Marfa on ice

by Rainey Knudson October 18, 2007

The Big Bend Sentinel has reported that the board of Chinati is deliberating whether to keep the Open House weekend as it is — the big weekend in Marfa has grown to the point that the staff of the small organization can barely keep up with their annual membership dinner, board meeting, special exhibition with catalog, and feeding the masses for free on top of it all. This year the hordes came out to hear Sonic Youth perform, and reportedly a Border Patrol control bus was patrolling, handing out DUIs and harassing people on skateboards and bicycles (yes, your tax dollars at work keeping you safe). No word yet as to whether Chinati's board will move to make changes to the organization's portion of what has become an annual fall pilgrimage…stay tuned.

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Shug June 9, 2007 - 16:27

I think Rainey did a wonderful job of looking that gift horse in the mouth. I bet no feelings were hurt. The Hunting people might also take a look at how the MacArthur Fellows are chosen. ( Let the lesson of everything being ‘relative’ be learned as well.)
http://www.macfound.org/

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coffee and a cigarette June 11, 2007 - 10:02

It seems unlikely most of the members of the 2nd jury would have picked the winner chosen unless the decision was not truly their’s to make. There must be some criteria limiting their ability to make an independent decision. The painting chosen is a hideous example of the ‘neo-rococo’ tendencies of art in the 1990’s.

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slint June 11, 2007 - 15:58

Lots of things to fix, depending on where Hunting wants to take it – BUT, the winning painting was cool.

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coffee and a cigarette June 11, 2007 - 16:18

there wouldn’t be any complaints about the hunting if the prize didn’t go to a semi-talent each of the two years it has been on this side of the pond. the buffet story is not going to help relations between the hunting and the artists of texas, and i doubt they give a rat’s ass.

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shineandrise June 11, 2007 - 20:08

Rainey,
While you’re improving the Hunting Prize process, there’s another piece of language in the application that needs to be changed: there was a clause in the fine print that stated something to the effect that work that was critical of the government (or some similar sentiment) would not be eligible for consideration. (Any way to check on that to verify if my memory is correct?)

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b.s. June 13, 2007 - 12:34

don’t trust the limey bastards (maybe they ‘steered’ the jury wrong)

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CNYTHOG April 10, 2008 - 12:44

Though I feel a lot of points are valid the article promotes the elitism that is found in the visual arts.
Just go to a gallery you’d like to show in and see the — NO SUBMISSION UNLESS WE ASK YOU TO —
Curators and gallery dealers just don’t want to deal with the unknown. Click the winner of this year’s award and see they are showing in the Conduit Gallery. I knew their work looked familiar as I’ve looked at the Conduit Gallery on numerous occasions. If I could access the bio I’m sure they are represented in Houston, Austin and probably NYC. I’m not jealous of their hard work and winner status but to winnow down the competition is really not what this is all about. The “great-stamp-of approval” artist shouldn’t have to worry about us shunned ones beating them out anyway.
Also the idea of having the artist work their piece sounds really good to me. It’d be great if tall the Texas A team and B team gallery dealers would come and see the art, maybe they could open up to new fresh work and this this could be good for more than just one person.
Texas Styled Hospitality. Oh I’m talking art world here. Oops.

I’ve never entered the competition, but I’d like the chance for the Marfa Ballroom guy or the likes of Regine or a great gallery dealer to finally take time to look at my work.
Maybe other shunned artists who approach “the making” professionally would not like the proposal by Rainey.

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Joan April 24, 2008 - 07:43

I have an interesting turn of events. I was a finalist for the 2008 line up and just was notified that my art work was disqualified!!!! They gave me no explanation after I had a wooden crate built and paid for shipping (as they required!). They only put a blurb on about how they can disqualify anyone they want. So I did some research.
Contacted one of the jurors who were to chose pieces from the actual works and he said that they never seen my piece. I called a representative of Hunting and she told me that they had nothing to do with the disqualification process and that it was the jurors that did the disqualifying because it wasn’t a “painting”. What gives? I try to get a clear answer and all they say is to pay for the shipping back of my work.
I think it is interesting to note that my painting is non traditional “over the sofa” type of painting but I consider it a painting!!!! If you look closely at the work you will see the word “WAR”. Do you think they saw it?
Interesting, but I think other artists should realize that the Hunting Art Prize is not what it wants to appear. I was in the gala last year and there was some really bad paintings and some good ones. The taste of the oil barons really lacks. Artists beware.

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