Museum salutes America
August 01, 2008
By Andrew McGinn
SPRINGFIELD, OH — The Founding Fathers gave us
the right to walk into an institution as hallowed as
the Springfield Museum of Art and ask, without fear
of repercussion, "Is it art?"
Case in point: The placard below an object in the museum's new "Art & Politics" exhibit reads, without a whiff of irony, "lithography on metal."
The object?
A metal trash can with a caricature of Nixon veep Spiro T. Agnew on it.
So is it art?
Well, there's no denying what is — a nearby oil painting, for example, of Theodore Roosevelt by the 19th century Springfield portrait artist Silas Jerome Uhl.
But as for that trash can, or a paint-by-number — er, "oil on board" — of Old Glory? How about a George H.W. Bush bobblehead or a green glass bottle to commemorate Hubert Humphrey's 1968 bid for the presidency?
Considering it's an election year, the decision is yours.
The offbeat side-exhibit is devoted to all things political. Unlike politics, though, it's all in the name of fun, insists curator Charlotte Gordon. "I've been spending a lot of time at the antique mall," she said. "My goal is to just keep filling it up through Election Day."
And, yes, pretty much anything goes.
"Just found a McGovern tie," she bragged. "I need to press it and hang it up."
The small, eccentric collection ranges from commercially produced goods to fine art and folk and outsider art. More so than maybe even the fine art, the folk and outsider art represent the real America.
From an array of hand-carved Uncle Sams and
carvings of John F. Kennedy in wood and stone to
portraits of various presidents, those works by
people with no formal art training are truly
heartfelt attempts to convey patriotism. Who cares if
that portrait of Gerald Ford doesn't really look like
Gerald Ford? (Was he really that blond?)
Politics, Gordon explained, are a part of every American's life.
"You don't need to be a fine artist," she said, "for it to impact you."
The exhibit does have a serious side, with a few items pertaining to the civil rights struggle. An intense diorama by Colorado folk artist Bill Potts traces the history of blacks from slavery to freedom.
If the exhibit asks anything, it's one question — shouldn't art be democratic, too?
"We all do have a vote," Gordon said.
Case in point: The placard below an object in the museum's new "Art & Politics" exhibit reads, without a whiff of irony, "lithography on metal."
The object?
A metal trash can with a caricature of Nixon veep Spiro T. Agnew on it.
So is it art?
Well, there's no denying what is — a nearby oil painting, for example, of Theodore Roosevelt by the 19th century Springfield portrait artist Silas Jerome Uhl.
But as for that trash can, or a paint-by-number — er, "oil on board" — of Old Glory? How about a George H.W. Bush bobblehead or a green glass bottle to commemorate Hubert Humphrey's 1968 bid for the presidency?
Considering it's an election year, the decision is yours.
The offbeat side-exhibit is devoted to all things political. Unlike politics, though, it's all in the name of fun, insists curator Charlotte Gordon. "I've been spending a lot of time at the antique mall," she said. "My goal is to just keep filling it up through Election Day."
And, yes, pretty much anything goes.
"Just found a McGovern tie," she bragged. "I need to press it and hang it up."
The small, eccentric collection ranges from commercially produced goods to fine art and folk and outsider art. More so than maybe even the fine art, the folk and outsider art represent the real America.
Politics, Gordon explained, are a part of every American's life.
"You don't need to be a fine artist," she said, "for it to impact you."
The exhibit does have a serious side, with a few items pertaining to the civil rights struggle. An intense diorama by Colorado folk artist Bill Potts traces the history of blacks from slavery to freedom.
If the exhibit asks anything, it's one question — shouldn't art be democratic, too?
"We all do have a vote," Gordon said.
