Welcome to the online blog for Art Now: Contemporary Art and the Mega-Exhibition. We are a group of 16 students (and two professors) from Carleton College in Minnesota, and this summer we are studying in Italy and Germany on something of a contemporary art Grand Tour. Over the next ten weeks, we will be visiting three of the most prominent large-scale contemporary art exhibitions: the Venice Biennale, Documenta, and Skulptur Projekte Münster. In addition, we will be spending several weeks in Cologne, Germany, where we will be visiting many museums and commercial galleries to better understand the art world’s institutions.

The purposes of this blog are threefold. First, it is an opportunity for all of us, as budding art historians and critics, to hone our critical writing skills. We will be reacting to the exhibitions in real-time. And while many of us are accustomed to cranking out term papers at a rapid speed (much to the consternation of our professors), the very newness of the works we will be experiencing demands a quick response. And so a blog seems to be a very appropriate medium for our initial reactions.

Second, for many of us, this is the first time we have been abroad in Europe, and so this blog also affords us an opportunity to reflect on our experiences abroad. Fear not, though, we have been warned to steer clear of solipsistic navel-gazing and instead to be thoughtful in our responses to Europe and Europeans. Most importantly, as “art tourists,” this provides us an opportunity to reflect on contemporary art tourism and the peripatetic nature of art world denizens who are always on the move.

Third, we would like this blog to serve as a chance for others to join in the discussion around the works that we will be writing about. The ultimate point of this blog is its public-ness. We are most interested in putting ideas on the table that others will pick up and play with. Others may disagree with the thoughts that we’re putting out there, and that is only to be expected. Public opinion has not yet begun to coalesce around these works. So please do feel free to comment on our thoughts and offer your own in turn. Our only request is that we all keep the discussion honest and respectful.

Thanks for checking in to our blog! Now let’s get the conversation started.