"I usually show at the credit union on Vashon."
May 7, 2015 7:01 AM Subscribe
Seattle artist Matthew Offenbacher recently won a $25,000 prize. So he and his partner Jennifer Nemhauser decided to do something revolutionary with it. They bought 7 pieces of art by local female and queer artists and donated it to the Seattle Art Museum for its permanent collection: Deed of Gift.
Further reading: a somewhat related post from a couple of days ago: Do women have to be naked to get into the Met. Museum?
posted by zarq at 7:24 AM on May 7, 2015
posted by zarq at 7:24 AM on May 7, 2015
THIS IS AMAZING
posted by Juliet Banana at 7:33 AM on May 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Juliet Banana at 7:33 AM on May 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
Glosova's Life On The Sidelines is lovely. More from Ms. Glosova.
posted by spacewrench at 9:20 AM on May 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by spacewrench at 9:20 AM on May 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
This is really great, and the works they picked seem pretty awesome.
posted by OmieWise at 10:31 AM on May 7, 2015
posted by OmieWise at 10:31 AM on May 7, 2015
Tremendous.
posted by maxsparber at 10:35 AM on May 7, 2015
posted by maxsparber at 10:35 AM on May 7, 2015
Deed of Gift is an art project by Matthew Offenbacher and Jennifer Nemhauser that takes the form of a collection of artworks given to the Seattle Art Museum for their permanent collection.
I … feel very conflicted about this being presented as an art project.
posted by kenko at 10:55 AM on May 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
I … feel very conflicted about this being presented as an art project.
posted by kenko at 10:55 AM on May 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
I … feel very conflicted about this being presented as an art project.
That's how you know it's ART!
I agree, though: it seems weird for it to be art in itself, but it sounds like Offenbacher and Nemhauser are not normally in a position to spend $25k buying stuff and giving it away, so when the opportunity arose and they took it, it has clearly sparked at least one conversation about who's picking the works that get preserved, and how, and why.
On the other hand, I'm just a guy whose taste is in his mouth. I like the Glosova piece and the Haven/Cerny print makes me smile, but on the whole I feel like a kid in the National Gallery liking the pretty colors in a Cézanne or something. It's not like I know anything about the politics of art, or feminism, or queer identity (and if there's anything MeFi has taught me, it's that I am NOT going to say anything at all about those topics.)
posted by spacewrench at 11:35 AM on May 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
That's how you know it's ART!
I agree, though: it seems weird for it to be art in itself, but it sounds like Offenbacher and Nemhauser are not normally in a position to spend $25k buying stuff and giving it away, so when the opportunity arose and they took it, it has clearly sparked at least one conversation about who's picking the works that get preserved, and how, and why.
On the other hand, I'm just a guy whose taste is in his mouth. I like the Glosova piece and the Haven/Cerny print makes me smile, but on the whole I feel like a kid in the National Gallery liking the pretty colors in a Cézanne or something. It's not like I know anything about the politics of art, or feminism, or queer identity (and if there's anything MeFi has taught me, it's that I am NOT going to say anything at all about those topics.)
posted by spacewrench at 11:35 AM on May 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
I like this project, because it is unusual for artists to care about their fellow artists.
A recognized artist using prize money to buy the work of less successful peers, then giving the work to a museum, is a powerful and positive statement.
It isn't charity, it's empowerment for the whole community.
posted by L E M M at 12:52 PM on May 7, 2015 [3 favorites]
A recognized artist using prize money to buy the work of less successful peers, then giving the work to a museum, is a powerful and positive statement.
It isn't charity, it's empowerment for the whole community.
posted by L E M M at 12:52 PM on May 7, 2015 [3 favorites]
I … feel very conflicted about this being presented as an art project.
I think the reason for it is this?:
I think the reason for it is this?:
"The only work of art SAM did not acquire is Deed of Gift itself. That belongs to Offenbacher and Nemhauser, and they'd be willing to sell—but the price is $25,000, which they would turn around and spend the same way, on more art for a museum."posted by zarq at 1:09 PM on May 7, 2015 [4 favorites]
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posted by roomthreeseventeen at 7:20 AM on May 7, 2015 [1 favorite]