The average American, ages 20 to 65, works 40 hours a week. That adds up to approximately 10.3 years over the course of a lifetime. While some people have jobs that require them to work outdoors, or in labs, factories, classrooms, and theaters, most of us spend our days working in an office environment. Desks, chairs, computers, and filing cabinets populate these spaces, walls are typically white with no decorative elements, and some are windowless. Offices like this can make work a real drag, so it is exciting when a company makes an effort to create a stimulating environment for their employees. In 2002, Devon Dikeou created what would be her “ideal office” for the French media and publishing company, Outcasts Incorporated. For four months, the Outcasts office was customized with furnishings picked out by the artist, as well as artworks of her own creation. Devon’s Ideal Office is still in operation today at the Dikeou Collection, and continues to be a fun and inspiring space to work. 

Outcasts Incorporated had six ideal office installations by different artists until July 2004, with Dikeou’s being the first of the series. As an artist whose concepts analyze the inner workings of the art world and different viewing contexts, and whose studio also operates as an office for the production of zingmagazine, designing an ideal office was an appealing opportunity to present her multifaceted practice in a novel environment. Wall color was of primary importance when beginning the project, and Devon opted for a shade a of blue that matched the color of Peggy Guggenheim’s bedroom at her palazzo in Venice, which she renamed “Peggy Guggenheim Blue.” Blue signifies loyalty, confidence, and intelligence, and is said to be the most productive color for an office environment, as it stimulates the mind and easily compliments other colors in the space. This particular shade is lively yet soothing, suggests luxury but not ostentation, and sets the tone for the individual artworks and modern décor. 

Plants like the ones in Dikeou’s Cajole are known to reduce stress at work and can help diffuse office noise. They would also decrease the frequency of airborne illness and help maintain room temperature if they were real, but their artificiality is what best suits the idealized scene. The use of plants suggests a desire to bring the outside in, and she extends this idea by considering not only what goes inside of an ideal office, but where an ideal office would physically exist. She envisions her office to be in one of America’s most iconic landmarks, Yankee Stadium, first base to be specific, represented via Touch of Greatness: Babe Ruth. The fact that Outcasts’ headquarters is in an entirely different country from Yankee Stadium makes the setting even more outlandish, therefore pushing the impracticality of idealism to its maximum. But like the wall color and the plants, Touch of Greatness could have a beneficial impact on the employees, perhaps working as a subliminal motivator, instilling greatness through osmosis. 

The baseballs signed by Babe Ruth and the green Astroturf with base and baseline that comprise Touch of Greatness inspire success, but they also call for interaction and bring a sense of play to the setting. The Trick Is, There Is No “K” is another work by Dikeou installed in the office where players collect the letters printed in matchbooks to spell out “Dikeou” in hopes of winning a carton of cigarettes. Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has written extensively about work and business psychology, and says game playing at work relaxes the mind and allows for creative thinking and breakthrough ideas. However, this game is impossible to win without the letter K, and will likely lead to frustration rather than a celebratory smoke. 

While the overall scheme of the Ideal Office is imbued with wit and joviality, Dikeou’s Takes A Licking, and Keeps on Ticking serves as a reminder that time is not free, and when an employee checks in at that clock he/she is then obligated to put all personal matters on hold until they punch out. The title, though, which refers to the popular Timex campaign introduced in the 1950s and brought back in the ‘90s, is about resilience and the ability to function under stress. Strong work ethic and professional integrity are qualities that define an ideal employee, and only those who fit that motto have the honor of clocking in at the Ideal Office

The Ideal Office is still ticking today at Dikeou Collection, albeit not in the exact form as installed at Outcasts Incorporated. Two employees work in this office and share a desk, which allows for easy communication and collaboration, and also democratizes the space. It still symbolically exists on first base in Yankee Stadium, but its real location is in the heart of the collection itself, which means visitors pass through all the time as they make their way through the galleries. This facilitates opportunities to engage with our audience and adds a personal touch to their experience. The best part is witnessing people’s reactions when they realize they can handle the baseballs in Touch of Greatness: Babe Ruth. The intention of the piece is that the balls lose value as collectibles when handled, but gain value as art objects. Like the baseballs, the office has accumulated the marks of everyday use and interaction, but that is what distinguishes it as a place where meaningful work happens. Dikeou’s Ideal Office, in both its original temporary installment and in its current ongoing state, shows how “the ideal” can be obtainable but is impossible to maintain long-term. An ideal office evolves with the needs of the people who use the space yet holds true to the principles of the company, and Devon Dikeou’s office has held up to this criteria for over a decade.

-Hayley Richardson

Sarah Staton has been exhibiting her work in museums and galleries since the late ‘80s, but in the summer of 1993 she hit the streets of London in an attempt to sell her art like a door-to-door salesman. She’d make appointments with potential buyers, or just show up at a person’s house, with the hope that someone would want to buy from her inventory of papier-mâché coins, cigarettes, credit cards, and other seemingly insignificant daily detritus. This act evolved into her ongoing SupaStore project, a DIY art sale experiment that has transpired at dozens of galleries and alternative venues over the years, the most recent at Galerie Emanuel Layr in Vienna. Over one hundred artists, ranging in recognition, have had a piece they created on sale at the SupaStore. Installed at Dikeou Pop-Up: Colfax is 10 SupaStore SupaStars, a portfolio of lithographs by various artists selected by Staton.

The artists, who include Tim Noble & Sue Webster, Tomato, Sarah Staton, Simon Periton, Gary Hume, Georgie Hopton, Anya Gallaccio, Tracey Emin, Simon Bill, and Ellen Cantor personify the rebellious spirit of the SupaStore scheme, and their presence in a relinquished record shop-turned-gallery underscores its history as a rogue outpost in art’s commercial sector.

Emin herself splashed around in the art market when she and Sarah Lucas opened The Shop in East London, also in 1993. Staton, Emin, and Lucas ushered in a new wave of underground hipness that London desperately needed at the time simply by offering venues and artworks that were intelligent, fun, and unpretentious, and by bringing together likeminded people in the arts with the rest of the neighborhood population. These ladies introduced something fresh to their community, but they were not the first, nor the last, to engage in the commercial side of art.

In 1935, Marcel Duchamp tried to sell his Rotoreliefs at a Paris inventor’s fair in an effort to have “a direct contact” with the consumer. It was a financial failure, as the consumers he reached out to were invested in science and technology, not art. The occurrence, however, became a quirky footnote in his biography, and was followed up with a stint posing as a cheese merchant to pass Nazi checkpoints in 1941. Duchamp’s episodes in mercantilism involved a degree of role-playing in which he detached himself from his artist position. Claes Oldenburg, on the other hand, placed his occupation as an artist at the forefront of his business endeavors when he opened The Store in December 1961.

The Store occupied the front of Oldenburg’s studio in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, and he filled it with his sculptural replicas of diner food, clothing, cigarettes, price tags and sales posters. The Store allowed Oldenburg to bypass the gallery/art dealer/middle man and sell his work on his own terms, but more importantly it marked a pivotal moment in American culture when art and commerce started to blatantly appropriate each others aesthetics and economic agendas. Artists continued to incorporate commercial activities and spaces into their creative practice, but some took it a step further by investing in their stores and merchandise long term.

Emin and Lucas’ shop lasted six months, Oldenburg’s store only one month. Keith Haring’s Pop Shop stayed open for nearly two decades, from 1986 until September 2005. Located on Lafayette Street in SoHo, Haring decked out his Pop Shop with floor to ceiling murals and sold gifts and clothing donning his signature artistry. Haring made his motive for the shop clear: “Here’s the philosophy behind the Pop Shop: I wanted to continue the same sort of communication as with the subway drawings. I wanted to attract the same wide range of people and I wanted it to be a place where, yes, not only collectors could come, but also kids from the Bronx … this was still an art statement.” Unfortunately the Pop Shop had to close due to the high cost of maintaining a retail space in NYC, but it still operates online with profits going toward The Keith Haring Foundation.

The Pop Shop grew into a successful business establishment, but it always maintained its DIY attitude and was accessible to people from all walks of life. Larger corporate entities, particularly distinguished fashion houses, have since caught on to the soaring popularity and marketability of artist wares, and frequently enlist prominent contemporary artists to design and promote their products.

Jeremy Deller installation for Louis Vuitton, London

One of the companies leading this trend is Louis Vuitton, which has collaborated with dozens of artists who work in a range of genres. From the graffiti styles of RETNA and Aiko to the conceptual aesthetics of Jeremy Deller and Daniel Buren, LV has exposed its clientele to a world of art that supersedes other brands. The artists they work with not only design the line, but they also frequently use the stores as space to create immersive installations. This level of collaboration thus transforms the usual shopping trip into a cultural experience, where the shopper is not just walking into a store and buying a purse, but rather walking into an exhibition and leaving with a piece of art.

Contemporary art is so heavily dependent on the market that it’s no wonder artists are finding ways to integrate it into their practice. What is most interesting to observe is the manner in which they choose to do this, whether it’s in a temporary space where they sell their own handmade items, or by teaming up with established companies to spread their work to a mass audience. Regardless of the approach, though, is the fact is that artists are recontextualizing space and interrupting the typical patterns of the art market. Sarah Staton’s SupaStore is one of the longest running projects to do this, which is an important quality that sets it apart from others. The SupaStore is also dependent on the contributions of multiple artists, allowing it to showcase such a range of artworks while other artist shop projects focus on one or maybe a few different people. What started as a parody on art’s commodification eventually grew into a documentation of the developments and movements in contemporary art, and the subsequent correlations that ebb and flow with the market and consumer habits. With 10 SupaStore SupaStars now at the Dikeou Pop-Up, a work acquired by an artist who also participated in the SupaStore, we see how the art market can come full circle in meaningful ways that can be sincere rather than superficial or trendy.

Click here to read more about the economics behind 10 SupaStore SupaStars.

-Hayley Richardson

Giasco Bertoli’s 2001 piece “I went to see a friend of mine who turned thirty-three years old, in his room I found a pile of 33 lp’s with the word blue on each cover title, I compiled them in alphabetical order” is a C-print photograph mounted on aluminum, and was one of the first artworks installed at Dikeou Collection. The word “blue” and the alphabetization of the albums provide the basis for the composition, but this assemblage of otherwise arbitrary images resonates with one another and builds a story about the owner of these albums and the people who made them.

Sting, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, and Madonna are some of the standout artists in this gathering because of their widespread fame and appeal, but there are some lesser-known names like Terje Rypdal and The Chasers or Claire d’Asta that can leave one wondering how they found their way into this person’s collection in the first place. Despite any of these musicians’ level of fame, though, is the fact that the people who created these album covers rarely get the acknowledgment they deserve for bringing music into the visual realm. Compounding the situation is the proliferation of digital music exchanged over the internet, which has drastically reduced the need for album art in general. The next time you find yourself with a record in your hands, take the time to scan the fine print and find the name of the individual(s) who produced the imagery, as their work is an integral part to the musician’s identity.

The following is a list of the art directors, designers, and photographers who created the album covers in Giasco’s photograph. The artists for albums by Status Quo, Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps, and Elvis Presley are unknown. Like the musicians, the artists vary in their degree of recognition.

Abbey Lincoln, Abbey is Blue - Cover designed and produced by Paul Bacon, Ken Braren, and Harris Lewine. Photography by Lawrence N. Shustak
John Coltrane, Afro Blue Impressions - Cover and layout by Norman Granz and Sheldon Marks
Johnny Cash, All Aboard the Blue Train with Johnny Cash - Cover by Neil Lewis
The Rolling Stones, Black and Blue - Photography by Hiro, layout by Bea Feitler
Double, Blue- Cover design by Hans Inauen. Photography by Barbara Davatz and Marco Schaaf
Joni Mitchell, Blue - Art Direction by Gary Burden, photography by Tim Considine
Terje Rypdal and the Chasers, Blue - Cover design by Dieter Rehm
Status Quo, Blue for You - unknown
Heavy D and The Boyz, Blue Funk - Art Direction & Design by The Drawing Board, photography by Danny Clinch
Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps, Blue Jean Bop! - unknown
Massive Attack, Blue Lines - Art and Design by Michael Nash
Elton John, Blue Moves - Art direction by David Costa
Emmylou Harris, Blue Kentucky Girl - Design and photography by Tom Wilkes
Kiri te Kanawa and Nelson Riddle, Blue Skies - Photo by Zoe Dominic
Cassandra Wilson, Blue Skies - Cover design by Steve Byram
Midnight Oil, Blue Sky Mining - Front cover photography by Gunther Deichmann, back cover photography by North Sullivan
John Coltrane, Blue Train - Photography by Francis Wolff, cover design by Reid Miles
Tom Waits, Blue Valentine - Art Direction and Design by Ron Coro, hand lettering by Bill Franks, photography by Elliot Gilbert
The Escorts, From the Blue Angel - Front cover photo by Dezo Hoffmann, back photo by Campbell McCallum
Herbert von Karajan, Herbert von Karajan does Johann Strauss: Le beau Danube Bleu - Portrait provided by Eisenmenger Ektachrome Archive for Art and History
Eric Serra, Le Grande Bleu Soundtrack - Designed by P.Huart and P. Cholley, illustration by Malinowski
Elvis, Moody Blue - unknown
Frank Sinatra, Ol’ Blue Eyes is Back - Art direction and photography by Ed Thrasher, design by Dave Bhang
Carl Perkins, Ol’ Blue Suede’s Back (Tribute to Rock'n'Roll) - Art Direction by Bill Banks, design by Jeff Lancaster, photography by Gary Young
Wynton Kelly, Kelly Blue - Cover produced and designed by Paul Bacon, Ken Braren, and Harris Lewine
Miles Davis, Kind of Blue - Cover photo by Jay Maisel, other photography by Don Hunstein
Leonard Bernstein, George Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue - Art Direction by Peter Nutter/Thumb Design, photo by Richard Avedon
Foghat, Stony Blue - Art Direction and Design by Peter Corriston, cover concept and photographs by Alen MacWeeney
Lou Reed, Blue Mask - Cover Design by Sylvia Reed
Sting, The Dream of the Blue Turtles - Photography by Max Vadukul, Danny, and a chicken
Madonna, True Blue - Art Direction by Jeffrey Kent Ayeroff with Jeri McManus, design by Jeri McManus, photography by Herb Ritz
Johnny Winter, White Hot & Blue - Photography by Art Kane, design by Paula Scher

Click here to listen to a mix of tracks from these albums curated by John A. Díaz-Cortés 

-Hayley Richardson

Image courtesy of Clyfford Still Museum

The New York School of artists often had consuming relationships with critics. Art writers like Clement Greenberg and Harold Rosenberg had the power to bolster an artist’s notoriety and embed their name in history, but they also had the ability to crush aspirations and reputations. AbEx painter Clyfford Still was unafraid to express his loathing for this dynamic, and the way critics (in his eyes) manipulated artists and their work. He aggressively responded to reviewers, famously sending art critic Emily Genauer a pair of rubber underpants for her “Sunday afflictions” after she wrote an unflattering review of his work in The New York Herald Tribune. Based on Still’s history with critics, The Clyfford Still Museum invited Jerry Saltz and Roberta Smith, the two most prominent art critics working today, to speak at their Winter 2015 Keynote. Held in Ponti Hall at the Denver Art Museum on February 12, Saltz and Smith pulled one of the largest crowds for a museum event the city has seen.

The structure of the talk was loose and meandering, with both Saltz and Smith glossing over their biographies – he as a former artist turned truck driver who took up writing criticism on the road, she as an assistant for Donald Judd and then writing for Artforum and Village Voice. They met at a gallery reception and he asked her to contribute to his book Beyond Boundaries: New York’s New Art in 1987, without having ever read her writing. They have since been married 23 years, with Roberta writing as co-chief art critic for The New York Times and Jerry as senior art critic at New York magazine. They eat, sleep, and breathe art together, yet retain individual identities in their writing styles and opinions.

Roberta stated that everyone should embrace their inner critic, and acknowledged that she and her husband are often at the receiving end of criticism themselves. In December 2006, Time Out New York compiled a list of the top professional reviewers with “…the power to shape NYC culture…rated by the artists and industry insiders who know them best.” Saltz clocked in at #1 and Smith was #2. An anonymous quote from the ratings said that while Saltz is “…opinionated and argumentative, he is at least passionate about art…” A quote about Roberta: “Considers her subjects carefully, but can never entirely endorse them. Her reserved style is respected, but not always just.” They still describe their styles as such today; Saltz having a loose, animated bravura while Smith is more controlled and focused on pace.

Their writing styles matched their personalities on stage. The volume of Jerry’s voice bounced up and down, often accompanied with energetic hand gestures, while Roberta’s tone was clear and direct, hands calm. Their shared ability, though, to express themselves concisely with intellect and humor is what made the experience truly engaging. There was never a lull in their discussion, and they made it clear that they expected the audience to keep the momentum during the Q&A session. People tend to ask longwinded questions, and Jerry gave one inquisitor a loud BZZZT! before he could even get one out. This was merely his humor shining through, and they graciously answered all questions with thoughtfulness and attention to the examiner. One person asked how they gauge their success, and Roberta answered that she measures her success by how useful she is to readers and art viewers, that she “doesn’t feel alive” if she’s not in print. Jerry and Roberta thrive off feedback from their audiences, and it showed when they fielded questions from the crowd. They are both active on social media, too, and interact with their cyber audience daily.

It was not until I reviewed my notes days after the lecture when I noticed that Jerry spoke more to and about artists, while Roberta’s discussion focused on the criticism and writing process. From this one can see how Jerry’s early history as an artist continues to influence his perspective and voice as a critic. He stressed that artists need to work, work, and work more, both creatively and at a traditional “real job.” Roberta credited her mother for encouraging a critical eye and visual literacy at an early age. She said she abstains from getting too personal to those she writes about, which explains her cool detachment in print. As a couple they strike a balance that is so difficult to achieve in their field, it makes one wonder if they would have reached the level of success they have today if they never would have developed a relationship.

Jerry and Roberta’s work centers on the New York art world, but their influence is national and they recognize the significance of art communities throughout the country. Their Instagram and Twitter feeds were full of art highlights from Denver Art Museum and Clyfford Still Museum, along with much praise of the strength of both museums’ collections. They were especially enchanted by CSM, and talked at length about how important this museum is to understanding an artist’s development and craft. It’s too bad they did have more time to spend in the Mile High so they could see how much more the city has to offer with its hundreds of galleries, theaters, artist studios, and alternative spaces, but Jerry tweeted to his 59K followers, “Denver on itinerary kids.” He and Roberta may have only gotten a tiny taste of what’s here, but they liked what they saw and will hopefully come back for more.

-Hayley Richardson

Majority of the world’s biennials take place in cities and institutions in Europe, but they have become more common in the United States in recent decades. Denver’s biennial, known as the Biennial of the Americas, is unique because it concentrates strictly within the Western hemisphere and delves into topics outside of contemporary art. The 2010 and 2013 editions of Biennial of the Americas succeeded to introduce the concept of a biennial event to the city, but there was often a lack of unity among the various significant activities taking place. This year’s execution seeks to diminish this issue and will set the standards for future biennials thanks in part to the ambitious yet focused vision of the Biennial’s new Artistic Director and Curator, Lauren A. Wright.

Originally from Colorado, Lauren has spent the past nine years in the United Kingdom earning her Ph.D in Humanities and Cultural Studies from the London Consortium and serving as Curator at Turner Contemporary in Margate. She returns to her hometown of Denver with the desire to stay with the Biennial long term and help strengthen the bonds with its partners and collaborators.

The theme of this year’s Biennial is NOW!, and while the aim of most biennials is to address current issues, Lauren believes that they still have a tendency to come off as historical or as looking too far into the future. The idea of “now” requires responsibility and response, and she sees Mexico’s art community as one that is taking action and confronting pressing issues. She describes the Mexican art scene as huge and complicated, one where the government and other public institutions do not always support artists. Despite their obstacles, young artists in Mexico remain ambitious and create their own opportunities, spurring new growth and solidarity within the community. They embody NOW! and will have prominence in Lauren’s curatorial vision for 2015.

Artists in Denver have a lot of support from the community, but they still share that sense of ambition and independence with the artists of Mexico. Lauren sees the Biennial as a way for artists from these two regions to build meaningful relationships. After a successful 2014 Mexico City Summit, an event organized in part by Biennial of the Americas, an artist residency exchange program was established between the Denver-based organization, ArtPlant, and SOMA, a contemporary art museum in Mexico City. Two artist ambassadors from each country have been selected for the exchange, and will have their work featured in one of the Biennial’s art exhibitions.

The residency exchange program is just one of the ways this year’s Biennial team is bolstering its artistic platform and solidifying relationships with creative institutions in the Americas. Lauren says that the physical design of the Biennial would also serve these means by uniting its diverse programs under one roof. For the first time there will be a Biennial Pavilion, which will have spaces for exhibitions, symposia, workshops, and collaborative projects, as well as a visitor center and café. The Pavilion will be a place where leaders in business, government, and education can mingle with those in philanthropy and the arts, creating opportunities for Denverites to connect with the rest of the hemisphere.

The Pavilion will be the heart of the Biennial’s activities, but there will still be satellite attractions to encourage visitors and participants to explore the city. Mural projects and other public art will be installed around town, and the main Biennial art exhibition will be held at Denver’s Museum of Contemporary Art, a venue whose mission is in line with the theme of NOW! and will likely draw plenty of visitors. The MCA has always supported Biennial of the Americas, but Lauren acknowledges that it took great confidence on part of the museum to lend itself to her curatorial perspective and further invest in the Biennial’s legacy.

The 2015 Biennial of the Americas opening festival (which will include exhibit openings, symposia, workshops, etc.) will take place in Denver on July 14-18, with programming continuing through September 7. Lauren is committed, though, to help the Biennial become more far-reaching during the time until the next one in 2017, so that people recognize it as a constant working enterprise rather than something that only comes around every other year. It is this type of consistency and investment the Biennial of the Americas needs to maximize its potential as a landmark event for Denver.

-Hayley Richardson