I assumed the @Guggenheim backdrop was included! #buyingartontwitter
I originally made this silly little Museum Nerd sculptural self portrait for @manbartlett’s #BigGroupPortrait project because I’m anonymous and couldn’t take an actual photo of myself, but wanted to participate.
Then it surprisingly became part of the continuing #buyingartontwitter transparency-in-the-art-world movement when @theBoBartlett and @BetsyEby offered to buy it for their collection. They have an amazing art collection which I’ve been lucky to see some of and I was extremely flattered to be included. I have my suspicions as to which shelf this will probably live on.
I sold the sculpture to Bo and Betsy publicly on twitter for $300, half of which will be donated to a museum of our mutual agreement (TBD). The transaction, since the Nerd does not have a bank account, will be brokered by @occupyman. You should be able to see the money go through Man Bartlett’s open finances on his shared google spreadsheet here. As a fee, @OccupyMan charged me one drawing of a bunny of any quality. Here’s the bunny I drew. It’s a copy of this Ray Johnson.
I make art for fun, and to annoy @powhida, who has an amazing sense of humor, but, I hope it’s fair to say, privileges acerbic humor in the art world, but doesn’t see much point in art for fun’s sake. Forgive me, Bill, if I’m getting it wrong here or over simplifying. (I admit that, for me, art that has more depth is often more rewarding, but I also love something that just plain cracks me up every time I see it.)
I choose to challenge people to think deeply in other ways that are not usually part of my public/anonymous persona. The Nerd is all about positivity. Or at least I try to keep it that way. There’s plenty of negativity in my real life. Believe me.
A lot of love went into making that little sculpture. And not a lot of cynicism. I had fun the whole time I was making it. Except when the glasses I originally made were too small, but I managed to have fun with those in a different way. That’s where my artistic production is coming from. Entertaining myself and hopefully others.