The Jeffrey Vallance Museum Interview

 

Jeffrey Vallance stands in his bedroom museum. (photo: Jules Bates, 1980)

I went to the opening of the Jeffrey Vallance Museum in Van Nuys, California on February 14, 2016, and I had fun because we were all there to open a small museum about 1 cubic foot in size.  It was composed of three walls, and Jeffrey's three drawings of a cat, a dog and Blinky the chicken were each on a wall of their own. 



Jeffrey Vallance at his museum's inauguration. (photo: Somebody, 2016) 

We ate barbecued chicken bought from Ralph's supermarket in honor of Blinky and had a ceremonious ceremony where Jeffrey cut the inaugural ribbon, opening up the museum to the public.  The museum was small and essentially an artpiece in itself, but it was and is symbolic of hope for a larger, real deal museum to house the works of Jeffrey and to serve other functions which he describes in the following interview where I ask him questions and he answers them.


What is a museum?

A museum is a mausoleum for dead art. Art is only alive while the artist is making it. The JV museum will have art as well as what I call "evidence" or artifacts and reliquaries of the art practice—objects collected while on research expeditions and voyages, plus pop culture detritus and performance relics.

Who is Jeffrey Vallance?

When I was a child I arranged activities and events (that now seem akin to pranks). At the time I had no name for them. In 1968, when I was 13 years old, I took a bus trip across the U.S. I’d heard of people releasing weather balloons with their name and address attached. Some balloons traveled great distances. I bought a bag of balloons, blew them up, popped them, and tied on a card with my name and address. On the bus trip, at each rest stop I ran down a block and threw a balloon on the ground. When I got home, people were already writing me back saying they had found a balloon. I came across an article in a Bay City, Michigan newspaper on the discovery of one of my balloons. In a few years, I was writing and meeting with corporate mascots (like Ronald McDonald), pop culture figures, and politicians to engage them in absurd activities. When I started going to college in 1974, some of my professors looked at what I was doing and said it sounded like conceptual art or performance art (neither of which I knew much about), so I decided to name it "art." I realize that my work has never precisely followed academic definitions of art and that many times people are confused. I have always threatened to take away the label of "art," while continuing to do exactly the same things I’ve done intuitively.

What happens when you have a Jeffrey Vallance Museum?

At this point the museum is only a concept. The small maquette that we had for the Grand Opening may serve to bring awareness and possibly start the process that may lead to a larger scale version of the museum.

Will this museum be different from other museums because it has only your art in it?

The JV museum will be different from most museums since it will not only have the "art" but all the evidence (by-products) and research materials that encompass the work of art.

Is this a lifelong dream?

When I was 8 years old (shortly after my father died), I started collecting, possibly to make up for the feeling of loss. In 1965, when I was ten years old, I started displaying my collections in my bedroom. I focused on strange objects produced by culture. As my art career developed I collected things on various research expeditions, like when I first met with the King of Tonga. I lived life as if my museum would one day exist. Recently, especially during this sad time of "art flipping," I have my doubts whether it will ever exist as an institution.

What was the first museum you visited?

The first museum I visited was the La Brea Tar Pits. I was fascinated with all the prehistoric animals stuck in the tar, so I started drawing them.

What risks do people/does culture face if they don't visit the museum?

They run the risk having a dull, uncreative life. They may not develop the skill to question authority.

Will there be muses at the museum?

In Greek literature, inspiration is said to come from the muses. These were goddess spirit-messengers of artistic influence from which we get words like amuse, music and museum. A few years ago, I made a pilgrimage to the Shrine of the Muses (Heroon of Mousaios) on the Hill of the Muses in Athens, Greece, to ponder the influential roles that the Muses have played in the arts. I found the grotto shrine of the muses with two pedestals carved out of stone. The pedestals were empty, so I looked around in the rubble and found two vaguely human shaped rocks and placed them on the pedestals. Afterward, I considered how this is the most primitive action in art—taking a stone and standing it upright. I like to think that the muses will follow me to the JV museum.

Who is the designer/architect of the museum?

At the current stage of the museum, there is only a 144 square inch maquette. There is no official architect yet.

How long did it take to make the museum?

It took me about 15 minutes to make the drawings for the maquette. This piece was originally made for John Kilduff’s Art Basil exhibition. During Art Basil, Kilduff constructed a miniature version of the Art Basel art fair in his backyard in Van Nuys, California. I attended the event and he asked me if I’d like to have a booth, so I took out a Sharpie and some paper and made three small drawings for my booth and entitled it the "Jeffrey Vallance Museum." Afterward I gave the whole thing to Kilduff who later cut my booth away from the others with an X-Acto knife. Thus was birthed the freestanding version of the museum.

Did public monies fund construction?

All funding came from John Kilduff who put up posters, made announcements on social media, and at the opening of the museum cooked delicious barbequed chicken (in honor of Blinky). I bought a bag of balloons.

Who would you like to thank?

First, I’d like to thank all my ancestors who played their part in supplying their DNA for my existence and for spiritually guiding my creativity. I’d like to thank John Kilduff for making the Grand Opening & Bar-B-Q happen and Paulette Nichols for making the museum drawings and posters.

Does its size restrict its impact on culture or the individual experiencer?

Size does not matter; it is the concept that is important. The current museum size is about one square foot of exhibition space.

Is it modeled after any other museums?

The JVM is modeled after U.S. presidential museums, the old Roy Rogers Museum in Victorville, California, and the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, which has a large collection of Andy’s ephemera. The JVM will have a library, research facility, display of collections, exhibitions of artwork, a map room, studios, chapel, and gift shop.

What style is the architecture?

I envision the museum to be a cube of poured concrete reminiscent of an institutional parking structure.

Was there ever any controversy surrounding the design of the building?

The current version of the museum is a small model, and I was worried that people attending the Grand Opening might feel disappointed at driving so far just to see a puny mock-up. However, the visitors who turned up at the event seemed very happy. I believe that they accepted the event as more of a "happening."

What questions do you want asked which I'm not asking?

"Do you expect your museum to actually be built?"
Thinking that one day all my collections, artwork and research can end up in one main archive has been a driving force in my life. Recently I’ve come to the conclusion that it may never happen, which makes me reevaluate why I collected all these years. It all might end up in a dumpster or thrift shop.

Is this a family-friendly, all-ages experience?

The JVM is a very family-friendly museum! There will be a hall of ancestors, maps, flags, heraldic plaques, bronze busts of leaders, collections of pop culture miscellany, exhibits of weird artwork, and many informational placards.

Do you ever get frustrated knowing that your art will never be as good as a woman's art?　 If so, how do you deal with this frustration?　 If not, why not?

It’s yet another limitation like a continual lack of funding and space. I am often ashamed as I witness the apelike nature of men and their warlike aggressiveness, competitiveness, bullying, greed, and love of power. I am upset and greatly discouraged by the low percentage of women artists showing in museums today, while my square-foot foam core museum is yet another bastion.

Is it true that there will be a clown at the opening?　

Many clowns will be attracted to the museum like flies to a putrefying carcass.

What does the clown signify?

The clown signifies chaos and pandemonium. Earlier, in medieval Passion Plays, it was a devilish trickster figure, which may be why children and some adults are terrified of clowns.