Scott Fife - Talk - Notes

Hello Fellow Docents

Here are some notes I took when I attended an hour of Scott Fife talk
.... I didn't attend the complete talk ... if anyone wants to share his
/ her comments about the busts and the "Big Trouble" ID case ... send
it out to

TAMDocents@googlegroups.com

***

Scott Fife

Degree in Architecture : Univ of Idaho
MFA : Minniapolis MN

Lived in lots of places but is a "west coast animal"

This exhibit is a survey of his career.

Realistic sculpture

The Glove
Earliest work - created while he was in college in MN
He had a sewing machine - used it on paper.
The illustrations are very "romantic"
There's a tear - eaten by mice (it was stored for 20 years)
It conveys sense of past / history / natural aging.


Chair
Created in Southern CA
Lots of water in SoCAL
Illusion of book floating on the water
Swimming pool ; Banana Tree
Duck wintering in CA
Each side of the piece has drawing/sketches
Pencil is real; the process is on ...


Cardboard
Inexpensive material
Minimal tools required - exacto-knife; glue etc
Familiar material
Ideal for him


The process of the art is important - for him; and the viewer to see.
He wants to be very direct with the viewer.


Green chair
Created in IDaho when he was living near a lake in a cabin
It's like his companion's chair and TV
With self portraits
Feet of the chair have water-like marks
Green from Evergreen trees
It's intimate and insular at the same time
Chair and TV are everyday objects
There's water on the back of the chair too


Clock/Axe/Rug
Created in Russia
Spent 4/5 months from winter to spring
Slowing down
Melancholy piece
Fire is extinguished
Clock has run out
Capturing fleeting time
Not abandonment but goodbye
Out in nature
Features common / intimate things around him


Pieces created NOT in one big flash moment
But slow one-by-one addition to the scene;
Things flow into the piece


Curtains
Created in Berlin
Poisonous green
Drapes are slightly open
Everything is covered by paint/color/pigment
The texture is of raw silk
Unidentified woman
Reminder of American "pop culture" in West Germany


Red Chair
Created in Brooklyn NY
Expressionistic - scratches - suggests ownership
Not for sitting - thus on the wall


Aluminum
Created in Walla Walla
Waiting for a call
Created in card-board but the creation got destroyed in casting
Disconnection - the phone is off the hook


Bed
Created in Wall Walla / Seattle
The bedspread is like a plowed field
Perspective and vanishing point are not true for the bed
The process of creating the bed is evident in many places


Horse Skeletons
Saw horses when he was in Pasadena CA
They have a dreamy quality
The difference of planes causes some moving / animation effect
Connection to the domesticated animals
Magical powers attributed to horses
Not meant to be terrifying


(any/all errors are mine)
--
Regards,
Sanjeev Narang

***

email: ask (at) eConsultant dot com
www.Sanjeev.net

Sense of Place presentations date change

Hi All,

 

Thanks for your patience with all of these emails about date changes as I try to work out the schedule for November.

 

Because November 10 works for most people, we are going to go ahead and change the Sense of Place in-gallery presentations to Wednesday, November 10, 6:00 to 8:00 (instead of Nov. 17) and Monday, November 22, 10:30-12:30. On the day you present, please bring a written report with you so that we can put it on file for those who can’t attend. This doesn’t have to be a research paper; an informal page of notes is fine.

 

Please feel free to come and listen even if you didn’t sign up for a presentation yourself. I will be inviting the docents-in-training too.

I still have a number of artist files left for people to pick up. They’re on the corner of my desk for you to get the next time you’re in. The list of sign-ups is there as well in case you forgot which artist you signed up for.

 

If you cannot pick up your file before the presentation date, let me know and I can mail it out to you if necessary.

 

Thanks

Tara

 

 

Tara Young

Associate Curator of Education

 

TACOMA ART MUSEUM

1701 Pacific Avenue

Tacoma, WA 98402

253.272.4258 x 3016

 

 

Book Discussion Group--both dates still on

Hi All,

 

After getting responses back from everyone we are going to go ahead and stick with the two dates, BOTH Wednesday, November 3, from 6 to 8 AND Monday, November 8, 10:30-12:30 for the book club discussion of Last of the Mohicans. Not everyone was able to switch to the same meeting day, so we’ll have two small groups, but it should still work out fine. Please come prepared to discuss!

Thanks

Tara

 

 

Tara Young

Associate Curator of Education

 

TACOMA ART MUSEUM

1701 Pacific Avenue

Tacoma, WA 98402

253.272.4258 x 3016

 

 

Last of the Mohicans discussion group

Hi All,

 

I wanted to ask a scheduling question of those of you who are reading The Last of the Mohicans for our docent book club discussion. Currently we are scheduled to hold these discussions during our regular training time on Wednesday, November 3, from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. and Monday, November 8, from 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. I think we have a small enough group participating (around 8 or so people by my count, though there may be others who haven’t let me know they’re planning to come) that, to make for a better discussion, it might make sense to hold only one discussion date so that we can have a larger group vs. splitting up into two small groups.

 

If you are planning to participate in the book discussion group, please let me know if you are available on:

Wednesday Nov 3 ONLY

Monday Nov 8 ONLY

EITHER Wednesday or Monday

 

I will then confirm the final time with everyone and let you know if we’re going with Wednesday only, Monday only, or continuing with both as currently planned.

 

Thanks and happy reading!

Tara

 

P.S. If you will be attending the book group, please come prepared with at least one question/comment about the book that you would like to present to the group.

 

Tara Young

Associate Curator of Education

 

TACOMA ART MUSEUM

1701 Pacific Avenue

Tacoma, WA 98402

253.272.4258 x 3016

 

 

possible date change

Dear Docents,

I’m writing to see how many of you might be able to accommodate a change in dates for our Sense of Place presentations. We are currently scheduled to meet for these on Wednesday, November 17 and Monday, November 22. However, the building is being rented for the evening by the University of Puget Sound for a huge (500-person) event on November 17. Because rentals are an important revenue source for the museum we need to try to accommodate their schedule.

 

I’m wondering if the Wednesday group could move to Wednesday, November 10. The Monday group would stay the same and still meet on November 22^nd.

 

If you were planning to either give your presentation or to come to training as an observer on November 17, please email me back and let me know if you can make it on November 10 instead. (If people can’t switch, we’ll stick with the 17^th even though the event will be happening).

 

Thanks

Tara

 

 

Tara Young

Associate Curator of Education

 

TACOMA ART MUSEUM

1701 Pacific Avenue

Tacoma, WA 98402

253.272.4258 x 3016