You're all appropriate

InLiquid.com regulary has get togethers for curators and directors at various watering holes in and around Philadlephia. I cannot make the next one, but it came with a line in the invitiaton encouraging us to "feel free to extend the invitation to anyone who might be appropriate"... And I think you're all appropriate.

Here's the details:
@ N. 3rd, Tuesday evening, February 28th from 6:30-8:30 pm (N. 3rd, incase you are not familiar, is located on the corner of 3rd and Brown in Northern Liberties.)

Enjoy!

THE LAST FAVOUR

You are cordially invited to a spirited reading from Teresa Jayne's new book, The Last Favour, "a primer for young men on how to woo a woman." The event will take place on Wed., March 1-5:30pm at the Rosenbach Museum and Library, 2008-2010 DeLancey Place in Philadelphia. For more details, call (215) 732-1600, ext. 113 or visit the Rosenbach online at http://www.rosenbach.org. RSVP'S are kindly requested. Jaynes' is a gifted artist who was invited to create this book after her last installation at the Rosenbach in 2000, titled, Red Room. The Last Favour was co-published by the Rosenbach and the Borowsky Center at the University of the Arts, with funding from the Leeway Foundation and the Elizabeth Firestone Graham Foundation. 

Of Patronage

I wanted to shout a little shout for Rebecca Solnit's piece in this weekend's LA Times about the recent sale of Asher B. Durand's Kindred Spirits to Walmart heiress Alice Walton.
Solnit's suggestions that Walmart is trying to clean up its act by opening a museum of all the things it is not is a shrewd bit of linguist prestidigitation, but one wishes she's lingered longer on the history of robber barons cleansing their consciences through acts of public largess than on the preposterous notion that Walton might take an interest in "the art of her time". The fact remains that few have an interest in the "art of their time", especially among the patronage classes, who are inclined to even less interest when said art is critical of them and their business dealings.
Though I find the idea of a Walmart Biennial amusing, it would be foolish to insist it include only artists who protest Walmart’s policies and practices, in part because such a show would be a dreadful bore. As if providing any artist whose work amounts to propaganda - from the right or the left - would be a public service. Better to recognize the terrible complexity of the issue and look for artists who don't pretend to be above it. Perhaps, if they could be found, such artists might rekindle the public's interest in contemporary art, which they might (rightly) feel shares little with their own lives.
Then, we might really be kindred spirits again.

Fred Tomiselli Lecture @ The Fabric Workshop 2/3/06

Hi All, This post comes after the Fred Tomiselli lecture this evening. After a fried Bologna w/potato sandwich and two glasses of wine, I'm watching The Grizzley Man: with Timothy Treadwell, on the Discovery Channel. I think it has scared me to my bones! (I'm contemplating another glass/bottle!) That's another story. Since we Americans are all officially addicted to oil, I thought that I would relate an interesting project that Mr. Tomiselli offered. Tomiselli was talking about his process of collecting images. He showed pages of bird books with the images cut out. The images were haunting. They were perfectly liberated from their former rectangle with a surgeon's precision, like the empty silhouettes of Victorian shadow portraits. He mentioned the enormous amount of catalogues he received in the mail. He thought... Here we are, outside and observing nature, dressed in our petroleum based, weather managing wear! He made the most amazing collages of the birds wearing images of fleece and Gortex that he cut out of catalogues. The colors and textures mimic the actual colors of the creatures studied. More to come! Insightful and witty talk. (Agati, Doreen and I were not the "scruffy" art students he noticed in the audience!) Terri

NCECA

Just a quick question. Is anyone thinking about going to the Clay conference in Portland Oregan? Jamin London has offered a free place to stay (her house) and so far Tammi and myself have thought about going. I'm pretty sure as UARTS students we get a student discount so the registration is about $155.00. If anyone works in clay and has the time to take off in the middle of March then I'd take the oppurtunity to go.