Art Map Burlington, September 2007

ART JUROR

Judging
at the
Art Hop

The Juried Show is the cornerstone of Art Hop. The show is open to any artist who wishes to participate. The role of the Juror is to select a body of work from the submissions and to present them in such a way as to make a statement about the work on view. The work not selected by the Juror is also on view. Last year’s Juror, Elizabeth Olbert, a Maine-based artist and professor, caused a controversy when she juried the work into catagories of “provincial” and “regional” art. The Juror Statement was called “haughty and dismissive” by some and the organizers of Art Hop posted a disclaimer hoping to soften the blow.

The 15th Annual South End Art Hop has named Denise Markonish as this year’s Juror. Markonish is the newly appointed Curator of the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (Mass MoCa) in North Adams. She studied art at Brandies University and Bard College. Markonish has spent the last five years at ArtSpace in New Haven, Connecticut prior to her appointment at MASS MoCA.

Art Map Burlington spoke with Markonish about how she got into contemporary art, the role of museums, and how she became a curator of contemporary art.
MASS MoCA has made North Adams a beacon in the contemporary art world.

How important are museums to a region’s cultural landscape?
Museums are unique in that they become cultural destinations (you could say the same for well-known music and dance and theater venues in the Berkshires such as Tanglewood, Jacob’s Pillow or the Williamstown Theater Festival). There is a whole new demographic of cultural tourists who travel to these places and when you get an institution like MASS MoCA, being the largest contemporary art museum in the country, it becomes a destination. It brings people to the area and boosts the community. When you add to that all the other rich cultural institutions in the area (those mentioned above along with places like the Williams College Museum of Art and the Clark) you get a destination hotspot. I think museums have a slightly easier time than other institutions, partially due to the willingness of artists and art lovers to travel and see what is going on. A lot of people say that when it comes to community development, artists will live and go anywhere and business and tourism often follow this lead.

What do you expect to find when you come to Jury the Juried Show at Art Hop?
I am new to this part of New England. I always like to take the pulse of “local” art scenes. This is a great opportunity to see what is happening in Vermont. When I was at ArtSpace, we did a similar event called City-Wide Open Studios. It contained a treasure trove of artists. I am looking forward to that same kind of energy.

How did you become a curator of contemporary art?
Well, to go way back, I always knew that I was interested in a career in the art world. As an undergraduate at Brandeis University, I interned continuously at the Rose Art Museum. That was my first taste of the “behind the scenes” world of contemporary art, and from then on I was hooked.

You can catch the Juried Show at the old Maynard Auto Parts store at 696 Pine Street. Also, the Outdoor Juried Show is large-scale sculpture at eighteen locations throughout the South End. The shows open September 7th and runs the month of September.

J.N. Pritchard contributed to this article.

Art Map Burlington ARTICLE
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Industrial Green (rear view) by Martin Smith Art Hop Juror and MASS MoCa Curator Denise Markonish		ART JUROR Judging at the Art Hop The Juried Show is the cornerstone of Art Hop. The show is open to any artist who wishes to participate. The role of the Juror is to select a body of work from the submissions and to present them in such a way as to make a statement about the work on view. The work not selected by the Juror is also on view. Last year’s Juror, Elizabeth Olbert, a Maine-based artist and professor, caused a controversy when she juried the work into catagories of “provincial” and “regional” art. The Juror Statement was called “haughty and dismissive” by some and the organizers of Art Hop posted a disclaimer hoping to soften the blow. The 15th Annual South End Art Hop has named Denise Markonish as this year’s Juror. Markonish is the newly appointed Curator of the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (Mass MoCa) in North Adams. She studied art at Brandies University and Bard College. Markonish has spent the last five years at ArtSpace in New Haven, Connecticut prior to her appointment at MASS MoCA. Art Map Burlington spoke with Markonish about how she got into contemporary art, the role of museums, and how she became a curator of contemporary art. MASS MoCA has made North Adams a beacon in the contemporary art world. How important are museums to a region’s cultural landscape? Museums are unique in that they become cultural destinations (you could say the same for well-known music and dance and theater venues in the Berkshires such as Tanglewood, Jacob’s Pillow or the Williamstown Theater Festival). There is a whole new demographic of cultural tourists who travel to these places and when you get an institution like MASS MoCA, being the largest contemporary art museum in the country, it becomes a destination. It brings people to the area and boosts the community. When you add to that all the other rich cultural institutions in the area (those mentioned above along with places like the Williams College Museum of Art and the Clark) you get a destination hotspot. I think museums have a slightly easier time than other institutions, partially due to the willingness of artists and art lovers to travel and see what is going on. A lot of people say that when it comes to community development, artists will live and go anywhere and business and tourism often follow this lead. What do you expect to find when you come to Jury the Juried Show at Art Hop? I am new to this part of New England. I always like to take the pulse of “local” art scenes. This is a great opportunity to see what is happening in Vermont. When I was at ArtSpace, we did a similar event called City-Wide Open Studios. It contained a treasure trove of artists. I am looking forward to that same kind of energy. How did you become a curator of contemporary art? Well, to go way back, I always knew that I was interested in a career in the art world. As an undergraduate at Brandeis University, I interned continuously at the Rose Art Museum. That was my first taste of the “behind the scenes” world of contemporary art, and from then on I was hooked. You can catch the Juried Show at the old Maynard Auto Parts store at 696 Pine Street. Also, the Outdoor Juried Show is large-scale sculpture at eighteen locations throughout the South End. The shows open September 7th and runs the month of September. J.N. Pritchard contributed to this article.

Art Map Burlington is a publication of Kasini House, Inc. info@kasinihouse.com Copyright © 2007 Kasini House. All Rights Reserved