Make Art Like You Care

Olay is in all creators.

2010-04-01T05:28:00.000-07:00

Take a moment and watch this moving, insightful, talk by author Elizabeth Gilbert. It can change your perspective as an artist, and should change 500 years of thinking.

Let Your Heart Lead Your Texting

2010-03-09T16:40:00.000-08:00

This interactive installation helps the homeless in New York City. What a great idea.

Patti Smith's Just Kids

2010-03-07T12:22:00.000-08:00

Just finished reading Patti Smith's Just Kids. A MUST read. Writing this post to keep from crying over the last chapter. It was one of those books that I looked forward to reading every day and did not want it to end. Why? Patti Smith is so human- her love for Mapplethorpe so honestly related. They are beacons for all of us trying to keep the mystery of art alive in our souls and in the world.

Mingwei Builds Art Around Trust and Friends Who are Strangers

2010-03-07T08:53:00.000-08:00

The Mending Project, 2009
Courtey of the artist and Lombard Freid Projects, New York
Photo: Anita Kan
Collection of R.Tzeng, Taipei. Taiwan.

New York artist Lee Mingwei confronts many stereotypes about modern life in the big city. Lee builds his art around gift giving and the kindness of strangers. Not your standard Type A operating procedure in the Big Apple. In the Mending Project Mingwei accepted and hand sewed damaged clothing given him by visitors to Lombard-Freid Projects. Each mended piece of clothing was tied into the gallery via string then returned to the owner at the completion.

Lee's website statement that he " has continually focused on themes of trust and self-awareness in projects that create a potential for active exchange."

What a fresh, open, and inclusive way to make art. Maybe Migwei is pointing us all toward a new postmodern way of interacting.

The Mending Project will reappear at the Liverpool Biennale in September of 2010.

We Are the World. We are Haiti.

2010-02-13T04:24:00.001-08:00

100 Faces of War and One Artist

2010-02-02T05:09:00.000-08:00

Artist Mat Mitchell is doing a brave thing; looking straight into the face of war. He is currently working on a project that will have him painting 100 faces of veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Mitchell is using the wide window of art to capture the multilayered and expansive thoughts and feelings on the experience of war - one face at a time.

They Can't Turn Off The Lights Now

2010-02-01T04:58:00.000-08:00

HitRecord is a new site that invites creative collaboration between individuals. Here is a video that shows the power. Being that it is Feb. 1, the 50th Anniversary of the Site Ins at Woolworths in Greensboro, it seems only fitting to share this important voice.

We see the world anew through the artists' eyes

2010-01-31T06:54:00.000-08:00

Check out the beautiful abstractions made by Hiroshit Sugimoto using electricity and film.

2010-01-30T05:38:00.000-08:00

Now this is what I am talking about! Talking Side Walks is a literary magazine filled with the stories and photos of people who have experienced homelessness in the Chapel Hill area. Found this quote on the back of most recent issue:

" I've been a very arrogant and elitist man in my life and got swatted like a bug until there were only pieces of me left, and I perhaps would like to redeem myself by giving a voice to people that have no voice. It reminds me of the title of one of the old science fiction novels, called 'I have no mouth but I must scream.' For those that have no voice, I would like to do some of the screaming, and I do." - Phillip Rodney Personette

Patti Smith Interview

2010-01-24T06:53:00.000-08:00

In case you missed it, Patti Smith just gave an interview on Fresh Air with Terry Gross. I just watched her documentary and respect her life as an artist activist, poet, and rocker.

Voices in the Tunnels Updates Book

2010-01-24T06:05:00.000-08:00

I just finished reading Jennifer Toth's 1993 book The Mole People. It is a moving account of her brave investigation of life beneath the streets of New York City. Toth, a young Columbia University student, pushed past her fear and the warnings of friends and family to uncover the people and places that many thought of as urban legends only. What most surprised me was that the people she discovered lived within tight communities with their own set of rules. Not without violence, these groups did in fact offer support, even love to its members who could not fit within the paradyms of society aboveground. This book raises as many questions about how we treat each other above ground as it does below. I also found the way Toth became personally invested in helping the people she met as being common among artist activist, myself included, who include the marginalized in their work. Toth's involvement ended with a scare but others have picked up where she left off. A new documentary Voices in the Tunnel has revisited the places and people Toth wrote about in the 90's. I recommend seeing the documentary and reading the book.

Konrad Zoll's Small Drawings of AT better than Avatar

2010-01-18T16:01:00.001-08:00

I have heard some people are complaining of depression after seeing Avatar- because they cannot live in that world. Maybe rather than take a anti-depressant they should pick up a pencil and paper like Konrad Zoll and really SEE the reality that we have been given.

I had just finished taking a brisk walk in the real world, cold and snowy as it was in the lovely hamlet of Damascus, VA and had just stepped into a warm coffee shop when I came upon a collection of drawings by Konrad Zoll of Durham, NC. Konrad has hiked sections of the AT through Graceland Highlands but unlike most he has also taken time to stop and draw the beauty that so many race past. Konrad is currently working on a new series of drawings from the AT. He does not have a website dedicated to his art but you can friend him on Facebook. Thanks Konrad for reminding us all to stop and really take in the reality that lies before us.

Come to the Opening!

2010-01-06T15:54:00.000-08:00

See the portraits online at www.muslimselfportrait.info

Too Many Heros

2010-01-02T15:39:00.000-08:00

This is a touching, sad, song for our times. The sounds quality is not perfect on this video but the writing is superb. Maybe you can find a clearer version if you like it.

Where do we find hope?

2009-12-29T18:12:00.000-08:00

Where do we find hope for a better world when the news paints such a dismal picture; failed states sending explosive underwear bombers out to kill, two wars with more brewing, and on and on. I watched tonight's news with a heavy heart. Soon after hope rang; I received a phone call from friends (Muslims) wanting to plan a big party to bring Muslims and non-Muslims together to get past the head lines. We dreamt of who to invite, and how to proceed. After a half an hour of laughing and sharing ideas I hung up with a feather weight heart. Maybe it is a sin, like the Egyptians believed, to live a life that would give you a heavy heart.

I find hope from friends who remind me to act.

I am also reading a great book Let Us Now Praise Famous Men by James Agee and Walker Evans. It is a window into the world of the American South of 1936. Let me tell you- things HAVE gotten better.

I find hope in change.

James Agee wrote: " Above all else; in God's name don't think of it as Art. Every fury on earth has been absorbed in time, as art, or as religion, or as authority in one form or another. The deadliest blow the enemy of the human soul can strike is to do fury honor. Swift, Blake, Beethoven, Christ, Joyce, Kafka, name me a one who has not been thus castrated. Official acceptance is the one unmistakeable symptom that salvation is beaten again, and is the one surest sign of fatal misunderstanding, and is the kiss of Judas."

I find hope in the fury of life.

The Donkey Library

2009-12-19T03:50:00.000-08:00

Inspiring. "Man lives in what he sees. But he sees only what he dreams." Check out this seer who has made a place on this earth for his dream.

Where White Means Death.

2009-12-14T17:48:00.000-08:00

Where Have You Hidden It?

2009-12-14T17:22:00.000-08:00

You say we are a storm, drifting from a distant place,
come to disrupt your home.
You call us diseased.
With pity, we should be cured.
You say that we are less, deserving, less, entitled, less, than you.
But we are your sons, your daughters.
We are your brothers, sisters, family and friends.
We are not a storm, brewing off the coast,
but we are equally, if not more, the heart of this nation.
We were born and raised, just as you, with the promise of freedom and equality.
The only thing that sets us apart, the only thing in the entire world, is that when we grew up, we didn't find it.
Well, where have you hidden it?
Because to tell you the truth, these childish games have started to get old.
And the fact of the matter is that
we love too.

by Reid Drake

Help Portrait Project

2009-12-13T14:26:00.000-08:00

Calling all photographers. Help someone in need with a portrait- for free- this holiday season. Learn more here on this growing community of artists taking direct action to make the world a better place.

New Back of the Bus Policy in NC

2009-12-10T05:01:00.000-08:00

The proposed new rules for admission for children of undocumented immigrants into Community Colleges in North Carolina is, in my opinion, a new "back of the bus" policy- charging out-of-state tuition to children who may have grown up in the state, and providing them access to classes as long as no "legal" student needs the spot. What a disingenuous invitation to an education. I thought of this last month as I sat at a conference of community college professors and was served lunch by an all Hispanic staff. My slave owning ancestors would have felt right at home!

I am trying to think up a performance piece involving a bus to make the point that this new policy is deeply flawed. Any suggestions?

Low Rent + Artists = Raised Rents = Gentrification - Artists

2009-12-06T15:56:00.001-08:00

Rayna from the land down under tells me that gentrification is a growing problem in her country as developers swoop in on artists who gather around low rent, develop the neighborhood and then raise rentsand drive out the very artists that gathered there before them. Rayna sent me this cool video that won this year's Earthsharing Australia short film contest. Also, check out Rayna's facebook group dedicated to addressing this growing problem.

Madame Tutli - Putli

2009-12-06T09:15:00.000-08:00

Take 10 minutes to watch Madame Tutli-Putli at You Tube Screening Room. (Select the movie after going to the page or a random selection will play.) It is about a women on a night train...and so much more. Enjoyed it over coffee this morning with my son, the poet. I have been thinking about it all day.

Look Past The Eyes

2009-12-05T03:44:00.000-08:00

Shirin Neshat is a Iranian expatriate who has been making video art for years on the experience of being a women in Persia. In September, she won the Silver Lion Award for best director at the 66th Venice Film Festival for her first feature film, Women Without Men. Here is an interview of her I found on YouTube. A trailer for her movie is on YouTube but you must sign in to view it- apparently something in it requires you to be a mature viewer. In Women Without Men, Shirin shows us the lives of four women seeking freedom against the backdrop of 1953 Military Coup that installed the Shah. Like many good artists, her work was one step ahead of the world and although she began work on it 6 years ago it speaks to the current Green Movement's struggles in Iran.

Take time to sign into You Tube and look up "Women without Men" it is worth seeing and will be worth watching in its entirety when it comes to the states.

Dan adds new meaning to "My house is your house."

2009-11-29T10:23:00.001-08:00

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Dan Phillips is showing the rest of us how to really recycle! Time to check out Hunstville!

Whose gonna whipe your baby's face.....who's gonna build your wall?

2009-11-29T09:47:00.001-08:00

These images are in black and white but Tom Russell's questions are relevant and of the moment. When we finally settle health care reform are we gonna be brave enough to tackle immigration reform? If not, why? Time to ask these hard questions. Thanks Tom for using the art of your song writing to look at this issue straight on- I'm afraid of the golf shirt crowd too.

My Own Four Walls Project

2009-11-23T05:01:00.000-08:00

Diane Nilan is trying to open all our eyes. Wake up America.

Leap Before You Look

2009-11-22T16:50:00.000-08:00

by Linda Faltin

Look before you leap, the old adage tells us.
Play it safe.
Better safe than sorry.
Never talk to strangers.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Birds of a feather flock together.

But what kind of life portrait
would we paint if these words
formed our only palette? if
coloring inside the lines in
black and white and shades
of gray were preferable to
living life in the rainbow hues
of daring and delight?

Sometimes the only way to
grow is to make a leap of faith.
unsure of where or how you'll land
but certain that the landscape
of your life will change...
and how, pray, tell, will you ever
make new friends if strangers
are off-limits? out-of-bounds?

So- we need new adages, it seems to me:
Leap before you look.
Play it daring.
Better sorry than always risk-free.
Smile at strangers...dare to engage.
Those birds in the bush have a song worth hearing.
and with arms open wide, welcome every "kind"
into your flock.

Now, that's a life in living color!

(Linda dedicated this poem to me. Thanks Linda, you have no idea how much this means to me.)

Krystle Warren

2009-10-25T13:19:00.000-07:00

Found this on a perfect autumn day. She's from Kansas City and has become a big deal in Europe.

Blu and David Ellis prove all it takes is imagination (and hard work)

2009-10-20T04:20:00.000-07:00

COMBO a collaborative animation by Blu and David Ellis (2 times loop) from blu on Vimeo.

This installation painting project's site struck me as the perfect symbol for the Great Recession we are in. These artists take what looks like an abandoned Italian apartment courtyard and give it new life. I hope this video is going viral. Now, if we could make their creativity infectious we might just all survive.

Make Art Not War- Art Therapy for Terrorists

2009-10-18T09:04:00.000-07:00

This is for real. Amazing.

Maya Lin's Last Monument

2009-10-17T17:50:00.000-07:00

credit

What is Missing is Maya Lin's self proclaimed last monument. If you have walked the slight grade of the Vietnam Memorial and felt the slow rise of the names in black stone, then you know the feeling she is after with this monument. In this instance, it is the slow disappearance of species after species, habitat after habitat, that our mindless human activities is erasing from the planet. The non-traditional memorial take form in many ways, including digitally. Check out Lin's website on the project. Haunting.

Saving Eden

2009-10-17T05:29:00.000-07:00

Sitting in the audience last night at the 1st annual Land Jam I was touched to hear this song about the very place where I work; Rockingham County and Eden, NC. Laurelyn Dossett's song Leaving Eden sums up the struggles in that community, the plant closings, and the death of so many opportunities. I and my colleges are working to give them another option; education and in my case, creativity.

Gary Gresco Doesn't take it sitting down

2009-10-12T18:07:00.000-07:00

THe City of Greensboro blew it when they listened to the trite complaints of a few community members and removed a wonderful sculpture from the new greenway in Greensboro. Gary speaks the truth in this News and Record article. Sorry Gary. Your benches were awesome. I apologize that my community cannot elect smarter officials. It's a direct result of our less than acceptable public education where art and art appreciation have gone the way of dial phones and typewriters. I hope the publicity from this gets you 15 more grants. I guess all those "no-good bumbs and prostitutes" are gone now from the streets of Greensboro. What a shame that your art attracted them.

Removal of public art was a desecration

BY GARY GRESCO

When I first poured my heart and soul into the Warnersville bench installation, I had no idea this art project would have such a profound impact.

How could steel and stone be responsible for the ills of this community? Especially when there are so many other benches throughout Greensboro. This question was a major topic of conversation at the Tri-State Sculptors' annual conference at Elon University last weekend.

I have reached some conclusions. The Warnersville bench was removed to thwart the very words inscribed on each segment. They are:

-- Remove Endurance and replace it with surrender.

-- Remove Triumph and replace it with failure.

-- Remove Faith and replace it with apathy.

-- Remove Strength and replace it with weakness.

-- Remove Hope and replace it with despair.

Read rest of article

AMAZING Comment by Zhak on News and Record Comment Board:

"One summer evening a couple spotted five freshly varnished chairs glowing in the moonlight in the Warnersville neighborhood. He wished to sit on the chair marked 'endurance.' She had only ten minutes to spare so vetoed the idea. She wished to sit on the chair marked 'faith' since she had not yet seen his wallet. He suggested 'triumph' as he looked forward to having his way without the benefit of responsibility or character. She preferred 'strength' as would she have the strength to make it through one more shift. Neither considered 'hope' as this seat was taken by the community that hoped by some miracle someone would make this whole situation go away."

Moore, Sandburg, Woodie

2009-10-11T17:57:00.000-07:00

I watched Moore's newest movie "Capitalism-A Love Story" this weekend and realized that he is the living voice of straight talkers like Carl Sandburg and Woodie Guthrie - survivors from our last economic disaster. They saw the plight of the common man and recognized that it was piss not rain falling on their heads from those "above" them. I've posted some of my favorite Guthrie songs here. Also, here is one of my favorite Sandburg poems- worth following the link and reading it all.

TO A CONTEMPORARY BUNKSHOOTER

by Carl Sandburg

You come along. . . tearing your shirt. . . yelling about
Jesus.
Where do you get that stuff?
What do you know about Jesus?
Jesus had a way of talking soft and outside of a few
bankers and higher-ups among the con men of Jerusalem
everybody liked to have this Jesus around because
he never made any fake passes and everything
he said went and he helped the sick and gave the
people hope.

Rest of Poem

Ahhh...Thank You Creative Muses!

2009-10-11T11:30:00.000-07:00

Houx knows how to hoe a truthful tune

2009-10-11T09:21:00.001-07:00

Long Train Home

2009-10-10T21:21:00.000-07:00

More on Chris Smither.

Every generation lets something slip away. Sometimes it's a good thing- like Racism or Homophobia. Sometimes it's not so good. I wonder if we have let the feeling of the sacred slip away. Maybe it slid out between the teeth and gins of hypocritical preachers or between the shouts of Christians who want the Lord to be a Warrior rather than a Shepherd. Maybe it slipped away because we were too self conscious to teach our children to pray. Or maybe pop culture stole it when they made Christ into a bobble headed dash board toy. I don't know.

I find the sacred still. In nature, in art. In pastors like my friends Linda and Brady who speak the truth even when the truth is not popular. And in songs like this one.

Crash This Train

2009-09-22T17:21:00.000-07:00

This song is a prayer to stop the mad ride we are on; 9/11, Iraq, Afghanistan.......

Good Questions

2009-09-20T06:32:00.001-07:00

Bret Dennen asks some great questions and shares some honest thoughts on Justice and finding a place for one's soul. Take a deep breath, close your eyes, and enjoy three minutes of deep listening and deeper thinking.

Sing on Mary, sing on.

2009-09-18T13:50:00.001-07:00

State Street - an Angel of a Book

2009-09-06T17:43:00.001-07:00

The poem in this book is as beautiful as the cover. The author brings us along in her life post-Katrina. You will feel like you stood by her side or in her head after reading it.

ORDER HERE.

Watch how you use the word NAZI

2009-09-06T06:05:00.000-07:00

The term Nazi is thrown around like a pink play thing these days; "Soup Nazi", "Obama-Nazi." As time passes we are forgetting the real meaning of that term. This documentary, Night and Fog, is a wide-eyed reminder of what Nazi really means. It is also a provocation that warns of the half sleeping monster that lies in wait among us all.

I have not been to the Holocaust Museum in DC. Much of this information was new to me. Shame be onto the Holocaust deniers.

WARNING: THIS DOCUMENTARY PULLS NO PUNCHES.

Hamburger Eyes: A Documentary on Urban Decay

2009-09-05T18:48:00.000-07:00

Hamburger Eyes from Nick Fogarty on Vimeo.

These are some great photographs and photographers. They are finding art in the everyday we all overlook or run from in the urban landscape. Inspiring.

Artist Dies for his Art

2009-09-04T07:10:00.000-07:00

WARNING: This video is very disturbing and contains scenes of violence, death, and sexuality.

The above movie trailer is for the documentary La Vida Loca made by Christian Poveda. It was made by a french documentary artist who was killed on September 4th, 2009, while working on his gang related documentary project in Tonacatepeque, a rural region north of the capital of El Salvador. He was shot in the head.

I hope you will pause a moment in your busy life to pay respect for this brave artist who gave his life to shed light on the human disaster of poverty and gang related violence.

Monsters in my head

2009-08-30T08:55:00.000-07:00

Self-taught animator Bruce Bickford created an amazing world of images. Like many passionate outsider artists it also became his world. Check out his animation at www.monstorroad.com Art reflects our world- as scary as it can be, it is made better when we turn our visions and thoughts into creative actions like this- rather than the easier ways some choose to hurt themselves and others.

Also check out Bickford's Dupree's Paradise.

Hope Filled Designs for 9th Ward, New Orleans

2009-08-26T15:50:00.000-07:00

Hope springs like a weed, pushing through the hurt and broken promises with the Make It Right Project in New Orleans. Check out the amazingly bold designs being built right now in New Orleans.

Of Ophans, Art, and Halos

2009-08-23T17:30:00.001-07:00

Too bad art therapist have such a hard time finding funding in the US. They do so much good worldwide- we need their halos here too. Check out this video and then take a look at Halo Foundation's Website.

BAD ARTIST! GOOD ARTIST!

2009-08-05T16:20:00.001-07:00

CHECK OUT THIS BLOG BY THE ARTIST: http://nicolasheller.wordpress.com/

Modest Mouse ruins my new hobby

2009-08-05T05:27:00.000-07:00

Dang it. I just bought a fishing license and new reel. Now whenever I fish for trout I will be thinking of this provocative animation. It's for Modest Mouse's song King Rat and is a dark, graphic reminder of the injustice of illegal whaling practices still common in the world. This project was headed up by Keath Ledger before his death. Proceeds from the first month of sales of this song on itunes will go toward a non-profit fighting illegal whaling. Like all great art, its impact will go well beyond that. Steel yourself before watching, but do watch, and listen, and think.

Modern Masterpiece in the woods

2009-08-03T18:31:00.000-07:00

This animation of Fallingwater, Frank L. Wrights masterpiece build on Bear Run Creek in Western PA, is wonderful. It does not however do it justice. What the animator could not put in is how much nature embraces the property. Visiting this building was a highlight of an otherwise personally awful summer. I was awe struck at how carefully Wright slotted this building into the landscape and how well the owners, the Kaufmanns, folded in nature on top of the site with new plantings. Today it looks like God created the house along with boulders and stream. That statement might have pleased the architect- who thought much of his abilities. Vanity aside, Wright has left us a monument to an alternate universe, one in which man lives WITH nature instead of against it. It is a vision of a future that we all should embrace and dedicate our lives to- begin by going to this "cathedral in the woods."

We cannot afford to do without the arts.

2009-08-02T11:18:00.000-07:00

Check out this speaker on the importance of creativity and education. As our state supported schools and private schools struggle with budgets they should DOUBLE the funding for creative practices! We cannot spend our way out of a recession, we have to invent our way.

April 13th, 1927 - July 18, 2009

2009-08-02T05:27:00.000-07:00

My mother, Elizabeth Shaw, died this past month. I have taken some time off from a lot of small things to process this profound event in my life.

I am inching back into the rush of everyday life and will begin again to celebrate here my passion for great humanist art.

Here is a website I just found and want to share.

Thanks for your continued interest in this funny little blog that, like me, so wants to make the world a better place.

Laughing With...........

2009-06-29T06:05:00.000-07:00

Maybe it is because I have a gravely ill loved one in the hospital, but I find this new song by Regina Spektor to be profound.

Recycled Book Publishing

2009-06-05T05:27:00.000-07:00

You may have heard of the two reporters being held in North Korea. They work for Current TV. Check out this short (too short) documentary on artists publishing books using recycled material. Check out the other documentaries at Current as well.

Update: I just watch a longer documentary by Current and am a total fan. Check out "Thankyou, Recession." Consider joining the Face Book Group that is supporting the family of the two current journalists.

Something Wonderful from Next to Nothing

2009-06-01T18:06:00.000-07:00

In this time of shrinking wealth and growing worry it is refreshing and inspiring to see imagination at its best. The Guggenheim Grotto, an Indie band from Dublin, has created a wonderful music video for their song 'Her Beautiful Ideas.' If you've studied art history you may be successful in finding the numerous art references.

Touching Portraits by Laura

2009-06-01T09:58:00.000-07:00

Laura Chasman has created a touching series of paintings of elderly nursing home residents and the aids and nurses that care for them. I came across her work while doing research for a similar project I am considering. Her gouache paintings stood out as I did a good image search of nursing home portraits. Laura has painted other groups of people. I like the way she has used her natural communities (family, friends, work) as the subject matter. Her work has the same directness as Alice Neel's. It comes across unassuming yet profound. Be sure to visit her site to see these excellent paintings.

Keep Getting Better

2009-06-01T09:45:00.000-07:00

Maybe you bought the CD like I did and played it to death, but I bet you will still enjoy this video from the Playing for Change folks. Their music is great but combined with the images it is overwhelmingly excellent. Watch the expression of emotion on these singers' faces and you will get why art (music in this case) is so important to being fully human. These guys exude the suffering that New Orleans went through with Katrina- yet through their art their spirits have triumphed- yours will be raised as well. Enjoy!

Spanish Version of Give Me Eyes Book now online

2009-05-28T07:11:00.000-07:00

This is a book I published in 2007. It is written in both Spanish and English. It tells the story of a couple who cross the border illegally. It was created in collaboration with undocumented immigrants living in my community and with families left behind in Mexico. I hope to share this video across Mexico. This book is now for sale on Amazon.com and on lulu.com

Has Nothing Changed?

2009-05-22T04:56:00.000-07:00

More on Wislawa Szymborska

Tortures
by Wislawa Szymborska

Nothing has changed.
The body is a reservoir of pain;
it has to eat and breathe the air, and sleep;
it has thin skin and the blood is just beneath it;
it has a good supply of teeth and fingernails;
its bones can be broken; its joints can be stretched.
In tortures, all of this is considered.

Nothing has changed.
The body still trembles as it trembled
before Rome was founded and after,
in the twentieth century before and after Christ.
Tortures are just what they were, only the earth has shrunk
and whatever goes on sounds as if it's just a room away.

Nothing has changed.
Except there are more people,
and new offenses have sprung up beside the old ones--
real, make-believe, short-lived, and nonexistent.
But the cry with which the body answers for them
was, is, and will be a cry of innocence
in keeping with the age-old scale and pitch.

Nothing has changed.
Except perhaps the manners, ceremonies, dances.
The gesture of the hands shielding the head
has nonetheless remained the same.
The body writhes, jerks, and tugs,
falls to the ground when shoved, pulls up its knees,
bruises, swells, drools, and bleeds.

Nothing has changed.
Except the run of rivers,
the shapes of forests, shores, deserts, and glaciers.
The little soul roams among these landscapes,
disappears, returns, draws near, moves away,
evasive and a stranger to itself,
now sure, now uncertain of its own existence,
whereas the body is and is and is
and has nowhere to go.

Chaos in Calais - Another Perspective on Undocumented Immigration

2009-05-20T06:19:00.000-07:00

You may have never heard of the port city of Calai, France or may think of Rodin's Burghers of Calais. (see below) Today, Calais is in the news for their tent city called "The Jungle" . It is an abandoned bit of woods that is shelter for undocumented immigrants coming from all over Africa, and the Middle East including Iraq and Afghanistan. We in the US tend to think only of Mexico and Latin America when we think of undocumented immigration. The issue of migration is a world wide one and tied tightly to the issue of human suffering and dreams for a better life. This video examines the issue from all sides; the immigrants, the volunteers, and the officials. Particularly touching for me is the migrant who came to Europe to pursue his love of Western Music and was shocked by the racism he found. Worth looking at also are the comments left by viewers on You Tube- sad, truly sad. (Click on the video to go to You Tube and scroll down to read comments.)

Rodin's sculpture memorialized the willingness of man to sacrifice for the love of others- a lesson we are still learning.

Latest "Playing for Change" video

2009-05-19T06:08:00.001-07:00

If you have not picked up the new Playing for Change CD and DVD, then you have to see and hear this video. The audio version is great but combined with the imagery it is awesome and inspiring.

(Click on the above video box if your view of the video is clipped on the right.)

Homeless In Gaza

2009-05-18T17:30:00.000-07:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/7926780.stm

This is a powerful slideshow with audio that shows the lingering effects of war. The Gaza War seems old news to us, we have moved to Swine Flu and so forth, but for this family with their children and grandparents, the war still looks them in the face every morning when the rise, and it sleeps with them at night. I respect the job the BBC News staff did in compiling this slideshow, you can hear the flames popping the wood as the photo comes into view of the father starting the fire. They also give everyone a voice, providing subtitles when needed. Heather Sharp, Hamada Abuqammar, and Paul Kerley have put together one of the best presentations of this kind I have seen. Touching. Disturbing.

To Be Rather Than to Seem

2009-05-13T18:46:00.000-07:00

Check out my new project that is finally ready to go public. I have been traveling the state of North Carolina for the last year collaborating with Muslim Americans to help them create self portrait images. Go to www.muslimselfportrait.info

Chinese Artist Wei Wei takes Dragon by the Tale

2009-05-12T16:42:00.001-07:00

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Artist Ai Wei Wei, who helped design the Chinese Olympic Stadium, has been collecting the names of the children who died in last years quake. His goal is to find a total number of children's deaths, that's all. His blog has become a popular site for parents and others. Keep him in your thoughts and prayers. Maybe he has enough visibility as an international artist not to be disappeared.

SORRY but this blog is the only one I could find on his activities. It has a Honda commercial at the start.

Women Are Heros

2009-05-11T12:49:00.000-07:00

TRAILER " WOMEN ARE HEROES"
by JR

WARNING: Mature images and content. Grow up and watch it.

Beautiful Site on Ugly Reality: 287g

2009-05-08T16:32:00.000-07:00

Check out this well designed project on the ugly truth of deportation practices in our state.

www.facingdeportation.org

Makes we want to run

2009-04-25T17:38:00.000-07:00

Onwards from akqa on Vimeo.

This animation by James Jarvis is excellent. If you have ever run regularly you will recognize the joy and awe in this animation. For me, it brings back memories of a long run once when it began to snow, by the time I got home I had ice on my beard and a fire in my heart. From the very first stretches the yellow man makes you can recognize its honesty and accuracy. Man, I gotta get back out there. There is music - after a moment.

PROP master at Gibbes

2009-04-23T17:25:00.000-07:00

Susan and Juan have a great installation up in Charleston, SC. Enjoy this well produced video.

Playground documentary is a must see for responsible adults- but be prepared

2009-04-18T05:18:00.000-07:00

Libby Spears has created a documentary that sheds a light on the dark underbelly of American culture; the child sex trade. Even looking at this trailer makes me sick and sick hearted. But unlike stopping to look at a bloody car wreck, we can actually accomplish something by seeing this side of reality. Watch, then figure out what you can do to help stop this exploitation of our country's children.

One thing you can do is attend this public screening:

Thursday, May 7th, 2009

Reception at 6:00pm
Screening at 6:30 pm

Question and answer session with panel following screening.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fire and Police Training Academy
1770 Shopton Road
Charlotte, North Carolina 28217
704.432.1709 (for directions)

For questions and registration, contact estefanias@lssp.org.
Registration closes end of day on May 5, 2009

Join me on iPeace

2009-04-13T16:54:00.000-07:00

I just joined this sit, www.ipeace.me, and the Artists United for Peace Group.

More than Ants

2009-03-07T13:12:00.000-08:00

Bathtub IV from Keith Loutit on Vimeo.

Found this on Thriving Too, a blog that I have linked to on my blog (at the very bottom of the page). Visit the list if you haven't yet. There are some cool sites found there.

A Dollar Bill and so much more

2009-03-07T12:34:00.000-08:00

I come from brothers, I am a brother, and I am father to brothers. When my father died in 1963, my Uncle took a dollar bill from his brother's wallet and kept it. When my Uncle died a few years back it came to me. I often wondered why my Uncle did that. I did not get a chance to ask him, but I would guess it was a simple attempt to hold onto something from his beloved brother. What would have happened had my Uncle invested that dollar, say in stocks? I guess that was not the point. There are more valuable things that pass between family members. That Uncle who took the dollar taught me a more valuable lesson about sticking by family. I watched and learned as the decades rolled by and he cared for my grandparents through thick and thin. My brother and I had a long talk this morning about the recession and the many ways it is eating at our lives. My sons text message each other and have their cell numbers memorized. There are so many ways to share a name.

Rainy Day with Charlie

2009-03-04T18:17:00.000-08:00

I had come to the mountains to camp and ski with my son's youth group. The rain and cold had kept us from hiking in the woods so we decided to urban hike along King Street in downtown Boone, North Carolina. After picking up some dark chocolate at Mast General Store we headed for the Turchin Arts Center. In an upstairs gallery I discovered Charlie Brouwer's installation "Hope Remains Part II" The big tree in the middle filled the room with a strong presence (the artist's? ) but it was the 30 monochrom drawing /paintings that captured my attention. Each image was uniquely designed and carried a layer of meanings; a working man figure, trees, leaf outlines, and words. Each work was mounted to the wall with simple white tabs and thumbtacks. I liked this approach and will borrow it for my own paper works. Each picture seemed at first hastily drawn but on closer examination betrayed a master's eye. The paper seemed to stretch and bend internally, pushing itself off the wall at times- giving it another layer of life. Brouwer has lived long enough to find heros like Joseph Beuys who echo his own love of nature and mankind. I enjoyed my travels around the room looking at each drawing. I recognizing many leaf shapes and found from time to time the working man figure. Although the words at time seemed too close to greeting card quotes, I found the artist's honest sharing and depth of hinted at wisdom refreshing. Not a bad substitute for a real walk in the woods. Thanks Charles.

PG animation shows plight of Gaza

2009-03-04T17:40:00.000-08:00

This animation speaks the truth for many Gaza citizens. Though it goes light on the effects of violence, it creates a memorable image of what it must be like to live in Gaza today. BTW, this was made by an Israeli illustrator. Read more here.

Sun Mu - Artist Speaks Truth to Power

2009-02-21T03:37:00.000-08:00

"What are they feeding me?" by Sun Mu.

Sun Mu is a North Korean artist who has excaped to South Korea and is now turning his training in propaganda painting into a voice for free expression. Check out Sun's work here and read the New York Times article on his intriguing journey as an artist.

Avett Brothers' Salvation Song - Valentine to the us all.

2009-02-17T17:40:00.000-08:00

If you take my heart
Don't leave the smallest part
I've no need to live if you're to come up gone
An as my life turns to a song
And if and when I treat you wrong
No I never want to hurt our family

And I would give up everything
No this is not just about me
And I don't know a plainer way to say it Babe
And they may pay us off in fame
Though that is not why we came
And I know well and good that won't heal our hearts

We came for salvation
We came for family
We came for all that's good that's how we'll walk away
We came to break the bad
We came to cheer the sad
We came to leave behind the world a better way

Now if I'm walkin' through the rain
And I hear you call my name
I will break into a run without a pause
And if your love laughs at your dreams
Well it's not as bad as it seems
Either way one of them has got to go
And if you take of my soul
You can still leave it whole
With the pieces of you own you leave behind

We came for salvation
We came for family
We came for all that's good that's how we'll walk away
We came to break the bad
We came to cheer the sad
We came to leave behind the world a better way

And I would give up everything
And if you were to come up clean
And see you shine so bright in a world of woe
And they may pay us off in fame
But that is not why we came
And if it compromises truth then we will go

We came for salvation
We came for family
We came for all that's good that's how we'll walk away
We came to break the bad
We came to cheer the sad
We came to leave behind the world a better way

Art makes good medicine

2009-02-17T15:10:00.000-08:00

St. Francis Children's Hospital in Tulsa OK.

Casey and Emily Lewis, owners of Beechwood Metalworks in Burlington, NC, are creating art that reaches a very specific community; the sick patients and their families spending days and nights in hospitals. If you have ever had to spend time there yourself- and I have spent many many days there with sick family- you know that the view from a hospital room can be depressing. Often the view includes parking decks, more buildings, and heating/ AC units. Casey and Emily have found a way to bring a smile to those who look out their window and find metal sculptures of flowers and animals waiting patiently to be discovered. Such unexpected whimsy can bring a smile to even the sickest patient- and what good medicine that can be.

Beechwood has installed sculptures at UNC Children's Hospital in Chapel Hill and at St. Francis Children's Hospital in Tulsa OK. More locations are in the works.

Playing for Change!

2009-01-25T08:48:00.000-08:00

President Obama is not the only agent of change. Artists worldwide like these good people from Playing for Change - Peace Through Music are binding together to become an upstoppable force for a better world. While you listen to this wonderful song, think about the possibility for good that our world village can now accomplish. Then, find a way to add your voice! Stop watching the news and worrying! Stand up and make something for PEACE, JUSTICE, and a BETTER FUTURE. The momentum is there- join it!

Heres is a Bill Moyer's interview with PFC founder Mark Johnson on this Project.

Great Resource for Obscure Films from Europe

2009-01-25T08:36:00.000-08:00

Check out this great online resource for European Film called Europa Film Treasures. What a well of inspirational resources for our new media artists!

First National Teaching Artist Research Project

2009-01-25T06:46:00.000-08:00

Do you teach art? If so, join this research project from the University of Chicago. Here more information from the press release I received:

If you are a teaching artist in any discipline (visual arts, music, dance, theater, writing, etc) or manage teaching artists, register for the First National Teaching Artist Research Project at http://teachingartists.uchicago.edu

The Obama campaign pledged to advance arts education and to create an ArtistsCorps, and that means the coming years will be important for teaching artists. What we learn through this study will help assure that new policies and practices create meaningful opportunities and real support for artists who do extraordinary work but who have rarely been recognized. Whether you teach in a school or a community site (a church, a prison, acommunity art center, a youth or social service agency or a street corner), what ever your art form, whether you teach adults or children, we want to learn about your experience. The more artists we include in this research, the more inclusive, accurate, and helpful the study will be.

This study focuses on teaching artists who live or work in the metro areas of Boston, Providence, or Seattle, in Chicago, and in these California communities -- the Bay Area (Alameda and San Francisco Counties), Los Angeles, San Diego, San Bernardino, Santa Cruz, Salinas, Bakersfield, and Humboldt County. So, if you're a teaching artist, or if you run a program that hires teaching artists, and live or work in one of our study site areas, please use the above link to sign up!

Even if you are not a teaching artist, everyone can help us by forwarding this email to all of your contacts who are.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or ideas of ways that we can reach out to more teaching artists. All those who complete the survey will be given a free CD of two amazing stories about teaching artists from Ira Glass' radio program 'This American Life'.

Source:

Nick Rabkin

Teaching Artist Research Project

NORC at the University of Chicago

1155 E. 60th St.

Chicago, IL 60637

House Made of Stone Stands to Help Those Who Help Others

2009-01-25T05:46:00.000-08:00

Tina Firesheets, News and Record reporter, has a new story out The Stone House, a retreat in Mebane, NC created for community activists and others. Check out the story online.

Almost as Good as Obama's Speech

2009-01-20T16:32:00.000-08:00

My son just shared this video with me. It's by Brett Dennen. The song is called "Ain't No Reason" off of his album So Much More. It's powerful. Listen to the lyrics carefully and watch the video all the way through.

Andrew Wyeth Passes

2009-01-16T06:41:00.000-08:00

Andrew Wyeth has died at age 91. I just looked through a wonderful book on his art and noticed how he created so much over the 1940s to the 1990's. His work remained consistent and has a timelessness to it. I remember looking at an 8MM film on his work in Junior High School. As a kid, he was the second artist I fell in love with after Norman Rockwell.

This painting of his is at the NC Museum of Art and shows a young boy running down a hill. It was painted after the death of his father, N.C. Wyeth. I have been told the hill represents his father. I connect with this work having lost a father, step-father, and grand-father - all men who meant a great deal to me. I know the loss his family is feeling. His work remains on many a wall, but more importantly in the hearts of minds of so many.

I raise my brush in silent tribute to a great artist.

It's the message that matters not the medium

2009-01-15T16:05:00.000-08:00

This video reminds me of my childhood when I made dioramas and played with that oily clay. Take a moment from your busy life to enjoy this quiet song by the Weepies and this imaginative claymation.

Simply Put: Art is the Cure

2009-01-12T16:44:00.000-08:00

Rich, a young British artist, has started a movement with the simple but profound statement: Art is the Cure. Being creative helped save him from the darker demons and as he shared this fact he has found others who it has helped as well. Check out his website and consider buying one of his t-shirts or joining his facebook group.

Put this on your new year's resolution list

2009-01-11T15:25:00.000-08:00

Found this on Eric Wilson's blog Artevist. Worth Sharing

Student Participants Needed for Project on Cluster Bombs

2009-01-11T06:38:00.001-08:00

"Landmine" by Bill Fick

THE CLUSTER PROJECT is an online collaborative art exhibition that surveys the social, historical, financial, and technological underpinnings of cluster bombs. The web exhibition will display some 22 installations (or rooms or bomblets) made by a variety of artists using animation, illustration, photography, video and other techniques.

For one of the works called WHAT THE PEOPLE KNOW, we invite teachers to help us involve student artists and journalists from around the country in interviewing citizens in their communities.
*****

While the United States has traditionally manufactured, sold and used the great bulk of cluster bombs around the world, it’s citizenry knows virtually nothing of the weapons, nor does it want to know. It is this combination of complicity and ignorance that The Cluster Project seeks to confront.

One of the works in the project, What the People Know, involves student media-makers questioning people in their communities. These will be simple man-in-the-street interviews in which subjects are
asked, “What is a cluster bomb?” They are then invited to discuss whatever they know about cluster munitions. The resulting material will then be sent to The Cluster Project where it will be collected and brought together in an exhibition installation.

Our goal is to gather responses from all fifty states.
*****

For university teachers of video production and related subjects, this assignment can take as little as a single class period. We will help provide information for the classroom context that explains both the nature of cluster munitions and the aims of this project. We will also include a brief protocol for the production shoot including the required questions and issues regarding location and approach.

Students from any discipline can participate, but they must have access to video and audio equipment and have a basic knowledge of field production.

All collaborators and institutions involved in the project will be credited.

Students participating in What the People Know should benefit from their collaboration in a national art project, their practical
experience in the documentary tradition and a greater awareness of their nation’s role in the use, sale and development of dangerous weapons.

Contact either Erich Woodrum or Bob Paris below:

Erich Woodrum, producer of What The People Know, thinkhuman@riseup.net

Bob Paris, director of The Cluster Project (and Assistant Professor in Kinetic Imaging at VCU’s School of the Arts in Richmond, VA), parisikov@theclusterproject.com

Seeing....Believing

2009-01-11T05:44:00.001-08:00

Too much coffee mixed with a powerful movie on the transience of life ( Benjamin Button) caused me to stay awake all night last night. In the middle of these episodes of insomnia, I often despair about growing old and useless. This morning's light brings to me a story in the paper on Joshua Silver, a grey beared physicist, who has invented a way to bring affordable prescription grade eye glasses to the poor around the world. By self-injecting small amounts of silicon into the lenses, these glasses can be adjusted by the wearer. Wow! Hundreds of thousands of these have already been distributed worldwide. The US military have bought thousands to give away in Africa. His business, Adaptive Eye-care is selling these glasses at about $19.

Whenever I get down- like last night- something like this comes along to remind me that one is never too old to make a difference in the world. Maybe I am biased but I also believe the creative mind, put to work for good, is the antidote for many late night despairs. Except for opthomologists, billions more worldwide will live (and sleep) better because Joshua Silver believed an idea could make the a better place.

Hope Man Peace Man Blog

2009-01-07T12:43:00.000-08:00

You may have heard of this blog written by one man in Gaza and another just outside in Israel, they call themselves Peace Man and Hope Man respectively. Peace man is trapped amid the violence in Gaza. Their blog was featured on NPR yesterday. Here is a link to the blog. Be sure to see the earlier post here on the Arte.TV site that shows life on both sides through video and interviews.

Bail Out Biennial Opens Jan. 16th

2009-01-06T18:12:00.000-08:00

LINCOLN (blood currency portait) by Severn Eaton

The first (and perhaps only) biennial to address the current economic "crisis" or "scandal," the 700+ billion dollar bailout, capitalism, global economy, postindustrialism,greed and profit. Organized by elin o'Hara slavick and Jeff Waites
with special thanks to Nancy Kitterman. Housed in a big empty space with high ceilings and tall windows surrounding
the room, Bail Out Biennial is located in downtown Durham – a post-industrial city that is struggling to revitalize itself in the midst of a global economic meltdown. The exhibition is free. Artists pay for their own shipping. Unlike
most biennials, this one was put together quickly from a simple call for submissions, has no budget, and will require plywood sheets to be screwed into the existing wooden pillars from the old tobacco pouch production factory to
make walls for all the art. Speaking of the art, 26 artists were selected for Bail Out Biennial, representing
10 states and 4 countries. The work includes: giveaway spoofs on previous biennials and Duchamp – free bail out bonds and pins that state how much each of us is paying for this bail out, $2,296.84; the story of shrimp and how this
luxury item becomes a common commodity on our tables; dot matrix portraits of the men on our paper money, made from the artist's blood; large color photographs of found rainbows, minikins, homeless people holding what they
keep, demolition derbys, empty condos and undeveloped gated communities; paintings of pennies from heaven, a gargantuan pig, communist and capitalist symbols on paper plates, wringing hands, dead powerful men; and more.
How can and do we respond to the economic, political and social world around us as artists at a time of heightened frenzy and pending doom? Can art shed some light on the current situation or poke some holes in the dull screen of it
all? Can we make beauty out of nothing, humor out of tragedy, critical understanding out of superficial materials, a sense of wonder, purpose or awe out of crumbs? Can these works compel viewers to action in order to begin shift towards a new and different economy of desire, cooperation, and possibilities?

Show runs January 16 - March 15, 2009

OPENING RECEPTION Friday, January 16, 6 – 9 pm

Open Monday - Saturday 10am - 6pm and Sunday 12-5pm or by appointment 967-7700

ARTISTS:
Lauren Adams, Becca Albee, Joshua Bienko, Clare Britt, Ann Chwatsky, María DeGuzmán,
Severn Eaton, Lorena Endara, Paul Evans, Peter Eversoll, Cathryn Griffin, Michael Itkoff,
Andrew Johnson, Geoffrey Owen Miller, Susan Mullally, Shaw Osha, Conor Peterson, elin
o'Hara slavick, Susanne Slavick, Hiroshi Sunairi, David Tinapple, Julie Thomson, Paul
Valadez, Stacy Waddell, Jeff Waites, Karen Frimkess Wolff
At Golden Belt, 807 East Main Street, Durham, NC 27701, Building #2
www.goldenbeltarts.com
Questions? eoslavic at gmail.com

Went fishing.... caught database!

2009-01-04T12:23:00.000-08:00

Being totally exhausted today from the last three days of physical work, I went "fishing" online for new art and activism resources ( Yes, I am total bore.) and man did I catch a big one. It is a database of resources for groups and individuals working all around the world on art that has a goal of social change. Put together by the International Centre of Art for Social Change, this database is worth reviewing.

Join our Face Book Group

2009-01-02T07:14:00.000-08:00

I have gained so much support from this blog over the last year. My sense of isolation as an activist artist has been erased and replaced with motivation after discovering all the wonderful efforts of other artists. I want to expand that experience to other artists by starting a face book group that will allow like minded artists and creative types an opportunity to network, offer support, and give free brainstormings. Here is the direct link: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=42301323579 I am not sure it will work unless you are signed in to face book. If not, just search "Make Art Like You Care" on Face book and join the group.

Here to a year filled with new possibilities.

Time to wake up and see past the dead zone.

2009-01-02T06:30:00.000-08:00

The news of bombs coming in to and out of Gaza is everywhere. I think we in the West have developed a dumb ear and blind eye to the suffering from this part of the world. We seem to think that it has always been so and always will be so.

Enter Arte.tv from France and GazaSderot. Through interviews with everyday people living in Gaza and in Sderot -just next door to Gaza but in Israel, they are attempting to surpass the dead zone created by the same old news. Their broadcasts have been watch worldwide. Even more importantly they have been seen in both the Gaza and Sderot communities and have been for some the first time they themselves have seen past the news and rhetoric. Take a moment to watch these broadcasts. Arte.tv was filming right up until the current explosion of conflict.

If we are to make the world a better place we must first open our eyes and engage our minds to the suffering around us and end the dead zone that begins first in our minds and hearts. It is from this internal dead zone that all the rest springs. These videos provoke us to let in the light

60 and still Relevant!

2008-12-10T17:16:00.000-08:00

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights turned 50 today. We should all take a moment to count the blessings in our own lives and redouble our efforts to help those who are denied basic human rights right here in our own country and abroad.

What's Your Story?

2008-12-09T06:07:00.000-08:00

I'll put in bluntly; Every School in the country needs to be doing a project like this one recently held at Anderson Ranch. I can count on one hand the number of writing assignments my kids have had in nearly 24 years of public education. Yet, those creative projects have effected them in profound ways. This project teaches empathy, it builds bridges across cultural and class divides, and it honors each student. It's a simple approach, like placing on bandage on a wound, it seems a shame we do it so rarely.

Living Up to Her Name

2008-12-01T05:27:00.000-08:00

One of my long time heros is Saint Francis of Assisi. I respect so much about his life including his attempt to stop the crusades by walking to Egypt and petitioning both sides to stop. His mission began with helping the outcast and sick. I have a new hero in the person of Frances Hawthorne of Charlotte, NC. She is an artist who has worked with the homeless and those in prison for years on end. Her art and stories could fill a book. Unfortunately, she does not have a website or blog. She was very willing to share these pictures with me on her past projects. Frances is a great speaker and has engaging, provocative stories to tell. I will pass along any message you send her here.

Here is what Frances shares about the above picture:

"This is the mobile home project we called the Central Park Project. It came with an architectural sign which said "central park project. affordable in town living. by Red Line Realty, estb. 1936". These tents were at parking meters on Tryon Street (center city) between 3rd and 4th street, 2 blocks from the Bank of America building (in Charlotte). We parked them at parking meters and, of course, paid for the parking."

Here is another of her projects with her comments:

"Tiered Justice was exhibited at Blumenthal's Spirit Square art gallery in July of 2006. It is available for exhibition and can be resized to fit various spaces. (Participating) inmates were from the Mecklenburg County jail. Other artists who worked with me on the installation (walls etc) were Malena Bergmann and Ann Kluttz. Neither of them taught at the jail but Malena did come with me for 3 classes to help cast feet. feet are made of ashes and wax.

The words on the walls are the inmates' words--what they'd say if they could be there."

Eco Drawing Brings You Full Circle

2008-11-29T05:15:00.000-08:00

Circular Painting from Fly on the Wall on Vimeo.

Groups like the Barn Stormers have made a name for themselves with time lapse drawing. This project was done on a circular wall and filmed with a rotating camera. Having done a smaller project like this I appreciate the effort and love its blend of good aggressive drawing, voice overs, great filming, and cool music.

I found this video on the Doodlers Anonymous blog.

An unstoppable force

2008-11-24T00:55:00.000-08:00

Ahmed Fadaam, an Iraqi refugee working in Elon, North Carolina had his sculpture vandalized on Saturday Nov. 15th, 2008. Someone came into his studio while he was away and attacked a statue of women he was preparing to cast. It is too ironic that Ahmed was at the Visualizing Human Rights Conference in Chapel Hill when this act occured. Add to this that the statue is in honor of women in Iraq who are loosing their freedom through intimidation and violence. It is also too ironic that Ahmed had his art and University art program destroyed in 2003 during the looting of Baghdad. Most people would throw their hands in the air and give up.

Ahmed has repaired the sculpture, after documenting the violence leveled against it. He writes:

"I have fixed the statue and will cast it soon, nothing can stop an artist from doing his work and tell his message, art survived and will always do because of us, the artists. and a bunch of people like those who burned my school in Baghdad in 2003, or those who have attacked my statue now will not stop you or me. All the best and God bless you."

More on this event with pictures of the damage and repair can be seen at: http://www.elon.edu/pendulum/Story.aspx?id=1332

Project Orange: New Twist on Graffiti

2008-11-20T18:20:00.000-08:00

My students love the graffiti art aesthetic. Here are some Detroit artists making a very different statement with orange paint.

Iraq, Paper, Scissors

2008-11-18T17:50:00.000-08:00

I recently read a quote that said there are only two kinds of people; those who create, and those who destroy. I had been thinking about that statement a lot when I came across this project on my friends' blog Groundswell. These Iraqi veterans are reinventing themselves in a profound way. This is a touching and thought provoking project.