Micol Hebron, visiting artist, Medici University

Poster for Micol Hebron's Visiting Artist Talk "Generosity and Feminism in Art" at Medici University on 14 June 2015

Dear Micol,

Everyone at Medici University is excited about your talk coming up on Sunday 14 June at Noon California time!

The body of work you’ve created is extraordinary. Performance and video works like What do you want? are so simple, generous, and sublime.

https://vimeo.com/69507290

Gallery Tally

Your recent and now long-running project Gallery Tally is a real inspiration to me. Yes the information about the gender inequity in art galleries is disappointing. But this project is also important for the way it informs us. You bring the information to us not as the anointed genius artist providing culture like sacred tablets coming down from a mountaintop, but as an inclusive, collaborative, public artwork.

For me Facebook has been a horror of banality and oppression. Banality as the place where even smart people say stupid things. Oppression as the global hegemonic overlord that tells abuse survivors, drag queens, dissident bloggers, avatars, and so many other human beings that if they want access to their civil and human rights they need to live their life Facebook’s way. In the face of so much Facebook dread, I’m humbled by the powerful ways you’ve used this billion-human-being platform. Day after day you use Facebook to share important ideas and questions with anyone interested. And you’ve used it as a platform for creating Gallery Tally.

Gallery Tally is inclusive in so many ways. Fundamentally it is a place where an artist who’s been practicing for years, and someone who’s never created a work of art before in their life, can both create important pieces that can hang side by side as they become parts of the larger Gallery Tally whole.

I hope a project like Gallery Tally leads to more equal representation in contemporary art galleries. But more importantly, you have already created the new exhibition space where physical gallery walls and cyberportals like Tumblr interact in an inclusive dance. Equality in the old art world would be nice, but more importantly you are creating it in a new, actually contemporary space for our still new century.

Medici University

Micol Hebron, "Indecent Exposure". Black-and-white photo of the artist dining naked in a restaurant

Medici University is home today to dozens of artists’ studios. Geographically we span the globe, and our ages span the decades. Some have truly impressive RL resumes. Many are not RL artists at all, but choose to spend what time they can creating works at our campus. In thinking about the inclusivity of Gallery Tally, I wonder if you might be able to inspire us with a group activity that can activate many voices?

Equally, perhaps there’s an activity we might help you with? It could be an existing project like Gallery Tally, or the start of something new. Artists come and go from campus and participate as they choose, so I can’t promise any specific number of participants, but we can promote it on campus and see who chooses to engage.

Unicorn Seahorse Avatar

You asked for a “Unicorn Seahorse” or “Seahorse” avatar. I took a quick look a “Second Life Marketplace” and found a few things. Take a look at these links and see if any of them feel in the right direction for your avatar.

Painting of Micol Hebron by Rebecca Campbell

Unicorn-ish things:

Seahorse-ish things:

Micol Hebron Film Festival?

If it’s ok with you, I thought we might have a small Micol Hebron Film Festival in the week before your talk. You wouldn’t need to attend, but it could be a chance for whoever’s interested & available to learn a bit more about your work in advance of your talk. Perhaps 45 minutes or so of your Vimeo videos each session, perhaps something like this:

Monday 8 June, 7pm PDT (SLT)

Autobiography, 2 min
I love You I hate You, 4 min
Final Fantasy, 15 min
Memorial, 23 min

Wednesday 10 June, 7pm PDT (SLT)

Artist Statement, 4 min
Book Drag, 1 min
Advice to Recent MFA’s, 17 min
Helping Hand, 6 min
Dare You, 10 min
Dare You 2, 9 min
Plus: Launch Event for The Official Michael Green v6.0’s Kickstarter Campaign!