Saturday, July 21, 2012

How does the LJ World pick its art features? We are clueless.


Deflated Balloon Sculpture by Chicago Artist Willy Chyr

With all the great art in Lawrence, we are clueless as to how the Lawrence Journal World picks art to feature for its newspaper.  The art the LJW journalists have chosen to write about has been random and obscure. 

A good example is coverage by the LJW of the now deflated balloon sculpture (in the above picture) by Chicago Artist Willy Chyr, currently on exhibit at the Arts Center. This sculpture was on the front page of the LJW, and one of the few if only only lengthy art articles to be given attention to by the LJW. The online edition also included a video. 

Although we usually love nerdy projects, and Chyr's had potential by combining physics with art, we somehow were never really impressed by this. Lately,  the sculpture looks like discarded balloons after a child's birthday party.  Balloons are deflated, falling off,  and can be found on the floor of the Arts Center.  The sculpture is very sad looking.  Although art works are sometimes meant to disintegrate organically, such Patrick Dougherty's woven wood sculpture displayed with a live tree campus, Chyr's piece was not. 

Chyr's sculpture started off bright and cheery, but soon the balloons started deflating and falling off

The Journal World could have focused attention on the many artists in Lawrence who are creating high quality work. For instance, in a room a few feet away from Chry's sculpture, the Arts Center's skilled Artist in Resident, Allen Chen, had an amazing installation of hanging ceramic globe pieces.  


Allen Chen's installation

1 comment:

  1. Chyr's piece IS meant to disintegrate organically, even though it does look very sad now.

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