Mission Statement
Previous Issue
Myspace
Editorials
Staff Bios
Feedbackour Mailing L
|
Mission Statement |
|
| June 2008 | ||
Artist Profile: Max Gottesfeld
<= previous The Menzingers Interview p. 2 | I'm Not There next => |
||||||||||||||||
For Max Gottesfeld, an artist residing in Philadelphia, art should not be limited to what is showcased at fancy, suit-n-tie gallery events. His belief that art should be accessible to everyone is reflected in his involvement with various organizations that are the antithesis of stuffy gallery shows. One of the organizations Gottesfeld has worked with in the past and continues to support is the Big Art Show, an organization that is run by a group of artists and volunteers in the greater Philadelphia area. The organization gives local, independent artists the chance to display and sell their work. Gottesfeld explains that one of his favorite aspects of the organization is that it does not charge artists a fee to display their work, and no commission is collected on sold work. “It’s very unpretentious,” says Gottesfeld. “It’s like a carnival and craft show, a punk rock flea market idea of art.” Gottesfeld displayed some his paintings when the Big Art Show held events in Asbury Park, NJ, Brooklyn, Philadelphia and Ohio, and he became involved with the organization through the Renegade Art Coalition, a now defunct organization that had adhered strictly to the do-it-yourself ethics of the punk rock scene. Gottesfeld was one of the core members of the Renegade Art Coalition. “We wanted to take art away from the galleries and gallery owners that monopolize art,” Gottesfeld says of the Renegade Art Coalition. “We wanted to take art off of a pedestal and show anyone can do it.” Instead of holding shows in galleries, the coalition displayed work in bars, churches and other venues in the greater Philadelphia area, especially West Chester. The organizers always charged as little as possible for the shows and incorporated films, punk rock karaoke and live music into the events. |
Max Gottesfeld displaying his art
An example of Gottesfeld's art
|
|||||||||||||||
An Example of Gottesfeld's art. |
|
|||||||||||||||
The Renegade Art shows, which totaled about 10 in number until the organization’s demise in 2006, often had themes that inspired the art. Gottesfeld says that one of his favorite shows involved the use of skateboards as art. The show included about 60 artists and drew about 500 people to a church in West Chester, according to Gottesfeld. For the show, Gottesfeld sliced a skateboard in half, painted it and used poles to make it free-standing. He also created a painting of a saint that utilized a skateboard. Gottesfeld explains that the organization ended because of a show in Bridgeport, Conn. that ended up costing the organization a lot of money that was never regained. The show also had a low turnout, especially compared to the shows in the Philadelphia area that managed to draw a few hundred people. “We had music and brought two cases of Victory beer, but we only had about seven people show up,” Gottesfeld recalls. “It was the worst show we ever had. It broke Renegade Art.” He also blames the organization’s demise on the sense of burn out that the members started to feel. Though Renegade Art may be no more, Gottesfeld is still just as active. He is currently working on a series of paintings that focus on couches and chairs. Gottesfeld had also worked with non-human objects when he created a collection of paintings that focused on houses. Both series challenge what a portrait or landscape should focus on and look like. “I can draw people pretty well, but everyone draws people,” says Gottesfeld. “Why not draw other things and humanize them? I can stick them in any landscape, and they can have multiple meanings.” Gottesfeld also plans on displaying his work at events the Big Art Show runs in the future. |
Gottesfeld's saint painting featured in Renegade Art |
|||||||||||||||
Mission Statement | Editorials | Staff Bios | Feedback | Email Login | Join Our 'Zine's Team | Myspace Copyright: 2008 |
