Hey.. into Performance Art?? ... meet Kate Gilmore

The NY Times has a really great article on a public art project commissioned by the Public Art Fund...

Artist Kate Gilmore usually creates pieces where she is physically compromised as she attempts to do things such as painfully squeeze her body through an opening that is almost too small such as in "Main Squeeze" or smash her foot out of a bucket of cast concrete in "My Love is an Anchor".. so it is interesting to see her work with a group of participants. Her work is tender and brutal and intense..
enjoy...

Information Really Is Beautiful!

I can't even begin to express my excitement regarding this website!!

I love the idea that aesthetic beauty or even consideration is being employed and integrated with data as a vehicle for communication and sharing.. brilliant! The visualization involving Colours in Cultures (seen above) really addresses the social and emotional "baggage" that we talk about in our discussions about color.. and more importantly- how do we use color as artists... I encourage you to spend some time with the visualization that shows the various meanings of colors across cultures...
the whole site is a joy- woo hoo!

Coffee in NYC... introducing The Anthora

so I just used this image in a presentation in my ART 102 class during a discussion on Cubism. This cup, called "The Anthora" (a play on the word for the Ancient Greek vessel form 'Amphora'), has been the iconic to go coffee cup that exists in every coffee shop in New York- prior to the Starbucks trend. The designer, Leslie Buck, has passed away. How wonderful is it to have such a cool legacy though? It is exciting as a maker of things to think that an idea that you came up with and developed became an icon for a place and time. Cheers to you Mr. Buck!

GLITTER!!!!

Who doesn't love sparkly glitter?!?
Artists Jamie Vasta and my friend, artist Claire Joyce both use glitter in a manner that aligns itself with the tradition of painting. It brings up Postmodern questions regarding materials and the baggage attached to them.. and the impact of that baggage on our read of the work. What I mean is- what happens when we use a craft material- such as glitter- to make PAINTINGS? Glitter is something we all played with successfully as kiddos.. painting="skill" right? So this sorta flips everything around right??

Read here for an excellent, short studio visit interview with Jamie Vasta- featuring pics of her awesome studio.

The Trustworthiness of Beards

Happy 468th Leonardo!

It's Da Vinci's B-day!!!

If you don't already know the amazing list of accomplishments that this Renaissance Man presented in his lifetime... check it here

or here

or http://www.leonardo-da-vinci-biography.com/

How Inspiring!!!!!

Modern Miniatures

The New York Times has a lovely feature on the trend of modernist dollhouses!

So cool! The artists of the Bauhaus would be loving this!