a dance, an interaction between the artist, the
art, the space, thecurator, and the audience. This
is the art of the gallery business and the business
ofart.This is what gallery management isabout.
“MAKESHIFT: THE EXPEDIENT SUB­STITUTE,”
a collection of student work, was
recently shown at the college’s art gallery lo­cated
at Picotte Hall. The show was the first,
curated by members of Jeanne Ranagan’s gal­lery
management class. The five members of
the class are comprised of students from various
disciplines including Pearl Rucker and Jaime
Zebrowski, studio art; Ixah Zwart, art educa­tion;
Lisa Black and Shelley Palkovic, public
communications; and Andrew Almcter, graphic
design.
Each student had to work with one another
to achieve success in their final product, an
exhibition, just as they would in the work­place.
The show was in fact a success. The
opening reception on October 7 catered nearly
70 people. The overall opinion of the patrons
was positive— most expressed an interest in
seeing other shows like MAKESHIFT more
frequently.
Curator Jaime Zebrowski says, “the end
result is perfect and precise to the average
person.”
Jeanne Ranagan’s course outline states that
the objectiveof her gallery management course
“is a hands-on experience to familiarize stu­dents
with managingan art gallery. Emphasis is
Jesse MatuUs used mixed materials to create this untitled work for the Make Shift art
show at Picotte Hall. ^ Brian Alpart
on exhibition planning, design, and installation.
A team approach to executing the job en­courages
students to communicate and work
together.”
Ranagan says that the crux of gallery
management is not just the end product but
“the group dynamics involved in organizing
an exhibition and all of the planning stages.”
Group dynamics define the gallery manage­ment
class. The student team meets once a
week to plan exhibitions (totaling two this
semester), set schedules, contact artists and
secure work for the shows.
Acurator’sjobismost demanding—work
must be chosen and installed by various
deadlines. The job is rather powerful be­cause
the curator must select work submitted
by his or her peers and some work may have
to be rejected. Zebrowski says one of the
most difficult things she ran into was accusa­tions
of choosing her friend’s work, not
necessarily because of its content but rather
whose work it was.
“You can’t please everyone,” she says.
The objectives of the show and of the
curator(s) must be communicated by the
work chosen. For MAKE SHIFT the team
decided not to follow a theme. Rather they
chose thought provoking work from the dif­ferent
areas of art. Flanagan says that similar
issues exist in her class that also arise in
dealings with established artists.
“The complex responsibilitiesof deciding
the content and whose work is in, as well as
defending those choices make it compelling
and interesting,” Flanagan said. This is the
art of gallery management.
There is yet another aspect of the process.
The curator must work within budget con­straints.
Curators must negotiate prices con-centratingon
theshippingandhandlingcosts
as well as insurance for the work while in
transit. Finally, the work must be installed
and the show m ust be publ icized. The pubi ic
relations aspect here involves press releases,
artists’ and curators’ statements, and hosting
an opening reception. This is the business of
gallery management.
The next order of business for the gallery
management team is preparations for their sec­ond,
and final, show this semester. “FICTION/
FACT,” an exhibition of world-renowned pho­tographer
Duane Michals’ work is opening
October 25 at the art gallery. A reception has
already been scheduled for December 3 where
Michals will be in attendance. He will present a
lecture following the reception at 7 p.m. in Saint
Joseph’s Hall.
Once again, the dance begins for the gal­lery
management team. And, once again it is
about the busi ness of art and the art of gal lery
management. Perhaps 2^browski said it best.
“You can’t please everyone.” That is the
art of learning lessons of real life.
Show
Reviewed
By; Regina J. V e r to n e
Staff Writer
The College of Saint Rose Art Gallery,
recently presented an exhibitof student work.
Thisexhibitionwascalled“MakeShift-The
Expedient Subsitute”. From Monday, Octo­ber
5, until Friday, October 9, the show was
open for the public to view. Opening recep­tion
was Wednesday, October 7, from 4:30
p.m. to 6 p.m.
Located on 324State St. in Albany, Picotte
Hall obviously is not close to the rest of the
Saint Rose campus. Nevertheless, this ex­hibit
allowed the students who go there an
opportunity to shine and demonstrate their
abilities.
A final thirty works were selected for the
event. The people responsible for putting on
this event were from the Gallery Manage­ment
class taught at Saint Rose. This group
is guided by Jeanne Flanagan, who is also the
Gallery Director. Featured works here pri­marily
were on the advanced level.
The variety of works featured at this event
reminded everyone about the beauty of art
and its emergence in many forms. The oil
and charcoal works done were eyecatching.
One project was constructed out of card­board
boxes, clay, plastic, and glass. Mes­sages
of art certainly arc conveyed through
the simplest things To the untrained eye,
works like this were enlightening.
Modern technology also is a tool for art.
Pieces known as “computer outputs” took up
nearly an entire wall in the gallery. They are
glossy, printed images with an artists’ own
spin on them.
“Makeshift - The Expedient Substitute”
was beneficial to everyone. For the artists,
they were able to shine. The public was
exposed to something they normally may
not have endured before.
The Picotte Hall Art
Gallery is open:
Monday - Thursday:
10:00 a.m. to 4:30
p.m., 6:00 p.m. to
8:00 p.m.
Friday: 10:00a.m. to
4:30p.m.
Saturday: Noon to
4:00 p.m.