angryarthistorian-blog1

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Were you trying to learn about Swiss Sculptor Adèle d’Affry today?

The Getty Union List of Artist Names has other plans!

http://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500047100

Its summary of her is: “While studying sculpture in Rome, she married Carlo, Duca da Castiglione Colonna, in 1856. Her husband died of typhoid the same year.”

So, I hope you came here to learn about her husband, and not about her work as an artist or her biography. 

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I'm pretty confident that articles with headlines like this are 75% of the reason that people don't know who Ruth Asawa is.

If we persist with the narrative that female artists are overlooked, the perception will continually be that they are overlooked. Instead, readers should interrogate their artistic knowledge as a whole, the way one might if this article had been about a male artist and thereby have its headline undoubtedly framed as a statement, ie "Ruth Asawa Honored in Google Doodle" rather than a question.

You don't know who Ruth Asawa is because you don't know contemporary art history.

Have the careers of women been systematically obscured through institutional oppression and patriarchal forces? Yes, without a doubt. But feminist historians have been working for YEARS to assist us in changing the false "canon" narrative and we should acknowledge their work, rather than saying "you still don't know who Ruth Asawa is because she's a female artist!" (Implied).

No, you don't know who Ruth Asawa is because you haven't been paying attention.

[angryarthistorian-blog1]

The responsibility of who should pay for the repairs needed by Notre-Dame has been a buck passed between the Paris Archdiocese and the French Government for YEARS. That a tragedy happened was only a matter of time. We can expect more of the same if we continue to abnegate our responsibilities to our cultural structures.

(Side note: the picture TIME chose for the article above is a DIFFERENT Notre-Dame, in Mantes-la-Jolie, France. I guess it's high TIME that they hire an art historian!)

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This is nonsense.

After working in ten different cultural orgs, I have never come across one that doesn't have an emergency preparedness plan. I'm not saying that's never the case, but it's a standard among accredited institutions. The author also asserts that cultural sites are chronically underfunded and have limited ability to put these recommendations into action.

Let's talk about WHY they are currently underfunded and address that. Cultural orgs have professionals working at them and are itching to spend funds on much-needed preservation projects, much like the one the Notre-Dame was in the midst of when its fire broke out (hint: donors, stop telling us your pet project that we need to spend money on and help us raise basic preservation and operating costs). Indeed, the Friends of Notre-Dame noted that they were basing their fundraising on American-style philanthropy because, while the French government in part supported the preservation project, it couldn't provide the full amount of funds needed. Philanthropy couldn't save Notre-Dame, because philanthropists can't possibly make up for austerity shortfalls. We as a society need to put our cultural patrimony first as a budgeting priority, or else our treasures will continue to be lost. There is no amount of risk assessment that can change that.

The author of the article is the president of the (for-profit) Disaster Recovery International. So, presumably, if a naïve museum-professional (or, let's be real, a donor!) read that article they would ideally put her advice into action by hiring DRI to consult with them on their emergency preparedness. How on earth does someone that impartial get to write this article. How many hours has it been since the spire fell, and people are already trying to profit off of this major cultural loss?

Our institutions will continue to crumble, to burn, to cease operations unless we recognize and reorient our priorities.

[angryarthistorian-blog1]

I'm not even sure what to say. This is a devastating loss.

In 2018, the Friends of Notre-Dame was raising funds for the "crumbling cathedral" in order to give it a much needed restoration.

This is what happens when you neglect cultural heritage. It crumbles. It burns. It is lost.

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TRIGGER WARNING - (historical) discussion of sexual assault

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This is my current read. What's yours?

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All of my art world feelings summed up. “Biscotto arte” (Art Cookie) by Regina Silveira, 1976.

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My feelings, summed up by KT Hawbaker.

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The UK is doing the right thing

Where you at, US museums?

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