On May 7, Washington, DC, welcomed a new café catering to its vibrant independent writer/artist scene. The April 24 press release announces: “this is not that CAFÉ, an art project that reclaims the traditional function of the coffeehouse as a place for social interaction and idea exchange, transforms The Phillips Collection’s café space into an environment where visitors have a direct experience with art.”
The brainchild of members of Vesela Sretenovic, the Phillips’s new curator of modern and contemporary art, this is not that
CAFÉ serves as somewhat of an “experiment station” to engage artists and revitalize the museum space and forge links with living artists. Says Sretenovic: “I hope to create small, focused exhibitions that are visually and conceptually compelling, and that put beauty and risk in play.”
this is not that CAFÉ, operating “inside, outside, and alongside the establishment,” bridges the gap between art and community. Built upon components created by New York-based dB foundation members Greta Byrum, Annabel Daou, Kareem Estefan, Tom Russotti, Danny Snelson, and Elaine Tin Nyo, CAFÉ creates a playground from wall collages, board games, a library, and both real and fake foods. The café has four main artistic components:
The brainchild of members of Vesela Sretenovic, the Phillips’s new curator of modern and contemporary art, this is not that
CAFÉ serves as somewhat of an “experiment station” to engage artists and revitalize the museum space and forge links with living artists. Says Sretenovic: “I hope to create small, focused exhibitions that are visually and conceptually compelling, and that put beauty and risk in play.”this is not that CAFÉ, operating “inside, outside, and alongside the establishment,” bridges the gap between art and community. Built upon components created by New York-based dB foundation members Greta Byrum, Annabel Daou, Kareem Estefan, Tom Russotti, Danny Snelson, and Elaine Tin Nyo, CAFÉ creates a playground from wall collages, board games, a library, and both real and fake foods. The café has four main artistic components:
-Wall evokes a Dadaist café through the art of collage-Food explores desire and satisfaction, with a menu of food items both available and unavailable
-Book invites writers and poets to contribute literary voices
-Game offers parlor games whose rules may change during play
this is not that CAFÉ opened May 7 and continues through December 2009.
The Phillips Collection
1600 21st St. NW
Washington, D.C. 20009
1600 21st St. NW
Washington, D.C. 20009
202.387.2151
The Phillips Collection, “America’s first museum of modern art,” houses collections with works by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Vincent van Gogh, Edgar Degas, Henri Matisse, and Georgia O’Keeffe, among others. The museum is very active in producing educational programs for K-12 students and adult learners, and hosts concerts, exhibitions, and a variety of other cultural programs.
--Rachel Frier
Photos: Flickr
No comments:
Post a Comment