***  Haus der Kulturen der Welt: Forum1 Archive  ***
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   [Date]: Sun, 7 Nov 1999 18:20:23 -0600
   [From]: "Chris Drew" <cdrew#@orion.it.luc.edu>
     [To]: "Cultural Exchange via Internet" <forum1@hkw.kbx.de>
[Subject]: Re: [forum1] Re: discussion about sensation, III ?

Dear Olu Oguibe,
Thank you for the past history on Mr. Ofili's career. Often, so often I read
of curators and others viewing artist's work only from the collector's view
point - their own Ivory Tower assessments broadcast with excessive verbiage
and adverbiage over technical points, and stylistic favoritisms evoked to
establish the real estate value of the work. You give us honest information
that allows us to understand the role art plays in defining our times. It
also illustrates how art is discouraged from achieving its due in its own
times by the role played by those who might be "provoked" by it. Thank you
for explaining how the art circles in this western "Democracy" works. This is
important for practicianers in our cities to know. It helps us to know who
is setting the standards for the rest of the worlds positioning in their art
circles hyarchy. We need to know how important it is to find our own methods
of promotion since - if we wish to "provoke" or even address a different
audience - we must build our own plateforms.

This brings me to the next point. If art is for the living and artists exist
who wish to create to communicate with a audience other than a wealthy elite
of art investors then those artists should realize a plateform balanced on
the shoulders of their intended audience is the strongest and possibly -
only plateform availible to them. How to reach this audience, of course, is
an additional mostly unwelcome challenge for most artists.

This is why our long term goal at the Uptown Multi-Cultural Art Center is a
cooperative that builds a plateform and a distribution business for artists
works on T-shirts. We perceive the t-shirt is an indigious art forum that
has proven its ability over decades to bring messages - superficial and
creative - combative and quiet - as the person wearing it wishes to express.
Indiginous, because it is utilitarian. Art is useful and always has been. It
has traditionally - in all cultures - appeared popularly in every day
lives. It is the collector and investor who motivates museums and private
owership and maintance of a "System" of art that stresses stardom and
discourages broad representation. Broad art activity is not of importance to
collectors. They can find investments beyond without investing in their
cities art infrastructure.

The t-shirt is a community art opportunity that has been kept from the
clutches of everyday artists by the necessity of deep pockets to advance a
"line" of t-shirts. Changes brought by computer technology are making it
possible for artists to target markets (their audience) and vastly lowered
inventory costs to bring developing and promoting a line of t-shirt images
into a range an artist on a small budget can meet. I predict there will be a
flood in T-shirt art marketing on the Internet in next decade. We will
be part of that as a community arts group representing Chicago's artists and
other's from around the world who want to join in. We are motivated by our
mission to create an independant plateform for artists - run by artists - to
benefit the living and increase art activity in our communities deprived of
needed art encouragement.

Wish us luck.

Or if the very idea of art on T-shirts offends your sensibilities - wish us
ill. Do not let decorum prevent you from telling us your opinion. If
anything is in theme with the "Art of the T-shirt" - it is another opinion!

Chris Drew       <mailto:umcac@art-teez.org>
Uptown Multi-Cultural Art Center
http://www.art-teez.org   We dress Chicago and the
Internet in t-shirt art.  Come get some! 773/561-7676


-----Original Message-----
From: olu oguibe <ooguibe@undp.org>
To: Cultural Exchange via Internet <forum1@hkw.kbx.de>
Date: Tuesday, November 02, 1999 11:04 PM
Subject: [forum1] Re: discussion about sensation, III