Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Awesome Akron




Back in New York but not before having a fully enjoyable Akron experience. First stop was lunch at The Vegiterranean, Chrissie Hynde's vegan restaurant. Waiting to be seated, Chrissie crossed the street in front of the place en route to a clothing company, Rubber City Clothing Company, she has some sort of connection to...The food was great and of course, the company, Arnie Tunstall, from the Akron Art Museum, and partner Ross Dilley even more enjoyable. (If you look closely you can see her carrying a bag and crossing the street.)

Next stop was the museum, where they have an amazing exhibit of late photographer Helen Levitt. Then across the street to the new library.

Finally a visit to PR Miller, Grizzle Wizard and local Akron Ambassador. PR, pictured above, leaning into Ross's car, I in the passenger seat, with a picture of his Trash Garden, spoke of the marvels of Akron. Back home, today's inspiration comes from William T. Vollmann, legendarily prolific writer, who also enjoys the passenger seat. He says, “I don’t care. It seems like the important thing in life is pleasing ourselves. The world doesn’t owe me a living, and if the world doesn’t want to buy my books, that’s my problem.”

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Tiffin and Akron



From Tiffin we've progressed up into Akron, Ohio. Akron, meaning highest in Greek, roughly. Above a photograph by Bing Wright, titled "Silver Print (for Le Gray)" 2007, silver leaf & wax on silver print, 24 x 20 in., pictured below it is an aerial view of Tiffin. 

In Akron, Mike's mom handed me a recipe and I gladly started cooking.  She selected an excellent recipe of Fettuccine with Zucchini from the Times. The recipe called for a bottle of sauvignon blanc from South America, Granpa Charlie was happy to go out and retrieve a bottle.


Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Pictorial Webster


Old pal John Windle alerted me to John Carrera's Pictorial Webster's.

from the website:

The Pictorial Webster's is, in simplest terms, an artistic visual reference of what was important to 19th Century America.The 400 plus page volume is printed with the original wood engravings and copper electrotypes of the Merriam-Webster dictionaries of the 19th Century; namely the 1859 American Dictionary of the English Language (the 1st illustrated dictionary in America), the 1864 edition of that same Dictionary, and the 1890 International Dictionary. The Engravings are arranged alphabetically, a system of organization long shunned by lexicographers because alphabetical order grants no intrinsic meaning to any given grouping of words, but it is perfect for a book that creates its own immersive experience in imagery of a time gone by.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Need mending?


On July 23–26 and July 30–August 2 - Miriam Dym will be on the Waterpod for Dym's Enrichment Mending (Alterations and Repairs.)

Please come by - Dym will be on there between 2pm and 6pm.
The Waterpod will be docked at 125th Street, Riverside, New York
during that time. For more information, on location and on other exciting
events taking place on the Waterpod, visit www.thewaterpod.org.

Dym's Enrichment can help you out with Repairs or Alterations. If you
like to fix things yourself, you're welcome to join Miriam by bringing your
own mending basket. Dym's Enrichment Repairs and Alterations are
bold and incisive, calling attention to themselves and to many valuable
aspects of process.

Dym's Enrichment also provides a Logo Removal Service for items
with unwanted logos. (As necessary, at the time the Logo is removed,
other, unadorned material will be attractively inserted to replace it.)

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact, Miriam Dym

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Ahhh Ohio - where the world is flat




Lying low within the flatness of Ohio for the next few weeks. Taking stock of the past few months of Pocket Utopia programs, resting and planning for the future.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Morganization and Mark Dion



The above picture is from the website for Mildred's Lane. I visited there this past weekend, had some awesome grits and toured around. From their website:

Mildred’s Lane is a collaboration between artists Mark Dion, J. MorganPuett and their associates. This project is a long-term experiment in large-scale project based practices with a living museum and an educational institution attached. This active site is their 96-acre compound in the upper Delaware River Valley region of Pennsylvania near New York City. It means to be a revolutionary rigorous rethinking (the 3 Rs) of the contemporary art complex.

There have been so many moments in our cultural history compounding the notion of reinventing the world, of trying to make a difference, of assembling friend’s and colleagues, and it is within these such outpost projects that we endeavor on with others like Olafur Eliason’s Laboratory; Andrea Zittel's High Desert Test Sites; Rirkrit Tiravanija's The Land; the Whitney Independent Study Program in NYC; or, historically, with Mark deSuvero's Socrates Sculpture Park; the feminist artist-founded Women's Studio Workshop in Rosendale, NY; Black Mountain; Donald Judd's Marfa, TX; and,other groups/sites of embracing difference such as Sarah and Gerald Murphy and the Lost Generation; and Bloomsbury; within this context, all in pursuit of co-evolving, we introduce this new experiment.

The core of the project practice and educational philosophy at Mildred’s Lane is an attempt to collectively create new modes of being in the world -- this idea incorporates questions of our relation to the environment, systems of labor, forms of dwelling, all of which compose an ethics of comportment – and are embodied in workstyles. As a participant at Mildred’s Lane these issues will be negotiated daily through the rethinking of one’s involvements with food,shopping, making, styling, gaming, sleeping, reading, thinking and doing. This is a program and a place where a work-live-research environment is developed to foster a rigorous engagement with every aspect of life.

•Mildred’s Lane directors and advisory board members invite project artists. These artists receive an honorarium for their involvement.
•Visiting lecturers are co-curated by the project artists of Mildred’s Lane for each session. They also receive an honorarium for their participation.
•Students may apply independently. Tuition is $1500. plus $1000 room and board fee.
•Institutions, departments, or faculty may inquire about developing a course of study around a project, or possibly invent a new project with Mildred’s Lane.
•An institution may take on adjunct contracts (negotiable based on student enrollment), with one or more of the artists working on projects at Mildred’s Lane; hand selecting students for the program, (previous syllabus info available upon request).
•An institution, department or faculty may hand pick students whom they feel would benefit from this unusual environment of trans-disciplinary practitioners and encourage them to apply with their recommendation.•Mildred’s Lane is also an unusual environment for institutional retreats, for think tanks, symposia, etc.
•OR, simply come as a guest to one or more of our public events,lectures and dinners. An invitation must be requested, and a confirmed RSVP is based on available space for each event. A schedule for 2009 will be posted on this site.

These rare and valuable conditions of exchange and collaboration are designed to become shared experiences that will have transformative and lifelong effects on how we think of ourselves as artists functioning in the social sphere. This is a very exciting time and we welcome you to consider being apart of it! We have already successfully developed programs with Mary Jane Jacob, Director of Exhibitions, at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago,and others.

Go!

More pictures below:











Friday, July 10, 2009

Francis Bacon on YouTube


Watch Francis Bacon on YouTube.

Painting Title: Study after Velazquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X 1953
Francis Bacon

About the Study after Velazquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X Painting
Francis Bacon often referred to other artists and used photographs as reference material for his paintings. This portrait is a distorted version of the Pope, from a painting by the Spanish artist Diego Velazquez that was painted in 1650. The scream of the Pope may also be referencing the famous painting by Edvard Munch, "The Scream".

Bacon was quoted as saying "We are born with a scream; we come into life with a scream, and maybe love is a mosquito net between the fear of living and the fear of death." It is not a quote that relates directly to this work, but has some relationship with it.

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Business Edition


it's not quite over yet...there's still some unfinished business:

Pocket Utopia presents: "Business Edition," Thursday, July 16th @ 6pm till 9pm

"Business Edition," a one-night exhibition of artist-produced editions and prints, and a selection from the recently inaugurated Kris Graves Projects - Pocket Utopia Flatfile collection.

The evening's highlights will include: a new Pocket Utopia limited edition by Adam Simon, a 246 Editions by Sharon Butler, an intaglio hand-worked print by Andrew Piedilato published by Randy Wray's Element Editions, a Brece Honeycutt Byproduct, a recent Maggie Michael painting on paper from +KGP&PU Flatfile, and works in progress by Pocket Utopia's current artist in resident, Sharon Butler.

Please join us for a wine reception from 6 to 9 pm

Pocket Utopia
1037 Flushing Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11237
www.pocketutopia.com
L to Morgan Ave.

After the evening, Pocket Utopia will continue as a far away space run by artist Austin Thomas.

image: Adam Simon, "Breach," 2009 5 x 7 inches acrylic on mylar Edition of Ten/PU Press

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Mixed, free, and more Adam and Sharon


I've dusted off my old blog for new ideas. I'm going back to the "free space" way of thinking and making.

I'm in a show that opens Thursday with 84 other people. It's in Manhattan, I haven't shown on the island in years! The show is the 10-year anniversary show of Mixed Greens. Being a part of Mixed Greens gave my a lot opportunity to explore ideas about artistic community which lead to Pocket Utopia.

Pocket Utopia has released a new print by Adam Simon (pictured above)! And Sharon is making collages at Pocket U as we speak!

Sunday, July 5, 2009

twitter


My reason to Twitter is reading tweet's from Harper's.


Thomas Cole, The Kaaterskill Falls (1827)

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Adam Simon: Fine Art Adoption Network


A book about one of my favorite art projects, the Fine Art Adoption Network, is now available from Art in General. Information about obtaining the book can be found on Art in General's website.

Launched in 2006, the Fine Art Adoption Network is a network that uses a gift economy to connect artists and artworks with potential collectors. As the website continues to connect artists with admirers and potential adopters Adam Simon: Fine Art Adoption Network documents the stories of a few of these adoptions and includes an essay on the project by David Trigg.

After you read David Trigg's essay, go out and buy BOMB magazine that features more Adam Simon, including a spread of his paintings accompanied by stories by Matthew Sharpe.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Summer Artist in Residence: Sharon Butler


For immediate Release

Sharon Butler: Pocket Utopia’s Summer Resident Artist

July 1 – July 31, 2009

Reception for the resident, print release and cocktail party: Thursday July 16th 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
@ POCKET UTOPIA, 1037 Flushing Avenue-[Just off the Morgan L, Bushwick]
Open by appointment, Call: 917-400-3869

Pocket Utopia is pleased to announce the summer artist residency of Sharon Butler. After taking the previous and last show down, the exhibition space is empty, so Butler is ready and makes a return visit to the space for a 4-week residency. Butler, a painter and writer, maintains the art blog Two Coats of Paint, and is a Contributing Writer at The Brooklyn Rail.

Butler will continue a sketchbook series that combine architectural form with eccentric perspective and irresolute draftsmanship. Ms. Butler is the sixth resident artist to set up “studio” in the space. Working during the day, the passerby can catch a glimpse of or catch up with Butler while she works. Pocket Utopia continues as a far away space run by artist Austin Thomas.

Image: Sharon Butler, sketchbook 2007-2009 Collage and pencil on paper 8.5" x 11"

the image above is available through 246 editions