>
I read Allen's piece with great interest!! All kinds of undocumented ephemera
are popping around in my brain, yet I must rush as I have to get to my "day"
job.
> So what ever happened to Robert Crise, Jr? When he was an MFA student in
> sculpture at Cranbrook in the early 80s, he had the opportunity to meet Jon
> Hendricks who was often coming to Detroit working on cataloging the
> Silverman Fluxus collection. Robert and I were working on The Fluxus Toy
> Catalog at the time. Jon Hendricks suggested to Robert that "Fluxus was
> dead," that continuing to use the "Fluxus" label would present few
> advantages and many disadvantages for a young artist seeking professional
> respect and commercial success. (i.e., Silverman wouldn't be buying any of
> Robert's fluxus stuff). Robert seemed to buy this "advice" and began to
> distance himself from "dead" Fluxus. I, of course, continue to believe that
> Jon Hendrick's assertion that Fluxus is dead, was a self-serving strategy
> for (very narrowly) defining Fluxus as the stuff Silverman collected, that
> Jon was archiving and that they were both promoting.
I have the Silverman book on their collection and was overjoyed when I found it
right after viewing "In The Spirit of Fluxus" (a traveling museum exhibit).
I've used it as a reference book and from time to time just open it and read a
few pages to learn about the movement and get the gears moving, as well. I had
thought it to be a labor of love by wealthy patrons to document fluxus and
preserve some of the works in a collection. So, I am interested to know why
they would continue buying work from a movement they were labeling "dead."
>
>
> Last time I saw Robert was a little more than a year ago in Detroit. He was
> having a one man show at an interesting urban gallery. Mostly large,
> stenciled spray paintings and some sculpture. You can see some photos at
> http://www.nutscape.com/crise/ . When I talked to him he told me that Gil
> Silverman had been by earlier to look at his stuff. Still wasn't buying.
>
> I think things would be better if Robert Crise hadn't left fluxus and if Gil
> Silverman and Jon Hendricks had skipped over it.
I have always been at odds with the commoditization of art. I directed a
gallery for a couple of years for a self-centered egomaniac, who soured me on
the entire concept - it was a real "can of worms." Of course, not all dealers
are this way, but, from what I've heard it predominates. But, if not for
galleries, how does one make a living at art? I do art for my own sanity and I
have been criticized by friends for giving it away and for not making an attempt
to get my work in a gallery. I do place work in shows, but that's about it.
Thus, I make my living at another profession, yet I'm not sure I want this
divergence - I seem to be going the way of 2 types of art - commercial for the
design profession and assemblage for me, so I can get out of the investment
profession.
Allen, can you expound upon your last paragraph re Silverman/Hendricks?
Regards,
Patricia
