VISUAL ARTS + MUSEUMS

The Contemporary Arts Museum Houston is pleased to present the retrospective Benjamin Patterson: Born in the State of FLUX/us.  Opening reception: Friday, November 5, 7-10pm.  Artists/Scholars Talk with the artist: Saturday, November 6, 2pm.  On view November 6, 2010 – January 30, 2011. Musiqa Loft Concert*  Sunday, November 7, 2010 7:30pm( *Special location: Zilkha Hall, The Hobby Center, 800 Bagby Street, Houston)

Benjamin Patterson: Born in the State of FLUX/us is a retrospective of the artist's career, which now spans nearly fifty years. The exhibition includes both early and recent work by the artist that range from annotated scores and books to painting and sculpture. Video documentation from performances and audio files of Patterson's music will also be featured.

As a founding member of Fluxus, a loose and international collective of artists who infused avant-garde practices of the day with humor and anarchic energy, Patterson helped revolutionize the artistic landscape at the advent of the 1960s and usher in an era of new and experimental music. Now in his seventies, Patterson is being discovered by a new generation of artists. Benjamin Patterson: Born in the State of FLUX/us marks the artist's first major exhibition, bringing together a multitude of works never before seen in the United States. The exhibition is curated by CAMH Senior Curator Valerie Cassel Oliver.

Trained in classical music instrumentation and composition, Patterson made his most significant contribution to Fluxus with his concept of the "action as composition"--the resulting sound from simple and complex actions. This "spectacle of music" is rooted within the precepts of Dada, a movement that aimed at reinventing art in the midst of the cultural apocalypse of World War I. As with Dada, Fluxus saw the body as material, hence the group's strong emphasis on the practice of performance. Of all the Fluxus artists, it is Patterson who explores the connection between action and music, creating compositions for both the body in action and unconventional playing of his instrument, the contra bass, through ordinary gestures and other actions.

Like many artists who became affiliated with Fluxus, Patterson was trained in traditional classical music, but soon turned to experiments in new music composition. After a brief encounter with John Cage in 1960, Patterson soon became a fixture in the experimental music scene in Germany. In 1961, he co-organized the first International Festival of New Music with George Macuinas. The event which debuted at the Staatsmuseum in Wiesbaden, Germany, later became known as the first official Fluxus event. Patterson is one of the few surviving members of that constellation of artists whose works were featured at the festival, including John Cage, Philip Corner, Dick Higgins, Alison Knowles, George Macuinas, Nam June Paik, David Tudor, Emmett Williams, among others.

Iconic works by Patterson, including Paper Piece (1960), Variations on Double Bass (1961), and later Lick Piece (1964), have all become staples in the Fluxus performance handbook. For the first time, his annotated scores and instructions for performances will be on exhibit. Accompanying these scores is audio and video documentation of the artist's performances over the last five decades.

In addition to scores and performance documentation, Born in the State of FLUX/us will feature a series of unique artist books, puzzle poems, paintings, sculptures, and installation works created by Patterson. More than a hundred works--works that are often provocative, with a tongue-in-cheek humor--are featured in the exhibition along with ephemera from Patterson's "ordinary life." For twenty years, Patterson withdrew from his career as an artist to embrace an "ordinary life." During this period, Patterson was employed as a reference librarian, became an arts administrator, and entrepreneur, launching his own music management company, Ben Patterson Ltd.

After a nearly twenty-year hiatus, Patterson reemerged in the 1980s to resume his prolific career as an artist. In 1989, Patterson returned to Europe to live, creating a vast repository of scores, paintings, and sculptures that have been assembled in the United States for the first time with this exhibition.

Benjamin Patterson: Born in the State of FLUX/us underscores the significant contributions of this artist, whose presence within the dynamic constellation of Fluxus is palpable. The exhibition provides audiences with their first comprehensive look at Patterson's work and explores his contributions to both Fluxus and the larger contemporary art landscape.

PUBLICATION
Benjamin Patterson: Born In the State of FLUX/us is organized by Valerie Cassel Oliver, Senior Curator for the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, and is accompanied by a 250-page illustrated catalogue containing essays by Valerie Cassel Oliver, Bertrand Clavez, Charles Gaines, George E. Lewis, Fred Moten, and Marcia Reed. The catalogue will also feature an anthology of scores created by Patterson with an introduction by Jon Hendricks, a chronology of the artist's life and work, and a double compact disc compilation of his musical performances from 1961-2007 produced by Alga Marghen.

PUBLIC PROGRAMS
All events are free and open to the public, and take place at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston unless otherwise noted. For complete listings and current information, please check www.camh.org.

Opening Reception
Benjamin Patterson: Born in the State of FLUX/us
Friday, November 5, 7-10pm
Help us celebrate the work of Benjamin Patterson, a groundbreaking artist who was a founding member of the avant-garde group Fluxus and whose work explores the experimental and improvisational possibilities in music. Reception with cash bar.

Artists/Scholars Talk: Benjamin Patterson
Saturday, November 6, 2pm
Meet the artist and learn more about his fifty-year career as he leads a gallery walk-through of his exhibition.

Musiqa Loft Concert*
Sunday, November 7, 2010, 7:30pm
*Special location: Zilkha Hall, The Hobby Center, 800 Bagby Street, Houston, 77002
Musiqa will team up with artist Benjamin Patterson to perform an evening of compositions penned by the artist, including A Simple Opera, Paper Piece, and a world premiere created especially for the occasion.

Concert: Pamela Z*
Saturday, December 4, 2010, 7pm
*Special location: Houston Museum of African American Culture, 4807 Caroline St., Houston
Internationally renowned musician and performance artist, Pamela Z will perform an evening of her own compositions.  This event is co-sponsored by the Houston Museum of African American Culture.

Family Day
Sunday, December 5, 2010, 1-4pm
Join us for family tours and hands-on art activities in conjunction with Benjamin Patterson: Born in the State of FLUX/us. At 2pm, Alchemist Theatre will present a special interactive performance. All art supplies are provided free of charge.

Artists/Scholars Talk: The Art Guys
Saturday, January 8, 2011, 2pm
The Art Guys (Michael Galbreth and Jack Massing) have been making art and performing collaboratively since they met at the University of Houston in 1982. Conceptual artists who explore social and artistic conventions, The Art Guys will lead a gallery walk-through of Benjamin Patterson: Born in the State of FLUX/us.

Concert: Texas Noise and Ambient Environment #1
Thursday, January 13, 2011, 6:30 PM
Texas musicians perform works inspired by the exhibition, curated by Carlos Pozo. Texas Noise and Ambient Environment is an ongoing series curated by Marcus Cone and Ian Travis that spotlights the works of Ambient, Drone, and Noise based musicians currently located and performing in Texas. Through the use of acoustic instruments, auxiliary percussion, electronics, and devices, the musicians in the series strive to create sound collages and musical environments challenging the listener's notion of active and passive listening

Artists/Scholars Talk: Valerie Cassel Oliver
Saturday, January 15, 2011, 2pm
Learn more about the exhibition with Valerie Cassel Oliver, organizing curator and CAMH Senior Curator.

Concert: Texas Noise and Ambient Environment #2
Thursday, January 20, 2011, 6:30pm
Texas musicians perform works inspired by the exhibition, curated by Marcus Cone.

Artists/Scholars Talk: George E. Lewis: In Search of Benjamin Patterson: An Improvised Journey
Saturday, January 22, 2011, 2pm
Join us for a talk by George E. Lewis, Edwin H. Case Professor of American Music, Columbia University, and catalogue essayist, Department of Music, Columbia University. The recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship in 2002, an Alpert Award in the Arts in 1999, and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, Lewis studied composition with Muhal Richard Abrams at the AACM School of Music, and trombone with Dean Hey.

EXHIBITION SUPPORT
Ben Patterson: Born in the State of FLUX/us is supported by generous grants from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support is provided by the Houston Museum of African American Culture.

Support for shipping was generously provided by Christo/CVJ Corporation, Jean Dupuy, Letty Lou Eisenhauer, Henry Flynt, Geoffrey Hendricks, Jon Hendricks, Yoko Ono Lennon, Phoebe Neville and Philip Corner, Jeffery Perkins, Lila and Gilbert Silverman, Miyuki Sugaya and Toshiyuki Nemoto, Jean Toche and Yoshimasa Wada.

The exhibitions in the Brown Foundation Gallery have been made possible by the patrons, benefactors and donors to the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston's Major Exhibition Fund: Major Patron-Chinhui Juhn and Eddie Allen, Fayez Sarofim, Michael Zilkha; Patrons-Mr. and Mrs. A. L. Ballard, Louise D. Jamail, Mr. and Mrs. I. H. Kempner III, Ms. Louisa Stude Sarofim, Leigh and Reggie Smith; Benefactors-City Kitchen Catering, George and Mary Josephine Hamman Foundation, Jackson Hicks / Jackson and Company, Marley Lott, Poppi Massey, Beverly and Howard Robinson, Andrew Schirrmeister, Susan Vaughan Foundation, Inc., Mr. and Mrs. Wallace Wilson; Donors-A Fare Extraordinaire, Anonymous, Baker Botts, L.L.P, Bergner and Johnson Design, The Brown Foundation, Inc., Susie and Sanford Criner, Elizabeth Howard Crowell, Ruth Dreessen and Thomas Van Laan, Marita and J.B. Fairbanks, Jo and Jim Furr, Barbara and Michael Gamson, Mr. and Mrs. William Goldberg / Bernstein Global Wealth Management, King & Spalding L.L.P., KPMG, LLP, Judy and Scott Nyquist, David I. Saperstein, Scurlock Foundation, Karen and Harry Susman, and Martha Claire Tompkins.

EDUCATION SUPPORT
The Museum receives support for its education programs from: Anonymous, Baker Botts L.L.P., Baker Hughes Foundation, Ruth Dreessen and Thomas Van Laan, Louise D. Jamail, John P. McGovern Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. I.H. Kempner III, Kinder Morgan Foundation, M.D. Anderson Foundation, Marian and Speros Martel Foundation Endowment, Mrs. Louisa Stude Sarofim, and 20K Group, LLC.

Teen Council is supported by Mrs. Louisa Stude Sarofim and Baker Hughes Foundation.

GENERAL SUPPORT
The Museum's operations and programs are made possible through the generosity of the Museum's trustees, patrons, members and donors. The Contemporary Arts Museum Houston receives partial operating support from the Houston Endowment, Inc., the City of Houston through the Houston Museum District Association, National Endowment for the Arts, the Texas Commission on the Arts, and The Wortham Foundation, Inc.

Continental Airlines is the official airline of the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston.

CAMH MISSION
The Contemporary Arts Museum Houston is an idea and a place shaped by the present moment. The Museum exemplifies the dynamic relationship between contemporary art and contemporary society through its exhibitions, public and educational programs, and publications. The CAMH provides the physical and intellectual framework essential to the presentation, interpretation, and advancement of contemporary art; it is a vibrant forum for artists and all audiences, and for critical, scholarly, and public discourse.

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GENERAL INFORMATION
The Contemporary Arts Museum Houston is located at 5216 Montrose Boulevard, at the corner of Montrose and Bissonnet, in the heart of Houston's Museum District. Hours are Wednesday 11am-7pm, Thursday 11am-9pm, Friday 11am-7pm, Saturday and Sunday 11am-6pm. Admission is always free. For more information, visit www.camh.org  or call 713 284 8250.

Pictured:  Benjamin Patterson's restaging of Nam June Paik's One for Violin, 1962. Benjamin Patterson and Bertrand Clavez performing at the Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts, June 1989. Courtesy the artist. Photo: Wolfgang Traeger.