February 2008
BLF Strikes Again
Posted February 28, 2008 by jmacphee in Political Art
I've long thought that the Billboard Liberation Front, beyond being one of the longest running billboard alteration groups, is also one of the smartest. Rather than simply playing off corporate logos, they often are able to use billboards to create a critique that cuts a little deeper, and yesterday they put up a good one in San Francisco. Here is an extended excerpt from their press release:
The Billboard Liberation Front today announced a major new advertising improvement campaign executed on behalf of clients AT&T and the National Security Agency. Focusing on billboards in the San Francisco area, this improvement action is designed to promote and celebrate the innovative collaboration of these two global communications giants.“This campaign is an extraordinary rendition of a public-private partnership,” observed BLF spokesperson Blank DeCoverly. “These two titans of telecom have a long and intimate relationship, dating back to the age of the telegraph. In these dark days of Terrorism, that should be a comfort to every law-abiding citizen with nothing to hide.”
AT&T initially downplayed its heroic efforts in the War on Terror, preferring to serve in silence behind the scenes. “But then we realized we had a PR win on our hands,” noted AT&T V.P. of Homeland Security James Croppy. “Not only were we helping NSA cut through the cumbersome red tape of the FISA system, we were also helping our customers by handing over their e-mails and phone records to the government. Modern life is so hectic – who has time to cc the feds on every message? It’s a great example of how we anticipate our customers’ needs and act on them. And, it should be pointed out, we offered this service free of charge.”
Commenting on the action, and responding to questions about pending privacy litigation and the stalled Congressional effort to shield the telecoms from these lawsuits, NSA spokesperson [REDACTED] remarked: “[REDACTED] we [REDACTED] condone [REDACTED] warrantless [REDACTED], [REDACTED] SIGINT intercepts, [REDACTED] torture [REDACTED] information retrieval by [REDACTED] means necessary.”
“It’s a win-win-win situation,” noted the BLF’s DeCoverly. “NSA gets the data it needs to keep America safe, telecom customers get free services, and AT&T makes a fortune. That kind of cooperation between the public and private sectors should serve as a model to all of us, and a harbinger of things to come.”
Imminent Disaster begins her journey in South America
Posted February 28, 2008 by k_c_ in Inspirations
JSVR is happy to introduce to you a "guest" writer, Imminent Disaster. She is a NY-based artist traveling in South America and agreed that our blog would be a great place to write about her travels and projects throughout her trip abroad.
Imminent Disaster began her journey in February 2008, which will bring her through Bolivia, Peru and Chile, with the intention of using murals as means of dialogue for polemic issues affecting the cultures of these countries. Although the pieces themselves are one level of dialogue, the experiences leading up to them are perhaps even more revealing. This post documents a series of expereinces with poverty and violence in the Cusco area.
The following is an image of the first mural of her journey, the events leading up to it, and our first installment on Justseeds!
Outside/Inside Stencil Show
Posted February 27, 2008 by jmacphee in Events
Justseeds member Chris Stain, as well as old time friends and acquaintances Amy Rice and Logan Hicks, are in a show opening up in LA on Saturday. Here's the data:
OUTSIDE/INSIDE
Stencil art from around the world featuring Adam5100, Adam Koukoudakis, Amy Rice, Brian Jones, C215, Chris Stain, Dotmasters, HaHa, Hush, Jef Aerosol, Kaleb, Logan Hicks, M-City, Mantis, Martin Whatson, Pam Glew, Rene Gagnon, Skran and a few special guests!
March 1 - March 16, 2008
Opening: Saturday, March 1, 2008, 8 pm - 12 am
Carmichael Gallery of Contemporary Art
1257 N. La Brea Avenue
West Hollywood, CA 90038
(SW corner of La Brea and Fountain)
For more information about the artists view the press release.
The gallery is open Tuesday through Sunday 2pm to 7pm
Contact Carmichael by email or call 323.969.0600 for more information.
OUR FLESH OF FLAMES: collages by Theodore A. Harris, captions by Amiri Baraka
Posted February 26, 2008 by nicolas_lampert in Books & Zines
Philadelphia artist Theodore A. Harris, who has been creating some of best political collage work for the past decade, has a new book out that he collaborated on with Amiri Baraka. Check it out and encourage your local book store to order copies.
OUR FLESH OF FLAMES:
Collages by Theodore A. Harris
Captions by Amiri Baraka
Introduction by M. K. Asante, Jr.
Afterword by Gene Ray
Is now out and can be ordered from the publisher for $29.95
Anvil Arts Press
64 West Penn Street
Philadelphia, PA 19121
USA
215-849-2793
http://www.anvilartspress.cjb.net
Also check out the video interviews of LeRoy Johnson and Theodore A. Harris at their exhibit at the Penn State University HUB-Robeson Gallery ACRID DIALECTIC:The Visual Language of LeRoy Johnson and Theodore A. Harris
http://www.sa.psu.edu/usa/galleries/Videos.shtml
A World Beyond Capitalism
Posted February 23, 2008 by jmacphee in Events
This is not until the fall, but looks like it might be promising. A World Beyond Capitalism Conference in Olympia, WA in October 2008. It looks like this year will be their fourth year of running the conference, might be cool for folks in the Pacific Northwest to check out. They also have a blog with some interesting info.
Free Culture Camp
Posted February 22, 2008 by jmacphee in Events
Our friends Rum46 in Denmark are putting on a Free Culture Camp in a week on February 28th-March 1st. The event looks like it'll be a great weekend, and includes the following artists and groups: Sine Bang (DK), Kayle Brandon (UK), Kristine Briede (Let), Adams og Itso (S), Field Work (DK), Groupwork / studerende fra Det Jyske Kunstakademi (DK), Andreas Wegner (D/AUS), Henrik Moltke (DK), Amy Balkin (US), YNKB (DK). More information is on the Rum46 website, and here is a great quote about the Camp:
The culture that we all create should not be owned or privatized by corporations. We will produce with lust for life and dance on the graves of the bloodsuckers of the creative class and the experience economy. Free Culture is a 3 day camp in Rum46 followed by an exhibition. Events and talks will be mixed with performance, production and group works. It will be a live-in environment for cultural production, and exchange between academics, artists, social movements and a participating audience. Welcome!
YNKB, who hosted Icky and I when we were in Copenhagen, are doing a workshop at the camp:
YNKB Repair Workshop
Do you have anything to repair? A chair with loose joints? A bike in need of care? Clothes that can be changed into something else? A broken vase that can be glued? Or furniture, a baby carriage that can easily be repaired?
Through reuse and repair, commodities that we are fond of can be renewed. This is a way of giving mass-produced commodities value, another meaning and a new aesthetic, which did not exist before they are worked on anew as individual objects. At the same time an alternative economic structure is created, which differs from (the buy-and-throw-away culture (?) that consumerism advocates.
Come and repair your broken items and spend a nice day together with others. You are also welcome even if you have nothing to repair. You can stay and help others make reparations. The repaired items will be photographed for documentation. You can also make reparations at home, of things or places that are not movable. If you take a photo and send it to us, it can be part of the archive.
Have a look at website: www.ynkb.dk under activities 2007 and "reparation workshops."
PhD Fellowship in Anarchist Studies
Posted February 20, 2008 by dylan_miner in Events
The Department of Politics, International Relations & European Studies at
Loughborough University (GB) invites applications for a fully-funded
Faculty Studentship to undertake doctoral research from October 2008 in
any area related to the Department's research interests.
Dr Ruth Kinna and Dr Dave Berry would like to hear from anyone interested
in studying for a PhD in any area related to anarchist history, politics
or theory.
Ruth Kinna is a Senior Lecturer in Politics. She has published notably on
William Morris and Peter Kropotkin, and is the author of 'Anarchism: A
Beginner's Guide' (Oneworld, 2005); she is the editor of the journal
'Anarchist Studies' and is a founder member and convenor of the Anarchist
Studies Network (Specialist Group for the Study of Anarchism within the
Political Studies Association - http://www.sgsa.org.uk/HomePage).
Dave Berry is a Senior Lecturer in Contemporary European History. He has
published primarily on the French anarchist movement, the contemporary
alternative left in France and on Daniel Guérin. He is the author of 'A
History of the French Anarchist Movement, 1917-1945' (Greenwood Press,
2002); he is an associate editor and reviews editor of 'Anarchist Studies'
and is also a founder member of the Anarchist Studies Network.
There are currently four PhD students in the Dept. working on aspects of
anarchism: Alex Prichard (secretary of the ASN/SGSA) working on
'Pierre-Joseph Proudhon's International Politics'; Saku Pinta, who is
working on 'Convergences and Divergences between Anarchism and Marxism';
Sureyyya Turkeli (treasurer of the ASN/SGSA) working on histories of
anarchism and post anarchism; and Matt Wilson working on anarchist ethics.
If you would like to discuss a possible research project informally,
please e-mail Ruth (r.e.kinna@lboro.ac.uk) or Dave
(d.g.berry@lboro.ac.uk).
The Department is a multidisciplinary one, and relatively small, with
about 15 academic staff and 20-25 PhD students. We pride ourselves on the
friendly, informal atmosphere in the department and on the facilities
provided for postgrads, all of whom at present have office space and a PC.
The studentships include (i) a maintenance grant of approx. £10,500 per
annum for three years; and (ii) fees at the EU/UK rate for three years.
Unfortunately, the Faculty Studentship is only open to UK/EU citizens.
Please note that the criteria for determining your fee status are not
based simply on nationality, but also involve residency - for details
please see
here:
http://www.lboro.ac.uk/admin/ar/funding/international/status/index.htm
For further information about the Department see:
http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/eu/studying/research/index.html
For more general information about postgraduate research at LU, how to
apply, etc, see the Research Student Office web pages here:
http://www.lboro.ac.uk/admin/ar/rso/index.htm
Dr David Berry,
Department of Politics, International Relations & European Studies,
Loughborough University, LE113TU, GB
+44-(0)1509-222988
Co-ordinator, Postgraduate Research
http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/eu/studying/research/index.html
University & College Union, Loughborough University Branch
http://www.lboro.ac.uk/orgs/laut/index.html
Association des Amis de Daniel Guérin
http://www.danielguerin.info/tiki-index.php
Reviews Editor, Anarchist Studies
http://www.lwbooks.co.uk/journals/anarchiststudies/contents.html
Anarchist Studies Network
http://www.anarchist-studies-network.org.uk/SGSA
Protest, Pink Bloque, Feminist Art at PS1
Posted February 20, 2008 by dara_g in Events
This Sunday February 24, 2008 at PS 1 there will be a panel called Protest and Survive at 2pm and a workshop that I will be part of called Pink Bloque Revisited at 4pm
PINK BLOQUE MEMBERS RE-UNITE TO PRESENT AT WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution AT PS1 MOMA
Please join members of the Pink Bloque this Sunday at 4pm as they reflect on their booty-shaking tactics, celebrate the histories of feminist street performance and creative resistance, and look toward the future of engaged feminist cultures! Presentation followed by interactive discussion.
Sunday February 24
2pm Protest and Survive: The Legacy of Collective Action with panelists Marlene McCarty & John Lindell (Gran Fury), Joyce Kozloff (Artists Against the War), Doug Ashford (Group Material), Eugenie Tsai (Godzilla). Moderated by Carey Lovelace. Co-presented by P.S.1 and The Museum of Modern Art's Feminist Future Series, made possible by The Modern Women's Fund.
4pm Pink Bloque Revisited, an interactive workshop with re-united members of the radical Chicago street dance troupe.
P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center
22-25 Jackson Ave at the intersection of 46th Ave
Long Island City, NY 11101
T: 718.784.2084
All Presentations on the 3rd Floor
Where Have You Been?
Posted February 18, 2008 by k_c_ in Events
My favorite event in NYC is coming up this Wednesday!
Its not a art-theme party of ridiculous proportions, not a yearly shopping cart race, nor a dumpstered meal cooked by friendly folks and served for donations.
When I was a kid all I wanted to do was travel when I finished High School. I became very successful. I would circulate around the continent aevery few months in a seasonal cycle for years. Now even though I tell myself im settled, I've had 4 apartments in the first 2 years of living in Brooklyn. (I'm on number 5) I never found the best way to share my experiences with other people. No slick zine, slideshow, or lecture to share with my friends. Now there is Where Have you Been?
Where Have You Been is an event hosted by Jeff Stark, creator of the NonsenseNYC events list, he interviews three people about "travel, adventure, and activism in front of a curious audience." The travel stories have varied from freighthopping adventures across the USA to direct actions at the base camp of Mt Everest.
I started the show in 2006 because I wanted a place to share stories about what happens in the rest of the world. New York has a way of swallowing homecomings. We are a notoriously self-interested city; circle the globe and your friends just tell you what you missed. This show is a forum for intrepids to bring the world home and share it with the rest of us — travelers as well as those of us who don’t get out much.
Whenever I'm in town for this monthly event I'm always entertained. Most presentations are humorous and all that I've attended have exposed me to perspectives. How else am I going to know what the Hajj is like for a queer muslim from the States, or that there is a program in the UN to map natural disaster areas?
One of my favorites was learning about Ethnobotany, the study of the relationship between plants and people, from Nat Bletters. He recounted a trip to Peru where he researched local herbs and created an audio book to preserve the indigenous knowledge.
I have always found opportunities to engage more with the presenters in Q&A and potential future exchanges. Nat pointed me in the direction of some good books about the histories of vegetables, and Leonardo may post photographs of Venezuelan Murals here on the Justseeds blog!
The next Where Have You Been? is this Wednesday, February 20th 7-8:30pm
It will feature interviews with three intrepids: Jef Wolfy Scharf
investigates the toilets of Europe, Ida Benedetto and Tim Kantz team up with fair trade coffee farmers in Western Guatemala, and Anastasia Andino palled around Thailand with a monkey. Bonus: slides from a pauper’s cemetery in New Orleans.
Bluestockings Bookstore
172 Allen Street, Manhattan
$5 sug donation
Some of the presentations have been audio-recorded, and available online. this is an aspect I wish would continue. I wish I could check out the ones I missed.
The Audacity of Desperation: Call for Work
Posted February 15, 2008 by jmacphee in Artwork Needed
This looks to be an interesting project, hopefully we'll get some stuff together to submit, you should too!
The Audacity of Desperation: a call for work
Deadline March 10, 2008
Exhibition dates: April 4- May 11 at the Indy Media Center in Urbana, Il.
Organized by Sarah Ross and Jessica Lawless
The Audacity of Desperation is an art exhibition, political action, and on-going dialogue. We are currently seeking distributable artworks addressing the topic of “desperation.” In November 2008 something is going to change. The worst president ever will finally be voted out of the Whitehouse. But, as the infamous writing on the wall reads, IF VOTING CHANGED ANYTHING THEY’D MAKE IT ILLEGAL. Works should exist in multiples with the intention to be freely distributed to audiences. Media can include, but is not at all limited to: posters, stickers, stencils, zines, stamps—ink and postage— buttons, CD’s/DVD’s, postcards, t-shirts and manifestos.
Please send submissions, questions or inquires to: desperationexhibition@gmail.com
We prefer digital submissions. The file size does not need to reflect your final piece.
For more information: http://desperationexhibition.blogspot.com/
If it is not possible to send a digital reproduction, send your submission to:
Desperation submission
c/o jessica lawless
7523 1/2 Lexington Ave.
West Hollywood, CA 90046
Both electronic and material submissions should include:
* Your Name
* e-mail address
* Materials and dimensions
Submissions Due: March 10
Drown Your Boats
Posted February 14, 2008 by k_c_ in Events
Justseeds member Swoon has an opening Saturday, Feb 16th (7 - 10pm) in Los Angeles at New Image Art.
New Image Art is pleased to announce the first Los Angeles solo exhibition by SWOON, "Drown Your Boats." Partially inspired by Angela Carter's "Burning Your Boats," this show, and much of SWOON's work is not only a momentary glimpse in contemporary life; her work speaks of tales, legends, and variations on mythic themes, sparked by great vitality, inventiveness, and a deeply macabre imagination. For this exhibition SWOON will be executing a canoe as her central installation piece that will later become part of a Deitch Projects show this Fall.
New Image Art
7908 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90046
(323) 654-2192
New Image Art
Photo taken by Ashira
Street art for the Democratic Party (?) 2008 is off to a rough start
Posted February 12, 2008 by nicolas_lampert in Street Art / Graffiti
Critical thinking and dissent in street art is becoming as rare as politicians who reject corporate America, free trade, prisons, and the two-party system.
Recently, a Chicago art show, Go Tell Mama! has put up stencil work and posters endorsing Obama and Shepard Fairey has created yet another poster to waste more paper, enhance his name and enlighten us with his critique of propaganda images by creating propaganda images.
I am not sure what is more discouraging: the public acceptance of politicians, the massive costs that goes into election campaigns (for a detailed account, see: The Center for Responsive Politics), the culture of politicians as celebrities, street art marketed as hip, Shepard Fairey, or the sneaking suspicion that for the next 9 months, much of the nation will consume their energy on the election, get behind a candidate, and forget that change comes from the bottom up and building opposition movements that confront power.
Call for Entries/ Call for Show Hosts: The Art of Democracy
Posted February 12, 2008 by nicolas_lampert in Artwork Needed
The Art of Democracy is a national coalition of art exhibitions (scheduled for the fall of 2008) that addresses the dire state of the political scene in the U.S.
Leading up to the November 2008 national elections, artists from around the country will be creating and exhibiting posters and prints that respond to the election, politics, and governmental policy. The Art of Democracy exhibition seeks to attract other individuals and artist organizations from around the nation to help amplify our messages of civil activism, reform, dissent, and protest.
This is not a single show but an affiliation of shows in numerous cities across the U.S.
To contribute your work to these shows, go to: www.artofdemocracy.org
Relevant contact information is provided for most shows.
Artwork by exhibitors can also be found on:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/art-of-democracy/
We encourage artist to put work up on the Flickr site and create posters. The posters will be exchanged with venues around the country. For more information, contact: info@artofdemocracy.org
Art from Inside: Paintings by Political Prisoner Tom Manning
Posted February 12, 2008 by erik_ruin in Political Art
Just got this email from the Foglight Collective (formerly known as the People's Free Space) in Portland, ME. They're holding an online auction of original paintings by political prisoner Tom Manning.
Check it out-
The Portland Victory Gardens Project and Foglight Collective are holding a silent auction for Art from Inside to benefit four groups: the Jericho Movement (National), Foglight Collective (Portland, ME), Blackbird Legal Collective (Portland, ME), and Kellogg St. Girls Medicinal Herb Class (Portland, ME). Some paintings sales also benefit the Rosenberg Fund for Children.
For a complete listing of paintings go to: www.cantjailthespirit.org
For more information about Art from Inside visit: http://cantjailthespirit.org/about/art-from-the-inside.html
To bid on a painting send your maximum bid amount, address, phone number and email to artfrominside@yahoo.com
Feature Event for Art From Inside: SCAR's Legacy: Art and Activism in Portland 1972-2008. Feb 15, 7PM (doors open at 6PM) with speakers Ray Luc Levasseur and Daniel Chard, and music by Mark Otim and Chris Teret at the Meg Perry Center at 644 Congress St. in Portland, Maine
The auction will end on February 15th at 8pm EST. We are also conducting an in-person auction at the Meg Perry Center at 644 Congress St. in Portland, ME.. The highest bidder (either online or in person) will win the auction.
Movement for Justice in El Barrio Presents: a Forum and Movie Premiere
Posted February 12, 2008 by molly_fair in Events
Movement for Justice in El Barrio invites you to learn more about the escalating low intesity warfare being waged by the Mexican government against the Zapatista communities: the brutal displacement, death threats and incarceration. Currently there are 79 military bases in Chiapas and paramilitary groups are threatening Zapatista families.Our Special guest Ernesto Ledesma from the Chiapas based Center of Political Analysis and Social Economic Investigation (CAPISE) will share with us how the main three Mexican political parties (PAN, PRD, and PRI) attempt to displace the Zapatistas from their land.
We will also present the New York premiere of "One Big Train Called The Other Campaign", a new documentary filmed by the Zapatista communities on the the Zapatista initiated Mexican movement.
Monday, February 18th @ 7 pm
New York University's KJC Center
53 Washington Square South, Suite 201
Manhattan, NY
'People's History' headed to movies
Posted February 12, 2008 by meredith_stern in In the News
'People's History' headed to movies
By Borys Kit
Feb 8, 2008
BERLIN -- Historian Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States is being adapted into a feature documentary.
Called The People Speak, the documentary will feature dramatic readings and live musical performances from the likes of Josh Brolin, Viggo Mortensen, David Strathairn, Marisa Tomei Jasmine Guy, John Legend, Q'Orianka Kilcher, Michael Ealy and Kerry Washington.
Four performances in Boston at Emerson's Cutler Majestic Theater have already been shot and a planned spring shoot will have Matt Damon, Sean Penn, Eddie Vedder and Steve Earle, among others.
Damon, along with Dan Fireman, Ara Katz Art Spigel of Artfire Films, as well as Carolyn Mugar are producing. Zinn, Anthony Arnove and Chris Moore are exec producing. Damon has long been a fan of the book, throwing in a mention in his Good Will Hunting, as well as narrating the audiobook.
Cinetic Media is handling domestic sales while Cinema Management Group, headed by veteran international sales and distribution executive, Edward Noeltner, is overseeing worldwide rights, launching the project at Berlin.
The book, first published in 1980, presents American history through a bottoms up approach, focusing on voices seldom heard in history books such as defiant Indians, mutinous soldiers, striking workers, and rebellious women.
South End Press Hiring!
Posted February 12, 2008 by meredith_stern in In the News
South End Press is currently seeking qualified applicants to join our small, majority women and majority people of color collective as Editor/Publisher/Financial Coordinator.
Iraq War: 5 Years Later
Posted February 12, 2008 by jmacphee in Political Art
Thai artist Vasan Sitthiket is showing a series of new paintings about the Iraq War 5 years on at the National Art Museum in Jakarta, Indonesia. The show opens March 20th, and looks pretty interesting. Sitthiket has been injecting politics and information about the current Iraq War in his dense, layered paintings for awhile now, and has been successful in a way that seems impossible for a US-based artist working so seriously with the same themes. Just another reminder how isolated the US is as a country....
stain gets up elsewhere
Posted February 12, 2008 by k_c_ in Street Art / Graffiti
Justseeds member Chris Stain has been leavin his wares around. You can see more of what he's up to over on his site at ChrisStain.com.
Beehive Collective is Searching for New Worker Bees
Posted February 11, 2008 by jmacphee in Events
Just got this in the inbox, the Beehive Collective is looking for people to join their new campaigns:
In anticipation of our most exciting and busy year to date, featuring the launch of two new graphics campaigns, our swarm of eleven is in need of five more workers. We are currently seeking a few passionate and committed organizers, educators, and artists to join us full-time in Maine, at satellite Hive locations, and on the road, beginning as soon as possible.
Please pass this note on to others who might be interested!
Current Positions Available:
- Archivist/Documentarian (Mountaintop Removal Mining campaign)
- Graphics Campaign Coordinator (Mesoamerica Resiste)
- Education Coordinator (Mountaintop Removal Mining campaign)
- Illustration Collaborator (pen & ink, Mountaintop Removal Mining campaign)
- Distribution, Networking & “Pollination” Coordinator (core Hive position)
Detailed descriptions at www.beehivecollective.org
Pay for Graffiti on the Apartheid Wall??
Posted February 11, 2008 by jmacphee in In the News
I had some serious questions about Banksy's Santa's Ghetto project in Bethlehem (like the point of Faile's boxer piece, which flattens out the Palestine/Israel conflict to a simple equation of two brute's punching each other, rather than one massive military bully with billions of $$ in arms squeezing the life out of an out-gunned, out-financed and generally brutalized people), but this new project on the wall really makes my head spin. A Dutch group called Send a Message has set up a website where you can pay a Palestinian 30 Euros to graffiti a message of your choice on the Apartheid Wall?!?!?!? The group is a non-profit, and the Palestinian painters are artists and getting paid for the work. Supposedly the money is funneled into Palestinian NGOs working on local infrastructure projects.
Certainly capitalism isn't going to provide a solution to the conflict, but I'm afraid that's what these people think they are doing. They claim to want the wall to come down, yet their first example of why the wall is bad is that it "kills business"!! It's certainly a great to create some cash flow to beleaguered Palestinians, but does the cost have to be the crass commercialization of one of the largest symbols of oppression in the world?
What does it mean to turn the wall into a giant billboard, so that Jenny and Mike from San Francisco can express their undying love for each other on the historic (as the company calls it) wall?? The tag line is "It was meant to keep people apart, now it brings people together."
I don't want to attack people for trying to help solve serious problems, but something about this project feels wrong. It comes out of a workshop design pros held in Ramallah with young Palestinians, and smacks similar to a number of well-intentioned design projects where designers over-value the importance of their skill sets. Convinced by the integral relationship design and advertising has to the turning of the gears of global neo-liberal capitalism, designers believe they can advertise and photoshop a new world into existence. Rather than look at and address the historical relationships that the state of Israel has had to individual and organizations of Palestinians, or the real power differentials at play, there is the creation of a marketing device to raise awareness.
I'm really interested in what others think about this, because my guess is we'll be seeing more and more projects like this in the future. Soon we'll be able to pay Rwandan refugees draw caricature's of our loved ones in order to get enough food to eat. My fear is that we're on a very slippery slope, where soon (if we're not already there) solidarity with the Global South will look a lot like a minstrel show.
Activity book benefit at teen center in Ann Arbor
Posted February 10, 2008 by bec_young in Events
Last week I did a short shadow puppet show at The Neutral Zone as part of a benefit for the Mott Active Book, an activity book for hospitalized teens. According to their website, the Neutral Zone is "a diverse, youth-driven teen center dedicated to promoting personal growth through artistic expression, community leadership and the exchange of ideas."
I was really impressed with, and a bit jealous of, this haven for young people in liberal Ann Arbor. In addition to a cafe and computer lab where teens are invited to come and chill at any time, there is an amazing range of programs offered. The two most developed programs filled the rooms on either side of the huge room that serves as a concert hall, complete with stage, sound system, and of course, pool tables. Those rooms contained a fully functional recording studio and a silkscreen lab.
In addition to the puppet show, folks were entertained by music from LS Banjo and Ghostly DJ's Michael Dykehouse and Tadd Mullinex. There was also a reading by Davy Rothbart of Found Magazine, which orginates in Ann Arbor. Found is a neat magazine full of reprints of items found on the ground by strangers, a motly collection of passive voyeurism. I was pleased to perform in the same show as Davy, who by sheer coincidence was my high school basketball coach.
Profits from the event benfitted the Mott Active Book, a project of Anne Phillips of Mott Hospital. Anne told me, "The Mott Active Book was created with hopes to inspire hospitalized teens and give them a creative outlet to cope with their hospitalization. The book provides a variety of different activities that stretch the imagination, teach, and introduce funky-fresh ideas."
The puppet show was a last minute collaboration and a visual representation of the Kate Bush song Sat in Your Lap: "I see the people working and see it working for them and so I want to join in but then I find it hurts me. Some say that knowledge is something sat in your lap, some say that knowledge is something that you never have. I see the people happy so can it happen for me? 'Cos when I have no energy there's nothing that can move me." I guess it's fitting that these are themes I've been exploring ever since I, too, was a teen in Ann Arbor with big ideas.
Artists At War
Posted February 10, 2008 by jmacphee in Political Art
Here's a new art site trying to grapple with the fact that we're 5 years into a never-ending war, and most of us have moved on to pretend that it isn't happening.
Artists At War is just starting out, but it's worth taking a look at and thinking about contributing to. it's a good thing to ask artists to respond to the larger world and to think about the war. Here's what they have to say for themselves:
Enter art, culture, TV, fashion and filmmaking. What does the current cultural output say about our subconscious grievances, fears and desires percolating below the surface in a society where we perpetrate unfounded war abroad? What role is culture playing in galvanizing a collective understanding about the troubled times we’re living through?War threatens our imagination as well as our humanity, which are qualities that every artist thrives on. This website seeks to provide a solid foothold of subversive artwork that can support a thread of defiance and demystification through the culture at large.
Artists At War is a collaborative project organized by LA artists Steven L. Anderson and Thomas McKenzie. New projects will be posted monthly ad the first project is work by Los Angeles artist Charles Irvin, with four pieces that explore the nature of the political press conference.
People and Buildings: Food Groups with Amy Franceschini and Michael Hurwitz
Posted February 9, 2008 by jmacphee in Events
An interesting event for those in NYC area. The Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP) consistently puts on interesting events and does interesting projects:
People and Buildings: Food Groups with Amy Franceschini and Michael Hurwitz
The Center for Urban Pedagogy is pleased to present two major food groups in a conversation about urban agriculture. The live talk show will feature Amy Franceschini, founder of the San Francisco-based design collective Futurefarmers, and Michael Hurwitz, director of New York's Greenmarket program and co-founder of Added Value. Moderated by Habana Outpost's Kate Zidar, the program will address the challenges of sowing vegetables in the urban fabric.
Amy Franceschini is an artist and educator who works with notions of community, sustainability, and the perceived conflict between humans and nature. Her websites, installations, open-access laboratories, and educational formats collectively question or challenge the social, political and economic systems we live in. Michael Hurwitz is the Executive Director of New York City's Greenmarket program. Greenmarket has organized and managed open-air farmers markets in New York City since 1976. He is also a co-founder of Added Value, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting ecological awareness in New York City youth through urban farming. Kate Zidar is an environmental planner and master composter. In addition to working for Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice in the Bronx and teaching at the Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment at Pratt Institute, she is a gardener and designer for Habana Outpost, New York City's first "eco-eatery."
Food Groups
Tuesday, February 12, 2008 at 7 pm
Housing Works Bookstore Cafe
126 Crosby Street (between Prince and Houston)
R/W to Prince Street, B/D/F/V to Broadway-Lafayette, 6 to Bleecker Street
New York, NY
This event is free and open to the public. Seating is limited, please RSVP to info@anothercupdevelopment.org
Reclaiming Equality and the Possibility of Political Action
Posted February 8, 2008 by jmacphee in Events
Reclaiming Equality and the Possibility of Political Action
with Todd May
Saturday, February 9 at 7:30 p.m.
New Community Church, 614 S St. NW Washington, DC
(directly across from the Howard University exit of the Shaw/Howard Metro, green line)
Co-hosted by the Institute for Anarchist Studies and the National Conference on Organized Resistance
How might we think about politics and political action in this period of political despair? One way is to consider political action--at least democratic political action--as collective action out of the presupposition of equality. We'll discuss what this means, how it works, and where we find it in our world.
For those unfamiliar with him, Todd is probably best known (in our circles) for his text The Political Philosophy of Poststructuralist Anarchism, but is also widely known for works on the philosophy of Michel Foucault, Gilles Deleuze, and more recently Jaques Ranciere. This weekend's discussion will be focused on what Ranciere offers in the way of reclaiming equality from the liberal tradition, in favor of a more radical application in collective political action, and what that might look like on the ground, in ongoing social movements.
Free, but donations are welcome!
This talk celebrates a second year of IAS collaboration on the NCOR Radical Theory Track. Bring your friends, lovers, family, and fellow workers to support the work of the IAS and NCOR.
For more info, e-mail: joshua@anarchiststudies.org
A Call to Mapmakers
Posted February 8, 2008 by jmacphee in Artwork Needed
My good friend and comrade Daniel Tucker in Chicago just sent this over. If you are working on any sort of map projects, get in touch with him!!!
Dear Mapmakers,
This is an invitation to have your maps included in the new “We Are Here” archive that will travel the United States for 2 years (starting Fall 2008) in an exhibition entitled “Experimental Geography” and then be housed in a portable archive in Chicago IL to be available for future exhibition, preservation and research. The archive is dealing with 3 main categories of contemporary cartography: Complexity/Power Mapping; Resource/Asset Mapping; and Alternative Visions of Dominant Geography (see below outline of the kinds of maps we are thinking about).
I have been asked by the organizers of “Experimental Geography” to put together this archive because of my background in organizing mapping related exhibitions and events in Chicago for the last 4 years. This is a great opportunity to get a lot of really interesting and inspiring work together! I should also say up front that I am not being paid to do this and am receiving no budget to work with, only $400 to purchase a poster display rack to preserve the maps. The cost of shipping the collection once it is complete will be covered by the host institutions, but I have no budget for your initial shipping costs to mail the maps to me. I am hoping your motivation for sending your work to me will be the same as mine for putting this together, to get new and excited audiences to have access to this interesting and inspiring work. The show will tour primarily to university galleries and small museums, almost always engaging audiences who are not in attendance at small galleries or cultural institutions where this kind of work is typically displayed. The benefit of having it as part of a larger exhibition about the use of geographic metaphors in contemporary art will also connect this cartographic work to conceptually related work from other genres and spheres of influence.
PICK UP THE MIC, BREAK DOWN THE WALLS!
Posted February 8, 2008 by k_c_ in Events
I'm full of events for y'all lately!
There is an incredible Hip-Hop show as the closing event for the Israeli Apartheid Week,
Sunday, February 10th
at Knitting Factory, 74 Leonard St.
8:30 Poetry--Remi Kanazi, Climbing Poetree
9:30 Live Hip Hop-Sabreena Da Witch (Abeer),Invincible, Rebel Diaz
With DJ OJA spinning against apartheid all night!
Invincible is a really amazing artist/activist out of Detroit.
She is a politically conscious hip hop artist that organizes with Detroit Summer, doing youth organizing, and helps put together the Allied Media Conference. I was fortunate enough to see her perform at the 2007 AMC and encourage you to check her out, at the show or online.
The other folks I wanted to highlight are two people that I've wanted to write about for years. Alixa & Naima of Climbing Poetree have given some of the most intense performances and poetry I have experienced. They have made me cry and sent tingles down my spine with the words they use and the themes they write about. Their work ranges in topic from Neoliberal Policies to incarceration in the USA to love, all over an umbrella of struggle. These girls inspire me fully and I hope you too. They are embarking on a tour called Hurricane Season, that will kick off on the 3rd anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, later this year. They are looking for help in organizing events and financial support. If you are interested and capable check out their website Climbing Poetree or watch their promo video to find out the details!
"Dolores" Las lagrimas y las rosas
Posted February 7, 2008 by k_c_ in Events
I was just pointing out recently there's a really incredible Chilean artist, Basco-Vasco that I am really inspired by. I just realized after looking at his blog that he has an opening in
Portland,
TONIGHT, Feb 7th. At
524PDX Gallery
23NW 5th Ave
6-9:30pm
His characters are very unique which makes him stand out amidst the aerosol pieces and stencils all around Santiago. His ink drawings and collage are really accessible and interesting and make me reach for my pen. I wish I were in the PNW so I could drop by, but hopefully have encouraged my Justseeds collaborators to check out the show.
Israeli Apartheid Week
Posted February 6, 2008 by k_c_ in Events
A week of events kicked off on Monday, around the world, calling attention to the 60th anniversary of Al Nakba, or "disaster". Known as the "disaster", to Palestinians, because the civil war and declaration of Israel's statehood began an enormous exodus of Palestinians from their homes. This weeks events hope to be a reminder of the struggle against the Israeli state.
Israeli Apartheid Week(IAW) is an international series of events held in cities and campuses across the globe. IAW will be running for the fourth consecutive year in 2008, with events taking place between the 3rd and 11th of February in the USA, Canada and Palestine. The aim of IAW is to contribute to the of international opposition to Israeli apartheid and to bolster support for the BDS(sanctions on Israel) campaign in accordance with the demands outlined in the July 2005 Statement: full equality for Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel, an end to the occupation and colonization of all Arab lands – including the Golan Heights, the Occupied West Bank with East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip – and dismantling the Wall, and the protection of Palestinian refugees’ right to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in U.N. resolution 194.
In most cities there are films, lectures, discussions, musical events, teach-ins, and demos planned. You can take a look at the schedule for NYC here..
Friends at the Sundance Film Fest
Posted February 5, 2008 by k_c_ in Inspirations
Just to point your attention to some friends that were at the recent Sundance Film Festival.
The documentary Slingshot Hip-Hop a film about Palestinian hip-hop, was screened to numerous sold-out crowds, according to our pal over at ZapaGringo
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The film has been in the works for years and those in the NYC area can support it by headin out to a fundraiser for the documentary on Friday, Feb 8th, at the Knitting Factory.
Also out in Utah, hangin out with the Slingshot Hip-Hop crew, was the Graffiti Research Lab.
Check out the piece they put together
G.R.L. Reporting Live From Sundance from fi5e on Vimeo.
Both projects illustrate how elements of hip-hop are still tactics in resistance movements, despite the music industries commodification of aspects of the culture.
Lowell Naeve's Phantasies of a Prisoner
Posted February 1, 2008 by molly_fair in Inspirations
A few years ago I found a copy of the book Phantasies of a Prisoner, by Lowell Naeve. I've had a hard time finding information on Naeve, but fortunately his autobiography, A Field of Stones exists as a testament to his personal politicization. Naeve was initially imprisoned for being a resister to the draft during World War II. His book is filled with original poetry and black pen dreamscape images of miniscule figures traveling through endless deserts, standing or falling off the edges of cliffs, and wandering trapped in prison mazes or being chased by officials riding on giant ostrich like creatures. This is his blunt statement about the monotony of serving time.
Fantasy is the only true escape, revealed through images of birds flying over gates and walls, prison cells are giant flowers with views to the outside, and ladders squeezing through windows to carry people to freedom. The drawings were later published in Phantasies of a Prisoner in 1958- 14 years after he was released.
Allied Media Conference
Posted February 1, 2008 by jmacphee in Events
It seems early, but the crew at Allied Media in Detroit are already gearing up for their 10th annual conference. It's going to be June 20-22, and a bunch of the Justseeds coop will be there. They've launched a new website, and if you have any interest in independent media, check it out. Here's what they have to say:
The 10th annual Allied Media Conference is a milestone for independent media. Over the last ten years, we've broken silence and built movements. We've become the media and built our own communications tools. Now we want to use this gathering to project ourselves another ten years into the future.Amidst the threats we face as indivuduals and organizations, our survival is cause for celebration. The AMC provides the opportunity for us to celebrate and strategize as a community around common problems: how can we sustain ourselves and our organizations financially without getting caught up in commercialism or the nonprofit industry? How will ensure there are people to do this work well into the future? What kind of future are we working towards and what role will our media play in shaping it?
Now rooted in Detroit, we continue to look to sustainability strategies growing from within the current disaster caused by militarism, systematic oppression, failing schools, and the growing planetary emergency. That is where we find people, out of necessity, using media as part of solutions to the problems many more of us will soon face. The AMC is a laboratory and a showcase for these innovations.
Since 1999, the AMC has brought together students, journalists, artists, educators and activists to push the boundaries of participatory media. We are intergenerational with a focus on youth. We all share in the teaching and learning of practical skills for making media and using media to organize for change. This June, we'll come together to share tactics for living in the world that is and for shaping the world that we want. Please join us.
