Knitters beat MGM Mirage in Public Art Media Blitz

I am sorry if I was unclear- I was not stating my opinion- I was stating what I think the opinion of the newspaper editors are, who are publishing this piece.
This is based on the newspaper editor around here, who I know pretty well.

I, personally, do not draw a line between community based arts, and "high" art. I think its all part of the same continuim, and equally valid and interesting. I do think there is a distinct category of publicly funded art, mainly for civic buildings, which has different rules, requirements, and end results, than temporary community based pieces, but I like both.

I like the knitted stuff quite a bit. And I am a craft based artist myself, and do not in any way disparage hand/eye skills.

I would like to also point out that, even before Knitta, many artists have been doing this kind of thing.
I like the work of Robyn Love, for example, which was recently pointed out to me by a friend-
http://robynlove.com/
She has been doing this sort of public, knitted interventions since the mid 90's.
And also Freddie Robins, from the UK- check out her knitted wedding-
http://www.freddierobins.com/
http://www.castoff.info/wedding.asp

I have been knitting, myself, since the late 60's, although I am more of a Crochet Man most of the time.

I'd have to disagree with Reis - I think it's more than "wacky artists doing something amusing". The amazing thing about the knitted public art is that it shows how a community-based public art project, where actual community members take part in the creation and where the installation is in a place where people live and work, is actually much more vital to communities than the expansion of a casino, even if it does include the expansion of world-class collections. When it comes down to it, when i'm walking to work in the morning and am able to participate in the creation of a tree-sweater (being a knitter myself), I am much more likely to feel engaged - than I am reading about a casino.

What bothers me about what Reis says is that there is still a clear line in the arts world between "community arts", which in the way it's described above make it sound as though it's superfluous, and "high art", which is clearly more important to communities.

Field, we've got to find a way to get past this.

Note from the Artists in Yellow Springs.

We outstripped mgm, LOL! Oh my lord, you know, I am astounded our knit knot tree got so much press, who would have guessed. There was no feminist agenda or political or otherwise. We did it for fun, Nancy and I, just like many of the projects we do around Yellow Springs. We also as members of the local arts council try to come up with fun ways to promote the arts on a budget of err, let's see, hum zero.
WE have the back story on the tree on our website (non commercial) www.jafagirlart.com
You will see that we were actually inspired by knitta last year when we started the project. They are an amazing group and certainly deserve major credit for taking knitting to a whole new level.

From Jonny McKerr of Craigavon, Northern Ireland
This is really cool!

Reis Writes

I think you are reading too much into the disparity in press coverage.

One is a cute, human interest story. The majority of papers reprinting the Ohio knitting piece (and my rural paper did so) are entirely oblivious to the issues of public art, funding, access, class and critical theory you allude to.
Instead, they see wacky artists doing something amusing.
With a picture.

This kind of street art is not exactly "public art", unless public art as a category includes graffiti, posters, busking and mime. Which is not to put it down in any way- I like it a lot. I went to a workshop the original Knitta's put on here in Seattle a while ago, and I dug em.

The aspects of the feminist craft revival that I find interesting, that the Knittas and this Ohio group are commenting on, however, like the anti-consumerism angle, the feminisation and softening of mostly male designed public spaces, the demand to recognize the importance, both culturally and artistically of historically female crafts, none of these are even touched on in the "human interest" reporting on this piece.

Meanwhile, in Vegas, we have another yawn inducing example of developers using artists as high end decorators, to gain a bit of cultural cachet. None of these artists are being given any control over the space- these are all plop and drops of "culture".

There may have been a time when Jenny Holzer was subversive- but her format and simulcrums of her messages have been co-opted decades ago by advertisers and commercial space designers. Maya Lin's work at the Vietnam Memorial has a subtle power that is reinforced by the environment- but hanging above a reception desk, I somehow fail to be convinced it will change the way people think, or make them cry. Nancy Rubins, whose work I, personally, adore, will probably just mystify visitors who quickly gaze away.

So I am not surprised this didnt get much press. There is nothing new, nothing exciting, and nothing even scandalous or titalating about any of this work.

In fact, it brings up the old "how low will you go" conundrum. Right before he was deposed, the Shah of Iran was preparing to commission a bunch of artists to produce huge, expensive works in Tehran. There was a big buzz in the Artworld as to how moral it was to create work for a guy whose secret police tortured religious radicals to death. Some artists refused, others claimed their art was removed from his politics.

Similarly, how much money is enough to decorate a casino? Not to infer that Steve Wynn tortures anybody, at least, not physically.

By the way- love your new format- even if I seem to be incapable of satisfying Captcha.

Weiss Responds
I don't think I am making to much from the difference. Public art is a public artform and we need to understand the vehicles to touch the public. Media is one method, so studying success and failure helps us understand. Another method is to learn from Gromley's has amazing success in attracting the internet photographer.

I need to visit Denver to see the public winner amoung the giant pop creatures: the Blue Bear, The Silver Cow and Calf, the Horse on a Red Chair and Jimenez's new Blue Stalion at the entry to the airport. How and why is pop working for contact with the public?

PS. Thanks to AJ Founder Doug McLellan for the new Design