Doug Harvey's run--and an era in arts criticism--ends at the L.A. Weekly

Another chapter at the L.A. Weekly is over.

A features editor at the paper who had overseen its visual arts coverage for 15 years, Tom Christie survived the paper’s change of ownership in 2006, when the New Times "merged" with Village Voice Media and shed many positions.

But this November Christie left his post -- "a mutually agreeable parting of the ways," he says. Bylines by regular Weekly critics Doug Harvey (right) and Christopher Miles, both known for a lively sort of intellectual brinksmanship in their writing (and for curating and making art on the side), have not appeared since. Now it’s unclear who will cover gallery and museum shows for the paper.

Miles, who has written for the Weekly for five years (and has also contributed to the Los Angeles Times), says he had been on hiatus for a few months to pursue other projects but "had plans with Tom to start publishing regularly again in December. After his departure, I attempted to contact the publishers of the Weekly and haven't heard back. I don't take it to be a good sign."

Harvey, who freelanced for the Weekly for 13 years and served as its lead art critic for much of that time, says his situation is clear:  He will not be writing for the paper. "They don't want me," he says, explaining that his last article -- a review of the William Eggleston exhibition at LACMA that had been greenlighted by Christie -- was not accepted for publication by Weekly Editor Drex Heikes.

"Drex wanted me to completely rewrite it in a simplified fashion," says Harvey. "He was pretty dismissive of it -- said it was 'academic' and 'rough sledding.'" After responding that he hadn't budgeted the time for a rehaul and suggesting that the piece be run more or less as is, Harvey received an e-mail from Heikes saying: "This seems like a good time, with Tom's departure, to end the relationship with the Weekly."

Heikes confirmed the basic facts: "It is true that I did not run that review. I asked him to make changes. He did not want to make the changes I wanted him to make," he says. Asked about the sorts of changes requested, Heikes said: "He did many years of great work for the paper, let's leave it at that."

As for Harvey's replacement, Heikes says that the Weekly's visual arts coverage is "on hiatus right now" while he is hiring a new deputy editor. "We’ve posted a job for a deputy editor that we hope to fill in January who will have responsibility for arts, culture, entertainment. And we’re stepping up our arts blogging."

"Tom was a terrific editor and a great wordsmith with a deep knowledge of the art scene in town," adds Heikes. "But he’s no longer here, so we’re looking to go in a little different direction. We want to bring in new writers. We want critics who are accessible, not academic at all. That's a key thing for me."

Harvey questions the label. "I take exception to being called academic. My writing can be convoluted. It is wordy and sort of literary sometimes. But there's a lot of humor in it."

Christie calls Harvey “one of the most important voices on art in the city” with a “range of interests — music, comics and more — that made him a great fit for the Weekly."

"Both Doug and Chris Miles are brilliant," he adds. “There are other writers who write well but have far less to say."

-- Jori Finkel

www.twitter.com/jorifinkel

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Comments

[Artist]

Yawns. This rag is totally worthless and will be out of business by mid-year.

[Sorely Frickey]

Some folks are sayin' that man-child Drex should take a Heike. But I agree with him -- too much thinkin' goin' on. We need a lot more of that there arts bloggin' stuff.

[william wray]

I'm hoping this is a sigh of the general clearing out of kind of art that is lauded because it so far away from being art that any rational human can embrace. Critics who weave their spurious conceptual jingo for club members only deserve to cash and burn for their participation the last 60 years of destruction of good art and the training it takes to do it
Sadly like investment firms cynically creating funds that are designed to make people money when they lose money, the art world created their own death spiral by blinding promoting the artful lie of gossamer intellectual investment art scams for insiders. Like big oil, Conceptual art just can't be reformed-- too much money is invested in it to stop promoting it.
That’s at odds with the reality that newspapers are a popularity contests and will just stop reviewing art that doesn't interest its readers, especially when it confounds and infuriates them. This is the critics reward for allegiance to contrived academia (despite it feeling passionately real for 12 people) and I think it going to be painful purge, but ultimately healthy for good art. It's an echo of the economy-- people want something more tangible for their money, something they understand with their rational mind and feel emotionally drawn to.

[Georganne]

to the LA Weekly Editor

Obviously you haven't read much Doug Harvey> He can write from an academic pov and, yes, he has on rare occasions written pieces that lean heavily in that direction but he has a range of voices, speaks to a broad spectrum of humanity and he is one of the very few art critics who has no obvious agenda, particularly with regard to museums and the power brokers whom others kiss up to. I suspect that the real reason that you've dismissed him is that Doug doesn't kowtow to anyone and that doesn't go down smoothly with Big Egos. But that's what makes him the genuine article. For those 13 years his coverage of high brow, low brow, outsider, insider, experimental film, music, animation, performance and centuries of art has always been uncommonly well informed, original, funny and above all else intelligent. He writes for smart people who may or may not have educations and doesn't pull any punches. I'm sure he'll find a better venue and God knows he deserves it, but for years he has been one of a handful of writers who gave respectability to the Weekly. Who do you think you're catering to now... the people who've been picking up the Weekly just to cruise the back pages?

[Cassandra]

Tonight "Dreck" Heikes will be visited by Three Spirits who will show him the error of his ways. But Dreck will just say they are undigested bits of beef, blots of mustard, crumbs of cheese, fragments of an underdone potato, because he lacks all vision. Arts journalism in LA is as dead as a door-nail.

[Sridhar Ramasami]

Hi,
The times they are a changing!!

Being academic and supercilious may have worked in the past for critics and galleries, but they are now dying. I am from India where, a few centuries ago, the language Sanskrit met a similar death. Even though Sanskrit was a very developed language it was monopolized by the Brahmin priests who saw themselves as "above" the masses. They considered others to be inferior and did not bother to teach it or communicate about it. Quite similar to the smirky, high brow kitsch artists and art critics of today. The priests died out and so did the language. Art pretentiousness is now on its way out.

Sridhar Ramasami
Oneki artist

[BT]

If anybody wants a preview of the new regime of arts coverage at the Weekly, check out their just-published "2010: Year in LA Art" feature. Darth Vader helmets, Comic-Con, a Hello Kitty-themed opening, some benefit opening where Heather Graham posed for the camera, and the like. And MOCA's Dennis Hopper show. Ironically, Doug Harvey is one of the few art critics in the country who can and does intelligently address the sort of pop-culture art practices the Weekly clearly wants to favor, if they are to have an "art" section at all. Alas, it also seems pretty clear the current regime at the Weekly doesn't want any thoughtful writing, just more photos of hipsters.

[Donald Frazell]

Maybe they are just admitting that contempt art is just entertainment, the imperial clothing torn away. When fashion and art mix, creativity dies. Absurdist entertianment is best served in comedy, dada's true heir, it never worked as art. Now it is just brownosing the nouveau riche, preserving the status quo through brainwashing at art schools.

True independant thought and feeling with the eyes was banished by the museo/academic/gallery complex long ago in the quest for self preservation of mediocre hacks. Reading this guy, it is just the left wing of the same party, stil just kowtowing to the status quo. One of his devoted followers had a nervouos breakdown on my blog, now appropriate and illustration of the therapy, childish self expression, and Peter Pan lives of the effette contempt generations.

It is time to put aside childish things.
St Paul, and some guy named Obama.
I am far from the only one who sees that those dumb enough to waste money on an art degreee can never become thoughtful, passionate, physical critics and creatives.

http://blogs.artinfo.com/imageconscious/2010/12/05/piero-golia-of-mountain-school-calls-entire-body-of-us-art-students-stupid/#comments

art collegia delenda est

[joe copro]

First time ever to review comments in major art news in greatest paper in world
evan better than NY Times Red all 27 comments everyon smart but Frazell my favorite.

Everyone very mad about change, they all know why but they pretend not, don't know why.
First economical. everyone know all papers struggle. now. happening every where. Every one loss job because they cant pay like olden days. That it.

Stupid polite and stirs up crazy fire.

Man fire Harvey for his stinker writin is faky. Everone know!! Okay we all know so why preten reason no real.

Please look forward as past look doesn't work, i always try whey youn in my sad illegal coun ry.

Forwad::: Doug Harve have no prob go forward. He is # ! Art guy in Us and my old day country. Mark mi words, he flouris h in forward. cause we have know backword that eve worries about to death
.
I hire him if I rich pubblisher

I bet he next writer to win Macarthr park genious award. I hear this everywhere just like U. He is my favorite art jounal man now.
So I not mad. He get pick on by No. ! US mag. Juxpoz or Hi Fructose. The way ahead curve on dumb art writin. See he work there and he pay rent ande not go homoless.
Sorry I write crap and cant spel check if any one read me.
I love art and I love all you who I especially Mr. Frazelll an Hary and other man.
God Bless and please writ more goot art review when U help people undrstand what relly go on. Like me.

Thanks.

PMS and Mr. Frazzzel
Joe

[Anna Siqueiros]

It is truly a sad day to see that ones whom are intellectually aware of the Artistic movement is now removed from those whom need and want to gain such knowledge. Doug Harvey was truly an inspiration to all of us here in Los Angeles as Artist and non-Artist alike who looked for ward in reading his articles. I now am seeing how the alter of consciousness of readers here in Los Angeles will continue to uneducated the public from the Arts that reduces once again the sophistication here in Los Angeles Art world. Thus perhaps this what my great Uncle David Alfaro Siqueiros the muralist had warned me about when I was younger. Ones who seek the knowledge must research even harder shifting through tons of visuals and uneducated quotes trying to make sense of it all to just get to the truth. Let Freedom Ring! Let the Voice through Print capture the audience of truth prevail.

[Donald Frazell]

That weak attempt to intellectualize IS the problem with contempt art. Art ins NOT of the tiny portion of the frontal love devoted to word based ideas with no connection to the body and soul, and ignoring the rest of the brain. Art must be sensual, primal, physical, spiritual to connect with others. It is NOT about You. or ideas of the myopic individual, it is built upon the past, and that does mean art school games since 1960, but all the past of all the world. One must know real history, not insular and self aggrandizing art "history'. Which only shores up the academic artscene.

Art is the visual language, each work an exploration of our world, not the artistes. We are but filters of what goes on around, us, we must develop our intuition, fine tune it as those of the past did, not some art school flunky theoretician of the absurd and pseudo intellectual exhibitionism . Comedy is the inheritor of dada, and far more far reaching. Intelligence is seeing connections, not illustrating selfabsorbed idea.

Creative art defines who WE are, explores nature, and searches for god, it is line as melody, color as harmony, and structure and form as rhythm. It is allied with music and poetry, only in depraved and decadent times does it become prosaic and illustrative of the intellectuals small universe. It unifies, not splinters as contempt art does for marketing purposes. As 99%+ of humanity doesnt give a damn about contempt art, it has failed. Into the trashcan of history with it, and all critics who use art for career and attempt to control art for their own lifestyle. Art and Fashion/entertainment are yin and yang, both necessary but seperate. When mixed this is what you get. Therapy and games for the self styled elite.

Save the spiritual Watts Towers(Nuestro Pueblo) tear down the decadent Ivories

[Former Freelancer]

Not for nothing, but the LA Times is over a year late on this story. When Heikes took over at the Weekly he cut ties with almost all the former freelancers. Harvey just happened to be the last one standing. All the "new" freelancers had one thing in common - they all used to write for the ... LA Times - as did of course, the new editor Drex Heikes. Coincidence? Ha. No wonder the LA Times didn't cover the story until the bitter end - it was part of their own severance package!

[lester]

Weird. I never found his writing to be academic--and it wasn't hard to follow. It was exciting, and clear that he understood the community very well. Maybe there is a writer on hiatus from People mag. who will be excited to follow the travails of Banksy, TKincade and others for the Weekly?

[Apple1]

"We want critics who are accessible, not academic at all”

That would seem to say, let’s dumb it down. Our readers aren’t up to reading intelligent writing. Too bad. The Weekly continues it’s downward spiral into irrelevancy.

[Larkspur]

The LA Weekly recently sported a cover story about where the vapid reality stars from the horrible show The Hill like to party. A COVER STORY.

Irrelevant doesn't even begin to describe this once-cool paper.

[Krystine K.]

NOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Hadn't been seeing Doug Harvey in the Weekly lately and feared this.
It makes me want to throw things.
This is a great loss.

Academic? huh?!
Doug H. knows about art in a classical, historic, and academic sense,
but he also has a keen nose for the new as well as less promoted work.
He understands the connections.This is what makes him such a talent.
Intelligence, truth, curiosity, crititcal thinking, humor....
These are GOOD qualities, and should be part of normal discourse.

Culture and journalism are being taken down all around us.
This is very disconcerting.
When you look at the big picture, the implications are dire.
A society that lacks information and creative thought can be easily manipulated.
History has shown us this but history is probably too.....academic.

[Donald Frazell]

His contemporary academicism is what has created an artscene, and ruined creative art as part of Our lives. We are told we need to be educated as to art, that it is something we never knw, we are just ignorant. He promotes academic art, the flow of gullible children who spew out every year in hopes of a gallery showing, guaranteed with the bought MFA, but success as a true creative artist brainwashed away.

Artis not "smart" thats for mediocre wannabes. Creative art involves all the brian, all the body, all the soul, not just the tiny part of the frontal lobe where we dwell in our precious self absorbed states of being superior to all others, minigods just waiting to burst upon an "delude and unknowing" public, Mirror time. No one is more naive and selfabsorbed than artistes. Intelligent, well balanced people left art long ago, and for 50 years has been hostage of the effette and weak.

The strong, who make and appreciate true Creative art, are back. Been away for far too long, time to get past the era of Meism, Excess and Entitlement. Time to tear off the Imperial Clothing we have known, but just not interested in as we were busy, so left to the daycare centers of academia. Time for responsibility, sacrifice, humility, and commitment, words banned for far too long.

Art is not everything and anythng, that makes it just an easily bought commodity, as art has a role in human society. One it abrogated long ago, to satisfy the avarice and decadent of the rich, who have made it their castrated plaything. Games and therapy. Time for relevance, and real questions, not retarded Ivory Tower navel gazing. The same as in Gauguins time, Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going? Never to be resolved questions of purpose, to propell us to discover and explore Our lives. Not neatly packaged toys presented in sterile white galleries.

Art is always We, never I. If it does not reveal emotions, drives and spirituality that unite uas as humanity, it simply isnt creative art. Contempt art, yes. Tine art to appease the need of the wealthy for the apperance of control and superiority as justification for their status. And framed wallpaper as decoration and pop entertianment, the yin to arts yang, fasjion of the lowest comon denominator, art the highest. Common to all, regardless of class, ethnicity, academic training, or locality. Creative art defines who WE are. Not exposing ones own selfish desires. Which needs critics to explain why they are important, we we know better.

Save the spiritual watts towers(Nuestro Pueblo), tear down the decadent Ivories.

[Donald Frazell]

Oh yeah. Happy New Year! Bastille day is coming.

art collegia delenda est