WIGA 2011
For the second annual What Is Good Art Competition, artists were asked to meditate on the “sublime” and the “beautiful,” two ideas rooted in aesthetic philosophy. Must art harness the sublime—that sense of discomfort when faced with ideas beyond our comprehension—to convey an ethical message? Can we find beauty in the gruesome?
A distinguished panel of judges, made up of experts from both art and ethics-related disciplines at Duke and beyond, awarded $500, $300, and $100 to the first, second, and third place winners, respectively. During the opening gala on April 11, attendees voted for a fourth Gallery Choice prize as well.
The What is Good Art? Exhibition was open Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm, April 11 through May 15, 2011.
Panel of Judges:
Christopher Bass, Vice President at Oak Hill Capital Partners, L.P.
William Fick, Visiting Assistant Professor of the Practice of Visual Arts
Margaret Mertz, Director, The Kenan Institute for the Arts
Noah Pickus, Director, The Kenan Institute for Ethics
Kimerly Rorschach, Director, Nasher Museum of Art
Suzanne Shanahan, Associate Director, The Kenan Institute for Ethics
Walter Sinnott-Armstrong, Chauncey Stillman Professor in Practical Ethics in the Department of Philosophy and the Kenan Institute for Ethics
Charles Thompson, Director of Undergraduate Studies, Center for Documentary Studies
The winners of the second annual What is Good Art? Competition were:
Sarah Goetz, “Intermittence” (1st place)
Marissa Bergmann, “Inverse Uni*verse” (2nd place)
Abigail Bucher, “Seal, It’s What’s for Dinner” (3rd place)
Chelsea Pieroni, “Manifest SMOKE” (Gallery Choice)
Below, read the full 2011 exhibition statement:
See the rest of the 2011 What Is Good Art? Exhibition below.
Kirstie Jeffrey, Vote Ndio
Zanzibar gained independence from Britain as a constitutional monarchy in 1963 after aviolent Revolution with thousands enduring exile and genocide. Now, the Republic of Zanzibarand Pemba remain a semi-autonomous region of Tanzania. The governing body of the island hasendured developmental issues and unending political turmoil. The main opposing governingparties in Zanizibar are the Chama Cha Mapinduzi and the Civic United Front. The politicalclimate of Zanzibar is tied to a history of struggle and violence. As elections progressed andtensions of conflicting ideals mounted, violence struck in the 2000 election as governmentofficials shot into crowds of protestors killing thirty-five people and injuring hundreds. Moreviolence erupted five years later with the CUF claiming that its rightful victory had been stolen.Negotiations were on-going but came to a halt in 2008 when the CUF walked away from aproposed vote to approve a power sharing agreement. On July 31st 2010, the date this picture wastaken, 66.4% of registered citizens voted “YES” in one of the first peaceful referendums toamend Zanzibar’s laws to allow rival parties to form governments of national unity.
For more information, contact Christian Ferney.