May 13, 2004
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The
lectures
by LINDA MITCHELL
WENT TO A LECTURE AT THE Morris
Graves Museum this past Friday night and it occurred to me, not
for the first time, that the North Coast is a remarkable place
to live if you're an artist. Not only do we get endless visual
inspiration from the landscape and from the work of our fellow
artists, but we also receive a tremendous amount of support from
collectors, patrons and particularly from our local arts organizations.
The lecture I attended on Friday,
given by fine art photographer Jack Welpott, is a good example
of this support. Sponsored by the Humboldt Arts Council (HAC,
the governing body behind the museum), lectures like this one
are presented throughout the year, generally in coordination
with an exhibit and scheduled around the speaker's availability.
Since the talks are often sparsely attended, they tend to be
cozy affairs where audience members are encouraged to ask questions
and participate in the dialogue. The lectures are free and the
educational value is priceless -- it's amazing what you can learn
by attending.
["Near Sacramento,"
silver gelatin print by Jack welpott, ca. 1970.]
At the Welpott lecture, for
example, this well-known, post-WWII generation photographer told
candid stories about his early creative influences, his marriages
and infidelities, and his friendships with such iconic photographers
as Ansel Adams, Ruth Bernhart, Mary Ellen Mark and Edward Weston.
We heard about Imogen Cunningham giving a marijuana plant to
a naive friend as a joke, about Brett Weston trying to keep up
with his old man in the marital infidelity department, and about
Linda Connor agreeing to pose nude for Welpott as a 50th birthday
present. At 81, the photographer was forthright and charming,
making for an entertaining evening.
Welpott also treated us to a
retrospective slide exhibit of his work, which included first-rate
images chronicling the evolution of his long career, from his
early black-and-white "documentary portraits" to his
current digital work, featuring color extravaganzas reminiscent
of old Flemish paintings. Welpott has been taking pictures since "before
photography was considered an art," and hearing his commentary
on his images was fascinating.
Welpott, who judged this year's
Northwest Eye Competition (opening at the Graves on May 15),
also talked about the arbitrary nature of the jurying process.
"Anyone who juries a show brings their own prejudices,"
he said. "If you're rejected, it doesn't mean a damn thing."
Welpott talked about a photographer he recently met who complained
that he juried him out of a show 35 years ago. "Still holding
a grudge after all these years. You shouldn't take it so seriously
-- sometimes it may well depend on what I had for breakfast that
morning," he joked.
At the Graves lectures, I've
heard other jurors discuss their choices, and I've listened to
other artists talk about their work. At a recent lecture, local
painter Jesse Wiedel walked the audience around the gallery and
talked about the inspiration and stories behind each piece in
his show. At another talk, Mel Schuler (a local treasure who
just celebrated his 80th birthday) discussed not only his own
work, but his passion for collecting art from around the world.
Shelley Hagen, curator of the A. G. Edwards Corporate Art Collection,
gave the audience an insider's perspective on corporate art collecting.
These talks provide us with a golden opportunity to learn straight
from the horse's mouth about the art included in an exhibit.
[Sculptor Justin
Schmidt. Photo by Bob Doran.]
As I mentioned, the Graves lectures
are often poorly attended, and that seems like a shame. People
tell me they don't come to the talks because they don't know
about them, so I'd advise the HAC to do a better job of getting
the word out, but that seems churlish considering the fact that
the council is woefully understaffed and underfunded. Since the
lectures are only one of the many services the HAC provides to
the local community, it's up to us to stay informed. The events
are generally listed in the HAC newsletters and details can be
found on the organization's Web site (www.humboldtarts.org) if
you look hard enough. They are also occasionally listed in the
Journal's calendar. Considering the insight and inspiration
the talks provide, it's well worth making the effort to attend.
Brushstrokes:
Kudos to The Ink People, who
are celebrating their 25th anniversary this month. If you missed
the Arts Alive opening, drop in before the end of May to see
the Members' Exhibit and congratulate them on their achievement.
Samantha Bartlett is also celebrating
an anniversary in May, Gallery Dog's sixth year in business.
Try to pop in sometime this month to congratulate Sam and see
Kelly Leal's work -- it's a really good show.
I was very saddened to hear
that local sculptor Justin Schmidt died last week. For those
who didn't know him, Justin was a wonderful soul who volunteered
for the RAA and created ceramic sculptures infused with his gentle
sense of humor. I'll really miss him.
Linda Mitchell can be reached
via
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