Sunday, February 27, 2022
FHP 2N4U2C* 2019 2BPrinted FINAL BIO: COPY - GDocs
2BPrinted FINAL BIO: COPY - Google Docs
ARTIST BIO: BEV RICHEY
Born in New Haven, CT, USA Bev Richey was exposed early in life to the separation of head and heart and raised in an intellectual community while living in a spiritually intuitive Jewish home.
This early dichotomy continues to inform her art practice..
As an artist, arts organizer, and arts administrator she encouraged and supported artists and non-artists alike to work together on ephemeral public artworks. This work reached a pinnacle with a commission by the city of New Haven that incorporated over a hundred active participants from diverse backgrounds working together to develop and deliver over 3500 pieces of birthday cake free to the New Haven community.
Having accomplished numerous artistic goals related to community and inclusivity, Richey was then ready to move on. Her experience growing up in a deeply divided community created an interest in exploring issues related to private versus public. This made the midwest fertile ground for her interests. Settling on a ridge in the driftless region of Wisconsin, Richey was inspired and informed by the natural world as well as the nearby small but diverse communities.
A move to Milwaukee a decade later brought the opportunity for her to re-engage in urban culture. She was able to advance her interest in Art History studies at UWM and in 2013 joined the Midwest Jewish Artists Laboratory. The Midwest Jewish Artists’ Laboratory was founded and directed by Jody Hirsh, Jewish Education Director f funded by the Covenant Foundation. It was founded and directed by Jody Hirsh, Jewish Education Director at the JCC became central in Richey’s art life. She credits the focus of a yearly theme of study, semi-monthly sessions with an annual exhibition requirement, combined with developing relationships with other Jewish artists, as a critical factor in her current studio practice. After six years of active LAB participation, Richey remains committed.
Richey has an undergraduate degree in psychology followed by university studio art classes, an artist apprenticeship, and advanced studies in Art History. In her early years working as an arts administrator, she co-founded and co-directed several artists’ organizations while serving on local nonprofit arts boards.
Richey continues to keep up with developments in the field of neuropsychology including neurotheology. She is currently focusing on the role the mind plays in the physical and spiritual realms. Her work is informed by scientific research, as well as ancient and contemporary spiritual teachings.
September 2019
Milwaukee, Wi. USA
Saturday, February 26, 2022
"A-mazing Bureaucratic Birthday Cake" 1988 Google Photo Album doc.
"A-mazing Bureaucratic Birthday Cake" 1988 - Google Photos
This is the google photo ALBUM I used to share materials with New Haven Curator, Frank Mitchell. Frank curated the show who Governs? for Artspace in 2020 (yes, during the pandemic). we also had the ABBC ZOOM REUNION as part of that EXHIBITION.
Friday, February 25, 2022
Thursday, February 24, 2022
FTR: For the record.... - Google Docs
FTR: For the record.... - Google Docs
Hey everyone, I just want to remind people that the point of this group is to collect artist and arts-related materials about this particular time period. I am feeling grateful to have a way to access so much of John’s materials now. He wanted to keep posting through to his current work and I am sorry that did not happen. Something to consider as we move forward.
I apologize for my hit-and-miss relationship with social media and life itself. I never quite know if I will drop off the face of the earth or just social media, but I do have a pattern of needing to check out. . As much as I wish I could be a social media machine… it is not going to happen.
So I want to make sure people are able to reach me if I go missing and the best way is through email. I try to stay responsible to that. bevrichey@gmail.com
Forgive for getting wordy, both in this communication and on posts but the truth is while these posts might stir some old memories and feelings for those of us who either participated or attended some of these events… getting them packed full of information will help any artists/curators or historians in the future that might want to dig deeper into what happened.
The search bar can be used with a person or group or events name and up should come posts related to that topic. Not perfect, but much better than anything else I can think of. The fact that others can add comments also helps to fill this archive with historical content.
The more people record their memories here the better it is for all of us. This is not a popularity contest. This is not standard social media, where what matters is how much people like what they see. It is about getting the information down. Having a written record. So if you were one of us during this time period… and remember something.. please record it for posterity. The more information we have here the more valuable this archive will be. John’s untimely death is a sad reminder that he is no longer here to post, confirm facts, tell stories about his experiences. I will continue to do my best to share my memories, again not for attention but FOR THE RECORD. Unlike our individual media spaces, this space is meant to document CONNECTIONs and RELATIONSHIPS your thoughts and memories help all of us to better make sense of a very magical time for the local arts in New H
FHP: ARTISTS STATEMENT/ working document/ 2NU4U2C* - Google Docs
Artist statement 2NU4U2C* - Google Docs
This is not a final draft.. it is and unedited working document
MJAL Duality/Unity Artist’s Statement: Bev Richey - Google Docs
MJAL Duality/Unity Artist’s Statement: Bev Richey
Artist’s Statement: Bev Richey
These works relate to the theme of the place of the artist in several ways. They are of this current moment exploring and expressing issues related to the awareness of self and interconnectedness with others. They explore duality, unity, transmission, transformation, and the messiness and necessity of it all.
We are living in a moment when scientists and mystics alike are coming together to share their insights on consciousness. What does this have to do with Jewishness? In a most basic way.. Jews have been asking these types of questions for centuries. We are living in an age of connectedness and disconnectedness with both ourselves and each other. The Jewish experience includes both an inward and outward journey. As Jews, we develop our inner spirituality but we must also function in community.
As an artist, I am aware of the necessity to prepare and practice for the accelerated changes we are currently experiencing and will continue to witness in the coming decades. This diptych records the results of a desire to express insights and beliefs related to inner awareness, outer connectedness, and my need as an artist to function as part of the greater whole.
Midwest Jewish Artists Laboratory 2019
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Wednesday, February 23, 2022
FHP: PROPOSAL TO URBAN ECOLOGY CENTER
Tuesday, February 22, 2022
Public Events: A Personal View By Bob Gregson "New Haven Arts" 1990
Public Events: A Personal View
By Bob Gregson
New Haven Arts 1990
“Public events are at their best when they are expressions that define the community.” Bob Gregson
“I have created public events since 1970. The nature of these events is a collaborative one with many different points of view being framed into a single vision. As an events artist, my role has emerged over the years as a catalyst, shaman, facilitator, orchestrator. I work through and with others to make my art. This has always been a tricky business - release and control, sharing ideas and building trust so everyone feels they have a well-defined goal in which they can contribute in their own way and no one feels exploited.” Bob Gregson
An equestrian statue posed on the middle of a pastoral park. An enormous abstract shape plunked in a sterile urban plaza as a humanistic foil to a glass enclosed [sic] backdrop. There are usually the images of public art. In the last decade the images have widened to include street art, guerrilla theater, billboards, demonstrations, oral histories, environments, posters, murals, and performances.
My particular concern deals with public events - those special events I call cultural landmarks - celebrations that bear witness to significant moments shared by an entire community.
I have created public events since 1970. The nature of these events is a collaborative one with many different points of view being framed into a single vision. As an events artist, my role has emerged over the years as a catalyst, shaman, facilitator, orchestrator. I work through and with others to make my art. This has always been a tricky business - release and control, sharing ideas and building trust so everyone feels they have a well-defined goal in which they can contribute in their own way and no one feels exploited. Usually artists have a single vision, expressing it in an uncompromised personal manner to show the general public his or her new insight. As a collaborative artist, people are my medium. It is through the special and diverse talents of a group of people, artists and non-artists, that the art emerges. For me this is an adventure. This is not to say that I am a traffic cop simply directing artists/non-artists randomly whizzing back and forth. My role is a delicate balance. I must first recognize what the community wants, interpret that into an event, and structure that event to invite as much participation as possible.
All of this sounds very simple until money is involved. Event sponsorship, as in the case of most public art, creates a tone of “whose event is this anyhow?” Most sponsors are corporations responsible to a board of directors or governments with constituencies. Thus, creating a public event can become very complicated.
In 1978 I was the director and co-founder of a community arts program in Hartford entitled Sidewalk, Inc. The goal was to weave art into the everyday occurrences of a dull cityscape. One of our programs was called Thursday is a Work of Art, and every Thursday throughout the summer, hundreds of outrageous, surprising and playful arts activities would be presented where art usually doesn’t happen - on street corners, alleys, urban plazas, windows, and throughout the streets. It included dancers and musicians playing with traffic and pedestrians; skywriters, site-specific theater pieces in fountains, and performance art. Of the 500 activities we presented that summer this proved most memorable. Storyteller Ed Stivender presented a performance in the street in front of a building which housed our sponsor - United Technologies Corp (UTC). Ed wore gray face (as opposed to white face) and began to tell the story of Harry Gray (then C.E.O. of the corporation), as told by, as Ed put it, “his brothers Dorian and Zane.” This rather clever idea at the time seemed harmless.
Unfortunately, UTC did not appreciate the humor. They were embarrassed by both the performance and the ensuing press coverage. They felt that Ed’s satire was in bad taste and began to question the value of their connection to our other arts activities which seemed to them whimsical and silly.
This would not be extraordinary if it stopped there. But the press covered the problem on the first page. UTC, whose aim was to create a friendly and positive community image, was becoming the villain in the artists vs corporation war - and Sidewalk Inc. was in the middle. Throughout the summer editorials were written and TV news coverage was fueled. Even artist Hans Haake, famed for his anti-corporate art, came to the defense of the artist's free expression and denounced corporate censorship.
My dilemma was clear: by accepting the sponsorship of UTC, I had become responsible to teh corporation, and yet I was equally responsible to the artists. I needed to protect both and still create the most honest and dynamic public event I could. As you might guess, the problem was never resolved. The Hartford corporations feared the same treatment and future funding for our programs was politely declined.
Amid my frustration and anger I left Hartford in 1979 and in January, 1980, came to New Haven. Not wanting to be compromised again, I slowly discovered neighborhoods. Here people were creating their own small public events and sponsoring themselves without the entanglement of an outside funder. These small groups were willing to try offbeat activities such as wrapping a building with fabric or organizing a parade of boats down a river, just as a matter of course. In many ways they were pure without the angst of fancy art theories. I enjoyed their directness. Whether their events were great works of art mattered less to me than their honesty of expression and their enthusiasm.
It wasn’t until 1987, while planning New Haven’s 350th birthday that I received the opportunity I longed for. New Haven Celebrates New Haven, the enormous birthday on the Green, was the perfect combination of community participation, sponsorship, sensitivity and artistic input. It began with the leadership of Tom Geyer, publisher of the New Haven Register. His sponsorship and trust the most through even of my career. New Haven Celebrates New Haven was a sort of a “world fair” of New Haven.
I wanted to create a microcosm of the best of New Haven on the Green. For me it was a model of who we were and what we would become. This meant that it was going to be a process. Diverse groups from all over the city would have time to become familiar with the event and feel comfortable enough to participate. We would all need to have faith that it would grow, take form, and happen. This is scary for a major funder. What if nothing happens? Don’t you think we should get a big name draw to insure our success? There was none of that with the Register. They patiently waited as things developed over nine months.
Thanks to the UTC disaster, I was aware of potential trouble; I had to be very clear with everyone about the rules. Artists, community leaders, and sponsors were kept well informed and understood that this was a team effort. I tried to be honest with everyone about the possible pitfalls and controversies. I met with community groups that wanted to give out condoms to prevent AIDS; and I gingerly moved the Knights of Columbus booth away from the pro-choice booth. But I still wanted the event to be real and unpredictable. I wanted some edge to it that would be exciting and challenging. This element came from the local arts community.
Beverly Richey is an events artist that I respect a great deal. Her work does not shy away from tough issues and she is able to create collaborative situations that are not exploitative. Knowing that cake is one of her many routes to public participation, I asked that she design a birthday cake which best symbolized New Haven. As always, the adventure of working with people never fails me; Bev’s cake was more than I had hoped for. The A-mazing Bureaucratic Birthday Cake, as it was called, came complete with cake commissioners and bureaucratic forms: (“When is the last time you’ve eaten cake? Do you use a fork? Do you use your fingers? etc”) to be filled out by the audience waiting in line through a red tape maze. The cake was distributed from a 20- foot replica of the city hall facade decorated with cake icing. A list of local media celebrities including the Mayor of New Haven were engaged to pass out the cake to the waiting minions. Again we faced a potentially embarrassing situation. Members of the Mayor's staff were worried. Would the Mayor look silly? Is this a criticism of City Hall? Would the public become angry?
Bev and I discussed it and both believed people would understand the humor. Fortunately the Mayor also understood and eagerly played along with the game, enhancing his humanistic character as the groaning masses pretended they were trapped by red tape.
New Haven Celebrates New Haven was a success because it was a team effort. Public events do not always run as smoothly. In fact, it's that unexpected situation that sometimes disrupts plans, that can also bring out true character and spirit - a demonstration, rain, or individual public participation - anything that might galvanize the event into a real event.
Public events are at their best when they are expressions that define the community. In countries throughout the world, celebrations are an integral part of the evolution and character of that culture. Here in the U.S. we are the famous melting pot of other cultures and, except for the Indians, do not have a grass-roots culture of our own. So we invent our forms of public events by borrowing the vocabularies from other cultures. It is my goal to invent American events - celebrations that not only express us but actually attempt to bind us together.
Now the future of public events is in jeopardy. Government and corporate funding is being reduced, and small neighborhood events cannot be sustained in the recession of the 90s. Yet there are many important issues in which public events can play a major role such as the abortion issue, gay rights, homelessness, poverty and many other social issues. Public events will be needed to lead social changes, build confidence and rejuvenate communities. It’s the planning and leadership of these events that will take sensitivity and a generosity by sponsors, citizens and artists alike.
Bob Gregson is Special Events Director for the city of New Haven.
Link to FB post in New Haven Artist Online ARchive:
MORE ARTICLES ABOUT BEVERLY RICHEY HERE:
This article was retyped for readability
by Bev Richey and Clare Richey-Kaplan
Friday, February 18, 2022
Bob Gregson/Wonderful! - bevrichey@gmail.com - Gmail
Wonderful! - bevrichey@gmail.com - Gmail
Dear Bev:
********
What an incredible evening. It was overwhelming to reconnect with everyone and revive some of the spark. There was so much to discuss and I was touched that you were reading my article of many years ago. You may be the only one! There were so many topics that we almost needed breakout groups to handle it. One topic which has been important is the “artist in the studio” versus “the artist in the public.” On one hand in the studio you are totally in control of your work while in the other hand in a collaborative role you need to release control. I have struggled with this as an artist—wondering if anyone gets what I am doing. Yes, we both have similar concerns. In the 1970s and into the 90s I just let it evolve and tried not to burden myself with how other people define “art.” I was starting to be known as a “festival planner” instead of an “public event artist” which annoyed me Then at one point I stopped. It was after I organized OpSail for the State of CT in 2000. I designed the space on the docks, created inflatables, did graphics for banners,planned the stages, organized local museums, historical societies etc, and worked with them to offer some sort of participatory activity. It was a great success but I was burned out with the politics and egos and retreated to my studio to make smaller models of what I was trying to do. Finally I was able to explain what I was doing through this work. I even got a show at the New Britain Museum that made me feel validated. Now — I am in the mood to change direction — I am totally in control making objects. It’s a side of myself I never fully explored.
Another issue about the 1980s that we share is the balance between performance art and visual art. I think we all did incredible things in the 1980s. If you were a dancer or actor or any sort of performer we created a framework (control) and let them fill it in (release). Being a visual artist I empathized and I tried to incorporate events that were oriented to visual artists such as mural projects by Tony Falcone. Gallery exhibitions in New Haven were there but less celebrated. There was Abe Gelbin’s gallery, Linda Lindroth at Gallery Jazz and a few things here and there. I think Artspace filled this part of the equation. I loved presenting work at my studio at Erector Square as well as seeing artists opening studios all over the city. To Helen Kauder we owe a great deal.
Thank you for understanding and appreciating what I was trying to do and I am so glad that our paths crossed with the brilliant Bureaucratic Birthday Cake. It was perfection and an icon of public art.
We’ll talk more I am certain. I’ve got an archive which involves many people to protect!
Much love to you,
Bob
PS: Can you send me your address just in case I need to send things to you?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)