Original Post: August 18, 2010
There are signs of life at the Cincinnati Art Museum. There are also signs of neon fish, blinking lights, and Big Boys. The installation in the Art Museum’s ambulatory represents collaboration between ArtWorks and the American Sign Museum. ArtWorks: The American Road is a refreshing inclusion of popular culture icons in the Art Museum. And this is not a first, the cars at the entry indicated a openness to wider taste cultures. There was a time when the division between high art and popular culture was a battle line with turf staunchly defended on both sides. After the work of Andy Warhol , Robert Venturi and Steve Izenour this restrictive view seems limiting and quaint. The selection of Aaron Betsky as director in 2006 gave the museum the intellectual elbow room to open the windows and let some signs, cars and propellers blow in. Mr. Betsky’s credentials as a serious commentator and critic are widely recognized. This allows the Museum the freedom to explore a wider range of cultural phenomena without risking their commitment to excellence. They said only Nixon could go to China, so is it only Betsky could go to pop?
A second exhibit at the Cincinnati Art Museum bridges cultural taste levels in a fascinating way. “Vegas 360” by Cincinnati photographer Thomas R. Schiff presents otherworldly images of Las Vegas. The landscape is both familiar and alien as the panoramic photos bend and warp the lines of buildings, signs, and ceilings. It is a wonderland of neon and flashing lights. Grids become parabolic roller coasters and you can become lost in the depth of the photographs. There is a scene populated with a crowd that looks as if an entire civilization has been created for the photo. I was torn between feeling that I was witnessing an ancient festival or futuristic gathering on another planet. I guess that’s what you might expect when you combine roman sculpture, neon excess and a 360 degree camera in Thomas Schiff’s hands. Allowing the viewer to see the familiar in new ways has been a powerful theme in art. Thomas Schiff achieves this in a surprising number of ways with just a few photographs. If this alien world exists somewhere, I want a ticket.
There are signs of life at the Cincinnati Art Museum. There are also signs of neon fish, blinking lights, and Big Boys. The installation in the Art Museum’s ambulatory represents collaboration between ArtWorks and the American Sign Museum. ArtWorks: The American Road is a refreshing inclusion of popular culture icons in the Art Museum. And this is not a first, the cars at the entry indicated a openness to wider taste cultures. There was a time when the division between high art and popular culture was a battle line with turf staunchly defended on both sides. After the work of Andy Warhol , Robert Venturi and Steve Izenour this restrictive view seems limiting and quaint. The selection of Aaron Betsky as director in 2006 gave the museum the intellectual elbow room to open the windows and let some signs, cars and propellers blow in. Mr. Betsky’s credentials as a serious commentator and critic are widely recognized. This allows the Museum the freedom to explore a wider range of cultural phenomena without risking their commitment to excellence. They said only Nixon could go to China, so is it only Betsky could go to pop?
A second exhibit at the Cincinnati Art Museum bridges cultural taste levels in a fascinating way. “Vegas 360” by Cincinnati photographer Thomas R. Schiff presents otherworldly images of Las Vegas. The landscape is both familiar and alien as the panoramic photos bend and warp the lines of buildings, signs, and ceilings. It is a wonderland of neon and flashing lights. Grids become parabolic roller coasters and you can become lost in the depth of the photographs. There is a scene populated with a crowd that looks as if an entire civilization has been created for the photo. I was torn between feeling that I was witnessing an ancient festival or futuristic gathering on another planet. I guess that’s what you might expect when you combine roman sculpture, neon excess and a 360 degree camera in Thomas Schiff’s hands. Allowing the viewer to see the familiar in new ways has been a powerful theme in art. Thomas Schiff achieves this in a surprising number of ways with just a few photographs. If this alien world exists somewhere, I want a ticket.
A second exhibit at the Cincinnati Art Museum bridges cultural taste levels in a fascinating way. “Vegas 360” by Cincinnati photographer Thomas R. Schiff presents otherworldly images of Las Vegas. The landscape is both familiar and alien as the panoramic photos bend and warp the lines of buildings, signs, and ceilings. It is a wonderland of neon and flashing lights. Grids become parabolic roller coasters and you can become lost in the depth of the photographs. There is a scene populated with a crowd that looks as if an entire civilization has been created for the photo. I was torn between feeling that I was witnessing an ancient festival or futuristic gathering on another planet. I guess that’s what you might expect when you combine roman sculpture, neon excess and a 360 degree camera in Thomas Schiff’s hands. Allowing the viewer to see the familiar in new ways has been a powerful theme in art. Thomas Schiff achieves this in a surprising number of ways with just a few photographs. If this alien world exists somewhere, I want a ticket.
Big Boy at the Cincinnati Art Museum
The Cincinnati Art Museum is not alone in calling our attention to signs. Yale University celebrated the 45th anniversary of the "Learning from Las Vegas" architectural studio by Robert Venturi, Denise Scott Brown and Steve Izenour with an international symposium at last year. The book “Learning from Las Vegas, The Forgotten Symbolism of Architectural Form”grew out of the1968 studio at Yale is recognized for transforming the debate about the American visual environment. The work played a pivotal role in reinvigorating architectural design with symbolic content. Today signs are beginning to be appreciated for their rich cultural content and as an intriguing record of the recent past. Cincinnati is very fortunate to be the home of the American Sign Museum and it is heartening to see the collaboration with the Art Museum.
"ArtWorks: The American Road", at the Cincinnati Art Museum - June 22, 2010 - August 29, 2010
"Vegas 360", at the Cincinnati Art Museum - May 1, 2010 - September 26, 2010
A companion book, Vegas 360° features seventy-seven panoramic photographs of the Las Vegas skyline and iconic architecture, an introduction by art critic Dave Hickey and essays from David Surratt, A.D. Hopkins, Douglas Unger, Kim Thomas, Phil Hagen, Benedetta Pignatelli and Matthew O’Brien.
The book is on sale at the Cincinnati Art Museum Shop.