Mount Vernon Place: An open and shut case
It was another tough day on the golden fence beat.
First, the art student and his school decide, in the face of mounting public criticism, to open up the fence/artwork that effectively closed off access to Mount Vernon Place.
Then, as he is in the process of doing so -- removing one section of fence from that surrounding each of the park's four squares -- the artist, Lee B. Freeman, gets spit on by a critic of his chain link expression.
To top it off, high winds that pushed through the city Thursday afternoon threaten to blow down the fencing that remains -- apparently it was weakened by the removal of the sections -- and Freeman and officials of the Maryland Institute College of Art decide, for safety reasons, to seal the park back up.
After a couple of hours of being opened, the park was closed again. You can read the story here.
School officials said they expected the fence to be opened again today.
(Photo by Chiaki Kawajiri/Baltimore Sun)
The first person I bumped into when I arrived at the park Thursday was Matt Fisher, the professional dog walker we interviewed earlier by phone about the difficulties that closing of the park posed for dog owners and dog walkers.
Matt was on duty, walking a French mastiff named Boris, but -- even though the fence was opened by then -- he said he decided not to enter.
"I feel like I shouldn't go into the park until the fence comes down," he said. "It defeats the whole purpose of the project. As annoying as it is to be locked out of the park, if I go in now I won't really get the full experience the artist intends, and I'll never know whether or not it's good art."
My favorite comment of the day came from Jann Rosen-Queralt, one of two MICA professors whose classes are involved in the project. She was at the site with students, supervising the installation of another of the 10 pieces that will eventually make up the continuing exhibit. (Though the fence is scheduled to come down on March 29, the exhibit continues until late May.)
Asked by reporters where they might find Freeman, she suggested that they not bother the artist right yet, as he was taking some time to reflect and gather his thoughts on all that had happened since his artwork went up, sealing the park off from the public.
"I think right now we need to give Lee some space," she said.
Comments
"I think right now we need to give Lee some space."
Sounds like this idiot is crying himself to sleep.
Posted by: LoL | March 21, 2008 11:27 AM
' "I think right now we need to give Lee some space," she said.'
Somehow, "Jann Rosen-Queralt, one of two MICA professors whose classes are involved in the project" (the "she" quoted above) does not see the irony in making this request on behalf of this artist-child of hers who decided - with her guidance, one would presume - to take away an entire neighborhood's space. Self-involvement - the good professor and her student seem to be rife with it.
Posted by: Eve | March 21, 2008 12:11 PM
Yes, let's give Lee some space. Perhaps he can go to Elba. That is a good place for little dictators to get away from it all.
Posted by: Robert of Cross Keys | March 21, 2008 2:30 PM
Eve, I couldn't agree more. Why doesn't he give us OUR space back? Then we can call it even.
If he really wanted time to "reflect and gather his thoughts", he wouldn't have placed his phone number on the signs at the park.
We're about to enter a weekend with our park closed by a kid perpetuating the stereotype of the pretentious, spoiled MICA student. Do you think his fence will last the weekend?
The fact that the city went along with this poorly-executed idea is just as infuriating.
Posted by: Gavin | March 21, 2008 4:49 PM
Just to set the record straight, the park is now open. They removed a section of fence in each of the park's square so that people (and dogs) can get in and out. They also reinforced the fence with stakes and cable, to deal with the wind problems.
Posted by: john woestendiek | March 21, 2008 7:01 PM
I just took a nice stroll through the 4 quadrants of the park, looking for the openings, and making up for some lost time. It wasn't until I got down to the south quad, that I noticed that my "free the park" sign was still on the fence (scotch tape was my friend). After having a good laugh about that, I did what I thought was right, I went home, got some scissors and trash bags, and took the sign down, as thankfully it's now just litter
Posted by: Phillip Ross (RandomEvents) | March 21, 2008 7:56 PM
I am not a Baltimorian but it would be interesting if the citizens produced their own work of art by liberating the park.....liberation art so to speak. Wouldn't the artist appreciate the interaction that his work inspired?
Just a thought..
Posted by: bluhawkk | March 22, 2008 5:23 PM
As a former MICA student, having this teacher Jann Rosen-Queralt as an adviser explains it all. She is as elitist, way more that the average artist even. She is a real separatist in that she thinks being an artist makes her language "better" and another's less important. I can see her attitude represented directly in this work, I would like to hear more about what she has to say about this piece and challenge her. Props to Lee, as the piece its self was thoughtful enough. It could have been taken further and made less obtrusive by allowing only a small entrance, or by offering a key to unlock the fence, forcing a direct interaction. Regardless, good to see action and a bit of a stir!
Posted by: leanna | March 22, 2008 6:26 PM
Change little Lee's diaper. Take his teachers the check away, give them a reality one. Arrange Ms. Dixon's appearance at Mr. Bean's.
Posted by: Lee, Bruce | March 23, 2008 6:43 PM
Dear Bruce,
Thank you so much for your enlightening and thought-provoking comment. We're all a bit wiser having read it. Keep up the good work.
Posted by: pretty ricky | March 24, 2008 10:35 AM
That would be so neat if this became a community project! I guess it takes a bonehead MICA student to remind mt vernonians to give back to what we all hold so dearly- our green parks! Forget dressing up Mr. Washington in a Technicolor dream coat- lets pull some weeds and plant some flowers! and clean up poop.
Posted by: Rebs | March 24, 2008 10:41 AM