4'33" 2013

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                  Contact: Norm Magnusson

mossmag@aol.com  917-686-0451

                                                                                                                                       http://4332013.blogspot.com

 ANNIVERSARY PERFORMANCE OF JOHN CAGE’S 4’33”, HIS SO-CALLED “SILENT PIECE”

Woodstock, NY, August 29, 2013  -  Paul McMahon (with Linda Mary Montano) will perform John Cage’s famous composition 4’33” at the Woodstock Artists Association Museum (WAAM) at 6 pm on Thursday, August 29, 2013.  Admission is free. WAAM is located at 28 Tinker St. in Woodstock and can be reached at (845) 679-2940.

The piece was composed in 1952 for “any instrument (or combination of instruments),

and the score instructs the performer not to play the instrument during the entire duration of the piece.”  It was first performed in Woodstock on August 29, 1952, presented by The Woodstock Artists Association at the Maverick Concert Hall. This will be the 61st anniversary of that performance.

It is an enormously influential piece in the world of art and is considered by many to be the perfect minimalist creation.

Norm Magnusson, who is producing this concert, saw it performed years ago by composer, percussionist, and avant-guardian David Van Tieghem and recounts that he was “surprised at how deeply moved he was by the purity of the work.”  He adds: “4’33”, on one level, seems to be as close to artistic perfection as an artist can get.”  After hearing it performed, Magnusson researched the piece, discovered that it had debuted in Woodstock, and decided to put on an anniversary concert.  This is the third year.

Paul McMahon is a Woodstock resident, fine artist, raconteur, bumper sticker maker and amazing musician. His appetite for artistic expression is insatiable; this will be his first performance of Cage's piece. More on Paul can be read here.

Kay Larson is a longtime art critic for New York magazine, a practicing Buddhist and recently wrote a biography of John Cage, "Where the heart beats", which is now out in paperback. More on Kay can be read here.

After the performance of the Cage piece, there will be a Q&A with Kay Larson and after that, McMahon will play one or two of his own pieces.

The Woodstock Artists Association &; Museum was founded in 1919 to exhibit and collect work in all media by area artists and to support the tradition of Woodstock as the “Colony of the Arts.”  It is a super awesome place that has attained even higher levels of awesomeness by agreeing to host this concert. 

Questions?  Answers?  Call Norm Magnusson or Carl Van Brunt at WAAM.

Cut and paste exhibition

(click on the image to view it larger)

"Bat out of Helms"                                           décollage                            1990/1999/2013

Plant alphabet

Unghie dell'artista

Some people have asked to see the sculpture I made for the "SpOor" exhibition.  Here it is: a reliquary holding a salt shaker containing my fingernails.  The gallery provided this definition of "spoor" in their call for entries: 

spOor

noun \’spur, ‘spor\ plural spoor or spoorsDefinition of SPOOR

1 : a track, a trail, a scent, or droppings especially of a wild animal

2 : a trace by which the progress of someone or something may be followed

I immediately thought of a piece I'd done years before.  A salt shaker filled with fingernails.  Maybe 20 years ago.  I'd created it back then as an absurd object, a Dada sculpture.  But now it seemed a strong representation of what it means to be an artist, to share parts of yourself with others.   To leave a trace of yourself out in the world.  Spoor of the artist.  It also brought to mind Piero Manzoni's famous canning of his own poop, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artist's_shit) "Merda d'artista" and so, in respect and reference to that iconic work, I entitled my sculpture: "Unghie dell'artista".  Fingernails of the artist.

4'33" Press release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                  Contact: Norm Magnusson

mossmag@aol.com  845-679-6662

                                                                                                                                       http://fourthirty3.blogspot.com/

RESCHEDULED FOR SATURDAY, SEPT. 10 AT 2:30PM

ANNIVERSARY PERFORMANCE OF JOHN CAGE’S 4’33”, HIS SO-CALLED “SILENT PIECE”

Woodstock, NY, September 5, 2011  -  Mimi Goese and Ben Neill will perform John Cage’s famous composition 4’33” at the Woodstock Artists Association Museum (WAAM) at 2:30pm on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2011.  WAAM is located at 28 Tinker St. in Woodstock and can be reached at (845) 679-2940.

The piece was composed in 1952 for “any instrument (or combination of instruments),

and the score instructs the performer not to play the instrument during the entire

duration of the piece.”  It was first performed in Woodstock on August 29, 1952, presented by The Woodstock Artists Association at the Maverick Concert Hall. This will be the

59^th anniversary of that performance.

It is an enormously influential piece in the world of art and is considered by many to be the perfect minimalist creation.

Norm Magnusson, who is producing this concert, saw it performed years ago by composer, percussionist, and avant-guardian David Van Tieghem and recounts that he was “surprised at how deeply moved he was by the purity of the work.”  He adds: “4’33”, on one level, seems to be as close to artistic perfection as an artist can get.”  After hearing it performed, Magnusson researched the piece, discovered that it had debuted in Woodstock, and decided to put on an anniversary concert.  This is it.

Mimi Goese is known as the lead singer/co-songwriter of Hugo Largo, the critically acclaimed minimalist punk/pop group who released two albums on Brian Eno’s Opal label. After touring with musician/producer Hector Zazou and co-writing/singing on the Moby album Everything is Wrong, Goese’s solo album Soak was released by Luaka Bop, David Byrne’s label.

Her collaboration with Ben Neill, Songs for Persephone, will be released on August 30, by Ramseur Records.

Ben Neill is a composer, performer, producer, and inventor of the mutantrumpet, a hybrid electro-acoustic instrument. He has recorded eight CDs of his music on labels including Universal/Verve, Thirsty Ear, Astralwerks and Six Degrees. His most recent CD Night Science was released in 2009 on Thirsty Ear.

There will be a Q&A after the performance with musicologist Kyle Gann, author of No Such Thing as Silence: John Cage's 4'33" and Mimi and Ben will play one of their own pieces.

The Woodstock Artists Association & Museum was founded in 1919 to exhibit and collect work in all media by area artists and to support the tradition of Woodstock as the “Colony of the Arts.”  It is a super awesome place that has attained even higher levels of awesomeness by agreeing to host this concert. 

Questions?  Answers?  Call Norm Magnusson or Carl Van Brunt at WAAM.

Nice reviews of the Pember Museum show