Often the art world pulls us in opposite directions. For example two of Portland's most popular art personages have rival openings in two very different cities making one choose between Team Kristan and Team Holly. I really should be at both... and you should too. Actually you will see the work better if you go during the day Saturday.




At Fourteen30 Kristan Kennedy is opening Sleeper and people will go just to kiss her ass and try to get a show at TBA. Kristan of course is the Visual art curator at PICA but everyone knows she's at heart a working painter. She's smart, one of the brightest people in the scene but there has always been a push/pull between her two roles and it always seemed like she was deliberately learning from every artist she worked with as a curator. You could see it most clearly with Jesse Hayward's work at PICA's 2009 TBA but other TBA artists like Charles Atlas, Storm Tharp and Jessica Jackson Hutchins are all in the mix. Lately in group shows Kristan's work has come alive... most recently when very passive, almost apologetic wall based pieces like N.T.N.L.M.R.R.D.R.P. were reconfigured as a shawls covering some furniture in upstate New York art fair. It was a breakthrough. Instead of passive, it seemed to actively wield a silencing of forms and a sense that something was awakening. For that reason I'm very excited about this show and the possibility of Kristan finally fulfilling her potential.

Sleeper | Fourteen30 Contemporary
Reception: May 31, 6 - 8PM
May 31 - July 7, 2013
1501 SW Market



The Deconstruction (2011)

At the Hallie Ford Museum in Salem, Holly Andres is opening her first retrospective The Homecoming. She has become a hot commodity in fashion and commercial photography and her fine art work has started to emerge from the influence of Gregory Crewdson and Justine Kurland in exciting narrative ways. It will be great to see so much of it in one place from such a young artist.

The Homecoming | Hallie Ford Museum
Reception May 31 | 6 - 8PM
June 1 - August 4th

Mr. Jahn:

This post is offensive the artist, the gallery, and the larger art community. What you have written is not art journalism. You are embarrassing yourself by writing these ignorant and personal
remarks.

I have already received countless calls from the art community in the past 30 minutes, expressing outrage regarding this
ridiculous post. You can most certainly expect further contact and ramifications to be addressed directly to you at
jeff@portlandart.net

If anyone has any questions or further comments, please email me directly at info@fourteen30.com.

Regards,

Jeanine Jablonski
Owner, Fourteen30 Contemporary

Jeanine,

I believe this is being blown way out of proportion and in many ways reeks of censorship of critical opinions that are anything but ignorant. In fact, everything is grounded in close observation and art discourse and perhaps you mistook the humor and compliments? Arts writing that takes a position based on close observation and art discourse is a dieing breed... being replaced by bland regurgitation press releases. Is that what you prefer?

First off, none of this is personal (calling Kristan one of the smartest people in the scene is a professional observation) and everything touched on is part of discussing an artist's practice. It is hardly incendiary and in a larger city it might be considered polite. It is a little surprising that a gallerist couldn't take a little frank discussion and shuns the attention. Perhaps it is the truth this laid bare is a little too much for you to take? In a private email Kristan herself seemed to understand what I was doing and asked me to still come to the show.

What are you taking offense at? The obvious jest at "Teams" (Notice I did indicate BOTH artist's shows are something I am eagerly awaiting). The idea that Kristan is an artist whose curatorial practice is (positively) informed by being an artist? Learning is positive in my book. The "ass kissing" remark was just a way to clear the air over something that happens all of the time for everyone who curates and makes art (myself included) and was used to get the piece onto the interesting part... some real discussion of Kristan's art? Notably the press release had very little to discuss so as a writer I filled the void. Once again how does this do anything but help?

On a more positive note when is the last time a piece of arts writing has actually influenced people to call a gallery in Portland?

Having an actual edge to one's writing means sometimes people will overreact (and there are some very soft egos in this town). Reread it after a few days go by and see if still feels the same to you. If so I apologize that it didn't connect in the way I wanted it to... but obviously it has connected.

I stand by what I wrote and reiterate that is was nearly all positive (just not in the way you may have expected).