heyo i am back after an unexpectedly long winter break! here in portland the past couple weeks of crazy weather kind of messed up the shiny newness of the new year. it wasn't just an inconvenience, it was also really damaging for local businesses and deadly for those without access to adequate shelter. i won't go into it too much but if you are interested there is some good follow up reporting coming out about why the city's response to the storm was so weak... anyway, i'm here to tell you about art stuff, but it's a good reminder to make sure to give a little extra support to whatever emergency service providers and houseless advocacy efforts exist in your area if you can. thank yoooou!!
here's some art things i have been thinking about lately:
i'm really looking forward to seeing this group exhibition, "labor of love," at the jsma art museum at portland state university. the curatorial theme has to do with hidden or unrecognized labor, which is of interest to me as a proud teachers' union member! but also it's very relevant to the art world---check out art handler magazine or look at their instagram if you just want the memes. i also have to shout out this amazing sculpture by my friend midori, which i have admired in pictures a million times but never seen in person... yet!
i went to the opening reception for pace taylor's new show at nationale last weekend and it was packed! they have built a devoted following of collectors and fans, and it's well deserved. but i highly suggest visiting when things are a little more quiet, so you can spend some quality time with these sensitive portraits. in addition to the pastels pace is known for, they also showed a series of small unframed watercolors, which stole my heart with their moody, feathered shadows. i also love their subtle use of pencil in the soft pastel pieces! don't miss this one.
Love Letter to Toby Bluth – Variable West
Before Disney ever introduced family-friendly gay characters, Bluth used the saccharine visual language of his employer to create a queer fantasy world of his own.
who doesn't love a saucy cartoon?! this super mini-essay was my first encounter with the work of toby bluth. i remember being very impressed (lol) the first time i saw tom of finland's art in the tattoo shop i worked at. it makes so much sense that some of disney's artists were doing this kind of work on the side---i only wish they hadn't had to hide it from the world at the time. but we can appreciate it now!
oh hey anyone want to put in a proposal to administer artist grants for the city of portland?
outside portland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Brick Fundraiser - Studio Place Arts
Water Logged, but Red Hot: SPA’s Foundational Art A Brick-by-Brick Fundraiser Studio Place Arts (SPA) experienced a significant flood on July 10th, and we’ve been working on a variety of...
lots of small towns in the state of vermont got inundated by the massive flooding event last july, including my hometown of montpelier and the neighboring city of barre. studio place arts, which has offered studios, residencies, and exhibition space to central vermont artists since 2000, was one of many businesses that experienced major flood damage, and they are now holding a silent auction to raise money for their recovery fund. all the artwork uses antique bricks salvaged from their historic building! i don't know how much it costs to send a brick in the mail cross country but maybe this is my chance to find out...
the palestinian art collective question of funding linked to a post by gazan artist mohammed al hawajri sharing images of his destroyed studio in the aftermath of israeli attacks. i think it's important to remember that genocide means not only the murder of many innocent people and the destruction of homes and businesses, but also the violent erasure of culture itself, in order to make sure there is nothing for survivors to go back to. al hawajri says "i had a studio full of dreams." which apparently were too much of a threat for the occupiers to let them continue to exist.
Palestinian Artist Samia Halaby Slams Indiana University for Canceling Exhibit over Her Support for Gaza | Democracy Now!
We spend the hour looking at how artists, writers and other cultural workers in the United States and Europe are facing a growing backlash after expressing solidarity for Palestine. We begin with one of these “canceled” cultural workers: renowned Palestinian American artist Samia Halaby, whose first U.S. retrospective was canceled by her graduate alma mater, Indiana University, after she criticized Israel’s bombardment of Gaza. The school’s provost said this week the show would have been a “ligh...
democracy now has a great three part interview series about censorship of palestinian artists and their allies in arts and culture institutions across the united states and europe (especially in germany).
if all this has you riled up and you're in the nyc area, go join bread and puppet's protest parade this coming saturday! being a part of a bread and puppet event is always a powerful experience, and can feel miraculously hopeful in the face of awfulness.
if you're in vermont, check out the new group exhibition "in the garden," at the current in stowe. there are some really great artists including ebony g. patterson and mary mattingly, and all the work deals with themes relating to gardens and paradise---just what we need in the middle of winter! there will also be a virtual panel discussion with some of the artists on monday, february 5 from 5-6:30pm, which should be excellent. (full disclosure, i work with the current as an independent contractor)
Unworded bird, don’t come near my window - Burnaway
In the spirit of our Camouflage theme series, Laurel V. McLaughlin presents the work of Mel Chin in conversation with the language of birds.
i have been feeling more of a need to include some poetic writing about art, in addition to the straight up reviews and reporting that i always feature. i revisted my friend laurel's beautiful essay in burnaway from last year, inspired by mel chin's sculpture "the bird is the word (north carolina variation)," and it felt like the most perfect thing i could have read in this moment. i think it's really valuable to make space for writing that communicates using all the varied channels that exist within our seemingly utilitarian language systems, so your brain can rest and stretch at the same time. it helps me deal with the chaos of living in this world! what kind of writing or art do you turn to when you need to center yourself or find inspiration in dark times?
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grapefruits music corner
another artist who has recently been helping me feel excited about life is sign libra, who ním introduced me to. her video for "le chat" is so cute! i love her 90s new age sounds <3
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soapbox time
finally, i want to take a moment to invite you all to cancel your subscriptions to the new york times if you have one, unfollow their social media accounts, and make an effort to avoid clicking on any of their content. they are a totally corrupt and untrustworthy media company that only cares about making money through their clickbaity garbage. below are just a few examples of their hateful anti-trans reporting, their willingness to wage "anti-woke" crusades on behalf of billionaires, and just a tiny bit of their extended history of misleading reporting during the "war on terror." that's not even getting into their insane op-eds and gross luxury lifestyle pieces. there are many other places you can get your news, ditch these guys!
The New York Times’ Inaccurate Coverage of Transgender People is Being Weaponized Against the Transgender Community | GLAAD
The newspaper has a chance to use its coverage for good, by shining a light on the struggles and triumphs of marginalized communities, rather than contributing to a climate of discrimination and violence.
Hiding And Seeking With The New York Times | Defector
A story changes simply by dint of The New York Times covering it, and how the Times covers it will go a decently long way in deciding what kind of story it will become. That is something that the people in charge of the Times surely know, and no doubt take some pride in, but […]
