Independent Journalist, Joey Coleman, shares with Larissa D some of the things he has seen happening with the Hamilton Community at the HDMI Event held at the Art Gallery of Hamilton.

Like to see more of what Joey Coleman is doing, check out his website at http://joeycoleman.ca/

April 12th- May 6th
173 James Street North, Hamilton, Ontario
Opening reception Friday, April 12th 7-9pm

Displaced Landscapes: Uranus of Hamilton| Christopher Healey

Please join me during Art Crawl night on James Street North for my new show of photo based prints based on local skyscapes. These are selected works from my Hamilton series focusing on industrial emissions in the city – but pretends what we are seeing is actually Greek Mythology. Below is part of the exhibit statement: ~ Chris

Exhibit Statement

“According to the poet Alcman, Aether was the father of Ouranos, the god of the sky. While Aether was the personification of the upper air, Ouranos was literally the sky itself, composed of a solid dome of brass.”

“After Cronus was born, Gaia and Uranus decreed no more Titans were to be born. They were followed by the one-eyed Cyclopes and the Hecatonchires or Hundred-Handed Ones, who were both thrown into Tartarus by Uranus. This made Gaia furious. Cronus (“the wily, youngest and most terrible of Gaia’s children”[24]), was convinced by Gaia to castrate his father. He did this, and became the ruler of the Titans with his sister-wife Rhea as his consort, and the other Titans became his court.”

~wikipedia

As an industrial city and port, Hamilton has a particular relationship with the sky, earth, fire and water. It’s an elemental dynamic that is always at play, and that makes for a sweeping and majestic landscape. This primal yet manufactured visual is reminiscent of Greek mythology, and prompted me to dissociate elements of what I was seeing, and to re-frame them as scenes from classical stories. The hubris, struggle and morality lessons of creation mythology are an apt commentary of a Hamilton in a state of identity crisis: The titans borne of industry and their older world status are being challenged by a younger, cleverer community. It’s a grand philosophical battle that is reflected in the devastated areas of the urban core and in the physical manifestation of our relationship with the sky.

a Hamilton brownfield

Formally, since moving to Hamilton late in 2010 my process has been greatly influenced by the built heritage, community relationships / history with industry and the perceptions of Hamilton from both inside the community and outside of it. This series of work, outside of my usual practice of drawing and painting, is my first  exploration of digital print based media.

emission study

Through digital photography and layering techniques, these prints are a perspective of landscape as environment of cloud, air and emissions. A familiar and often documented fixture in the Hamilton community, as well as many other communities, smoke stacks are universally symbolic of industry, environment and politics.

emission study

In this series, I am attempting to focus past these common discourses and formally examine the ephemeral and displaced characteristics emissions of steam / vapour / smoke without it’s architectural source or other visual clutter. It can be argued this moment of shape and process is a valid, important and beautiful part of our visual community landscape as any building or geological feature – especially if we remove it entirely of our own bias and associative meanings of it’s practical function and effects.

emission study

Can the shapes and movements of emissions transcend preconceived notions of industry and be accepted as a natural part of our immediate environment?

emission study

These careful studies ask this absurd question by de-contextualizing the natural and the manufactured as a process of artificially homogenizing multiple images. The result is series of very soft, subtle fields that are both familiar and strange, encouraging study and contemplation.

173 James Street North

Hamilton, Ontario
L8R 2K9
Canada

Media Contact: Christopher Healey
artlistpro@gmail .com

Yes, I’m that girl-in-the-window who sat with hot-pink bow in my hair, rattling presents and waving at passers-by of Hawk & Sparrow on James Street North; the lady in white sitting miraculously still while searching my heart and mind and all of you for something to write in my pretty brown notebook; the statuesque woman in an antique brown gown perched ever-so-silently on a vintage cream-and-yellow settee.

I sit and watch all of you, wondering at your bustle, peering just as queerly at those children and teenagers making strange faces, jumping up-and-down and beating on the window just to get me to blink. The window is old, and so I ask that you not beat upon it just to get a reaction from me – as that glass might break before I do.

You make me blink, I assure you; I just manage to hold it within until a better time. Now seems such a time.

“How does she sit so still?” I hear children ask mothers and mothers ask Sarah Moyal, the owner of Hawk & Sparrow. There was a time in history, I’ve read, when ladies used to sit with poise and grace for hours, needing not to speak nor to be spoken to, when we were content with simply observing. Such times fascinate me, have always fascinated me; sitting still, I’ve learned, provides more opportunity for discovery than motion, talk, bustle.

I wonder, when I hear mothers comment to their children that they wish the little ones could only sit so still as I: are these children ever taught the value of sitting still? With constant motion, constant activity, constant stimulus through TV, movies, computers, video games, baseball, basketball, hockey – when do these children ever have a chance to sit? I remember, as a child, I sat and read; I sat in trees and watched the bugs; I sat on my mother’s antique settees to escape the bustle and noise of my seven siblings, and was grateful for the silence. I sat in the car or in our van on long road trips and watched the Florida palms, the passing cars, the billboards. I learned to sit and sit and sit, to take in details and beauty and all the world.

I would ask you mothers of bustling children: when do you sit? When do you stop moving, stop going, stop running from place to place to place? When do your children ever see you enjoying your time by yourself, that they might learn to do the same?

I watch these children-turned-teenagers who cannot believe that a person can sit so long, never moving a visible muscle, never giving evidence that she lives or breathes, never showing a thought on her face or in her eyes; I see these restless beings bouncing, beating violently upon glass, begging and demanding for attention, for a response; and I wonder if they have ever been asked to find a response of their own, within themselves. I wonder if they have ever given attention to themselves; I wonder how violently they beat upon the glass of walls around themselves, that they may be free.

It is likely no wonder to those who can sit and marvel at such things as the patterns of growing condensation on drinking glasses, that one might sit and sit as I do in the window of Hawk & Sparrow each ArtCrawl. For those with deep interests, deep lives, deep hearts, the sitting comes naturally, and life in all of its variegations pours in relentlessly.

For those who yet wonder: I sit to model clothes that I find beautiful, for a store that I find beautiful, so I might share and help share with a world that can be beautiful a place that I find beautiful. I am nothing but a model; and so I can sit for hours and be nothing but a model.

Why then should I move? Why should I react, and how can I, if my purpose is to model?

What’s your purpose, little ones? What’s your purpose, young ones who twist your faces and beat and shout? What’s your purpose, mothers and fathers with wishes for still children? What’s your purpose, all of you who walk in front of my view upon the world, all of you meandering from place to place to place, wondering and marveling momentarily at one who sits and sits and sits…?

Just a taste of the fine art at the artsprawl – photo by eilonwyn77

One word is on the tongue of every resident in Ancaster and, for once, it isn’t ‘inheritance’.  Folks here are genuinely excited

A fine example of homegrown art – photo by jelene

about their very own Artsprawl, and the merging of Supercrawl with the Festival of Friends at Ancaster Fairgrounds.  I took a trip out to the Meadowlands to get a read on it.

“I think it’s fantastic!” Says Michelle Sommers, a 34-year-old yoga instructor.  ”Martha Stewart’s crafts were going downhill since she went to jail.  Now, our whole family gets involved.  Even our pedigree Bichon Frise is wearing a multi-coloured walking sweater, though her canine psychologist said colours aren’t good for her well being.”

My next stop was Michael’s, Ancaster’s largest craft store, where I discovered the competitive drive behind crafts.  Employee, Bonnie, tells me “People are buying the pre-made crafts like they are going out of style.  When one person buys something, another person looks at it and buys the same thing, only bigger.  We now stock balls of yarn 8 ft in diameter.”

My last stop was at Second Cup, where we spoke with John Unsworth, a 37-year-old  retired Investment Consultant who reluctantly became a fan and participant.  ”I’m not really an artsy person, but how can you not get caught up in all of this?  Luckily, my personal life coach, a retired art teacher, showed me how to make origami out of my old, low performing investment portfolios.”

From street to street, Ancaster is abuzz with excitement.  Residents here are happy to share a little bit of their culture with the outside.  Hopefully Ancaster’s Artsprawl will be a draw for years to come.

…

Like this?  Read more:

1. MORE ON ARSPRAWL
2. HAMILTON’S GREAT NOVELIZER, DIED

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CODE RED: SUBURBAN RENEWAL PART II

Farley Hammerton.  January 24, 2013.

CODE RED: SUBURBAN RENEWAL – PART II, SUBURBANITICY

Suburbs are often criticized for their lack of culture.  When Ancaster’s Mayor Lloyd Ferguson suggested Fiddler’s Green Rd be changed to Lorne Greene Rd, because the former may attract hippie musicians, we all groaned.  As we found out yesterday, Ancaster has a thriving artscene, and it offers much more to the trained eye.

It was the apparent lack of culture (and deep advertizing pockets) that first attracted entrepreneur/booster Martinus Geleynse to publish suburbanicity.  The vigorous debates about the designer baby strollers, or the anti-splash pad league, were not even mentioned in the classically named, Ancaster News.  I had a chance to interview Martinus on why Ancaster is such a gold
mine of culture.  Or is it just a gold mine of advertisement?

The Interview

Farley:  I had no idea your eyes were so blue.

<awkward silence>

He edits. He fashions. He makes news look easy.

Martinus:  Listen, you’ve been staring at me for a minute.  I feel weird about that.

Farley:  Oh, you’re a scoundrel, you are.  Anyways.  Why did you feel Ancaster needed its own “urbanicity”?

Martinus:  Ancaster is really a pretty serious hub of suburban sexiness.  The urbanicity brand is all about this stuff.  The Ancaster population buy a crapload of advertisements.  They’ll buy full-page ads for their kids’s birthday parties.

Farley:  Ancaster is going through their ‘folk art renaissance,’ how does Suburbanicity plan on fostering this?

Martinus:  The new suburbanicity will feature full-page “How to” lessons on all sorts of folk arts.  Imagine a broadsheet page of high-design black and white glory that teaches you how to knit using corn husks and newsprint!   We’ve even hired the underrated folk art guru, Larry Di Ianni as our new Suburbanicity editor!

Farley:  What has been your impression of their version of artcrawl – the monthly, drive-thru art festival – Artsprawl?

Martinus:  Honestly – I love it.  It gets people out of their homes for a real driveway to driveway experience, which is what Suburbanicity is really all about. The downtown art crawl was really a citizen-led initiative, but the Artsprawl has been all top-down.

What a delight that was.  I know next time I’m at one of Ancaster’s big box stores, I’ll be picking up my copy of suburbanicity.

Stay tuned tomorrow for CODE GREY: SUBURBAN RENEWAL, PART III – when we talk about the Sara Lee inspired culinary movement in Burlington/Oakville.

See Martinus’ magazine, urbanicity.

…

You might also like:

1. MAKING ROOM FOR CONDOS ON HARBOURFRONT BY MOVING STEEL PLANTS DOWNTOWN
2. BRAWL AT THE FARMERS’ MARKET

Part 1 of Urban Renewal Series – background photo by Nelson Minar

Farley Hammerton.  January 23, 2013.

CODE GREY: SUBURBAN RENEWAL – PART I

Alfred E. Neuman once said, “The suburbs are where they cut down all the trees and then name streets after them.”  Ancaster’s current art renaissance is no joke, however.   Artsprawl, held every third Friday of the month, features drive-thru art hosted outside people’s homes, perfect for the car-centric city.

A fine example of the Unicorn Revival in Ancaster – by Chica832

“The idea is that you never leave the car,” says organizer Soren Fieberman.  “The artcrawl on James Street is not really appealing to the average person from Ancaster.  Bumping into strangers, eating grilled cheese, human interaction – if they wanted that, they’d move into an apartment on Bay Street.  At Artsprawl, you simply drive by the art, take a quick look, and your home for dinner.”

One of many macrame owls charming the walls of Ancaster – photo by Tom Gazpacho

The movement started with the so-called “Soccer Mom” demographic.  “We were bored.  We’re all highly educated at the best schools, and there’s only so much help the nanny needs with the kids.  We’re all in art classes, so it’s time to show our chops,” says proud mother of one, Sharon Winchester.

You won’t find the risky art that characterizes the artcrawl, but you will find plenty of practical folk art.  Among the top-sellers are wall hangings with “Bless this Mess” on them, or “Don’t Pee in Our Gigantic Pool, We Don’t Swim in Your Bidet.”  Lawn silhouettes, paintings of unicorns, and macrame owls fly off the lawns of the artists.

This just may be Ancaster’s chance to show Hamilton that they indeed have a soul.

See Part II of the Series – Suburbanicity:  Ancaster’s Newest Paper

…

Like this?  Read this:

1. Festival of Superfriends?  Supercrawl joins Festival of Friends at Ancaster Fairgrounds
2. Push for Dress code at Artcrawl Maddens Patrons

State of the Hammer

It’s been a busy week for Hamilton and HammerInTheNews.  We’ve had coverage by The Spec, and nod from This is That, a new reporter, over 10,000 hits on the website, and plenty of productive twitter sessions with you, Hamilton.  Here’s the week in review.

Farley’s Favourite Comments:

Julianne (concerning Rob Ford): “Maybe this is what Hamilton needs? Quick decisions, controversy, more football, and less heritage? That Bratina is kind of boring…..”

Councillor Jason Farr said, “I’m not the guy you want to be asking about fashion. As long as folks are clothed.”

Wordplay of the week:  In response to “Toodle doo” – stationary store said: ” @mixedmedia154  or as we say “doodle-too”!

Tweet of the Week (About Rob Ford): @bryanyoungdotca : If we can’t have @JoseCanseco this is the next best thing! RT @HammerInTheNews ROB FORD NEXT MAYOR OF HAMILTON? http://ow.ly/gSdZr  #HamOnt

@DrDiscHamilton: ‘”Farley” @HammerInTheNews is quite a little imp! Mark at DD’

@muskoxen : @HammerInTheNews Whitehead is stronger than McHattie, but like Samson his weakness is his hair #hamont

This Week’s Posts:

A picture of Joy

HAMILTON SPECTATOR INTERVIEWS FARLEY

DRESS CODE FOR ARTCRAWL:  THE DEBATE RAGES – SNOBS VS SLOBS

YOUR VOTING RESULTS FOR FIST FIGHT:  MCHATTIE – 71%, WHITEHEAD – 29% (72 Votes)

IVOR WYNNE CANCELLED, PLAYERS PLAY IN RUINS

COUNCILLOR FEARS TECHNOLOGY: “How do I know someone calling themselves @inthehoodhamont or @HiddenPonyMusic is really a taxpayer.”

ROB FORD NEXT MAYOR OF HAMILTON?  BACK UP PLAN AS COURT RESULTS PENDING

HAMILTON’S NOVELIZER DIES IN CAR

ACCIDENT: FARLEY INTERVIEWS HER MENTOR

The Mayor of Canada’s Biggest City Playing with a Puppet – photo by Shaun

Wondering if he’ll get in to next month’s artcrawl – photo by eschipul

The King and James St intersection downtown is always a tableau of the weird, the absurd, and the shocking.  It’s mixture of office workers, homeless people, and everything in between.  Everything.  If you’ve even driven by, you know what I mean.  Even more shocking, though, is the lobby by sharply dressed downtowners to call for a loosely enforced dress code for the monthly artcrawl.

“We’re not asking for ball gowns, top hats and tails.  We just ask that you don’t wear dirty jogging pants, ripped army surplus, or anything from Stitches,” says the passionate, Mulberry St resident, Billy Pantalone.  “I shake my head when I come downtown.  People wearing the wrong seasons, last year’s shoes – we’re trying to start an art movement here, but the deadbeats are holding things back.”

Pantalone isn’t a lone voice.   Farley Hammerton conducted a 100-person survey  and found 4/10 supported some sort of dress code to avoid schlubbery.  Some suggest a dress code will keep out the riff-raff and trouble-makers.

Even the ubiquitous Martinus Geleynse, editor of urbanicity, and local T.V. personality, threw his support behind a dress code: “I think that a dress code should be strongly enforced.  Perhaps with tasers…this might be the perfect solution for preventing the bankruptcy of Coppley Apparel – the preeminent Hamilton suit manufacturer.  Furthermore, how is Hamilton ever going to shed our reputation as a fashion failure if we permit such shlubbery?”

Not everyone feels so strongly.  Councillor Jason Farr said, “I’m not the guy you want to be asking about fashion. As long as folks are clothed.”

While others on Twitter showed the typical, downtown social media nay-saying:

“#artcrawl should be inclusive, not exclusive” @bysarahjay

The James St N. community of store owners have taken a stance on progressive issues, like the Casino, using their clothes as a bargaining piece late December.   Many shoppers remember fondly the store owners stripping off their clothes to protest the casino.  Watch out, Ottawa Street, looks like there may be a new fabric district.

Whatever side of the fence you sit on, I know this reporter will be polishing his loafers, cleaning his Tilley, and putting that extra crease in his pleated pants.

Like this?  Read Violence at the Farmers’ Market

Mentioned in this article:

Urbanicity - “The premiere interactive forum for constructive, thoughtful, provocative, and local ideas, issues, and experiences.”

Jason Farr – Ward 2 Councillor, anti-nude artcrawl stance

Various members of the internet.

Another vision for the core – photo by JoelK75

“We just want a safe place to gamble.”   This is the plea of a group of problem gamblers downtown who prefer the term, “People of Chance” (POC).  I sat down with spokesperson, Rita Virtue, to get her side of the story.   Virtue, 58, and mother of three, starts off with an analogy.

“Listen:  I’ll get to the artcrawl in a minute.  Our gambling issue is like the needle exchange in Vancouver.  We’re in the Hamilton City Centre bathrooms, social clubs, and the alley behind Cheapies just to score the next bet.  These are not safe places.  We’ve resorted to betting on dog fights and scooter races.  We want to have a clean place, with a dress code and slots.  Studies show that we, the POC, provide 36% of the revenue for the casinos, and no one has asked our opinion.”

Virtue recalls that, “Councillor Whatever-His-Name was right, downtown is not a neighbourhood.  We shouldn’t be treating it like one.”

A picture of Joy- photo by Bev Wagar

The problem, according to the POC, is that events like artcrawl and the grassroot development by citizens are taking too long.  According to Virtue, “It’s really preventing the downtown from becoming the next Atlanta or Reno. Think of the positives, for once.  It’s those ‘usual suspects’ of bleeding hearts that really shoot down these great ideas that will benefit our town.

Why don’t they do their research.  Did you hear the interview with PJ Mercanti on Matt & Gunner?  Mercanti said that Casinos give elderly people something fun to do with their disposable income.  Why does the art community hate the elderly so much?”

With artcrawl on the horizon, POC would like to remind the citizens of Hamilton that the artsy, urban renewal is taking a seriously long time.   A casino can bring the money fast.

Who knows?  Maybe a casino would bring a rare smile to the faces of some of those scowling hipsters, too.

Read more:

1. HAMILTON’S ‘NOVELIZER’ E.E. BONNET REMEMBERED
2. ROB FORD – THE NEXT MAYOR HAMILTON?

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———————————-

set up in Hamilton, Ontario

</aC

The Hamilton football club was established Nov. 3, 1869, and the team was named the Tigers.  After World War II an additional football club, the Hamilton Wildcats, was established and almost immediately so did a rivalry between the two teams.  The teams amalgamated in 1950 to form the Hamilton Tiger Cats; since then the team has set various CFL records, including winning the Grey Cup in every decade of the 20th century.

The team has always been a major part of the Hamilton community.  The Tiger-Cats made over 1,400 community appearances in the past 12 months – the most in the CFL.  Players actively participate in community events and initiatives including Hage’s Heroes, Dave Stala’s Catches For Kids, and Stala’s Stars, to name a few.  The organization and its players support the community with a variety of outreach programs that support the City of Hamilton and its youth.

Hamilton is a diverse city with a rich, intriguing history.  Why not discover something new, and fall in love with Tiger-town all over again!  The library is your key to the City of Hamilton with a variety of resources to showcase the city and all its wonders.  Perhaps our CFL players have inspired you to support Hamilton’s youth?  Build the Dream: Education Beyond High School is an initiative led by Mohawk College, together with its community partners, to improve access to postsecondary education.  If you’re interested in art and music, you can discover both on James Street North.  The area boasts some of the best art, music, vintage shops, and food in Hamilton.  Art crawls keep James Street North  shops open late on the second Friday of each month, and the annual Supercrawl has something for everyone!  Support your Hamilton Tiger Cats at Ivor Wynne tonight by wearing your black and gold, showing your stripes, and bearing your teeth to the Saskatchewan Roughriders …and eat ‘em RAW!

Enter for a chance to win an amazing makeover at McKinnon Hair Design!

So this Friday I’m going to be at the Artcrawl with my @cameronHair models. Nina and Pavielyn. You might remember them from the Window Installation from November and December.

I’m going to do a haircut on Nina somewhere outdoors… I’m not even sure where yet so I can’t really give a clue for that. But we will definitely be getting some Sweet Ice Cones and then checking out the H24 awards at some point.

TO ENTER:

Take a pic with one of the Models and post it on Twitter to @cameronHair and use the #hamont and #artcrawl hash tags!

Go to CameronElder.com for a peek at what the models look like!

Here’s a link to my ARTCRAWL VIDEO too!

So join us at Art Crawl. Stop by Olga’s table to say “hi.” You may even bump into the other writers, Steven and Golda. Anyone who mentions “Surviving LA on a Budget” will also get a discount on Olga’s artworks! Hope to see you all there!

Happy Memorial Day Weekend,

The Writing Staff

Heres the list of clues that will lead you to some of my favorite places to go on James St. N!!

To enter the contest snap a cool pic of the business or place and post it on twitter to @cameronhair and use the #hamont #artcrawl hashtags…

Each correct pic you post counts as one entry! Soooo… The more clues you solve the better your chances of winning!

I’m looking forward to seeing a lot of sweet pics of my favorite places on James!

Clues:

1. This new and also historic addition to James St. has made us all so proud. They had their grand opening at the last artcrawl.

2. This clue includes 2 really cool shops that have had different locations on James before their current locations. These 2 shops have been an amazing part of transforming their block! I Love them!

3. This Restaurant has been building an outstanding reputation for several years serving “authentic” food!! And I’ve been told a great mojito! You gotta try it!

4. This amazing Cafe serves locally roasted Speakeasy coffee.

5. Go here for the BEST BUNS and TARTS!

6.The coolest street market in the city for those in the know. Where else do they put produce out on the sidewalk!

7. You might find Jeremy from Junior Boys at this place from time to time.

8. Last but not least! This shop has been serving the local music scene since 1991, but he doesn’t make house calls. Oh wait maybe he does! Haha.

Well folks there are the clues! I will be choosing a winner tonight around 11 so make sure to post lots of pics before then!

I hope you all have a great time tonight exploring the downtown!

Check out this video my friends at Create Media did of my last piece of performance art!

I’m going to tweet a list of clues that will lead you to some of my favorite places to go on James St. N.

To enter the contest snap a cool pic of the business or place and post it on twitter to @cameronhair and use the #hamont  #artcrawl hashtags…

Each correct pic you post counts as one entry! Soooo… The more clues you solve the better your chances of winning!

I’m looking forward to seeing a lot of sweet pics of my favorite places on James!

Stay tuned to @CameronHair and @MckinnonHair for clues!

Check out this video my friends at Create Media did for my last piece of performance art!

On Saturday, we are participating in ArtCrawl Harlem - a guided tour of galleries and arts organization in East Harlem. This year the ArtCrawl will focus on showcasing Spanish artists in East Harlem, including exhibitions at Taller Boricua, Diogenes’ Studio, El Museo del Barrio, My Arte , MediaNoche, and of course, yours truly. The tour is a great opportunity to bring awareness to the huge arts community here and hopefully attract new clients from around the city.

(By the way I mean “Spanish”, in the general sense of the word that we use here in NYC to encompass pretty much any Spanish-speaking culture, even if as an individual you don’t actually speak Spanish)

And this year, the ArtCrawl has an added bonus. HGTV’s Selling New York will be following the tour and filming for an upcoming episode! The show follows top NYC real estate brokers selling to the social elite of the city. For this particular episode, a multi-million dollar townhouse in East Harlem is up for sale and the producers want to show the (amazing) neighborhood. With an audience of around 1.7million viewers per episode, the pressure is on for us to make our best impression in a very short time frame!

After making it through our television debut on Saturday, we jump right back into it on Sunday with the opening day of Jon’s show Transitions. Although the exhibition officially opens to the public on the 15th, we luckily still have another week to plan the opening reception which is on the 21st! While Mia and Lynne will be in overdrive finalizing all the details, from wine to photographers, Jon is hoping to finish up one final piece to display especially for the reception.

With all the excitement going on, we might not be able to keep up with our posts, but don’t forget you can always get up to date information and photos from our events at our website and on our Facebook page!

Wish us luck,

x

323

Like Art Walk and Venice Art Crawl, ArtNight raises awareness of independent artists and organizations. Unfortunately, we only had time to visit two venues, the Pasadena Museum of California Art and Alliance Française de Pasadena. Unlike Art Walk and Art Crawl, the various art exhibits and food trucks were too spread out to walk. Even though ArtNight provided free shuttle services between venues, buses were infrequent. In addition, the size of most exhibits were so huge that one could spend most of the evening attending just one site.

The two venues we attended were quite different from each other. For the Pasadena Museum of California Art, we saw two out of three exhibits, “L.A. Raw: Abject Expressionism in Los Angeles 1945-1980, From Rico Lebrun to Paul McCarthy” and “Project Room: Nancy Baker Cahill: Fascinomas.” The content was explicit to say the least. There were video footage, paintings, and sculptures portraying destructive naked bodies to reflect violence, rape, and political outrage in society. It might be for this reason that photography was not permitted in the area. On the other end of the spectrum, we had a very tame showcase at the Alliance Française de Pasadena, a French language school and cultural center. The cultural center displayed mainly tranquil paintings of landscapes. A musical performance was also held outside, but unfortunately, we arrived just as it ended. We also managed to catch a glimpse of some of the artwork shown near the entrance to the Armory Center for the Arts right before they closed. The paintings we saw were by design students, and their creativity definitely shined through with most of their works delving into surrealism and mythology.

Looking at so much art also made us hungry so we stopped by some food trucks. Like usual, the lines were long. It didn’t help that they were spread out in different parts of Pasadena, limiting the choices one had for each location. Golda ordered some milk tea from The Mighty Boba Truck. Holly purchased some tacos and mini churros from Border Grill while I ordered a feet-long Vietnamese sandwich from Nom Nom. The combination of baguette and cucumbers made my Vietnamese sandwich really crunchy. The liver spread tasted much better than it sounds. It provided a tangy sweetness with the mayonnaise, marinated carrots, and daikon radish to perfectly complement the meat. The cilantro and jalapenos also brightened the whole meal without being overly spicy. However, having eaten Vietnamese sandwiches of the same quality from other places, I do believe that $7+ was too much. I also purchased a bottle of GuS Grown-up Soda to go along with my sandwich. It’s a natural cola that puts both Coca Cola and Pepsi to shame. Using cane sugar instead of syrup also guarantees the taste is not overpowered by its own sweetness.

Overall I did enjoy the amount of museums ArtNight Pasadena offer compared to other art events. However, their distances from each other really limit how much one can see in a night. It’s free though so it’s definitely worth checking out! There are numerous paid parking lots throughout Pasadena. The streets are also filled with metered parking, but unfortunately, they’re enforced until midnight. There are some free parking along South Pasadena Ave if you look close enough.

Please check out The Social Bug for Holly’s perspective on ArtNight and more! We will also upload more photos of the event on our Facebook page soon so do “like” our page.

Until next time,

Steven

Urban Sketchers has a program wherein when you gather 3 to 4 regularly working sketchbook artists (art journalists or visual diarists) working in one central region and depicting one area, you can establish your own highlighted site-specific geo-location group (which is a pretty big deal if you’re a lover of drawing & illustration, or if you’ve seen what some of these artists can do!).  So I posted an ad on Craigslist and Natasha answered.  She told me she had just seen my post for sketchbook artists and that she was one of them! I was thrilled.

She spends her winters in the Everglades City / Naples area and always has her sketchbook with her (gotta love that!). She keeps what she describes as a daily art journal (great, there will be LOTS of material!). She likes to spend the day exploring Naples and surrounding areas and draws what she experiences.  Whether it be an interesting building with intricate architectural details or the yummy snack she’s having for lunch!  Natasha’s found that keeping a sketchbook has made her notice so much more when she’s out and about. She says, “It’s amazing!  Really makes me appreciate my Florida winters.”  And she shared a few pics from last winter, hoping I would enjoy (and I did!).

Then Natasha told me she was interested in getting together for an urban sketch group!  She said it was so funny, last winter she was trying to find out if there was a group in Naples, Florida and had no luck, so she just did my own solo sketch crawl (that’s how you know you have the real deal – someone who continues art journaling even when there’s no one else around).  So I sent Natasha a link for an upcoming Naples Preserve Sketchcrawl and a reply message asking her last name so I could write more fluidly about her and her work.  She answered, “I’m on the road at the moment, heading back East. I’m planning on being back in Florida in a few weeks. So,  please stay in touch and let me know if you get a group together.”  And then nothing.  The line went dead.

Natasha, come out of hiding!  Let the mystery end!  It’s NOT that bad, we’re all nice people here!  And may you have safe travels, no broken colored pencils, and may we meet when you return to the Florida Southwest corridor.  It’s just not the same without you!!!

]]> http://fresharts.wordpress.com/2010/11/19/friday-saturday-sunday-sunday-sunday/ Fri, 19 Nov 2010 17:30:06 +0000 favouritethings http://fresharts.wordpress.com/2010/11/19/friday-saturday-sunday-sunday-sunday/ It’s that time of week again! I’m hearing rumblings on twitter that this is party-weekend and there’s lots going on.  So what’s on your dance card?

Here’s where I’ll be:

TONIGHT! [Friday, Nov 19]
WHAM @ Spacetaker, 6pm – 10pm
Spacetaker’s 5th Annual Winter Holiday Arts Market starts tonite with their preview par-tay. You don’t need a special invite, you do need to pay $10. What that gets you? Booze, food and early dibs on art, photography, jewelry, scarves and so much more.  If you can’t make it tonite, no worries it happens all this weekend – Saturday and Sunday and FREE admission [but with one of kind pieces, you wanna make it out early].

Foam Raiser with Saint Arnold @ Orange Show, 7:00pm – 10:30
Yep, I’m attempting two events across town at the same time, because they are both NOT TO BE MISSED imho. And? I’m bringing my mom. 1) Because the Orange Show makes my top picks of awesomeness in the city. Just walking into the crazy, carni-like, structure warms my heart. 2) Besides the fact Saint Arnold is my fav beer [Spring Bock to be exact] and they will have the only cask of Divine Reserve 10 tonite, they are also VERY gracious and giving to the local arts community here. 3) Once you’ve seen live music at the Orange Show under the stars sitting on a tractor seat, any other music venue really just pales in comparison.

TOMORROW [Saturday, Nov 20]
ARTCRAWL in Downtown Houston, 10am – 9pm
Over 100 Artists will once again open their working art studios, exhibition and live in
spaces to the public for the 18th Annual Artistʼs Warehouse. New this year, ARTCRAWL, FOTOFEST and PedalHouston have come together to offer the public a bike tour of ARTCRAWL2010.(www.fotofest.org/bikescramble)

VIA COLORI on Allen Parkway at Sam Houston Park
Saturday and Sunday!
Yay! It’s that time of year! This annual 2-day street painting festival includes live music, a family zone and 200 of the best professional and local street artists. And it’s FREE! Stop by tomorrow and see the early stages of the work being created right in front of you. Then stop by again Sunday evening for the completed works because come Monday morning, they’ll be not even a remnant of the amazing works. And you’ll have to wait an entire year to experience it again. And I would be sad for you.  It all benefits The Center For Hearing and Speech.

SUNDAY, Nov 21, 2-5pm
Caroline Sessions: Westbound and Grillout @ Caroline Collective
Some guys over here at Caroline decided a few months back to start having informal live music sessions at the office [on the roof, in the parking lot, in the garden ... wherever].  Sunday they’re doing a video shoot of the Westbound band. There are grills for which to cook on, places for which to hang, they’ll provide the music and it’ll be a big ole fun Sunday afternoon. You can see the other fun times on their facebook page full of videos.

But there’s so much more going on! Fill your itinerary with goodies from www. fresharts.org and let us know where you’re heading!

ArtCrawl

The ArtCrawl is a multi-venue, all night event to be held in Nottingham city centre. It will begin at Tether Studios at 8pm, alongside the launch of Murder in the Kremlin at The Wasp Room. Art Crawl guides Andrew Knight and Annette Foster will then take visitors around a number of venues in the city where artworks will be exhibited and experienced.

Artists from across the UK have been selected to show work with an emphasis on interaction and participation.

Featured artists include:
Alexandra Lockett & Ian England
Ben Dawson
Drunken Chorus
Elena Cassidy-Smith
Emily Hayes
Exit Here
Hamish Walker
Harriet Startin
Jemma Egan
Katie Doubleday & Andrew Brown
Laurence Payot
Miyuki Kasahara
Nathania Hartley
Stuart McAdam

Films by:
Dave Richards
David Blandy
Gemma Marie-Longbottom
Ivar Waldemarson
Mark Bell
Mark Jones
Molly Palmer
Nicky Cary & Antonio DiBenedetto
Pic Pic Andre
Rebecca Bibby
Robert Bidder

Music by:
The Kull
We Show Up On Radar
Tom Thomas Club

The tour will conclude at Tether Studios with music, film and a shared breakfast at sunrise (approximately 5am).

Places are limited, so booking is essential. Visit http://www.tether.org.uk or email artcrawlnottingham@gmail.com for details and booking.

The ArtCrawl is curated by Timothy Dixon, Katherine Webborn and Matthew Cooper in association with Tether and with support from the Arts Council through the National Lottery.

There was plenty of art to photograph, but I found the items laying about in the studios to be more interesting subjects. For example, mixing trays. Who knew they could be so fun? Fayza and I were fascinated by the evidence of the artistic process and took many pictures of paint splatters, used brushes and discarded bits. I suppose we should have taken more shots of the art, but I found some of the most beautiful things to look at were the scraps and unintentional “artworks”. Below are just a few of the photos we took.

Looks like a frog emerging from a Monet-esque lilly pond to me

This is a tray of discarded glass. I doctored the image but it looked cool before I processed it, too

An unfinished glass piece at Liz Conces Spencer's space in Mother Dog Studios. You can see some of the sketches through the glass

One thing is certain: creating art is MESSY. Now I don’t feel so bad that my own art desk looks like it has fallen victim to entropy.

Friday wasn’t such a good day.

Long story short, Hung, Angie, Minji, and my work was rejected from the Blaffer Gallery. We were five to ten minutes late for the deadline. As we ran towards the gallery entrance, some obese, shit-filled beanbag with a power trip belched at us, “NO. NO MORE ENTRIES. DEADLINE IS OVER.” My heart sunk. Angie and Hung pleaded with her, but it was just energy wasted. We dragged our pieces back upstairs, defeated.

Hung and Angie e-mailed two of our painting professors about the situation, and a reply from one of them was quickly sent back. “There’s nothing I can do about it.” I’m most likely not going to pursue art formally after college. It feels like this was the only chance my work will be displayed in a prestigious gallery, even if it is just a student show. It saddens me more that the most vulgar piece out of all of my current work was chosen for the gallery, something that I wanted everyone to see, and now it’s too late. It looks like my beacon of hope just gave its last flicker.

As I vented to Fred about the situation, he told me that he’s been through similar circumstances. He then left me with some wise words. “And I don’t want to come off the wrong way, but at least you won’t ever be late with anything else you care about again… I know I went overboard getting my stuff in on time after one or two of those.” Normally, if anyone told me something like that after such a terrible situation, I would take it the wrong way. It’s like when people tell me, “No offense, but–” How can you not take offense after that’s been stated? Anyways, I understood him completely. I told him, “When I was a kid, I stopped relying on/asking for my friends for anything because I didn’t want to blame them if shit fucked up. I’ve had a lot of unreliable friends growing up. Now here I am, years later, and I put my guard down. I should’ve done this shit on my own, asked a Home Depot employee, anything. I was much wiser as a kid.” It makes my current friends seem like bad people, but honestly I don’t blame them at all. The only person I blame for this is myself. Well, myself and that fat sack of shit that sent us away.

Later that night, I took Hung to come chill out with a couple of my other friends. Another long story short, drunken fun may have ruined some very good friendships between some very good friends, including me. Hopefully, things will blow over. I’ve gone through too much shit lately. Hopefully, God will give me a break this time. I passed out in my studio that night.

Saturday was much better.

Kim came to visit my studio that day, which was a delightful surprise. She hadn’t come to visit me in a long time, let alone on a weekend. After checking out my work and letting me whine to her about the gallery bullshit, we went to her apartment, where she cooked food and I got to watch 300. The first time I saw that movie, I hated it. It was hyped like crazy by everyone around me, and I was in a bad mood that day. Now that I got to see it again, in a different environment, and was actually able to hear and understand the storyline, I got to love the movie as much as everybody else does.

Along with a good movie and a home-cooked meal, something I hadn’t enjoyed in days, I also got to take a comfortable nap, something I hadn’t experienced in months. While Kim was messing with stuff on her computer, I woke up on her couch rejuvenated. Almost everything that this semester had drained from me was restored.

Later that night, I went joyriding again with Hung. We went to check out ArtCrawl, an open, regular event where Houston artists display their work in various gallery spaces. All I’ll say about ArtCrawl is, for a brief time after visiting that show, I hated all art.

After ArtCrawl, Hung and I met up with Kim, where we went to a girl’s birthday party. A couple of shots later, I eventually found myself passing out in my studio again.

Sunday was pleasant.

I spent the first part of Sunday teaching art to Kim’s nieces. Christ, I feel terrible for them. I don’t put any real effort into their lesson plans, and since it’s my first time teaching, much less teaching children, I feel like I’m hindering their education. At least I’ve reformed a plan for them. I truly hope I’m doing more good than bad.

Sunday evening, I gathered several friends together to watch Beowulf. What an excellent way to end an interesting weekend. I urge you to catch the movie if you haven’t already. I absolutely loved this adaptation of the Beowulf poem. The fight scenes were gory and amazing, the environment was realistic, and the characters were lively. I’ll admit, it bothered me at first that the movie was done entirely in CG, but after the first ten minutes the CG animation didn’t bother me at all. The characters and scenes flowed beautifully. Also, as Fred put it, “At least it’s a good ‘See, people make grown-up animation too, you fucks…’”

I’ve spent a huge majority of the past week taking a break from painting. Just one more week until school’s completely done. Time to get back to work, and get this shit over with.