Photo by caraballo-farmanThere was nothing to blog about the 4th of July party, but the music. Rather than wax her ears, OhMI decided to consolidate her media monopoly, and asked for an afterparty interview with the host and Omi founder Francis Greenburger. The exclusive and unrestricted interview was graciously granted on the spot, and scheduled for the next day, 5th July.
We met after lunch under the tents. Francis arrived dressed in his usual attire, trim beard, khaki shorts, powder blue polo, and red Mass MoCA basecap (he is on the board there too); his legs are bitten by insects like everybody’s else. First, he sat down for a business meeting with Ruth, while OhMI pretended to be invisible at the nearby table, so she could snoop while furiously typing up her questions:
1. How did OMI come about?
Francis Greenburger had been involved in another artists’ residency first, entitled Triangle Workshop and Residency, which was founded by the British sculptor (Sir) Anthony Caro and a London-based collector and businessman Robert Loder in 1982. Its mission appears to be quite similar to that of Art Omi — to provide artists with studios and community; and yet, despite OhMI’s great worldliness, she did not know about the Triangle, now located in Dumbo, Brooklyn, and therefore she deems it unimportant. Over time, Francis grew uncomfortable with the Triangle’s direction. Coincidentally, he had heard about the barns up for sale, cheap, near his house. He bought the barns, called his loyal friend from the Triangle, the painter Sandy Slone (she was visiting Omi on the day of the interview), and said, let’s start our own artists’ residency.
Francis maintains that it is very important for a non-profit organization to own property, in order to ensure continuity. He implements this real-estate based planning at Omi, which expanded to about 400 acres of surrounding land, as well as at other non-profit organizations where he is on the board of directors, including the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, located in an office condo tower 125 Maiden Lane, developed by Time Equities, from which LMCC purchased its office space with grant money from the September 11 Fund. Among its other programs, LMCC runs a studio program in vacant spaces donated for periods of time by owners, including Francis. Next application deadline is spring 2011; some Omis participated in this studio program — ask Anna; OhMI, too, knows it well and deems it important. (Disclaimer: OhMI does not imply a special access between the two residencies, and does not publicly subscribe to conspiracy theories.)
2. What is your personal relationship to art?
It appears to be personal — Francis’s father was a literary agent, his mother painted, and he purchased his first painting at the age fourteen from his girlfriend’s brother-in-law. The painting now hangs in his NYC office, and he still likes it very much. (OhMI will do her very best to get an image of it for you.) The most recent artwork in the personal collection has been acquired in Paris, from a woman painter who lost her legs and an arm on the subway rails after an attempted suicide caused by post-partum depression. There are also more famous names in the collection, of course (OhMI had heard Franz West is one).
The personal collection is separate from the Art Omi collection, which is comprised of works donated by artists following their residencies. These works are displayed at the Company’s offices at 55 Fifth Avenue, as well as the 125 Maiden Lane lobby. Some increased in value tremendously, and can be sold to raise funds for Omi programs, also to lower storage and insurance costs, but in practice, not much has been sold. From OhMI point of view, this strategy is similar to the excellent concept by the late founder of The New Museum, Marcia Tucker, who devised the Changing Collection for her museum — works by emerging artists bought at low prices to be sold when the artists emerge, to buy more works by emerging artists. This way, a collection becomes an income generator for artists rather than a dead asset.
3. Wouldn’t it be beneficial to have more than one critic/curator in residence, along with the artists?
(This question is very h.o.t. for OhMI; as you may remember, she conceived of this interview in order to consolidate her media monopoly and to gain more power.) OhMI can now follow DJ mama’s advise and relax, there seems to be no competition. However, this idea has been put into practice a few years ago, and it did not work — the two critics united, and the artists suffered even more. There got to be only one C.
btw, Francis says that the Critic in Residence is encouraged to do her own work, since everyone comes here on an equal basis. That’s in theory; in practice, great power comes with great responsibility. Yes, Irfan, I am here for you (to worship).
4. What are the aspects of the program that you find successful, and what, in your view, needs improvement or change?
Francis really likes the directors of all Omi programs, staff, and family (so do we); he doesn’t like how the visitor center is working. Everybody else thinks that the smell of tap water and the Internet speed could use some improvement or change. Everybody likes the food!
5. What is in the future of Art Omi?
The land, which is vast, will be turned into earthworks. Organic farming by artists from Brooklyn?
As you see, OhMI turned a bit self-reflective towards the end, since her laptop run out of power, so she thanked Francis and returned to the pool.
-OhMI
