Nothing Left to Lose

Last night I attended the private screening at the San Antonio Museum of Art for "No More to Say & Nothing to Weep for: An Elegy for Allen Ginsberg," put on by the Friends of Contemporary Art of SAMA. Prior to the film, Rudy Choperena was introduced as the new president of its Friends of Contemporary Art group. He has been an active figure in the local arts scene serving on the board of Blue Star Contemporary Art Center and the Southwest School of Art & Craft. He addressed the crowd of 50-plus attendees with his plans for the Friends of Contemporary Art, which included taking a trip to the New Orleans Biennial in October 2008 and visiting museum groups such as the Phoenix Art Museum.

After that business was taken care of the film began. I had very little knowledge of Ginsberg's work; of course I was familiar with "Howl" and his importance as a member of the Beat Generation but aside from that I was clueless. The film definitely shined light on the complex character that Ginsberg was, as John Philip Santos said prior to the film, Ginsberg was the "conscience of the Beat poets." He connected literary fiction to a contemporary setting. The film was a fine representation of how Gingsberg was passionate about other things aside from poetry such as music and social activism. I left gaining a newfound appreciation for Ginsberg and his fellow Beat Generation members. (The title of this blog is an ode to Ginsberg and his tireless efforts.)

On a somewhat related side note, I've found myself a little more at ease when it comes to analyzing creative pieces of work. I credit that with a lecture I caught last week "How to Look at Art Without Feeling Inferior," given by Milton Esterow publisher of the oldest, most widely read fine arts magazine ARTnews. I attended so I could gain a better understanding of the art community. Like most people I know, I'm bewildered with the art world. In my defense though, I am willing to learn how to better appreciate art and all that it encompasses. Esterow's lecture opened my eyes. I love art and I embrace the kind of art that I like, because as Esterow stated, "people must judge art for themselves." While I beamed with pride knowing that my thinking was actually acceptable in the art community; I was further justified with his comments to trust our own judgment of art and to be as brutally honest as can be. He also went onto say that in art there are three elements to consider: look, look, look. He compared it to the obvious realtors ideology of location, location, location. I was happy that such a simple concept could apply to the analysis of art. When you think about it, it really does make sense.

So I must leave you now, to ponder what my next blog will be. Will a First Friday show intrigue me enough to write about it? Or will I have such an amazing time during Beethoven Maennerchor's Oktoberfest that I'll do an account of it. The world will never know. Until next time.

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