Audio By Carbonatix
Mixmaster presents “100 Creatives,” in which we feature cultural entrepreneurs of Dallas in random order.
Danielle Avram Morgan is a photographer turned video artist turned curator, all of which she likely does a great deal better than the average person. Hers is a name you’ll see around Dallas now that you know. She’s involved in much more than you’re probably aware of. In the last few weeks, it’s possible you saw the Dallas Medianale exhibit, Call and Response, which she co-curated with Dee Mitchell, or the Kristen Cochran show at the SMU Pollock Gallery, where Morgan is currently a curatorial fellow.
Her interests vary, but her taste is always interesting and on point and she’s sharing it with Dallas. With Morgan around we’re all getting a little bit smarter and more cultured bit by bit.
In layman’s terms, what’s the difference between films and video art?
Well, there are the obvious tropes that we associate with a “film” and a “video,” most of which come out of the physical structure, origins and dominant usage of each. Film is a direct descendant of photography and is strongly tied to commercial movie making. We tend to think of films as Hollywood-style theatrical releases; linear narratives with characters, plot and emotion. Video, on the other hand was developed by the broadcast industry and is associated with television, advertising and popular culture — lots of information crammed into a glib, bite-sized package.
Yet however valid these associations may be, they don’t fully describe the conceptual scope of either field, or acknowledge the subtle differences between the many genres and subcategories. Qualifiers such as “conceptual video” or “experimental film” are important because artists are either working within or against the conventions of these genres. To that end I would say that the definitions of “film” and “video” are, to a degree, constantly evolving.
Do you know what first attracted you to the digital art world?
When I entered my MFA program, I was practicing large-format photography and alternative process printing — shooting and developing 4×5 sheets of film, mixing my own emulsions, contact printing on different papers … I was beginning what would become a lifelong love affair with photo history and photographic techniques. But as an artist, I realized that I was sacrificing conceptual perspective for the sake of perfecting some very difficult and time-consuming processes.
I was doing a lot of performance and self-portraiture without always knowing what the end result would be, and video gave me tremendous flexibility and freedom to experiment. It also exposed me to a vast contemporary art practice that I knew very little about. I basically catapulted from the late 19th century into the 21st.
Can you point us to a few films or videos online that you admire or that inspire you?
Martha Rosler, Semiotics of the Kitchen, 1975(above)
Gary Hill, Mediations (towards a remake of Soundings), 1978/86
https://vimeo.com/5596880
Eija-Liisa Ahtila, The House, 2002
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4vwi5_the-house-eija-liisa-ahtila-1_creation
Harun Farocki, Images of the World and the Inscription of War, 1988
http://www.vdb.org/titles/images-world-and-inscription-war
Paul Chan, The 7 Lights, 2005 – 07
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rVuoqUEvQI
Anthony McCall, Line Describing a Cone, 1973
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-HWsxPnNNY
When you’re curating a show be it video art at the MAC or a show at the Pollock Gallery, what is your basic philosophy or a few governing principles?
I think of myself as a storyteller and of the audience as my listeners. It’s great fun to go down a curatorial rabbit hole and nerd over the minutiae of an artist, a process or a part of art history that I find fascinating, but at the end of the day I need to be able convey what I find engaging about a particular subject to an audience. This entails identifying the target audience; considering how an installation can affect their experience of the subject matter, and providing supplementary information and programming that will enhance their understanding and appreciation.
Sometimes this means hitting on trends or movements already in place within a community, and other times it’s about giving people something they didn’t even know they wanted or needed.
Maybe as an example, what was the process of selecting and then curating Kristen Cochran’s show?
Kristen’s show was already in the works when I was brought on as the Pollock Curatorial Fellow. But this type of thing happens all the time — a curator inherits a scheduled exhibition and has to pick up and run with it. In Kristen’s case, my curatorial function was largely to serve as a sounding board, editor and problem solver. I spent a lot of time in the gallery with her, talking through different possibilities and strategies; providing my perspective and serving as a stand in for potential viewers.
You studied at UTD and left for the MFA program at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts/Tufts University, what brought you back to Dallas?
This is actually the third time I’ve lived in Dallas. I first moved here in the late ’90s, left to do my MFA in Boston, came back and left again to work as a curatorial assistant at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. I moved back in 2011.
Both times I moved back for personal reasons, but I’ve also found the city to be a good home base with a supportive creative community, and I’ve never worried too much about finding (or creating) a new opportunity for myself upon returning. In exchange, living and working elsewhere has provided me with a strong network and a breadth of education and experience that I’ve been able to transpose to Dallas. I think it’s important for creatives to move about and exchange knowledge and ideas.
One big idea you’d like to see implemented in this city.
I would like to see the rise of a sustainable artistic “middle class.”
Many cities (and major corporations located within these cities) support their artistic communities because they acknowledge the financial benefits of having a strong creative nucleus. Things such as tax incentives for artists to live and work in certain neighborhoods; access to free or discounted legal council and affordable health care; student loan repayment assistance; mentorship programs; in-house artist residencies; travel/study grants, and better employment opportunities would go a long way to ensuring the longevity of a high-caliber creative community in Dallas.
100 Creatives:
100. Theater Mastermind Matt Posey
99. Comedy Queen Amanda Austin
98. Deep Ellum Enterpriser Brandon Castillo
97. Humanitarian Artist Willie Baronet
96. Funny Man Paul Varghese
95. Painting Provocateur Art Peña
94. Magic Man Trigg Watson
93. Enigmatic Musician George Quartz
92. Artistic Luminary Joshua King
91. Inventive Director Rene Moreno
90. Color Mavens Marianne Newsom and Sunny Sliger
89. Literary Lion Thea Temple
88. Movie Maestro Eric Steele
87. Storytelling Dynamo Nicole Stewart
86. Collaborative Artist Ryder Richards
85. Party Planning Print maker Raymond Butler
84. Avant-gardist Publisher Javier Valadez
83. Movie Nerd James Wallace
82. Artistic Tastemakers Elissa & Erin Stafford
81. Pioneering Arts Advocates Mark Lowry & Michael Warner
80. Imaginative Director Jeremy Bartel
79. Behind-the-Scenes Teacher Rachel Hull
78. Kaleidoscopic Artist Taylor “Effin” Cleveland
77. Filmmaker & Environmentalist Michael Cain
76. Music Activist Salim Nourallah
75. Underground Entrepreneur Daniel Yanez
74. Original Talent Celia Eberle
73. Comic Artist Aaron Aryanpur
72. Classical Thespian Raphael Parry
71. Dance Captain Valerie Shelton Tabor
70. Underground Culture Mainstay Karen X. Minzer
69. Effervescent Gallerist Brandy Michele Adams
68. Birthday Party Enthusiast Paige Chenault
67. Community Architect Monica Diodati
66. Intrepid Publisher Will Evans
65. Writerly Wit Noa Gavin
64. Maverick Artist Roberto Munguia
63. Fresh Perspective Kelsey Leigh Ervi
62. Virtuosic Violinist Nathan Olson
61. Open Classical’s Dynamic Duo Mark Landson & Patricia Yakesch
60. Rising Talent Michelle Rawlings
59. Adventurous Filmmaker Toby Halbrooks
58. Man of Mystery Edward Ruiz
57. Inquisitive Sculptor Val Curry
56. Offbeat Intellect Thomas Riccio
55. Doers and Makers Shannon Driscoll & Kayli House Cusick
54. Performance Pioneer Katherine Owens
53. Experimental Filmmaker and Video Artist Mike Morris
52. Flowering Fashioner Lucy Dang
51. Insightful Artist Stephen Lapthisophon
50. Dallas Arts District
49. Farmer’s Market Localvore Sarah Perry
48. Technological Painter John Pomara
47. Progressive Playmakers Christopher Carlos & Tina Parker
46. Purposive Chef Chad Houser
45. Absorbing Artist Jeff Gibbons
44. Artistic Integrator Erica Felicella
43. Multi-talented Director Tre Garrett
42. Anachronistic Musician Matt Tolentino
41. Emerging Veteran Actor Van Quattro
40. Festival Orchestrator Anna Sophia van Zweden
39. Literary Framer Karen Weiner
38. Man Behind the Music Gavin Mulloy
37. The Godfather of Dallas Art Frank Campagna
36. Rising Star Adam A. Anderson
35. Artist Organizer Heyd Fontenot
34. Music Innovator Stefan Gonzalez
33. Triple Threat Giovanni Valderas
32. Cultural Connector Lauren Cross
31. Critical Artist Thor Johnson
30. Delicate Touch Margaret Meehan
29. Fashion Forward Charles Smith II
28. Dedicated Artist Carolyn Sortor
27. Political Cyber Banksy Wylie H Dallas
26. Dance Preserver Lisa Mesa Rogers
25. Rob ‘Ain’t No Creative Like A Bow-Tie-Wearing Creative’ Shearer
24. Scholar of the Stage Susan Sargeant
23. Photographer of Record Justin Terveen
22. Music Man Jeffrey Liles
21. Keeper of the Safe Room Lauren Gray
20. Playwright Jonathan Norton, Man of Many Words
19. Filmmaker and Funniest Comic in Texas Linda Stogner
18. Gallerist Jordan Roth, the Art Scene Cheerleader
17. Artful Advocate Vicki Meek
16. Ballet Queen Katie Puder
15. Carlos Alejandro Guajardo-Molina, the Book Guy
14. Janeil Engelstad, an Artist with Purpose
13. Will Power, Playwright and Mentor
12. Gallerists Gina & Dustin Orlando, Boundary Pushers
11. Moody Fuqua, Music Community Organizer
10. Joshua Peugh, Choreographer to Watch
9. Allison Davidson, Advocate for Art Accessibility
8. Ben Fountain, Man of Letters
7. Fashion Maven Julie McCullough
