Boston artists understand that the city’s contemporary art community lacks punch. After all, they’re the ones in the middle of it, surrounded on all sides by curators, galleries and critics. As artists have responded to the problems set out in my series on the Boston contemporary art scene, their comments point towards a working answer for one question: how could the Boston art community be made better for the city’s artists?
Is it possible for an entire city to have an inferiority complex over its own art and artists? At times it certainly seems like Boston does. Between ignoring traveling retrospectives of local artists, devoting gallery space to art world circuit card-holders, and hemorrhaging curators, this city’s scene sometimes looks a lot like a branch office of New York: understaffed and passing on its best to the mothership.
In my previous article on Hyperallergic, I discussed Greg Cook’s view that Boston’s contemporary art scene lacks ambition and a drive to push itself further. I believe that what we need to overcome in this city is not just this inferiority complex but a specific Boston identity.
Greg Cook is proud to be a yokel. As an art critic for The Boston Phoenix weekly, an independent blogger and artist, Greg is a staunch fan and supporter of the Boston contemporary art community. What bugs him about this city’s art scene is that he might have a better opinion of the scene than it does of itself. In a series of blog posts on his New England Journal for Aesthetic Research, Greg has outlined a Yokelist manifesto for a Boston art community with enough confidence to drive itself to greater heights, art world capital or not.
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Holly Gover: The piece was meant to be light hearted, and yes, a little snarky. It is an issue that could be delved into deeper, but...
Veken Gueyikian: I think your anger and “offer to help” is a little misplaced. I say stuff like that all the time but have...
Tyler Zambori: Well Brittany, how does this bit: “Is this art?” … or did you just walk into Ikea? pan out to simply pointing out the...
Brittany worgan: Hm, interesting response, but I think you completely missed the point of this article. Rather than assume attack on... Tyler Zambori: I don’t find it insightful at all. The commentary on the tourist’s comments leans more towards the simply...
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