What is "Maximalism" you ask?
Bet you didn’t guess that “Maximalism” is the catalogue title for Seattle’s Hotel Max’s art collection. Yes, the hotel not only has a wonderful art collection, but also like a public art museum, they have documented all of the hotels artworks (250) reproduced in full colour and each artist has two pages with an artist’s statement and bio. In addition, there is an introduction by curator Tessa Papas and a very readable short essay by Bruce Guenther, Chief Curator at the Portland Art Museum.
In the catalogue, Guenther writes, “This adventurous act of cultural patronage suggests a new, creative ways to bring serious art into the public’s experience and celebrates the plentitude of its practitioners and of aesthetic attitudes at work in Seattle.”
On a recent trip to Seattle, we stayed at the Hotel Max for a few nights and we were most impressed with the art; it was everywhere! And, this art is not just a bunch of pretty pictures; this is hardcore modern art. The hotel has respected the art and the artwork, each of the artworks has its own label and in the catalogue is the email of each artists if guest wished to contact them to comment or perhaps buy one of their works.
I am sorry I can't reproduce all of the artworks in this blog, you will just have to check out Hotel Max for yourself next time you are in Seattle.
I loved this haunting image of Samuel Beckett that greets you as you enter the hotel. It immediately shouts, "This is a cool place!" The artwork is by local artist Stephen Kaluza.
I was most impressed by the Hotel Max’s guest floor hallway art program. Nine photographers were selected and each given a floor to showcase their work creating nine mini exhibitions with 17 photos per floor. All of the art in the rooms and lobby were also selected from local artists.
What makes the hallway exhibitions really unique is they aren’t in standard fames on the wall but rather large format photographs covering the entire room doors with the doorframe doing double duty as the frame for the artwork. Dark hallways with lighting focused on the black and white photography create a dramatic and pensive sense of space, in sharp contrasts with the rooms, which have light, bright and full of colourful artworks.
Byan Smith, Upside, mixed media 40' x 24' was the feature artwork in our room. It would fit easily into our art collection and made us feel at home. We even had a turntable with Seattle indie group records in our room 9as did all rooms on the 5th floor) given the subject of the photographs was Seattle's music scene. How fun is that?
I have never experienced anything like “maximalism” anywhere else. The entire hotel is like a giant installation artwork with literally hundreds of contemporary artworks that have been thoughtfully selected and installed.
The hallway on the fifth floor as we exit the elevator.
Amy Mullen, Untitled, photograph, 8th floor
Paul Sundberg, Mr. Smith #3, photograph, 4th Floor (there was a series of Mr. Schmidt photographs, other titles included: Mr. Schmidt comes home, Mr Schmidt goes to work
John Armstrong, Dancing Neon Couple, photograph, 10th floor
Charles Peterson, Nirvana, Los Angeles, 1990, 5th floor
Charles Petterson, Laughing Hyenas, Seattle, 1991, 5th Floor
Erin Shafkind, Her head is in the world, photograph, 2nd floor
Joan Broughton, Magical Tom Frank, photography, 3rd Floor
Joan Broughton, Greg Spence Wolf, photography, 3rd Floor
Lesson learned?
I have never experienced anything like “maximalism” anywhere else. The entire hotel is like a giant installation artwork with literally hundreds of contemporary artworks that have been thoughtfully selected and installed.
I have often thought hotels (Calgary and elsewhere) could do a much better job of selecting artwork that reflects the “sense of place” where they are located. A downtown Calgary hotelier once blasted me when I questioned their choice of art for a new hotel because all the imagery was of the mountains, nothing reflecting Calgary urban sense of place.
My thinking was this new hotel would enhance the visitors’ stay by providing them with images (realistic and abstract) of the fun things to see and do in Calgary - architecture, parks, plazas, streetscapes and public art that are right in the hotel’s backyard!
I even suggested commissioning several local artists (painters, printmakers, photographers) to explore the city and create a portfolio of images from which the hotelier could create a unique art collection. Kudos to Calgary's Hotel Arts for their commitment to contemporary urban art as part of their brand.
Hotels across the world - big and small, luxury and economy - could learn from Hotel Max how create a unique hotel experience for visitors.
Even the room keys are mini works of art from the hotel; this was my room key. It was a reproduction of a photograph from the 10th floor by John Armstrong, titled "Rue Reamumur, Paris." I keep mine as a souvenir.
Last Word
If we want to make downtown Calgary a tourist attraction (and I think we do), more must be done to promote our unique urban sense of place. In addition to hoteliers becoming ambassadors for urban tourism, so too should restaurants and retailers. Everyone could help by using local art that reflects local spaces and places as part of their interior design or window displays.
Any hotelier interested in creating a unique, special and meaningful experience for their guests should visit Seattle to check out the Hotel Max. And if you are tourist visiting Seattle, for business or pleasure, Hotel Max is the best place to stay.
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