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http://www.pressherald.com/2014/12/14/the-mainemiami-art-connection/
Portland (Maine) Press Herald/ Maine Sunday Telegram
Sunday, December 14, 2014
The Maine/Miami Art Connection: For better or worse, artists and their work flow freely between the Pine Tree State and the Palm Tree State.
BY BOB KEYES STAFF WRITER
bkeyes@pressherald.com | @pphbkeyes | 207-791-6457
For Lauren Fensterstock, Miami Beach means mission accomplished.
The 39-year-old Portland artist was among the masses who traveled
to Art Basel Miami Beach earlier this month. She went to the trendy
art gathering to introduce a new series of sculptures, to see
what her colleagues were up to and to hobnob with art-world trendsetters.Fensterstock
made one "significant" sale and contacts with curators
and gallery directors that might lead to more exhibition opportunities.
Artsy, an online journal that covers contemporary art, named her
one of the top artists in the country younger than 40, based on
her showing in Miami.
Fensterstock's success demonstrates how the work of contemporary
artists in Maine fits seamlessly into the broader art-world conversation.
That conversation, and the ways in which it was carried out in
Miami, could begin to have a stronger influence here in Maine
in the months to come. Two dozen Maine artists exhibited at Art
Basel, and nearly every museum director in the state attended.
What they learned there likely will influence the work that artists
make and the exhibitions that Maine museums host. Fensterstock
saw thousands of pieces of art as part of her research for future
work, and museum directors got ideas about what's coming next.
Some bought art at Miami to hang in their museums, while others
laid the groundwork for future purchases. Art Basel has become
the go-to art fair in the United States. It has spawned a dozen
related art fairs in and around Miami at the same time, giving
artists like Fensterstock and her partner and fellow artist, Aaron
T Stephan, the chance to see a lot of work, think about their
art in a global context and connect with curators. It's also spawned
a growing legion of critics. The journal ArtNet, which reports
about the art market, called it a "gilded affair" that
inflates prices for unworthy art, where more attention is paid
to parties and the social scene than art itself. Six-figure sales
were reported throughout the fair, said ArtFix Daily, which reports
on the art world. Among the sales with Maine ties were a John
Marin oil, sold to a private collector, and what ArtFix Daily
called "a stunning Jamie Wyeth" from the early 1990s.
Blinding prices didn't stop a parade of art-world players from
making the trip from Maine to Miami. For curators and directors,
the Miami art fairs provide the best opportunity to gauge art
trends, network with colleagues and meet artists. Some came home
with new work for their museum collections. "For me, it's
like taking 20 trips to New York," said Suzette McAvoy, director
of the Center for Maine Contemporary Art in Rockport. "You
can see so much art in such a concentrated period of time. It
gives you an overview of what's out there, what the trends are
and how Maine artists fit within that whole scope of work."
McAvoy has attended for four years. She first went at the invitation
of a CMCA trustee, who has a home in Coral Gables, Florida. This
year, McAvoy was among a group of about a dozen CMCA trustees
and donors who made the trip. The experience is an invaluable
educational tool, McAvoy said. "There is so much down there
of all stripes," she said. "It's not just the controversial
or the million-dollar-plus pieces. It's work by emerging artists
and all different levels and tastes."
This year's fair was especially important for McAvoy and her team.
She visited nine museums and art centers collecting ideas for
the new CMCA building, under construction in Rockland and set
to open in 2016. She observed how they display work, what their
gift shops look like and how the buildings function for first-time
visitors. For Mark Bessire, director of the Portland Museum of
Art, a trip to Miami is the best way to keep tabs on emerging
artists.
"It's an opportunity to see what other parts of the world
are presenting as their strongest work," he said. "I
can't afford to fly to those other places. But I can go to Miami."
Like McAvoy, Bessire and chief curator Jessica May brought a group
of museum patrons. The trip is a perk for patrons and a way to
further their art education, especially with an eye toward new
acquisitions. If the patrons see something they like, they might
consider buying it for the museum. "It's a chance for them
to get a first look at some of this work and the opportunity to
walk through the work with a curator, who can help them understand
it better," he said. Bessire's take-away: "Overall,
the fairs seemed to have art that was less political and little
bit less directly relating to social issues, and a little less
conceptual. I found the overall fairs had some beautiful, beautiful
work, but in some ways it was not the most challenging."
May and Bessire are trading ideas about possible purchases and
will present those ideas to the museum committee that approves
acquisitions. May said she appreciated seeing the work of three
artists in Miami who were part of the most recent PMA Biennial,
which she curated: Caleb Charland, Brian Graf and Fensterstock.
Fensterstock exhibited three pieces, including one from a new
series of dark-colored stalagmites that she constructs with sea
shells and coats in rubber. On a good day in a gallery, 20 people
might see her work, she said. At the fair, thousands of people
saw them over four days. "It's just very exciting to be able
to place your work in a national or international context,"
she said.
George Kinghorn, director of the University of Maine Museum of
Art in Bangor, came home with two paintings, purchased with money
from the museum's acquisition fund. One is a small piece by Bruce
Price, who earned his master's in fine art from Maine College
of Art in 2006. The other is a Jack
Balas watercolor, "Silent Night." Kinghorn will
hang the newly acquired work in the Bangor museum in the spring.
Kinghorn, who came to Maine from the Museum of Contemporary Art
in Jacksonville, Florida, has attended the Miami art fairs more
than a dozen times. He knows the scene well and enjoys navigating
through the hype to find the substance. He uses the gathering
to scout artists to show in Maine. A UMaine exhibition earlier
this year of paintings by Boston artist Maya Brodsky stemmed from
Kinghorn's attendance at Miami previously. For him, the art fair
also affirmed prior buying decisions. A few years ago, he bought
a painting by Cayce Zavaglia; he hung it this year. At Miami,
Zavalgia's work was selling for almost four times what Kinghorn
paid for it. "It's nice validation," he said. "As
a curator it is very rewarding to identify artists whose careers
are on the rise. Locating these artists amidst the huge quantity
of works on the display at the fairs is a challenging yet exciting
endeavor."
Dan Mills, director of the Bates College Museum of Art, did not
go to Miami, but his work did. In addition to directing the museum
at Bates, Mills is a practicing artist. His Chicago gallery, Zolla/Liberman
Gallery, had a booth at one of the fairs, and displayed one of
Mills' cartographic works on paper. He has mixed feelings about
art fairs. They're big trade shows, with a focus on sales and
spectacle. "It can be an odd and traumatic experience for
an artist," he said. "I know some artists who have a
ball and some for whom it's something they can't take. It's certainly
a different world than the revered response that one might have
when walking into a museum." Still, he's glad to have his
work out there for all to see. "It's always good to have
your work talked about, isn't it?"
Bob Keyes can be contacted at 791-6457 or:
bkeyes@pressherald.com
Jack Balas, 2007; SILENT NIGHT (#333); watercolor and ink on paper, 15" x 23"