 Becker will be moving on to head the Columbia University's School of the Arts in New York City in the fall. She corresponded with F News via email from Rome about her new position, what she'll miss about SAIC, and what Chicago needs to do to become a great art city.
interview by Natalie Edwards |
| Q. |
What do you think could be better about Chicago's art world? What
could be better about New York's? |
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| A. |
I think the art scene in Chicago suffers from a Second City
mentality. Having grown up as a New Yorker and having become a
Chicagoan, I have always been amazed at how weirdly Chicagoans relate
to NY. It's such a love/hate relationship but nonetheless one that
ends up making Chicago feel inferior. If Chicago would simply accept
that its scale can never rival or equal that of New York's but that
there are terrific artists, curators, gallerists, museums and the
best Art Schools in the country, Chicago could simply feel proud of
what it has and encourage the range of experimentation that makes it
unique. There is a confidence issue here that Chicago needs to
overcome. It's a fantastic place for creating work. The market is not
here completely for the arts so there needs to be a courting of New
York and LA, that is just is the way it is. But as a place for
experimentation, it can't be beat. And, there are advantages to not
being in the center of the market. It allows artists to breathe.
Because I love both cities, I easily see the virtues of each and do
not put them in competition. New York is conservative in many ways.
New York, on the other hand, suffers from a fear of failure. It's
harder to try things in NY, not just because it's expensive to do so,
but because the consequences of failing in NY are greater, so people
tend to be more conservative. Also, because the largest market is
there, they are too often looking to it for their own sense of
self-worth. And, the art schools in NY are often very run-down and
many do not treat their faculty very well. They know that people will
work under less than adequate conditions just in order to stay in New
York. So, it actually keeps them from striving to make great
teaching/learning environments. |
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