The Circle of Truth is a wholly unique “collaboration” of 49 contemporary artists, each sequestered and unknown to one another, working in absolute secrecy. Taking a full nine years from launch to fruition, The Circle is a modern, visual take on a common childhood schoolroom exercise, wherein a secret message was whispered from student to student. Often referred to as the Rumor Game, or Telephone, the activity was intended to illustrate what happens to the Truth when passed through the filter of 30 or so children. The message revealed by the last child almost never resembled what the original held.
In the case of the Circle of Truth, the “whispered” message was imbued in the first painting, which was then delivered, along with a blank canvas, to the second artist who was given no direction other than to find the Truth in it, respond to what they perceived, and create a work, using the blank canvas, that would go to the next artist, also unknown to them. And so it went, through 49 artists, 48 of whom were confronted with a work from an unknown artist and a blank canvas. Participants were encouraged to work outside of their normal, comfortable styles. Once their creations were complete, each was asked to write an essay about their experience.
What transpired over the course of the project – what Truths were explored and discovered, how the artists were affected – broadened the scope of the Circle of Truth from an interesting exploration of sensitivity and creativity, into an unexpected examination of what Truth means sociologically and spiritually.
The Art
The 49 works of art were created specifically for the Circle of Truth by 49 different and often disparate artists. Mostly oil paintings, all of the works measure 20 inches square by 2 inches deep, and will be wall hung in chronological order. Please refer to the book mock-up for visual representations of the works.
Addressing contemporary issues
The Circle of Truth project opens a dialog regarding the nature of what we consider Truth to be, and even whether we think it exists. Of course as intelligent beings we understand the potential of rumors and the inherent flaws of receiving and retransmitting information. But few give more than a shake of the head in response. The Circle of Truth allows the viewer to witness each and every change in the seed of Truth.
Which brings us back to the ultimate question, “What is Truth?” How do people in our society feel about their access to Truth? What is our responsibility to preserve Truth? Is Truth still important or even relevant? How does the subtle erosion of our confidence in Truth affect our sense of wellbeing? The exhibition touches on a need that resinates deeply in the human psyche – access to meaningful, truthful contact with others. This truthful contact is the secret ingredient in the Circle of Truth project.
Using paint and words the artists speak to the viewers candidly, providing a rare perspective into their experience and thought processes. The accompanying book, with it’s sequential layout and essays by the artists, will provide a lasting record that visitors can take home.
Accessible to all
Viewers of all ages, backgrounds, ethnicities and levels of education will be able to quickly understand and appreciate the meaning of the Circle of Truth. There are no prerequisites or any fundamental knowledge needed to appreciate and recognize Truth. The Circle relies simply on the viewers’ inherent human nature. The project provides many levels of interest, from superficial amusement, to existential explorations.
The scholarship of contemporary art and art history
The Circle of Truth project is a microcosm of contemporary art, encompassing many artistic styles. It pushes beyond the post-modernist era, where all styles are relevant – from hyper-realism, to pop, to pure abstraction with the myriad overlapping styles which reside between.
The Circle of Truth project is a nostalgic nod to the Exquisite Corpse game of the surrealists of the early 20th Century, where artists came together to collaborate on an unknown and unpredictable outcome. The Circle of Truth will be remembered as a moment when generosity, goodwill and courage came together to make something bigger than the individual, while inviting the viewer to be an integral part of the outcome.
Facilitating community interaction and collaboration through programming and partnerships
The topic of Truth and its importance in the context of modern human experience is especially meaningful. The Rumor Game can be employed in a variety of creative ways to foster immersive and participatory experiences in the community, schools and via social media.
We will develop and design printed materials to assist and encourage visitors to the Museum to play the Rumor Game in small groups.
Each of the 49 artists and the curators have a wealth of experiences to share about their time with the Circle of Truth project. We feel these experiences would translate well into interesting speaking events with some of the artists. Audiences would be asked to play the Rumor Game at the beginning of speaking events.
Exhibit marketing
There are a number of ways to promote this exhibition:
1. Through the concept of the exhibition, the subject of Truth in the human experience
2. Through the multiple styles and techniques used by 49 artists
3. Through the names of the more established artists in the project
4. Through social media and community versions of the Rumor Game
Exhibit installation
The 49 works of art will be wall hung in a straight forward manner. Each of the 49 works in the exhibition were created within the borders of 20x20 inch aluminum strainers that will be hung in chronological order. Some artists removed the linen canvas to create their contribution using the framework of the aluminum strainers, but most used the linen as the foundation of their work. The pieces are not heavy and do not require any special preparation to be installed.
The exhibition can be presented to the public, in one of two ways, depending upon budget:
1. The project will consume approximately 165 linear feet of space and could make use of an existing interior space in the museum. The 49 paintings would be hung in chronological order approximately 20 inches apart – ideally with excerpts from the artists’ essays on wall labels between the paintings.
2. Alternatively, the exhibit could be viewed in a circular structure. Architect Christoph Kapeller, best known for his work on Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the Library in Alexandria Egypt, has done preliminary drawings of an installation structure for the exhibition. We would like to work with the Venue to make this option a reality by securing sponsors to underwrite the cost of construction.
Shipping
Because the 49 works that make up the exhibition are relatively small and housed in Los Angeles, shipping expenses should be quite manageable.
The Exhibition Catalog
The hardbound, 130-page exhibition catalog will be printed and ready for the exhibition. We ask that the book be made available to visitors in the venue’s bookstore, if applicable.
Our Sponsors
We are very grateful to the sponsors who supported our project from the onset. We will need to make sure their support is recognized in some way, though we will be looking to the venue for guidance as to the appropriate ways to do so.
1. The Lucius Hudson Company provided the 49 linen canvases
2. Enigma | LA provided the design of the book
3. Art Works Fine Art Publishing provided all of the digital capture of the art
4. Curatorial Assistance provided the shipping crate that was used to ship the art to
and from each artist’s studio
Participating Artists (chronological)
1. Shane Guffogg
2. Lisa Adams
3. Margaret Lazzari
4. Jim Morphesis
5. Alison Van Pelt
6. Matthew Thomas
7. John Scane
8. Michelle Weinstein
9. Vonn Sumner
10. Ruth Weisberg
11. Stanley Dorfman
12. Kim Kimbro
13. Charles Arnoldi
14. Ron Griffin
15. Doro Hofmann
16. Paul Ruscha
17. Randall Cabe
18. Rhea Carmi
19. Dan Lutzick
20. Daniel Peacock
21. Susan McDonnell
22. Lynn Hanson
23. Michael Rosenfeld
24. Bari Kumar
25. Juan Carlos Munoz Hernandez
26. Andy Moses
27. Tim Isham
28. Cheryl Ekstrom
29. Greg Colson
30. Alex Gross
31. Gary Panter
32. Justin Bower
33. Lita Albuquerque
34. Kim Abeles
35. Deborah Martin
36. Jeff Colson
37. Eddie Ruscha
38. Billy Al Bengston
39. Christopher Monger
40. Todd Williamson
41. Jimi Gleason
42. Mark Licari
43. Virginia Broersma
44. Bruce Richards
45. Rives Granade
46. Robert Williams
47. Cal Lane
48. Lisa Bartleson
49. Ed Ruscha
Contact
Laura Hipke
818 468-7863 | laura@hipkes.com
The contents of this proposal are proprietary, confidential, and intended solely for the recipient. The descriptions, specifications and details of this document, and the Circle of Truth concept, may not be divulged or shared with third parties without the express, written consent of Laura Hipke and Shane Guffogg.
©2017 Laura Hipke & Shane Guffogg. All rights reserved.
The Circle of Truth trademark and name are the property of Laura Hipke & Shane Guffogg.