{"id":9118,"date":"2011-06-02T09:28:53","date_gmt":"2011-06-02T13:28:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/?p=9118"},"modified":"2011-06-02T09:36:52","modified_gmt":"2011-06-02T13:36:52","slug":"downtown-art-tours-goes-outside-the-gallery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/2011\/06\/downtown-art-tours-goes-outside-the-gallery","title":{"rendered":"Downtown Art Tours Goes Outside The Gallery"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Jonathan Murray and John Cox at Cox's home studio<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When you view artwork in a gallery, how often do you think about its life?\u00a0 Artwork begins in the mind of its creator, then exists in stages in a studio space that is hardly, if ever, visited by the wider public.\u00a0 Once it reaches a gallery, it is only there for the blink of an eye before continuing its life in domestic spaces and collections.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve ever been curious about the artist\u2019s process, then sign up for \u201cOutside the Gallery\u201d, an exclusive art tour by Jonathan Murray of Downtown Art Tours.\u00a0 On the morning of June 11th<\/strong>, an intimate gathering of participants will be able to take a bus tour to the private art studios of four local artists \u2014 Antonius Roberts, John Cox, John Beadle, and Tyrone Ferguson \u2014 to get a rare glimpse into their different processes of creation.<\/p>\n

For Jonathan Murray, \u201cOutside the Gallery\u201d is a different pace from his usual Downtown Art Tours experience, which takes its participants on a walking tour through various gallery spaces downtown as well as the \u201cLove My Bahamas\u201d public murals scattered around town.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to have tours different from what I would usually do.\u00a0 This tour shows the process of making the work so it gives a larger context of the work,\u201d Murray explains.\u00a0 \u201cFor many viewers the process begins and ends at the exhibition, but there\u2019s still another life which takes place.\u00a0 It\u2019s usually only people in the art community who have access to these spaces.\u00a0 So I wanted to give other people the opportunity to have the experience they usually wouldn\u2019t have unless they were involved with the arts community directly.\u201d<\/p>\n

When someone views work in a gallery, they\u2019re often viewing work that is deliberately laid out to guide a specific path, story or emotion.\u00a0\u00a0 Seeing work out of this context, with little editing and in a more personal setting of a domestic studio space, gives new perspective not only to the work itself and the thinking or process of the artist, but also alters further relationships of artwork to these individuals \u2014 an awareness extends out now beyond the four walls of the gallery to create an appreciation of that timelessness contained in each piece.<\/p>\n

Add to this the fact that these artist present spaces of varying privacy and the opportunity becomes something rather voyeuristic and exciting as the lines between private and public become blurred.\u00a0 It\u2019s something that can be equally liberating and debilitating for the artists involved.<\/p>\n

\u201cI appreciate the four walls of a gallery, but I don\u2019t feel they\u2019re necessary.\u00a0 They position work that brings work a level of clarity and also isolation, which can be useful.\u00a0 But I don\u2019t have a problem with works being kind of out of that space in the more public domain or a more domestic situation,\u201d explains John Cox, whose home studio space, \u201cCenter John Cox\u201d, off of Eastern Road, will be a stop on the tour.<\/p>\n

As viewers may think of his primary space as that in his Popop Studios, it may come as a pleasant surprise to explore this new space with his varying projects that branch from his \u201cI Against I\u201d series.\u00a0 Viewers may also be exposed to the extensive collection of work inside of his house, giving them an awareness of the life of artwork beyond an exhibition and in a different context or relationship with other pieces of a home collection.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that these momentary scenarios of the white cold gallery space, its kind of like the wedding, the wedding is not the marriage; they carry on after that.\u00a0 It gets more interesting that way,\u201d he says.\u00a0 \u201cI think the process, the how, is very important.\u00a0 I feel like its precious and its special but it doesn\u2019t need to be kept it to yourself.\u00a0 It\u2019s worth sharing if we share it the right way, and this seems like sharing in the right way, this tour, with an intimate group.\u00a0 I think there\u2019s something refreshing and equally inspiring about seeing work being done and knowing how it gets done.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though this kind of exposure creates an opportunity for viewers to learn more about the private processes of major local artists, the interaction can also become complicated.<\/p>\n

For John Beadle, whose studio off of Eastern Road is also a stop on the tour, having people enter his gallery space is an unexpected situation where he feels all need to tread carefully.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe difference here is that there are none of the things in the formal gallery situation that helps to describe me; the gallery setting is about showcasing the work as an isolated event.\u00a0 The personal, beyond the work, has been edited out to a great extent,\u201d he explains.\u00a0 \u201cIn the studio space one might catch glimpses of other things that give greater information beyond the work or works that may or may not relate to any of the work being seen at that time.\u00a0 The audience will form connections where none is intended.\u201d<\/p>\n

He admits he is the kind of artist who needs \u201chead space and my physical space free of distraction\u201d, which many creative people may understand.\u00a0 Does a director invite an audience out to their dress rehearsal?\u00a0 Do writers publish their unedited novels?\u00a0 No, though exposing the process \u2014 being present backstage, or reading the newly discovered journals and previous drafts by long gone writers \u2014 can prove to be an eye-opener and lead to a greater appreciation of their work, as long as the viewer keeps an open mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think this will add just a little more to their confusion about the artist and their practices \u2014 you know the romantic notion,\u201d Beadle points out.\u00a0 \u201cBut a far as the work is concerned and its life, it can only endear the participants to any work they may encounter in the future.\u00a0 Experiencing any part of the creative process is very, very stimulating.\u201d<\/p>\n

That kind of stimulation is exactly that Jon Murray is aiming for, hoping that instead of having artists create more work to display in the public sphere, they instead open their doors to them.\u00a0 But there\u2019s a sense of responsibility involved on the public\u2019s part; an exchange of some understood and unworded secret that involves an open mind and heart.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a serious sense of privacy here,\u201d Murray admits.\u00a0 \u201cI do think that its important though.\u00a0 Even through we\u2019re a small and tight community, we\u2019re all still very careful about our creations, and I don\u2019t think that\u2019s a good thing, necessarily.\u00a0 There could be a lot more sharing and opportunity for artists in some cases.\u00a0 But in other cases you need the privacy to create hype, but I think there\u2019s give and take involved.\u201d<\/p>\n

When choosing which studio spaces to visit, Murray also wanted to present spaces where he knew artists would have a lot to engage with and spaces where unusual processes may surprise the viewer.<\/p>\n

One such space is the studio of Antonius Roberts, who among his various projects will offer viewers a chance to see what he is working on for the next art installation for the upcoming stage of the LIPA, as well as an exclusive surprise for participants that will apply to the theme of the tour.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought about who is producing a lot because I think that\u2019s a challenge we have, that most visual artists will have peaks and lows corresponding to exhibitions,\u201d explains Murray.\u00a0 \u201cSo I thought about which artists will have lots of things and at different stages, and these are all people who are constantly working on ideas, different projects.\u00a0 None of them I think actually have just one project they\u2019re doing at any given time, they actually have a really diverse cross-section of projects, which I think for the audience can provide something interesting.\u00a0 So not only may these spaces be exclusive looks but they also provide different elements of processes.\u201d<\/p>\n

In choosing the studio space of Tyrone Ferguson, for example, Murray hopes to expose viewers to more of a collaborative art space to show how different artists operate either with themselves or with a team of people.\u00a0 Ferguson\u2019s space is more public than private, as it has been included in the Transforming Spaces tours before.\u00a0 Whereas viewers may have a specific idea of the artist as a reclusive person involved in their own solitude to foster creation, they rarely expect artists to lead a team in the making of their own private work.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople\u00a0 don\u2019t seem to grip well this role of the artists and how they\u2019re involved in the creation of their work and what their responsibility is to the creation of their work.\u00a0 Like when we talk about Michelangelo, yes he painted the Sistine Chapel, but he had like 18 assistants that helped him the whole time,\u201d Murray points out.\u00a0 \u201cI think that\u2019s often unclear to the wider public and this allows an opportunity for viewers to see that yes, some artists do chose to physically do the work, and others are more managers or conceptual directors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Overall the tour promises to spark some great debate within the circle of participating viewers and artists alike as to the function of public and private realms in our small but thriving art scene.\u00a0 Though costs of each ticket may come as a surprise \u2014 each one at $100 \u2014 participants should know the funds not only provide them with a great and unusual one-time experience bus tour, complete with wine and lively discussion, but also will go towards funding Jon Murray\u2019s educational endeavour this summer.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s been accepted into the Arts Marketing and Communications intensive course at the esteemed Sotheby\u2019s Institute of Art in New York City this summer.\u00a0 He\u2019s offering a great service in exchange, and an investment in this course is an investment in our culture, as Murray plans to use this course to expand his Downtown Art Tours company and further promote the culture of The Bahamas to locals and visitors alike.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reason I started the company wasn\u2019t just for art tours; art tours are just what I do best.\u00a0 The idea was that this should be a whole bunch of tours about culture and heritage,\u201d he says.\u00a0 \u201cSo I\u2019ll slowly introduce other experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

He has big future plans, starting with a downtown tour focusing on traditional Bahamian architecture.<\/p>\n

For now, though, those interested in the special eye-opening tour \u201cOutside The Gallery\u201d and to help Jon Murray as he continues to promote Bahamian arts and culture can contact him at contactus@downtownarttours.com or call 431 8964.<\/p>\n

Sonia Farmer
\nThe Nassau Guardian<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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