While there are few American tourists wandering through European capitals these days, America is well represented through the work of its artists.  At least that is what I could see on my recent sojourn to Germany and Denmark. 

One of the highlights of trip was seeing a production of the Gershwin's remarkable 1935 opera, Porgy and Bess at the DeutscheOper in Berlin.  With the book by Dubose Heyward, this is a work of real Americana – a story of love and tragedy set in a small African-American community in South Carolina with a sensuous jazz-inflected score peppered with songbook standards including Summertime, Bess You Is My Woman Now, and It Ain't Necessarily So.  This production, which premiered on July 4th in Berlin, re-conceived the original setting from the American South in the 1920s to a township in South Africa under apartheid. The new setting and the dynamic cast from the Cape Town Opera Ensemble brought a thrilling immediacy to some of the more brutal emotional aspects of the work which too often are sentimentalized.  Even though this was a German production with South African performers, the work had American spirit at its core. You could feel it in the inventive artistry and the unflinching emotional exploration of the human condition.

American visual artists also featured prominently in many museums and galleries particularly the works of Andy Warhol, Donald Judd, Jackson Pollock, Sol LeWitt, Robert Rauschenberg, Roy Lichtenstein, and Mark Rothko.  American art made the greatest impression on me at the Louisiana Museum of Contemporary Art in Denmark. (Louisiana is named for the founder's wife Louise not the State.)

One of the most moving works in the collection of the Louisiana was a video installation by Bill Viola, an artist from California who is considered one of the world's leading masters of the medium. This 2004 work entitled The Raft, shows a group of men and women of different races, ages, and social classes standing quietly until two powerful jets of water inundate them, knocking some of them brutally to the ground or washing them away, while others struggle against the relentless torrent. When the water subsides the drenched and exhausted people slowly recover from the emotionally draining ordeal, some in shock, some comforting one another.  The whole scenario moves in crystal clear slow motion which intensifies the viewer's emotional experience, shifting from curiosity to horror to a deep empathy. Here again, I felt the American artistic spirit in the remarkable skill of the creator and the emotionally charged content. 

These are just two examples of the wonderful work by American artists – past and present – that are engaging in a quiet diplomacy everyday.  They are interacting with thousands of people around the world, reminding them that America is much more than McDonalds, Starbucks, or our current political/economic policies which may or may not be popular at this time.

All that being said, it's good to be back in the Hudson Valley where I can see many of the great works by American artists in my own backyard; from the paintings of Church and Morse to the works of Warhol, LeWitt, and Rothko at beautiful spaces from Olana to Dia:Beacon to Storm King, not to mention all the great music at venues large and small.

Link to an interview with Bill Viola including images of "The Raft"
http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/tablog/
entries.en/2006/11/interviewwithbillviola.html
  
Link to the Louisiana Museum in Denmark
http://www.louisiana.dk/dk/Service+Menu+Right/English

Link to Cape Town Opera Ensemble
http://www.capetownopera.co.za/index.html
                  
Porgy & Bess Production Photos:
http://www.picturesberlin.de/porgyandbess/

Benjamin Krevolin
President
Dutchess County Arts Council

posted 8/18/2008

The art-buying waters are perfect at this time of year and the Arts Council can help you take the plunge with our Art 101 Buying Guide written especially for you, the art curious.  So read on to learn more about the art of buying art!

First and most important – if you love something, go for it! Art is all about your personal taste and emotional experience, so don’t be shy if you really want that painting or photograph. And definitely don’t be afraid to ask questions! Art is meant to inspire conversation, and most artists appreciate the opportunity to talk about their work. If you are purchase-shy though and feel intimidated by some of the unfamiliar art terms, we have some pointers and definitions that will build your art-buying confidence.

Click here to get a list of terms and

buying tips.

“There is no right or wrong way to buy art. I like to buy images that evoke a feeling a feeling or an emotional response. It could be any medium or subject matter as long as I like and find it visually appealing,” - Besty Jacaruso

“People sometimes say that they don’t feel qualified to make a decision about whether or not a work of art is good...but most important, buyers should trust their intuition: if they love a piece, they will enjoy it, and that’s the most valuable aspect of owning art that I can think of.” – Linda Piuatti

“If one doesn’t have confidence in his or her own eye then what fun would collecting be?” – Jack Banning

“Some artists don’t consider photography an ‘art’…but to truly capture the essence of light and emotion, [it] takes talent, practice, hard work and knowledge…Photography gives us views of ourselves, our world in its own unique way.” – Linda Hubbard

Karl Volk


"Fancy Flight" by Karl Volk

Artist Statement

I suppose I can call myself an opportunistic artist since I have no strong commitment to one way of doing things. Yes, I do watercolors. It is my main medium. But I do other media as well and each media seems to call for a different part of me.
In my watercolors I sometimes try to be realistic but never totally so. Yet in other instances, I take several photographs and combine elements from each to make a dramatic statement. Still others I work from rapid sketches done at performances of the dance or the theater. These sketches work wonderfully well in my silicone intaglio prints. Often these sketches are directly drawn on the program of the event and all that information is included in the print.

My collages might start with something I picked up from the street. Of they might start with a theater sketch and I fill in the spaces with colored paper, crayons, watercolors or other media.

Sometimes News events start me going as for example, the piece I call Requiem for Mathew. This piece was made to remember Mathew Shephard who was beaten and left to die while tied to a fence in Wyoming because he was gay.

- Karl Volk

View more of Karl Volk's art at
www.karlvolkstudio.com

Wilfredo Morel, Individual Artist
Children's Media Project, Arts Organization
Electric Windows, Art in Public Places
Alice Wong, Individual Patron
Bailey Browne CPA & Associates, Business/Corporation
Jeff Haynes, Arts in Education
Jo Ann Feigenheimer, Special Citation
Jonah Acosta, Youth with Exceptional Promise in the Arts.

Join County Executive William Steinhaus and the Dutchess County Arts Council on Wednesday, October 29, 2008 at The Grandview in Poughkeepsie to honor this year's recipients.

For reservations or event sponsorship information contact the Arts Council at info@artsmidhudson.org or 845-454-3222.

Click here for additional information.

Employment Opportunity
at DCAC!

Director of Programs and Arts Services

The Director of Programs & Arts Services works with the President, staff and Directors to serve the needs of the arts organizations, artists, schools, and community-based programs in Dutchess and Ulster County. The Director of Programs & Arts Services oversees eight established grant making programs which include NYSCA Decentralization and Arts In Education programs. The Director provides technical assistance and develops programs which build capacity, increase effectiveness,
and increase public participation throughout the arts community.

Click here for complete job description and information on applying.

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To receive a complimentary copy of the Summer 2008 guide send us an email with your mailing address to:  info@artsmidhudson.org (please reference "Artscene Request" in the subject line ) or call 845-454-3222.