Collection Rotation: Noise Pop / Chris Appelgren Posted on February 23, 2009 by Suzanne
[This month's Collection Rotation features a selection of SFMOMA works paired with songs by Bay Area bands, organized by Chris Appelgren & the fabulous people at Noise Pop. If you're checking in from outside the Bay, SF's Noise Pop Festival is one of the nation's most popular annual independent music events, and what started off as a one-night, one-off event at a dingy local club in1993 now showcases 100-plus bands in over 10 venues over the course of six days. This year's festival starts TOMORROW & marks Noise Pop's 17th anniversary.]
………………………………..
LINER NOTES: Despite the scope and history of the festival, Noise Pop is still produced by a small staff along with a dedicated army of volunteers. This means that everyone is able to play a meaningful role in selecting the performers, filmmakers and artists whose work we celebrate the last week of February each year and as a result we are all exposed to incredible amounts of local music talent. The San Francisco music community is a moving target with amazing and diverse talents. I selected a handful of songs by local bands that for me enriched the experience of these pieces from SFMOMA’s permanent collection.–Chris Appelgren
 |
| Craig Hodgetts and Hsin Ming Fung, Untitled, 1989; ink and electrostatic print on paper; 5 9/16 in. x 7 3/4 in. (14.13 cm x 19.69 cm); Collection SFMOMA, commissioned for the exhibition: Visionary San Francisco; © Hodgetts + Fung |
| Magic Me, “Pink Howitzer Blues”, from EP 2 |
 |
| Jacob Jenson, Beosystem 5500, 1986; plastic, metal, and other materials; various dimensions; Collection SFMOMA, gift of Jeffrey Fraenkel; © Bang & Olufsen |
| Honeycut, “Exodus Honey”, from The Day I Turned To Glass, Quannum Records |
 |
| Jasper Johns, Land’s End, 1963; oil on canvas with stick; 67 in. x 48 1/4 in. (170.18 cm x 122.56 cm); Collection SFMOMA, gift of Harry W. and Mary Margaret Anderson; © Jasper Johns / Licensed by VAGA, New York |
| Or, The Whale, “Call and Response”, from Light Poles and Pines, Seany Records |
 |
| Richard Serra, Right Angle Plus One, 1969; lead antimony; 48 in. x 48 in. x 1 in. (121.92 cm x 121.92 cm x 2.54 cm); Collection SFMOMA, purchased through a gift of the Modern Art Council, Fund of the 80s and Board Designated Accessions Funds; © 2009 Richard Serra / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York |
| Thee Oh Sees, “Iceberg”, from The Oh Sees Suck Blood, Castle Face Records |
 |
| John Beasley Greene, Tombeau de la chrétienne [Tomb of the Christian Woman], 1856; albumenized salt print; 10 3/8 in. x 12 1/16 in. (26.35 cm x 30.64 cm); Collection SFMOMA, Accessions Committee Fund purchase |
| Papercuts, “John Brown”, from Can’t Go Back, Gnomonsong Records |
John Beasley Greene’s “Burial Mound” photograph was taken in 1856, the same year that American Abolitionist John Brown, who remains controversial today, may or may not have participated in the vicious murder of five pro-slavery settlers in Kansas. The simple, stark memorial to the dead in Greene’s photo seems a message to the future that nothing is permanent. The Papercuts’ song also reminds us that we cannot outrun history.
———-Chris Appelgren is the marketing director and general manager of Noise Pop Industries, responsible for producing the Noise Pop and Treasure Island Music Festivals. He is also the owner of Lookout Records, the Northern California record company responsible for albums by Operation Ivy, Green Day and The Donnas. Chris was president of the label from 1997 to 2005 where his duties included art direction. Chris has created original artwork and album designs for bands including Blatz, Green Day, The Donnas, The Queers, Ted Leo & The Pharmacists and Pretty Girls Make Graves. You can read an interview with him here.]
