shakin' it all over the world!

a fun, happy video sent by my cousin with this text: "A friend of mine sent this to me with the words 'This movie makes me happy to be human.' I couldn't agree more! When I get depressed about the state of affairs in this world, little gems of art like this help me remember that we are all in this together and people are not that different, regardless of where you go."

thanks marc!

... the end of the world as we know it ...

SG logo creator, Renato Alarcão, from Associado SIB - Sociedade dos Ilustradores do Brasil -submitted the above image published by a fellow illustrator that was just sent to the Society of Brazilian Illustrator's web group.

renato asked about john mccain & is worried what will happen if we elect him... and he then quoted REM's Michael Stipe who used to say: "It's the end of the world as we know it..."

thanks renato for sharing this image and your thoughts!

FROM DA VINCI TO PICASSO IN 3 MINUTES

having just returned from paris and a trip to the louvre museum, this clip of 500 years of women in art is a must see!



i saw it on the nyt blog on books this weekend: "I am not the first to be taken with this (I first saw it a few weeks ago, on a blog called Mind the Miscellany), but if you haven’t seen it, it’s worth 2 minutes and 52 seconds of your life. The music is Bach’s Sarabande from Suite No. 1 in G major for solo cello (BWV 1007), performed by Yo-Yo Ma."

here's a link to the creator and also a list of the paintings.

vive la france!

in honor of the SG's upcoming trip to france (and because malraux is one of my favorite french writers--check out the dashing, wind swept photo):

November 3, 2007

Andre Malraux

On this date in 1901, writer and freedom fighter Andre Malraux was born in Paris, France. Malraux studied Asian language at the Ecole des Langues Orientales. Not completing his studies, he traveled to Asia as a young man, becoming a noted critic of French colonial rule in Indochina. He cofounded the Young Annam League and founded the newspaper, Indochina in Chains. His first novel, The Temptation of the West, was published in 1926, followed by The Conquerors (1928), The Royal Way (1930), Man's Fate (1934), Days of Hope (1937), and The Walnut Trees of Altenburg (1943). After joining archaeological expeditions to Iran and Afghanistan in the 1930s, Malraux cofounded the International Association of Writers for the Defense of Culture. During the Spanish Civil War, Malraux flew on missions as a pilot for the Republicans, and was wounded twice. He also traveled to the United States to try to raise money for the Republican cause.

"Man defines himself by what he does, not by what he dreams," he wrote. A fictional account of his experiences, (L'Espoir) was published in 1937, and a movie followed in 1939. During WWII, Malraux joined the French Army, was captured in 1940 during the Western Offensive, escaped and joined the French Resistance. In 1944, he was captured by the Gestapo, and, following a mock execution, was rescued by the Resistance. He then joined the Free French and fought at Strasbourg and the takeover of Stuttgart. He was awarded the Medal of the Resistance, the Croix de Guerre, and the British Distinguished Service Order. Gen. Charles De Gaulle appointed Malraux his minister of information in 1945-1946. During the 1950s, Malraux wrote about aesthetics and art. He served as minister of cultural affairs in 1960-1967. His autobiography, Anti-Memoirs, was published in 1967. D. 1976.

“To the absurd myths of God and an immortal soul, the modern world in its radical impotence has only succeeded in opposing the ridiculous myths of science and progress.”
-- Andre Malraux, cited in Who's Who In Hell edited by Warren Allen Smith

Freethought of the Day is courtesy of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, PO Box 750, Madison WI 53701. The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a national association of freethinkers (atheists and agnostics) working to keep church and state separate since 1978. For more information, go to http://www.ffrf.org.

reverse graffiti--art less pollution

check out brazilian street artist alexandre orion who creates reverse graffiti and still gets harassed by sao paulo cops. he doesn't tag, he cleans city property. "For over two weeks last year, the Brazilian artist selectively scrubbed soot from the tunnel until the white surface underneath stared through as a cemetery's worth of skulls." read more here about the tunnel of skulls.

see his getaway in this video clip.

bring back the 80s!

maybe i'm obsessing over my 20th high school reunion or just nostalgic for the past but i'm embracing the 80s... the pop shop is back! and i'm thrilled. well, it's just an online store now but that still makes me happy. i spent many an afternoon (& dollars) at the pop shop on lafayette street in the 80s... wondering if i would meet the ultra-famous keith haring. i loved the crazy graffiti art, the spirit & fun vibe of the gallery-store space, and the affordable art. i have so many memories of riding in my parents' car on FDR drive, waiting to catch a glimpse of his 1986 mural crack is wack. i had countless tee-shirts with his cartoon-ish images that promoted social messages. i gave away haring buttons, used haring patches on my ripped jeans and pinned his quirky bright character images on my schoolbags. haring's inflatable "radiant baby" even traveled with me to college and added some much needed chic to my dreary dorm room.

take a look at the site, read about his life, artwork and buy something to brighten up your day, or someone else's...

brief store history:

In 1986, New York artist Keith Haring opened the Pop Shop in downtown Manhattan. Haring saw the Pop Shop as an extension of his work, a fun boutique where his art could be accessible to everyone. For nearly twenty years, the shop continued to be a downtown attraction with floor-to-ceiling murals and affordable clothing and gift items all featuring Keith Haring’s unique icons. In September, 2005, the Pop Shop finally closed its doors to the public. Keith Haring's work continues to be displayed around the world at galleries and museums and in public spaces (view exhibitions and public projects).

Hoboken 9/11 Memorial--update

UPDATE: **This morning I spoke with a friendly woman who works as Assistant to Mayor Roberts in Hoboken City Hall. She was kind enough to update me on the Hoboken 9/11 Memorial. They have construction documents, just obtained waterfront permits and will be putting the construction documents out to get bids for materials & construction. They have already purchased the glass panels that go in the island for $200K from Germany and they will then be shipped to Ithaca for fabrication. The final plans do not include the fiber, netting sculpture that was seen in the original design. *sniff* Apparently, it was a unanimous decision to leave it out. At some point they had applied to the state for additional funding but were denied. They will be looking to another foundation for possible help. The cost of the project will be around 1 - 1.7 million. On Janet's site the projected completion is 2008. I was also invited to meet Janet the next time she comes to Hoboken!
Recently, I had time to flip through an unread issue of 'Selvedge' and much to my delight, discovered an artist named, Janet Echelman. Through her art, Ms. Echelman reshapes urban airspace with monumental public sculptures made of diaphanous, flexible nets that move and change shape through time.

As an artist myself, I strive to create work that is accessible enough to evoke thoughtful responses from a diverse range of people. I believe Ms. Echelman's work goes above and beyond this call. If you watch the video at the end of this post, you can view some of her work in motion and hear how residents respond to the sculpture built in their town. Her work truly captures the spirit of the town.

As a resident of Hoboken, I was thrilled to learn that Ms. Echelman is apart of the FLOW Group, who was awarded the contract to design and build the Hoboken 911 Memorial. According to Hoboken911.com, "The concept proposes a memorial that begins at the edge of Hoboken's waterfront park, Pier A Park, with a low sloping Narrative Wall. The Narrative Wall will lead to a Bridge that spans from Pier A Park to Hoboken Island, which will be a stand-alone structure on the Hudson River. The island is intended to offer a place for rest and contemplation amidst unobstructed views of the World Trade Center site and of Hoboken."

On Ms. Echelman's website there also appears to be one of her diaphanous structures included in the plan. I wonder if it has been left out of the final plan? I hope to followup this post with information regarding the status of this memorial in terms of what is included in the final plan, current fundraising levels and projected timelines. Stay tuned!

More about Janet Echelman.

Watch the video!


submitted by femi ford.

Jersey City Fridays... free arts events

looking for fun, free events? check out this week's JC Fridays, free arts events in jersey city.

JERSEY CITY THEATER CENTER and CANCO LOFTS present three short films by director Miroslaw Dembinski on the fight for democracy and freedom in Poland, Ukraine, and Belarus.

Schedule for September 7th:

4pm - American Premiere of "Dwarfs Go to Ukraine" (2005/55min) introduced by short film "Orange Alternative" (2005/20min).

7pm - "A Lesson of Belarusian" (2006/51min), recently part of the 2007 Human Rights Watch International Film Festival.

Talk back sessions follow. Ukrainian and Belorussian hors d'oeuvres and refreshments.

gee, why didn't i think of that?!

now i love paris & all things parisian as much as the next person... and i had a dreamy 2 year experience living there. but this is just plain silly. luxury living from today's NYT urbaneye. $39 bucks for some cotton straps to make a pile of stuff? genius!"From Paris, a New Use for the 'Must-Read' Pile The Book Stool, created by the Paris-based industrial designer Arik Levy for a new French company called Eno, can be any size you like. What you buy is a set of cotton and nylon straps; what you fill them with — a stack of old magazines, catalogs or books — is entirely up to you. Mr. Levy’s solution for turning unruly piles of reading material into extra seating is part recycling tool, part home organizer, part storage and part furniture. The Book Stool, which costs $39, is available at the Conran Shop, 407 East 59th Street (First Avenue), (866) 755-9079 or conranusa.com"

Rebel America by Renato Alarcao

see more of my friend renato's amazing work (both from new jersey and brazil).

P O W E R T O T H E P E O P L E ! ! !

a brilliant piece of illustration (for a noam chomsky article & the cover of lemonde), by my brazilian friend renato alarcao.

h a p p y b i r t h d a y , f r i d a ! !

who doesn't love frida and her art? i especially love her for making the unibrow a beautiful thing!

here is her bio from freethought of the day:

On this date in 1907, Frida Kahlo was born in Mexico, the daughter of an immigrant Jewish father and a Mexican/indigenous Roman Catholic mother. Her painting career was born of pain and boredom during a lengthy convalescence following impalement in a horrific streetcar accident. The 18-year-old suffered a broken spine and pelvis, 11 leg fractures and a crushed foot, but learned to walk again. Frida famously married painter Diego Rivera in 1929 and divorced him for infidelity in 1940. They remarried the next year. Diego encouraged her to adopt her trademark, colorful Mexican garb. The strikingly beautiful woman also boasted a trademark "unibrow," which she meticulously documented in her many self-portraits. Kahlo was a self-professed atheist who sometimes wove blasphemous themes into her surreal paintings. She depicted herself, for instance, as a secular, medical martyr. Unhappy with U.S. values during an extended stay there in the 1930s, she painted a montage of images that included a dollar sign wrapped across the cross on a church. She mixed Christian and Aztec images in some paintings. Frida once referred to Diego as the second major accident of her life. The tempestuous radicals were always controversial in private and public lives. Although Frida was rumored to have had a love affair with the exiled Trotsky, she painted an adulatory picture in 1954 called "Stalin and I." Her accident was a lifelong disability, forcing her to have more than 30 operations and causing immense pain. Shortly before her death, her right leg had to be amputated below the knee. She died at 47, probably of her own hand. The New York Times obituary reported that she was believed to be the first woman to sell a painting to the Louvre. Actress Salma Hayek fought hard to bring to life the movie "Frida" (2002), in which she portrayed the artist and acted as a co-producer.

at left, willie baez' frida. check out more of his work at artemosaique.

Spotlight On: The Boys In Brazil

although i only spent one month in brazil (rio de janeiro area), i feel a strong connection to the people i met there and the places i discovered. so to reminisce a bit, here are my top three connections to brazil that i'd like to brag about...

1. my friend dan whom i met from our year of AmeriCorps VISTA service in paterson, nj. we worked on a project for foster teens aging out of the state foster care system. my year of VISTA service and 2 years of program supervision were filled with challenges, lifelong friendships, success stories, amazing teamwork and community projects. and the reason why i still love and work for the city of paterson... but back to dan: he's a jersey boy who visited brazil (with a push from me i think...), fell in love and married a brazilian. now he lives there with his wife and young son, phil. he writes critically in his blog about life as a "foreigner" in brazil... lots of political commentary, art, beautiful photos of brazil and musings on culture. visit http://daddydan.tumblr.com/.

2. my friend and collaborator renato who introduced me to the world of mural art and illustration through his work with street kids in the favelas (slums) of rio. renato's talent in art and illustration can't be described in words. look for yourself at http://renatoalarcao.com.br/. when he moved to newark, nj to pursue a master's degree in illustration, we jumped at the chance to collaborate on mural projects in paterson and passaic. renato taught art classes to teens and younger children, and together with his wife and co-artist rosa, they created an entire curriculum and workshops on book binding and paper making. we also painted a series of murals in the community where poverty takes it toll, attempting to beautify parks, buildings, empty lots & public housing projects. see the above photos of our music themed mural at the riverside housing site.

3. last but not least... check out marcos' site, http://www2.uol.com.br/marcoshermes/. he's an amazing photographer whom i met through renato. he travels the world, documenting life and capturing many music gigs. see his photo from cuba, above left.

well, guys, i miss ya! remember jersey loves you...