[BCMA] CMA Clipping Service: Aug 13

Wed Aug 15 10:45:55 PDT 2012

Well, Peter, it is partly tongue-in-cheek, but let's not miss the main 
point:

By its own count, only 2% of the VAG collection are major pieces - i.e. ~200 
works.

This Gallery has been in existence more than 80 years, meaning over the 
decades its staffs overwhelmingly built a minor league holding. It cannot be 
fairly imagined why its current main aim is a new half-billion dollar 
facility to house such a mediocre collection.

Lets probe deeper:

No one can question the intellectual, cultural, aesthetic, or co-operative 
qualities of either the present crop of curators or their predecessors. That 
is the subjective qualitative realm in which they themselves and other art 
professionals regard them.

But curatorship has an equally important objective side that serves the fact 
that they are employees who must support the institution's health, including 
keeping its appetite in check.

This means a quantitative outlook that was important from the start (viz. 
1931), grew as years passed, and now has come to haunt the VAG management; 
the collection is too large for the place it sits in.

Such is the saga of unending accessions; unless curators find and stick-to a 
way of containing growth, even to the point of de-accessioning the old to 
make room for the new, eventually they'll hit the wall - literally.

But as an employee class, curators are not inclined to restrain themselves. 
They expect higher-ups to keep providing space, if not more funds. And new 
managers (like those now at VAG) are stuck with the huge problem.

Ironically, the single-edged sword that protects the collection from 
dispersal out the front gate, the "Public Trust", has no power to guard the 
back door from curators acquiring more and more items based upon qualitative 
measures.

(That's where my "bright idea" for thinning-out comes in - there are others 
. . . .)

They operate chiefly on the tenets of academic disciplines in which 
intellectual, aesthetic, and cultural imperatives hold sway. Yet curatorship 
is not a discipline. It's a job. And its a role within an organization that 
has vital quantitative demands to keep within limits. In short, the history 
of VAG staffs strongly appears to be unrestrained within, to the point where 
they very thing they want today, to build a first class holding, is 
jeopardized by their own past failures to avoid big quantity over high 
quality collecting.

Very glad to see you jump to the VAG curators' defence as it is much 
deserved. Just don't jump off the cliff with them if they remain 
blindfolded.

Keep smiling!

Dan

ps   If you want to see real venom spread on the art world, read Chris 
Hedges, "Death of the Liberal Class" (2010) passim..

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv." <bcma at lists.vvv.com>
To: <bcma at lists.vvv.com>
Sent: Tuesday, August 14, 2012 2:13 PM
Subject: Re: [BCMA] CMA Clipping Service: Aug 13

Dan Gallacher said " The real solution, however, is to stay put, remain
modest-sized, and disperse 80% of the collection though permanent loans to
whichever bars, hotels, cafes, schools, etc. are eager to mount their own
displays. Since by far most of the VAG collection was acquired without any
curatorial rigour, the hope would be that the institution need never have to
have those loaned items returned."

Dan, our colleagues at the VAG don't deserve such venom, particularly from
other professionals. We have worked with the VAG's curators and
administrators on multiple projects; we have found them to be experienced,
dedicated, and thoroughly competent.

I can only interpret your suggestion for dispersal of 80% the collection as
tongue in cheek, because a museum professional would never seriously
contemplate violating conservation and ethical standards in this manner.

sincerely,
peter

peter thompson
Managing Director
Two Rivers Gallery
http://tworiversgallery.ca
725 Civic Plaza
Prince George BC
V2L5T1
250.614.7803
--
"Art does not reproduce the visible; it makes things visible."
--Paul Klee

-----Original Message-----
From: bcma-bounces at lists.vvv.com [mailto:bcma-bounces at lists.vvv.com] On
Behalf Of Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv.
Sent: August-13-12 10:53 AM
To: bcma at lists.vvv.com
Subject: Re: [BCMA] CMA Clipping Service: Aug 13

The bigger they are . . . .

Here we have below in items 1 & 4 a tale of two cities wherein the media
report bad things are happening at its biggest Art Gallery (Vancouver) and
its newest Museum (Winnipeg). The first town is sobering-up to how divided
the elites are about spending a half billion on new digs while the second
town is still drinking-in the costs of erecting and operating a national
museum dedicated mainly it seems to the racial slur. With all the arguments
and accusations flying between various aggrieved ethnic elements demanding
their forbearers' pains and suffering be highlighted, there hasn't been a
spectacle like this among high priests since the Popes were moved to
Avignon.

Bob Rennie is onto the VAG pyramid building madness at the Gallery, and his
"decentralize" solution has merit as far as it goes. Broken into four
locations the Gallery could not become a monstrous money-gulping operation
whose holdings would grow even larger and costly. At least it wouldn't do so
as rapidly. The real solution, however, is to stay put, remain modest-sized,
and disperse 80% of the collection though permanent loans to whichever bars,
hotels, cafes, schools, etc. are eager to mount their own displays. Since by
far most of the VAG collection was acquired without any curatorial rigour,
the hope would be that the institution need never have to have those loaned
items returned.

As for the CMHR's woes in Winnipeg, its a classic case of governments
forcing museums into the "business model". Heretofore science, art, and
history were at the apex of such institutions. Yet now we have an inverted
pyramid wherein the organizational heights are occupied by managers,
administrators, financiers, publicists, and retailers. The small curatorial
and artistic elements are listed at the bottom, almost an afterthought,
really. By my count in item 4 below, bosses, moneychangers, and flacks
comprise fully 55% of the current staff.

Another Canadian city - Montreal - has white elephant lessons in both its
Olympic Stadium and Mirabel Airport fiascos to offer these two towns. Often
being the biggest can also mean being very vulnerable to a sharp jolt - just
ask Goliath.

Dan Gallacher

 ----- Original Message -----
From: "Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv." <bcma at lists.vvv.com>
To: <bcma at lists.vvv.com>
Sent: Monday, August 13, 2012 10:41 AM
Subject: [BCMA] CMA Clipping Service: Aug 13

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In this issue/Dans ce numéro:

o The collector vs. the director: Bob Rennie and the VAG
o Adad Hannah: tableaux vivants du Mexique à la Russie
o Arctic orchids and other delights
o Want a job? CMHR is probably hiring
o Peinture actuelle au Musée régional de Rimouski
o Mystery at the military museum
o Turtle celebrates 90 with berries and a bash
o Moving historic aircraft to museum a 'labour of love'
o Tiny James Naismith museum is no bull
o Une Plutonienne au musée
o Historic globe project hits stumbling block for former Victorian

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