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Throughout the late 1980s and early '90s, beauty was eschewed by most of the contemporary art world. Certainly art could be beautiful, but more importantly, it had to have a message — the more political the better.
During this era, content was central to “serious” art production, and from a historical perspective, this makes a great deal of sense, for it was the beginning of the culture wars. Conservative politicians like Senator Jesse Helms worked tirelessly to stop public funding for artists like photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, performance artist Karen Finley, and others whose work addressed sexuality, feminism and the body. Artists retaliated by making Helms the subject of their work. His image and quotes made their way into the work of Robbie Conal, the Guerilla Girls, Tim Rollins/KOS, and others. But by 1993, art critic Dave Hickey predicted that beauty would soon be in vogue, and published four essays on the topic. While it's not entirely clear whether Hickey's pronouncement incited the return to beauty, or if he was just especially prescient, beauty raised its head in the mid-1990s.
Today, the beauty renaissance is still evident. In this post-9/11 era, beauty is often linked to earnestness, or to a renewed interest in spirituality. This trend is evident in the work of So Yeon Park, whose exhibition, Four Caskets Project , is currently on view at The Sculpture Center. Park's current project began after her father's death in 2000. The artist links her own personal loss with the tragedies of 9/11 and the war in Iraq. In the exhibition brochure she explains, “9/11 happened the day after my father's one year memorial service. One year after I visited the crater in New York City, the war in Iraq began. To me, all of these events and losses are inexplicably connected.”
In homage to her private loss of her father and the public losses of 9/11 and the Iraq war, Park references the Korean ceremony for mourning, which she says “…identifies… ongoing lives and relieves emotions.” While the five works in Four Caskets Project are sparely beautiful, at times they are reminiscent of well-designed objects from IKEA or, especially in the case of String Casket, a field of white cotton string strung tightly on a wooden frame that looks like a loom for weaving, they could be mistaken for functional objects.
Park also attempts to engage viewers by encouraging them to make paper flowers (“in celebration of life”) and to add them to Flower Bed, the largest piece in the exhibition, which consists of handmade paper and ten yards of sheer white fabric. While the effect of the shadows that are created by the solid paper flowers against the sheer fabric is visually appealing, the nondescript, basically formless shape made by the hammock-like swath of fabric is not especially inspiring.
Though the message Park is trying to convey — that loss and sorrow are universal parts of the human condition — is significant and intense, it is lost on forms and materials that are not specific enough and somewhat generic.
However, a kind of peacefulness pervades the gallery space, and this makes the work worth seeing, especially if you are looking for a respite from the frenzy and chaos of daily urban living.
According to Lisa Winstel, recently appointed executive director of The Sculpture Center, “Sculpture is the most visible art form in a community. When it is new and thrilling, well-maintained and restored, it tells the world that we are a vibrant community that values creativity.” This sentiment has been at the heart of the organization's mission since it was established in 1989. The Sculpture Center's charge is twofold; it serves as an exhibition venue for emerging artists, and it maintains and preserves Ohio's outdoor sculpture. The organization also hosts an online database of public sculpture, the Ohio Outdoor Sculpture Inventory.
Despite the Center's important objectives, its exhibitions and events often do not garner the attention and attendance that many of Cleveland's other art venues receive. Winstel and TSC's board of trustees are geared up to change this, and to broaden their funding base.
Throughout the institution's history, founder David E. Davis was resolute in his aspirations for the organization; in many ways his personality and vision were The Sculpture Center. But since his death in November 2002, the organization has undergone several changes, transitioning from what board chair Mark Wallach describes as “…a move from a family-run operation to a publicly supported one.” While the Bernice and David E. Davis Art Foundation continues to support TSC to the tune of $35,000 in 2003 and $32,000 this year, there is a clear need to seek out new private and public funding options.
After nearly eight years as the Center's administrator under Davis, Bill Jirousek was asked to resign in the fall of last year. While Jirousek had been a stable force in the institution, the organization needed a new vision and a leader with a strong background in fundraising. Winstel, who had been serving as development director, had both the fundraising and arts management experience the board was seeking; after Jirousek's departure, she took on the role of acting director and held that interim position until this month, when the position became permanent.
The board further restructured the staff, streamlining it to two full-time people — Winstel and Deirdre Lauer, who is now director of exhibitions and public programs, as well as a few part-time staff members. Wallach believes that this new situation will better serve The Sculpture Center. “[Lisa and Deirdre] are doing far more work at less expense to the organization, and they are more committed,” he explains.
In the last five years, there has been a trend among nonprofits to implement and follow a business model, especially when it comes to fundraising. This trend is now evident at The Sculpture Center, as Wallach has begun to rethink the board and plans to include more business people. “During David's tenure, the board was largely filled with artists who were extremely valuable for operations, but not entirely helpful when it came to fundraising,” he says. “We need to extend our reach.”
Extending their reach also includes marketing, as people — art enthusiasts and donors alike — can't get excited about the organization's exhibitions and programs if they don't know about them. Winstel has expanded the institution's marketing efforts to include several publications, including an annual exhibition calendar and educational brochures to accompany each exhibition.
Justin Coulter, who had his first solo exhibition at The Sculpture Center last year, found it a positive experience. “The staff was extremely helpful, and their marketing efforts brought many people that I'd never met to the opening reception,” he says. “And the venue was conducive to having conversations about the work; the people who came wanted to know more about my creative approach and process.”
There are problems with the exhibition space, which was built just five years ago. It's a cold-looking, characterless structure that sits behind the Center's first home, a charming brick storefront on Euclid Avenue with large windows. And many artists who have exhibited there complain about the industrial-gray carpet in the gallery (a complaint that is justified, as sculpture usually rests on the floor, and the more neutral the floor treatment the better).
However, given the new leadership and changes that are occurring, it may be a new era for The Sculpture Center. In the past, it's been a venue that sometimes falls under the radar; often it's the place one doesn't get to when there are more than two opening receptions in one evening. But Cleveland's art community needs to put it on the radar screen, lest it drop off for good.