Page 18 - Studio International - May 1971

Acquisition versus programmes. Pride in ownership is subtly The British
equated with pride in exhibition organization.
exhibition Major museums rarely hold shows organized Avant Garde
by other museums. As a result, many fine and
often irretrievable shows travel past major
population centres without stopping.
Informational exhibitions, shows that do not
entail unique art objects, are regarded as 'non- How can we in the United States see beyond our
art' and thus unimportant. Here again, own ethnocentric limitations ?
involvement with acquisition colours the New and important art activity in America
attitude towards non-precious cultural/ is, of course, frequently surveyed by several
educational entities. The New York Cultural US museums—principally by the Whitney
Center, however, has no such handicaps. There is Museum of American Art, with its massive
virtually no permanent collection, and `Annuals'. In contrast, there is little effort in
acquisitiveness is non-existent except for the America to deal similarly with art produced in
occasional receipt of an artwork as a gift to be other countries. The most ambitious effort
sold to help fund exhibitions. Formerly the towards this end is the 'Guggenheim
`Gallery of Modern Art', the Center, associated International'. But these surveys are usually
This issue of Studio International has been with Fairleigh Dickinson University and global or hemispheric; rarely is one nation's
prepared in collaboration with the New York founded in 1969, is a nine-storey 'museum' artistic community scrutinized in detail. The
Cultural Center to mark the opening on 18 May building located at Columbus Circle in the heart most recent Guggenheim showing included one
of an exhibition at the Center entitled `The British of New York City. Named a cultural centre by Japanese, residing in New York; one Italian,
Avant Garde'. The exhibition will be open until its trustees, whose leadership in higher education one Frenchman, and a rash of Americans, all
29 August. Pages 201 to 239 inclusive of this and experience in the founding and building of a chosen by two American curators. The
issue of the magazine, with the addition of listings university led them to the concept of a centre (as `Biennials' and other international exhibitions
of works and biographical data, constitute the against a museum), its objectives are reflected held outside America are usually dominated by
catalogue to the exhibition. in its name. Despite the connotations associated the works of artists already well established. New
Here, the director of the Center, Donald with the term 'cultural centre' in Europe, the young talents, working in areas not fully
Karshan, describes the policies and activities of New York Cultural Center is not operated or understood because they explore new aspects of
NYCC. funded by a government agency. Conceived the language of art, are hardly ever shown or
as a centre for continually changing exhibitions, documented.
Among the museums of New York, troubled by there are usually an average of five simultaneous It seems that only by concentrating on one
sky-rocketing costs, there is emerging what temporary shows (each about ten weeks in national artistic community at a time, selecting
could be a prototype of a new generation of duration) at all times. This means an unusually the artists to be represented through the
multi-media exhibition-information centres : high number of exhibitions mounted during the expertise of individuals living there, can one
the institution known as 'The New York course of one year. Nor is there any make a more than superficial and obvious
Cultural Center'. The continual challenges, the specialization in era or medium. The programme sampling of creative activities outside America.
obligations to acquire, constitute an enormous can range over any time period and any cultural An international exhibition programme of
drain on the resources of most US art museums. sources, so that the Center is international. The this calibre, which for the first time has been
Prolonged efforts mark such acquisitiveness, total resources of staff and operating budget are formulated by the New York Cultural Center,
designed to fill the 'encyclopedic' needs of our applied to organizing and circulating or enables the American art enthusiast, critic and
major museum, the more modest 'highlight' receiving from other institutions a wide artist to develop an increased understanding of
requirements of our newer art centres, and the diversity of exhibitions both of an art and avant-garde activities beyond his own borders
specialized areas described as 'Modern', non-art nature, and publishing and at a period when art from America, and in
`Contemporary', 'American', or 'Regional'. The disseminating, if at all possible, literature and particular from New York, has achieved a
work involved in this build up of permanent other forms of communication whereby the certain position of international leadership.
collections includes deciding what is needed, various aspects of the exhibitions provide From this widened horizon one can become
finding out where the works can be obtained, lasting information. In this sense, the Center aware of generative and innovative processes
locating donors and/or raising funds by which serves as a 'depot' of information, to be initially stemming from other societies and realize that,
the works can be possessed, competing with viewed by visitors, but also scanned for possible contrary to our 'accepted' ethnocentric
private and public acquisitors and, once these translation into other media for wider viewing interpretations, the influences of art and art
precious objects are finally acquired, their (i.e. video, audio-visual filmstrips, cassettes). theory travel both ways.
restoration, preservation and cataloguing. There The Center contains an underground theatre Conversely, such a series also reveals that the
is then the immense problem of properly which serves both as an historical `cinemateque' artists' use of mass media techniques, film and
storing the works, insuring and protecting and a contemporary art vehicle. Its showings, text, in a world community already shrinking
them, and finally, if reduced space and staff which are in live drama, concert, lecture or film through the impact of video and jet travel, may
time permits and there are any funds left over, format, are often multi-media manifestations make attainable the utopia of a 'universal'
occasionally exhibiting them. Less-endowed related to activities in the gallery areas above. language of art—an art transmittable and
art centres outside New York barely cope with The images and texts amassed (in many intelligible beyond its 'object source' and its
the dilemma—how to acquire and survive. instances created solely for the exhibitions cultural matrix. In other words, the 'national'
Keeping one's doors open to the public is through graphic processes), are regarded as a show is revealed as not so 'national' after all.
only a beginning to serving the public; any serious educational responsibility; that is, their The 'British Avant Garde', the New York
institution's preoccupation with acquiring art hoped-for cultural relevance makes them Cultural Center's second exhibition in its series
objects gives it an allegiance to these objects. integral tools of communication in a society of international shows (the first was 'The Swiss
Institutional pride and identity with the immersed in intercommunication at all levels of Avant Garde'), was selected by Charles
`strengths' in the permanent collections often profundity and banality. q Harrison. q
influence judgement regarding exhibition DONALD KARSHAN DONALD KARSHAN

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