Review
The Alfond Inn by Stephanie D ’ Ercole
At the end of 2015 , upon check-in at one of my favorite NYC haunts , The Ludlow Hotel , I spied a pair of Keith Haring works fl anking the lobby fi replace . There were several people drinking cocktails , conversing , and reading throughout the warm , intimate space , and I noted the nonchalance with which art and life seamlessly coexisted in that moment . These weren ’ t pieces behind boundary lines in a museum , where the unspoken etiquette of art spaces must be respected . No visitor was squarely facing these works , hands reverentially clasped or at one ’ s side , and no uniformed individuals were lingering nearby to shush a passionate conversation or prohibit photography . People were simply living in conjunction with the art , and there was something quite signifi cant about it .
I don ’ t believe art is meant to be a nearly unattainable commodity , strictly delegated to museums , gallery spaces , and expensive penthouses . I also don ’ t believe that placing art in a multifunctional space like a hotel relegates it to a place of diminished importance . If anything , incorporating fi ne art into a place that functions as something other than solely a space for it exist , has the potential to do greater justice to the works in question . Art can be impactful while remaining somewhat passive ; we needn ’ t gaze at it ad infi nitum as we search for every morsel of meaning . The overexertion in the analysis and search for elucidation of art can grossly mar the experience intended by the artist . While I believe that some of the best works of art tend to have profound and multifaceted meanings which deserve one ’ s full attention and thoughtful analysis , expounding on works for too long can often set us on a path where we ’ re much further from decoding the message rooted within them . The greatest
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Everything for Love , Tracey Emin , blue neon
eureka moments in any realm are oftentimes serendipitous .
It was by this kind of fortuity that I found myself at The Alfond Inn one Sunday afternoon for a tour with curator Dr . Amy Galpin .
Untitled , Al Loving , acrylic on canvas
Selections from The Alfond Collection of Contemporary Art , all of the works featured at the hotel are accessioned objects that are a part of the Cornell Fine Arts Museum ’ s collection . The collection is the generous contribution of Rollins College Class of 1968 graduates , Barbara and Ted Alfond . The Alfonds have acquired a multidisciplinary group of over 240 works by both established and emerging contemporary artists from across the globe . These paintings , sculptures , photographs , and mixed media works represent a wide array of landmarks across the map of high-caliber contemporary art . Complementing this fi gurative diversity is the literal positioning of the art throughout the space : above the reception area , tucked in an alcove by the restrooms , throughout the lobby , down labyrinthine hallways , in conference rooms , and the library lounge . In addition to this wide array pervading the space horizontally , throughout the ground fl oor , moving vertically to the remaining four fl oors further reveals selected works . Seemingly unable to be situated anywhere without artwork in one ’ s line of vision , The Alfond Inn ’ s website aptly touts this collection as “ an integrated art experience .”
When I arrived , the bright blue luminescence of a neon piece to the left of the main lobby , just beyond the reception desk , caught my eye . Even as I was still approaching for closer inspection , it was undeniably apparent to me as a Tracey Emin work . I confi rmed this as I was face-to-face with the azure glow of the textual work , eponymously titled Everything For Love . Right away , I had the sense that this collection was not going to be one of banal hotel artwork that jejunely plays it safe . Personally drawn to works that push boundaries and make intrepid statements that tend
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