Mary Boone‘s forehead doesn’t move any more, but aside from that she is an amazing looking 50 year old. Bloomberg news interviewed the dealer recently on Night Talk, though she revealed little about how she’s built the gallery over the years (other than by finding talent). A series of cliches and surface information about the art world mark the interview. “How do you know when you fall in love?” says Boone when Mike Schneider asks how she identifies good art. I’m sure there’s a little more to it then that, but if that’s all she’s willing to give so be it. Those seeking something a little meatier will find better material elsewhere; the Bad at Sports interview with Edward Winkleman isn’t a bad place to start.
Meanwhile to celebrate the gallery’s 30 year anniversary Mary Boone has started working with the non-profit publicolor to institute an arts program called Young at Art to help give back to the city. She gave pretty much the worst description of her own program I’ve ever heard, describing Publicolor as a charity (it’s an after school program that teaches kids how to repaint their schools by doing the like), and offering a rather muddy idea of what her gallery is actually contributing. A press release from Reuters issued two months before sums the program up with greater clarity:
In the first phase of Young at Art, students in 30 schools across New York City created a unique work of art based on a new curriculum, which teaches the relationship between art and the environment. In this second phase, a public space in all participating 30 schools will be restored, inspired by the artwork created by the students. Young at Art was formed in the past year by a unique public-private joint venture between renowned art gallery owner Mary Boone, the not-for-profit organizations Publicolor and The Fund for Public Schools and the New York City school system.
On a personal note I should mention I worked for publicolor for about a month when I first moved to New York eight years ago. The company was wise enough to identify my skills as not particularly well suited for that line of work, but in that small amount of time I did witness the effect their teachers have on underprivileged kids. The reality is that most of these children come from backgrounds no amount of paint can fix, but the few they reach significantly changes the course of an otherwise bleak future.
