Frank Shifreen blog on CULTUREINSIDE

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Summer in Luxembourg

I spent a great summer in Luxembourg with the cultureinside team. I did paintings, prints and sculptures as well as tried to develop a strategy to put culturesinside at the top of it's class. Luxembourg is a beautiful country, very green with forests, fields, pastures with herds of cows in the middle of towns and cities. Having come from the U.S where greensward laws have never taken route, where there are interminable extensions of the city for many miles, where it takes well over an hour to get to any semblance of genuine rural areas. The cultureinside team are great people and they treated me with kindess and consideration. I am one of the messiest people on the planet.

Posted by Frank Shifreen - Tuesday, August 18, 2009 - Comments 0

Artist Networks as being central to innovation

I think I am a lot more radical than most of the artists in these networks. I believe the system is not working to encourage visual arts and that commercial galleries and collectors are not the way to go. I believe that artists networks have been crucial to the development in modern art and that commercialized offshoots such as galleries and museums feed off of genuine creativity and innovation . In most cases, when friends or acquaintances became "successful" artists their work and presence vanished from the art community that gestated it and supported it What is good for musicians is not necessarily good for visual artists. Visual Artists, of which I am one, need special places to create and show work. If museums and commercial galleries are too invested in capitalism, fashion and fetishized objects, what other models can work? I am finishing my doctorate and my dissertation is based on these problems and challenges. Personally I have had 50 solo exhibitions and curated almost as many, some extolled by critics and scholars. I have never had a happy relationship with a commercial gallery. There are alternatives. Networks on the web have the possibility of organizing and introducing artists to each other. Many of these ning groups that we belong to and I am posting on are good examples. I am a principal of cultureinside.com, based in Luxembourg. My partners and I are creating exhibitions and museums on the web that will create exhibits, connect to spaces, and support artists. Once artists are introduced to each other , anything can happen. All important developments in modern art history were those of artist networks and groups. Commercial galleries invariably follow where artists were treading for some time. Whether is was salons, clubs, autonomous zones such as happenings, co-ops, or graffiti or artworker crews. Art loses the translation when it goes legitimate. The Whitney Museum in New York began as an artist's club and lasted for over 15 years that way. The abstract expressionists and New York School artists formed co-ops in the 40's and 50's, before Peggy Guggenheim. The Beats engendered an egalitarian, creative environment. The Six Gallery in San Francisco , formed by young artists, was where Allan Ginsberg first read Howl. The Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich founded by Hugo Ball and Emily Hennings, was an exhibition and performance space. Tristan Tzara, one of the founders, played chess with Lenin during the day. This could be a very long piece but what I want to do is make a list of books that I find to be very important on these topics. Most of them are available, some for free on the web 1. T.A.Z and Immediatism, two books by Hakim Bey, a pen name of Peter Lamborn Wilson He says that revolutions never work. The ownership and defence of space are part of the problem. Autonomous zones are parties, fairs, projects, that can melt away rather become targets or victims of power and oppression. In Immediatism her advocates close working groups of artists forming cabals, secret societies, tongs, sewing circles, quilting bees, and other forms of artistic expression that can not be co-opted. His works are in bookstores or free on the web 2.Tearing Down the Streets: Adventures in Urban Anarchy, Jeff Ferrell Dr. Ferrell writes how Space in America is being organized for social control and how artists have historically confronted these forces. Written from an Anarchist perspective 3. Martin Buber. There are a lot of books on Buber. Being in the world we are constantly in conversations with the world and each other. This dialog with anyone creates respect and genuine communications. It feels good. Orders, curses, didactic monologs, one way communications feel another way , for the sender or the receiver. Racism, objectification, sexism, classism are all these kinds of communications. 4. Guy Debord , Society of the Spectacle. Debord postulated, could be accounted for by the invasive forces of the 'spectacle' - "a social relation between people that is mediated by images (1) The spectacle is the modern media dream that we participate in. Changing situations, creating spaces, disrupting the flow of the media might be a way of changing those relations. He recanted and tried to disregard art, but the original analysis is very powerful. Pierre Levy Collective Intelligence. How do we know ourselves? Levy shows that our name, family name (our lineage or tribe,) Home address ( where we live), Our occupation, phone number, and now email address place us in a world. The world of cyberspace is as real as any other and it will change our identities, both personal and national. I think it is one of the best analyses about the change that is occurring in our lives on the web. There are others but I am tired and will write more tomorrow. I think the creation of art exhibitions and groups of artists forming networks based on mutuality is the way to go. I think it is possible to create networks on the web and real exhibitions that form as a byproduct of that mutuality. I did a study , that I will post about a series of exhibitions that I organized from 2003 to 2004 callled Art Against War. An exhibition that began on the web and moved into 8 galleries and museums around the world solely on viral interchange and artist communications

Posted by Frank Shifreen - Friday, April 03, 2009 - Comments 1

Art Against War, An experimental exhibition

I am finishing my doctorate in Art and Art Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. I am writing my dissertation now. My research interest in my academic career has always been artists networks and exhibitions. My department at Teachers College is Art and Art Education. What is more educational for artists or the public than to generate, participate or get to visit a show by engaged and motivated artists? I also have felt scorn for the "discover me" syndrome. Artists spending an inordinate amount of time trying to be discovered by experts who have , or are assumed to have the power to create or break a reputation. My belief is that developments in the art world are generated by groups of artists, networks of artists, and collaborative groups. I have done several experiments, which will be a part of my dissertation. One of the experiments was a series of exhibitions that I organized with a small group at Teachers College and my professor Dr. Sullivan. The experiment was to create an exhibition of antiwar posters on the web and to explore where that might lead. How are art networks formed and propagated? Who are the audience for such exhibitions? Usually in experiments we try to minimize the variables. In art research there are two kinds of experiments. Experiments about perception, human response and brain research. They can be considered quantitiative or qualitative research. The experiments that I do are different kinds of qualitative research. Many kinds have developed in recent years. I use Action Research, which is a research problem that is determermined to be important to improve a social situation or community. The researcher determines the problem, works with the community conceives of a remedy and implements it. There are also narrative research and other kinds of ways to learn about experience, study it and be able to learn from the past to help the future. My studies are more open-ended. In "Art Aginst War" I wanted to create an attractor, a response to an important social problem that was causing me, and many others to feel angry. Discussions about the war were disregarded and seemed futile. I wanted to do an antiwar show. the war in Iraq seemed so misguided. My art experiment was to organize an art exhibition where anyone in the world could create work, send it to me via email or regular mail. The artists could send a file and would pay a small fee for printing as a digital poster. I sent the word out to a list of artists. My group called at Columbia, named Drinkink, made a website for the work we were doing as a group. and added a section for the antiwar show. Other artists with web skills volunteered to build or add a section for the show. The exhibition spread virally. which means that people told each other about the show. Galleries, Museums and spaces volunteered to host the exhibition. Three spaces in France, four in the United States, One in England, and it was shown on huge banners in Mumbai, at the Social Forum lV. The experiment was very successful in some ways. I have a 40 page paper which I will post here detailing the experiement -Further notes-There were other variables and interests that motivated my experiment, that I did not mention in the blog post. One of my interests has been , how can groups of artists who meet in cyberspace, build on their affinity, enough to create stong enough connections to create real art exhibitions. My interest also was also pragmatic. How much would it cost? What kind of galleries or spaces would be interested? What kind of artist would participate in such a show? Would the work have artistic quality, even though that was not a condition or for acceptance in the show? So the basis was to start with nothing, no money, create an idea, send the word out on the web, and see where those initial conditions would lead to. In that regard, it certainly was a fascinating experience and led to artist participation, exhibition and world wide connection on an important issue. One of the premises is that art is a powerful medium and generates ripples in the cultural matrix far beyond the initial group that makes the art or sees it. so frankly there are so many aspects to this experiment, I could have written my dissertation with this part alone. The investigation of the topic for me is another magical quality. When I started doing research on war posters, many sources cite the first war posters were indulgences of the Church that sought to fund a crusade against the Sultan. Before that indulgences were small, mere chits of paper, but they were printed relatively larger by the new printing process and displayed on walls, windows and public places. So the first posters were a similar cultural clash to the one that engaged our time.

Posted by Frank Shifreen - Monday, March 30, 2009 - Comments 0

Starting an exhibition from scratch, Art Against War

I am finishing my doctorate in Art and Art Education at Teachers College. I am writing my dissertation now. My research interest in my academic career has always been artists networks and exhibitions. My department at Teachers College , Columbia University, is that of Art and Art Education. What is more educational for artists or the public than to generate, participate or get to visit a show by engaged and motivated artists? I also have felt scorn for the "discover me" syndrome. Artists spending an inordinate amount of time trying to be discovered by experts who have , or are assumed to have the power to create or break a reputation. My belief is that developments in the art world are generated by groups of artists, networks of artists, and collaborative groups. I have done several experiments, which will be a part of my dissertation. One of the experiments was a series of exhibitions that I organized with a small group at Teachers College and my professor Dr. Sullivan. The experiment was to create an exhibition of antiwar posters on the web and to explore where that might lead. How are art networks formed and propagated? Who are the audience for such exhibitions? Usually in experiments we try to minimize the variables. In art research there are two kinds of experiments. Experiments about perception, human response and brain research. They can be considered quantitiative or qualitative research. The experiments that I do are different kinds of qualitative research. Many kinds have developed in recent years. I use Action Research, which is a research problem that is determermined to be important to improve a social situation or community. The researcher determines the problem, works with the community conceives of a remedy and implements it. There are also narrative research and other kinds of ways to learn about experience, study it and be able to learn from the past to help the future. My studies are more open-ended. In "Art Aginst War" I wanted to create an attractor, a response to an important social problem that was causing me, and many others to feel angry, alienated, disgusted. Discussions about the war were discouraged by authorities and made to seem futile. The Bush years were a difficult time for many of us. I wanted to do an antiwar show. the war in Iraq seemed so misguided. My art experiment was to organize an art exhibition where anyone in the world could create work, send it to me via email or regular mail. Artists could send a file and would pay a small fee for printing as a digital poster. I sent the word out to a many art lists. A supportive group at Teachers College of fellow doctoral students and professors, that had formed to create educational networks experimental art classrooms, named Drinkink, decided to support the show and built a website for the work we were doing as a group. and added a section for the antiwar show. Other artists with web skills volunteered to build or add a section for the show. The exhibition spread virally. which means that people told each other about the show. Galleries, Museums and spaces volunteered to host the exhibition. Three spaces in France, four in the United States, One in England, and it was shown on huge banners in Mumbai, at the Social Forum lV. The experiment was very successful in some ways. I have a 40 page paper which I will post here detailing the experiement and added this part Comment by Frank Shifreen just now -Further notes-There were other variables and interests that motivated my experiment, that I did not mention in the blog post. One of my interests has been , how can groups of artists who meet in cyberspace, build on their affinity, enough to create stong enough connections to create real art exhibitions. My interest also was also pragmatic. How much would it cost? What kind of galleries or spaces would be interested? What kind of artist would participate in such a show? Would the work have artistic quality, even though that was not a condition or for acceptance in the show? So the basis was to start with nothing, no money, create an idea, send the word out on the web, and see where those initial conditions would lead to. In that regard, it certainly was a fascinating experience and led to artist participation, exhibition and world wide connection on an important issue. One of the premises is that art is a powerful medium and generates ripples in the cultural matrix far beyond the initial group that makes the art or sees it. so frankly there are so many aspects to this experiment, I could have written my dissertation with this part alone. The investigation of the topic for me is another magical quality. When I started doing research on war posters, many sources cite the first war posters were indulgences of the Church that sought to fund a crusade against the Sultan. Before that indulgences were small, mere chits of paper, but they were printed relatively larger by the new printing process and displayed on walls, windows and public places. So the first posters were a similar cultural clash to the one that engaged our time.

Posted by Frank Shifreen - Monday, March 30, 2009 - Comments 0

Culture Inside/Culture Outside and recent influences

My impulse as a young artist was to create and mount exhibitions, since that is the area in art creation where the reality principle operates, where the forces of control, power and money exercise their will. Economic power acts as a censor and gatekeeper to prevent artistic innovation and experimentation, in my view.
Real Estate is where the rubber meets the road. The difficulty and problem in controlling space is the rationale for temporary autonomous zones as conceived by Hakim Bey. (T.A.Z. Hakim Bey 1985) People without money or power cannot own the space, public or private. For them, space can be used but can not be successfully defended. Stage an action, art show,performance or party and when finished -the crowd melts away. In my view, many of the great developments in modern art have been artists banding together and supporting each others work co-operatively or in many other ways, as opposed to institutional or commercial forms.
My mentor at Teachers College is an Australian artist-professor named Dr.Graeme Sullivan. He is an academician with strong oppositional art practice . His own art are called streetworks- outsider installations of images and sculpture that he places in various places in the world (www.streetworksart.com). He does not sell or sign them.
He leaves them to the mercy of the elements. He documents them. Some
I think that takes a lot of courage to forgo the egocentricity of art creation.
Dr. Sullivan also wrote a book that is very important. Art Practice as Research: Inquiry in the Visual Arts (Sage 2004). The concept that inquiry is as important in the visual arts as in other forms of knowledge is the basis of his book. Action research, experimentation, identification are critical areas. Art can be a powerful social tool for knowledge acquisition engagement and social activism.
I have organized many exhibitions, almost all of them attempting to change a social dynamic or examine an important issue. My last curated exhibition was called Souped-up Pontiac at the Museum of New Art in Pontiac Michigan may 2008. I invited artists from around the world, including Native American artists, to exhibit works that investigate the contradiction or divergence of Chief Pontiac, a great Ottawa War leader who the city of Pontiac was named for, and the Car brand Pontiac.
I wrote this at the time
Souped-up Pontiac" is an exhibition at the Museum of New Art in Pontiac that runs from May 10th to June 7. It will be a hyperkinetic mash-up of art and visuality by a group of artists from around the world. Art in the show will include live action painting by Dr.Barnaby Ruhe and Frank Shifreen in a battle to the death creating mural sized paintings done on the spot. This is a show of artists talking to other artists and the public is welcome to drop in on the conversation. The name "Souped-Up Pontiac" says Frank Shifreen, is a title that reflects the deep ambiguity of American Culture. Art can depict the realities of our society and give them beauty and meaning. Pontiac is an important symbol of the clash of two worlds. The lost Native American civilization versus automobile consumer culture that was ascendant and now perhaps is in decline. It is an art exhibition that is in turns celebration, elegy, comedy, tragedy and farce. Shifreen chose artists whose work goes deeper than the superficial. Meaning is one of the measures of depth.
Pontiac is a great town and a center of the automobile industry and car culture. The automobile has been an iconic symbol of freedom and prosperity. The ability to travel freely and move over long distances is a powerful lure for those needing a change. Power, mobility, entitlement The car brand Pontiac celebrates the release of its new model "G8" this month. Pontiac is a great American car made by GM. It is interesting that the name "G8" also refers to the Summit of industrial democracies and Russia that meet every year to plan economic policy and to develop consistent strategies for issues rising to the forefront.. It is the most powerful non-governmental economic group in the world. The G8 meetings stress cooperation and opportunity. Critics have misgivings about their intentions and call it a cabal. G8 insists they are not a cartel. Much of what happens in the summit is secret. There have been numerous protests in the streets of cities around the globe in recent years. The exhibition ironically celebrates an automobile with a powerful supercharged engine and a a powerful economic engine with the same name, as well.
The town is named for Chief Pontiac of the Ottawa Nation. The story of Pontiac and the First peoples who lived in the Michigan area is a great but tragic counterpoint to the story of Capitalism and industry. Chief Pontiac fought colonization and tried to preserve the land of his people. He organized the most successful war by the First Nations against the European invasion. Dr. Will Grant, one of the artists in the exhibition is of the Chippewa, one of allied Nations of the Three Fires Council. that allied with Pontiac. His family has deep roots in Michigan history and still lives in the North Country. He says "We have lived here for 10.000 years". Other artists reflect these questions and dilemmas as subtext. Modern Art is a bastion of Do-it-yourself wild anarchist joy. Some of the works are not political. Making art itself is a response to Disneyfication of America. Art through the ages is about darkness and light, and this show is in that tradition
I just wanted to share how I think and develop my ideas for exhibitions
I am working with a group of close friends, Gila and Dominique Paris, based in Luxembourg, on a website called Cultureinside, a free artist networking site similar to Ning networks. We are expanding exponentially. We are planning a sister site called Culture Outside, that will be a site developing and creating exhibitions, encouraging artists and curators to to organize shows that will be displayed on site as a catalog. The exhibitions that we select will be leasable to galleries and institutions as well as published in books as part of the process.
I will be coming to Luxembourg this summer and organizing Brick and Mortar exhibitions in Luxembourg
with Gila Paris. One will be called "zeitgeist" and the other will be called "Rooted"
For Brevity I will discuss them in the next post

Posted by Frank Shifreen - Saturday, February 28, 2009 - Comments 0

Artist loft in Staten Island - New York

Rent a 1600 Square foot loft a short walk to Staten Island Ferry. The ferry is free and goes to lower Manhattan 24/7. The loft has a bathroom, heat, kitchen, bedroom, yard access. There are also some tools available for loan. Frank Shifreen
would also advise you on how to connect with the art world, given your work and ambition. The Rent is 1200$ for a month plus utilities, with a minimum of two week increments. The place is not fancy, but a working artists loft.

It might be your chance to break in to the art world. The loft is priced far under market or hotel costs. References and deposit are required TEXT en Français EN BAS - Deutscher TEXT siehe UNTEN

FR: Loft de 1600 Square foot à louer. Pas loin de la Staten Island Ferry. Le ferry est gratuit et va à Manhattan 24/7. Le loft a une ch à coucher, salle de bain, chauffage, cuisine, accès à la cour/au jardin. On peut également louer des outils. Frank Shifreen
vous conseille aussi comment se connecter au monde d'art, basé sur votre travail et ambition. Le loyer s'élève à 1200$ par mois plus charges (with a minimum of two week increments). La place n'est pas "fancy", mais il s'agit d'un loft d'artist.

Possible que cela est votre entrée dans un nouveau monde d'art. Le prix du loft est beaucoup plus bas que les prix actuels du marché ou de frais d'hôtels. Sont demandés des références et garanties bancaires.

DE 1600 Square foot Loft zu vermieten - unweit von der Staten Island Fähre. Die Fähre ist kostenlos und geht nach Lower Manhattan und das jeden Tag rund um die Uhr 24/7.

Das Loft hat ein Badezimmer, Heizung, Schlafzimmer, Zugang zum Hof/Garten. Man kann ausserdem Werkzeug leihen. Frank Shifreen würde auch beraten, wie man sich mit der Kunstwelt kurzschliesst. Die Miete beträgt 1200$ monatlich plus Nebenkosten (with a minimum of two week increments). Der Platz ist nicht fancy, aber ein funktionierendes Künstlerloft.
Es könnte Ihre Chance sein, Ihren Durchbruch in die Kunstwelt zu schaffen. Der Mietpreis liegt unter den aktuellen Marktpreisen und ist viel niederiger als Hotelkosten. Referenzen und Kaution sind erforderlich.

Posted by Frank Shifreen - Wednesday, October 22, 2008 - Comments 0

New York - Staten Island : Artist loft to rent

Update of the text click here and read this

Posted by Frank Shifreen - Sunday, October 19, 2008 - Comments 0

I want to do an Exhibition about the Bush years

I am feeling this weight lift as I contemplate a United 'States with a President who is not George Bush, and now in all probability Barack Obama. It feels heady. I loathe Bush and so much of what he has and has not done. I fought his unelection from the beginning with a series of exhibitions, called Undo ( organized with artist Scott Pfaffman) and Counting Coup. I organized a series of exhibitions about the war called Art Against War: Posters and Multimedia ( with a group of colleagues from Teachers College called Drinkink). I know many artists feel the same way. I think we can celebrate by doing a art show that celebrates our laughter and perceptions, We can redraw history I am not thinking of any restrictions to art. Any kind of art can illustrate these ideas

Posted by Frank Shifreen - Thursday, October 16, 2008 - Comments 0

I want to do an Exhibition about the Bush years

Posted by Frank Shifreen - Thursday, October 16, 2008 - Comments 0

Open letter to Robert Lederman, who heads an organization to support artists selling in the street

Open letter to Robert Lederman , who heads an organization to support artists selling in the street

I am writing this letter to protest Alan Gersons anti-vending bills that will target artists, hamper free speech, and affect the cultural quality of life in New York .

I believe his bill to be unconstitutional in that it abridges the free speech of artists who have the right to express themselves in public space. There are already controls, there are already parameters that limit and constrain artists We need no more.

I live in Noho. I am a tenured teacher with many years service in the school system, district 75. I am a doctoral student in Art&Art Education at Teachers College Columbia University. My speciality is artist initiatives and non-institutional art . I am also an artist and curator with many exhibitions in New York and over the world.

I like to go into the street and sell my art. I think it is important to be able to meet the public in the street and have a dialog with them. Selling art is part of that dialog.
Robert Lederman, who has done so much to protect artists rights and by doing so to help protect our constitution, deserves to be treated as an important figure in this debate. I think the Council has tried to marginalize him and the artists he represents, myself among them.

The great city that we became was due to the lively and exciting street life that New York is famous for. New York has become a rich neighbohood where the regular people and working class are not welcome. Artists who sell in the street are part of the working class and deserve a chance to make a living. The gallery system is not supportive.
Do not be tempted by Councilman Gerson new brand of social fascism.

Keep our city open and vibrant, exciting and free.
Thanks so much
Franklin Shifreen BFA, M.S. Ed., E.D.D.-abd

Posted by Frank Shifreen - Saturday, October 11, 2008 - Comments 0

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