Trying to Stay Cool

So, a few months ago, I wrote a blog listing my “art crushes.” From art critics to museum directors, I bared my soul to the arts world. MichaelStay Cool Kimmelman, Tyler Green, Will Gompertz, Kathy Halbreich, and Phillippe de Montebello, I still love you all, but I’m afraid I’ve forever ruined my chances of being cool. It’s pretty difficult looking hip when you’re admitting you’ve got a massive crush on the Director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. So this summer, I’m making an attempt to overcome my innate dorkiness. I’m going to spend the next few months visiting some of the hippest museums in the US. Here’s my plan to stay cool this summer.

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4 Things I Know I Know

An homage to Tyler Green’s 5 Things I Think I Think.

On Procession

Parades Are Really Hard Work -
On Procession is just 2 weeks away. This seems almost incomprehensibly imminent. After nearly 2 years of hard work, the IMA is ready to take art into the streets of Indianapolis for an exhibition on parade. From porta-potties to posters, participants to police the logistics of organizing a parade have been challenging and at times, overwhelming. And the real kicker is that the parade’s success is dependant as much on Mother Nature as it is on the last few months of hard work. Rain or shine, hell or high water we’re having this event. I’m certain that on April 26 we’re going to see the streets of Fountain Square flooded with people and not rain!

People Love SwagThe T-shirt contest is a real hit. In fact, it’s such a big success that we’re considering producing more IMA blog-related items. If you have thoughts as to what kind of additional swag you’d like to receive from the IMA, please comment on this entry. We’re open to any and all ideas - the cleverer the better. Oh and by the way, does anyone know where we can purchase a t-shirt gun?

Project IMA = Huge Crowd – Last Friday night we had almost 2,000 people attend Project IMA. It was exciting to see so many people at the museum in support of fashion art and local designers. Filled to the brim with the hippest folks in the city, the IMA was FIERCE (to borrow a word from the most recent Project Runway winner, Christian Siriano). In fact, the event was so well attended that we reached max capacity for the show almost 30 minutes before it actually began.

I Bummed I’m Missing MW2008 – I’m looking forward to a full report from my colleagues who are attending MW2008 this year in Montreal. Social Media, User-Generated Content, New Media Art AND CANADA…seriously, I’m a geek for this stuff. If you find yourself in Montreal near the Hilton Montreal Bonaventure, you should stop by. On Friday, the Nugget Factory’s very own Dan Dark will be part of a large group conducting a mini-workshop about YouTube.

I heart Tyler Green!

Some girls have crushes on rock stars or actors; I crush on art critics and museum directors. Yes, I know, I’m a huge geek…but since it is Valentine’s Day, I thought I would profess my undying love to my top 5 crushes in the art world. (In no particular order.)

kimmelman.jpg
Michael Kimmelman– Rocked my world in 2007! Last year I read his book The Accidental Masterpiece: On the Art of Life and Vice Versa and it changed the way I think about art, my job and my life. I’m also pretty sure he may have one of the coolest gigs in the world, as the chief art critic for the New York Times.

Tyler Green – First of all, he’s all MAN. I’m in awe of Tyler’s authoritative and often humorous blog postings for Artjournal’s Modern Art Notes (MAN). He keeps me in the know and constantly brightens my days with his prolific musings on the art world. I’m also completely in love with him because he just added the IMA to his blog roll. Read the rest of this entry »