Arts and Entertainment

Courtesy Photo / Temporary Services
This poster, distributed by Marc Fischer’s publishing company Temporary Services, depicts an Art Worker’s Coalition protest.

Artist Marc Fischer to hold discussion on art, economy

By Elijah Brumback GVL Staff Writer
2/3/2010

Artist and publisher Marc Fischer is concerned about art -- not as a frivolous pursuit, but as a means for cultural development free from standard conventions and economic burdens.

Paul Wittenbraker, Grand Valley State University associate professor of art and design, said Fischer and his collaborators' ideas about contemporary art have a focus, intensity and quality that really engage and are a great way of developing cultural discourse.

This is why Wittenbraker, who has also been a longtime correspondent with Fischer, has chosen him to lead a series of events in association with The Visual Studies Studio of the GVSU department of art and design, the Division Avenue Arts Collective and the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts.

Fischer will be involved in an artist talk today in the Padnos Student Gallery and an open discussion on Friday on his publication "ART WORK" at the DAAC.

"(Fischer's) exuberance about exploring interesting things in the world is immense," Wittenbraker said. "I think his range of topics is most interesting."

One such work is the publication of the writing and designs of a prison inmate named Angelo. The publication includes detailed plans on how to make simple devices in prison including a cigarette lighter, tattoo gun and other uniquely-devised contraptions for prison life.

"Their work is an innovative way to present cultural practices," he said.

Fischer has a background in painting and drawing and a master's degree from the University of Chicago. He did a fan-zine about music in high school and since then has found publishing to be a more of a draw for him artistically, eventually leading him to develop his publishing vehicle "Temporary Services" in 2002 with co-founders Brett Bloom and Salem Collo-Julin.

One of the latest productions, "ART WORK" is a 40-page newspaper consisting of writings and images from artists, activists, writers, critics and others on the topic of working within depressed economies and how that impacts artistic process, compensation and artistic property.

"Publishing was a way to find an audience and makes you able to respond to the individual," Fischer said. "It's much more relevant now."

For "ART WORK," Fischer and company sought out people from all across the U.S. to contribute pieces to a public discussion on the economy and art.

"People who are serious about making art do it because that is what they're compelled to do," said GVSU photo student Dylan Graham. "The hardest part is making people aware and interested in what you're doing."

Fischer said he puts a lot of emphasis on trying to expand the audience of contemporary art and devising strategies for alternatively exhibiting art for people, sometimes legally and sometimes not.

"This (art) is how some people contribute to society," Fischer said. "We're looking at how together can we replace the losses and strategize with artists to find new means of funding."

"Temporary Services" has produced 88 publications to date. To find out more and see the other publications, visit http://www.temporaryservices.org.

Fischer's talk is at 5 p.m. today in the Padnos Student Gallery in the Calder Art Center. The Grand Rapids discussion is Friday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the DAAC on 115 S. Division in Grand Rapids.

An exhibition of "Temporary Services" work will run in conjunction with the "(S)Edition: Prints As Activism" exhibit at the UICA through March 5.

ebrumback@lanthorn.com

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