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Clueless? Careless?
As a student of the arts at UT, I have to agree with Damien Crisp [July 1, Incoming]. Heather [Joyner Spica, Artbeat] is clueless or careless.
Several months ago I viewed some pieces by Alisha Kerlin on campus. They were well crafted aluminum frames with what I believe [were] stained or blown glass tubular shapes. The pieces were unique and attractive. Yet Heather blew them off in her review as something like “Easter eggs on a shish kabob.”
Even if she didn’t appreciate the intense work involved in a stunning piece such as what I saw, she had no business discounting it so very curtly. I wonder if she knows anything about glass blowing, foundry or welding. I am convinced she does not. I would very much appreciate a well written description of art, so I can decide whether or not to go to the galleries to view it. I don’t appreciate an art critique who writes like a jet set snob from SoHo or Greenwich Village. Knoxville doesn’t need that, in my opinion.
Jim Campbell
Knoxville
Critical Clues
Oh, please! Heather Joyner Spica has been out of school for quite a while, and when she was in school it included (if I recall correctly) Sarah Lawrence and Interlochen as well as UT, if you’re counting.
You say [July 1, Incoming] she does not seem to have a clue. I’m sure that when she was in school she wrote the same kinds of strained theoretical art-crit bull that you appear to be calling for. That’s the way the academic seminar game us played, que no?�And some self-absorbed souls like Bois still do it. But now she is writing (in my humble opinion) articles that are descriptive, as well as critical, for a much wider audience. Not everyone wants to work hard in order to find out what is being shown around town. Some folks just want a bit of wit and a more or less clear explanation for whatever is opined, be it right, wrong or crazy.
This may make you sad, and it may make me, as a local artist and sometime critic, sad, but it is, I’m afraid, true.�And, hey!�Why let it get you frothing at the mouth? Relax!�
Oh, and by the way, who wrote the rule book that says one should not use words like “Motherwellian” or “a la” in an art review? I guess you would have preferred her to write, “possesses the kind of sensitivity that marks Motherwell’s work,” or, “in the tradition of Mondrian,” followed by exhaustive explanations describing and assessing the work of each. And for Metro Pulse to devote two pages to her column, too? Well, yeah, maybe. But perhaps that is just a matter of the difference between a mature adult knowledgeable about, and comfortable with, art, and an art student struggling to be taken seriously?
Do you know the names of any critics other than Jerry Saltz, or is cruising ArtNet your idea of doing research? Just curious....
As for interested people from the community attending UT student art shows, I do not know what Spica’s experience has been, but I myself now rarely do so. I at one time, because I write reviews for art papers occasionally, tried to attend as many such shows as possible. I thought, silly me, that students would appreciate the support of folks outside of academia, until one snotty student asked me point-blank why I was there. Her words, exactly, were, “Why are you here?”—suggesting that perhaps I might be there only to troll for fresh ideas. Oh, please, again! I believe that the present emphasis on new for new’s sake, and the misguided notion that “new” comes only from the young and untested, will slide on by us soon like so many other happy fads. I’ll continue to look to Britain, Texas and New York for proven materials’ ideas, and the natural world around me for the rest.
Buy you a drink?
Jean Hess
Knoxville
Hope for That Clock
It has come to my attention that the clock on Gay Street is to be removed from its present location to the new Kimball’s store on Kingston Pike. This clock has been on Gay Street for over one hundred years. I believe that the original owners were Hope Brothers and the clock was originally across the street and was installed in 1890. That would make it one of the oldest relics in downtown Knoxville.
At a time when there is great regeneration of the downtown area and a great deal of money is being spent on its renovation and development, I cannot believe that the clock is being moved. It is said that the Hope Clock, as it was known at that time, played an important role in World War I. There are photographs of cheering crowds of Knoxvillians gathered around the Hope Clock at the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month to honor the signing of the Armistice. For almost 115 years people have looked to the clock to help keep their busy schedules on time. It would be a very sad occasion to see the clock go.
I ask the City Council to consider the history and heritage of the downtown area and ask Kimball’s to reconsider their decision to move the clock. A strip mall on Kingston Pike next to a Chinese restaurant is no place for one of Knoxville’s downtown antiquities.
If the Knoxville City Council is unable to find the funds to save the clock, perhaps the general public would be interested in contributing to a “Save the Clock Fund.”
Maureen Ablett-Elliott
Knoxville
Out of Character
I’m writing in reference to Jack Neely’s “An Exotic Breeze” column [July 1] about the new biography of Frances Hodgson Burnett. I cringe to even write a correction, because I always enjoy his articles and, frankly, pointing this error out makes me feel like an ubergeek, even if only of literature. So if this seems a little insignificant, my apologies.
Mr. Neely seemed very interested in the biography and the author’s books themselves, so at the very least it might just add a wrinkle to his brain. He mentioned that a number of movies had been made of The Secret Garden, “...The 1993 version, starring Maggie Smith as the retentive Miss Minchin, was a critical and box-office success.” I’m sorry to say that that particular film starred Maggie Smith as Miss Medlock the housekeeper; Miss Minchin was the headmistress of the girl’s school featured in another Burnett book, A Little Princess.�
See, I warned you this was geeky. Those books were the verbal jewels of my pre-pubescenthood. But all in all, I have to say that I was immensely pleased to read the article. I had no idea that Frances Hodgson Burnett lived in Knoxville, and I’d be willing to bet that not many did! Thanks for enlightening local literature lovers.
Amelia Barger
Knoxville
July 15, 2004 • Vol. 14, No. 29
© 2004 Metro Pulse
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