TRENDS Readers Are Mostly Arts Us, from Climate Change to Political That Project Automatically Includes Families It Is Inescapable
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curriculums of their time, and who had should always include the art history An Interview with artist MEL CHIN the ability to recognize my capacities of the past and explore the techniques, early on. From elementary school intentions, and environments of Born in Houston, Texas, Mel Chin is a socially engaged conceptual artist who through high school there were a previous artists. Art is an ongoing utilizes a broad range of media and approaches to creating art, including few different instructors who made a discussion. Learning skills that allow us great difference by creatively adapting to make choices and judgments about collaboration and multi-disciplinary inquiry. Chin’s work addresses socio- to students’ realities, like being our built world requires knowing what political issues related to modern life and has exhibited in numerous national empathetic to the economic struggles has come before us, as well as knowing and international solo and group exhibitions, including a recent survey The Seven Wonders, Detail, Mel in a poorer neighborhood, conveying the most recent methods, materials, exhibition organized by the New Orleans Museum of Art, Rematch: Mel Chin, Chin, 1998, laser-cut stainless steel challenges to consider in those technologies, and thought processes which spanned four spaces across Houston. Chin has received awards and panels, steel, times of countercultural revolution of our day. grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council lighting elements, and not afraid to apply humor as necessary. And I suppose I was lucky for the Arts, the Pollock/Krasner Foundation, the Joan Mitchell Foundation, masonry, Permanent ZG: What is the most important thing installation, that I grew up in Houston, a city with that you still wish to achieve? the Rockefeller Foundation, the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation, and most Sesquicentennial several art museums. This allowed my recently was awarded a 2015 John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Park, Houston, TX, eventual inclusion in museum school MC: After a recent retrospective Fellowship. image courtesy of scholarships at the Museum of Fine exhibition and review of aspects of my Mel Chin. Arts. art-making life, I realize I am still in a by Zachary Gresham state-of-becoming. I really don’t know ZG: The theme explored in this issue what is next, but I hope it is something Zachary Gresham: First of all, congratulations MC: Because the concepts demanded it. community; if you create and are capable is “Exploring Relevant Art Experiences worthy. I just want to survive long The SAFEHOUSE Door, Mel Chin, 2008-2010, Operation on your recent retrospective, Rematch: Mel For the Sesquicentennial Park it was the of conveying your creations you become for 21st Century Learners.” Ideally, from enough to have a few more options. Paydirt artifact installed at the Blaffer Art Museum, Chin, which recently closed in four spaces right thing to do. The original parameters part of the community of ideas. Other your perspective, what should the future Houston, TX, photo © Nash Baker. across your hometown of Houston. After for the project had a directive about making artists work actively in their community and of arts education look like? ZG: Do you have any additional visiting each of these exhibitions, I walked a work to commemorate the founding support transformation for the beneft of thoughts you would like to share? away amazed by how prolifc and extremely fathers of Texas. I was thinking, wait a others. MC: The future of art education is to diverse your work is in terms of content and minute, what happened to the mothers, create bridges with other disciplines. MC: I’d like this collaboration medium. Why did you want to be an artist? brothers and sisters? It made me want to ZG: What do you think is most important Art is no longer a world only unto with Operation Paydirt to fulfll its shoot the concept full of holes. After I got thing for art educators in schools, museums, itself. I believe one of the problems obligation/belief that the voices over that I felt it was an opportunity to Mel Chin: I don’t think I originally wanted and community art spaces to provide the of our world is that we’ve become too of individuals, united against the celebrate the imagination of the present. I to be an artist, I think it just happened. I community? compartmentalized. Within narrow common threat of lead poisoning, can concluded that a celebration of the past started drawing at an early age and had an confnes it is sometimes hard to become a powerful force, and can be could be created by the children born 150 episode where I lost that capacity and felt MC: These people can make a life-changing see creative opportunities. It is also mobilized here in Texas at a statewide years later, with a monument that would that I had to recapture the skills I had in my difference in peoples’ lives. Personally, the important to see that certain things level. Individually, I can make only a permanently celebrate the imagination of youth. Maybe I was just accumulating the best art educators have been the ones who can’t be forced. Crossing disciplines small difference, but collectively, we its youth. tools to express myself. taught me to be more open in my thinking. shouldn’t require rigid rules of can make an enormous difference in Just because I could draw the best apple collaboration, but it is most important peoples’ lives, and that is the great ZG: The work that you create is largely Operation Paydirt is another matter. It came did not mean I was the best artist. Art that each person learn the vocabulary hope of this project. political and social in nature. Why is it about when I learned that childhood lead educators can teach the community that of their collaborator. Perhaps we can important to you to use art as a force for poisoning was still prevalent and pernicious expression comes in many forms; that adds think of unique forms of cooperation Fundred Pallet & 451,745 Fundreds by the people of political and social change? in the way it affected children for the rest to the vocabulary necessary to understand that enhance both sides of the America installed in the H-Town Fundred Reserve Even of their lives. That project was born out of art, and that broadens the possibilities for discourse. Exchange Bank at Blaffer Art Museum, Mel Chin, 2015, MC: I think I just make art. Initially, I don’t a necessity to have the population most community engagement. photo © Nash Baker think of an idea as being in one camp or affected by the problem of lead poisoning With profound issues affecting all of another. Art by its very nature is political; to have a voice in the matter. Of course, ZG: TRENDS readers are mostly arts us, from climate change to political that project automatically includes families it is inescapable. But when confronted/ educator in schools, museum, universities, turmoil to everyday violence, every Zachary Gresham is the Education compelled by terrible environmental and there are no age limitations on who and community art spaces. Can you talk discipline needs to be on alert so Programs Director at Art League realities I have been able to see how an can participate. I see both of those projects about your experiences with art growing that their unique insights and abilities Houston, a non-proft contemporary idea can contribute to the transformation of as not wholly mine, but projects that I am up? Were you exposed to museums or can be applied to counter the more art space that embraces 21st century approaches to curatorial programming, those conditions. Conceptual art gives me working on with others. community art spaces? Did you have access destructive forces that are always community-building, place-making, that capacity. to the arts in the schools you attended? among us. The creative capacities of art education, and outreach to under- 52 ZG: What do you consider to be the role for individuals also need to be considered served communities. Prior to his work ZG: I know you’ve done a couple of projects artists in the community? MC: As a very young child I was not aware as options. As long as educators keep with Art League Houston, Zachary worked in art education at Lawndale Art involving students, such as the Operation of the museums in the city, but my parents an open mind about what those options Center and the Museum of Fine Arts, MC: The role of artists is to be part of the are, and include the larger world of Paydirt/The Fundred Dollar Bill Project and encouraged me to draw when I expressed Houston. He is currently completing The Seven Wonders for Sesquicentennial community, but artists don’t have to cover a interest and ability. I was lucky to have ideas within their perspective, there his MA in Arts Leadership and M.Ed Park along Buffalo Bayou in Houston. What whole spectrum of community engagement. several teachers along the way who were can be a process that is responsive and in Art Education from the University of made you want to work with students for Some artists work in total isolation, but gifted in the way they taught, inventing helpful. At the same time, art education Houston. these particular projects? that doesn’t mean they are not part of the and encouraging beyond the established The Seven Wonders, Mel Chin, 1998, laser-cut stainless steel panels, steel, lighting elements, masonry, TRENDS Permanent installation, Sesquicentennial Park, Houston, TX, image courtesy of Mel Chin.