a great week - Steve Kurtz; Benjy Davies and Jenny Mendes

This past week The Cleveland Institute of Art played host to a ceramicist, Jenny Mendes; a printmaker, Benjy Davies; and the Bickford Visiting Artist, Steve Kurtz. In addition Cinematheque screened the film “Strange Culture” and the Painting Department conducted a panel featuring the artists from “Light of Day” – an exhibition currently on view at William Busta Gallery here in Cleveland.

(Weeks like this remind me what an amazing environment I have the privilege to work and teach in. There is such an abundance of energy and so many creative minds.)

All of these events received high marks from those in attendance. Steve Kurtz gave a particularly powerful talk. With great wit, he spoke about his career and the difficulties his encountered through the course of his work.

Kurtz, for those of you who weren’t able to attend, is, along with his late wife Hope, a founding member of the “tactical media” protest and performance artist collective, the Critical Art Ensemble. The group’s work has dealt with, among other subjects, issues of biotechnology. The Ensemble has authored several books including “Digital Resistance: Explorations in Tactical Media” and “Electronic Civil Disobedience and Other Unpopular Ideas.” The groups’ work has been presented at such prestigious venues as The Whitney Museum, The New Museum in New York, The Corcoran, The ICA in London, the MCA in Chicago, the Musee d’art de la Ville de Paris and the London Museum of Natural History.

As detailed in the film “Strange Culture” by Lynn Hershman Leeson, from 2004 to 2008, Kurtz had hanging over him the threat of a 20 year prison sentence. These charges came about as the result of an investigation relating to the death of his wife Hope due to heart failure and were the product of a gross and rather sinister misinterpretation of the work he and his wife were doing. Over the course of those four years, and in the shadow of his tragic personal loss, Kurtz has persevered in the defense of his own civil liberties and by extension in defense of the rights of all other artists and free thinkers. It has only been since late May of 2008 that the Buffalo Prosecutor’s Office declined to reopen the case which had been dismissed. Steve Kurtz is now free.

** Special thanks to Sarah Paul for acting as liaison with Steve Kurtz.

http://www.critical-art.net

http://www.critical-art.net/biotech/sra/SRAweb/index.html

http://www.strangeculture.net/

http://www.cia.edu/academicResources/cinematheque/filmSchedule.php?action=upcoming