Bravo's Untitled Art Project

I hate reality television. I think I know why. Back when I was in high school in the mid 1990's, watching music videos was very important to me. I liked to watch MTV, VH1, and BET after school every day. Then one day a new show called The Real World made its debut. I resented it because it cut into my music video time. I felt the time they spent broadcasting the shenanigans of a bunch of 20-somethings cohabiting in a house could have been better spent showing Tyson Beckford in the "Un-Break My Heart" video, or the drama of Gwen and Tony's failed romance in the "Don't Speak" video, or the tragedy that ensued when Pearl Jam's "Jeremy" spoke in class, or Alanis Morrissette with one hand in her pocket, or Aaliyah's dance moves.

But by the time I graduated from college, reality TV had taken over all 3 music networks and was starting to infiltrate other major networks as well. The aspiring screenwriter in me was disheartened. Instead of dramas and sitcoms with talented actors in starring roles, there were people who could have been my neighbors and classmates hamming it up for the cameras in the most banal and predictable ways. And Survivor and Fear Factor were only the beginning of the invasion. Game and talent shows weren't enough. Pretty soon, there were even shows about people trying to find jobs. Chefs were battling in kitchens to become Top Chef or The Next Food Network Star. Fashion designers fought on Project Runway. And even HGTV got in on it by creating Design Star, which Bravo quickly cloned in the form of Top Design.

I entertained the possiblity of auditioning for the interior design shows very briefly. Then I thought, why must I humiliate myself on national television just to get a job? Hadn't I faced enough rejection without having it exposed to an audience of millions? And besides, I'd rather just work for a firm than have my own tv show, which was the grand prize of Design Star if I remember correctly.

And so I was very skeptical when I read the announcement that Bravo is now creating a reality show about artists. It has the very artsy-sounding working title "Untitled Art Project" and the auditions will be starting soon. I suppose it was inevitable. After all, the prophetic words that "in the future everyone will be famous for 15 minutes" were spoken by an artist, Andy Warhol. And why shouldn't artists want to be famous? Why toil in anonymity when you can put yourself out there and get mass exposure?

Still, I feel ambivalent about this. The show has the potential to share the work that artists do with a much greater audience, though at the same time, I have to wonder if the artists who participate in the show will be looked down upon as sell-outs and panderers? Will they still be taken seriously once the show is over or will the art world snub them? Will they be tainted by the stigma of reality television?

I don't know the answers to these questions, but I do know that there will be a casting call here in Chicago 2 weeks from today... and I am thinking about going.


They are also scouting for artists in Los Angeles, Miami, and New York. Go to http://www.bravotv.com/casting for all the details.