17 Feb 2014

'In 2040.....' at JAUS Gallery, Los Angeles

'In 2040.....'
Eight artists project where art making could, should, or would be headed 25 years from now.

Joe Biel
Clayton Campbell
Miri Chais
Christian Knudsen
Melissa Ann Lambert
Max Presneill and Friends
Terrence Sanders
Lisa C Soto

Curated by Clayton Campbell

'In 2040……' suggests that the role of the artist in society may be shifting – moving from a focus on personal expression and more toward public, creative actions as a central contributor to the general discourse of the society they live in. Questions arise- are artists increasingly interested in working in new partnerships apart from conventional outlets; will the notion of community may drastically alter; how do artists bring emotions of faith and structures of religion back into the artistic canon; what is the relation of artists to the use and misuse of power; can a critique of the arts hierarchy produce radical change; how do artists project what innovative strategies they can create to develop sustainable platforms for their ideas; what is the underlying physics of human reflection and ideation that brings the spiritual back into focus?
thesis for this exhibit is to make a projection (rather than a prediction) through our art that may be prescient about art making 25 years from now.

For purposes of 'In 2040.....,'the artists understood that this was not about a prediction but instead a projection. Two quotations for these functions from the U.S. Global Change Research Program

'A prediction is a probabilistic statement that something will happen in the future based on what is known today. A prediction generally assumes that future changes in related conditions will not have a significant influence. In this sense, a prediction is most influenced by the 'initial conditions' – the current situation from which we predict a change. A prediction is a probabilistic statement that something will happen in the future based on what is known today. A prediction generally assumes that future changes in related conditions will not have a significant influence. In this sense, a prediction is most influenced by the 'initial conditions' – the current situation from which we predict a change.'

'In contrast to a prediction, a projection specifically allows for significant changes in the set of 'boundary conditions' that might influence the prediction, creating 'if this, then that' types of statements. Thus, a projection is a probabilistic statement that it is possible that something will happen in the future if certain conditions develop. The set of boundary conditions that is used in conjunction with making a projection is often called a scenario, and each scenario is based on assumptions about how the future will develop.'


The artists in 2040 make art reflecting personal response to these questions.

Areas of change that may dramatically affect artists and their practice:

Rise of faith based and religious practice in the arts
Compassion, love, forgiveness, activism enter into the artist practice, redefining the secular humanism that currently holds sway in liberal arts communities

Role of funding
Not for profit culture alters as competition becomes overwhelming
Government agencies cut back on all arts and culture funding as social concerns are in the foreground, yet this creates an opportunity for arts organizations to find funding through public projects in health, education, environmental recovery, etc.Older Foundations cut back but new opportunities arise from the new Baby Boomers who are tech savvy and community oriented

Definition of community
A fluid area as the US breaks off further into distinct regions based on class, nationality of origin; the US population will be 50% non-white, with Latinos the largest group, followed by Blacks and Asian decent. The population will increase by 20%. Definitions of whites and the 'other' will not be the same as in 2015.

Artist practice becomes more populist
The amount of professional artists increases yet the amount of conventional opportunity does not. Do It Yourself is more pronounced as conventional venues (museums) move slowly; galleries and the mercantile arena has evolved into a sales arena for a very few who are collected by very few; artists work in teams and associations that are more sophisticated than the alternative spaces of the 20th century in terms of developing innovative strategies for creative platforms

Art Schools Seek Relevance
Pedagogy changes to reflect a sea change of artist practices that involve working with some aspect of public participation with specific communities; media advances in startling ways that connect artists and centers and a strong and powerful political advocacy lobby is created in the arts and begins to shape public policy in the arts as a power shift occurs between foundations and artist led associations

Artist residencies keep pace with artists needs or begin to fail
Hit hard by funding realities, artist residencies develop new models of cooperation and profit sharing with artists in residence; new studios are built that reflect the fluidity and rapid changes in artist practices; time and space retreats without a strong social connection become a rarified species of institution serving only a few artists.

Artists take a central role in how communication content is delivered
Many artist on-line or even old fashioned network and cable TV are providing their versions of news, revisionist histories, and propaganda. Are artists any different in their motives than those they have replaced, or do they posit a radical redirection of what viewers will receiver?