go see art changes
Post #694 • December 26, 2005, 2:07 PM • 9 Comments
AB/MB taught me an important lesson regarding Go See Art: It is important to know what you're doing, and it is equally important to know what you're not doing.
Go See Art is going to track exhibitions, where they are, when they start, and when they end. It will also allow people to write reviews of them. Right now, thanks to a couple of minor adjustments and some heavy duty site updating, it is now doing this extremely well. I mention it because a dozen shows are coming down in the next two weeks and you might want to see which ones, by hitting Current exhibitions by end date. (Obviously, if I missed something, send info to the address at the site.)
In the near future, there will also be the following options:
Current Exhibitions:
by most reviewed
Future Exhibitions:
by space
by start date
Most recent reviews
Go See Art is not going to track opening receptions, closing receptions, middle-of-the-show receptions, screenings, performances, afterparties, book releases, special kids' days at museums, classes, press previews, VIP events, vernissages, cocktail receptions, or any other stuff. It is just going to cover the above.
Receptions were generating most of the edge cases, and the edge cases were making the site impossible to run. Also, I've become tired of the way the art world runs around the receptions. The site is called Go See Art. Not Go Schmooze Art Worlders or Go See If We Can Score Some Free Liquor. Go See Art. People who want to publicize their receptions are welcome to advertise on the site, which I can now start concentrating on, at least as soon as I get the other stuff working, which shouldn't be too tough.
I also want to mention that while the author of Artblog.net runs this, he designed the GSA format for people for whom the Artblog.net comment format doesn't work so well. People log in, and once they do, they can write one review of each show. They can edit their reviews later. There's not going to be the kind of argumentation and back-and-forth that you find here. I think people have the idea that it's the same deal. It's really not.
Thank you for your patronage.
2.
December 27, 2005, 3:33 AM
Sounds very reasonable to me. I still forsee the listing pages growing very long, and I suggest searching ways to make it more managable (grouping concurrent exhibitions in the same gallery, somehow collecting galleries into categories, etc). As far as leaving out receptions, the only time it's a problem is when a group of galleries have openings on one evening; in this case any art lover should get out and go. But there are plenty of other sites that could point out evenings like that (maybe even CM). I'm also thinking of galleries which have odd hours such as 11-6 m-f, saturday by appt. such as one in this flaming PoC article. w/r/t which, by the way, what the hell is that all about? The choice of galleries to feature left me without speech - I mean, vanity-space Fache Arts?? Yikes!
3.
December 27, 2005, 4:00 AM
For anyone interested, I just posted a review on Go See Art of the Oehlen show at MOCA.
4.
December 27, 2005, 5:52 AM
You would probably have to explain to the Herald what a "vanity space" is, Alesh. Their cluelessness is likely deeper than you think.
5.
December 27, 2005, 9:45 AM
Alesh, just explain to the people at the Herald that a vanity space is the art-gallery equivalent of their arts coverage, though possibly not quite as lame, and certainly more easily overlooked.
6.
December 27, 2005, 10:06 AM
The author of the article linked by Alesh has been the subject of discussion here before.
Alesh, searching is going to need to be a big part of GSA, notably "Display exhibitions by [select gallery]" and the like. Again, now that I know the scope of GSA's mandate, it becomes possible to build the requisite search scripts. You're also right that the blogs could take up the slack on the openings. In fact, I'm counting on it. One of the reasons I decided that it would be okay to not cover them on GSA is because the blogs have generally been doing a good job on that already. The world doesn't need more comprehensive portal sites - it needs specific ones with high-quality data. My gut tells me that if I do these few things well, users will organize themselves around them and it will all work out. Advertising on this thing is going to be as cheap as dirt, just enough to keep out the spammers and give me a little something for my time.
7.
December 27, 2005, 12:44 PM
Okay. We have Future exhibitions by space and start date. This, however, needs updating.
8.
December 27, 2005, 9:52 PM
Albert Oehlen has the financial means to display his ego. Thats all. Conceptually most of us can't compete. I hope that the MOCA gets something from this in order to help to create programs for both kids in need and the artists that have skill but no studio or money, but i doubt it.
9.
December 29, 2005, 2:28 AM
Jordan, the way I look at it, the bigger you make something, especially a painting, the more it needs to justify its size (and existence). That means that, if I don't like a painting, the bigger it is, the more it pisses me off.
1.
Jack
December 27, 2005, 2:55 AM
We definitely need future shows listed by start date.