March 2012
War is Trauma exhibition at the Clearing Barrel - a GI Resistance Coffee House in Germany
Posted March 31, 2012 by nicolas_lampert in Justseeds Group Projects
Recently IVAW member and field organizer Aaron Hughes sent a copy of the Justseeds-IVAW "War is Trauma" portfolio (plus copies of the 5 large silkscreen posters that Jesse Purcell produced) to a brand new GI Resistance cafe in Germany. The Clearing Barrel Bar and Café opened on Saturday, March 24, in Kaiserslautern, Germany, home to Ramstein Air Base and Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, among a constellation of U.S. bases, with 50,000 U.S. military and civilian personnel living in the area.
I couldn't imagine a better home for the prints than a GI resistance coffee house and much respect and admiration to Chris Capps-Schubert, an Iraq veteran and war resister, and his wife Meike, an organizer and member of Military Families Speak Out, for opening this important space for organizing and resistance.
Learn more about Clearing Barrel here.
Punk & Metal Record Covers 04: Condenada
Posted March 30, 2012 by santi in Justseeds Member Projects
Condenada is an all lady hardcore punk band from Chicago, IL. They definitely draw inspiration from Los Crudos and 90’s latino bands from the area, but they not only address issues of race and class here. Gender is their main focus.
They were on tour in Mexico a couple times but I never got to see them. Nor actually meet them nor was I ever in touch with them. My friend Alejandra booked their tour and had a sex education booth set up at their shows, and gave all kinds of workshops. Alejandra was the one who asked me to do this cover for a Discography that would be sold to support their Mexico tour.
Adam Curtis Takes Aim at Yoga
Posted March 28, 2012 by roger_peet in In the News
Adam Curtis, of Power of Nightmares fame, has a new long-read post up on his blog that is sure to rile many: he suggests that the modern yoga craze finds its root in the imperial neuroses of the moribund British Empire. Curtis describes a monied and landed class desperate to create a new reality in the face of the crumbling of their cultural and political authority, and suggests that their neurotic crazes for self-perfection crossed cultural membranes in India to become tools of the nationalist and independence movements. It's a great read, and certain to make any Western yogi's blood boil at high froth. He does a good job of describing the manufacture of the nation we know as Iraq as well.
DIYDPW (#17)
Posted March 28, 2012 by shaun in DIYDPW
Los Angeles, CA (full article here, thanks Erok!)
Endangered Species Condoms released!
Posted March 26, 2012 by roger_peet in Justseeds Member Projects
The second round of Endangered Species condoms have been released! I was commissioned by the Center for Biological Diversity to produce five original paper-cuts for the series, which also incorporates the panther image from my "Ecology of Fear" print. The packages were nicely laid-out by graphic designer Lori Lieber, and will be distributed by thousands of volunteers around the country starting on Earth Day. Click through to see all of the images!
JBbTC 101: Frantz Fanon pt.1
Posted March 26, 2012 by jmacphee in Judging Books by Their Covers
I can't quite remember exactly when and where I was first introduced to Frantz Fanon. I do remember pulling down the pocket paperback to the right (Grove Press, 1968) off a shelf at a bookstore, and being intrigued by the orange and black mass in motion on the cover. I assume I knew who Fanon was, or picked it up because I had been told I should by someone, but those specifics have slipped away. Then again, if the title Wretched of the Earth didn't completely capture me, I suspect the subtitle added to this American edition—"The Handbook for the Black Revolution that is Changing the Shape of the World"—would have been more than enough to convince me to fork over the $3 it likely cost. The cover is graphically compelling in its own right, with the orange and black bodies in motion at the bottom and the horizon receding to black. It is not exactly clear what is happening, but the fire-like shape on the right side, and the bodies leaning down to pick things up (rocks?), give the viewer a good sense that they're looking at a riot in action. The top half of the field of black is smarty left alone, the middle is quite literally filled with sharp Helvetica (or a typeface very similar). It all adds up to being somewhat mysterious but absolutely intriguing.
Aaron Hughes Winter Soldier Downloadable Design
Posted March 26, 2012 by k_c_ in Downloadable Graphics
Above is Aaron Hughes' contributions for the collaborative War is Trauma portfolio, just released Monday March 19th, the 9th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq.
We invite everyone to download, print, and post these graphics everywhere and anywhere to help highlight the unseen psychological tolls to the Iraqi people and veterans.
All of Us or None
Posted March 23, 2012 by jmacphee
I'm very excited that I'm going to be able to be in the Bay for the opening of this exhibition. Michael Rossman's collection is finally available to a broad public thanks to all the curating, cataloging, and organizing work of Lincoln Cushing. See you there!
All of Us or None: Social Justice Posters of the San Francisco Bay Area
March 31, 2012 - August 19, 2012
Oakland Museum, 1000 Oak St., Oakland, CA 94607
Celebrating the recent acquisition of the renowned All Of Us or None poster collection, OMCA presents the first comprehensive exhibition exploring the poster renaissance that started in the mid-1960s as a legitimate art form as well as a powerful tool for public debate on social justice issues. Presented as a companion exhibition to The 1968 Exhibit, the exhibition features 68 original political posters framed and traditionally hung, in addition to countless posters digitally printed and collaged on the gallery walls, a method similar to the way they were originally displayed.
Justseeds @ 2nd Annual Charlottesville Anarchist Bookfair (VA)
Posted March 23, 2012 by shaun in Events
If you're anywhere near the beautiful region around Charlottesville, Virginia this weekend, consider stopping by the 2nd annual Charlottesville Anarchist Bookfair at Random Row Books on Saturday. The event is smartly timed to coincide with the annual Virginia Festival of the Book. I tabled last year and I'm looking forward to it again this year - it's (unfortunately) one of the only events that draws Justseeds to the Southeast, and although promotion has been (from what I can tell) pretty minimal this year, I'm sure it'll be worth an afternoon spent. I'll be there with Pittsburgh's own Big Idea and a bunch of other regional publishers, infoshops, and the like. I'm excited because I don't get back down south nearly enough these days... please join us!
Saturday, March 24th, starting at 1pm
Random Row Books/Marginalia Infoshop
315 W. Main St. in downtown Charlottesville, VA
Journal of Aesthetics & Protest #8 out now
Posted March 22, 2012 by jmacphee in Books & Zines
The new issue of Journal of Aesthetics and Protest is now out in print. It can be read online HERE, but it is always fun to get a print copy, and be able to read it without microwaving your eyeballs with too much computer screen. Plus it is consistently handsomely designed and nice to browse through! Pick up your copy HERE.
In the News, Feb 2012
Posted March 21, 2012 by jmacphee in In the News
The Justseeds/IVAW print portfolio was just featured in The 22 Magazine. From the write-up:
Beyond being beautiful pieces of art, each work is a call to end unneeded violence and to curb the destruction of life as well as the recognize the emotional and physical mark it leaves on those who survive.Read it all HERE.
—There was recently a really nice write-up on my Celebrate People's History book on Printeresting. RL Tillman calls the book "handsome and well-designed" and says:
Some of the images draw upon the traditional tropes of radical poster design, others share more in common with gigposters than with agitprop. And this diversity is clearly part of the intent; this project references the agitational history of the poster, and also updates that tradition. The majority of these works are strikingly designed, with artists making highly effective color choices driven by economical two-color printing.Read the rest of the review HERE.
—There is a great write-up and slideshow about Erik Ruin's Little Lives zine on the Mythological Quarter blog. Check it out HERE.
—Back in February 2010, an entire issue of Z Magazine was illustrated with images from Reproduce & Revolt. Somehow missed it, but you can check it out HERE.
Support GI Resistance downloadable file on New War Is Trauma website
Posted March 21, 2012 by k_c_ in Downloadable Graphics
My print I.V.A.W. is available for download on the new War Is Trauma website at:
Support GI Resistance
There are a bunch more designs available for download at the projects own website
ivaw.org/war-is-trauma which states:
We invite everyone to download, print, and post these graphics everywhere and anywhere to help highlight the unseen psychological tolls to the Iraqi people and veterans.
Reproductive Rights and Gender Justice Project
Posted March 21, 2012 by meredith_stern in Justseeds Member Projects
Hey there! A new Kickstarter Project just launched featuring several Justseeds artists including Melanie Cervantes, Favianna Rodriguez, Molly Fair, Thea Gahr, Bec Young, Mary Tremonte, Meredith Stern, and several artists. Please check out the kickstarter video for info, and HERE is a link to the page!
Being in the Land: A Sculptural Investigation of Ecology
Posted March 20, 2012 by colin_matthes in Environment
For the past seven months I have been an artist in residence / teacher at the Burren College of Art on the West Coast of Ireland. Eileen Hutton is getting her PhD here and focusing on art and ecology.
She is making super inspiring work in collaboration with honeybees and small birds. Here are a few images from her thesis show.
The War is Trauma portfolio is released!
Posted March 19, 2012 by nicolas_lampert in Justseeds Group Projects
Justseeds is proud to release our third print portfolio - the Justseeds-Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) "War is Trauma" portfolio. Today's date is significant. On March 19, 2003 the US launched the Iraq War under the guise of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Nine years later we are still living under the shadow of an illegal war and an illegal occupation. The cost of war has been $802 billion and counting. However, financial costs mean little compared to human costs. The Iraq War has claimed the lives of over 113,000 Iraqi civilians and the Afghanistan War has claimed the lives of over 12,500 civilians. In both conflicts over 4,500 US soldiers have been killed and over 32,000 US soldiers have been wounded. The toll of war on GI's has been intense. With the poor economy and no draft, service members have been pushed to their limits. Many have served multiple tours of duty. Some figures from the IVAW "Operation Recovery" booklet:
-The military suicide rate has increased 150% from 2001 to 2009.
-20% to 50% of all service members deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from PTSD.
-A third of soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan say they can't see a mental health professional when they need to.
-Nearly 20% of service members are taking some type of psychiatric drug.
-The number of US troops injured by roadside bombs in Afghanistan increased by 178% from 2009-2010.
-1 in 3 women are raped while serving in the military.
Honoring Túpac Amaru II
Posted March 19, 2012 by bec_young in Firebrands
I'm not sure what curse words would have come out of the mouth of Túpac Amaru II, born on this day in 1742 as José Gabriel Condorcanqui Noguera, but surely he was a man that needed to utilize expressions of rage. Claiming direct lineage to the last Incan chief whose name he took on, Amaru II began a widespread insurrection that ignited the whole region: "South of Cuzco, Túpac Amaru goes about freeing Indians tied to the looms. The winds of the great rebellion deprive viceroys of their sleep in Lima, Buenos Aires, and Bogotá." (Galeano, Faces & Masks) He was successful at stirring up feelings of fear in the hearts of those in power, and determination in the hearts of the oppressed, but Amaru's own story did not end well. After betrayal by his officers, the Spanish unsuccessfully tried to quarter him with horses. Yo, that means they tied each limb to a horse and pulled. Since that didn't work, they cut his head off. Damn!
Illustration from Firebrands: Portraits From the Americas.
Michael D. Higgins (President of Ireland) vs. Right Wing Talk Show Host
Posted March 17, 2012 by colin_matthes in In the News
The new President of Ireland Michael D Higgins is a politician, accomplished poet, sociologist, and author. He also served as the Minister for Arts, Culture, and the Gaeltacht. Here is a radio interview with him vs. an American right wing talk show host. If you want to hear a president call a corporate pawn a wanker this is worth a listen. Happy St. Patrick's Day.
Punk & Metal Record Covers 03: Profanator
Posted March 16, 2012 by santi in Justseeds Member Projects
Profanator is a Thrash Metal band from Queretaro. Like most thrash metal bands they wanted the grim reaper to be their main focus of the album.
The first draft of this image included an hourglass but I decided to not use it in the end. There was too much stuff going on as it is. And they really wanted the image to have lots dark or black preferably.
Rad Teen Print of the Week 26: Josephine Baker
Posted March 16, 2012 by mary_tremonte in Inspiration
Rad Teen Print of the Week is back for 2012!
I was looking through old entries and realized that I started off numbering them, and then stopped...after counting, I realized that I've posted 25 rad teen prints so far! There is so much more to come.
This print was created by Ella, one of the Power Up girls, in celebration of Women of Color HERstory Month. It was one of several prints that Power Up created as takeaway cards for New Voices Pittsburgh's Young Women Celebration on February 22. Celebrating their 8th birthday, New Voices Pittsburgh: Women of Color for Reproductive Justice, is an inspiring and powerful group; this is the third time Power Up has worked with them.
Justseeds Pittsburgh Interview in Nor'easter
Posted March 15, 2012 by mary_tremonte in Interviews
I was digging around in my archives and found this interview that Shaun Slifer and I did last year with our buddy Hannah Dobbz for the Nor'easter: Official Quarterly of Northeast Anarchist Network for their Radical Media issue. Read on after the jump, and check out the latest from the Nor'easter at www.neanarchist.net
The World is Watching: A Syrian Film Program 3/15 & 3/16
Posted March 14, 2012 by molly_fair in Film & Video
THE WORLD IS WATCHING -- DOX BOX Global Day 2012: A Syrian Film Program
March 15 & 16
at Spectacle Theater
124 South 3rd Street, Brooklyn, NY
all screenings are $5
In commemoration of the first anniversary of the Syrian revolution and continuing social and political struggles, Spectacle Theater presents a selection of films made by the legendary directors Omar Amiralay, Oussama Mohammed, and today's generation of Syrian filmmakers. These films are made available by DOX BOX, an international documentary festival that has taken place annually in Syria since 2008. The DOX BOX festival organizers, ProAction Film, have decided not to seek government permits or hold the festival this year as a statement against the regime. Instead, DOX BOX organizers are collaborating with the Network of Arab Arthouse Screens (NAAS), and ArteEast to hold "DOX BOX Global Day", screening at 20 venues worldwide. These documentaries capture a number of different realities and shed light on the historical and current political, economic and social climates in Syria.
Read the extended entry for schedule and film descriptions!
DIYDPW (#15)
Posted March 14, 2012 by shaun in DIYDPW
Portland, OR, USA (full article here, thanks Vanessa!)
Last Three Days & Previews of Witches & Mad Prophets
Posted March 13, 2012 by erik_ruin in Art & Politics
We're in the last 3 days now of my Kickstarter campaign to fund a portfolio project i'm curating & publishing on the theme of heresy.
Witches & Mad Prophets will feature offset prints of original work by 13 amazing artists- AMTK, Bec Young, Charlotte de Sédouy, Corina Dross, Dylan Miner, Ian Cozzens, Katrina Avocado, Lee Relvas, Mandy Katz, Santiago Armengod, William Schaff, Xander Marro, and myself. The fundraising's been a runaway success, the band the Mountain Goats tweeted about it, we hit our goal in a day and a half and right now we sit at 240% of our funding goal with three days to spare! There's still 40-something portfolios available for pre-order, so if you want to make sure you get one (for only $40!), get them here! See below for previews and more info...
Chris Stain Book Release Party
Posted March 13, 2012 by jmacphee in Justseeds Member Projects
This Wednesday (tomorrow) is the long awaited book release for Chris Stain's Long Story Short, which has been in the works for over two years. Join us in celebrating from 8-11pm at the Wooster Social Club, 43 Wooster St, Manhattan. (Click on the flyer to the right for a bigger version.)
Interview at Indigenous Arts' Blog
Posted March 12, 2012 by dylanminer in In the News
Wendy Redstar, a contemporary Crow artist who teaches at Portland State University, runs a blog on Contemporary Indigenous art. Along with her students at PSU, she conducts challenging and provocative interviews. Recently, I was interviewed by Wendy and her student Prudence Hayes. They posted the blog this morning. Check it out. See Contemporary Indigenous Arts' Blog.
Saturday in Madison
Posted March 12, 2012 by jmacphee in In the News
Madison is mobilizing again! Photo from Sue Simensky Bietila.
JBbTC 100: B. Traven pt.10
Posted March 12, 2012 by jmacphee in Judging Books by Their Covers
What better way to celebrate 100 posts about book covers than another batch of B. Traven designs! Here's part ten of my features on Traven, this time adding 34 more covers, bringing the total posted here over the past two years up to 194! (To see all the others, look HERE.)
I've been digging around bookstores and online, tracked some new ones down on Flickr, Amazon, and the Open Library. Traven covers are like the gift that keeps on giving, just when I think I've found most the them, dozens more show up!
We can start with The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. To the right is the dust jacket of the second German edition, published in Zurich by Büchergilde Gutenberg in 1942. The image is designed by Richard Paul Lohse, and is actually an enlarged version of the same character that was printed much smaller and directly on the cloth cover of the first edition (midway down the post HERE). The red figure with turquoise highlights makes for a bold cover, especially without any text to distract from it.
New "Refuge" book now available!
Posted March 9, 2012 by shaun in Justseeds Group Projects
We've just released "Refuge: A Migratory and Momentary Guide to the City", a bilingual (Slovene/English) publication on the heels of our installation for the 2011 Biennial of Graphic Arts in Ljubljana, Slovenia this past fall. It features essays by our own Melanie Cervantes, Roger Peet, and Dylan Miner (who largely organized the project) as well as Slovenian sociologists Mojca Pajnik and Veronika, plus photos of Ljubljana and our brief work there by Dylan and myself. Copies are only $10 each! For more information and to get a copy for yourself, check it out here.
Calling All Artists! Mayday Posters Needed!
Posted March 8, 2012 by jmacphee in Calls for Art
Occuprint.org is collecting dozens of free, downloadable posters in support of the different calls for a General Strike on May 1st. More info on the flyer to the right, which can be clicked on, downloaded, and printed out to distribute to friends. A black and white version for photocopying is below if you click the "Read the rest of the entry" link.
Endangered Species Condoms
Posted March 8, 2012 by roger_peet in Justseeds Member Projects
Some exciting news for me- I'm going to be working with the Center for Biological Diversity to develop art for the next round of Endangered Species Condoms. The condoms are a part of the Center's work to bring the subject of human overpopulation to a wider audience, a goal I wholeheartedly share.
Discussions of human population are hair-triggers for many on the left who feel that any mention of overpopulation is code for racist eugenics programming. Simultaneously, those on the right looking for a backdoor into the environmental movement have tried to make immigration-related "population control" an issue. All demagoguery aside, however, the exponential increase in human population is a fact, and a fact that brings with it a raft of consequences impossible in a world with fewer humans. Humanity monopolizes an enormous percentage of the world's surface, as well as the products of that surface, and whether rich or poor, more humans means less room for anything else. It's past time for a non-ideological discussion on population that cuts through the hate and fear and gets to the heart of the matter: other species live on this planet as well, and they need to be able to get away from us. As our numbers increase, that is becoming impossible. This project aims to make the link between the dwindling numbers of so many distinct forms of life and the swelling of one big, rude one: humanity.
3 Posters Celebrating International Women's Day and telling the woman-haters to F-off!
Posted March 8, 2012 by Favianna_Rodriguez in Art & Politics
Happy International Women's Day to all my sisters out there!
Politicians and conservatives are waging an all out war on women, our bodies, our access to health, our right to birth control, and our right to free, accessible and safe abortion. Everywhere you turn, the right wing is attempting to further limit and hinder our access to our reproductive rights through anti-contraceptive measures.
mud stencils at True/False
Posted March 7, 2012 by nicolas_lampert in Film & Video
The True/False film festival hit year nine this year and as always it showcases exceptional documentary films in numerous venues around downtown Columbia and the University of Missouri. The festival is a gem - it is unpretentious, set in a great college town, and showcases films from directors around the world, from those with Oscar Awards to those screening their first documentary film. Yet, films are just part of the equation. T/F also features numerous music shows, the "buskers last stand", and bands playing before each screening and often in the lobby of each venue. You know you've landed somewhere special when Dark, Dark, Dark is the opening music for a screening with 1700 people in the audience. More so, you know the T/F team is special when they also make the festival a home for visual artists. This year, Jesse Graves and I did a mud stencil project for the second year in a row. Jesse created an amazing mud-mural of bees and Jesse and I put up a series of stencils that revolved around the festivals theme of "influencing machines."
and check out a short film on some of the visual projects at T/F including Jesse and Paul Kjelland putting up the mud mural:
DIYDPW (#14)
Posted March 7, 2012 by shaun in DIYDPW
Pittsburgh, PA, USA (full sign below... and hey, tired of seeing all these images coming mostly from Pittsburgh? Then please start sending me your photos, I'm running out! Details below.)
#Egypt
Posted March 6, 2012 by nicolas_lampert in Art & Politics
This past weekend, Paul Kjelland and I did an installation for the True/False film festival in Columbia, Missouri. Our installation - installed on the glass windows of the Ragtag Theater/cafe - depicted the three-day Internet blockade inside Egypt that began on January 27, 2011 and the creative resistance that followed. The black numbers and the red circle represent the major connection points within the network. The blue lines represent severed lines of communication. The yellow line represents the Noor Group – the only provider that remained active. And the gray lines represent the various methods (dial up, ham radio, satellite, and satellite phone) that Egyptians and those outside Egypt employed to circumvent the blockade.
Interview with Paul Kjelland:
http://soundcloud.com/kstorres/paul-kjelland-true-false-film
JBbTC 99: Hammers & Sickles pt.1
Posted March 5, 2012 by jmacphee in Judging Books by Their Covers
One of the most compelling political symbols of the 20th century is the hammer and sickle. Although it was created during the Russian Revolution, and became the official symbol of the Soviet Union as a nation, it has taken on a much broader array of meanings. The hammer and sickle have come to mean any form of communism, not simply the Soviet variety, and as such, they get thrown around by all kinds of people. Youth who want to look rebellious pin button-versions on their graffitied backpacks, sectarian Communist relics dutifully keep them in the masthead of their musty newspapers, and right-wing nutters photoshop them as tattoos onto Obama's forehead.
More than a fair share of books are graced with the iconography, and I've been picking these up over the past couple years. I present the first part of my collection here. I'm also really hoping some you out there have some other great examples and will send them in to me. Email images to: josh at justseeds.org.
Pledge to the WFMU fundraising marathon
Posted March 3, 2012 by k_c_ in Inspiration
Help out a true freeform radio station out of New Jersey reach this years fundraising goal.
I have been getting my musical education from WFMU for 18 years, and I pledge as often as I can. Help them out, there's only two days left!!
Center for PostNatural History Grand Opening Tonight (Pittsburgh)
Posted March 2, 2012 by shaun in Events
The Center for PostNatural History announces the Grand Opening of its permanent exhibition facility in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on March 2nd (tonight) at 6pm at 4913 Penn Ave. The Center for PostNatural History (CPNH) is dedicated to the research and exhibition of lifeforms that have been intentionally altered by humans, from the dawn of domestication to contemporary genetic engineering. The CPNH presents the postnatural world through diorama, taxidermy, photography and living exhibits, from engineered corn to Sea Monkeys to modified Chestnut Trees to BioSteelTM Goats.
Another Chicago Victory! Fisk and Crawford Coal Plants Shutting Down!
Posted March 1, 2012 by nicolas_lampert in Inspiration
What an incredible two-week span in Chicago! First the news broke that two prisons in Illinois are shutting down, including the TAMMS prison that prison justice and human rights activists have lobbied to close for the past decade. Next, news broke yesterday that the Fisk and Crawford coal burning plants in Chicago are shutting down! This is a tremendous victory. Community coalitions and environmental groups in Chicago and beyond have lobbied for decades to close the Fisk and Crawford plants - both of which are located in dense Latino neighborhoods and near downtown. This victory will be celebrated in Chicago and beyond for years and it signifies the power of a multiplicity of tactics - grassroots organizing, working inside and outside the system, direct action, and creative resistance - all working in concert for a common goal: protecting human health and the environment.
New M68 Portfolio!! WIRIKUTA -Tsekie Tuamuxawita: Herido Lugar Sagrado
Posted March 1, 2012 by santi in Art & Politics
We at the Escuela Popular Martires del 68 are happy to announce that the 2012 portfolio is printed and ready to go!
This year’s portfolio is centered around the defense of the sacred site of Wirikuta, in the heart of Wixarica territory municipality of Catorce, state of San Luis Potosi, Mexico.
The Martires del 68 school and the Convención Metropolitana de Artistas y Trabajadores de la Cultura (CMATC) coordinated this amazing piece of collective graphic work in benefit of the Wirikuta Defense Front: Tamatsima Wahaa.
