Art To ‘Open For The Stones’

DISPATCH - May 23, 2012 (8:30 a.m.)

EAST HAMPTON, NY

It's the second stop on a multi-town tour. Musicians are integral but they're not on stage. Their artwork is. But don't expect clichéd art of musical notes, battered guitars, or concert shots from a rock and roll life. You won't find it here. Instead, expect a diverse show with art that may (or may not) contain telltale signs of music, the subtle strains of a musical sensibility, or unusual views from a musical life.

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"Open For The Stones, Vol.2" opens on Sat (May 26) at Harper's Books in East Hampton, NY. A reception will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. It remains on view through June 25, 2012.

Exhibiting artists include Lou Reed, Tara Israel, Chris Snow, Angel Corpus Christi, Herb Reichert and a collaboration between Stuart Sutcliffe and Christopher Wool. Also, Pat Place, Ron Nagle, Martin Saar, Gillian McCain, Keizo Kitajima, Laura Levine, Liz Markus, Michael Farmer, Ralph Gibson, James, Gilroy, Jane Huntington, Daniel Johnston, Bethany Fancher, Larry Clark, Brian Kelly, Don Christensen, Peter Dayton, Jamison Ellis, Mike Solomon, and Steve Miller.

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Nearly all of the exhibiting artists are serious musicians who have turned their attention to art. The show is curated by Kevin Teare, who also fits the description of a professional musician and visual artist. Teare has always been a painter and has exhibited since 1975 (his first professional credit was an exhibition held at the Indianapolis Museum of Art).

Simultaneously, Teare played drums for the proto-punk band MX-80 Sound (1975-76). His musical credits include playing with performance artist Julia Heyward in Glo-National (1981) and with a trio of musicians: Brian Kelly, Julia Murphy and Pat Place (1991-93). Their music was released in the recording Brian Kelly: Each Day Blues. It was produced by Julian Schnabel. Teare contributed to the 1996 film "Basquiat" produced by Schnabel. His drumming can be heard on Kelly's composition "She Is Dancing" on the documentary's soundtrack.

In 1999, Teare released the self-produced recording, "The List Of Who Lives." Guest performers include Jay Dee Daughery (Patti Smith Group), Wayne Kramer (MC5), Richard Lloyd (Television) and Bob Neuwirth, Terence Stamp and Jeni Muldaur.

As a visual artist, Teare has exhibited in France, Sweden and spots around the US. This includes galleries and/or museums in New York City, East Hampton, Ohio, Indiana and more. Teare won "Top Honor" in the 2007 Artists Members Exhibition at Guild Hall and had a solo exhibition at the museum in 2009. He's currently part of the group show "Contemporary Narrative" exhibited at the Southampton Cultural Gallery and curated by Arlene Bujese.

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Exhibiting artists in "Open For The Stones, Vol.2" includes some musician-artists from Teare's past. These include Kelly, Place and Neuwirth. Most exhibitors were referred to Teare. Nearly all fit the musician-serious visual artist paradigm.

"This is a group of like-minded individuals," said Teare. "Call it a movement."

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Many have significant professional credits.

Exhibiting artist Lou Reed needs no introduction. The renowned musician is exhibiting a photograph from a new series of images of the West Side Highway.

Ron Nagle is a renowned American ceramicist with some serious exhibition and musical credits. The California-based ceramicist is currently in New York on a Guggenheim Fellowship, said Teare. As a visual artist, Nagle is collected by museums around the world (including The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC; the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, DC; the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, Holland, The Shigaraki Museum of Contemporary Ceramic Art in Japan, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, England).

As a musician, Nagle's credits include two recordings. His solo record, "Bad Rice" produced by Warner Brothers Records. A recording with his band, Dūrocs was produced by Capital Records.

With Dūrocs bandmate Scott Matthews, Nagle has written songs for Barbara Streisand, Jefferson Starship, Sammy Hager, The Tubes and others and produced recordings for many others.

Also part of the "Open For The Stones, Vol.2" art show is a joint work by Stuart Sutcliffe (1940-1962) and Christopher Wool. Sutcliffe was the first bass player for The Beatles. He left the band to pursue painting. Wool's exhibition credits include  Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles and Museum Boymans-van Beuningen, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. His first solo show at Gagosian Gallery was in 2006, according to the gallery's website.

Artist-Musicians from the Hamptons are also part of the mix. They include Peter Dayton and Jamison Ellis (they perform with The xframes) and Don Christensen.

Christensen was part of the "No Wave" movement in NYC. As a musician, he's collaborated with The Contortions, Brian Eno, Henry Flynt, James White and the Blacks, the Raybeats, and Philip Glass, according to his website. Christensen also scored animated films and wrote music and sound design for 15 Faith Hubley films. Some of the films are included in the Museum of Modern Art's permanent collection, according to his website.

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Including artists from the surrounding areas on each stop of the traveling art show is part of the concept, said Teare.

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Like a concert tour, the plan is to "tour" 'Open For The Stones" to multiple locations across the country. Vol.1 opened in New York City in Jan 2012 at Keyes Art Project. It featured five artists (Teare, Tara Israel, Chris Snow, Bob Neuwirth and Tara Cross).

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Vol.2 is significantly expanded from its tour opener in New York City. After its run in East Hampton, Teare hopes for a Vol.3 in the middle of the country. While exhibitors are mostly visual artists first and musicians second, Teare is open to exceptions (like Lou Reed who is a musician first and visual artist second).

An artist of this type that Teare would like to include on the next stop is Patti Smith. Her diverse artistic talents make a perfect fit for "Open For The Stones" said Teare.

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BASIC FACTS: "Open For The Stones, Vol.2" opens Sat (May 26) from 6 to 8 p.m. at Harper's Books, 87 Newtown Lane, East Hampton. The show remains on view through June 25, 2012.

Harper's Books: www.harpersbooks.com

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© 2012 Pat Rogers and Hamptons Art Hub. All rights reserved.