Pushing the boundaries of frames

An image of Buddha, lines from the Gettysburg Address and a saxophone blowing in the… An image of Buddha, lines from the Gettysburg Address and a saxophone blowing in the background æ they are all part of an answer. During a Friday night opening at the Frame, there’s too much going on to remember the question, and perhaps it’s best that way. Keep the answers in public and questions in private.

The Frame is Carnegie Mellon University’s completely student-run art gallery, and they provide students with a chance not only to display their art but to define the way the space is used to exhibit it. That feature adds another dimension to the question everyone who’s faced a virgin canvas or a blank screen knows all too well. Not only must an artist displaying his work at the Frame answer that question, but now he’s also faced with additional questions.

How do I arrange this to make it the most accessible? Is there a way to set things up that actually communicates something different or something more than what each piece contributes alone? How do I incorporate other artists’ work with mine in a group show?

There are four people in charge of managing the space, selecting those who will use it and, in a general sense, shaping the spirit of the Frame: Marina Kliger, Nicholas Pozek, Stephanie Armbruster and Michael Kontopoulos. Kilger and Pozek are the co-directors of the Frame. Armbruster is the business manager and Kontopoulos handles publicity.

Kilger and Pozek are responsible for selecting the artists who’ve applied. The shows usually display the work of multiple artists. The groupings are usually decided between the artists before they apply, but occasionally the co-directors will suggest additional combinations when the artists applying don’t have enough material to fill the room.

There’s usually a new show every Friday night. The work will stay up over the weekend and into the beginning of the next week, but by the next Friday, the entire space will be transformed by the vision of the next show’s artists.

While the co-directors certainly don’t restrict work from being displayed based purely on stylistic preferences, Pozek admits that he tends to favor immersive installation and performance.

“Besides being the type of events I personally find the most engaging, they also produce a lot of energy and enthusiasm from the Frame audience,” Pozek said in e-mail interview.

He goes on to explain that at the Frame, their focus is to give “aspiring/emerging artists [the] opportunity to place their work in a gallery context.” In doing so, much more emphasis is placed on experimentation and ideas instead of marketing.

“It’s a really great place for people to experiment and try things before they go out and do work somewhere,” publicist Kontopoulos said in an e-mail interview.

Noting that the artists’ reputations are at stake, Kontopoulos adds, “The Frame is where a lot of people learn exactly what it means to put on a show.”

Looking to the future, Kontopoulos isn’t particularly interested in building bridges with the art world as a whole. He states, “It’s understandable to me the people from the local art community would be less interested in seeing student artwork.” A goal of his over the next two years is to extend the exhibits to include more students from Pitt, Point Park or Duquesne.

Despite being CMU’s gallery, the Frame’s staff isn’t at all opposed to having artists from other schools display. Pozek explains that it hasn’t happened “primarily because a precedent for handling artists from outside hasn’t been set.”

There’s nothing exclusive, judgmental or effete about the Frame. It’s a forum for men and women who are trying to answer that question – what do you have to contribute, to say, and how well can you do it? According to Pozek, the role of their gallery is the role of any frame: “A ‘frame’ is a device that emphasizes, contextualizes and supports.”

E-mail Zak Sharif at rzs8@pitt.edu if you have an answer you’d like to share.