Dec 03 2009
Feb 19 2009
A couple days ago I received an invitation to Mahan Gallery’s March art opening. My eyes popped when I opened the envelope. The featured artist: Ric Ocasek. My first thought was: “How many Ric Ocasek’s can there be?” A product of the ‘70s and ‘80s, I immediately associated R.O. with the Cars, even hearing a bit of “Just What I Needed” in my head. It couldn’t be the same guy. And yet, when I turned the invitation over, there was the confirmation. Step One… I immediately called and rsvp’d. Step Two… I pondered why Ric was dabbling in art. I wondered how many people would show up purely because of the fanboy effect, and how many would be there for the art. That led me to a question of celebrity and commercialism versus authenticity. So before I dug myself a deeper hole, I called Jacquie Mahan (gallery proprietor) and scheduled a chat on the subject.
And I was glad I did.
We sat at Jacquie’s desk (pure white, blending in with the white exhibition walls) at the back of the gallery. Before jumping in to the obvious questions I thought I’d start with a bit of focus on the gallery itself.
JA: What is your philosophy about art and your gallery?
JM: I want to keep it real. Accessible. Honest. We are a highly contemporary gallery. We take a lot of risks and they usually pay off.
JA: So it’s not always a formal or traditional installation?
JM: We do feature traditionally hung shows, but it’s also fun to do something non-traditional. Artwork doesn’t have to be so serious. Sometimes it can be really fun. We support young artists as well as high-profile artists. In June we have an exhibit with the architect, George Acock.
JA: How serious are you about the gallery experience?
JM: I take artwork seriously, but I don’t take myself so seriously. I’m always open to learning, to hearing new ideas, and to experiencing. I think Mahan Gallery stands out with a very different gallery formula in Columbus. There are a lot of “art shops” out there filled with pieces to sell. Our gallery is attention driven. We embrace a theme. Make it intense. Make it an experience. We want the gallery to be a destination apart from other galleries.
JA: Give me an example of “experiential.”
JM: One of my favorites was our Maya Hayuk installation. Maya is from Brooklyn and has been to Columbus several times. She came to do a solo show at our gallery. We gave her the entire space. She simply took over. Paintings. Photos. She even painted pieces directly on our walls. Not on canvas, on our walls. It was completely immersive. If you didn’t see it at the gallery, you wouldn’t see it anywhere else. When collectors entered the door, they could instantly feel the art. There was even an opportunity to take self-portraits with the art via a ripcord - camera mechanism Maya installed. Fully engaging. It was a risk. And we liked taking it.
JA: So let’s talk about Ric. How did you get him to make his first gallery appearance at Mahan?
JM: It’s funny. People are going to think it’s only because he’s my father-in-law, but that’s not the whole story. It took years to gradually convince him to take this step. Yes, I had an inside track, but the biggest factors were probably the quality of our gallery, including our website, and his trust in how we would handle the installation. In the end, he decided to let us install the exhibit.
JA: So you made a proposal to Ric and here we are.
JM: Not nearly. It took five years of putting seeds out there. I saw Ric’s work for the first time on a beach trip. My husband Adam said: “You have to go see my dad’s work. It’s really cool.” From that point I began telling Ric: “You’re really good at this. You should share it with others.” We never went much deeper than that, and I decided not to push it. I just kept putting it out there. One day Paulina said: “You should talk to him about an installation.” She’s the one who really gave me the signal to make the ask. So I broached the subject. Ric simply said: “When are we having a show?” I said 6 months. “Okay. How many pieces?” I suggested 50 - 150. Ric responded: “I’ll send you more.” That was about the extent of the conversation once we got over the hurdle of having the exhibit. So it was a lot of being patient. A lot of saying the right things at the right time. And having no ulterior motives. When he picked Mahan I was really happy, but if he had picked somewhere else I still would have been happy to see the works finally displayed.
JA: So here’s the rub. Is this really about an artist or an insanely famous guy?
JM: This installation is about the person. When it all gets peeled away, (the rock icon, my father-in-law, Adam’s dad, Paulina Porizkova’s husband) what’s left is some amazing artwork. The artwork speaks for itself. Ric’s work is really personal. It’s real. He makes his work for himself and by himself. Being around him at family functions I watch how he works. He sits by himself and starts creating. He’s no longer in the room. He’s by himself. I see that zoning out in Adam as well. I find the work very vulnerable. It’s a self-portrait. Think about it. If you made something never intending for others to see it, you make it real. You make it the way you want it to be. You’re not thinking about how others will react.
JA: So what is Ric’s inspiration?
JM: Ric views his work as a visual form of his music. He calls it the visual noise going on in his head. That’s where the name of the exhibit came from: Noise Colored Party. There is a rhythm and a tempo to every thing you will see.
JA: And what can we expect from Noise Colored Party?
JM: Ric works with markers, pen, and pencil on paper… some even on his letterhead from Elektra Records. There are also photographs, paintings and paper collages.
JA: Is there a theme or message in his work?
JM: Ric is very abstract. You can’t sum him up. His work is what it is. You can’t say it means anything specific… it means everything. If anything, it’s a stream of consciousness show. It’s a product of what people do when nobody’s looking. He’s really being himself.
JA: So this is a big deal for him to take this step with Mahan?
JM: It really is. It shows how paralleled he is. Keeping to himself all these years and now opening up to share his work.
JA: Did he have specifications about the installation?
JM: He said: “Make the installation look like music.” There will be 171 pieces for the show, maybe 175 if we get the four additional paintings I would like to include. The whole place will be totally saturated in crazy drawings.
JA: Will the works be for sale?
JM: Yes.
Photographs $800 - $1,200
Drawings $800 - $2,200
Paintings $2,500 - $5,000
JA: How is Ric feeling about his decision now that the opening is less than a month away?
JM: He is taken aback that people are interested in the pieces. He’s flattered that people like them so much. I don’t think he gives himself credit for his talent. To him, this is his knitting. Paulina is a knitter. She knits every night. I like sewing. We all have creative outlets. His is art.
JA: So what’s left to be done for the installation?
JM: Tons! We pick up the framing supplies on Friday. We will be building new frames for every single piece. Ric is a perfectionist. Each work is float mounted and placed on tiered matting. We will be working nonstop March 1 - March 5. It will take a really long time, but it will be totally worth it.
JA: How has the community reacted to news of the debut?
JM: I think people of the 80’s, people who love his music are particularly excited. They have an affinity for him, they relate to him, they want to know more about him. There has been a lot of support and expectation.
JA: One last question. How did Mahan Gallery end up in Columbus… in the Short North?
JM: I have family here. But that’s not enough. More importantly, Columbus is a viable community. I came to the SN because the rent was cheap. I liked the area. I liked the mix. I felt grateful to get established. There was no other choice. I wouldn’t have thrived the same way anywhere else… it’s a community where we keep it real.
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March 6 - April 25, 2009
Invite-Only Reception: Fri., March 6
Gallery Hop: Sat., March 7, 6-10p
Mahan Gallery • 717 N High Street
Feb 11 2009
In retrospect, I probably sounded a bit like a pickup artist at the February Hop. I spent a few hours touching base with visitors, asking them a variety of questions… innocuous little tidbits like:
Where ya in from?
What’s been your favorite stop so far?
Come here often?
You can find out a lot that way. For example, the Short North is probably the number one place locals bring out of town guests… particularly if it’s a Hop. Or, that about half of our visitors have never walked north of 1st Avenue. These folks are missing some amazing destinations that have blossomed “way up in yonderland.” More on that later. Or, Saturday’s a-ha moment: visitors WANT to find the galleries, but they need help.
Maybe we (the district) take it for granted that everyone knows where everything is. After all, we all know where Rivet and Terra and Lindsay galleries are located. Right? So when we say “come visit the galleries during Gallery Hop,” it seems like a sincere enough invitation. And that the galleries are distributed over a mile-long stretch shouldn’t seem daunting. Right? Wrong. The reality, as I found on Saturday, is that thousands and thousands of visitors make their way for a monthly sojourn they thoroughly enjoy… but have no idea they haven’t quite maximized.
Well no more! The Short North is too much of a treasure to not explore it completely. Beginning with the March Hop, we will introduce the Gallery Hop Gallery Locator. This pocket fold map will be available online at shortnorth.org, at galleries, and at a variety of shops and restaurants. I’m very excited about its addition to the Hop experience. It will undoubtedly impact the experience (in a very good way) for many, many people.
Additionally, the district is in the process of designing way-finding kiosks that will help even the seasoned expert uncover heretofore overlooked district nuances. Look for more on that front in April/May.
And in the spirit of moving things right along, below is a roster of the galleries you’ll want to add to your March Hop experience. The list is organized from north, around High and Fifth, to south, across from the Convention Center. How many have you visited in the last 6 months?
Rivet • 1200 N. High (near Fifth and High)
Rebecca Ibel Gallery • 1055 N. High (at 3rd and High)
Roy G Biv Gallery • 997 N. High (at 2nd and High)
Lindsay Gallery • 986 N. High (near 2nd and High)
Ohio Art League • 954 N. High (near 2nd and High)
KIACA Gallery • 937 N. High (near 1st and High)
pm gallery • 726 N. High (at Buttles and High)
Mahan Gallery • 717 N. High (near Buttles and High)
Marcia Evans Art Consulting and Gallery • 8 E. Lincoln (Lincoln and High)
Palnik Cartoon Studio • 14 E. Lincoln (Lincoln and High)
Sharon Weiss Gallery • 20 E. Lincoln (Lincoln and High)
Sherrie Gallerie • 694 N. High (near Brickel and High)
Studios On High Gallery • 686 N. High (near Brickel and High)
The Art Exchange • 17 E. Brickel (at Brickel and High)
Kathryn Gallery • 642 N. High (at Russell and High)
Terra Gallery • 8 E. Poplar (at Poplar and High)
Elements of Art / Art Space • 507 N. High (near Swan and High)
Oct 05 2008
HighBall keeps taking more strides toward becoming Columbus’ newest signature event. And though it never ceases to amaze me how much effort it takes to create a high-quality event, it also never ceases to amaze me how fun it can be when all the pieces begin to interconnect.
HighBall earned its stripes with the city this week when the department of transportation signed off on closing High Street from Buttles to Hubbard for the night. Though we had crossed our fingers for 6:00PM, we’re quite happy with the 6:30PM close time we were granted. This is a big deal. Closing High Street on a regular work day right after rush hour isn’t something that happens all that often. In fact, High Street event closings of the last five years have really been limited to holiday timings, such as Doo Dah’s 25th anniversary on the 4th of July. Everyone from the city to COTA to the Convention Center have now weighed in on HighBall. The question: “What is the balance of community experience versus the temporary traffic flow inconvenience?” The answer: “Extremely positive!”
Earlier this week, Charly Bauer and I shared the HighBall story with our friends at Experience Columbus. Paul Astleford, Pete McGinty, Xenia Palus, Beth Ervin, Kari Kaughman and the rest of the team (nearly 40 in all) were thrilled about the potential the event represents. In fact, we reconvened a few days later and discussed a regional push that involves sharing the story with upwards of 2,000 writers! Stay tuned on that front. Maybe we can get the entire state talking about it.
The key is the vision for the event and the role it plays in Columbus’ offerings. The development committee has been working extremely hard to make sure HighBall IS an artistic, experiential, wow-factor event… and that it IS NOT a mindless beerfest. This is a question looming for many folks watching the evolution of HighBall. This weekend I ran in to Haley Boehning at the Gallery Hop. She wasn’t shy about expressing her concern that an OU Halloween-bash-clone was in the works. I can understand her trepidations, but I have faith in the creative class of Columbus. If we start this event by taking the artistry dimension to the max, we’ll set the tone for years to come. The eye-candy we create this year will set the bar for the event next year. It’s our competitive spirit. The costumes will become even more elaborate. The staging more magical. The event more experiential.
If we inspire, challenge and reward… it will happen.
Now, I’m not saying that every person who comes to HighBall has to create a 9′ tall, flowing fabric, Priscilla Queen of the Dessert, screaming drag queen ensemble. A few would be cool! Expectation: maybe 10% of the attendees will really take it over the top and invest the energy to make a real statement. The other 90%? They will be there to see what the 10% do! And that’s just fine. That’s all it takes to make the difference.
So here’s to HighBall: the launch, the experience, the evolution. Let’s make it our experience. Columbus’ experience. And let’s make the region buzz with envy that we can pull it off!
Next up… convincing the mayor he would look great in a Venetian Carnivale mask.
Ciao, for now.
ja
