a must see

wunderkammer: a century of curiosities. please, please go see this amazing exhibit from the moma. its presented here in a flashy, maze-like way that makes me happy.

great art in eugene

(art gallery studies, university of oregon, photo by john crosley)

(folding silk screen, ten symbols of longevity, korean late joseon period 19th century CE, schnitzer)

(carl morris, 1938, lumbering, post office on 5th and willamette)

(campbell memorial courtyard, jordan schnitzer art museum) 

something amazing

i was just cruising one of my favorite art blogs art addict, a site about collecting contemporary art written by the lovely paige west, and saw something that i thought my left coast friends would appreciate. 

an artist by the name of sighn (who i am rabidly researching because she just became a major art crush) made 1,00,000 thats right one million of these wonderful wood blocks that read ITSOK. each of these pieces is hand carved by the artist, and sold for $20. the icing on the cake is that for every piece sold a tree will be planted. how warm and fuzzy and green does that make you feel? the cut-outs are available at multi polar projects. 

check out paige's blog for a lot of really great insight on contemporary art and tips on how to amass that collection you've been curating in your minds eye (if you're like me and your bank account has yet to match up with your dreams). 

i feel this good right now

bodymore mcmurderland art scene

(yellow brick road)

got back from baltimore a couple weeks ago, but haven't had the time to sit and process. i got to see a lot of amazing art while i was in the city. one of the first days that i was in b-more i stumbled upon the american museum of visionary art. i had planned on visiting but i was without the careful instructions that i'd left in my suitcase in falston. my friend patrick and i had just hit up the aquarium on the inner harbor, which was KILLER by the way, and he had to run to sound check at the 8x10 so i was left to my own devices in downtown bodymore mcmurderland. i love getting lost in a new city, its my favorite way to explore. i had my camera, a dead cell phone and my flip-flops so i was well equipped for an urban adventure. i took a stroll up  to federal hill and was taking a nice stalkerish binocular view of michael phelps' million dollar penthouse on the inner harbor and a looked off to the east and this caught my eye:

i saw that and i knew i had stumbled upon something worthy of my time. winding down the hill to covington street i saw giant whirly-gigs and what i thought, and later confirmed to be a psychedelic disco-ball Further style bus complete with rabid, bad-lsd-trip animals from some gory remake of snow white and the seven dwarfs. 

it turns out i had serendipitously found the american museum of visionary art, a stop my boss b had insisted on. the sculpture gardens were incredible and the first gallery that i walked into had some mind blowing sculptures made entirely of matchsticks. one was an eight foot long replica of an old ship ripped down the middle, in exact detail, built by a man of questionably sound mind. that was one of the things that i found very interesting about the style in which the museum was curated. though not exclusive, much of the art in the museum was done by artists battling mental illness (many of which you got the impression from the didactics were simply victims of the misunderstandings and judgements of their time). it certainly gave a specific tone to the word "visionary". one piece that i particularly loved was a carved self-portrait that was hewn from an apple tree. the man was an elderly mental patient who had never once in his life shown an inclination towards making art, but upon seeing a fallen apple tree dragged the refuge inside and craved an image of himself out of the trunk, complete with a concave chest due to years of exposure to tuberculosis. 

i had a wonderful visit with the staff of their amazing gift shop. i got a great original painting for b's birthday for a STEAL! if you're ever looking for a great source of original art in baltimore, visit the AMVA. after stumbling out of the museum in a bit of a crazy art daze i wandered back over federal hill to the 8x10 where my friend patrick was playing with his band, the bridge, who i've shown bloggy love to so many times i hesitate to stroke their ego any further, but for those who haven't been reading along they're fucking great. i had never been to the 8x10, but had heard many times about the memorable shows played there so i was very excited to see one of my favorite bands there. the venue was once two side by side row houses, and has a great balcony with nice views of the stage. it also has an amazing view of the city from the roof top, where i unsuccessfully tried to james bond my way over a few other roof tops in four inch heels only to end up wussing out at the last minute and deciding the view from my originating rooftop was sufficient. the bridge killed that night, and even treated us to a encore that included "smoke two joints" by sublime, "two hits and the joint turned brown" by yonder mountain string band, and the classic "don't bogart that joint". i danced until my feet felt like hamburger, and rewarded myself with a very late night stop for french toast and vanilla milkshakes. 

(dancing + mediocre digital camera = visual nonsense)

the last day of my trip i made it to two more museums. first we stopped by the walters art museum. i didn't really know what to expect and was pleasantly surprised with a decorative-art heavy collection that was both comprehensive and compelling. i was SUCH a nerd in the weapons hall, i'm surprised patrick didn't slip out the back door and turn off his phone. but what's a nerd to do? i turned a corner into a room hung floor to ceiling with broadswords, cross bows, and those awesome spiky-volley-ball things, and suddenly i WAS zelda. if it weren't for my natural reverence in art museums i probably would have challenged patrick to a duel. 

there was also a truly awe-inspiring room called "the hall of wonders" (i think, could be wrong, i was pretty overstimulated at this point). it was a great example of a baroque hang, where paintings are literally blanketed over every wall space and cabinets are crammed with goodies. there were tortoise shells, chalices, torture devices and a stuffed crocodile the size of your mom. my jaw was officially dropped. i also really enjoyed the far-east wing, the egyptian wing and the grecco-roman wing, which gave me the chance to look smart ;)

after that we cruised over to the baltimore museum of art. i hauled ass to the contemporary wing, patrick wearily in tow, pausing only to acknowledge that not everyone's a matisse fan. i was so blown away by the contemporary wing, its construction as well as the amazing curatorial practice exercised there. sometimes i get nervous when bringing someone new to a contemporary art exhibition. contemporary isn't an easy school to digest. lots of it is too highbrow and conceptual for its own good, and every once in awhile i catch my guest giving me a look that says "you don't get this either, do you? you just pretend to like it to look smart." i was tickled pink that one of the first piece that we stumbled on was from andy warhol's oxidation series. how can you not laugh when the first medium listed for a piece is urine? it was a great ice breaker. 

(andy warhol, 1978, oxidation series, that's right he pissed on it)

i saw some pieces in that museum that brought me to tears. i was talking about joseph indiana and was literally stopped mid-sentence, dead in my tracks by a morris louis piece that i silently tractor beamed over to while the end of a word trailed pathetically from my mouth, causing slight concern and certain confusion. i think i worried those around me that i was on the verge of having an epileptic episode. art does that to me, its a drug.

i had an unforgettable time in baltimore. i think the nickname bodymore mcmurderland is unfair and misleading, though i obviously find it funny or i wouldn't use it so much. i had a pretty lux visit to the city, i know there are armpits in the city that i don't want to smell, but i enjoyed the parts of the city that i saw and i commend baltimore for amassing impressive, diverse permanent collections at their major art institutions. i'd love to talk more about how much i appreciated the inclusion of lots of female artists, african-american artists and outsider art, but i've got to go get free food from the 'rents. more later. 

first friday art party

yeah!!!!

we set our sights high for the lopez opening. i had conceptualized the show as a coming out party for fenario. if a cotillion theme would have worked i would have jumped on it. my boss brent and his team have been working for years to get fenario off the ground, and we've had some amazing shows with extremely talented artists throughout the years. however, the daily grind of keeping an art space open and viable has kept b's hands tied in a lot of aspects of the game and while we've been successful in a lot of areas, creativity flows best when everybody's got their just enough on their plate and not too much.

the steven lopez opening was my chance to show that when me and my team are all working at our highest level we can accomplish great things. sometimes during the grind of the week it can be easy to forget what we're working towards, the kinds of moments that make any stress well worth it. openings are an opportunity for me to remember that i have the greatest job on earth: bringing people beauty, inspiration and awe; sharing with my community something that uplifts the spirits. the opening netted several hundred visitors, and we sent several very happy customers home with their own original steven lopez canvas. while the art walk was visiting it was wall to wall in the gallery. douglas, the president of the lane arts council, a man of exacting taste and consistent, professional honesty gave me some superb compliments that left me floating off the ground for most of the night. i got a lot of comments that the show seemed to be geared toward the younger generation, which is somewhat true (my 'rents had to get to bed before the breakdancing battle started :) but steven and i both wanted the show to be something that could be appreciated by people of any age. i wanted older art appreciators to see that art that stems from graffiti can be mature, complicated and intellectual.  

many of our friends and family came out to support the show. there were so many smiling faces, part of me wondered if their was a gas leak somewhere and everyone was feeling a bit lightheaded. it felt like fenario's first cotillion (complete with fancy dresses) dj matt nelkin opened the night with a hot set of soul and hip-hop, including a deliciously funky remix of my old myspace song "honey" by one of the stars of the evening erykah badu (who's portrait by lopez was central to his triumphant "after midnight" series, see videos posted below or visit lopez's website to see the timelapse movies he made). dj pls and dv8 both helped on the wheels of steel and made the party classy and dance-able, an irresistable combination. 

opening a cash bar, having music and dancing really elevated the mood of the opening beyond just a premier to an out and out art party, exactly what i'm always campaigning for. it was fun to see our friend lou-mega and the r.a. break squad (and  a sweaty guest appearance by our old friend karl - and i do mean old) getting down on our great wood floors. its a pretty dreamy surface for break-dancing, great to see it being put to good use, especially with all the art on the walls and the music blasting. it was great to see people's reactions to the space transforming over the course of the night, from wine and cheese and high heels to whiskey and gangstarr. some visitors were surprised to see our willingness to be so trusting with the space, which afforded me the opportunity to remind people that we love using fenario's space for all kinds of art - performance and otherwise. at fenario we want our art events to be dynamic, and multi-sensory. 

if you didn't make it to the opening, the show will be hanging through the end of september. we've also got a forum co-presented with the lane arts council about the importance of public art and the history and future of mural art in eugene on september 24th. steven and a few other local artists will be there, and its a chance to come see the fabulous dress i have for the event ;) this show is not to be missed, get off your couch, start up your car, or reserve your plane tickets. 

a new chapter

fenario's turning a big corner this month. steven lopez got into town last night with his amazing show. i'm hoping no one noticed, but as we moved the canvases into the gallery (at a ghostly hour, the city asleep) i couldn't wipe the grin off my face. it felt like christmas.

i carried a piece entitled "if you were a huntress, i would be your bow" into the space, and when i get it down and got a good look at it i was moved to tears (again, hoping no one saw that). you should have seen my face when i heard the title (full title: "if you were a huntress, i'd be your bow. for your silver arrows, to seek out his heart."). hottest title EVER. it immediately reminded me of mos def's verse on the jill scott "love rain" remix, which i've always said is the sexiest piece of spoken word i've ever heard.

this show means so much to myself, and the gallery. i can't say too much, but the quality of the work lopez brought in is so high, that i am finally over any nerves that i had stemming from the possibility that i had gushed too much, and i'd end up on my face. my mom always says "the proof is in the puddin'" and let me tell you: this puddin' tastes DELICIOUS. 

Sade- Paradise from ikeepmoving.com on Vimeo.