November’s topic was inspired by a long time Contemporary Art Reading and discussion group member Glenda (and Joanne even though she can’t attend the meetings just now.) And while doing a little research I discovered that 2015 is the United Nations International Year of the Soil. I am not really exactly sure what this means but it dovetails nicely with the idea of looking at artists who think about, work with or otherwise engage with the dirty stuff to make their art. Some of these artists use living materials as metaphor, others for how we interact with the natural environment. All are making work that is interesting to look at. For a historic perspective on art that engages with or “uses” nature and natural materials, I have included two artists who made their mark several decades ago in Land Art. I think you will find the works of Robert Smithson and Agnes Denes both very interesting.
Our meeting for November will be held on Wednesday the 18th, 6-7:45pm upstairs at the Chatham Public Library. And don’t forget to check the blog in the beginning of December for an updated reading list for our meeting on 12/16/15. The topic for this meeting will be The Gift: Artists that offer an exchange or participatory component to the public as part of their art practice.
