Thursday, July 30, 2009

Subway Shoe Thoughts.

On my way to Back Bay Station this past Monday morning,
I noticed the eery sight of a child's shoe on the Orange Line tracks.


I also noticed the following advertisement for Cambridge College's programs:


Is it really appropriate, especially in Cambridge, for the picture of female career advancement to look like pink, uncomfortable, irrationally expensive and non-ergonomic shoes? No, I didn't think so. "Fail," Cambridge College, fail. This observation is without even getting into the ad's promotion of the gender segregation in adult circles as compared with non-gender-specific kicks at frats.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Events this Week

Farmer's Markets: Here, there, and everywhere...

http://www.cambridgepublichealth.org/lifestyle/cambridge-farmers-markets.php

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WEDNESDAY @ 6:30 PM: Madonna Karaoke at the MFA ... What?

http://boston.going.com/event-620121;NEW_DATE_Free_Outdoor_Karaoke_Event_Seeing_Songs


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THURSDAY @ 7:00 PM: Music and/or art.

Music - Live bachata & merengue music (Mozart Park, Jamaica Plain)
http://www.artsboston.org/event/detail/45373

Art - Gallery 263 (Pearl Street, Cambridge) Show Opening: "Repaint"


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FRIDAY in the PM: Art Openings!

Boston Sculpture Gallery ( Harrison Ave, Back Bay) @ 6:00 PM: http://bostonsculptors.com/
(will include installation AND performance art, as well as a survey of the group's artists)

Fourth Wall Project (132 Brookline Ave, Boston) @ 7:00 PM: http://fourthwallproject.com/
(will be less quiet than BSG & very vibrant)

Split/ Signal

Yup, this is back-dated a bit. This concert, "Split/Signal," happened on May 30th at the Somerville Center for Arts at the Armory. For those who went, you know how excellent the combination of people-watching, plentiful beer, heart-gasping music, and visually exquisite video was. For those who didn't attend, check out the Music/Film list below.

Youtube Homework for You:

Mike Dunkley & Todd Brozman - Jon Cianfrani
Black Yodel - Micahel Maraden
Arms & Slepers - Dado ramadani
Devil Music - Barrett Films
Caspian - Bryan Deblasio
Roger Miller - Handcranked Productions
Cul De Sac - vj dziga
The Books - Rich Remsberg

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

On a lighter Note...

It looks like the movie industry is giving another shout-out to its early precursor, the BOOK with another book/imagination/action film: Ink Heart. Awesome. I won't go to see it, but if it works to hook kids on reading, terrific.

A List, Thoughts on Purpose, and another List.

Things I Desire.

1) Knowledge.
2) Mobility.
3) The bee population to come back.
4) Not to be afraid of the future due to war, climate, or disease.
5) Safety.
6) Honesty and Clarity.
7) Loved ones.
8) Adequate expressions of Gratitude.
9) Good Health.
10) People to share a good life with.
11) One additional person to share a good life with.
12) To travel with purpose.
13) Purpose.

A little piece about purpose: when I was working on my cube installation, I felt like I had found good creative flow and artistic purpose. I felt that I was expressing a universal care for craftsmanship. I felt that I was expressing the humanity of straight lines, the ability to see living potential in in-animate objects, and the power of movement as experienced by the sensation of mass. I saw more and more creative doors opening. I found important artists whose ideas were significant to me and relevant to my work.

So where is that purpose? Did it disappear for any of the following reasons:
A) I realized that the world is so cluttered with STUFF that to make more objects only purposed as visual enrichment was stupidly luxurious?
B) I let limitations of studio, time, focus, and energy prevent me from continuing on?
C) I realized that, after having skimmed the surface of performance art and having been exposed to other powerful work, that I am not on track as that kind of public visionary?
D) I decided that the role of being an artist alone, a title granted me only by a persistent desire to create and an eventual acceptance of the label by others not able to listen to the longer answer, was not enough?

So now I am painting and helping kids with their homework.
I am already 23; I am only 23.

The following questions are what I think of when trying to think of a purpose:
What work needs to be done?
How can I help?
What are my skills and strengths that others can use?
What do I need to learn?
Where can I learn it?
What do I need to do before I even get to LEARN what it is I need to learn?

Response: A Powell on AIDs Treatment

In looking at different university sites for potential grad programs, specifically those about art, media, and linguistics, A.Powell's article on work done by Norma Ware caught my attention. You can read that article here.

The article stresses the importance of "social context on adherence" to AIDs treatment regimes. Ware, who studies social medicine, found out two things which stick with me:

1) Qualitative information gathered from open-response interviews was more useful than quantitative information gathered from a finite list of predetermined questions.

2) The relationships with others, or "social capital" between patients and their "treatment partners," are what re-inforce both the sense of responsibility of care-helpers to tend those in need, and of the patients to their helpers for following directions and proceeding with the medication.

As always I am in awe of examples where having a relationship with another, and being a part of a larger social network and/or extended family, can so strongly influence a person's life. Powell commented on the importance of an extended family as a resource in areas with few other resources and greater poverty. It would be nice if, in areas with plenty of resources and wealth, value on extended networks was also realized. Imagine what could be accomplished when people not only feel responsible to others in a socially productive way, but ALSO have the abilities to create real change.

I feel under-informed on what I'm writing about. That said, I learn by trying to write or speak about topics, which makes this blog sort of an ideal thrashing ground. Any suggestions of articles, other blogs, etc. are welcome!