I promise that my posts won’t always be this long…….
2011 was a fantastic year for me.
I had fun, interesting travels, made new friends, watched my nieces get cuter by the minute, learned more about Dallas…among other things. I know I have left out a lot in this recap but these are some highlights.
Early in the year, I found myself in a warehouse in northeast Dallas making a rather large purchase of spray paint. I tried my hand at it but proved to be terrible. The paint was used for one of the best (and most popular exhibitions) that came through Dallas Contemporary in 2011 by a collective of graffiti artists called SOURGRAPES from Oak Cliff. These guys were amazing to work with…I would do it again in a heartbeat.
Sour Grapes mural, courtesy Dallas Contemporary
The Grapes - Jose, Arturo, Me and Eddie
In March, my travels took me to New York for the Armory Show. The fair itself wasn’t the best but all that happens during the week of a fair keeps it interesting. Meeting with great people, seeing good and bad art, and learning more about the ways of the art world. AND I was in New York! – a city that I LOVE. During the week I was there I celebrated my birthday. Two of my closest friends, Alexa Brooks and Paul Jeanes took the train up from Baltimore (my old stomping grounds) to celebrate with me. We met up with my friends Jeff Owens, his beautiful lady Jane and a friend that I wish I could see more often, Hidenori Ishii. We ate great food, drank too much and ended up dancing (because Alexa forced me) til 3:30 in the morning. With an 8:00am flight the next morning, it was definitely memorable…and I learned that I’m not supposed to stay out that late anymore.
April was the month I worked with Juergen Teller on his exhibition. Juergen (who you might know from Marc Jacobs print ads) and his studio director Georg were amazing to work with. And the show was fantastic. If you have seen Juergen’s photographs and then meet him – it all makes sense. One of the first days, he rolled in wearing running shorts and running shoes paired with a black blazer….smoking a never-ending cigarette. At times he was smoking inside Dallas Contemporary which I tried to stop from happening but finally gave up…
True or False? This is Juergen telling me I look like a Greek goddess.
In June I made a trip to Venice for the 52nd Venice Biennale. What a fantastic trip this was. I had been to the Biennale 4 years prior, but going for my job was an entirely different experience. The meetings and art-going were from morning to night. Art by day, parties by night. Highlights from Venice: The Pinault Collection at Punta della Dogana (housed in a Tadao Ando building, this was fucking AMAZING – one of the best things I saw all year), I saw Salma Hayak there (not really a highlight but I suppose it’s worth mentioning), the Greek pavilion, cappuccino ever morning, and watching the world’s best looking taxi drivers do their thing….
A highlight from Venice.
In August, my baby brother John Cluley turned 30 – Dirty 30 to be exact. John and my awesome sister-in-law Wendy Wheless live in the amazing city of Chicago. With a weekend of festivities planned, me, Mandy Cluley (sister), Ken (Dad) and Mary Ann Cluley (Mom) all made the trip up to celebrate. We had seriously great food, met great people, watched a Sox game and had other fun. Read about it here…
Also in August my sweet, darling nieces turned 2 years old. I love them more than I thought I could ever love any person. Buggy and LiLi had a splash party with friends. It was a hot summer day but with water to splash in and popsicles to enjoy (margaritas for the adults provided by Firefighter Margaritas), everyone had a great time.
Buggy and LiLi
In September, my dearest girlfriend Alexa moved to Madrid. I miss her being stateside but at the same time, I’m thrilled for her. And thrilled for me because I will be visiting in February! What’s App has been a lifesaver. If you don’t know about it, you should.
My girl Alexa.
The Legendary event at Dallas Contemporary at the end of September with food installation artist Jennifer Rubell was one of the most interesting projects I’ve ever worked on. It was also the hardest I’ve ever worked…I definitely polished the ol’ juggling skills. I also learned a lot about food in Dallas which was great. I met talented people along the way and ate some of Dallas/Fort Worth’s tastiest food. Click here for a great photo essay.
The same week was a tattoo catwalk event and exhibition with Austin tattoo artist Jason Brooks. I absolutely LOVED working on this. And this is where the obsession began. Spending time with Jason and about 20 of his clients was crazy, fun and beautiful. I’ve since began research for a larger project focused on tattooing in Texas. Stay tuned.
Gabe, one of the guys I met. Photo by Andrew Shepard. Courtesy Dallas Contemporary.
My visit to Marfa, Texas was in October. I finally made the pilgrimage everyone has been talking about. The one-blinking-light, small, Texas town is an art mecca literally in the middle of nowhere. The presence of Donald Judd and the things that followed him there are truly amazing. I can’t wait to go back. Marfa is magical and I fell in love upon arrival (after the 9 hour drive from Dallas….ugh).
Prada, Marfa.
Every year during the first week of December is the Art Basel Miami Beach fair. People from all over the world come in and take over Miami. Gallerists, artists, celebrities and normal people like me come in to experience the fairs, art installations, parties, dinners, film screenings, parties and more parties. It seemed like I woke up drinking champagne each day followed by more art-looking than my brain could absorb. A little food, more art, more champagne, bed and then wake up to start the cylce again. Fun, super productive and exhausting.
As soon as I returned from Miami, I hit the ground running in Dallas to get ready for the installation of 3 artists’ exhibitions at Dallas Contemporary – Rob Pruitt, David Jablonowski and FAILURE. The artists built fountains out of Perrier water boxes, wheat pasted an entire 100+ feet hallway and installed an ambitious new media exhibition. Rob Pruitt was a thrill to work with. I wish I had recorded him the whole time we worked together. The things he would say and stories he would tell, for me, explained why he is such an exciting artist.
"Here Erin. In case you don't have a Christmas tree at home."
The holidays this year with my family (most importantly my nieces) were super fun. With Bugs and Li being 2 years old, gift-opening was enjoyed by all. Their Auntie (moi) got them a giant stuffed animal Tiger. It was a total impulse buy off of GILT and it was a huge hit. Bugs has kind of a love/hate relationship with animals. She loves animals but is deathly afraid of them. We all wondered how it would go over, but after some coaxing, we collectively named her Tata the Tiger and stuck stickers all over her. It was a hit. My Mom and Dad are the ultimate hosts so family get-togethers at their home are cozy. We eat my Mom’s menu of stellar meals, drink wine and beer, tell stories that we’ve all told each other a million times and now, we watch my nieces run around doing crazy things. LOVE.
La Familia.
I rang in the New Year with old friends from college and new friends that I met this year. It was a fun and happy new year.
Ok….let’s see what 2012 holds in store. Bring it.
Tags: 2011, Alexa, art, birthday, Dallas Contemporary, family, Jennifer Rubell, Juergen Teller, Marfa, Miami, New York, nieces, Punta della Dogana, Rob Pruitt, Sourgrapes, tattoo culture, Venice
Zuzu Bluebottom 