Art does not exist unless there is someone to see it and then tell someone else what they saw. Artists rely on enthusiasts, connoisseurs, collectors and connectors to keep the business of art going. Malcolm Gladwell describes connectors in The Tipping Point as ” “people who “link us up with the world … people with a special gift for bringing the world together.” They are “a handful of people with a truly extraordinary knack [… for] making friends and acquaintances.” ” Dee Brodzik was one of these few people who keep the conversation going, a simple compliment or a big art purchase both go a long way to stoking an artists’ creative fire. Dee Brodzik often told DoN she wasn’t an artist, with no talent for making art. “You’re a connector. You bring people together.”, DoN would tell her. Dee was naive to her own talent, like an outsider artist she was self taught in the language of art, she easily asked questions of artists, curators and educators in her desire to understand. Adept at symbolism, pattern recognition and memes, Dee could see references that escaped those less observant, then taking that information and applying it to her own skill at bringing folks together whether it be artists and collectors, designers and job opportunities or parties and people.
Dee Brodzik was a New Yorker, participating in all of the cultural advantages the epicenter of the art world proffers. And, Dee was a maven. As Gladwell states, “Mavens are really information brokers, sharing and trading what they know”. The first time DoN saw a Haruki Murikami up close was because Dee took him to Grand Central Station to see an installation of giant balloons with the then new super-flat style of painting decorated with the soon to become iconic flower faces. “I heard this is something good“, she said. On April 6, 2006, Dee, Shoshka and DoN attended the Whitney Museum of American Art biennial and saw a movie, Cameron Jamies film installation Kranky Klaus (2002-03), with a soundtrack by the Melvins, documenting the pagan myth of Krampusa shaggy beast said to roam the valleys of Austria on the night of December 6. The movie was disturbing because of the bullying young men endured when Krampus would pull them out of restaurants or shops and forcefully push their faces in the snow. Due to Dee’s religious studies she was aware of the legend of the monster myth that mirrors the magic of Santa; Shoshka and DoN were dumb-founded as she explained the obscure references and how the legends connected the pagan and the Christian. But, Dee’s favorite artwork was at the 2004 Whitney Biennial’s “Firefies on the Water“, installation with 150 lights, mirrors and water by Yayoi Kusama. Long lines of people waited for their 30 seconds to enter the room supernaturally filled with an infinity of sparkling light, shimmering water and the feeling of floating through the cosmos. Dee reminisced about the enlightening experience often, citing the short time spent in the solitude of twinkle lights and glass as transformative and spiritual.
Even though the conversation has ended, DoN can still hear Dee’s voice in his head, the interactive dialog peppered with amusing Malapropisms, a hearty laugh, on point quips and salient quotes. And questions, lots of questions she was eager to hear the answers to. Dee listened to people, an essential part of the art of conversation as many are thinking to themselves what they might say next instead of hearing the other person. Dee Brodzik lived in the moment, listened and heard what was said to her, observed and could describe what she had seen and most importantly shared the information with her extended family, expansive network of friends, acquaintances, colleagues and associates, shedding her light, sharing clarifying opinions and leading the conversation towards the positive side of things. Dee Brodzik was a true artist, creating a collage of diverse people, drawing lines between opportunities and events, designing experiences, developing plans, expanding communication circles and connecting the dots.
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