It’s easy to notice that Adam Ames and Andrew Bordwin are funny.  Watch the first 45 seconds of this interview for proof.  But if you pay attention, you’ll discover they are also serious and profound thinkers.

Adam and Andrew are artists who focus on collaboration, competition and masculinity.  The first piece they did together, Dance, was a video of Andrew physically dominating and humiliating Adam during a wrestling match.  Dance made me afraid to be a part of their team building project.  I didn’t want to end up humiliated.

Adam and Andrew – or Type A – were commissioned by the IMA to create something for 100 Acres: The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park.  They decided to work within the basic methods of Experiential Education and create a team of IMA staff (at least one member from each department of the museum) to team build.  The sessions included games, discussion, and a high ropes course.

My mind was off and running.  I imagined a reality television competition.  Coworkers dressed for the office, running through a challenge course.  I thought they would try to make us compete against each other or prove that masculinity exists in the office, too.

During the first meeting in spring of 2008, I got a bitter taste of experiential learning.  Each member of the team received a card with an image on it.  Without speaking or looking at anyone else’s image, we had to place the cards in order so they told a story.  It was like playing charades, but the person guessing the answers can’t speak either.  I was frustrated and caught off guard.  Type A was taking this team building seriously.

Even though I realized this, I didn’t “get” the project until our team vetoed the design for Type A’s sculptural installation.  Team members argued the design had nothing to do with our experiences.  I remember thinking, “They are the artists.  Why are we arguing with them about their work?”  But Type A wanted our input.  They wanted true collaboration.

Over the next few months, we played games, solved problems and talked about work and art.  The games loosened everyone up and led to honest discussions.  We started with small ideas.  “What should the goal of this game be?”  And let them grow.  “What are your work goals?  Your life goals?”

One of my work goals was to make a documentary.  In 2007, my coworker Dan Dark was busy making Maya Lin:  Above and Below.  I wanted to direct the next one.  We thought Type A would be the perfect subject.  Their art and career deserved to be closely examined.  We were already recording tons of team building footage, and we knew Adam and Andrew would be natural on camera and give us tons of access.  We asked Type A if they were interested, and they agreed to let us make the film.

In the end, my initial fears were wrong.  I didn’t end up humiliated (although you can jump to 22:30 on the film to see me looking foolish).  Type A approached the project in a completely sincere way.  They truly collaborated with every department in the museum and allowed team discussion to have a real impact on their final sculpture.  I approached this project a skeptic (and a little paranoid), but they won me, and the rest of the team, over.  I’m proud of the documentary they helped make.  Thanks to everyone involved!

Please enjoy the documentary below:

A day visit to the Museum can easily include a stroll through 100 Acres no matter what you are wearing.  The pretty sundress and sandals I wore the night of the event fit in perfectly with the atmosphere of the party, but didn’t facilitate fully exploring the park. Something occurred to me as mucked up my sandals and watched a few women struggling around the park in high heels (ouch)…

A visit to 100 Acres is not your ordinary museum visit.

A photo I snapped while looking up at Type A’s Team Building (Align)

I’m already planning my next trip to 100 Acres and this time I’ll be prepared to explore the nature as well as the art.  Clothing choice is weather dependant, of course, but all terrain footwear is a must!  (An aside- If you dropped me on a deserted island and gave me a choice between a sweat-wicking, quick-drying, technical fabric outfit or an attractive, Soccer Pro companion… I’d pick the clothes every time.  Well… maybe.)

Here’s a quick rundown of the essentials I plan stuff in my backpack:

Sunglasses, sun screen, bug spray, camera, a picnic lunch, binoculars (for checking out birds), a bottle of water, a plastic bag for any trash I might produce (LNT!), a notepad and pencil, something to trade with Jessica and Michael out on Andrea Zittel’s Indianapolis Island, and maybe a book to enjoy.
My list reminds me more of gear requirements for summer camp than a museum trip.  But hey, I want to have everything I’ll need to spend a day going over, under, around and through the Park on an artful adventure.

Haven’t blogged in a while. Strange. Am a bit detached at this point with the opening of 100 Acres this weekend. But, that kinda makes sense. It’s the culmination of a long endeavor on my part, Type A’s part and, of course, the IMA and everyone who works (and has worked) to make the Art & Nature Park a reality. It’s at times like these that I get a bit detached. It’s a method of approaching exciting and nerve-racking times. Since there are so many ways in which this event can be “ruined,” it makes sense to take the good with the bad, as they say.

For example, the weather forecast for the opening weekend has been, how shall I say this, horrific. Maybe some people don’t mind 90 degree weather. But, add in storms and flooding…

Lisa Freiman says bring it on.

I could just get all upset and ask how could the weather gods let this be. But, it’s just a (bad) coincidence: crappy weather for an outdoor opening (paging Alanis Morissette). In any case, I could get upset or just take it in stride (I am throwing in a lot of cliches for some reason). It is as it is.

Strangely enough, this tactic of not taking things personally has led to quite a bit of introspection. Basically I go through a laundry list of the things that have happened in the time it’s taken to create and complete the project. Was Team Building successful? I’m gonna say yes. Will people notice? What kind of an effect will it have on my career? Come to think of it, where is my career now? There’s good momentum from 100 Acres. And we have a monograph out! But what’s next?

And, while we’re at it, how’s my personal life? It’s certainly different than when this project started. Well, for starters, I’m no longer married. Single dad time for me! And that’s just the tip of the iceberg (cliche alert #37). That I claim to let things go is not entirely true. It’s not true at all. In fact, it’s all personal. What to do? I can elevate the importance and get all prima donna about it.

Or…

I can think back to the whole point of the Team Building project, the whole reason for being involved with the IMA and 100 Acres in the first place.

Team Building with Type A

The experiential education elements shine through. I remember how experience occurs without an inherent value attached. Once through the experience, then all the thought processes and value placing begins. And it’s here that releasing the experience from all of that can be liberating. It makes it harder to sum up and convey, especially without the positive or negative elements that help turn the experience into anecdote. But it’s not about conveying; it’s about letting others have their experience and, if desired and possible, sharing in some way.

That’s what Type A attempted to capture in Team Building (Align). And it’s that sentiment, that modus operandi, that I am trying to apply to my pre-opening weekend jitters.

So, the park will be muddy and humid and hot and everyone’s hair will be frizzed out. Okay. And it will be stormy over the weekend and on the Summer Solstice, and clouds will block the sun from casting the ring’s shadow. Okay. In any case, the opening will continue and will be marked in a myriad of ways by everyone there. Hopefully we can share the experience communally and retain what’s important personally.

Life imitating art. Or is it the other way around?

Adam
Type A

It seems like just yesterday, we were hanging with the Barnacle crew in L.A.

Or team building with the Type A dudes.

Or long jumping with Los Carpinteros.

So what can you expect this weekend? Expect to have your mind blown. Giant grasshoppers, popular bulldogs, throat singing, strawberry shortcake, and more.

See you there.

This photo was snapped just this morning down in 100 Acres by Senior Curator of Contemporary Art, Lisa Freiman and promptly tweeted by CEO Max Anderson:

Steel workers gather for a photo opp. on top of Free Basket by Los Carpinteros

Take for instance how social media has reshaped the world of journalism. “Citizen journalism” is the concept of members of the public “playing an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analyzing and disseminating news and information.” Examples of this can be seen through blogs, twitter, and camera phone images.

As a museum, we can employ this same idea. Staff, artists and visitors can capture events as they happen with their iPhone or a Flip Video. The following images were captured on artist duo Type A’s cell phones and then uploaded to Facebook:

The top ring of "Team Building (Align)" casts a shadow

Astronomer Brian Murphy of Butler U. and Andrew of Type A work out some calculations to place the second ring for "Team Building (Align)"

So, budding art journalists, here are some tips from caffienatedtraveller.com to get you started:

• Acknowledge the artwork and museum in the photo credits. It is time for bloggers to step up and put on a professional face.
• Post great images and not the family snap shots on your blog. Why discredit a good art exhibit.
• Flash photography? Don’t go there unless you have explicit permission from the museum. Not even when you think you’re alone.
• Leave the fanatical blogger psyche at the entry door. Spend some zen time in the moment, with the art and the space and then shoot.

In the meantime, I’ll be looking for your tweets, status updates and image uploads. And let’s continue to blur the lines together, shall we?

Director Chris Paine, via NUVO.net

@mitchmaxsom: Happy or sad, well-told stories that better help us understand another perspective or circumstance are beautiful and necessary

@joanofdarkknits: I watch them, but I hate them [at the same time]. I still have images burned into my brain from one on animal cruelty and one on child cruelty.

@raypawulich: They can be powerful, but if I’m going to invest my time in sitting still and watching something, I choose to be entertained.

Sure, they can really open your eyes. But sometimes, they just tell you to keep on keepin’ on. For example, I’ve been on an save-the-planet documentary kick lately, but I’ve always been pretty passionate about the environment. I don’t eat meat, I recycle, ride my bike a lot, I’ve worked for an environmentally-conscious local newspaper, and now an environmentally-conscious museum. All good things, but I have to admit, just like anyone I get lazy (I forgot my reusable grocery bag at home. Again. Oh well.) and stray from the path. Sometimes I just needed a jolt of reality to reaffirm my tree-hugging beliefs. That’s not a bad thing, right? Do what you gotta do to stay motivated.

Here are the last few documentaries I’ve seen that have done just that.

Watching those movies reminded me why I chose my way of life in the first place. They didn’t change my opinions, just made me aware again. Given my interest in all things ‘green,’ it’s probably no surprise to you that I really dig the Planet Indy speaker series here at the IMA. Tonight, you can see Who Killed the Electric Car? by director Chris Paine… here’s the trailer:

The aforementioned local paper, a.k.a. NUVO, recently interviewed Paine:

NUVO: Why did you think electric cars would make a good documentary?

Chris Paine: The mainstream media didn’t cover the story of why these 5,000 cars were all re-possessed and destroyed. We were shocked. And we thought, well, why is that? Then later, in the midst of a production at a television station in Michigan, someone there said, “You know, one of the reasons the story wasn’t covered was that so many of the TV stations got burned by covering the Firestone rollover stories earlier in the ‘90s.” Everyone had their advertising budgets pulled by the car companies. Car advertising is so critical to so many media outlets it usually pays to not do highly critical stories of the auto industry. So it created this vacuum for us.

Here’s a little info on the event: In the four years since filmmaker Chris Paine released the documentary Who Killed the Electric Car?, electric vehicles have been revived. In that film, Paine documented the corporate leaders, government officials and consumers who embraced SUVs over electric cars, exploring the larger story of our car culture in the process.

See Who Killed the Electric Car? at 5:30 pm, then at 7:30 pm hear Paine discuss the latest progress on electric vehicles, the relationship between good design and sustainability, and new ways of thinking about mobility. After the program, see an electric car up close and get information about companies making electric vehicles in Indiana. How did we get that electric car in the building? Glad you asked…

So will you leave the Toby feeling depressed and hopeless? Maybe. Maybe you’ll feel outraged. Or maybe, like me,  it will just get you back on track. When NUVO asked Paine what people interested in seeing more electric cars should do, he gave a really simple, but brilliant answer:

They can keep motivated, keep asking questions and keep taking risks.

Have you seen a film or documentary that has changed your opinion on social issues? Has a film ever inspired you to make changes?

You may have heard, that we softly launched the new IMA website on Tuesday? Well, we were kind of busy with that recently. But we’ve kept our eyes on a couple of other projects, including a major video documentary. You may recall our first major documentary, on Maya Lin which we debuted on ArtBabble. A pic of Dan on location for that documentary, below.

Senior New Media Producer Dan Dark, on location in Walla Walla

So speaking of documentaries. In December, Danny Beyer and I spent a week in NYC working on our next documentary, featuring the artist duo Type A.  This is a really unique project for us, because we have enjoyed a wonderful working relationship with them – in fact, they’ve become ingrained in IMA’s culture through their work in 100 Acres….even on this blog. We’ve been even luckier in that we’ve received the full support, encouragement, collaboration and engagement from IMA’s contemporary curator, Lisa Freiman. It’s the makings of something special.

Stay hydrated! Simple advice.

In fact, this might be our most prolific collaboration with any artist. We’ve got hours and hours of team building raw footage, a Flickr set, blog posts, hilarious phone calls, hugs, the exchange of gifts and more.  It’s lasted years. They’ve also given us (and ArtBabble) one of the best In the Factory series to date. You can view that below. I implore you to at least watch the beginning…which will prompt you to watch the end.

It’s already become a very special project (and we’re a couple of months away from completing the documentary). Type  A have opened their studio to us, befriended the entire IMA family and been incredibly kind, patient, funny and inspiring collaborators. They even gave us hockey tickets for a Rangers game.

Our week in NYC was intense and we shot hours of footage. Interviewing people is an exhausting process and during the week we conducted on-camera interviews with several different people involved in Type A’s career (you’ll meet them in the video) and we grabbed tons of studio b-roll footage. It was an intense but good time.

The final day of shooting at Type A's studio

We’re a couple of months away from completing this video. Danny is currently editing the piece, sifting through all of the footage and searching for usable nuggets. There are plenty.  Even though it’s not done yet, I can imagine the final product being well over twenty minutes long, in which case, this would be our longest documentary to date. We’ve come a long way.

So while you’re waiting for this release, take time to watch Type A’s In the Factory interview (above) or check out their section on the IMA site and what they’re doing in 100 Acres. We love them.

So, it has been quite some time since we last blogged. Got tons of reasons why. Let’s see, we can start with our planning and facilitating our last Team Building meeting (which occurred in June). We’re also in production mode for our upcoming gallery and museum shows. We have family obligations that include end-of-the-school-year festivities. We have our other, extra-curricular activities such as martial arts and band practice.

But no excuses.

Wea culpa.

Members from a variety of IMA departments participate in the Type A project.

We can attest to the fact that it’s hard to maintain the level of energy and, truth be told, excitement throughout the Team Building project. And, now, the meeting-with-the-group-portion of the project has concluded. The Align sculpture is being produced as we write and we still have the installation and opening to look forward to. But the meetings are over.

And this brings us to the focus of this blog entry. What happens when the the project, the experience, nears or comes to an end? How does one transition out of being actively involved in this process back into life without it? As artists, we experience this every time we finish drawing or editing or printing or framing whatever we’re making (okay, we don’t actually frame our own work, but you get the idea). But what we’re talking about goes beyond the creative process. Or, more accurately, it expands the realm of artistic process into the viewers’ experience.

When we were training up at High 5 waaaaay back when, we found ourselves in the middle of what was acknowledged to be a pretty profound experience. The group with which we worked bonded in a way that surprised even veteran facilitator and yoda-esque guru, Jim Grout. The question arose: how do we transition back to our “real lives”? How do we take all of what we experienced back home? The answer, as we discussed again and again (as if we could wrangle something tangible from the words) was that we shouldn’t necessarily try to do anything, shouldn’t try to hold on too tightly. We could, if we were aware, let the experience seep back into our lives in ways that maybe we couldn’t predict. Sounded like a tall order at the time, especially since we were all psyched to go and tell our families and friends about what happened.

So, we did exactly that. Went home. Told family and friends that something pretty great had happened. Let them know that we couldn’t communicate everything but hoped it would come out. In time.

And that’s where we find ourselves now at the end of this portion of Team Building. How do we take myriad events we’ve all experienced throughout the project allow them to integrate into our lives? And, by extension, how can we, if it’s possible at all, convey its substance and spirit to the 100 Acres visitor? If the nature of the work we’ve done together is intangible, without physical residue and based on experience, then how can that be meaningfully communicated to both intimates and a larger public? Without bridging this gap, the project will remain a closed loop and the Align sculpture will not realize its full resonant potential. It’s time now to reflect upon the seemingly contradictory endeavor of recording your thoughts and anecdotes for park visitors. We ask you to do this to reflect and to see if that very action can bridge a formidable gap. Ultimately it’s up to each member of the team to decide his or her involvement. Didactic by choice? In any case, we ask that you take the leap and see where you land.

We’ve been avoiding writing this blog entry (even more than our usual procrastinating selves), since it would mean some amount of closure. We have to acknowledge that some of our time together has ended. By extension, we have to acknowledge that our time working together will, at some point, end altogether.

While we look forward to the culmination of what we’ve done together at the opening of 100 Acres, we’re not looking forward to the finality of the calendar which specifies an ending when Align is de-installed. But, like any artistic endeavor, we hold on loosely to what we can and hope the rest lingers and maybe gets woven into the fabric of our lives.

Type A: Adam and Andrew

We have the shared experience. We have some images and some words. We have the group’s collective memory and creative energy, much of which went into the inspiration and design of Align. We have so much.

And to be clear, this is a thank you, not a good-bye.

A+A

The first in-house video I worked on at the IMA was re-editing an African Pottery Techniques documentary shot in Burkina Faso.  At the time, it was a pretty big step for the museum – to actually do this in-house, quickly, easily and for free.  When I compare that to our latest  video release on Orly Genger’s installation “Whole”, I kind of laugh.  We shot this video in HD, incorporated Time Lapse, used a lift for certain shots and then published to YouTube.  Check it out below.

My colleague Dan Dark recently recorded the Christmas at Lilly House tour with the LH Director, Bradley Brooks in an afternoon.  Dan then finalized and edited in the space of a few hours, then uploaded it to our Guide by Cell account.  Visitors to Lilly House can access this content by using their cell phone. Our first Christmas at Lilly House involved a lot more time editing and recording, and incorporated the Dell DJ Ditty mp3 players.  I am actually laughing….but it worked at the time.  We plan on increasing our audio content across all of IMA’s collections in 2009, and I am incredibly excited about some of the concepts we are planning.  But I can’t discuss those yet…

imamuseum.org/blog is almost a year old.  It’s been a really exciting year for the blog with some superb posts from all over the museum.  I’m proud when I think that internally, the IMA supports a variety of areas blogging.  Where else can you go and hear directly from conservation, security, horticulture or an artist duo?  We’ve come a long way from the Felix Gonzalez-Torres blog (did anyone ever see that?) we setup a few years ago, and our imamuseum.org drupal based blog just a year ago.  Sometime we get it wrong.  Sometimes we get it right.

I’m also reflecting on past projects because I can’t quite share some of the upcoming projects in 2009, yet.  I’m dying to, and the second I can I will post.  The main change in the digital content we produce is an increased focus on the contemporary world.  The Toby, Contemporary department as well as the opening of 100 Acres in 2009, presents access to cutting edge artists, performers and academics.  That means content opportunities that will become audio guides, videos, and web projects.  It’s gonna be a big year, and we plan on making ’09 the best for the museum visitor and technology-focused experiences.  It’s all about keeping the momentum.

And in closing, this is Despi’s last day at the museum.  She’s been an integral part of the IMA and New Media, a dedicated professional, supportive colleague, and more importantly, a friend.  Best of luck Darnell!

Danny Beyer, sporting the new IMA Blog t-shirt

The IMA joined Flickr a little late in the game, but I feel like we are really starting to use it in some interesting ways.  My colleague Despi recently created a set featuring the new IMA blog t-shirts.  You’ll be hearing more about that.  Our conversation department has been active creating individual case studies on art objects.  You can learn about a recent Thornton Dial acquisition here (complete with video), or the treatment of a Saarinen Sideboard.  It’s an interesting glimpse into some behind-the-scenes action at an art museum and a new way of discovering engaging content.  Look for more of these conservation case studies in the very near future.

2009 will bring lots of activity to the IMA, especially in 100 Acres: The Virginia B.  Fairbanks Art and Nature Park.  The Nugget Factory will be working very closely with the contemporary department to document the art installations, capturing artist interviews and developing new visitor experiences.  On Flickr, we created a set dedicated set to Type A’s involvement in this space, here (I recommend the videos).  Under development, is the official 100 Acres Flickr group.  We’re still tweaking it, but please feel free to join and contribute your photography.

IMA’s Horticulture department was kind enough to place some new signs across the beautiful IMA campus.  We often spot photographers walking our grounds and we would love to see their perspective.  I hope these signs encourage or inspire our visitors to go online and shape IMA’s presence on Flickr.  I mean that.

We really want you to get involved in Flickr

IMA blogger Noelle, also just completed a Flickr article in PREVIEWS, the publication for members of the Indianapolis Museum of Art.  I told you we love Flickr, perhaps a little obsessed.  If anyone is interested in a copy, leave a comment and I’ll send you one.

And finally, Museums and the Web will be hosting their annual conference in Indianapolis next April.  They’ve created a group requesting images of Indianapolis.  It will give conference attendees from all over the world (Australia, Japan and Holland) a chance to discover our city and check out the new airport.

I’m all Flickr’d out.  Have any Flickr ideas?  Let me know.