Off Center

Right rooftop, wrong city: When artists Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla were in residence at the Walker in 2004, they told me about a plan — which ultimately, I believe, wasn’t realized — to print messages on Boston rooftops for viewing by airplane arrivals to the 2004 Democratic National Convention. Here’s a guy in Milwaukee who pulled such a feat off. Only his message, read from the air, reads: “Welcome to Cleveland.”

Gold and Greenaway: Guardian film critic Peter Bradshaw says Peter Greenaway should win a Gold Lion at the Venice Film Festival this year. He hasn’t seen Greenaway’s Nightwatching, but he hopes a Gold Lion will finally mean broader distribution of the auteur’s work at home. It’s “pretty ridiculous that this important film-maker, lauded in Europe, at his creative prime, does not make mainstream cinema releases in this country,” Bradshaw writes. “Has the continent been cut off by a fog of complacency? A Golden Lion would at least compel some sort of UK distribution for his latest film and allow British filmgoers to make up their own minds.” [The Walker shows new 35mm prints of two Greenaway classics, September 7–9.]

Sign of Peace: DesignBoom tells the storied histories of various peace symbols, from the dove (we can thank Picasso for its popularity) to the peace sign. The latter was invented by Gerald Holtom in 1958 (at the request of Lord Bertram Russel) for a protest held by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. Originally to include a Christian cross — an idea frowned upon by Catholic priests — it mimics the positions a flagman would assume if conveying in semaphore the letters N and D for “nuclear disarmament.”

David Lynch interviewed: After shooting Inland Empire in digital video, will David Lynch ever go back to film? “Never. Digital is so friendly for me and so important for the scenes, a way of working without so much downtime. It’s impossible to go back. Film is a beautiful medium, but the world has moved on. The amount of manipulation we can do, anybody can do, is so much the future. Film is so big and heavy and slow, you just die. It’s just ridiculous.” [via]

A series of reflections on outgoing Walker director Kathy Halbreich from colleagues and friends.

“Kathy Halbreich’s reputation preceded her. I had the funny occasion to meet Kathy in relationship to a portrait Chuck Close had made of me in 1993 and that the Walker had purchased. The people at the Walker assumed it was a painting of Kathy, and I was very happy to be mistaken for her. Especially since my hair right now is quite white and unlike the painting.

Working with [curator] Siri Engberg at the Walker, I had the immense pleasure to spend time with Kathy. Her stewardship of the Walker contributed to making the museum one of the most serious and engaging contemporary arts museums in the country, through it’s programming, risk taking and deep commitment to contemporary art.”

–Kiki Smith, artist

“When I’m at some fancy-pants art party in New York or Berlin or whatever, I love to watch people’s faces when I say I live in Minnesota. First there is a look of disbelief. Then, a split second later, they usually say, ‘Isn’t the Walker fantastic . . . Kathy Halbreich is amazing.’ The Walker is fantastic. And Kathy Halbreich is amazing. I was 20 when Kathy came to the Walker. For 16 years — my entire life as an artist — she has guided our epicenter of contemporary art. In little ways, she has changed all of our lives. In big ways, she has changed my life. I doubt I’d ever find myself at some fancy-pants art party if it weren’t for her.”

–Alec Soth, photographer

“Kathy’s reach was ambitious and her grasp extraordinary. During her tenure, the Walker grew exponentially in international prominence and served as a laboratory for unprecedented experimentation. Thanks to Kathy and her talented staff, the Walker is a safe haven for art and artists and a beacon of excellence for contemporary museums everywhere.”

–Adam D. Weinberg, Alice Pratt Brown director, Whitney Museum of American Art

A series of reflections on outgoing Walker director Kathy Halbreich from colleagues and friends.

“The Walker is the standard by which I measure every other cultural institution. And Kathy, from the musician’s POV, is the Queen. Kathy always makes me feel ‘included,’ and in many museums, the directors don’t usually interact with the musicians. I feel like she treats everyone the same, whether you are the artist, the musician, or the ticket buyer.

During an e-mail exchange surrounding my commission, she recounted, ‘I had a boss who said, “Everything before the ‘but’ is bull**it.’ I came to depend on her experience and choice words during that process. She always reminded me of my mission, as did the pressure of having a Walker commission. In the last line of her resignation, she said it all: ‘Thanks for helping me do what I loved.’ I thank her for helping me complete my most ambitious work to date, and I hope there are no ‘buts’ in this.”

–Jason Moran, jazz musician. His album Artist-in-Residence (Blue Note, 2006), was created in part as a response to the Walker’s collection

“Kathy is my role model. She is my art-world hero — a visionary leader. It’s almost embarrassing how often we at the Hammer say, ‘What would the Walker do? What does the Walker do?’ It’s our mantra because they are the standard to which we aspire. Kathy and her staff over the years have made an institution like no other in the world, and I look to it with the greatest admiration.”

–Ann Philbin, director, Hammer Museum

“Kathy has always been an innovator in creating trust between between artists and audiences. Over the past fifteen years the programme at the Walker has has consistently broken new ground, while the new building has lessons for us all in recognising that performance, exhibitions and thoughtful interpretation are all part of the visitor experience in the twenty-first century museum.”

–Nicholas Serota, Director, Tate

A series of reflections on outgoing Walker director Kathy Halbreich from colleagues and friends.

“Kathy Halbreich — an inspirational, courageous, thoughtful, supportive, and glorious boss. An all too rare moral and visionary leader in the contemporary arts world. Working for her was a great privilege and honor for which I am deeply grateful. Lessons learned from her resonate every day in my life.”

–John R. Killacky, program officer for arts and culture at the San Francisco Foundation

“Friendliness and candor in the art world might be an aberration, so it seems. And then there’s Kathy Halbreich. I’ve met very few in the business with an office like hers: big windows, big books, about big art, who make themselves so available, every time. I’ve loved our many conversations about the discursiveness of human sadness, Taylor Branch’s America in the King Years, and the tyrannical weather in the Midwest.

Kathy also has a great collection of shoes. I can’t wait to see where she lands.”

–Ralph Lemon, choreographer

“It seems to me that Kathy is a true one-of-a-kind. A direct mind and voice, a fearless, shameless provocative diva-style leader. I was very nervous to meet her. I had a feeling she would figure out very fast whether I was worth her time. I had the feeling she would not suffer fools.

Well, we had the most hilarious, raucous meeting, after which I felt a new confidence in my work and in my person. I am not sure quite how she did that. It has stayed with me somehow, that confidence she pushed me to feel in our talking, and I will never forget my time there, or her, and her generous boldness in her role she so well understood. Warmest wishes to her for her new life!”

–Dancer-choreographer Sarah Michelson. Her world premiere performance Daylight (for Minneapolis) in September 2005 was inspired by the architecture of the Herzog & de Meuron-designed Walker expansion

A series of reflections on outgoing Walker director Kathy Halbreich from colleagues and friends.

“Kathy has been a wonderful inspiration for me, and many others, in terms of openness towards the other as a driving force to transform a world-class art institution to a truly global one.”

–Hou Hanru, independent curator, member of the Global Advisory Committee for the 2003 Walker exhibition How Latitudes Become Forms: Art in Global Age

“When, as a European curator working in England, I looked to America, Kathy was one of the art world beacons that burned most brightly. She was one of the reasons I moved to the United States, inspired by the standards she set for what an exhibition program, and a museum, could be. When Philippe Vergne and I were curating the Whitney Biennial, her encouragement and support were epitomized in two pieces of advice — that the museum was a safe place for unsafe ideas,’ and that curating the Biennial was not a popularity contest. Kathy believes in ideas, taking risks, and asking questions — all essential tools for keeping art alive.”

–Chrissie Iles, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Curator, Whitney Museum of American Art

“To be trained at the Walker was incredible. The place was always packed with remarkable works, staff, artists, and audiences in an energetic, instructive, and truly fun environment, and Kathy Halbreich was the muscle behind it all. The message was that artists come first, and the artists did. Kathy created an atmosphere so supportive of younger colleagues and so dedicated to growing the field through mentorship that we young curators left complaining to each other that we were wrecked for life. I thank Kathy for her intelligence, foresight, and keenly generous commitment to making room for the rest of us. Here’s to your next adventure!”

–Eungie Joo, Director & Curator, Education and Public Programs, New Museum

I have to (shamefully) admit that in the 5 years I’ve lived in Minnesota, I’ve never been to the State Fair. Twin-Cities artist Peter Haakon-Thompson’s Auto-Ethnographic Guide Service may be the perfect solution for a novice like me to get a crash course in fried food and seed art.

Peter trades a limited edition print (which you buy) for a whole day of his guide service. This year he teamed up with Minnesota Public Radio to produce free audio tours that you can download for free here.

Mmm, mini donuts.

A series of reflections on outgoing Walker director Kathy Halbreich from colleagues and friends.

“In the summer of 1977, I wandered into Kathy Halbreich’s office at MIT with no expectations, responding to an ad for an assistant and just as she was beginning her curatorial career. Luckily, I got the job, probably because I typed very fast. But quite simply, she changed my life, inspiring me to become a curator. I suspect I was the first of many in generations to follow. Her attitude, her values, the way she practices her craft sets the standard; she remains the model to which I aspire. Kathy conveys a passion and appreciation for both art and artists that is palpable and deep. Her love of language and thought is equally intense. While she maintains an astonishing rigor and discipline, her willingness to take risks, to seek the unknown, and to embrace insecurity and doubt are constant. The quotidian but fundamental issues of budgets, schedules, and administrative tasks are given as much attention and care as the art that inspires her.

On a moral level, her integrity is impeccable, her commitment unflinching. She brings warmth, concern, compassion, and generosity of spirit to personal interactions. Art, however important, remains a part of life, and its ultimate value is in how it sustains and enriches personal and social relationships. Contemporary art and all of us who are involved with it and care about it have been immeasurably affected and enriched because of Kathy’s involvement and her leadership, and her determination that contemporary art is and must be important for our lives.”

–Gary Garrels, chief curator and deputy director, Exhibitions and Public Programs, Hammer Museum

“The fundamental role that the staff plays in a museum’s success in the world is often overlooked. In my opinion, this was one of Kathy’s gifts — valuing the participation of every member of the staff. People seemed to not only enjoy their jobs, but took pride in them. Believe me, this is unique.”

–Robert Gober, artist

“The thing that amazes me about Kathy is her willingness to work with the community and neighbors in order to guide the Walker as an institution that is so much of and a part of our community. Her respect for how the Walker is viewed and used by the diverse residents of our city is evident in so much of what she did and what the organization has done in terms of programming and the building itself. Her unique perspective on blending and weaving the organization and its mission into the city sets her apart as a leader in the arts community.”

–Lisa Goodman, Minneapolis City Council member, Ward 7

A series of reflections on outgoing Walker director Kathy Halbreich from colleagues and friends.

“When I think of Kathy’s tenure, there are several different angles, all important, all unique to Kathy. Next to the partnership that created mnartists.org, which was certainly amazing, the one I think of most is the work that led to the creation of the Walker’s teen programs. Kathy pulled together a group of thinkers and community leaders to study, ponder, and argue about the place of adolescents in our community and society. That a leader of a contemporary art center thought this was an important thing to do was not only a singular and unusual act, but she was also open to having the results of that work impact the life of the institution and not live as a report on a shelf. Incredible!”

–Neal Cuthbert, vice president for programs, McKnight Foundation

“She anticipated the 21st century with enormous clarity and shaped the Walker to enter this century with singular creativity. Her vision has always been consummately modern.”

–Richard Flood, chief curator, New Museum of Contemporary Art

“Sometimes when the extraordinary is all that you’ve ever known, you take it for granted. That’s how I feel about having worked with Kathy Halbreich at the Walker for more than a decade. Starting my career as a young curator at the Walker, I was amazed at the incredible commitment to contemporary artists that Kathy fostered at all levels of the institution. What we later jokingly came to call the ‘Walker way’ was an attitude toward artists and audiences that helped realize the dreams of the former and helped us communicate those visions to the latter in a meaningful dialogue. All of us who worked with Kathy drank this Kool-Aid (and Kathy was definitely someone you worked with and not for) and carry it with us in our curatorial DNA as we have gone on to other things and other institutions. I feel honored to have been able to spend 11 incredible years in her company.”

–Douglas Fogle, curator of contemporary art, Carnegie Museum of Art

A series of reflections on outgoing Walker director Kathy Halbreich from colleagues and friends.

“Kathy is the client every architect wishes for. She was simultaneously open and critical, which meant intense discussions and resulted in, if I may say so, a building that is intelligent on many levels. At the same time, there was a fundamental mutual trust in the other’s expertise. Both of us knew that if the other wasn’t entirely happy with something that there was more work to do. She gave us time and space to develop something that is custom-made — tailored to the institution she loved and represented.”

–Christine Binswanger, Herzog & de Meuron principal in charge of the Walker expansion

“My contribution for Kathy:

The essence of all great art is gratitude.”

–Maurizio Cattelan, artist

“Kathy Halbreich is a remarkable person. For 16 years she has held the Walker Art Center at a high point in contemporary art. Her wideness of vision to all aspects of present day activity and her zest in searching it out and presenting it just pleased all of us.”

–Merce Cunningham, choreographer

Looking back on Kathy Halbreich’s 16 years as director of the Walker Art Center, it’s difficult to capture her uncommon vision, the wide reach of her collaborations and associations, and the many bold risks that ended as wild successes, or to measure the ever-expanding ripples of influence her presence here has set off.

Kathy’s professional triumphs are many, including these highlights: the groundbreaking Bruce Nauman exhibition she curated in 1994; the implementation of a new Walker mission statement that emphasizes the engagement of both artists and audiences and a deeper understanding of society on individual, community, and global levels; the founding in 1997 of the Walker Art Center Teen Arts Council (WACTAC), now a national model for youth programs in contemporary art; inclusion as one of America’s Most Influential Women in Vanity Fair (1998); the Herzog & de Meuron building expansion and its accompanying $100 million capital campaign in 2004–2005; and a 2005 award for curatorial excellence from Bard College.

But behind each success is a vast network of relationships — intellectual, civic, aesthetic, social, creative — and each one, Kathy says, she has prized. As a farewell, we asked friends from these many spheres to share their reflections on Kathy’s time here. Over the next days and weeks, we’ll do a series of posts sharing their thoughts. We invite you to leave your goodbyes, wishes, and musings in comments.

But first, a note from Kathy:

“What I have loved most about my tenure at the Walker are the people — the opportunity to think, imagine, conspire, and work beside the most convincing and talented people on Earth. I give profound thanks to one and all: from an increasingly diverse audience, both local and beyond (who cared and came, bravely following our curatorial and interpretative breadcrumbs); to the teens (who taught me that it was crucial to give people permission to ask tough questions); to patrons and sponsors (who were fearless advocates for the risks necessary to create something new and, often, lasting); to my director colleagues (who helped me understand the traditions of this honorable trade); to the Walker board (who took so little credit and, in sharing a faith in the intimate connection between civic and aesthetic aspirations, enjoyed providing a platform for innovation and possibility); to the extraordinary Walker staff (whose creative brilliance, can-do spirit, and ethical maturity were focused on a larger good that made me look good); and most importantly, to the artists (who gave me the confidence to search for my own inner voice by daring to reveal so much). Honestly, this was a position that allowed us, friends, to collectively learn from each other about all the ways in which art has meaning and matters. I am honored to have had such privilege and to have enjoyed such freedom. In return, I hope I have been a good citizen and a decent person.

Finally, I want to thank my family, who fed me when I was exhausted.

While my emotions fluctuate unpredictably as I leave the institution I adore most in a community that has defined generosity for me, I know the Walker always will be a model and, as such, a calling rather than a job. I will take great pleasure in watching the Walker grow and, under new leadership, be better yet.”

Read reflections by:

Christine Binswanger, Maurizio Cattelan, and Merce Cunningham

Neal Cuthbert, Richard Flood, and Douglas Fogle

Gary Garrels, Robert Gober, and Lisa Goodman

Hou Hanru, Chrissie Iles, and Eungie Joo

John Killacky, Ralph Lemon, and Sarah Michelson

Jason Moran, Ann Philbin, and Nicholas Serota

Kiki Smith, Alec Soth, and Adam Weinberg

Please share your thoughts on Kathy and her time here in comments.