Summer to Fall

After a very busy summer, I'm getting back to my own work. I had the very good fortune to work this summer assisting artist Susan Stair with a mosaic she designed and fabricated for PS/IS 189 in the Bronx. The photos are of me with artists Jessica Funaro and Mitsuyo Mori working in Stair's Harlem studio. Stair was awarded a grant by the city of New York to create the mosaic as part of a program to install public art pieces in new schools around the city. This piece is a tribute to Rosa Parks and is inspired by the lyrics, "Just like a tree that's planted by the river/We shall not be moved." Made of glass tile (smalti) and ceramic, it is a gorgeous work. I would love to post images of it installed but I don't have permission to do so yet - hopefully will be able to post an image or link someday soon. But if you have the time and inclination to visit PS/IS 189 to see the mosaic, which includes two columns on the side entrance which were designed by Stair and the school's students, it is located at 3440 Steenwick Ave - the last stop on the Eastchester/Dyer bound no. 5 train in the Bronx.

In addition to my recent work, a series of mixed media images on drafting vellum, I'm working on a new performance that will happen at SOHO20 gallery on November 6. Details will be posted soon - visitor participation will be encouraged! I'm also working on a commission for a friend - a portrait in oil on canvas that is coming along v e r y s l o w l y.

On top of all the work I need to begin researching graduate school applications for MFA programs. I'm feeling a little (a lot) lost here and would be grateful for any advice. Right now Hunter College is the only school I have myself set on but I know I shouldn't apply to just one school. And time is running out for Fall 2010 application deadlines...

New Exhibition at Soho20 Gallery

Opening reception this Thursday, July 23, 5-7 pm. Look for me there.

First Crush

This beautiful print by illustrator Julia Pott is being offered as a prize to the best first crush story. Go to Doodlers Anonymous to enter your story for a chance at winning. Here's the story of my first crush:

It was the first grade. One boy with Luke Skywalker hair made me a little prickly with heat and for that I didn't like him. I was just too little to understand the concept of "crush" and was afraid I'd somehow betray and shame myself. So I ignored him. One day I saw him in the cafeteria eating a sandwich he brought from home and to my horror, I saw that he had peeled off the crusts to eat around them, which is what I always did. When he noticed that I did the same he gave me an adorable grin, but I quickly turned away in embarrassment. I think that hurt his feelings. I wish I could go back to that moment so I could return his smile that day in the cafeteria, at least to acknowledge our solidarity in eating crustless sandwiches.

What To See...

Artist Joanne Mattera features several noteworthy exhibitions on her Art Blog. You can read her post here.

Tribute to the People

I have had absolutely no time to blog lately and should be working right now, but I thought to take a break and check in with some blogs that I follow. I had about a week or two's worth of browsing to catch up on.

One art blog that I highly respect had a week-old post saying that their blog was "proudly Michael Jackson-free: no news, no gossip, no pics, "no interest." My first reaction was "YESSS!" Mainstream media has surely milked this passing while very urgent issues lie like fallen trees in the road (you can't just drive over them).

However...my next reaction to this blog post was, "well, wait a sec..." I sheepishly admit that I've been swept up with fascination over the last week of MJ mania. At first I wasn't quite sure why since I was never a true fan of Michael Jackson - he kind of lost me when the video for "Thriller" came out since I was seven-years-old at the time and afraid of everything. So by no means did I run home to watch live coverage of his memorial tribute. But the act of remembering the guy has brought on a wave so strong of childhood nostalgia that I, like so many others I'm sure, haven't felt a long time. (And, on a personal level, this nostalgia has flooded me with childhood memories of my father, who also died an untimely death that could have been prevented. I mostly feel for the children left behind.)

But the reason I partially take back my emphatic agreement with the art blog's Michael Jackson-free post is because I commute to work through Harlem's 125th Street, passing the Apollo Theater. The feeling of communal mourning and celebration is hard to miss - I can't help but be swept up by the old hits emanating from boom boxes and the spontaneous dance-offs on the sidewalk. I was at first disturbed by the instant capilalization of the spectacle of death, with T-shirts and CD's being sold at every turn of the head, but hey - it's a living.

It's the fact that in their own way, so many people are reacting at once, and I find this is what affects me. And I'm not talking about Mary f*cking Hart feigning mourning on Entertainment Tonight; I'm talking about everyday people that I see in this city - total strangers meeting on the street to celebrate a life, which to me celebrates life in general. I suppose that's also the power of pop culture.

Still, with all this bombardment in the "news", it really is very nice to have a Michael Jackson-free zone.

At Soho20...

Art on Water

The artist SWOON and her crew of artists, musicians and dreamers crashed the Venice Biennale this year with their fleet of three ships known as the Swimming Cities of Serenissima, made of found objects and "treasures".  All I can say is that I wish I had been a participant of this project.  With Jack's boating experience and my dance moves, we would have been a valuable part of the crew...or so I happen to think.  Swoon, I'm swooning for you!  Please, please, please take me with you next time.