Collect Call: All About John Ollmann

Collect Call: Exploring Art Patronage offers us a view into 8 collections in the Twin Cities. We're spotlighting a collector a day during the week of the exhibition.
 

Today we have the pleasure of spotlighting John Ollmann.

John Ollmann is a lifelong Minneapolis resident who gets nice tables in restaurants because people think he’s Jon Oulman, the better-known gallery/salon/bar owner.  His career has been in the retail industry as a buyer/merchant and he serves on the Advisory Board of the Goldstein Museum of Design at the U of M. 

 

When did you start your collection? What was the inspiration?

As far back as I can remember I had a collection of one sort or another. Serious collecting began with an interest in Vintage Posters 25 years ago.

I love History and arcane trivia, with a special affinity for the decades around 1900. Author Walter Lord described them as “The Good Years”; after Indoor Plumbing but before the Income Tax and World War I.

Roughly how many pieces of art do you own?

Dozens: from works of art to odd bits of ephemera. 

 Is there a theme or focus in your collection?

Most everything dates from 1890-1940 and most everything has a back story that interests me.

I’m compelled by objects that have passed through other people’s hands and homes.  I have this weird need to keep, document, and preserve things that have survived, and be their caretaker for the next collector.

A huge thanks to John Ollmann for participating in this exhibition!

More Information Here.

Collect Call: All About Drs. Herman J. Milligan, Jr., & Constance Osterbaan-Milligan

Collect Call: Exploring Art Patronage offers us a view into 8 collections in the Twin Cities. We're spotlighting a collector a day during the week of the exhibition.

Today we have the pleasure of spotlighting Drs. Herman J. Milligan, Jr., & Constance Osterbaan-Milligan

Dr. Milligan is currently a Managing Partner with The Fulton Group, LLC, an independent consultant firm specializing in marketing research, competitive intelligence, non-profit organizational development, and culturally-specific initiatives. He has over twenty-five years of experience working in the financial services industry. He retired in 2010 as a Vice-President of Marketing Research/Competitive Intelligence within the Enterprise Marketing/Marketing Insights and Measurement division for Wells Fargo and Company. He received his Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and his B.A. in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Dr. Milligan was as a Ford Foundation Fellow in Music at the Center For Contemporary Music at Mills College (Oakland, CA) and performed with the Cecil Taylor Black Music Ensemble at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1971 (Tenor Saxophone) and also served as a music reviewer for the schools’ newspaper, the Daily Cardinal. As a photographer, he has participated in and organized several exhibitions and taught Visual Sociology at Macalester College (St. Paul, MN).

He currently serves on the Board of Directors/Advisory Boards for Artspace Projects, Inc. (Minneapolis, MN); IFP Center for Media Arts (St. Paul, MN); The Center for Cuban Studies (New York, NY); The Givens Foundation For African American Literature (Minneapolis, MN); The Soap Factory (Minneapolis, MN); Juxtaposition Arts (Minneapolis, MN); Interact Center for the Visual and Performing Arts (Minneapolis, MN); Seattle 911 Media Center (Seattle, WA); SOO Visual Arts Center (Minneapolis, MN); Town/Craft Advisory Board for Iowa State University, University Extension, Community and Economic Development/College of Design (Perry, IA); TuckUnder Projects (Minneapolis, MN); I Do My Part (Tallahassee, FL) ; Ananya Dance Theatre (Minneapolis, MN); Contempo Physical Dance (St. Paul, MN).

When did you start your collection? What was the inspiration?

"Actually for me the inspiration to collect started in high school by collecting 45’s and LPS and continued into college and beyond. My first art-related pieces were a poster by Romare Bearden announcing his The Prevalence of Ritual: Painting and Collages exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art in 1971. It was given to me by a poet/writer friend of mine named James W. Thompson (The Yellow Bird and You Are Alms) who I met through Cecil Taylor, the jazz musician/composer. I played with Cecil’s Black Music Ensemble at the University of Wisconsin-Madison that year. We had travelled to New York to perform at Hunter College. At that same time, James also gave me a mailing designed by Bearden to promote the Arthur A. Schomberg Collection located in Harlem. The Collection is now part of the New York City Public Library system. James was working there helping to promote the Collection and the Bearden show.

My interest in collecting grew as I learned photography in Cambridge, MA and I began to understand the art of preserving images for historical purposes. I began collecting books at this time as well. This continued when I started graduate school at the University of MN-Twin Cities.  

When in graduate school I began to purchase more photography and art. After meeting my wife in graduate school we began collecting together and separately. In those days, we would visit galleries and get to know the owners. Our favorite Gallery Owners would call us back and let us know what they had to offer. They were very knowledgeable and were eager to showcase the work and their knowledge about the work. You really got to know them, the work itself and its provenance.  As I began to volunteer with nonprofit arts organization, I felt it was important to support the work of emerging artists and began collecting their work locally, nationally and internationally when I traveled for work or on vacation."
-Herman Milligan

Roughly how many pieces of art do you own?

 "Many…."
-H.M.

Is there a theme or focus in your collection?

"Emerging contemporary; photography; Cuban contemporary artists; African sculpture; established modern/contemporary artists who are local, national, or international in location."
-H.M.

Have some questions for Herman or Constance? 

Please join us for a talk with some of the collectors this Thursday, November 14 from 6-8 pm at SooVAC.

More Information Here.

Collect Call: All About Jason Howard and Chad Keast

Collect Call: Exploring Art Patronage offers us a view into 8 collections in the Twin Cities. We're spotlighting a collector a day during the week of the exhibition.

Today we have the pleasure of spotlighting Jason Howard and Chad Keast.

Jason & Chad make their home in Southwest Minneapolis.  Jason spends his days as a salesperson for Print Craft, a local commercial printing company.  Chad is a consultant, educator and stylist for Intelligent Nutrients in Minneapolis.  They share their home with lots of inspiring art and two rambunctious Boston Terriers, Butch and Pnut.   Free time for them is spent traveling, roaming galleries and cooking.  Jason serves on the Boards of the Soo Visual Art Center and Philanthrofund – two local non-profits serving the arts and the GLBT communities.

When did you start your collection? What was the inspiration?

Our collection started in the late 90’s when Jason started buying art at auctions and antique shows.  It evolved into a more local and modern art collection after Jason and Chad met, and more importantly after the Soo Visual Art center opened in 2001.   Jason is simply addicted to good art, thanks to Suzy Greenberg’s & Carolyn Payne’s guidance.  The inspiration is a simple love of artistic talent, and the simple wonder of loving something so much you can sit and stare at it for hours.

Roughly how many pieces of art do you own?Our collection consists of about 200+ pieces scattered between our home and our extended families' homes.

Is there a theme or focus in your collection?
We buy what strikes us…Sometimes irreverent (mostly Chad’s pieces) and sometimes very calm (Jason’s landscapes).  More recently one can see a graffiti edge to the work we are drawn to.  We appreciate fine drawing, unique materials and bright colors.  You can also see our sense of dark humor and our love of having the eye tricked in many of our pieces.

Have some questions for Jason and Chad? 

Please join us for a talk with some of the collectors this Thursday, November 14 from 6-8 pm at SooVAC.

More Information Here.

Collect Call: All about Tom Arneson

Collect Call: Exploring Art Patronage offers us a view into 8 collections in the Twin Cities. We're spotlighting a collector a day during the week of the exhibition.

Today we have the pleasure of spotlighting Tom Arneson.

Tom Arneson:

"I grew up in Fairmont, MN and went to school for a very long time, receiving a BA from Harvard, MD from Mayo Medical School, and MPH from the University of MN School of Public Health.  I have lived in Minneapolis since 1988 and have worked in health care quality improvement and population health research.  I’m a member of Hennepin Ave. United Methodist Church, which has an amazing collection of 16^th-19^th century European religious paintings, given by T. B. Walker; a set of the 240-plus “Roberts Lithographs” from the mid-19^th century, documenting travels by English artist David Roberts in the Holy Land and Egypt; a fine collection of sculpture by local artists; and more.  I serve on the church’s Fine Arts Committee.  I am also a Trustee of the MN Museum of American Art, which has a terrific collection, but for the past several years has had no home.  That is about to change, however, as plans proceed for the creation of the “Art Block” in downtown St. Paul, centering on the Pioneer and Endicott buildings at 4^th and Robert.  The MMAA will occupy a large portion of the ground floor, including the corner where the MMAA “Project Space” is now located."

When did you start your collection?  What was the inspiration?

"My great-grandmother was an accomplished amateur potter and my grandmother worked with ceramics as a hobby.  She was interested in design (studied with the Goldstein sisters at the U of MN) and encouraged creativity in me.  Perhaps she inspired my early interest in ceramics and my first passion for created things: artisan-made goods.  For several years during the 1990s I travelled around the state meeting artists across the state who made beautiful, useful things and I created and published The North Country Artisan Directory (i.e. a “Yellow Pages” for artisans).  For several years I had a booth at the Minnesota State Fair displaying pieces I had bought (my first “collection” I guess!) and selling copies of the book.  In the late 1990s I started paying more attention to fine art, and I was particularly interested in vintage pieces.  My adventures in buying vintage art  by Minnesota artists and learning about the artists and their times started in earnest around 2000."

Roughly how many pieces of art do you own?

"576 pieces as of October 11, 2013: 344 vintage and 232 contemporary.

By medium:

114 paintings on canvas/board

120 works on paper (drawings, watercolor or other painting on paper, collage)

223 prints

103 ceramic pieces (functional and sculptural)

  13 metal or wood sculpture/other

    3 photographs"

Is there a theme or focus in your collection?

"I collect work by Minnesota artists from 1900 to present.  When I started collecting fine art my focus was on work from the 1920’s through the 1950s.  My interest was both in the created object and in the life of the artist and the social context of their work as an artist: where art students studied, where they showed and sold their work, how national trends in art expressed themselves in Minnesota, etc.  I bought fairly voraciously for a while, as I learned about many artists.  Over time, the collection had work by many of the artists who have been part of the Minnesota art community, generally with one piece per artist or, if they had multiple distinct periods, one from each.  Or, if I really like an artist’s work, I have several pieces (no hard and fast rules!).  In more recent years I have increasingly bought work by contemporary local artists.  For a collector, this is a rather different enterprise than buying vintage art.  Through the passage of time, certain artists of the past become fairly well known with work available to be seen and bought (with market-tested prices) and, generally, robust information to be found about them.  Others, whether fair or not, recede into obscurity and it is unusual to be aware of them or find information about them.  So there is a relatively small range of artists for the emerging collector to focus on, at least at first (for more advanced collectors, vintage artists that history has slighted are an enticing focus!).  Contemporary local artists are legion – and many are very good.  For me, galleries end up being very important, as that is usually my first contact with an artist’s work and I appreciate the great value good gallery directors provide to the artist, to the local art scene – and to me!  My strategy on the contemporary artist front is still emerging, but in general I’d say I tend to buy one piece of most artist’s work, and for a small number of artists who particularly interest me, I follow the development of their work over time and buy pieces periodically.  Over the past several years my historic interest in ceramics has re-emerged as I have come to realize what a rich area for ceramics Minnesota has become.  I am now an avid fan, buyer, and user of functional and sculptural pieces by Minnesota clay-workers."

Have some questions for Tom? 

Please join us for a talk with some of the collectors this Thursday, November 14 from 6-8 pm at SooVAC.

More Information Here.

Minnesota Minimalism: Chris Larson Curates Silence at SooVAC by Jenna Westrick

 

As winter settles firmly upon the Minnesota landscape, we all feel the familiar pull toward solitary hibernation. The same goes for the Twin Cities’ many art spaces, as autumn’s abundance of openings turns toward the lull of winter. The ninth annual Untitled exhibition at Minneapolis gallery Soo Visual Arts Center reflects a similarly subdued tone. 

After a typical Minnesota summer’s vigorous lineup of colorful festivals, large-scale exhibits, and art with self-congratulatory impact, the show reminds us of the quieter, more introspective side of art. Humble and haunting, Untitled 9 combines work by thirteen emerging artists, resulting in a decidedly discreet study of subtle transformation and enticing vagueness. With accessible and evocative translation's by the show's sole juror, admired Minnesota artist Chris Larson, we can better understand the Untitled 9 artists' potent statements. In doing so, we are reminded of the modest comfort that art can provide. 

"Insight," Rachel Breen

In his description of the show, Larson writes, “Through a quiet sense of natural wonder, 13 artists noiselessly manipulate, cut, dissect, blur, and disintegrate architecture, bodies, and the landscape. Murmuring.”

After meeting the man himself, it is clear that the tone of the show reflects Larson’s humble demeanor. When I asked him about his “quiet sense,” he answered, “Early on, I started picking up on quiet, subtle manipulations of simple materials, slow videos, and a lack of color in some of the works. The show could have gone in many different directions; I followed that way.” Avoiding the route of the ostentatious, Larson instead curated organically and with restraint. He recognized a pattern among the works — “simple, quiet gestures with a darker undercurrent.” Viewers are provoked to look inward, and to reconsider the seemingly ordinary world around them through an enchanting new lens.

"Monolith_05," Jesse Draxler

Despite the show’s subtlety, clear trends emerge in Untitled 9, such as the use of collage and physical remixing. The graphic manipulations of Jesse Draxler, for example, use mash-ups of impossible architecture to create ominous imagery with a crushing feel. Six delicate, smaller-scale collage pieces by Haley Prochnow silently speak volumes; they are mysterious yet intimate patchworks.

Untraditional conceptions of landscape are another major theme, with many of the artists distorting environment. The landscape photography of Monica Howell reconfigures the highly trafficked tourist destination of Yellowstone National Park using chance and accidental outcomes, shifting the viewer’s understanding of an exceedingly familiar place. Conversely, Noel Worden’s photography of barren, rural landscapes enlightens the viewer to these undervalued areas’ powerful beauty. 

Larson’s perception on group dynamics is telling: “You can have small special moments with each work or a feeling of a whole. Some left the exhibition saying that they really liked this particular piece and did not care for the others, and some said it felt like one artist could have been responsible for all the work in the room. I am interested in the conversation that happens when you place one thing next to the other for the first time.”

"terraforming," Sean Connaughty

Much like the restrained transformation evident in the thirteen artists’ individual works, the physical space of SooVAC has been delicately warped as well. These manipulations also mirror Larson’s subjectivity and quiet intention. For instance, installation artist Leslie Kelman travels inside the unconquered niche of a gallery wall, creating a temporary shelter. Here she brings secrecy and private comfort to life in her “hidden space for human activity and subsistence.” A fish tank holding ecological orbs resides in a built-out SooVAC broom closet, fulfilling artist Sean Connaughty’s mission to highlight natural beauty within seemingly mundane situations.

While jurying the exhibit, Larson also developed a particularly profound relationship with SooVAC: “I heard that this was the show Suzy Greenberg was most proud of creating. I can see why. Untitled has given a platform to hundreds of emerging artists. Untitled 9 was the first exhibition for a few, and that's pretty cool. As far as the physical space, I wanted the gallery to reflect the quiet vibe and sparseness of the work.”

So how does the audience fit in to this mix? As Larson says, “The viewer is usually correct.” In SooVAC’s opinion, community is half of the equation. Through our own personal perceptions of the dynamic show, we can revel in our own intuitive interpretations.

Untitled 9  could not have come at a better time. The exhibit reminds us to see the wintry world around us in a novel way. We begin to recognize the ordinary as charged with value and beauty, and find peace during this less-admired time of year.

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*Untitled 9 is on view at SooVAC until December 30th.

*This post also appears in the December issue of Quodlibetica
*Photography by Joe Burgmaier

After The Storm...Reflecting on Greg Gossel's work by Katie Parr

My life has been full of changes these past few weeks. A new job and a new home have taken up most of my time during these long, hot days of summer. I began to feel myself getting lost in the repetition required to pack up my life and move again, and in a way, start over. I felt lucky to have taken a well deserved break to view the newest work by Greg Gossel in his solo show, Weathering The Storm at Soo VAC.

Because of my recent life changes, I feel like I’ve been packing, unpacking, putting away, pulling apart, organizing and compartmentalizing my life to fit into a new dwelling and new routine. I’d like to pride myself on being a flexible person with the ability to adapt to new situations, and sometimes part of me is fully capable of handling change, but I find as I settle into my mid-twenties I’ve become a creature of habit. Reflecting on this floods my brain with images crossword puzzles, cat ladies  and nursing homes, and I start to feel a bit queasy. But this doesn’t stop the orderly side of me taking comfort when my life feels like it has no hurdles to leap over. I’d like to take charge and clear the road of any possible bumps. I want to know when and where things will take place. That way I can prepare myself for the unexpected, whatever that means. And unlike the past few weeks, I want my life to fit into a neat little box. Without the clutter. And the worry. And the anxiety.

But life is full of complexity. And bumps are inevitable.

Gossel’s work features various pieces taken from billboard advertisements from cities like New York, Chicago and here in Minneapolis. The pieces are pasted together, layered, pulled apart, ripped, scratched and cut. The large scale pieces showcase brightly painted fields of blue, blacks and yellow that contrast with weathered and faded bits and pieces of advertisements pasted underneath. Large blocks of text use language boldly displaying slogans like “Advertise Here, Space Available”, and “Liquor, Lounge, Dance.” My eyes dart from piece to torn piece, and as I dig deeper, the layers become more evident.

What may seem like little more than cluttered elements thrown together on the surface starts to oddly fit together and make sense. I find this bizarre; almost difficult to comprehend. To me, “clutter” is a four-letter word. Clutter causes confusion, disorder and disarray. It’s something I try to limit as much as possible in my living and working spaces, because I like to easily find things. I’d like to think that it’s easier to put my time and effort into organization rather than franticly tearing my apartment apart because I can’t find something. Clutter causes my anal retentive side to rear its ugly. I’ve attempted to make peace with that side of my personality, and I think my boyfriend has tried too as well. Whether or not that’s true- well, I guess that’s a different story. And yet there is another part of my personality that questions this take on life, and feels like I need to sit back and enjoy the ride. Like Gossel’s work, I am reminded that I am not some kind of control freak organizing my life to the point of exhaustion, but that I have various sides to my being, layered and complex. The surface doesn’t tell the whole story and that one’s depth must be accounted for. Sometimes the dominant becomes the submissive. Life doesn’t fit into a neat package, and doesn’t need to. Because frankly being incredibly meticulous takes a lot of work. It can be exhausting to be so neat and tidy.

Greg Gossel’s work has been with me at a time when I’m in need of a reminder that there can be beauty amidst the chaos, that parts do not need to fit perfectly together to create something dynamic, and that pieces from seemingly unrelated parts of my life can blend and meld together and work to form something meaningful and new. My life can’t be a neat little package wrapped with a bow. And that’s ok.

I hope all of you find time to see Greg’s latest work, and allow yourself to just simply enjoy it.

-Katie Parr

 More Information on Greg Gossel's Show HERE.

More of Greg Gossel's work HERE.

Bacon is a gateway food.

Ok, I’ll admit it. After 8 years of a strict vegetarian diet, I have fallen off the wagon. And by doing so I’ve discovered that bacon is a gateway food. Its greasy, rich decadence has started a downward spiral from grilled chicken to marinated pork to slabs of beef.

In my former veggie days I was a subtler activist. I didn’t find it necessary to cram my opinions down other people’s throats. When asked why I had chosen to live a veggie friendly life I would usually respond by saying that I simply didn’t like the taste of meat. And most people left it at that. It was a response that easily ended the conversation, and kept my tree-hugging–veggie-loving-farmer’s-market shopping side in check. I wasn’t out to pick fights with people.

But I’ve now entered into a more complicated relationship with food. The dairy that I once consumed with great pleasure makes me ill. The wheat gluten that I ingested in the form of olive loafs and micro- brews make me break out in a rash. All of this has me thinking, “Why chose to eat one thing and not the other?” Why did I find it acceptable to eat dairy products but not meat? Both come from animals. The less than desirable relationship that I’ve come to have with food is much like a dance. I try my best to dodge the stares and eye rolls from friends and family when I order chicken tamales instead of my usual veggie choice. When asked why I’ve decided to stop my previous veggie ways I usually reply with an honest “It’s easier.” And despite how it may make me feel, it is. I’ve come to the point that I feel like I don’t need to micro manage my dietary restrictions and issues. People are curious about my strange habits, so I feel that I owe them an honest answer.

But deep down I still feel badly for my choices. I don’t really want to eat animals. The childhood me that wanted to save every injured and abandoned animal comes back to haunt me. I long for the days that the choices I made about what I put into my body were more black and white.  I long for the days of my childhood when eating was easy. I ate what was put in front of me without question. I lived in a simple world unaware of the political and social ramifications of my decisions. I was also blessed with a steel gut that would happily digest what it now considers poison. My morality meter was in check and I was able to carry on with my carefree existence.

I wish the grown up me had it that easy…

The real problem is not the choice of what I put in my body, but rather that I find myself longing for what I cannot have; a simpler time filled with easy choices.

With these thoughts floating freely in my mind I begin to process the most recent show at Soo VAC featuring the artwork of two artists, Areca Roe and Samantha French. Both artists tackle themes like memory, confinement, longing and the desire for escape. These heavy themes are skillfully hidden behind shades of muddled blue and teal, with environments filled with sunny warm waters and the occasional fuzzy animal. As time passes and the viewer is able to peel away the sunny exterior, a more somber interior is revealed.

Animals. Glass. Concrete.

Areca’s photos may seem easy to digest on the surface, but upon more careful consideration have a dreary, even discouraging quality. They remind us about our most basic relationship with animals, and our instinct to dominate and control those smaller and weaker than we are. She forces us to confront images of animals hidden behind glass with dead stares set in dead surroundings. Something feels strange and unnerving when engaging with this type of carefully constructed experience. As I continue to digest the work it becomes clear that our relationship with the animal kingdom is more complex than simply our desire to control. Areca writes on her website, “Zoos serve as a clear manifestation of the state of our relationship to wild animals. They are a manufactured point of contact with the wild, and fulfill some need we have as humans to connect with nature, with wildness, and perhaps to have dominion and control over that wildness.” The issue of animal welfare is not as black and white as the younger me once thought. I find the answers difficult to come by.

Warm, blue water. Floating bodies. Summer sun.

Samantha’s paintings feature a contemporary take on the classic bather portrait, reminding me of long, hazy days spent at the lake, unaware of the passing hours and the freckles developing on my skin. Somehow life seems much less hectic when lounging on the beach staring out at the water. As my mind peels away outer layers, an interior filled with desires appears. I find myself remembering the unbearably long Minnesota winters of my childhood when I wanted nothing more than a moment of warmth and sun. I wanted to escape the long days and even longer nights. I dreamt of warm waters floating my seemingly weightless body out for miles to a place of unending summer. It’s easy to lose myself in the warm nostalgia of childhood, or a time when things were seemingly less complicated, but sooner or later I am forced back to reality. Even if only for a moment, I am grateful for the trip. Samantha writes on her website, “These paintings are a link to my home and continual search for the feeling of the sun on my face and warm summer days at the lake”. That connection to home runs deep.

What I’ve come to learn is that we all have desires- for happiness, a reprieve, focus, restraint, escape. We all want what we cannot have. At least not right now. But it’s fun to pretend.

Hopefully your greatest longing this week is to see this amazing work before it’s gone.

Thanks to our amazing intern Katie Parr for this blog post!

Samantha French HERE

Areca Roe HERE