Brightest Young Things

Jenny Holzer is a favorite of mine. Back in art school my best friend and I adored the "protect me from what I want" and "it is in your best interest to find a way to become very tender" installations in a way only 20 year old art students can, and if someone ever buys me one of those "truism" golf balls, my heart will be theirs forever. Or at least until Jenny releases a new semi-mass-produced article.

So, when I found out that this weekend (Thursday to Sunday, each night at 7 pm) Jenny will present her second D.C. xenon projection project (the first was in October of 2004) where she projects quotes from President John F. Kennedy and President Theodore Roosevelt from the Kennedy Center outdoor terrace onto the Potomac River and Roosevelt Island, creating a virtual mirror of our nation's premier arts and cultural center, naturally I was ecstatic.

From the Kennedy Center press release:

As the words of the late President, which are etched onto the east facade of the Kennedy Center so eloquently state, "I see little more importance to the future of our country and of civilization than full recognition of the place of the artist. If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him."

Organized by Nora Halpern and Welmoed Laanstra for "Street Scenes: Projects for DC," this event coincides with the Kennedy Center's pre-season Prelude celebration.

and now for the artist introduction:

Jenny Holzer is famous for her short statements, formally called ‘truisms’. some are common myths while others are just phrases on random subjects in the form of slogans.
the sayings include:

‘money creates taste’,

‘a lot of professionals are crackpots’,

‘enjoy yourself because you can't change anything anyway’,

‘freedom is a luxury not a necessity’,

‘don't place too much trust in experts’.

her medium, whether formulated as a t-shirt, as a plaque, or as an LED sign, always is writing,
and the public dimension is integral to the delivery of her work.starting in the late 1970s with the posters that jenny holzer
pasted on buildings in new york city, and up to her recent xenon projections (which she started using in 1996) on landscape and architecture,her practice has rivaled ignorance and violence with humor,kindness, and one of the stronger moral stances in the art world today.

The flow of light and text over the shapes of buildings, land, and water transforms the night. Spaces appear to be enveloped, and what re-emphasizes the lines of architecture, or dictates a path in the reflection of a river, is the scrolling language. Xenon text has ambled the Spanish Steps in Rome, slid along the Olympic ski jump in Lillehammer, and lit the Louvre's courtyard and facade in Paris. Last year, words rose on the façades of Rockefeller Center and the New York City Public Library.

So...it is a great honor and pleasure to have her in DC even if for only 72 hours and just make a point to be there this weekend.
You can thank me later.

for more details go to:
http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/index.cfm?fuseaction=showEvent&event=XHHOL