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Other___________________________________________________________________________ University Microfilms International ART OPENINGS AS CELEBRATORY TRIBAL RITUALS DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of the Ohio State University By Bonnie G.Kelm, B.3., ft.A. * * * * * The Ohio State University 1987 Dissertation Committee: Approved by K. Marantz L. Lankford J. Hutchens Department of Art Education Copyright by Bonnie G. Kelm 1987 To Bill, whose support, encouragement, and assistance enabled me to complete this dissertation ritual, and To the memory of Dr. Frederick Bunte, mentor, employer, and friend, who thoroughly enjoyed the ritual of art openings. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to express my deepest gratitude to my advisor Dr. Kenneth Marantz for his guidance, encouragement, and receptiveness throughout the course of this research. Appreciation and thanks also go to the other members of my committee, Drs. James Hutchens and E. Louis Lankford, for their time, energy, and expertise. Gratitude is expressed to Drs. Barbara Boyer and Kathleen Desmond for their sug­ gestions advice and feedback. Many individuals contributed to the completion of this study. I am especially grateful to Budd Harris Bishop, Linda Foulk, Renee Steidle, Cheryl Hayden, Dotte Turner, and Cheryl Cozad for the significant donation of their time, their interest in this study, and their openess to sharing experiences and resources with me. Lastly, I must thank my "culture watchers" for their enthusiastic participation as informants in this study. VITA March 29, 1947 ................... B o m - Brooklyn, New York 1968.. ............................ B.S., Art Education, State University of New York, College at Buffalo 1968 - 1971 ....................... Art Teacher, Toledo Public Schools, Toledo, Ohio 1975.. ............................ M.A. Art History, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio 1976 - 1981 ..................... Educational consultant & lecturer Columbus Museum of Art 1976 - Present ................... Professor of Art History, Franklin University, Columbus, CM 1978 - P r e s e n t ................... Director Franklin University Gallery Columbus, Ohio SELECTED PUBLICATIONS (1981, September). Myths & Legends: Tales of New York and the Midwest. Artworkers News, pp. 7, 9. (1982, November). Elijah Pierce: The preservation of tradition. Art & Artists, pp. 15-16. (1985, September-October). Corporate Patronage: Columbus in search of itself. Dialogue 8 (5), 18-22. (1986, March-April). A celebration of art & life. Dialogue 9 (2), 22-23. FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Art Education Studies in Arts Administration, Multi & Cross-Cultural Research, and Exhibition Programming. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION.................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS............................................. iii VITA .......................................................... iv TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................... v LIST OF TABLES ............................................... vii LIST OF FIGURES.............................................. viii CHAPTER PAGE I. THE PREMISES FOR VIEWING ART OPENINGS AS RITUALS 1 Overview...................................... 1 Statement of the Problem ....................... 4 The Investigative Focus of the St u d y ............ 8 Significance of the S t u d y ..................... 11 Significant Prior Research..................... 16 Limitations of the Study ....................... 18 II. LITERATURE REVIEW OF RITUAL 21 Early Definitions and Theory aboutRitual .... 21 Modem Viewpoints on R i t u a l ................... 26 Inverted Behaviors ............................. 29 T r i b a l i s m ..................................... 31 Ritual Studies................................. 33 Celebration ............................. 36 Secular Rituals ............. 42 v III. METHODOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK 48 Intent and F o c u s ............................... 48 Emic Research ................................. 49 Selection of S i t e s ............................. 57 Rationale for the Use of Ethnographic Methods . 61 Ethnographic Techniques Collecting D a t a ............................. 62 Background Research ....................... 62 Recording the Setting and Personnel Interactions 62 Participant Observation..................... 64 Informant Interviewing..................... 70 Event Analysis............................. 77 Additional Techniques ..................... 79 Interpretation of D a t a ......................... 82 IV. THE OVERALL SETTING OF THE THREE EXHIBITION SITES 86 Overview...................................... 86 The C i t y ...................................... 87 The Arts Community............................. 92 Culture Watchers ............................... 99 The Audience..................................... 103 V. OBSERVATIONS AT THE THREE EXHIBITION SITES 106 Overview......................................... 106 The Columbus Museum of Art . ....................110 Gallery 200 161 Artreach ....................................... 197 VI. ART OPENINGS AS CELEBRATORY TRIBAL RITUALS 254 Part One A Rationale for Viewing Openings as Rituals . 254 Openings as Tribal Occasions..................... 254 Characteristics of Opening and Celebratory Rituals 258 Conclusions ..................................... 269 Part Two Problems......................................... 273 Observations ................................... 277 Implications for Further Study ....................280 LIST OF REFERENCES...........................................288 LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE 1. Observation Schedule................................... 69 2. General Question Format — Organizers of Events .... 73 3. General Question Format — Artists......................74 4. General Question Format — Culture Watchers ........... 75 5. Art Sector Contact P o i n t s ............................. 95 6. We-They Syndrome Chart .............................. 96 vii LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE PAGE 1. Floorplan, Columbus Museum of A r t ...................... 112 2. Floorplan, Gallery 200 174 3. Floorplan, Artreach................................... 228 viii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Overview Art had its beginnings in ritual. In our segmented, pluralistic society art has become separated from ritual and daily life. Recently, however, for a variety of reasons, there has been a renewed interest in pursuing the primal connections between art and ritual in our culture. Ritual has come to be generally regarded as a specific means through which art, meaning, and human life become fully integrated— a collective phenomena, whereby the beliefs and aspirations of art and artist are shared and felt by the community or audience. Most often the contem­ porary link between art and ritual has focused on the performing arts. Yet the earliest surviving remains of ritual art activity from prehistory are artifacts of the visual arts. These remnant images rendered in