I intended to attend a meeting to discuss publishing a new magazine about Art at the Brooklyn Artists Gym but stumbled upon a panel discussion about Designism at the Art Directors' Club and I decided to stay and listen to it.  I guess the free wine helped too.

Design for Social Change had several well known social activist Art Directors, Kurt Andersen, Milton Glasser, Jessica Helfand, George Lois and James Victore.   The author of "The Messiah of Morris Avenue, Tony Hendra was there signing copies of his book.  Brian Collins, who heads Ogilvy's Brand Innovation Group, moderated the whole thing.  

The panal discussion was a debate over advertising and design as instruments for social and political change. 

  

There was a debate over what causes social change and if mainstream media was to blame for support George W. Bush when it knew better.  Milton Glasser said it was not so much the White House making calls to publishers to stop stories from running as advertisers not wanting to turn off people with content that would impact their ability to sell what they are advertising. Each of the speakers spent time talking about things they did to effect social change using their Advertising Art.   What was more telling was the audience.  The audience was entirely Anti Republican, about 500 Art Directors and Media Professionals in the audience, and not one person in the room had anything positive to say about the current regime.  It's as if the entire Art Community has moved to the Left - everyone is sick of what the country is becoming and wants change - they just don't know how to do it - which is partly why this meeting happened in the first place. There was a great deal more that was discussed and we can only hope that the Art Director's Club produces a Podcast for download of this excellent panal discussion. I hope there will be other meetings at the Brooklyn Artists Gym about publishing a new magazine as I really intended to attend tonight's meeting.  Often I feel "guided" by the idea of what I'm trying to do with my blogs and where I planned to be is not always where I end up; rather, it's where I need to be.  I accepted the verdict of fate, enjoyed this meeting at the Art Directors Club and then went home.

Had a good time at Galerie St. Etienne last night - great show of older Austrian and German prints and drawings by many well known artists, all about Cafes, Bars and such. I also ran into a old friend Russel Nelson who I had not seen for at least 5 or 6 years, the last time was at our mutual friend, Lestor Afflick's funeral back in early 2000. I liked Otto Dix's PUB watercolor and George Grosz's Dr. Benn's Night Cafe which was a photo lithograph.  Gustav Klimt's Seated Woman with Hat and Veil and Woman Resting in Armchair, both from the turn of the century were small works, but really fine.  I was surprised there was so much good work at Galerie St. Etienne.     Go to the Galerie St. Etienne to see the rest of the works.

I had a very strange experience tonight - perhaps the reality is more than what I experienced.   Is it OK to have a collection of art masterpieces that you let people glimpse from the lobby of a skyscraper you own, but not ever let people in to see the works directly?  I'm afraid it might be true.  One of the best Balthus paintings is in a corner of the lobby but  no one is allowed to stand before it.  Strange. Here's the closest I'm told (by guards in the lobby of the skyscraper - I was trying to find out if they were pulling my leg, but it seemed like they were totally honest with me) you can get.

 

We can't see what's on the other side of the wall...more art, a lot more.   There's scant information to be found on the internet - I found this about the building but little or nothing about how to view the art (maybe because you can't?).

 

Here's a Press Release for an interesting opening on September 19th, 2006 at the NYPL:

"The European Dream Festival is coming to Town! Come celebrate the opening of the festival at The Invisible Symposium at LIVE from the NYPL Tuesday, September 19, 2006, 7:00 pm The Celeste Bartos Forum of The New York Public Library (Enter at 42nd Street near 5th Avenue) Admission: $15; $10 library donors, seniors, and students Call Smarttix: (212) 868-4444 or www.smarttix.com E-mail sign up www.nypl.org/live   Info: (212) 930-0571 With Benita Ferrero-Waldner, European Union Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy (TBC) Super Model Helena Christensen Ambassador Fernando M. Valenzuela, Head of Delegation, Delegation of the European Commission to the United Nations Consul Generals and Directors of cultural institutions from 23 European countries The Invisible Symposium American actors, in a staged reading, will render the intriguing reflections of European intellectuals on the present dilemmas facing the European Union. Curated by Jakab Orsos, Director of the Hungarian Cultural Center in New York, and Paul Holdengräber, Director of Public Programs, LIVE from the NYPL. Texts edited by Roger L. Conover, MIT Press. Moderated by Charles Grodin Wardrobe by Uncle Kimono, designed by John Malkovich Wine by the European Wine Council; food by Le Pain Quotidien With major support by Altria

I may also cover this opening for ArtNYC.  We will see!