The Media & Censor This 2

So it has been just over two full weeks since my exhibition, Censor This 2 opened at the ArtHouse Lounge in Harrisburg, PA, and a few local media outlets have picked up the story.
The Patriot-News newspaper and the ABC affiliate channel 27 in Harrisburg.

Both did a story on the exhibition, in the case of the Patriot-News, they did multiple stories before it even opened, plus had a reporter at the opening reception.

In both cases the stories were about erotic art in general and the gallery owner used them as publicity to promote the gallery saying how open he is to all different sorts of artwork. The articles were straight forward, focused on the nudity aspect and the sexual content.

The ABC news story ran with the reporter walking around talking about how they can't show the art, how the gallery owner does not censor art, but actually nothing about the quality of the work. The reporter actually never showed his face in the piece. He mentioned that he looked at the images...twice. He went on to talk about how there was no protest, he seemed disappointed, and then talked about the provocative poses and my use of what he called props. At which time the camera zooms into a pair of leather hand cuffs. Then he made a tongue-in-cheek comment that it seemed, "no one was harmed during the making of the exhibit and that some enjoyed it very much."

So I am not sure whether to be happy that my name got on the news or upset that they honestly did not take it seriously. They never talked about my artist statement, or why I chose to do this exhibition. In fact they never spoke to me at all. They only interviewed the gallery curator.

The funny part about all of this is that the gallery curator never saw the work until I actually hung it. But he did give me cart-blanch to show whatever I wanted. So you have to give credit where credit is due.

My concern is that is was publicized in a very distasteful manner and that the news media tried to sensationalize it or worse yet, joke about it.

So is it possible, in the United States, to get accepted as a "real" artist and shoot erotic images?

The market for art photography is a small portion of the art market as a whole, then divide out the people who like nudes and then divide out further those who like erotica, you end up with an extremely small population of erotic nude art enthusiasts. So the handling of the media has to be very carefully crafted. In this case, the gallery just took the publicity and ran with it. With no regard to my artistic integrity.

I guess I should be grateful, the images have gotten out of my brain and onto a gallery walls.

But I keep asking myself, at what cost?

What do you think? Let me know.

Spring into Art

As an artist and an art lover I had the opportunity this week along with my wife to go to 4 different and wonderful exhibitions.
The week started off with my photographs being featured as part of a group exhibition in the ArtHouse Lounge in Harrisburg, PA. It was First Friday and the exhibition was wonderful, I was honored to be among the artists displayed. This exhibition runs through the end of the month and I welcome anyone in the Harrisburg area to view it and let me know your thoughts.
On Saturday night, we stopped by one of our favorite galleries in New Hope, Sidetracks Art Gallery. We are always surprised and pleased at the collection of art that Ricky and Paul pull together is such a small space. The owners are wonderful people who make you feel very welcome and love the artworks as much as anyone could. I highly recommend anyone interested in contemporary art to visit Sidetracks Art gallery in New Hope, PA and this Saturday the 11th is Second Saturday, so there is always something fun going on.
After Sidetracks, we went over into New Jersey to see the opening of 2 artists who are also friends of ours. The exhibition entitled "Natural Dimensions" features the sculptures of Ron Bevilacqua and the paintings of Christine McHugh. The exhibition runs through April 30th with a meet the artists afternoon this Saturday from 12 to 3pm at the River Run Gallery in Lambertville, PA. Both Ron and Christine are accomplished artists with their own unique views. I am sure there is something for everyone to enjoy in this exhibition so I recommend not missing it.

Finally, on Wednesday, we played hookie from work and went to the Philadelphia Museum of Art for the Cézanne and Beyond exhibition. My wife and I have seen many exhibitions at the Philadelphia Museum but this by far is the finest exhibition we have seen. This exhibition explores the vital role of Paul Cézanne in the history of modern art. Not only are Paul Cézanne's works on display but the works of other great artists whom he inspired were along side his. Including such fantastic artists as Pablo Picasso, Giorgio Morandi, Henri Matisse, Jasper Johns and many others. The shear size of the exhibition was breathtaking with over 100 images, but to see such paintings as "The Large Bathers" together with the great artists that he influenced was simply a wonderful experience. This exhibition runs through the end of May and I highly recommend it to everyone. You don't have to know a lot about art to enjoy this exhibition. The audio tour guides you through it with great clarity and you really get to see things from another perspective.

Spring is a wonderful time of year where flowers are blooming and trees are budding, why not let your mind bloom. Take in an art exhibition this weekend. Whether it's a small gallery in your local community or a national museum. You'll come away with much more than you bargained for, art is inspiring, insightful and beautiful. What better way to spend a Spring day.

Art House Lounge Exhibition

Hi all, just a quick bit of news. I just received notification form a new gallery in Harrisburg that one of my photographs, "La Pieta, revisited" will be a part of their first annual 2D and photography exhibition featuring artists from Pennsylvania and Maryland.
Their website is ArtHouse Lounge
The exhibition begins August 10th with the opening reception Friday, August 15th from 5 to 8pm.
I hope some of you can make it to Harrisburg and support the local art!