But surely art and culture are not the same thing. Do teachers "create culture?" What about construction workers? Scientists or engineers? It seems like your conception of culture would exclude many highly significant veins of human creativity.
Culture is a commodity and artists are whores. Ooh, ooh - can I be a hipster now? I have not been to Angelika in ages because I don't see movies anymore in general. It started out a very cool place but definitely was suffering from neglect the last time I went (which, again, was years ago). Culture in Houston is definitely more commercial than others places (but certainly not the worst city ever), but if you go anywhere in the US the Impressionists or Mozart or Nutcracker or The Crucible or whatever will draw way more attention than what is going on at Inman Gallery or Catastrophic, etc. Although I will say that the non high end visual arts community is more vibrant in Houston than other arts - because people can take that art home and show it off. Gallery directors are more able to tell their clients that this is the art they need to get or artists they need to support and generally a lot of the rich client base does as told. So young artists can do well, can get in the Whitney based on their exposure here, etc. I should shut up, though, because I only preserve culture, I do not create it right now because I am lazy. And put upon. And very, very sleepy.
Exactly. While I understand how JV came to see culture in the way he that does, or at least describes, the real cutting edge of the arts is and always has been outside of the high dollar, "main stream" cultural institutions that so define a great city. You find it in the small local theatres, like those you are involved in, the small local dance companies, the small film houses that show those independent flicks, the arts scene so many are unaware of (unfortunately) that suddenly pop into the conciousness of mainstream America from time to time, seemingly out of nowhere, with "a hit!" that grabs mainstream media attention, although the truth is that they represent just a fraction of what is going on at any given moment. JV mentioned the Alley Theatre in this quote as "a different meta-experience than going to the Angelika. Those places are well-heeled, with nice facilities, you can dress up and feel wealthy and cultured. You can entertain clients, do some networking, impress a date, celebrate your promotion to VP. Angelika doesn't have nice facilities, it's not wealthy or endowed, you can't feel like a hot-shot because they've put your name on a plaque there. You can feel cultured in an alternative sort of way, but not wealthy, and you'll be rubbing elbows with the hoi polloi. So, they weren't getting their patronage from the same customer-base that the high-culture outfits were getting theirs. And, its loss won't be a blow to that cultural scene. It is a bit of a culture-scene loss, but I wouldn't talk about it in the same conversation as the high-culture scene Schlumberger and Hogg and all the oil companies brought in." What JV doesn't know, perhaps not being old enough to remember, is that the Alley used to be in a tiny venue, struggling to make ends meet, wondering when they might be able to manage a larger and better equipped theatre (their small one being packed, not having nearly enough seats, the AC struggling to keep it cool, the stage offering severe limitations on how they could mount a production), dreaming of funding that they could count on from year to year in order to keep it all going and put on those avant garde productions that garnered rave reviews, wistfully wondering when that might happen, if ever, all the while working their tails off and trying to stay in business. In its own way, at one time, the Alley Theatre was the Angelika. Or, a far better comparison, it was your own Catastrophic Theatre. The grand venues that define Houston's arts scene came from similar beginnings in many instances. Batman, I didn't know you had "quit" D&D. Must have missed it.
How could that have possibly happened if the city's arts scene is indeed so "crappy?" And yes, it's a little presumptuous to say that, with all the musicians on this site, BJ and thegary are the only people here who know anything about creating art. Yes, I play in a coverband now but between 1997 and 2002, I played in nothing but original bands. One of them played at Rudyards on a regular basis (I'll never forget carrying all that equipment up and down those damn stairs....), sold CD's at shows, did guest spots on KPFT, had our CD played on KTRU, got written up in the Houston Press, shared a studio at Sterrett Street with 2 other local bands, and all the other things that the hip indie bands in Houston do. We even had our single played on some MTV show about fraternities, of all things. (Fraternity Life, I think it was called) I'm not going to sit here and argue that a bunch of corporate executives hob-nobbing in the lobby of the Wortham during the intermission of The Nutcracker constitutes an arts scene. But what about all the ballerinas on the stage, all the musicians in the pit, all the directors and choreographers behind the scenes, etc.? Are they not true artists just because lots of people pay to see them perform? I'm not ragging on BJ, I actually agree with a lot of what he posted. I'd much rather surround myself with creative people like him than the average corporate slug (which is probably why I post here so much instead of actually talking to my coworkers...), but it's just this elitist attitude when talking about "art" that sometimes gets under my skin. It's the exact opposite of what art is supposed to stand for.
Don't get too mad at BJ. It takes a lifetime of agony, dedication and sacrifice to make a living off of art. Plus, he's a fellow HSPVA alum. I was never to fond of over dramatic theater majors since I was into the Visual arts. :grin:
You seem to be implying that I think "the city's arts scene is... so crappy." I never said it was. Perhaps you have me confused with someone else. Houston has a vibrant arts community. Superior to Austin's, for example.
Naw, it wasn't directed at you even though I quoted you. Just the people in the thread who are suggesting that this theater closing means the end of culture in Houston as we know it.
i agree with you 100% and i rail against elitism in art everyday. my beef is with people not giving a damn, not the creative people in houston. hell, i get frustrated at the lack of community support for my gallery yet am humbled and grateful when we get it. yes, nyc is not the perfect art storm. i will say though, you get participation from a greater variety of socio-economic groups here. there is also, maybe surprisingly, far less pretension at most cultural events.
For performance, though, the talent is in the bigger venues. Houston is not a place for cutting edge dance, for example. If a local dancer has talent then they need to move or , if it is ballet-based, perform with the Houston Ballet. Houston is good for active visual artists and even if the two big guys don't show their work right away, they definitely do make attempts to at least bring attention to what is going on and, even with the delay (cutting edge for a museum is cutting edge 10 years ago for smaller art venues), those big institutions can do a lot to further that art's cause as well. Indie film is a little different but even there, the MFAH has a constant film presence and runs various series throughout the year. I guess with Angelika gone right now there is only River Oaks and the MFAH. Regardless, that is more mass culture and it is not as if Angelika was showing art videos and movies.
i think there is a separation in this country between people and art. they are intimidated and look at it as something other. i blame it on education. europeans in contrast have a much more direct relationship with the arts/culture. as for me, i'm a visual artist, owner/co-curator of a non-profit gallery, graphic designer, landlord, and soon to be restauranteur.
I posted this maybe last month in another thread about CULTURE, but I'll post it again: "Hey Ham! Look! I'm Picasso!" "I don't get it." "You uncultured swine! And what are YOu looking at, ya hockey puck ?"
^oops! last but not least, i'm the father of three young boys. ya see, i'm a people person, not elitist.
thanks ima, i try to keep it real. this just happens to be my life, my passion, not trying to come off as cooler/holier than thou.
I understood what you were saying, JV. Don't let those elitist leftist meanies like gary and BJ make you feel bad.
Well the South side of Chicago Is the baddest part of town And if you go down there You better just beware Of a man named Leroy Brown Now Leroy more than trouble You see he stand 'bout six foot four All the downtown ladies call him "Treetop Lover" All the men just call him "Sir" [Chorus] And it's bad, bad Leroy Brown The baddest man in the whole damned town Badder than old King Kong And meaner than a junkyard dog Now Leroy he a gambler And he like his fancy clothes And he like to wave his diamond rings In front of everybody's nose He got a custom Continental He got an Eldorado too He got a thirty two gun in his pocket for fun He got a razor in his shoe [Chorus] Now Friday 'bout a week ago Leroy shootin' dice And at the edge of the bar Sat a girl named Doris And oo that girl looked nice Well he cast his eyes upon her And the trouble soon began Cause Leroy Brown learned a lesson 'Bout messin' with the wife of a jealous man [Chorus] Well the two men took to fighting And when they pulled them off the floor Leroy looked like a jigsaw puzzle With a couple of pieces gone
Angelika replacement to open this summer: City in on talks with Robert Redford's Sundance Cinemas A new cinema will move into the shuttered Angelika Film Center space, and is slated to open this summer, CultureMap has learned. The Cordish Company, which is the landlord of Bayou Place, and the city of Houston, which owns the land, are deep into negotiations with Sundance Cinemas to be the new movie theater tenant, an unnamed source close to the negotiations confirms. Sundance Cinemas is a small independent movie theater company that is owned by Robert Redford's Sundance Group, the same organization behind the world-famous Sundance Film Festival. It operates multiplex theaters in San Francisco and Madison, Wis. Sundance officials could not be reached for comment. Drew Coleman, director of operations for a new five-bar concept that will open up in Bayou Place next month, also tells CultureMap he has been told that a new theater is scheduled to open in July. A rep from Alamo Drafthouse tells CultureMap that the company has had discussions with Cordish about moving into Bayou Place but offered no further comment. A representative from Landmark Theatres — another major independent movie chain that would be in the running to fill the Angelika space — said it had no comment on any Houston plans. The Angelika suddenly shuttered overnight on Aug. 29 and the spot's been empty ever since, leaving a gaping hole in Houston's downtown entertainment area. If a Sundance Cinema goes in, it will be joining a suddenly revitalized Bayou Place bar scene. A new party corridor is already emerging under the direction of Houston Lounge and its consultant company, Entertainment Concepts at the complex. A slew of five new bars will be opening beginning March 25 on the second story of Bayou Place, which has previously played host to RÖCBAR. http://culturemap.com/newsdetail/02...iations-with-robert-redford-sundance-cinemas/
