Thursday, April 28, 2011

Public service public art project

Every day we’re exposed to hundreds or thousands of messages vying for our attention. It’s a non-stop assault waged by advertisers and evangelists, friends and politicians, a battle where a moment with our minds is the sole prize and issues such as health care, immigration, intelligent design, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq must compete for our engagement with mom and MTV and New Tide with protein power and Rush Limbaugh. The issues frequently lose. They lose and before we know it, today’s concerns have become tomorrow’s history.

Sometimes it’s only then, with the weight of history attached to them, that certain topics achieve their appropriate resonance in our lives.

Public Service Public Art Project subverts traditional platforms of historical information, the historical marker and historical plaque, in order to add the weight of history to some of today’s most pressing issues. This, hopefully, will help people to view them with more gravitas.

Whereas traditional historical markers celebrate the site of a battle or the birthplace of a famous person, mine deal with contemporary concerns: homelessness, health care, immigration, tv violence. One reads: ON THIS SITE STOOD JANE KING, WHOSE WHITE MALE COWORKERS EARN 39% MORE THAN SHE DOES FOR DOING THE SAME JOB. They are all on topics of national interest.

I propose placing 6-10 ‘historic’ markers and 3-5 bronze plaques in lower Manhattan from Memorial Day through Labor day, 2013.

THE 'HISTORICAL' SIGNS

(Click on this one to see it larger)


















THE ARTIST'S BIO
Norm Magnusson b. 1960
(845) 679-6662 mossmag@aol.com www.funism.com

PUBLIC ART PROJECTS

2010 (January) "Sculpture Key West 2010" Key West, FL
2010 (spring) “On this site stood – Lower Manhattan,” N.Y., NY
2009 “Sculpture Key West 2009,” Key West, FL
2007 “On this site stood,” The Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, Ridgefield, CT.
2006 “The Byrdcliffe Outdoor Sculpture Show,” Woodstock, N.Y.
2006 “Unexpected Catskills” Byrdcliffe Arts Colony, Woodstock, N.Y.
2005 “Karen DeWitt,” Historical marker with political content installed on
Heart’s Content Road in Greene County, N.Y.
2004 “Do unto others,” “Practice what you preach” Two :30 videos that aired 96 times on national tv leading up the Nov., 2004 election.
2003 “Jesus loves you, Bush doesn’t” Viral internet project
2000 “Pull toy” Cow Parade, Riverside Park, N.Y., N.Y.

SOLO MUSEUM EXHIBITIONS

2009 “Descent into the political” Bard College at Simon’s Rock, Great Barrington, MA
2007 On this site stood" The Main St. Sculpture Project of The Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, Ridgefield, CT.
2003 “Metaphorical Menagerie” Pember Museum, Granville, N.Y.
2001 “Image and Allegory,” The University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS
2000 “Norm Magnusson -- American Painter” The Springfield Art Museum, MO

SOLO GALLERY EXHIBITIONS

2008 “Youth Culture in America” Muddycup Gallery, Kingston, N.Y.
“America's Seven Cardinal Virtues” Van Brunt Gallery, Beacon, N.Y.
2006 “America’s Seven Deadly Sins” Van Brunt Gallery, Beacon, N.Y.
2004 “Figures of speech in paint” Inquiring Mind Gallery, Saugerties, N.Y.
2003 “Vacation” Spike Gallery, N.Y., N.Y.
2002 “After the 11th” BridgewaterFineArts, N.Y., N.Y.
2001 “The Animal Alphabet” Bridgewater/Lustberg/Blumenfeld, N.Y. 2001
1999 “Central Park Animals - Then and Now” The Arsenal Gallery, Central Park, N.Y. , N.Y.
1998 “American Paintings” Bridgewater/Lustberg Gallery, N.Y.
1997 “Norm Magnusson” J.J. Brookings Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
1997 “Travelogue” Bridgewater/Lustberg Gallery
1996 “Norm Magnusson” Picturesque Gallery, Akaroa, New Zealand
1995 “Bestiary” Bridgewater/Lustberg Gallery
1994 “The Normandy Paintings” Bridgewater/Lustberg Gallery
1993 “Recent paintings” The Gallery Upstairs at Flamingo East, NYC
1992 “Norm Magnusson” The Gallery Upstairs at Flamingo East, NYC

GROUP MUSEUM EXHIBITIONS

2009 “Food” Muroff Kotler Visual Arts Gallery, SUNY Ulster, Stone Ridge, NY
2005 “Over the top - Under the rug” The Shore Institute of Contemporary Arts
2003 “Genetic expressions: Art after DNA” Hecksher Museum, Huntington, NY
2000 “Animals in Art” The Anchorage Museum of History and Art, Alaska

SELECTED GROUP SHOWS

2009 “Decorating nature” Gallery 668, Battenville, N.Y.
“spctclr vws” One Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn, NY
“Inaugural” Van Brunt Gallery, Beacon, NY
2008 “Hudson Valley Invitational” Van Brunt Gallery, Beacon, N.Y.
“Animal allegories” Gallery 668, Battenville, N.Y.
“Wild thing” Ira Wolk Gallery, Napa, CA
“Strange bedfellows” Le Petit Versailles, NYC
2007 “Variations on a rainbow” Le Petit Versailles, N.Y., N.Y.
“About face: artists not afraid of U-turns” GCCA, Catskill, N.Y.
2006 “New Hudson Room” Van Brunt Gallery, Beacon, N.Y.
2005 “Compared to what” Gallery OneTwentyEight, N.Y., N.Y.
“This is not an archive” Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y.
2004 “Ambush” VanBrunt Gallery, N.Y., N.Y.
“Happy Art for a sad world” Spike Gallery, N.Y., N.Y.
2002 “Reactions” Exit Art, N.Y., N.Y.
“Biennial” Bradford Brinton Memorial, Big Horn, Wyoming
2000 “Animals as Symbol” Curated online exhibition, Guild.com
“Salon” HereArt, N.Y., N.Y.
1999 “Urbiculture” Sylvia White Gallery, N.Y., N.Y.
“A big show of small work” Bridgewater/Lustberg/Blumenfeld, N.Y.
“Portraits 2” Jorgenson Gallery, N.Y., N.Y.
“Wish you were here” Elsa Mott Ives Gallery, N.Y., N.Y.
“Framed” Elsa Mott Ives Gallery, N.Y., N.Y.
1998 “Open your heart” Leo Castelli Gallery, New York, N.Y.
“A big show of small works” Bridgewater/Lustberg, New York, N.Y.
“Anima Mundi” Bridgewater/Lustberg, New York, N.Y.
1997 “Whit, Whimsy & Humor” Castle Gallery, New Rochelle, N.Y.
“Winter show” J. Cacciola Gallery, New York, N.Y.
“PhotoSoho” Buhl Foundation, New York, N.Y.
“Art walk ‘97 Show” J.J. Brookings Gallery, San Francico, CA.
“A big show of small work 2” Bridgewater/Lustberg, NYC
1996 “A big show of small work” Bridgewater/Lustberg, New York, N.Y.
“Summer exhibition” J. Cacciola Gallery, New York, N.Y.
1995 “Creative Conflict” Elsa Mott Ives Gallery, New York, N.Y.
“High/Low/Art Soup” Renee Fotouhi Fine Art, East Hampton, N.Y.
“Animal Kingdom” The Union League Club, New York, N.Y.
“Open your heart” Christinerose Gallery, New York, N.Y.
“Preview of 1995” J. Cacciola Gallery, New York, N.Y.
1994 “Then and Now” Bridgewater/Lustberg Gallery, New York,N.Y.
“Summer 1994” J. Cacciola Gallery, New York, N.Y.
“Accidental Tourist” Bridgewater/Lustberg Gallery, New York, N.Y.
“Garden in the Gallery” Elsa Mott Ives Gallery, New York, N.Y.
1994 “Group Show” Galerie Antoinette, Paris, France
1993 “Celebration of Victor Hugo” Galerie Les Etelles, Villequier, France
“Group Show” Galerie Antoinette, Paris, France
"Apres New York" Galerie Les Etelles, Villequier, France

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

"Descent Art", Woodstock Times, November 5, 2009

"Norm Magnusson’s ‘historical markers’”, Woodstock Times, July 31, 2008

“Norm Magnusson” Sculpture, June 2008

“On this site stood a man with a message” The New York Times, Sep. 30, 2007

"Signposting America," Eyeteeth: A journal of incisive ideas, Aug. 18, 2007

“Standing ground – The Aldrich goes Americana, sort of”, Bedford Mag., July 2007

"Parting shot: Norm Magnusson," Chronogram, August, 2007

“Magnusson’s markers highlight social issues,” Ridgefield Press, July 12, 2007

“I saw the sign”, Modern Painters, June 2007

"Norm Magnusson - On this site stood," American Towns, June 3, 2007

“On this site stood: culture jamming history,” Art Threat, May 29, 2007

“Énoncé de l’artiste,” Esse arts + opinion, Spring-summer 2007

"Painting politics," The Woodstock Times, August 3, 2006

“A blossoming of political art” The Huffington Post, June 6, 2006

“Art that pushes the limits of studio walls,” Atlanticville Press, September 7, 2005

“Caution: angry artists at work,” The New York Times, August 27, 2004

“Vacation,” The New York Times, September 12, 2003.

“Norm Magnusson,” The Week, August 29, 2003.

"Images of a beautiful era, and of scientific breakthroughs," The NY Times, July 27, 2003

"Pember Museum has Art Exhibit," The Granville Sentinel, February 19, 2003

“Artist’s ‘funism’ provides lesson behind each animal,” Springfield News Leader,
October 18, 2000

"The Artist’s Way," Adweek, August 16, 1999

"Norm Magnusson," Review, March 1, 1997

"Travels with Magnusson," Where New York, February, 1997

"Ecological awareness with paint and a brush," The Villager, February 12, 1997

"From the Big Apple to Akaroa," The Press (Christchurch), March 27, 1996

"Fun-ism in art," The Beta Theta Pi Magazine, Spring 1996

"Museum/Gallery Notes," Wildlife Art News, Sept./Oct. 1995

"Norm Magnusson," Cover, September, 1995

"Viel Rauch um nichts," Der Vogel, August 18, 1995

"Raw News," Raw Vision, Summer 1995

"Animal Rites," The Villager, June 28, 1995

"Norm Magnusson," The New Yorker, February 28, 1994

“Scene Change,” The Villager, February 16, 1994

"Dimanche, les ecoliers invitaient aussi a voter," Le Courier Cauchois, March 27, 1993.

"La peinture sur le chemin des ecoliers," Le Courier Cauchois, January 23, 1993.

"A la decouvert d’un peintre americain avec les ecoliers de Villequier,"
Paris Normandie, 1/22/93

"A Self-taught Village Artist Creates a ‘Funism’ Style," The Villager, Sept. 9, 1992.

"Enjoyable and Accessible Art," The Villager, August 19, 1992.

MUSEUM COLLECTIONS

Anchorage Museum of History and Art - Anchorage, Alaska
The Museum of Modern Art - New York, N.Y.
(Franklin Furnace/Artist’s book collection)
The Springfield Art Museum - Springfield, Missouri
The Pember Museum - Granville, N.Y.

SELECTED PRIVATE COLLECTIONS

Mr. William Burback Garrison, N.Y.
Mr. and Mrs. Kristen and Johann Eveland New Canaan, CT.
Mr. Kenneth Cole New York, N.Y.
Mr. and Mrs. Ione and Marshall Crenshaw Rhinebeck, N.Y.
Mr. Laurence Rockefeller New York, N.Y.
Ms. Jill Sobule Los Angeles, CA
Mr. & Mrs. Andy and Kate Spade New York, N.Y.
Mr. Theo Spencer New York, N.Y.
Dr. & Mrs. Harlan Waksal Telluride, Colorado
Tanya Wexler & Amy Zimmerman New York, N.Y.

PUBLIC/CORPORATE COLLECTIONS

AmSouth Bank - Birmingham, Alabama
Fidelity Insurance - Boston, Mass.
Kenneth Cole - New York, N.Y.
Simmons, U.S.A. - Atlanta, Georgia

AWARDS

Lower Manhattan Cultural Council 2008
Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant, 1998-1999

A NICE REVIEW OF THE MARKERS WHEN THEY WERE INSTALLED AT THE ALDRICH CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM