In honor of the 30th anniversary of the film Xanadu, released in August of 1980, I have curated a show at SOIL, written an essay for City Arts magazine, and on August 8th there will be a screening at Print Zero Studios. I hope you can check out some of the crazy magical fun going on this month!
3 Views of the Pan Pacific
End of June I finished my MFA in Visual Art through the Art Institute of Boston @ Lesley University. This past residency I presented work, defended my thesis and gave a final talk/lecture/performance that included a sing along. There were many fine aspects on this final visit, one of the highlights was an elective seminar with Cesare Peitroiusti, a brilliant artist/thinker/person who challenged us to re-think the USE of items/ideas/encounters and as a class we discussed all sorts of notions in relation to art/life/everything. Other highlights included some wonderful objects created by my colleagues. See below for a few images from the residency. And check the gallery link to the side for more.
Janet Fagan
Rob Sullivan
Peter O. Zierlein
Susan Emmerson
Sally Knight
Last weekend it was a tiny bone hand, yesterday three mystery shoes. My dear friend Todd J. witnessed the entirety of The Shoe Story, so if this sounds like the ramblings of a loon, you can verify with him. The first one appeared at my middle school. Just a little lonely green shoe, stuck outside a locker. Waiting, wanting, curious perhaps. I saw it on the floor as we walked down the music hallway. We came to school on saturday to get a few things from my classroom. I am leaving my teaching position in middle school to move to a high school in the fall. I thought the shoe was poignant and a little sad.
Middle School Shoe
After clearing out a car load of things (and there will be more sessions for clearing out, but not until early July) we headed over to Belltown to the Form/Space Atelier run by Paul Pauper. He gave us a tour of the show and then we visited The Underground, a fabulous venue for The Punk Rock Flea Market and various other shows. It was there that I saw this little blue shoe hanging from the latch to the back door. Odd, lovely still life, and it’s curious visual similarity to the first shoe, left me wandering, is this a sign?
Blue Belltown Shoe
Then a bit later, we’re in Georgetown for Art Attack, the super-great 2nd Saturday Art Walk in the heart of the Georgetown neighborhood of Seattle. Now, the third shoe was even more mysterious. When I saw it, I knew this had to be about something. Three little lonely shoes in one day? This one was high up on a pole, on a nail, that pierced a book onto a phone pole. A little black Converse, hanging in the air. Todd lifted me onto his shoulders to snap the photo. What could all the shoes mean?
Black Georgetown Shoe
all images taken with my cellphone.
I found this tiny bone hand in my driveway yesterday. Some friends were outside working and I spotted it in the dirt. At first it scared me and I didn’t want to touch it. One friend dug it out, as he released it from the soil I stuck out my hand to take it and then I knew it was sign. So many hands have helped me, so many connections, like tiny bones we are forever linked. I know it must seem morbid…but I think it’s beautiful too.
Tiny Bone Hand
Asking friends to take pictures, minus props and costumes, but still playing with posing – here’s some of the latest results.
His Blue Parka
Leaning Over Me
This is from a negative that my grandfather sent a few months ago. Aren’t they dashing?
Uncle Warren, Grandpa, Uncle Alpert, Grandma, and Dad - guessing it's 1958
Visiting my dad, step-mom and grandpa gave me an occasion to leave the cool PNW, and enter the undulating warmth of the South West. Here’s some pics from the pool.
Sneak Peak
SOIL, an artist collective in Seattle, is teaming up with ACT theatre to add art installations in several of its building’s windows. Earlier this evening I got a look at the current installations by these SOIL artists: Julie Alpert, Susanna Bluhm, Cable Griffith, Derrick Jefferies, Kiki Macinnis, and Timea Tihanyi
The work is thoughtful, compelling and themed according to different decades. Each artist received a stipend from ACT. Susanna told me that ACT was concerned that they couldn’t offer the artists more money. The artists, on the other hand, were nicely surprised by the stipend. In a time when artists often do these sorts of projects for free, or pay to be juried into shows, plus the costs of materials, framing and shipping usually out weigh any sales; it’s wonderful that ACT not only collaborates with visual artists, but supports them a little in the finance department. Stunning from the inside and on the street, NICE WORK SEATTLE CREATIVES!
(all pics taken with cellphone:)
SOIL at ACT: a new and ongoing partnership
ACT (on 7th ave. between union and pike)
Kreielsheimer Place
700 Union St
Seattle WA 98101
May 6th-August 30th
reception May 6th, 2010 5pm-7pm
Working on the third draft of my thesis for an MFA in visual art, I continue to explore what it means to be an artist. To enter into a visual, philosophical and emotional relationship with it. A couple weekends ago I visited two art shows in Seattle, one for an artist’s talk, the other for a chance conversation.
The first was Chauney Peck‘s talk on her show Bang, Universe, Everything, at SOIL Gallery. This month she’s exhibiting new work that shares bold color, intuitive and chance constructions, dynamic possibilities with shape, line, and movement, and a deep undercurrent of meaning in relation to people, the environment, spirituality, and consumption. I viewed the show before the talk and was impressed with her use of materials and instantly drawn to certain collages and assemblages. For me, I felt compelled to look, to wonder, what were these about? The talk helped illuminate more about her process. She created Chance Cards to help with some of the decisions during composition but she also depended on intuition and her skilled eye to complete the pieces. She shared at length about the spiritual implications of giving away, of Gifting. Having read the book The Gift by Lewis Hyde, she described the intention of making, of the labor, care, and specialness she wanted to imbibe in the works, and then to give them away as an offering. Perhaps as a means to create more abundance in the universe, challenging herself to be free of expectations and wanting. The informal talk ended with questions and discussion about technology, materials use, using chance as a loose guide in making art, chaos vs. control, the fetishizing of commodities and what stories do we find that are meaningful.
Chauney Peck @ SOIL Gallery
I then walked around the block to check out the Sol Hashemi/Jason Hirata show titled Hidden Snacks, at Punch Gallery. I was fortunate that Jason was sitting at the gallery that day. He too had been at Chauney’s talk and it was nice to have shared that experience. I asked him if he and Sol would do a talk, and he said they weren’t planning to. I have been watching Jason’s work ever since an open studios at the 1426 Building on Jackson a few years ago. He’s a recent grad from the University of Washington with a BFA in photography, as his art partner Sol. Both men are working hard in the art scene of Seattle. I asked Jason how the show was going, he said, “good, some folks walk in and then walk out fast, others linger and look.” It left me wondering, what are these guys up to? People had told me about the show, “they hid snacks around and took pictures of them.” I asked Jason about it, his response was something along the lines of, “we basically hid snacks and then photographed them.” “Are these foods you eat?” “These are what we could get cheap at the grocery outlet,” he replied. We talked for a bit about the lettering on the window sign. Sol had been watching the man put the lettering up and he saw something in it and told him to stop and leave it that way. I think this was my favorite piece. In a way it states, these two men are creating and showing us the archive of a moment, a decision, a chance happening between environment and objects. Is it art? Does that translate in the images? Does it work or make sense? Can people access it and if not is it legitimate? The window sign is the most visually interesting, as was a photograph of a tomato soup can tucked in a paint rack, a sweet nod to Warhol, that I will go back and purchase (photos are for sale for $10). I also found one photograph taped to one of Jason’s hairs and then taped to the wall to be very intriguing. But overall the show left me thinking, and that is maybe better than liking a few pieces individually.
Sol Hashemi and Jason Hirata @ Punch Gallery
I am really glad that I could talk to Jason while we were in the space. Interestingly he was reading a book about the white cube gallery called Studio and Cube by Brian O’Doherty. It makes me think that perhaps what they are doing isn’t designed for the White Cube? Or even better, by putting it in there, are they creating a new challenge for the viewer? Do we have to respond visually to everything? I really appreciate the way these two communicate with each other and then share it with us, many may not understand, but I am realizing that that is not point. If there’s possibility for contemplation and conversation, I find that meaningful.
Lastly, someone recommended to a friend an art history book. Mainly, an easy to read first book, that shares about the basics in Western Art. Turns out I have the fourth edition of it in my classroom (it was used as a Middle/High School textbook at one point). It’s called The Story of Art by German writer, E. H. Gombrich. I haven’t read the whole book, but I can tell it’s references are based in the white, male, Eurocentric art realm. But it was first published in 1950, and it’s been a slow process to examine people beyond the white dudes. Philosophically he states some clear concepts in the introduction and conclusion though.
There is really no such thing as Art. There are only artists. (page 5)
The general public has settled down to the notion that an artist is a fellow who should produce Art much in the way a bootmaker produces boots. By this they mean that he should produce the kind of painting or sculptures they have seen labelled as Art before. One can understand this vague demand, but, alas, it is the one job the artist cannot do. What has been done before presents no problem for them any more. There is no task in it that could put the artist on his mettle. (page 445)
from The Story of Art published in 1950
Thankfully Both Peck and Hashemi/Hirata are not just making boots. Not to say that bootmaking isn’t a noble craft. To work beyond the shoemaker’s last, I feel gives me a stronger reason to create, discover and connect.
Meet Greet Rinse Repeat: Collaboration with Troy Gua
Read all about it HERE
And
You’re So Cool at OHGE Ltd. a group show including myself in collaboration with Julie Alpert
Openiing April 1st 6-10pm