Editor's Letter December 2008
What a wonderful time to be an art enthusiast in the American south. Last month was the opening of Prospect.1, this month is Art Basel. First I’d like to congratulate all the satellite exhibitions in NOLA for stepping up to the plate and solidifying their presence with their contributions to our growing contemporary art movement here in New Orleans. I am very impressed with the New Orleans artists’ passion and the artistic merit of their exhibitions, which are still up for all to experience. In my opinion more than a few of the satellite exhibitions rival Prospect.1’s featured artists’ exhibits.
One thing I noticed visiting Prospect.1 sites is that work on canvas appears to be dead. It seems this is the age of the shop class enthusiast and that carpenters are on top at the moment. On the flipside it seems that most of the satellite exhibitions are works on canvas or paper. What does that say about New Orleans? Are we outdated? Perhaps we’re living in the dark ages. Maybe it’s time to get our tools out, conceptualize and go build something nonfunctional.
My favorite exhibitions included those at the Colton School, everything at the CAC (which reminded me of strolling through PS.1 or the Hirshhorn), the Mint, KKProjects, the African American Museum and Universal Furniture.
Again, I want to thank everyone who came to experience Prospect.1 and all the artists that have adopted an attitude of never measuring success by mass appeal and striving to articulate the human condition. If we never receive any credit, well, it doesn’t matter because we are on front lines of the cultural revolution in the southern states. We will never sell out to our patrons, we will educate our collectors and nurture our artists without intimidation. I am one of you and you are one of us and I will never let you forget it.
Best Regards,
Terrence Sanders, Editor & Publisher
