I watched the season finale of Bravo's "Work of art - the next great artist" last week. I did not have the opportunity to see any of the earlier episodes of this inaugural season. Partially due to a lack of time raising 4 teenagers and partially because I despise reality television. See all the details and artists bios at www.bravotv.com/work-of-art.
I must say I was impressed with the quality of the three finalists.
Third place was Minneapolis' own Miles Mendenhall. He is a print maker who explored multiple layers of photography taken from a cell phone camera. He has also been doing work with High Point Center for Printmaking through a Jerome scholarship. I look forward to seeing more of his work and would love to show it in our new gallery.
Second place was Peregrine, who created a carnival atmosphere with her three dimensional sculptures, complete with a cotton candy machine. Very fun to see in a museum but makes me come back to the age old question, would you buy it?
The winner was Abdi who created a series of sculptures and paintings that showed he has skills. Being the winner got him $100k plus a show at the Brooklyn Museum. Both high on any artists wish list.
So the verdict is still out on whether this show will see season two. It definitely could use a new writer and editor as the quality of the production left a lot to be desired. I'll be waiting by the phone.
Greg Hennes
8-16-10
