Petition_to_Allow_Detroit_Artists_to

This open petition may be signed by anyone. Advocacy is the first step toward positive change. The petition has been phrased to reflect that spirit.

So please, support this good effort: forward and circulate it to your friends and colleagues.

Thank you,

Jef Bourgeau

Director

MONA

(Click image to add your name to the petition)

A Petition to Allow Detroit Artists to Exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit:

We the undersigned hereby support and encourage a new and more vigorous policy at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) to both consider and include Detroit artists into its curated exhibitions.

NAME:

CITY:

OCCUPATION:

Signatories to date:

Sharon Que, Sculptor, Ann Arbor; Woody Miller, Managing Editor, Detroit; Bryant Tillman, Artist, Detroit; John Miller, Artist and Architect, Birmingham; Mary Carolan, Artist, Detroit; Lucio Pozzi, Artist, New York; Kelly Fitzsimmons, Photographer, Rochester Hills; Adam Klimek, Illustrator, Farmington Hills; Frank M. Edwards, Collector and Vice-President Nylube Inc., Royal Oak; Timea Kristof, Painter, Pontiac; Nika Oblak, Artist, Ljubljana; Michael Sarnacki, Photographer and Director of Detroit Focus, Royal Oak; Kim Fay, Artist, Lathrup Village; Mixie Hockman, Studio Potter, Birmingham; Craig Paul Nowak, Ad Coordinator, Brighton ; Marla Karimipour, Artist, Bloomfield Hills; Caterina Davino, Artist, Monza; Liz Koblinski, Art Appraiser, Detroit; Cyrus Karimipour, Artist, Bloomfield Hills; Linda Golden, Artist and Designer, Bloomfield Hills; Flávia Fernandes, Artist, Florianópolis; Joe Feinstein, Playwright, West Bloomfield; Ray Chimienti, Designer and Collector, Westland; Kevin R. Eckert, Manager, Royal Oak; Roberto Scala, Contemporary Art Instructor, Massa Lubrense; Bonnie Abiko, Professor Emeritus, Rochester; Cristina Pavesi, Artist, Milan; Mary Rousseaux, Artist and Educator, Royal Oak; Kim Sibley, Photography Studio Manager, New Haven; Ian Swanson, Artist and Gallerist, St. Clair Shores; Susan Macdonald, Artist and Director Emeritus, Curridabat; Abbigail Israelsen, Artist, Bloomington; Ross Arthur Miller, Photographer, Dearborn; Diane Bush, Artist, Las Vegas; Oliver Aguilar, Designer and Collector, Detroit/Chicago; Vito Pace, Artist, Berlin; Gruppo Sinestico, Artists, Padua; Suki Kang, Gallery Curator, Seoul; Doron Furman, Artist, Tel Aviv; Maz Jackson, Painter, Norfolk - UK; Paul Klein, Art Advocate, Chicago; Victor Romao, Artist, Windsor; Joe Kuszai, Professor of Art, East Lansing; Erik Pevernagie, Artist, Brussels; Primoz Novak, Artist, Ljubljana; Cherie Sampson, Artist and Educator, Columbia; Bernard Plasse, Gallerist, Marseille; Marc van der Marck, Artist, Amsterdam; Dolores Burdick, Professor Emeritus, Kenosha; Lasse Lau, Filmmaker and Visual Artist, Bruxelles; Liz-N-Val, Artists, New York; Peter O'Keefe, Video Producer and Filmmaker, South Bend; Dion Laurent, Artist, Houston; Natasha Beste, Video Artist, Lake Orion; Julia Fischbach, Gallerista, Chicago; Olga Ast, Artist, New York; Lucie Bourgeau, Film Production Coordinator, Los Angeles; Warren Keith Wright, Freelance Editor, Arbyrd; Katie Caron, Artist and Professor of Arts, Denver; Nina Yankowitz, Artist, New York; Ryan Schroeder, Artist, Brooklyn; Alfred C. Saletta, Patron, Manassas; Nikos Giavropoulos, Artist, Athens; Scott Patria, Gallerist and Curator, Chicago; Sasha Bezzubov, Artist, Brooklyn; Michelangelo Penso, Artist, Venice; Josee Vincken, Artist, Amsterdam; Rafael Roa, Video Artist, Madrid; Julie Meitz, Video Artist and VJ, Lyon; Mariella Bettineschi, Artist, Italy; . . .

Arguments:

The petition would champion this one belief: the intrinsic belief that art should not disappear from the historical, cultural, or social contexts that have given them their particular identity, connecting them with the place and time of their creation. It is the failure of this connection that disturbs any cultural continuity and the ability for any art community to grow, prosper and evolve.

- R. Brilliant

The city needs a museum that deals with what's here, that addresses the city's present culture and its future as well, that embraces our history and nurtures our future, that appreciates the artists who have paved the way and still contribute, that opens doors for the next generation of artists, that gives our many fine art schools' students a reason to stay after graduation and that taps into the breadth of all the home-grown arts of which we are so damned proud.
- P. Klein

Sitôt is an adverb in French that is generally used to designate a moment in time that has just passed — sitôt après - immediately after — or something that is about to happen as in the expression no sooner said than done. It implies a certain (physical) movement or action (trajectory) to be taken, a firm commitment that lies somewhere between the knowledge of the past and the unknown of the future.
In other words, there’s no better time than the present to act. The whole notion of immediacy, of taking action or the taking up of arms appeals to me greatly. The desire and hope then is to capture what is being thought about and talked about by artists here and everywhere - all together in this moment.

- D. Forbes

Also at: http://detroitmona.com/Exhibits/Petition_Detroit_Artists.htm

*We apologize if you have received more than one announcement. Some of our favorite people are listed in more than one database, and may receive multiple requests by mistake.

April 12, 2006:

Before it opened, a group of Detroit artists sat down with the founding members of the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD). We talked about local and regional artist inclusion at the museum and presented them with the letter/petition below. The MOCAD group applauded and agreed full-heartedly to our simple request. In fact, they told us they could have written the letter themselves. However, three years have now passed without active pursuance of these agreed considerations.

The Original 2006 Petition/Letter:

Dear MOCAD,

For the last three decades, there has been a lack of recognition and institutional support for Detroit-based art.

What has to be placed into context is that Detroit does have an art history of its own, albeit unchronicled; that Detroit artists have always been aware of the art being made elsewhere, but have retained a stubborn confidence in their own talent - enabling them to make a brand of solid art uniquely their own.

We live in a global marketplace for art, so any effort to break down any old notions of regionalism is a good thing. New York is a region, as are Los Angeles, London, Berlin and Paris. They just have maintained bigger platforms than Detroit in terms of spreading the word. With any such new project as MOCAD, it must look at the talent that will support it. MOCAD will not simply make its mark by recycling global art here, but by including the best of Detroit's in that mix.

We need to be reminded that Detroit doesn't need to be further isolated, that we will not succeed as an arts' venue merely on the quality of visiting art. It is not sufficient to just import good art. For real success at MOCAD, the city’s own talent also needs to garner attention, to be written about, to be heard, and to be seen in a global context as well. In turn this will give both Detroit and MOCAD a distinct art context of their own.

MOCAD hopefully will develop this active and critical dialogue about culture in our city in concert with that of the world. A dialogue we hope that will be ongoing, inclusive and participatory with each and every exhibition.

For any art community to flourish, it has to feed itself. It creates a contemporary museum that serves out-of-town fare along with local dishes. This in turn creates a dialogue between a complex of artists and art communities.

Through MOCAD, different kinds of artists using different mediums will be encouraged to exhibit here and share ideas with Detroit’s artists, all in pursuit of a shared voice, a voice that then allows us to connect with each other, back and forward.

We therefore request that the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) not exclude Detroit artists from its coming exhibitions, and further petition them to remove any such restrictions from their mission or future considerations.

Yours truly,

The Detroit Artists Group for MOCAD Action

*(delivered by Nick Sousanis, John Miller, Ann Gordon, John Cynar, and Jef Bourgeau.)

	This open petition may be signed by anyone. Advocacy is the first step toward positive change. The petition has been phrased to reflect that spirit. So please, support this good effort: forward and circulate it to your friends and colleagues. Thank you, Jef Bourgeau Director MONA (Click image to add your name to the petition) A Petition to Allow Detroit Artists to Exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit: We the undersigned hereby support and encourage a new and more vigorous policy at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) to both consider and include Detroit artists into its curated exhibitions. NAME: CITY: OCCUPATION: Signatories to date: Sharon Que, Sculptor, Ann Arbor; Woody Miller, Managing Editor, Detroit; Bryant Tillman, Artist, Detroit; John Miller, Artist and Architect, Birmingham; Mary Carolan, Artist, Detroit; Lucio Pozzi, Artist, New York; Kelly Fitzsimmons, Photographer, Rochester Hills; Adam Klimek, Illustrator, Farmington Hills; Frank M. Edwards, Collector and Vice-President Nylube Inc., Royal Oak; Timea Kristof, Painter, Pontiac; Nika Oblak, Artist, Ljubljana; Michael Sarnacki, Photographer and Director of Detroit Focus, Royal Oak; Kim Fay, Artist, Lathrup Village; Mixie Hockman, Studio Potter, Birmingham; Craig Paul Nowak, Ad Coordinator, Brighton ; Marla Karimipour, Artist, Bloomfield Hills; Caterina Davino, Artist, Monza; Liz Koblinski, Art Appraiser, Detroit; Cyrus Karimipour, Artist, Bloomfield Hills; Linda Golden, Artist and Designer, Bloomfield Hills; Flávia Fernandes, Artist, Florianópolis; Joe Feinstein, Playwright, West Bloomfield; Ray Chimienti, Designer and Collector, Westland; Kevin R. Eckert, Manager, Royal Oak; Roberto Scala, Contemporary Art Instructor, Massa Lubrense; Bonnie Abiko, Professor Emeritus, Rochester; Cristina Pavesi, Artist, Milan; Mary Rousseaux, Artist and Educator, Royal Oak; Kim Sibley, Photography Studio Manager, New Haven; Ian Swanson, Artist and Gallerist, St. Clair Shores; Susan Macdonald, Artist and Director Emeritus, Curridabat; Abbigail Israelsen, Artist, Bloomington; Ross Arthur Miller, Photographer, Dearborn; Diane Bush, Artist, Las Vegas; Oliver Aguilar, Designer and Collector, Detroit/Chicago; Vito Pace, Artist, Berlin; Gruppo Sinestico, Artists, Padua; Suki Kang, Gallery Curator, Seoul; Doron Furman, Artist, Tel Aviv; Maz Jackson, Painter, Norfolk - UK; Paul Klein, Art Advocate, Chicago; Victor Romao, Artist, Windsor; Joe Kuszai, Professor of Art, East Lansing; Erik Pevernagie, Artist, Brussels; Primoz Novak, Artist, Ljubljana; Cherie Sampson, Artist and Educator, Columbia; Bernard Plasse, Gallerist, Marseille; Marc van der Marck, Artist, Amsterdam; Dolores Burdick, Professor Emeritus, Kenosha; Lasse Lau, Filmmaker and Visual Artist, Bruxelles; Liz-N-Val, Artists, New York; Peter O'Keefe, Video Producer and Filmmaker, South Bend; Dion Laurent, Artist, Houston; Natasha Beste, Video Artist, Lake Orion; Julia Fischbach, Gallerista, Chicago; Olga Ast, Artist, New York; Lucie Bourgeau, Film Production Coordinator, Los Angeles; Warren Keith Wright, Freelance Editor, Arbyrd; Katie Caron, Artist and Professor of Arts, Denver; Nina Yankowitz, Artist, New York; Ryan Schroeder, Artist, Brooklyn; Alfred C. Saletta, Patron, Manassas; Nikos Giavropoulos, Artist, Athens; Scott Patria, Gallerist and Curator, Chicago; Sasha Bezzubov, Artist, Brooklyn; Michelangelo Penso, Artist, Venice; Josee Vincken, Artist, Amsterdam; Rafael Roa, Video Artist, Madrid; Julie Meitz, Video Artist and VJ, Lyon; Mariella Bettineschi, Artist, Italy; . . . Arguments: The petition would champion this one belief: the intrinsic belief that art should not disappear from the historical, cultural, or social contexts that have given them their particular identity, connecting them with the place and time of their creation. It is the failure of this connection that disturbs any cultural continuity and the ability for any art community to grow, prosper and evolve. - R. Brilliant The city needs a museum that deals with what's here, that addresses the city's present culture and its future as well, that embraces our history and nurtures our future, that appreciates the artists who have paved the way and still contribute, that opens doors for the next generation of artists, that gives our many fine art schools' students a reason to stay after graduation and that taps into the breadth of all the home-grown arts of which we are so damned proud. - P. Klein Sitôt is an adverb in French that is generally used to designate a moment in time that has just passed — sitôt après - immediately after — or something that is about to happen as in the expression no sooner said than done. It implies a certain (physical) movement or action (trajectory) to be taken, a firm commitment that lies somewhere between the knowledge of the past and the unknown of the future. In other words, there’s no better time than the present to act. The whole notion of immediacy, of taking action or the taking up of arms appeals to me greatly. The desire and hope then is to capture what is being thought about and talked about by artists here and everywhere - all together in this moment. - D. Forbes Also at: http://detroitmona.com/Exhibits/Petition_Detroit_Artists.htm *We apologize if you have received more than one announcement. Some of our favorite people are listed in more than one database, and may receive multiple requests by mistake.

	April 12, 2006: Before it opened, a group of Detroit artists sat down with the founding members of the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD). We talked about local and regional artist inclusion at the museum and presented them with the letter/petition below. The MOCAD group applauded and agreed full-heartedly to our simple request. In fact, they told us they could have written the letter themselves. However, three years have now passed without active pursuance of these agreed considerations. The Original 2006 Petition/Letter: Dear MOCAD, For the last three decades, there has been a lack of recognition and institutional support for Detroit-based art. What has to be placed into context is that Detroit does have an art history of its own, albeit unchronicled; that Detroit artists have always been aware of the art being made elsewhere, but have retained a stubborn confidence in their own talent - enabling them to make a brand of solid art uniquely their own. We live in a global marketplace for art, so any effort to break down any old notions of regionalism is a good thing. New York is a region, as are Los Angeles, London, Berlin and Paris. They just have maintained bigger platforms than Detroit in terms of spreading the word. With any such new project as MOCAD, it must look at the talent that will support it. MOCAD will not simply make its mark by recycling global art here, but by including the best of Detroit's in that mix. We need to be reminded that Detroit doesn't need to be further isolated, that we will not succeed as an arts' venue merely on the quality of visiting art. It is not sufficient to just import good art. For real success at MOCAD, the city’s own talent also needs to garner attention, to be written about, to be heard, and to be seen in a global context as well. In turn this will give both Detroit and MOCAD a distinct art context of their own. MOCAD hopefully will develop this active and critical dialogue about culture in our city in concert with that of the world. A dialogue we hope that will be ongoing, inclusive and participatory with each and every exhibition. For any art community to flourish, it has to feed itself. It creates a contemporary museum that serves out-of-town fare along with local dishes. This in turn creates a dialogue between a complex of artists and art communities. Through MOCAD, different kinds of artists using different mediums will be encouraged to exhibit here and share ideas with Detroit’s artists, all in pursuit of a shared voice, a voice that then allows us to connect with each other, back and forward. We therefore request that the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) not exclude Detroit artists from its coming exhibitions, and further petition them to remove any such restrictions from their mission or future considerations. Yours truly, The Detroit Artists Group for MOCAD Action *(delivered by Nick Sousanis, John Miller, Ann Gordon, John Cynar, and Jef Bourgeau.)