Lady Gaga Parking Lot

Lady Gaga. February 28, 2011. United Center, Chicago.
On the release day of Lady Gaga's self-perpetuating origin-story video for Born This Way, Allie and I ventured down to the United Center to take in the spectacle and fandom of Gaga's current tour. None of the fans we saw had picked up on the costumes or themes from this new video (kitschy-Halloween-esque skeletons, "infinite birthing" of good and evil, or pink triangles) but every other iteration of her persona was present, often more than once. (We did only see one amazing meat dress!) Overall we were struck by how normal this seemed to be. It was like most other concerts I have been too. But, maybe that fits for Gaga's basic message: everyone should be themselves. Surprisingly, the overwhelming population of this crowd, by our observation, were white and middle-class (sub-urban even).

being a (sick) artist

I'm sick again. I think I had a cold, which quickly turned into a sinus infection. I've been at home, listening to Bad at Sports and watching the Daily Show, for almost three days. As a teacher you would assume that I would be paid enough to have the basic necessities. I don't have health insurance, I am applying for food stamps, I have requested cheaper payments on my student loans, and I pay less for rent then my wife does. These are the times when my resolve and passion for art is tested. I find my active social voice in art and teaching. I want to make some kind of difference. I feel like I have something to contribute to society. This is what I tell my students who are aiming for a life in the arts, and this is what I tell myself.

Conversations on Contemporary Art and Nail Salon, Coal City, IL

me conversing with artist Kelly Alexander and her mother, they did not get their fingernails painted

On Feb. 20, 2011 I initiated the piece, Conversations on Contemporary Art and Nail Salon at the Coal City Art Fair, held at the Coal City High School. My position as "Visiting Alumni Artist" granted me the opportunity to show my home town what I have become, as an artist and as a person. I would have preferred to only set up my table, but it seemed that the school (and my former art teacher) needed some objects to make it seem like real art. In this piece I was hoping to introduce visitors to contemporary art through engaged discussion on current trends. I used the action of painting fingernails, once as an ice-breaker, and also as a starting point for discussions on what art can be and is today. While painting finger-tips I asked my participants, "What would you say if I told that that what I am doing right now [painting fingernails] is art?" Often, participants (whom were overwhelmingly students) agreed that either "it was like painting, but on fingernails" or that this action was art "because there are colors." I then followed by asking if our conversation, just me talking to them, could be art. This was a slightly harder sell, but surprisingly only a few completely abstained from this group. Relationships between my creative-conversation-action were made, by students and myself, to stage performances, object-less art (art where the object is missing), and straight forward "telling" of ideas. For older students I would briefly explain what Relational Aesthetics was, using Rirkrit Tiravanija as an example. These connections and investigations were only made by the students (kids). The adults all took rolls between passive interest and glazed-over obligation. The conversations with the adults were always one sided (sans the talk I had with Kelly Alexander and her mom).

painting iridescent yellow on my grandmother's fingernails

graph detailing how many of each age group (split into Adult and Kid at the age of 18) participated in this piece

Two unexpected things happened. I should have expected that mothers and fathers would be weary of some strange guy that wants to paint the fingernails of their daughter. As kids (as young as Kindergarten students) got their fingernails painted their parents usually hoovered questionably close to my table. I only touched my participants with the fingernail-polish brush. Also, I only asked about the art fair, what art they liked, if they went to school in Coal City, and what they thought about my art and this performance. Still, most parents where suspicious. I hope that later these parents checked their responses to my actions later, hopefully landing in some contemplative place about (my) art. The other thing was the problematic action of painting the nails of these young girls. (I only painted the nails of one boy, who was around 17 years old.) It was a bit bothersome for me to be in a position where my art action was wholly buying into and supporting the construction of gender normativity. I'd like to think that the kids would question why I was painting they're nails because the context and act was not normal, but I can't count on 5 to 18 year-old kids being so introspective. In addition to asking if my actions were art, I often asked what these participants thought about boys/men/me wearing fingernail polish. Perhaps this question was a good start for seeding the contemplation of how gender is constructed and enacted, but I believe that I need to re-think this act. I'd like not to remove fingernail painting from this piece, but to shift it to a more aware position.

smug

bringing some art to my home town

Adam Farcus @ the Fine Arts Fair
Coal City High School
Sunday, February 20
12-4

On Rejection

[3*] proposal image for RC Rat, a cardboard rat that moves by a remote control car

My work has recently be subjected to, what I feel to be, unfair judgment. In one instance a month ago an artist (with whom I will be exhibiting with in the future) made the comment that he preferred to install his more straightforward gallery work (paintings) as to not look "tricky or cute," like my art evidently does. Perhaps his intention was not be judgmental, but in that case then the wording in his comment was ill-chosen. I think I'll just have to find a way to forget about this.

More recently I was asked to put some work up at the Coal City High School (my home-town school) art fair; as a 'visiting artist.' I made concessions in my work to show pieces that are more accessible. I chose three pieces [1, 2, 3*]. 1 and 2 where denied by the art teacher for the expectation that the "powers that be" would not accept them as art enough for the $100 stipend. All of this censoring, mine and the teacher's, has happened even before anything was proposed to the dean, principle, board, etc.

I feel like I am being unfairly judged here; I mean geez, these are not Andreas Serrano photographs. But, as a teacher of art students (many of which are non-art-majors) I fully understand the alienation that comes with much of contemporary art. Thereby, I am writing a second proposal for the art fair: "What is Contemporary Art?: With Adam Farcus". In this I will have a few pieces installed around a small desk with chairs where I will answer any and all questions about art (to the best of my ability) that anyone may have. I will bring with me 2 written pieces as 'take-aways.' Both are by the wonderful Terry Barrett: Principles of Interpretation and Approaches to Postmodern Art-making.

falling stars

There's a Star and a Song for You (string, tape, paper clips, and cut note-cards) 2011
-the source of the title comes from a Sparklehorse song (written by the late Mark Linkous) called Spirit Ditch: "...there's a heaven and there's a star for you..."

Weight of the World (1 / 3.05E+28 grams) (phosphorus rock bought on Ebay) 2011
-my piece for the "Sustainable Phosphorus Summit" at Arizona State University