What job is harder than herding cats? Why it's curating an art show, of course! And artist
Josh Usmani boldly crosses over from being an artist to a curator with ease. His first curated show,
Controversy opens for one night only on Saturday, December 10th at The Zaller Gallery.
Josh graciously took some time out of his busy schedule to talk about the show and the arts in Cleveland.
Wall Eye: Controversy is your first curated show. Where
did the idea come from? And how has the experience been?
Josh Usmani: I was researching the 1913
"Armory Show" for Museum Studies at Cleveland State last
spring. I was intrigued when it became clear the success of that show in
terms of visitors, exposure, longevity and dollars was based in large part to
the negative press the show received before opening to the public. I'd
always had the idea for "Controversy" in the back of my head if I
ever curated a show, but the Armory Show made it seem more realistic. A
month or two later I was approached by Dave Desimone* about potentially curating
a show at Zaller. Controversy was the first and only idea I
pitched. It's funny how these events poetically align. I think
it's a perfect time for Controversy too. Today, the internet
allows the masses access to unprecedented, once unimaginable amounts of
information, yet some people are so blinded by highly polished propaganda the
truth itself offends them. I believe true art is capable of both
enlightening and agitating while still being universally effective and
aesthetically pleasing. This thought-provoking quality is at the heart of Controversy.
It sounds cliché, but the whole experience has been a dream come true.
Zaller is a DIY space that offers curators a venue to work our magic.
It's a lot of work, but I have total creative freedom, which is incredibly
important, especially with this show. I don't know what's happening with
the space after my show, but I really hope something like this can exist in
Cleveland for a long time. There aren't very many places on Earth like Zaller.
WE: Any notable pieces in the show?
JU: So many! With over two dozen
artists in the show it's hard to single any out. Plus, I'm actually still
waiting on some...Like Semiotext's stuff coming from Sweden. It's going
to be his first show in the US. With over two dozen artists in Controversy, I was careful to select artists I trust because most
chose to produce new work that I hadn't seen. There have been a lot of
very pleasant surprises. I don’t want to give anything away, but suffice
it to say that I'm VERY excited about this show! The established artists
blew me away. as I suspected they would, but I think a lot of people will be
surprised by a lot of the artists they haven't encountered previously...Which
is part of my job as curator. I can't thank the artists enough. It's
going to be a really cool show. I should mention Douglas Max Utter and
Justin Roberts since they're not on the flyer and both really great
artists. Douglas Max Utter had a solo exhibition at William Busta gallery
recently and Justin Roberts did all the album artwork for Simeon Soul Charger's
"Meet Me in the After Life". Simeon Soul Charger is an amazing
rock band from Akron currently touring in Europe for over a year. Justin
often does live paintings during concerts. He was painting at Ingenuity
Fest recently.
WE: Douglas Max Utter?!** Nice! How did you choose the artists
for the show? Was it your intention to choose heavy hitters like Douglas and
artists people may not have heard of?
JU: My goal has been to keep the show as diverse as possible. I approached
artists of all different backgrounds searching for as many perspectives on the
subject as possible. Controversy features artists of
different gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, education, age, etc.. I
also approached a few art educators (Art Ed. majors, art teachers and my own
professors) to get their take on the subject. I think the show has a really
nice balance to it.
WE: Having experience on both sides of a
show (curator/organizer and artist), do you like one more than the other?
JU: I'm definitely an artist
first-and-foremost, but I genuinely love curating and working on
exhibitions. Like I said, it's a lot of work, but it's so worth it!
I've been lucky enough to organize a few exhibitions at Cleveland State in the
past few years and people like Robert Thurmer, Russ Revock and Linda Herman
have been instrumental in nurturing my curatorial side at CSU. My family
doesn't spend a lot of energy on art. I never went to art museums or
galleries with my parents, so I feel like I've been exposed to a whole new
world recently. I always preach "Cooperation not Competition"
to my artist-friends. I want to help build a bigger, stronger arts
community in Cleveland and this show allows me to do that by exposing new,
young artists and bringing lots of different people together and giving them
plenty to talk about. I haven't made a lot of art lately, so I'm looking forward
to getting back to it next year, but organizing Controversy has
allowed me to focus my energy on something bigger than myself.
WE: I like that, "Cooperation not Competition"! What do you
feel more in the Cleveland art community: cooperation or competition?
JU: Honestly, I see a lot of
cooperation amongst the artists I've met. I see a lot of opportunity to
expand the networking and communication amongst the arts community in
Cleveland, but the people themselves are really great and a lot of the work
made here deserves more attention than its getting. I think the really
competitive artists are probably the first to leave town for greener pastures...Or
go into graphic design (Just kidding, graphic designers). We can make all
the art we want alone, but if we want a thriving arts community in Cleveland
it's going to take each and every one of us.
WE: You've been pretty busy with
participating in shows and even having a solo show back in August, and now Controversy. What's next for you?
JU: Yeah, I'm making up for the 3
years I wasn't drawing. I was out of school for 5 years trying to find a
"responsible" job I loved as much as art. Obviously that didn't
work out. I have a year and a half at Cleveland State before I graduate.
I just organized a small exhibition of student work in Gallery B at CSU to
accent the alumni show currently hanging in the main gallery. I'm the
President of the Student Organization of Fine Art (SOFA) and the Undergraduate
Representative on CSU's Gallery Panel, so I'll be starting preparations for our
annual spring Student Show and Merit Scholar Show soon. The next shows
I'll be participating in are the "Fifty Dolla Holladay Sale" at
Breakneck Gallery (December 17th) and "Studio Skateboard" a group
skate deck art exhibition at the Sandusky Cultural Center (opening January
8th). I plan to make a lot more art next year and keep trying to
participate in as many exhibitions and events as possible. I'd love to
curate another big group show like this. Nothing's planned yet, but you
never know what's coming around the next corner.
--
Thanks, Josh!
Remember that Controversy is one night only on Saturday, December 10th from 5:00pm-11:00pm at The Zaller Gallery at 16008 Waterloo Rd in Cleveland.
[*Editor's note: Wall Eye ♥s Dave Desimone.]
[**Another Editor's Note: In case it isn't obvious, Wall Eye ♥s Douglas Max Utter too.]
[One more note, I swear: Wall Eye's own Joe Ayala and Dante Rodriguez are artists in the show as well!]
