Jan has just sent through Bob Georgeson’s poster for this year’s Sculpture on the Edge at Bermagui.
Sensational, wethinks. What a fabulous perspective of Randall Sinnamon’s piece from last year’s event!! Br-illiant.
But no. Apparently not. Jan’s committee collectively wet their knickers in horror, pronouncing it too offensive. Omigod – can you believe such a thing? In this day and age? And purporting, some of them, to be contemporary artists!!
SHAME ON YOU. Get with the program, peeps. The embarrassment is all yours.
They opted instead for the safe harbour of convention…
Now, this second is a fine poster, featuring a fine artist. No argument there.
But one can’t help but feel that it lacks the frisson, the élan, of the original.
If the local arts community seriously wants to play in the big pool then it needs to start cultivating some bone fide vizzarts maturity. As a concept, Vagina dentata has probably been around since the beginning of the art historic time-line – and is perfectly acceptable. In any guise.
Nervous Nellyism be damned.
[Poor Jan – we feel for you big time. Hang in there sister. n(Ed)]
glass central canberra 
Yeah, get over it, I like the original for the discussion it could raise.
How often do you see glass with any edge to it ?
Too true. Ian Mowbray’s about the only Aussie who regularly pushes the barriers. Megsie can be a naughty girl, but she doesn’t count. n(Ed)
given that I was one of the main folk of the ‘knotted knickers camp’ I thought it might be salient to actually let you (and subsequently all your good glassy readers) know what was transpiring……
I pointed out to a supportive committee (as it obviously still needs to be said) that SotE relies totally on the generous financial (and otherwise) support of local businesses (whose logos you can now see on the ‘amended’ version of the poster……ooops missing in the first draft). It’s all well and good for we forward thrusting, contemporary, wanna-be art aficionados to poke fun at the poor backward (bucktoothed no doubt) Cuntry folk and their lack of understanding of A*R*T – its another thing to try to make a pretty juvenile point of this via a publicity poster… I think you’d find that going with that initial draft poster would have proved to be the ‘final straw’ for many previously supportive sponsors… and no sponsors means no event.
oh and let’s not forget that SotE dovetails the exhibition with workshops in local schools (preschools, primary and high schools)….. indeed these workshops are an integral part of the event… I’d just LOVE to see the fall out with the Dept of Ed for any school foolish enough to publish the initial draft poster in any local school newsletter (let allow foolish enough to allow these – gulp – arteests into their schools….. ps Sinnamons funded workshops DID NOT take place last year…)
oh and just to rub a bit of liniment into the vitals – this years symposium topic is ‘lets hear it for the girls’ (also now on the amended poster – it was accidentally left off the initial draft) Please ya’ll – you’re a smart audience – connect the dots …
I don’t have a drama with the sculpture (dentata and all) – as you say – this sort of work has been around and around and around forEVER – so it’s a fitting piece to include in a robust public exhibition. BUT it aint fitting as poster child for SotE …. and I DO find it just a wee bit passe to go for the crutch (sooooooo 1980s darrrrling) when trying to muster up an audience…
its long past time for art to grow up and get over adolescent posturing me thinks….
Gosh Ronnie. Go girl. That’s what we like to see – a bit of spunk! n(Ed)