ART GUYS

The University of Houston
Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts

Presents

NOTHING TO IT

An Evening of Itty Bitty Witty Ditties

Saturday, May 3, 2008
8:00pm

Lyndall Finley Wortham Theatre
University of Houston

THE ART GUYS 25th Anniversary Performance Celebration was opened by the Master of Ceremonies John "Red" Trower. Photo by T. Pisula

GOOFY, ARTISTIC AND EXPRESSIVE, SOMETIMES FOOLISH BUT ALWAYS VERY, VERY FUNNY

By Theresa Pisula
Theresa@HoustonTheatre.com

Michael Galbreth and Jack Massing, The Art Guys, constipated, I mean, celebrated their 25^th Anniversary this year by presenting Nothing To It (An evening of itty bitty witty ditties), a retrospective of staged performances.

“The Art Guys (Galbreth and Massing) who met at the University of Houston in 1982 have carefully crafted a presence and wacky notoriety that places them at the heart of the Houston art scene and has captured the attention of a national audience. Driven by an insatiable curiosity, they employ a variety of media for the exploration of their ideas including drawing, painting, sculpture, installation, performance and video. The Art Guys create diverse works designed to engage, amuse and challenge viewers by seducing them with a playful sense of humor…” – from “The Art Guys: KIT AND CABOODLE” Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, 1999

THE ART GUYS. Photo by T. Pisula

WHAT IS PERFORMANCE ART? Honestly, I had no idea. At first I didn’t know what to expect. I don’t know if I could honestly say that I’ve never been to a Performance Art Show before. Because practically every show I go to (and I’ve been to a lot of them) is considered some form of an art performance. Well, after seeing The Art Guys perform at the University of Houston this Saturday night, I can probably describe it as this…

IT’S SORT OF LIKE A CIRCUS…They have a Master of Ceremonies…

THE ART GUYS 25th Anniversary Performance Celebration was opened by an old geezer named John "Red" Trower as the Master of Ceremonies. Photo by T. Pisula

Then there’s a couple of Clowns…

THE ART GUYS. Photo by T. Pisula

There’s a little bit of Nudity…

THE ART GUYS. Photo by T. Pisula

A little bit of profanity…

THE ART GUYS. Photo by T. Pisula

But there are definitely a lot of laughs…

THE ART GUYS PROGRAM

From the Art Guys: "The evening’s presentation is a selection of performances culled from a larger body of works from our 25 year collaboration that we have presented in many different venues throughout the United States. Most of the pieces that were presented are works by THE ART GUYS while the others are pieces that we greatly admire by other artists."

PRE – PROLOGUE (2003 / 2008) Music: excerpt from “Having Never Written a Note For Computer (for James Tenney)”

A PROLOGUE (2004) Music by Loreta Kovacic, excerpt from Moonlight Sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven

1.) FUTURE MUSIC (IN THREE MOVEMENTS) 1995 – dedicated to Scott Sommers, one of Houston’s leading supporters of experimental music and whose program on KPFT – The Avant Garde – was the headquarters for experimental music in Houston for more than 25 years.

THE ART GUYS. Photo by P. Pisula

2.) BLIND OPENING (2008) by John “Red” Trower

3.) AN INTRODUCTION (Microsoft Nut) 2004

4.) KISS PIECE (1992) Music by Loreta Kovacic, Consolation # 3 by Franz Liszt

This one is my favorite piece. This particular performance art consisted of the Art Guys kissing everybody in the audience. And I mean EVERY-BODY!!! Each of the two Art Guys divided the whole auditorium into sections and they went from row to row. I got the feeling of ominous dread that this goofy-looking complete stranger who was putting on ruby red lipstick every time he kissed an audience member was about to kiss me.

The thought alone made me cringe in my seat. I said to my husband that I wasn’t going to let that tall goofy guy kiss me. I tried to shrink down in my seat possibly hoping he would not see me and completely omit me. But he didn’t. When it was my turn, I finally had to surrender my right cheek. He left a distinctive red lipstick mark on my husband’s cheek also.

My 8 year old nephew Eli Key Tello asked “Is he going to kiss me too?” When he received an affirmative answer, he asked “But WHY?” Don’t even try to think about it. There’s no philosophizing these Art Guys. I overheard a macho guy from the back saying that if this guy tries to kiss him he would punch him out. But some people welcomed him with open arms. There was even a ménage-a-trois, a guy and a girl couple kissing an Art Guy together. And if you didn’t want to be kissed, the Art Guy would make it worse by sitting on your lap and kissing and hugging you even more. I saw a gay guy got kissed and he got so excited that he pinched the Art Guy’s ass cheek in return.

THE ART GUYS kissing everyone in the audience. Photo by P. Pisula

5.) GUZZLE A BEER – AT ANY TIME – For Tom Marioni (1983 – present)

6.) HUH? (1989) Music by Loreta Kovacic, Album Leaf by Edvard Grieg

7.) MORNING ROUTINE (2004/2008)

This Art Performance is every regular man’s routine of shaving his face every morning but from the shave blade’s point of view (a shave blade cam!). Never mind that the shave is an ordinary household inanimate object. This shave takes a life of its own. You will see every millimeter inch of the guy’s face that shave blade is traveling – DRY - without any shaving cream.

THE ART GUYS in a scene from Set The Table. Photo by T. Pisula

8.) SET THE TABLE (1992) Performed by Eric Hester, Brian McCord and Everett Taasevigen.

This one is also one of my favorites maybe because of the fact that one tries, as much as one can, to avoid having to break a plate or a glass in the kitchen. In this piece, the Art Guys with the help of their friends liberally broke as many breakable plates, cups and saucers as possible.

9.) MAKE LOVE TO THE CAMERA, BABY (1994)

This one started out as a favorite because it was a close-up of one of the Art Guys lips kissing the camera full on. I mean, who doesn’t want a kiss, right? Wrong!!! It turned out to be really gross as THE LIPS continued to kiss, tongue, totally and completely slobber all over the camera. In the end it was pretty disgusting as the camera was completely drenched with the Art Guy’s saliva drool. And THE LIPS thanked you for it.

THE ART GUYS perform Inverted Karaoke. Photo by T. Pisula

10.) INVERTED KARAOKE (1992) with THE BEST I CAN DO (1994)

11.) EXCUSE US FOR A MINUTE (1992)

Short Intermission

THE ART GUYS introduce the art performance Inverted Karaoke. Photo by T. Pisula

THE ART GUYS perform Inverted Karaoke. Photo by T. Pisula

12.) DANGER MUSIC # 17 (1962) by Dick Higgins

Dick Higgins is well known for his activities with the Fluxus movement of the sixties. He wrote a series of “very simple, very concrete, very meaningful “”Danger Musics’” because “a sense of risk is indispensable.”

This performance consisted of one of the Art Guys wailing like a banshee for reasons undisclosed. He was emitting blood curdling screams, at the top of his lungs for absolutely no reason at all. This was his performance art.

Capital A for THE ART GUYS. Photo by T. Pisula

13.) FULL MOON (1993) by Dan Havel

Dan Havel is a Houston based artist who works in a variety of media and is perhaps best know for his elaborate, collaborative, multi-media work “The Alchemy House” and his collaboration with Dean Ruck called “Inversion” for a soon-to-be-demolished house. The Art Guys have loved this piece since seeing first performed by Dan at Zocalo Theater during an evening of performance called “One Minute Ax.” Tonight’s performance of “Full Moon” is dedicated to Stu Mulligan and Spunky the Anti-clown.

This performance is my husband’s favorite because it reminded him of his dog Pretzel. It consisted of one of the Art Guys howling at the Full Moon recreated by a flashlight while the auditorium was in pitch black darkness. Pretty soon, everybody and I mean, everybody started howling. At first I thought it was pretty stupid, because everybody pretended to be like their dog or some kind of a wolf and everyone was howling in concert unison at the moon. But pretty soon I joined in too because practically everyone was howling. I guess that would classify me as a bitch.

14.) HELLO DOLLY (2008) World Premiere! Special thanks to Patty Johnson.

Now this one was pretty silly. I’m sitting here trying to figure out how to describe it and I’m just LOL – that’s Laughing Out Loud in IM Language. It consisted of one of the Art Guys rolling a dolly with loud squeaking wheels all over the stage. I’m laughing right now because at the time I really didn’t think it was that funny. It was more irritating than funny. But right now, as I’m trying to describe it – all I can say is that it is quite indescribable. You just had to be there.

THE ART GUYS do the Full Metal Bucket Dancing. Photo by T. Pisula

THE ART GUYS do the Buck Naked Line Dancing / Full Metal Bucket Dancing. Photo by T. Pisula

15.) BUCK NAKED LINE DANCING / FULL METAL BUCKET DANCING (1993)

16.) WRAP MUSIC (1992)

THE ART GUYS perform Wrap Music. Photo by T. Pisula

The World Premiere of PLYWOOD. Photo by T. Pisula

17.) PLYWOOD (2007/2008) World Premiere!

Music composed, arranged and performed by Loreta Kovacic

Choreography by Richie Heubsher

Dancers: Richie Heubsher, Lindsey McGill, Joseph Modlin, John R. Stronks

THE LUDEWIGGS perform the World Premiere PLYWOOD. Music composed, arranged and performed by Loreta Kovacic (seated at the piano). Photo by T. Pisula

Vocals: THE LUDEWIGGS

Constance Adams, Eric Black, Michael Crawford, Bryan Domning, Goga Dvorscak, MaryScott Hagle, Paul Hardwick, Azra Kavazovic, Carla Lakier, Maria Matuszczak, Kelly Mcormick, Roula Nassar, Mona Nikooi, Cheryl Pugh, Marjolaine Seiard, Joe Tello, Marla Williams

Performers: Eric Hester, Brian McCord, Everett Taasevigen, Nancy Douthey, Julia Wallace

THE LUDEWIGGS perform the World Premiere PLYWOOD. Music composed, arranged and performed by Loreta Kovacic. Photo by T. Pisula

THE LUDEWIGGS perform the World Premiere PLYWOOD. Music composed, arranged and performed by Loreta Kovacic (seated at the piano). Photo by T. Pisula

18.) FOR MARTIN, JIMMY AND BILL (1989)

ANOTHER EPILOGUE (for Steve Reich) 2008

Considering the fact that it is a lot different than a theatre play or a musical, I would have to say that this is the Best Performance Art I have ever seen. Even though that statement hardly holds any value considering the fact that this is my first and only one. All I can say is, if you like to laugh, and would like to experience Art in all varied forms of expression THE ART GUYS is the one to see.

Hey ART GUYS, when is the next Art Performance?

PLYWOOD. Music composed, arranged and performed by Loreta Kovacic. Photo by T. Pisula

PLYWOOD. Photo by T. Pisula

THE ART GUYS. Photo by T. Pisula