Michael Bulka, midnight rant

Number 2

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introduction

I've made a few additions to this art-spam list. New folks - you'll have to guess at what you've missed. If you hate me, let me know and I'll be history. I think I've fixed the netiquite-violating address problem. And yes, maybe I am depressed and bitter and taking it out on the world, but it doesn't bother me. If no artists were motivated by bad juices, we'd all be happy with LiteFM.

I haven't had nearly enough to drink tonight, and my rant isn't really in the groove, but I do try to stay current -

I heard today that the MCA (Museum of Contempory Art, Chicago. I shouldn't have to say, but I'm hoping this gets forwarded to some people without a clue) finally hired a few curators. Big news for some folks, I guess. I don't write captions for Chicago Social, though, so what do I care?

The MCA doesn't have anything to do with art - it is a bauble, a subscription club for people who have more than they can use, and need to impress themselves with their level of culture. Their spare cash might better be spent on social programs, but if they need to play with art, let them make a real investment, let them do the work of trying to understand art before it has a provenance, let them give them give needed moral and financial support to the unknown waitress-, temp-typist-, and house-painter-artists. But, no, it's easier just to write a tax-deductible check, and then you get to go to fashionable parties. Should it really matter to me which arts administrative bureaucrat they hire to do their thinking for them?

The MCA was Disneyland (or maybe the Hard Rock Cafe) long before the ascendance of a seasoned mouse-minion. Francesco and Elizabeth are probably lovely and sincere people, for career art-assistants, but what can we expect? Elaborate installations of work by people who were hot last year (especially European and new-media hot)? Or theme shows that dare to recognize that PC hypocracy is dead, even on TV? But of course, nothing that would disturb the tourists or any of the New Group on Culture-Date Thursdays.

Mazel Tov. Welcome to Chicago.