Don Driver 1930 - 2011

For us there have been just three reasons to visit New Plymouth: check out the Govett-Brewster, spend time with Peter Peryer, go see Don and Joyce Driver.

The news of Don’s death this morning is not unexpected but is a shock. We first met Don in the early 1970s when he was moving on from making highly finished abstract paintings and starting with his great large banners assembled from tarpaulins, clothing, sacks, tools and whatever else captured his attention. It was quite a time. Some of our most memorable experiences over the years have been fossicking around in his various studios with Don and discovering what he had been up to.

Don was never a great talker so the silences were as memorable and as eloquent as the conversation. He was a gentle man who made tough, raucous, and magnificent work. Audiences were often riled by his challenges but Don was implacable. He knew what he wanted to do and he did it. Of course such determination came with a cost, and we can't fully express our admiration for Joyce and for their daughter Justine and her family for the enduring support they gave him freely and with love. Joyce's determination matched Don's and her unwavering confidence in the work was always an inspiration.

New Plymouth without Don Driver. Such an unlikely idea. But even without his presence all of us who know his work will always see the city through his eyes. The ordinary made extraordinary. Even so we will miss him deeply.

On the road

And still they come. Another in our much loved series ("love the series" - R of Taranaki) of examples of the Ministry of Transport giving it up for artists young and old, living and dead, throughout the land.

The days of their lives

In this week’s episode:

Paula announces she is leaving the City Gallery hard on the heels of Kate who has been in her job for under a year after the departure of Heather who went to Te Papa for a short time and then on to Massey. But before Paula announces her departure Pat begins a search for Kate’s replacement and Paula interviews Robert. Afterwards she surprises him with the news she is moving on. Robert flies back to Australia. The next week Greg, who lives in New York, turns up in town for a day. Meanwhile Pat surveys the community to see how a $10 door charge might go down. The survey also suggests that Wellington people might get in free. Will that fly Pat wonders. Will it even walk?

Next week:

Pat turns her mind to replacing Paula. Could she get Greg to return or did he have his sights on something more juicy across the Tasman? Tim might step up but how would Tim’s Te Papa style fit with the City Gallery contemporary art brand? Then there was Cam, close but maybe a little too close for comfort. Perhaps Elizabeth might want to come out of the cold or Blair away from the shakes. Would Heather do a boomerang? Well, she thinks, anythings possible, why Tina might even be persuaded to come down off the hill. As these options race through Pat’s mind, Paula plans her move to Auckland.

Lookalike

Life follows art as Danielle gets trapped in a clothes horse when she falls off a bed.

Images: top, Danielle's accident. Bottom Campbell Patterson's Sandwich 2008

Your tax dollar at work

The Te Papa Annual Report is always launched with little or no fanfare. That's a shame as it tells a lot about how the place really works and what happens to the around $23 million we spend on Te Papa each year. So here are a few numbers for the year 2010 to 2011. You can see a list of art acquisitions for the year here on OTN stuff or download the Te Papa Annual Report here.

First up visitor numbers. It would be interesting to have visitor numbers in more detail like how many people actually schlep up to the fifth floor to see the art (Te Papa claims 80 percent of all visitors make the climb which would be 800,000 ). It would also be interesting to know what percentage of counted visitors go to functions (weddings, film festivals, conferences, product launches etc.) rather than look at the collections. Anyway here are a few figures from the 2010-11 year: 

1.34 the number in millions of total visitors 

7.3 the percentage drop in annual visitors to Te Papa last year

36.7 the percentage of Te Papa visitors who live in Wellington

As to figures on specific exhibitions - there aren't any. As a rule, unless it's a huge success, Te Papa keeps pretty quiet on audience numbers to exhibitions. It would have been interesting to know, for example, how much European Masters (or any other exhibition) cost when fees, marketing and exhibition expenses are deducted from ticket sales (which are presumably tucked away in the commercial revenues figures).

Next up art purchases.

3.65   the number of dollars in millions spent on art acquisitions

.72      the number of dollars in millions spent on all other Te Papa acquisitions

9         the number of paintings by New Zealanders purchased last year

1         the number of paintings by New Zealanders purchased that were made after 1970

6        the number of contemporary New Zealand sculptures purchased

9        the number of contemporary Maori works made after 2007 purchased

2        the number of International contemporary art works purchased (both by Australian Nick Mangan)

And finally sharing the art collection with the rest of the country:

4000 the approximate number of total Te Papa loans made to other NZ institutions

36       the number of art works lent to other NZ institutions (22 of them a single exhibition loan to Wellington's City Gallery)

Images: Te Papa's "visitor numbers" chart published in this year's Annual Report with internet and touring figures included and bottom, the same chart just showing visitors to Te Papa. (click to enlarge)

City Gallery up for grabs

Paula Savage, has resigned from the City Gallery. She will leave in March 2012 to take up a job in Auckland. She was appointed Director of the Wellington City Art Gallery in 1991 and managed its move to the old library building where it was renamed City Gallery.

Image: Queuing at the City Gallery for Yayoi Kusama: Mirrored Years

Art is where you find it

Someone making an art like product round the back of the old Michael Lett Gallery

Tectonic plate

OTN regular N has certainly achieved cut through with this drive-by shooting of a classic personalised plate an image that opens up the opportunity for a new OTN series. We have no idea how many ‘series’ we are currently running on OTN. Tragically some of them have only run to a single post, but this time we're optimistic. This could be an important addition to OTN’s ongoing practice, a project that interrogates artists' personas, number plates, fandom, automobiles and urban transport. We hope you enjoy the posts in the forthcoming series APNFAUT.

On the other hand…

"...the success of the uber art dealers is based upon the mystical power that art now holds over the super-rich. The new collectors, some of whom have become billionaires many times over through their business nous, are reduced to jibbering gratitude by their art dealer or art adviser, who can help them appear refined, tasteful and hip, surrounded by their achingly cool masterpieces."

UK art collector Charles Saatchi has a go in the Guardian

“Miami likes a faster read”

Art dealer Casey Kaplan on the Miami Art Fair crowd

Home and away

The latest round of Creative NZ Arts Board Grants has some surprises. Going through the 65 grants (totalling $1,598,359) we found the visual arts ended up with 12 percent compared to performing arts with 45 percent. The visual arts numbers look better (up to around 20 percent) if you add relevant media art funding. It’s very odd of CNZ funding media art separately to the visual arts. Followed to it’s logical conclusion CNZ would also have categories for painting, sculpture and photography etc.

The big difference this time though is that most of the visual arts money (a whopping 60 percent) goes to what you’d call specific individual artist based projects. Residencies, art school study, new work - that sort of thing.

Publishing is still getting a lot of attention grabbing $66,000 of the $190,970 the visual arts end up with. Over half of it ($36,000) goes to Robert Leonard to finish off Rock on, his history of contemporary NZ art post 1956 that he started when he was a Stout Fellow back a while.

Another interesting feature of the visual arts funding is that a big chunk ($87,490, that’s 45 percent) goes off-shore to international projects. This time it includes $16,420 to 2009 Venice artist Judy Millar to show at Museum Otterndorf in Germany and $28,810 to send three artists to the Sydney Biennale.

Saturday's a leg of lamb, is everybody happy?

This French & Saunders version of Gilbert & George via Leg of Lamb (thanks Leg)

Branded: Chris Booth

The moment when artists become brands

Kcin

When you’re rummaging around the OTN Forgotten Archive, you may notice that Nick Spill was once found and soon after disappeared. The reason is simple. Nick asked us to remove the entry that was peppered with references to security, guns and bodyguards and so we did. 

Now Nick has re-emerged, this time via the image of an early art work sent in by a reader (thanks A). It turns out that Spill might well be a world leader in art taping. Our earliest example used to be Maurizio Cattelan’s effort with his dealer Massimo De Carlo but Spill’s precedes that by 21 years. 

When we asked if we could publish the taping pic we were pointed toward his novels published on Amazon. Whoa. Nick has literally spilt the beans on NZ art and sex (mostly sex) in the seventies. It’s a novel but those who were there and anyone who can google should be able to sort out who’s doing what to whom. You can buy Growing Up Horny in New Zealand by Nick Spill for kindle here on Amazon. His next book The Way of the Bodyguard is coming soon.

Image: Llips together 1978, courtesy of the artist

elevenses

In november we: wondered how the hell te papa and the city gallery managed to spend $600,000 on oceania • came up empty when we looked for art related election promises • became depressed at the old-guy selection for venice • drummed up a cricket team • pondered the future of art publishing • revisited rudi gopas • worried about where to send the kids to art school and nearly scooped the announcement of michael parekowhai’s brisbane commission (nice one lara)

But wait, there’s more

It is the tradition of the great newspapers of the world to champion the rights of the oppressed, maintain a close vigil on the political and expound directions for the future. Blogs are somewhat different choosing instead to offer instant opinions, prod institutional power, advocate the importance of cuteness in cats and shamelessly promote those near and dear to them.

In this spirit we must tell you our son Pippin's book How to play a video game has just been published and is in bookshops now (or near as dammit). This means that the perfect Christmas gift has appeared right before your eyes. 

For everyone who was left behind when the PlayStation controller hit the scene as well as those who despair of their partners, parents or work mates ever understanding the joy of gaming, this is the book for them and this is the book for you. 

… don’t just take our word for it:

‘A fabulous insight into how video games work’

Simon Morton

‘Passionate, insightful and full of easy charm, this smart, informative, funny guide to the gaming world is a great read for ardent fans, the uninitiated and sceptics alike’

Derek Lockwood, Worldwide Director of Design, Saatchi & Saatchi

‘Pippin Barr is an emissary from the flourishing civilisation of video games. His book is the perfect introduction to a global movement becoming ever more influential and all-consuming’

Toby Laing, trumpeter, Fat Freddy’s Drop