Thank you for covering the launch of window in your Feb. 27 State of the Arts column. As the founder of this site-specific “gallery,” I’m excited to see what comes of this experimental venture and am hopeful that it will prompt dialogue and exchange within the community. Because this is a new project, I think it’s important to clarify the mission so the public can participate in a fully informed manner. Kyle Sherard’s article offered a thoughtful overview, but there were a few aspects that I’d like to amend.
The article states the exhibits will consist of “purely artistic design work.” In fact, the emphasis will not be on design, but upon contemporary artworks that embrace reproduction as essential to their content and challenge notions of originality and authenticity. Indeed, this thematic focus is what makes Henco Reprographics the perfect partner for this project.
Also mentioned is the book containing the works Mark Klett and Byron Wolfe, Reconstructing the View. This monograph will not be for sale as suggested, but will be available for reference inside Henco. Finally, and I think most importantly, to suggest that the purpose of their work is to "provide images of commercial development" is incorrect — in fact, nowhere in their work is commercial development the focus. Rather, they use the practice of re-photography in well-known landscapes to reference broad notions of culture, the nature of time, and perception. Because Klett and Wolfe were so generous in allowing their work to be included, I want to be sure their conceptual approach is clear.
These may seem to be minor points, but I truly do hope to engage the public in serious discussion of the artworks exhibited in this space, and feel these aspects are important.
— Dawn Roe
Founder and Curator, Window (Re/production | Re/presentation)
Asheville
