Putting the Pieces Together: The Making of An Art Installation Red Grooms, The Bookstore, 1978 79, Hudson River Museum Build Your Own Bookspace! Contest Win a a family fun pack to the Hudson River Museum. See page 10 for details.
2 MISSION The Hudson River Museum is a multidisciplinary cultural complex that draws its identity from its site on the banks of the Hudson River. It engages in the presentation of exhibitions, programs, teaching initiatives, research, collecting, preservation, and conservation a wide range of activities that interpret its collections, interests and communities. The museum enhances peoples understanding of the art, history and science of the region, and does this out of a commitment to lifelong learning for all of its audiences. HISTORY The Museum was founded as the Yonkers Museum in 1919 at Yonkers City Hall, growing out of what once was the Yonkers Art Association (1915). In 1924, it opened as the Yonkers Museum of Science and Art in the 1876 historic home, Glenview, listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Chartered in 1948 by the New York State Board of Regents as the Hudson River Museum, in 1969 the museum added modern galleries and the Andrus Planetarium, creating a cultural campus. In 2006, the museum began construction on the first phase of capital improvements that anticipate the next generation of activity for this enduring institution. Today the museum s facilities include modern galleries for changing exhibitions; the Andrus Planetarium, the only planetarium between New York City and Albany; the historic house Glenview; the environmental gallery Hudson Riverama; and the Joyce Greene Education Center. Hudson River Museum education programs are supported, in part, by the Yonkers Board of Education, New York State Council on the Arts, Citigroup Foundation, JPMorgan Chase, MasterCard Youth Education & Technology Fund, The Thomas and Agnes Carvel Foundation, and Fujifilm U.S.A., Inc. The Junior Docent Program is generously supported, in part, by the Westchester County Youth Bureau, City of Yonkers, Department of Planning and Development, through a Community Development Block Grant; The Frog Rock Foundation; and the St. Faith s House Foundation. It received a 2007 Coming Up Taller Award from the President s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. The Museum s general operations are supported, in part, by Westchester County, the City of Yonkers, the New York State Council on the Arts, and the Westchester Delegation of the NY State Assembly and Senate. The Hudson River Museum is accredited by the American Association of Museums. Museum Directions: 511 Warburton Avenue Yonkers, NY 10701-1899 From the Saw Mill Parkway North: Take exit 9-Executive Blvd. Follow Executive to the end. Turn Left onto North Broadway. Take next right onto Odell Avenue. Follow Odell to the end. Turn Left onto Warburton. Museum is 1.3 miles south, on the west side of Warburton. By Train: Metro-North Hudson Line from Grand Central Terminal to Glenwood Station. Walk 1 block east on Glenwood Avenue; turn left onto Ravine Avenue. At the end of Ravine Avenue, turn left into Trevor Park. Follow path to museum entrance. By Bus: BXM3 (Madison Avenue to 242nd St and Broadway, Riverdale or to Getty Square Yonkers. Then, take Westchester County Bee-Line Bus Route #1 Broadway-Warburton line to museum. Museum Hours Wednesday through Sunday: 12 5 pm Friday: 12 8 pm Closed Monday & Tuesday Planetarium Hours: Saturday & Sunday Shows: 12:30 pm 1:30 pm 2:30 pm 3:30 pm Free Friday Show 7 pm Museum Admission: Adult: $5 Seniors and Children: $3 Members Free Planetarium Admission Adults: $2 Seniors and Children: $1 Members Free 2 for 1 Admission Complete and detach this coupon, and present it to the museum lobby desk to admit one family member free for each paid family member. Acknowledgements This Newspapers in Education supplement was created by: For The Hudson River Museum: Jean-Paul Maitinsky, Assistant Director, Exhibitions and Programs Kimberly Woodward, Assistant Director, Advancement Bartholomew Bland, Curator of Exhibitions Saralinda Lichtblau, Manager of School Programs Rebecca Kraus, Manager of Youth and Family Programs For The Journal News: Patrica Lisella Graff, Editor Teresa Pereira Neufeld, Graphic Designer Georgette Gouveia, Senior Cultural Writer Your Name: Address: City: State: Zip: Name of Your School: Number of Adults: For Lobby Desk Use Only Number of Children: EXPIRES MAY 25, 2008 Family Visit Date:
3 The Museum and Red Grooms In the 1970 s, Director Richard Koshalek proposed that the museum incorporate the art of its time into its new building. The first commissioned permanent installation was Red Grooms, The Bookstore, a sculptural environment that would also function as the Museum s gift shop. In 2005, the museum deinstalled or removed The Bookstore in order to renovate the lobby. Working with Red Grooms (the artist) and Tom Burckhardt (Grooms former assistant,) the museum developed a new plan for the 2008 reinstallation, moving it into its new home in the renovated Voter Gallery. Developing an exhibition is like putting the pieces of a puzzle together. This Newspaper in Education supplement will introduce you to all of the players who help put projects like Red Grooms The Bookstore together. It is complicated work with many players who must work as a team to make the art come to life for the museum s visitors. Directors, artists, curators, registrars, preparators and educators all work together to create a successful exhibition for the public to enjoy and learn from. In the pages that follow you will learn about how the team works together and you will discover some fun connections between art, learning in school, and the newspaper. After you read this Newspaper in Education supplement, be sure to visit The Bookstore. You will be amazed by its vibrant colors, curious characters, and inspiring designs. Red Grooms The Bookstore is on permanent view at the Hudson River Museum. Red Grooms: In the Studio, is an exhibition which explores the artist s process of creating, featuring signature works from his career. On view February 9 May 25, 2008. The Artist Red Grooms is a contemporary American artist who is best known for his colorful installations often referred to as sculptopictoramas. The Curator Bartholomew Bland is the Curator of Exhibitions at the Hudson River Museum. He works with artists, art galleries and museums to decide what objects will go into an exhibition, the storyline and how it will be designed. The Directors Michael Botwinick is the Director of the Museum. He provides leadership and direction for all of the museum s departments and is especially involved in the finances, capital improvements, collections and exhibitions of the organization. Richard Koshaleck was the Director of the Museum from 1978 to 1981. He brought Red Grooms and many other artists to the museum to make new works of art for the community to enjoy. The Artist s Assistant Tom Burckhardt was Red Grooms assistant for over 20 years. He is also an artist in his own right. Tom is putting The Bookstore back together, painting it, and making sure it is what Red Grooms wants it to look like. Meet the Players The Preparator James Cullinane is the museum s Chief Preparator. His job is to install the art in the museum s galleries. He paints the galleries, packs and unpacks the art, hangs paintings, places sculptures and builds furniture. The Registrar Erica Blumenfeld is the museum s Registrar. She is responsible for all of the packing, shipping, handling and safety of the museum s art. The Fundraiser Kimberly Woodward is the Assistant Director for Advancement at the Hudson River Museum. She has to raise the money to pay for this and all the other exhibitions done by the museum. Also, she has to get the word out to the public so that they will get excited to come and visit the museum. The Critic Georgette Gouveia is the Senior Cultural Writer for The Journal News. Her job is to visit exhibitions and to report on them for the paper. As a critic, she gives her professional opinion, based on education and experience.
4 Q&A with the Maestros Red Grooms and The Bookstore Q: How did you first get started as an artist? A: As a kid in Tennessee I always loved the movies the color, the music, the lights. I literally thought everything in the movies was going on right behind the screen. I really wanted to be part of that magic. That eventually led to me doing performance pieces as an artist in the 1950s. I had a lot of odd jobs as an unskilled laborer over the years to make ends meet. I worked as an usher and a doorman in a giant, old-fashioned movie palace, which was great for watching both people and movies. I never wanted to be a famous artist, but I wanted to have some kind of a role making magic. I didn t have a lot of talent, but I did have a lot of enthusiasm. Q: And how did you start making your large environmental sculptures? A: I think I started to make what I call sculptopictoramas like The Bookstore because of my interest in theater. I wanted to create a world that enveloped you, dazzled the senses and was a giant embrace. Q: You have become a very well known artist. Did you make a lot of money creating The Bookstore? A: Not really, but I ve always loved to be extravagant. I ve always said I should have had Mad King Ludwig of Bavaria as my benefactor because I like to do things in style. But I ve discovered you don t need to spend a lot of money to be extravagant. You just have to be creative and clever enough to stretch your budget. I remember working on The Bookstore, and the budget was quite limited yet we still managed to cover a lot of territory. It really is one of my favorite pieces. Q: Did you know the owner of Mendoza s Bookstore* well? A: I certainly knew him, although he wasn t a close friend. It was funny, because I was hanging out in The Bookstore a lot, sketching people coming and going and eventually Mendoza caught on to what I was doing and I was found out. But he liked the project when I told him about it. I love browsing around in old, secondhand book shops, but it is very difficult to find the independent stores in Manhattan now. Q: Did you spend much time at the Morgan Library*? A: I did, and I love the architecture of the Morgan. It is so stately and proud. In some ways, you could say that I don t like modern style. When I go into an old Victorian-style building I actually have a physical reaction to all the color and pattern and beauty around me. I get very excited and feel a lot of joy in that kind of setting, so combining that with something busy and everyday like Mendoza s was my idea of heaven. *Two buildings that served as inspiration for The Bookstore. A view of the second-floor gallery featuring Tut s Fever Movie Palace (1986-1988), by Red Grooms and Lysiane Luong, part of the core exhibition Behind the Screen. Q: How are you changing and updating The Bookstore with your associate Tom Burckhardt? A: I ve gone over all the plans with Tom, who will execute the work. We ve worked together for more than 20 years now and Tom is amazing in his ability to interpret my work. I really trust him and his ideas. I m very cautious about overworking a piece. The Bookstore is very 1970s and I want it to stay that way despite its new incarnation. I am coming up with some new, very entertaining book Some of the books displayed in Red Grooms The Bookstore. titles for volumes to add to the shelves, so that has been a lot of fun. Q: What are your feelings about the piece being transformed from a working installation to fine art? A: I m very happy about it. Even though the piece has had a lot of wear and tear, I m amazed after 30 years how well it holds up. It feels like visiting an old friend, and The Bookstore along with Tut s Fever at the Museum of the Moving Image are the only two places in the New York City area where you can see my big environmental works as they were really meant to be seen. Francis Dzikowski / Courtesy of Museum of the Moving Image (2006)
5 Museum Directors: Then and Now Richard Koshalek Richard Koshalek was the Director of the Hudson River Museum. when he commissioned Red Grooms to create The Bookstore in the 1970 s. Koshalek is now President of the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA. Q: What was the driving force behind this project? What did you want to achieve? A: The idea was to create energy. The museum was in transition and it lost a great deal of funding support, we had to reinvent the Hudson River Museum and give it a different function, a new role in the community. I wanted it to be a laboratory and I treated it like an open page that artists and curators could fill. My work had a social agenda the museum was a good vehicle for creating new work to stimulate the conversation about the intersection of art and life, for example we hire unemployed people from the community to help achieve that goal. Q: Why Red Grooms? A: I did three projects with Red, one at the Walker Art Center where I was the Curator and one at the National Endowment for the Arts when I was the Director of the Visual Arts Program and commissioned Red to do a piece in Kentucky. The third project was for the Ft. Worth Art Museum where I was the Director and he created The Great American Rodeo. We were talking to and worked with many artists and scholars including Richard Serra, Louise Nevelson, and Carl Sagan.* We never had an artist say no to us. It was partially a function of the time *Richard Serra, Louise Nevelson and Carl Sagan are three important twentieth century visionaries. Can you find out more about them? and where they were in their careers but it was also a complete willingness to work in the atmosphere we had created. Q: What were some of the complications you experienced and expected? A: There were no serious complications, short of money. We were living on the edge and other than money we had no difficulty. I can t think of any serious problems, it was quite easy, everyone was a pleasure to work with. Red has this extraordinary spirit, a generosity that was very important at the time. Everything had to have an optimistic point of view, his personality and the energy he brought was a huge benefit to the museum. Q: What do you think about the museum relocating the piece and taking the gift shop out of it? A: We liked the idea that it functioned as a gift shop and was a work of art in the collection, but if Red Grooms is comfortable then it s fine with me. I think to involve Red is very important to maintain the installation s integrity. Michael Botwinick In 2001 Michael Botwinick was appointed as the Director of the Hudson River Museum. He has re-committed the museum to building and exhibiting its collection and to improving the facility. In 2003 the long awaited Hudson Riverama opened, in 2006 the museum s new lobby entrance was completed and in 2007 the galleries were expanded and renovated. Q: What was your impression of The Bookstore s role in the museum when it was first installed by Red Grooms? A: I think it s hard to understand the function of The Bookstore in 1979 without considering the context of how the museum had established itself as a serious alternative space for artists. In that sense Red Grooms was part of that moment. In the late 1970 s there was serious disregard for anything other than Abstract Expressionism and Minimalism. Red s work runs counter to that. Q: What was the condition you found it in when you arrived here in 2001? A: By the time I got here it was a shadow of its concept, the pattern of use, abuse and practicality had gone on for so long it seemed drained of its artistic purpose. Q: How did moving The Bookstore fit into your vision of the museum? A: The idea of moving it was articulated but not the solution per-se. I wanted to re-introduce the collection and The Bookstore fits into that vision in so far as it is one of the significant, large scale pieces of the museum s contemporary collection. Moving it became obvious when we restored the lobby. What has emerged is a chance to see it in a totally different way. I hope visitors will find it as exciting and fresh as I do. Q: What are some of the things you hope people might get out of the new installation? A: Installations with the level of warmth of The Bookstore are rarely experienced. I hope that it will give visitors a glimpse into a moment when people abandoned the more rigid confines of Minimalism and Abstract Expressionism. Q: How do you think it will influence the museum s future? A: If it works well it will become an anchor for an examination of late 20th century and contemporary art. If it really works it will attract more pieces and create critical mass of collections from that period. In The News Look through the newspaper and choose a single article. It can be from the news section, the Life and Style section, the business section or the sports section. Read the article and pay close attention to the actual order of events. On a separate sheet of paper, make a timeline of these events. Do you see a pattern? Where are the facts in the story when compared to your timeline? See pages 8 and 9 for an example. Make your own life timeline. Include at least 5 important events from your life: the day you were born, your first day of school and more. Then list 5 world events from the same period of time.
6 Who s Who in The Bookstore The Bookstore features many of Red Grooms favorite characters. Some of them are historical figures and others are real people he met as he developed the project in 1978 79. J.P Morgan One of the great financiers and collectors of the late nineteenth century, was known as a robber baron because of his famous ruthlessness in business. Morgan amassed a huge collection of priceless art objects and an enormous library of rare books. Upon his death, his former mansion and the bulk of his treasures became the Morgan Library & Museum in mid-town Manhattan. Walter Caron The owner of the Isaac Mendoza Book Company from 1972 until its closing in 1990. Mendoza s first opened in 1894, and at the time of its closing, it was New York s oldest bookstore. In Grooms sculpture, he offers the imaginary customers a book about King Tut who, at the time, was the subject of a major exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. King Tut was also the theme of Tut s Fever, a major Grooms installation at the Museum of the Moving Image. Curious about The Bookstore Ask us a question and send it in to the museum and a staff member will write you back and include you in a raffle to win a Red Grooms poster! Drawing will be held on May 1, 2008. I was wondering: From: Age: Under 18 Please Address: Phone: Send to: Hudson River Museum; Attn: Bookstore Questions; 511 Warburton Avenue; Yonkers, NY 10701
7 John Holmes The chief exhibition preparator at the Hudson River Museum in the 1970s, who was painted into The Bookstore by Grooms. He oversaw the installation and was Grooms chief collaborator on the project. Holmes later said that the most satisfying lesson of the project was working with and carrying out the design of the artist Red Grooms, realizing his wit and selfless determination, his decisiveness and creative genius. Ken Davis Scarsdale Matron Grooms is known for his social satire, and this vinyl figure, was described by press reviews in 1970 s as representing the typical Scarsdale Matron carrying a classic Louis Vuitton purse. Grooms also has said she represents every uptown lady from the Upper East side. She and her friend browse and provide an interesting counterpoint to some of the scruffier book lovers in the shop. Lions The lion is actually a female lion or lioness. Grooms based his kittenish lions on actual sculptures near the entrance of the Morgan Library. They were designed by Edward Clark Potter, the same artist who also created the famous lions who sit outside the main branch of the New York Public Library. In the early twentieth century, sculptures of lions were often placed in front of important buildings because they represented nobility and protective fierceness. Museum Guard Grooms has said that this figure was inspired by several of the Hudson River Museum guards who took a great interest as work was progressing on The Bookstore. Alan Ostrom In The News The installation of The Bookstore at the Hudson River Museum was a long and difficult process. Look back at the interviews with the key players in the process. Find a problem that one of the players had to overcome. Hoe did they deal with the problem? Where they successful? In The News Red Grooms characters are very colorful. Look closely at the characters on this page and on the cover of this supplement. Why did the artist use colors in this way? Look through the newspaper for examples of ways colors is used. What colors are used? Are the colors in an ad, a photo, or a story? Why do you think that the colors are used this way? Find an article in today s paper that tells the story of a problem being overcome. Find the 5 W s in the story who, what, where, when and why and write a summary of the story.
8 Mendoza s used bookstore which used to be on Manhattan s Lower East Side, inspired Red Grooms to make the Hudson River Museum installation. An exterior view of The Bookstore model. 1978 1978 1977 February 15 Hudson River Museum Director, Richard Koshalek sends a proposal to Red Grooms dealer Pierre Levai at Marlborough Gallery for a commissioned artwork that would function as the museum s gift shop. 1977 February 25 Levai responds positively to Koshalek s proposal. Levai comments I personally think it is a brilliant idea. 1977 April 27 Levai indicates in a letter to Koshalek that Grooms is interested in principle in doing the job but would like more specific details. March 1 Grooms writes to the National Endowment for the Arts in support of the project, noting I have met with Richard Koshalek and have fully examined the proposed working space.this space which functions as the Museum Bookstore and sales desk seems quite appropriate for a colorful environment piece using the theme of Books as a subject the concept is to bring everyday experiences into the context of art, and enable to public to be stimulated; in this case over a New York City bookstore brought into an unconventional museum space. September 14 The commission contract is signed and specifies the artist would (1) Prepare scale model and working drawings of The Bookstore as the sole specifications that will allow the Museum staff to construct the full-scale environment. (2) Provide supervision of the project during construction. (3) Finish and paint the constructed environment after it is completed. Tentative date for this work to be completed is October 31, 1978. (4) The artist will supply all materials lumber, paint, etc. necessary to complete the construction and finishing The Bookstore environment. 1979 March 4 The New York Times Magazine publishes a feature story on The Bookstore. Grooms is quoted, I like to be extravagant. I should have had someone like King Ludwig supporting me. The article points out that this is Grooms first work designed as a permanent installation and mentions the artist thinks I might do Grant s Tomb next. Grooms model exterior. Grooms model interior detail. Grooms model from above. Ken Davis Ken Davis Red Grooms working on The Bookstore s vinyl soft sculpture guard in his studio. Red Grooms putting the final touches on a vinyl figure while his assistant Lori Solondz is sewing another figure together.
9 Making & Restoring The Bookstore 1979 Chief Preparator James Cullinane points out how he packed the art for storage. The Bookstore is packed and ready to be moved to the museum s storage facility. Two art handlers are needed to carefully move the large panels into art storage. March 18 The opening of The Bookstore is the feature story in Gannett Suburban Newspapers (now The Journal News). John Holmes, Director of Exhibition Installations installing his portrait by Red Grooms. 1979 June 29 John Holmes, Director of Exhibition Installations comments, The Bookstore establishes an atmosphere of excitement and curiosity for all ages and for all levels of aesthetic and intellectual sophistication. It exudes the aura of the best of bargain basements. An interior view of The Bookstore model. 1981 July The Hudson River Museum launches a major PR campaign to promote The Bookstore with full page advertisements in national magazines including Time, Newsweek, Business Weekly and Sports Illustrated. Prying a panel from the Mendoza facade. Museum educators Jean-Paul Miatinsky and Saralinda Lichtblau developing interpretive materials for students. 1990 The Hudson River Museum first commissions a report on treatment for cleaning The Bookstore. The Morgan lions are mistakenly listed as dogs, favorites of the children, covered with fingerprints and oil from excessive handling. 1998 The Hudson River Museum investigates the possibility of simple inhouse cleaning of The Bookstore. 2005 The Hudson River Museum deinstalls The Bookstore in anticipation of the construction of a new lobby and gallery. Grooms studio assistant Tom Burckhardt oversees the deinstallation in conjunction with former museum Registrar Annette Fortin and Chief Preparator James Cullinane. 2007 September November Layout for the new gallery is approved and the framing is completed. 2007 2008 December January Reinstallation begins. Tom Burckhardt retrofits the original panels to fit the new space, restores worn paint and cleans the lions and other surfaces. A new floor is designed for the grand reopening party on February 8, 2008. The Bookstore, fully restored and in its new permanent location in the Hudson River Museum. Simon Alexander
10 Build Your own Bookspace! Contest What s your favorite place to get a book???? The public library, a bookstore, your school library, your classroom, the internet or a bookshelf in your bedroom? Using pencils, crayons, paints, markers, or picture clippings and your imagination, create the place you d go to find your favorite book. Use the questions below as a guide in finding images. Your art may be chosen to be shown at the Hudson River Museum! Museum tickets, posters and Red Grooms exhibition catalogs will be awarded to the lucky winners! What is your favorite book? Why is it your favorite book? Where did it come from? Where would you go to find, borrow, or buy it? What other books might you find there? What does the place look like? Who is there with you? What do people do there? Send your entry along with the completed form below to: Build Your Own Bookspace Hudson River Museum 511 Warburton Avenue Yonkers, NY 10701-1899 Build Your own Bookspace! Contest Sponsored by The Journal News /LoHudMOMS.com/Newspaper in Education and THE HUDSON RIVER MUSEUM ENTRY PERIOD: Between 12:00 Noon ET on March 3, 2008 and 5:00 p.m. ET on April 15, 2008, submit this completed Entry Form signed by you, and your parent or legal guardian if you are under age of 18. Name Age Grade Home Address City State Zip Phone Number School I hereby agree that I shall be bound by all terms of this agreement. Only the artists whose work is selected will be contacted by the Hudson River Museum staff. One entry per student. CONTESTANT SIGNATURE: PRINTED NAME: DATE OF BIRTH: Signature of Contestant s Parent or Legal Guardian (if Contestant is under age of eighteen): I warrant and represent that I am the parent/legal guardian of Signature of Parent or Legal Guardian: Printed Name of Parent or Legal Guardian: Date: By entering, you give permission to contest sponsor to use entry materials, including, without limitation, the names and likenesses of any persons or locations embodied therein, in any and all media now known or currently unknown, without compensation, permission or notification to contestant or any third party. See LoHud.com/NIE for official rules and prize information. Gl o s s a r y Abstract Expressionism - Art that doesn t represent a figure, landscape or historical scene. Abstract Expressionism is often called action painting because the paint is applied energetically all over the canvas. was also defined by the use of fine art materials like oil paint and marble instead of watercolors or fabrics. Today these distinctions have been blurred because artists use everyday materials and their creations are often both functional and aesthetic. Minimalism - Minimalism is generally large, geometric art that is about the experience of shapes in space. Minimalists go through a subtractive process of emptying out or editing their work to have as little in it as possible. It is non-figurative and does not tell a story. Robber Baron - The term used for pioneers of industry who often revolutionized new technologies and changed how we live. Nineteenth century Robber Barons became extremely wealthy, but often exploited natural resources and people to achieve their goals. Contemporary Art - Contemporary Art is usually art that has been created in the last 30 years. It refers to the art of our time. Curator - Curator comes from the Latin word curare which means to care for. A curator creates exhibitions and cares for the art in a museum. Fine or High Art - Fine or High art used to be distinguished from folk or craft art by intent, i.e. if the art is functional or aesthetic. It Junior Docents - Junior Docents are teen- agers who are tour guides and workshop instructors at the museum. They are trained in museum education and learn about the exhibitions so that they can teach people about them. Mendoza s Bookstore - The used bookstore on the Lower East Side of Manhattan which is one of the inspirations for Red Grooms sculpto-pictorama The Bookstore. Morgan Library - The Morgan Library is the formal library of J.P. Morgan, a 19th century banker, financier and industrialist. Morgan was an art collector and his library, now a museum was the inspiration for Red Grooms The Bookstore. Permanent Installation - A piece of art which is created for a specific place and is intended to stay there permanently. Sculpto-pictoramas - The compound word Red Grooms created to describe his work, which is both a sculpture and picture you can go inside of. Red s additive process is the opposite of Minimalism, he wants to fill the space up with as much as possible, creating an intense, dizzying effect.
11 s Bookspace Your Name Here
12 Putting The Bookstore Back Together Bart Bland, Curator of Exhibitions discusses his role working with Red Grooms. What was your role in The Bookstore reinstallation? The Bookstore is one of the most important pieces in our permanent collection. While other staff members have been working on the planning and the physical re-installation of the piece, I ve been researching the history of how we came to commission the work. I ve also been planning an exhibition devoted to 30 years of Grooms work called In the Studio, which will trace how Grooms plans his major projects. What is the most exciting part of the project? No doubt about it the opportunity to work with Grooms. I ve spent a lot of time talking with him about his life and the exhibition we are planning has been a way for me to consider the path of his career over the decades. With the best artists your work becomes a pleasure because their minds are always moving in new directions. You are always a little off balance in an exciting way with Grooms I m very impressed how fresh his enthusiasm is for new ideas after so many years of work. How do you plan on using it to inspire other projects in the museum? One of the things I hope we can do in the next few years at the museum is to commission another artist of significant stature to create a new work for the museum building that can be incorporated into its use. I think that restoring The Bookstore has been a gesture of respect to the history of our institution. We are in the middle of a series of construction projects at the museum that will give us an improved building and expanded gallery space and it has made me think very much about significant younger artists who I would like to see make a permanent contribution to our museum. What do you hope visitors get out of the experience of seeing it? The first thing I hope they get is a sense of delight. Grooms work is so showy it usually makes a quick impact and the ability to go inside an artwork is wonderful. But on a deeper level, I hope the piece makes our viewers wonder about differences between high art vs. low art, which is one of Grooms themes and which really comes out in this piece in the combination of Morgan and Mendoza. People love to ask artists, So, where do you get your ideas? and I hope the show will help answer that question. Erica Blumenfeld, the museum s Registrar talks about her job and how she helped the museum put Red Grooms The Bookstore back together. How are you involved in the reinstallation? My job is to make sure we have all the pieces of The Bookstore back from the warehouse and make sure they are in good condition. I also had to ship the pieces that needed repair into Manhattan to Tom Burckhardt s studio. I had to work out the space he needed, the resources he needed and who he could work with, so in a sense my part is all about the logistics of the reinstallation. Does the museum stay open during this process? Yes. It s important for me to make sure people can still access the museum and get to Glenview, the museum s historic house, safely while construction is happening. I pay attention to building codes, fire codes and safety and security What were some of your concerns? Since pieces were being cut, painted, and repaired it was a different piece than the original version; that made it hard but also interesting for me to be part of. It is difficult for a Registrar to see a piece of art being cut, that s hard for me to wrap my head around and it makes me ask who s piece is this, especially since Tom had such a big hand it this version of it. How is this reinstallation different? The changes and process of installing it and bringing it up to code is very different than a piece of art that arrives and is supposed to remain in its original condition. Putting the Pieces Together James Cullinane is the museum s Chief Preparator. He is responsible for installing the exhibitions and collections. He makes sure that everything in the museum galleries looks great for visitors to enjoy. What is your favorite thing about working in a museum? I enjoy the problem solving that goes along with installing various art projects. What is the toughest thing you have to do? Getting up early in the morning! What was your part in the reinstallation of the Red Grooms The Bookstore? I was responsible for ordering materials as needed and assisting with construction. I also installed the wooden deck flooring. What was the hardest part? Finding room to layout the hundreds of pieces needed, and figuring out how they go back together. The model for The Bookstore reinstallation.
Where did you learn the skills to be a Chief Preparator? I have worked building sets for T.V. shows, done theatrical lighting design for Central Park Summerstage, worked as a studio assistant for Richard Serra, as well as worked at M.O.M.A., the Guggenheim, Japan Society, and The Cooper Hewitt. I feel you can lean something in each work situation you are in no matter what your role. Tom Burckhardt was Red Grooms assistant for over 20 years. He was instrumental in the entire The Bookstore deinstallation and reinstallation. How did you start working for Red Grooms? I grew up with Red. He and my parents were friends, they used to shoot films together. In 1970, when I was seven years old, Red did a performance piece called Hippodrome Hardware. My job was to collect rotten tomatoes and throw them at him when he came onstage as a bad opera singer. It was very vaudevillian and surreal. I had a great time. In 1975, when he was working on Ruckus Manhattan I visited his studio. It made a big impression on me. In 1978 he made a film called Little Red Riding Hood and he asked me to play the wolf. In 1981 I was a senior in high school and I had completed all of my requirements so I went to school in the mornings and then worked in his studio in the afternoons as he prepared a piece called Philadelphia Cornucopia. It was my afterschool job and I loved it because I was making art and it felt both fantastic and a little glamorous. The next year I went to SUNY Purchase to study art but I continued working for Red during the summers, 13 between semesters and whenever I got the chance. When I graduated from college in 1986 I kept working for him while I pursued my own art career. At one point I took a year off to do my own work but I really missed being in Red s studio. I spent a total of 22 years working for Red and I am still involved in his work even though I am no longer his assistant. We have lunch at least once a month and my kids call him Uncle Red. What were some of the complications you experienced for this project? Taking the museum s gift shop out of The Bookstore was the real conceptual challenge we faced. When it was conceived the idea was to merge the plebian world of Mendoza s Bookshop with the highbrow world of the Morgan Library. Shopping blurred the divisions between those two worlds. So we decide to compress the reinstallation, make the books and characters the central focus and paint the floor to create a new connection between the Morgan Library and Mendoza s Bookstore. In restoring and reinstalling The Bookstore, I can see where things were being rushed originally. Now I can fix those problems before putting it back together and hopefully it will be more durable. What was your favorite part about being his assistant? It was fun. Red recognized everyone who worked for him and gave credit to all of his assistants, which was important. It was collaborative, like working on a movie or in the theater. Tennessee Carousel was the last large project we worked on together. I had to engineer the characters, and carve them out of styrofoam to be cast in fiberglass. It took about one and a half years of commitment. I worked at a very concentrated, sustained level, it was one of my proudest moments working for him. Tom Burkhart repairing one of the figures from The Bookstore with needle and thread in his lower east side studio Full Stop, by Tom Burkhart. What kind of work are you doing now? I am an abstract painter but shortly after I stopped working for Red I made an installation called Full Stop. It was heavily influenced by Reds work ethic, his loose approach and sense of spectacle. After 22 years working for Red, his studio was like home to me and I was deeply familiar with the objects in it. Full Stop was also very different from Red s work. I didn t use distortion or color in it and I incorporated many other aspects of my life in the installation. When Red saw it he was very happy, he could see that I had incorporated his influence into something new. What do you think makes this version of The Bookstore different from the first installation? Mark Hooper, Maintenance Supervisor cuts open the ceiling for new lighting fixtures. James and Tom discuss the finer points of how they will organize the work. The first version of The Bookstore had a great run. I think this version is an opportunity to refocus how we look at the piece and to energize the space. We are going to breathe some new life into it. I think it will be many peoples favorite piece in the museum. School kids will love it. Most kids don t see how art can work for them or how it fits into their lives. The Bookstore has so much urban energy in it that it will excite young people.
14 Raising Dollars and Getting The Word Out Kimberly Woodward, Assistant Director for Advancement shares her process for raising the money the museum needs to pay for The Bookstore and how she gets the word out to the public so that they will get excited to come and visit the museum. After the museum s staff has put together an exhibition and created programs for visitors, the advancement staff raises money to support the exhibition and programs and make sure that the public knows about the show so they can visit the museum. Several things are done to accomplish this including sending proposals to raise money, writing press releases to interest the press, and creating an advertising campaign. Tools of the trade It all begins with a proposal which is a package of information describing a project which will raise money to pay for it. This may be sent to prospects such as a corporation, a foundation, a government agency or an individual donor. Also needed is a press release which is a specially prepared statement for the press providing information about something newsworthy happening at the museum so that they will write an article about what we are doing. Paid advertising gets information printed in newspapers, seen on television or heard on the radio that communicates a message to a large number of people to learn about the museum s exhibitions and programs so people will visit and be more aware. Step 1. Fund Your project Create your own proposal to let prospects know you need to raise money for the reinstallation of Red Grooms The Bookstore. Start by using this newspaper to gather the facts about the The Bookstore and the artist, Red Grooms. a. Write a cover letter to let the prospect know why you are contacting them. b. Create a brief package of information describing the organization and the project, and include pictures so they can see what you propose they support. Write a paragraph describing the organization that is doing the project. (Hint: you will find a description about the museum at the beginning of this newspaper publication.) Write three to four paragraphs describing the project, why it is important, how and when it is being done, and why it is being done by the Hudson River Museum. Support your statements with pictures of the project. Write a caption describing what is in the picture and why it is important for the prospect to see. Step 2. Inform The Public Complete the details to create a press release for the reinstallation of Red Grooms The Bookstore at the Hudson River Museum or write a release for your own event. For help refer to the timeline on pages 8 and 9. You may visit LoHud.com/NIE and click on 2007-2008 supplements to download this text. In 1981 the museum launched a major campaign to promote the original opening of The Bookstore with full-page Name Funding Source Address City, State Zip Dear Salutation: I am writing to respectfully request $ in support of the [name of museum] reinstallation of Red Grooms art work The Bookstore. This art work will be permanently reinstalled in the Museum s new gallery and will be on view for the public starting in [month]. For nearly a generation The Bookstore was the museum s gift shop, until years of handling threatened to destroy it. In [year], this work was deinstalled to be restored under the direction of the original artist [Name of Artist] and his studio assistant [name]. Over the last two years the museum s staff has worked with the artist to plan for the reinstallation of this art environment in a [adjective] gallery for the public to enjoy. The Hudson River Museum has had a longtime relationship with the artist since it commissioned The Bookstore to be created in [year]. The Bookstore was one of Grooms first large-scale site-specific installations. I have enclosed a summary of the exhibition for your review. I hope that this important work merits your attention and support. Please do not hesitate to contact me at [phone number] with any questions. Sincerely, Your Name Here Enclosure Press Release Continued on next page Red Grooms: The Bookstore Returns to the Hudson River Museum [City, State where action is happening] [Date of release] Just over two years after [Artist s Name] [Title of artwork] was deinstalled as the Hudson River Museum s gift shop, this work of art has been reinstalled and will be on view for the public starting [date]. The reinstallation of The Bookstore celebrates the [# of years hint subtract the year he started the project from this year] year anniversary of when this work of art was originally commissioned by the museum to be created by Red Grooms. The original funding for the creation of this piece of art was provided by the [name of funding source]. [Artist s Name] has maintained an ongoing relationship with the [museum name] since the creation of this art environment. It was in [year] that Red Grooms started planning for the creation of this art environment that would become the museum s gift shop for roughly a generation. As part of his contract, Red Grooms was to prepare a [adjective] model and drawings, [verb] the project s construction, [verb] the constructed environment, and supply all [noun], including [2 nouns], to complete the project. The Bookstore was Red Grooms [number] work designed as a permanent installation. In [year] The Bookstore was deinstalled in anticipation of the construction of a new [noun] for the museum. Grooms studio assistant [name] oversaw the deinstallation in collaboration with museum staff members Annette Fortin, [title], and James Cullinane, [title]. Mr. Burkhardt has guided Grooms studio staff in the restoration of this well known work of art. This past fall the [adjective] gallery was approved for the reinstallation of The Bookstore. A fully illustrated [publication type] will be published to celebrate the reinstallation of [Title of artwork], with an introduction by the museum s director, [Director s name]. It will be available in the Museum Shop for [Dollar Amount]. The Hudson River Museum is located at [Address], [City, State]. Minutes from the Saw Mill River Parkway, exit 9, north or southbound. Information and directions:[phone number] and [website]. Wed - Sun 12-5 pm. Fridays 12-8 pm. Admission: Adults $5; Seniors 62 & older and youth 5-16 $3. Fridays 5 to 8 pm free. Date Top: sample cover letter. Bottom: sample press release.
15 Continued from previous page advertisements in national magazines. Create an advertisement for the return of Red Grooms The Bookstore. Make sure you tell your audience where it is going to be, when it is going to be there, and how you can get more information. Include a logo for the organization and an image which will interest people in seeing this piece of art. Draw your own picture of The Bookstore or clip one from this newspaper. Red Grooms The Bookstore Create your ad here: The Work of the Critic Georgette Gouveia The Journal News In reviewing an art exhibit, it s important not only to look but to listen. Stand in front of the work, quiet your mind and let it speak to you. If it s abstract, listen to what it says about its particular arrangement of shapes and colors. If it s representational, wait for its story or observations about nature, human and otherwise. Observe, too, the curator s message in the exhibit design. The work may not speak to you immediately, and you may have to walk away for a while. Or it may never speak to you. Still, keep an open mind. Better that than instantly throwing up your hands and saying, I don t get it, which soon leads to I don t like it. If you make the patient effort, a work will in the end yield up its secrets, even if you conclude that it s not your cup of chamomile. For that reason, there s no need to do too much advance scouting before an exhibit. You make an appointment with the publicist to see the show on your own or attend the press preview, obtain the press materials which include images and a general release about the exhibit and you re good to go. Unless a work has a textual component and some contemporary ones do you don t have to read about it. If a work is any good, it will communicate on its own. And if it s great, it will present you with a fresh conversation each time you see it, like an old friend. Nevertheless, it s good to have the supporting written materials for background and fact-checking when you re writing your review. This is different from doing an advance story on an exhibit, in which you re interviewing the curator and/or artists beforehand. Then you need to do as much research as possible, given the constraints of time and space. Chance favors the prepared mind, the great French scientist Louis Pasteur observed. So does journalism. Reach Georgette Gouveia at ggouveia@lohud.com, 914-694-5088 Jocelyn Chacko and Jorge Betanzos, ages 16 from Yonkers High School, are two Junior Docents at the museum. They discuss their impression of The Bookstore. mystical, magical blast from the past. Red A Grooms newly renovated The Bookstore is sure to be an eye-opener for visitors of the Hudson River Museum. It reveals the complicated process that is involved in taking a blank canvas and creating works of art which evoke feelings of awe and wonder, leaving the viewer with new found appreciation for the complexities of this artist s mind. It provides a channel for the memories of the past, providing a refreshing experience for the young and old alike. The essence of life itself lies between the rough brushstrokes and vibrant colors of Mendoza s Bookstore, with quirky details added to a seemingly ordinary scene. It is a breath of fresh air when compared to the atmosphere of the museum s galleries, and historic home, Glenview. Red Grooms has delivered life into the museum. Stepping into the exhibit sends chills down your spine, as you walk among the images of people whispering it s almost as if you can hear the sound of pages turning. As an exhibition, Red Grooms work promises to take the visitor into a whole new world. A world with a calming environment, away from life and all its troubles; complete with its own security guard and visitors, this exhibit is not to be missed. In The News Art critics write reviews about artists exhibitions in museums and galleries. People who are interested in art read these reviews. In some cases, the reviewer influences the readers opinions. Find a review in the newspaper. It can be a review of a television show, movie, or a restaurant. Circle each word that influences your opinion. Use these same words to write a review of an event in your life. The Junior Docent Program is a weekly after school program for middle and high school students from Yonkers, N.Y. Participants work with curators and artists, take trips to other museums and studios, and use museum resources to create tours and workshops for peers and families.
Thank you... Red Grooms, The Bookstore, 1978 79, Restored 2007 08, The Hudson River Museum... to our subscribers who went on vacation this year! Your commitment to education has made it possible for 50,000 students in Westchester, Rockland and Putnam to receive copies of Th e Jo u r n a l News and this special Newspaper in Education supplement entitled: Putting the Pieces Together: The Making of An Art Installation for Your generosity is greatly appreciated. For more information about Newspaper In Education, contact Pat Graff at 914-694-5211 or plgraff@lohud.com