Custodian Trashes Library Art Exhibit ("art" mistaken for garbage)

AP (via Yahoo) ^ | 06/24/03

[Drew68]

Custodian Trashes Library Art Exhibit

Tue Jun 24, 8:25 AM ET

BOULDER, Colo. - It's art to some, yes, but apparently not to the custodian who threw away the newest exhibit at the Boulder Public Library.

After being pulled out of the garbage, "My Favorite Place to Walk in Boulder: Or Found Trash Objects" officially opened Friday at the downtown library. The display features common trash found by University of Colorado art students in otherwise scenic spots citywide.

"This is a slightly different kind of art," said Karen Ripley, director of cultural programs. "It's not meant to be beautiful.

"One of the comments our maintenance guy made was that it smells," said Ripley, who saved the artwork.

She said the odor could have been coming from a soggy brown leather clog found in a drinking fountain.

When the janitor dumped the display, there were no signs or barriers to indicate it was anything but what it looked like: a pile of rubbish, Ripley said.

Intended as a social commentary on ecology, the exhibit includes a green Frisbee, a plastic cookie cutter, a cigarette package and a drink coaster.

[Drew68]

Only in Boulder, the Berkeley of the Rockies.

[Recovering_Democrat]

BWA HA HA HA HA!! Classic!

They should give the guy a raise for taking out the trash.

[Clara Lou]

"Hmmm-- this looks like trash. It smells like trash. Why... it must be trash."
~giggle~
~snort~
BWA HAHAHAHAHA!!

[PaulJ]

Oh? Do any of you really think you can tell art from trash? Why not take THIS QUIZ and find out.

(By the way, I failed.)

[Sam Cree]

What a really cute story. The janitor understands art, clearly, more than the art students.

However, an art professor that I know entered in an art show a small piece of galvanized pipe sitting on a pedestal. It looked like junk, but he had rigged lights, paintings and mirrors inside the pedestal, so that if you put your eye up to it and looked in the open end of the pipe, you saw an illusion of blue sky, and thought the pipe went through the pedestal, under the floor and outdoors, like a periscope, giving you a view outside the building.

[Sam Cree]

Ha! I failed it too. I kind of drew the line at that Michael Jackson monstrosity. Plus I consider much of the carefully designed stuff like office chairs to be legitimately artistic, as do, I'm sure, their designers (and those who employ the designers).

I guess the person who wrote the quiz only thinks it's art when some idiot attaches a "social" meaning to it.

[the gillman@blacklagoon.com]

Me too. Got em all wrong.

[LexBaird]

The problem with this quiz is that it didn't have the choice of "both art AND crap". I'm almost embarrassed to say I got a 12 of 16 correct.

[AnAmericanMother]

A similar thing happened here in Atlanta awhile ago.

When "modern art" was being installed over at the Richard Russell Federal Building, a janitor threw away what he thought was an old, torn, paint-spattered dropcloth.

Turned out it was a $100K "work of art" waiting to be installed on the wall. The artist was furious. Everybody else laughed -- until we realized that it was OUR tax money paying for the boondoggle.

AFAIK, the stupid thing is still hanging on the wall over there. No matter what the artist says, it's just an old, torn, paint-spattered dropcloth.

[Richard Kimball]

"This is a slightly different kind of art," said Karen Ripley, director of cultural programs.

Oh, gosh. A Dadaist, found art social statement piece of work extolling us not to litter. How original.

[nothingnew]

I got a "not bad"...10/16. I cheated tho, I picked the stuff that I thought was crap and chose art....bwahahaha1

FMCDH

[Drew68]

LOL! followed by a sigh of resignation.

[Sam Cree]

I just couldn't make myself vote yes on some of the stuff, even though I was pretty sure it was going to be labeled as art.

[dighton]

Cleaner dumps Hirst installation

[Question_Assumptions]

"This is a slightly different kind of art," said Karen Ripley, director of cultural programs. "It's not meant to be beautiful.

Yes, only "slightly different". If you really wanted a different kind of art these days, try making something beautiful. That seems to be right out with most modern artists.

[Ignatz]

Ok, I now think Patsy is innocent. JonBenet committed suicide when she realized that she would grow up in such a screwed-up city.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

I got “not bad, 11/16, you’ve been to an opening or two.” Well, no. But I was trying.

[djf]

If it was “mistaken”, then it wasn’t a mistake.