ATC's: A Brief History



#6. Dreaming

History: Miniature art has a long history. Small art cards were all the rage in the 16^th century. Most were portraits and were sold, not traded or given away. They were the first wallet "photos." Men would have nudes painted of their mistresses on art cards (probably without their wives knowing), usually by the same artist who created the larger family portraits of their wives & children.

In the 1700's, the French artists were the first to come up with the idea of advertisements on the backs of the art cards. During the Impressionist Age (1850-1860), artists traded cards among themselves to study each other's style & techniques. They also traded or sold the art cards as necessary for supplies, food, & lodging.

In 1887, "baseball" cards started to appear. These early cards are now very rare, and it is uncertain what they were made of. They were not mass produced until the golden years of baseball (1902 - 1935). Cards during this time were usually sold with bubble gum, chewing tobacco and cracker jacks.

Homage to David Wojnarowicz: Fake Web Site Cons Art+Auction's "In the Air"

Pranksters Strike Again: Art Censorship and Art Funding in America

In an act of high gutter art, some "puckish mystery scoundrel(s)!" conned Art+Auction's online "In the Air" gossip column with a fake Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery web site and press release. For background on this sad story of art censorship in America, see the article in the Huffington Post Blog: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-b-keegan/smithsonian-just-put-the_b_805711.html

Hats off to: Michael Blasenstein and Michael Iacovone

In an equally courageous act of high gutter art, two men have created "The Museum of Censored Art," after hosting a successful fundraiser on Saturday, January 8, to defray costs for their new museum http://theendofbeing.com/2011/01/07/museum-of-censored-art-smithsonian-protesters-return-with-permits/

After being banned from The Smithsonian's National Portrait Galery for showing the censored video "Fire in My Belly" on an iPad, Michael Blasenstein and Michael Iacovone are opening the "Museum of Censored Art" in support of art and free speech in America. Here's the link to the article: http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2011/01/05/Museum_of_Censored_Art_to_Launch

According to the January 5, 2011, Washington Post article:

Starting Jan. 13, Blasenstein is converting a 8 x 40 feet trailer into a screening room to show David Wojnarowicz's "A Fire in My Belly," the video that created a firestorm at the Smithsonian Institution and among conservative politicans and supporters of the arts and freedom of expression....The trailer will be parked in the 700 block of F Street N.W. from Jan. 13 to Feb. 13, the last day of the show. The screening hours will be from 11 a.m.to 7 p.m.

Egg on Your Face: Follow the Links


In the hopes of encouraging others not to believe everything you read and everything you see, and everything you think you believe, I am linking to the prankster's fake site, the real Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery web site, and the January 9, 2011, ArtInfo post about David Wojnarowicz (1954-1992) and his artwork, "Fire in My Belly," the 1987 video that was removed from the Smithsonian's show: "Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture."

www.nationalportraitgallery.us/

www.npg.si.edu/

http://blogs.artinfo.com/artintheair/2011/01/08/smithsonian-responds-to-censorship-critics-by-basically-creating-david-wojnarowicz-com/

Photo Credit: Phyllis J. O'Rourke, M.A., Artist's reflection on the window of the Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi, Texas.