Documenting Work--Extending Meaning

A couple of weeks ago, Alfred’s School of Art and Design hosted Seattle-based artist John Hogan. Glass is his primary medium and John’s practice crosses the categories of studio art and design work. Several pieces of his are included in the exhibition, LIT, curated by my studio colleague Karen Donnellan.

John gave an artist talk and then we sat together over coffee and had a great conversation about the importance of the photograph for sculpture. His glass pieces are now documented by three separate professionals all of whom are trained as product design photographers. These individuals interpret John’s work in a way that offers viewers a variety of contexts.

I mentioned the MoMA exhibition catalog The Original C­opy to him. This is a terrific book that maps the intersection of photography and sculpture from the 1840s to the present. ( I particularly enjoy the section on surrealist “Involuntary Sculptures.”) If you are thinking about ways to document and extend the meaning of your work, I think you should check it out; I am using this in my upcoming course “Recent Sculptural Practices.”

And, check out John's site.

Add here is a knock-out piece of John’s that was in LIT.