The Soulful Invasion of Carytown

Last Saturday a brass band from a Church Hill neighborhood prayer group decided they wanted to blow their instruments in Carytown. Harry happened to be there to encourage them to set up close to the NYD, the Byrd, etc. It turned into a lovely street party that truly reflected the atmosphere and spirit of our neighborhood and confirmed the many reasons we choose to live in what Harry calls WOBSOC since we don't benefit from the numerous historic designations our neighboring hoods are known for. (west of boulevard, south of cary)

We were wobbly with the spirit of the night, the love of brass and the joy everyone felt that spontaneous good things can happen on our streets on a Saturday night. I shot some video of the band and crowd that I'll try to post before the end of the weekend.
*update The United House of Prayer for All People was handing out postcards this past Friday evening as they performed in the same location in Carytown. The church which sponsors these soulful musicians (and provides their instruments!) is located at 926 Chimborazo Blvd in Richmond, VA. Sunday services are at 11 am and 7:30 pm. If anything could keep me awake on a Sunday morning it would be these guys. They aren't quite a dirge band in the New Orleans sense but they come as close as one will likely get in the state of Virginia. Harry and I would second line these guys all the way to the White House but I don't know if my fellow Virginians would know to get in line behind them. It is a very different culture.

Long Art

It is so easy to forget the most profound lessons. Why? It would save such heartache and frustration if memory served us all better. Oh, look forward everyone says... but where is the lesson in that except one might better avoid the agony of the trip and fall.

Hippocrates knew... but we forget... over and over: "Life is short, the art, long... judgement is difficult. It is not enough for the physician (substitute artist) to do what is necessary... the circumstances must be favorable."

I was involved in a documentary film titled Long Art a few years ago. The title was inspired by events from my personal history so you'd think it would be ingrained in me by now. I think it is but the noises of the present often drown out the lessons of the past. The part I always forget - which is the most comforting - is that circumstances must be favorable. The divine injustice of circumstance... Darfur, New Orleans, the Gulf Coast... it's a list as long as the history of the world. c'est la vie.

Living the life

I spent this past weekend seeing what there was to see in the museums and galleries of our art city. It was a perfect respite in spite of the fact that many galleries were closed - and well, its the low end of the art season. Recent VCU grads were in two shows in Chelsea so there was the added attaction of seeing their work on the walls. The disparity elsewhere made their work look even better!

There a few exceptions to the norm: I wound up getting into Chelsea from the south since I spent a night on Wall St. I jumped off the 1 train at 18th near the entrance of the Affordable Art Fair... an ideal place to research galleries from across the globe since it features artists whose work sells for less than 10,000! I was most interested in the London and West Coast Galleries since I don't have regular access to that part of the world.

Another chance encounter led me into the studio depicted above. This woodworking sculpture has taken over a space not far from Edward Albee's theatre. He's covered the facade with recycled wood and created niche windows for viewing small examples of his work. It was very exciting and looked just like I would imagine the dream studios of many former VCU sculpture grads. More recent alums aren't so interested in these types of materials so I can't imagine what their dream atelier would look like. Their work is as eclectic as ever as it can be seen in the FRESH MEAT exhibition at Kim Foster gallery.

If I could have stayed longer I would have traveled to Soho this week and visited the Painting Center. Vic Colazzi has curated an exhibition which includes work by fellow blogger Anaba. Vic is an excellent painter and writer so I am sure it will be a show worth seeing.

21st C Heroes

work in progress

Study for Portrait of Di
mixed media on panel
24" x 18" 2007

This piece is part of a new series for a show that I was planning to title "Present Tense." Many people think of me as a classicist since there are often references to classicism in my work. I'd like to emphasize more topical themes referenced in my work but now that I've learned that "Present Tense" is included in the title of the Whitney Biennale this year I am reconsidering the title.

Arcadia

I'll be spending a few days in NYC later this week. I hope to spend some time in by the Morgan Library with a show of early 20th C Berlin drawings on view. The Morgan also has one of the rare copies of the Declaration of Independence which I think deserves a little more attention than it's been getting of late.

If you click on the title of this post it will take you to the info page at the Morgan where you can learn all about the show - as well as click on the Declaration and see it up close and personal. Wow. I spent a lot of time looking for the ORIGINAL John Hancock but it seems this is just an official rare copy of the Declaration so there is no signature. What would such a document say if it were written today by men and women of strong opinion and intelligence? I can't imagine what it would say or who would write it. Please feel free to imagine and share.

Too many things and not enough clock

Kissee Collection

Harry and I had the opportunity to view the Kissee Collection tonite. I love seeing art in someone's home... the context of taste and place and a consistent point of view is inspiring and rare.

John Currin's name came up. He's obviously had the chance to view substantial collections of WPA era art - which aren't common. It isn't a period of style that museums can count on for block buster exhibitions - though that could change!

I loved the fact that the collection embraced various attitudes from the period: working class heroes from the WPA projects, genre and portrait painting, advertising from the era and best of all kitsch. It is work that appears to be conservative and subdued but... it isn't.