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Indepth Arts News:
"ALMOST WARM AND FUZZY: Childhood and
Contemporary Art"
2000-10-07 until 2001-01-14
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Scottsdale, AZ,
USA
Various views of childhood—a mix of innocence and nostalgia, comic-strip
heroes and science-fiction, fairy tales and computer games—are explored
in 41 thought-provoking works by 33 contemporary artists and artists’
groups from the United States and abroad. ALMOST WARM AND FUZZY is
an exhibition that attracts both those interested in thought-provoking art
and children and teens eager to find their own experiences reflected in
the world around them. On the surface, the exhibit has a whimsical and
fun-loving atmosphere and yet, a closer look reveals that all is not “warm
and fuzzy.” Childhood, for all its charm, is also a time of uncertainty, and
for some, great stress. Many works recall those feelings and speak to the
reality of growing up and becoming an adult.
The exhibition features several kinetic and interactive pieces. Among the
many captivating installation works are: Sandy Skoglund’s Shimmering
Madness, a dream-like environment which includes two life-size figures
covered with jellybeans running through a field of butterfly wings; and
Maria Fernanda Cardoso’s Cardoso Flea Circus, an authentic flea circus
featuring acrobats, clowns and a tiny ring master. Charles Ray comments
on the difference between the real and unreal in his over life sized toy
Fire Truck made of aluminum and fiberglass.
Artist Kim Dingle is represented by the monumental figure of a little girl
dressed in white who appears to have just broken through the museum’s
walls. Issues of scale are also evident in Laura Whipple’s Tea Party where
a typical children’s tea party is upset by the inclusion of a giant- sized
chair placed alongside a miniature table and a trio of chairs set. Bill
Scanga’s At the Met is a miniature reconstruction of the American wing at
the Metropolitan Museum of Art populated by mice complete with
shopping bags.
Other artists in the exhibition include: The Art Guys, Barry Flanagan, Tom
Friedman, Mike Kelley, Jeff Koons, Charles LeDray, David Levinthal,
Takashi Murakami, Elizabeth Newman, Daniel Oates, Tom Otterness, Marc
Quinn, Alexis Rockman, Tim Rollins & KOS, Michelle Segre, Beverly
Semmes, Laurie Simmons, Fred Truck, Meyer Vaisman, and Charles
White.
ALMOST WARM AND FUZZY introduces both teenagers and younger
children to art, in particular, the art of their own time. The exhibition has
been designed with families in mind. A 24-page, Spanish-English
children’s activity book raises intriguing questions in connection with the
works and provides a series of projects for young people. The interpretive
object labels, which are bi-lingual, have been developed by a group of
museum educators especially for younger visitors. A cheerful poster
serves as an attractive souvenir of the show as well as an unconventional
catalogue, with an essay and the exhibition checklist on the back. In
addition, SMoCA’s education department is planning an exciting series of
educational programs and artist residencies and a “rumpus room,” jointly
coordinated by SMoCA and the Arizona Museum of Youth, for children to
participate in hands-on art activities.
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