Dead tree media on McLellan firing

LAT art critic Christopher Knight weighs in the Jayme McLellan and Corcoran mess.  Read the LAT piece here.

The WCP's Christina Cauterucci also has a really good read here.

Lida Moser 1920-2014

I am sad to report that legendary American photographer Lida Moser, who for years lived in retirement in nearby Rockville, Maryland, passed away today around 2:30PM.

This grand photographer was not only one of the most respected American photographers of the 20th century - respected by fellow photographers, curators and all human beings -- but also a pioneer in the field of photojournalism. Her photography has been in the middle of a revival and rediscovery of vintage photojournalism, and has sold in the five figures at Christie's auctions and continues to be collected by both museums and private collectors worldwide. In a career spanning over 60 years, Moser has produced a body of works consisting of thousands of photographs and photographic assemblages that defy categorization and genre or label assignment.

Additionally, Canadian television a few years ago finished filming a documentary about her life; the second in the last few years, and Moser’s work has been for years in the collection of many museums worldwide. A couple of the years ago, the Smithsonian Institution purchased over 200 photos by Moser of her beloved New York.

She was once called the "grandmother of American street photography" by an art critic, which prompted a quick rebuttal by Moser, who called the writer's editor and told him that she wasn't the "fucking grandmother of anything or anyone, and would he [the writer] ever describe Ansel Adams or any other male photographer as the 'grandfather' of any style."

Tough New Yorker.

I once sold one of her rare figure studies to a big famous photography collector from the West Coast (who collects mostly nude photography). There were four or five prints of the image, taken and printed around 1961, but one had all the markings and touch-up evidence of the actual photo that had been used by the magazine, and thus I sent him that one.

He called me to complain that although he loved Moser's work, that he wasn't too happy with the retouching, and could I ask Lida for one of the untouched photos.

Now, you gotta understand that these images were taken and touched-up by hand for publication in a newspaper or magazine (since they were nudies, the latter probably). They were not touched up for a gallery or an art show - they were "battlefield" prints of a working photographer.

I called Lida and explained the situation over the phone. "Sweetie," she said to me in her strong New York accent, "you call that guy right back and tell him that you talked to Lida Moser and that Lida Moser told you to tell him: Fuck You!"

I didn't do that, but just sent him an untouched vintage print.

Tough New Yorker.

Lida was a well-known figure in the New York art scene of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, and a portrait of Lida Moser by American painter Alice Neel hangs in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum in New York City. Neel painted a total of four Moser portraits over her lifetime, and one of them was included in the National Museum of Women in the Arts' "Alice Neel's Women" exhibition.


"Charles Mingus in his Apartment in New York City", c. 1965.
Among her body of works there are also loads of photographs of well-known artists and musicians that either hung around Lida's apartment in NYC or who were part of her circle of friends.


Lida Moser's photographic career started as a student and studio assistant in 1947 in Berenice Abbott's studio in New York City, where she became an active member of the New York Photo League. She then worked for Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Look and many other magazines throughout the next few decades, and traveled extensively throughout the United States, Canada and Europe.

In 1950 Vogue, and (and subsequently Look magazine) assigned Lida Moser to carry out an illustrated report on Canada, from one ocean to another. When she arrived at the Windsor station in Montreal, in June of that same year, she met by chance, Paul Gouin, then a Cultural Advisor to Duplessis government. This chance meeting led Moser to change her all-Canada assignment for one centered around Quebec.

Armed with her camera and guided by the research done by the Abbot Felix-Antoine Savard, the folklorist Luc Lacourcière and accompanied by Paul Gouin, Lida Moser then discovers and photographs a traditional Quebec, which was still little touched by modern civilization and the coming urbanization of the region.

Decades later, a major exhibition of those photographs at the McCord Museum of Canadian History became the museum’s most popular exhibit ever.

She also authored and has been part of many books and publications on and about photography. She also wrote a series of "Camera View" articles on photography for The New York Times between 1974-81.

Her work has been exhibited in many museums worldwide and is in the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery, London, the National Archives, Ottawa, the National Galleries of Scotland, National Portrait Gallery, Washington, DC, the Library of Congress, Les Archives Nationales du Quebec, Corcoran Gallery, Phillips Collection and many others. And that iconic photo of the window washers cleaning windows at the Exxon Building in NYC was actually made into a 3D sculpture at Leggoland (without Moser's permission) in Florida.

Moser was an active member of the Photo League and the New York School.

The Photo League was the seminal birth of American documentary photography. It was a group that was at times at school, an association and even a social club. Disbanded in 1951, the League promoted photojournalism with an aesthetic consciousness that reaches street photography to this day.


"New York City, Office Building Lobby" c. 1965

If you are a female photographer, I hope that you didn't miss the opportunity to visit the Arts Club a couple of years ago when they hosted a wonderful show of her works... and hopefully met one of the women who set the path for all of you.

The Arts Club show was curated by my good friend Erik Denker, the Senior Lecturer, Education Division at the National Gallery of Art, who is also an authority on all things Moser. The show was titled "The World of John Koch" and depicted Moser's portraits of the renowed New York portrait artist John Koch taken over a 20 year span from 1954-1974. These photographs were exhibited in Washington for the first time and are only one of two portfolios of the portraits ever printed by Moser (the other was given to the Koch widow once the painter died in 1974).



John Koch, Silver Gelatin print by Lida Moser, c.1970
The Fraser Gallery represented Lida's works for many years, and also gave her several solo shows. Read the WaPo review of one of her DC solo exhibitions at Fraser here also also the CP's review of another one of her shows here and lastly the CP's profile of Moser from a decade ago.

Lida Moser signing a copy of 100 Artists of Washington, DC in 2011

This hurricane of a woman lived a fruitful life and has left a magnificent artistic footprint on the history of American photography. She will be missed, and we are saddened by her departure, but happy to know that Moser's enormous legacy will live forever.

She had a great talent for jumping through hoops

"she had a great talent for jumping through hoops"

2014. Polymer clay, oil paint, found objects

27 x 6.5 x 22 inches by Elissa Farrow-Savos will be at (e)merge art fair this coming October.

Come early... Elissa sold 14 sculptures last year at (e)merge.

More on Jayme McLellan and the Corcoran

The whole issue of DMV area gallerist, former Corcoran instructor and arts activist Jayme McLellan and her dismissal from the Corcoran discussed here has become rather confusing and muddied by the Corcoran's response to my post; see that here.

Ms. Loar from the Corcoran has responded to my request for a comment on McLellan's dismissal/firing from the Corcoran in spite of Jayme's assigned class for the next semester being full. I am waiting for her permission to publish her email in DC Art News.

However, someone allegedly from the Corcoran has commented (twice with same comment) in the comments section of the initial post and those comments essentially replicate the same response that Ms. Loar has passed to me, and since they both include an email from McLellan to a Corcoran person, it is safe to follow logic and deduce that all three communications (the two duplicate comments and the email from Ms. Loar) come from Corcoran sources, since they all transmit the same information.

And the comments say:

Jayne McLellan has not been fired by the Corcoran.  She resigned from the faculty in 2012 and has not taught here since. (resignation below).  She was never offered a contract for 2014. 

From:civilianartprojects@gmail.com[mailto:civilianartprojects@gmail.com] 

On Behalf Of Jayme McLellan 

Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2012 3:16 PM 

To: Clare BrownSubject: resigning
Hi Clare, 

I'm going to resign from my adjunct spot at the Corcoran. I have simply lost faith in the leadership and cannot in good conscience continue teaching there.  

I can try to help you find a replacement. 

Best, Jayme 

Thank you for the opportunity to clarify this situation. - The Corcoran Gallery of Art, The Corcoran College of Art + Design

 As I noted in my own comment in response to this information, and what makes this all very confusing, then why is McLellan listed as instructor for a Corcoran class - a full class - that is scheduled to begin in two weeks?

I asked Jayme, and she acknowledged that she had indeed resigned from the Corcoran in 2012, but then she also showed me multiple emails from the Corcoran offering her an opportunity to teach the class in 2014, including multiple emails that went not just to Jayme, but also to the entire Corcoran set of instructors... so there are multiple witness to the veracity of the offer.

Jayme writes:

While it is true that I gave up my classes in 2012, reluctantly, because leadership were trying to sell the building and ruin the institution, it is not true that I wasn't slated to teach starting in just a few weeks. I agreed in April to come back to teach one class and because I left two years ago to try to save the Corcoran, and have worked every day of that two years to try to change leadership, I had the hope that leadership would indeed be changing. I still have that hope.

I have asked Ms. Loar to clarify this evolving confusion, but there appear to be these facts:

1.  McLellan resigned in 2012
2. Corcoran offered McLellan the job to teach a class in 2014 - There is a multiple email trail of this fact.
3. Corcoran website listed the class and listed McLellan as the instructor
4. Corcoran claims in emails and comments that McLellan was never offered a contract for 2014
5. I am very confused by the Corcoran's claims and have asked them to clarify

'Elevator Chat' with MSAC Chair, Carol Trawick

An active leader in the Montgomery County arts and business communities for more than 30 years, Carole Trawick joined the Maryland State Arts Council in 2011. After serving as vice chair, Trawick became chair of the Council in July. We caught up with Carole and learned about her work with arts organizations through the Jim and Carol Trawick Foundation, her early efforts to bring Arts & Entertainment (A&E) Districts to Maryland, and more.

Details here.

A brooding man

"A Brooding Man" is an original watercolor on 300 weight, Ph-balanced, acid free, white paper. It is signed and dated on the lower front margin and on verso. Circa 2014. The painting measures approx. 13 x 13 inches. The watercolor has been professionally float framed in a minimalist black wood frame. Come see it at the (e)merge art fair this coming October.

Corcoran fires Jayme McLellan

When Save the Corcoran formed in 2012, its aim was to keep the museum from selling its historic building. That ship has sailed, though, as the institution prepares to enter a partnership with the National Gallery of Art and George Washington University. The group, led by co-founder Jayme McLellan of Civilian Art Projects, has shifted its focus to what will come next for the Corcoran’s collection — and how they can preserve this piece of Washington history.

- Maura Judkis, April 19, 2014, Washington Post

In every facet of life or work, or in this case the visual arts, there are yappers, symbiots, hangers-on, grubs, and a tiny, tiny, microscopic number of doers.

Jayme McLellan of Civilian Art Projects, and an instructor at the Corcoran, is a doer. Not only has Jayme made Civilian one of the leading galleries in the DMV's cultural tapestry - all of that as a result of hard work, which is the only way that an independently owned, commercial fine arts gallery can survive in the DMV - but McLellan has been a leading voice and doer in the effort to find an alternative way to save the Corcoran, and also an instructor at the Corcoran, hired by the Chair of the Corc's Department of Fine Arts. Classes start in two weeks and she's listed as the instructor for the class, which by the way, is full.

Below is the class from the Corc's website:

2014 Fall FA01
FA4170/Lecture/A - Professional Practices for Fine Artists | Credits 3.00
No artist, however famous or successful, had a clear path to succeed from the beginning. Successful artists learn to maximize opportunities and resources available to them, navigating his or her way at every turn. There is not one single approach; a strategy with lots of planning and variables must be created and examined. Artists will develop a resume and artist statement, research and write grants, practice applying for residencies, and participate in information gathering sessions with art spaces. Led by the founder of two arts organizations, the instructor will create opportunities for students to meet gallery directors, curators and professional artists in DC, Baltimore, and New York. These meetings will provide substantive time to discuss practical issues and concerns that will add to a post-school plan. Writing and reading assignments will be two papers including writing a grant application and creating a personal post-college plan plus one exam. Completion of this course will result in a deeper understanding of the specific tools available to emerging artists and the nature of the art world in general. For BFA Fine Art majors only. Prerequisite: FA3091 Fine Art Studio IV.

Registration Type	Traditional
Fees	N/A
Instructors	Ms. Jayme McLellan
Duration	9/8/2014 - 12/15/2014
Schedule	Mon  3:15 PM - 6:00 PM;  Corcoran College, Downtown, Room 9-2
Prerequisites	FA3091 / Studio
Corequisites	N/A
Credit Types	Audit Credit
Class	12 Seats | 1 Remaining
	Open (Target Met)

Yesterday, Peggy Loar, Interim Director at the Corcoran fired McLellan from a full class that starts in two weeks.

I have sent Ms. Loar a note asking for the reason that McLellan was fired, and if she responds, I will publish it here. In the interim, the "appearance" of this firing, at least to me, smells and tastes like a retaliatory firing of an employee who dared to take a stance opposing the Corc's planned disintegration.

Here's what Ms. Loar wrote to the Corcoran community when she took over as Consulting/Interim Director:

 April 8, 2013

Dear Corcoran Community,

•     As I begin my tenure as consulting director, my goals are clear, ambitious, and achievable:
•     To begin immediately collaborating with the Corcoran team on the strategy and design of a strong programmatic partnership with the University of Maryland
•     To work closely with the Board and the broader Corcoran community on ideas for the creation of a hybrid and exciting new direction for the Corcoran
•     To step up our financial planning and fundraising—discussion and coordination with the Board of Trustees and the University of Maryland
•     To move expeditiously in our partnership with the National Gallery, particularly in regard to the first exhibition to be held at the Corcoran

While the Corcoran has had considerable experience in cross-pollinating the programs and talents within the College and the Gallery, we now have a whole new roster of colleagues to engage with us on structuring our creative agenda. We will inspire each other. I believe that the University of Maryland and the National Gallery of Art will be catalysts toward an inventive tripartite collaboration.

The Corcoran Board’s success in identifying and securing the University of Maryland as a partner—in accordance with the criteria the Board set—was in large part due to the confidentiality of the discussions. It’s a new time now, and transparency and dialogue will bring us all success.

I look forward to those conversations and to working collaboratively with the staff, faculty, and students of this vital and storied institution. Additionally, I hope that members, alumni, and the public will continue to take full advantage of our exhibitions and educational opportunities during this exciting time.

Sincerely,

Peggy