Happy Holiday, skull-a-day!

I just found skull-a-day.

First Annual Peace Exhibition at Caritas Village

memphis connect shared this great opportunity:

Last Reminder: Delta Exhibition

Delta Exhibition call for entries

52^ND ANNUAL DELTA EXHIBITION

DON'T FORGET TO ENTER ONE THE LONGEST RUNNING, JURIED CONTEMPORARY ART EXHIBITIONS OUTSIDE NEW YORK CITY, THEDELTA IS OPEN TO ALL ARTISTS LIVING IN OR BORN IN ARKANSAS, LOUISIANA, MISSISSIPPI, MISSOURI, OKLAHOMA, TENNESSEE OR TEXAS. FOUNDED IN 1956, THE DELTA WAS CREATED TO SHOWCASE CONTEMPORARY WORKS BY ARTISTS OF THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA REGION. TODAY, THE ANNUAL DELTA EXHIBITION HAS GROWN TO ENCOMPASS WORKS IN ALL MEDIA AND REFLECTS THE REGION’S STRONG TRADITIONS OF CRAFTSMANSHIP AND OBSERVATION, COMBINED WITH INNOVATIVE USE OF MATERIALS AND AN EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH TO SUBJECT MATTER.

To download an entry form for the 52^nd Annual Delta Exhibition,click here.

The Deadline is November 2.

wooden jewelry

I spent today in the woodshop whipping up a dozen wooden rings. I spent $19 dollars on wood, then I saw this:

New American Paintings FAQ and deadline

Don't forget:
The postmark deadline for the MFA issue of New American Paintings is October 31.
The postmark deadline for the Southeast regional issue of New American Paintings is December 31.

Q: What is New American Paintings?
A: First published in 1993, New American Paintings is bimonthly juried exhibition in print. Each regionally-focused edition features the work of forty painters. Working with curators from the nation’s top museums, we review the work of more than five thousand artists a year and publish the best we find.

Q: Who reads New American Paintings?
A:New American Paintings’ readership is made up of thousands of collectors, art world professionals, artists and art enthusiasts. We also have an international subscriber base of individuals who are interested in discovering emerging American painters.

Q: Where can I find New American Paintings?
A:New American Paintings can be found on newsstands of fine bookstores and museum shops nationwide (Barnes and Noble and Borders are our largest retailers). You can also purchase subscriptions and single editions from our website.

Q: Who is chosen to be featured in New American Paintings?
A: We have split the United States into six regions (Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Midwest, West and Pacific Coast). For each of these regions, we conduct one competition a year in which artists residing in that region may submit slides of their work to us for consideration. Working with curators from major museums throughout the United States, we review the entries and select 40 artists for each book.

http://www.newamericanpaintings.com/competitions.html

Jonathan Brilliant

I just had a nice little chat with Jonathan Brilliant, an artist working in the Jones Hall Gallery this week. Brilliant calls himself "The Goldsworthy of the Coffeeshop" and he sold me a purple t-shirt that glows in the dark. Here's his explanation of the project:

For the Goldsworthy of the coffee shop project I make reference to the role of a British artist who gathers materials in his natural environment and uses them to execute a site-specific installation. In my version the natural environment is the coffee shop, and my materials are the to-go coffee cup and all its accoutrements. The resulting work is both ironic and labor intensive with a traditional craft based sensibility. In this ongoing series of work i continue to explore my sense that the coffee shop and related consumer environs are more organic and nurturing than the "real" natural environment. This ongoing cycle of work is realized through the creation of large site-specific, site-responsive sculptural interventions.

The reception for his installation in Jones Hall is tomorrow at 4:30.

Here's a video (of the real Goldsworthy) to get you in the mood.

A Crab (for Grandmary)

For some reason all the members of my family always ask me if I can paint blue crabs for their houses--so today I did. Crabs for everyone! Woo!

I'm ordering oversize postcard prints of these from Vistaprint and will put them up on etsy when they come in. The original is going to Grandmary for Christmas.

University of Memphis Department of Art Brown Bag Series Screens Season Five of Art:21 – Art in the Twenty-First Century

In conjunction with National Arts & Humanities Month, the Department of Art will screen season five of Art:21 – Art in the Twenty-First Century, the only prime time national television series that focuses exclusively on contemporary art. The Brown Bag Lunch screening will be followed by discussions led by University of Memphis faculty, graduate students, and guest artists. The events are scheduled on September 29, October 8, October 15, and October 22, 2009 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. in Jones Hall room 214; screenings and discussions are free and open to the public. Carrie Mae Weems. Production still © Art21, Inc. 2009 The four new episode of the Peabody Award-winning series spans five continents and focuses on 14 of today’s most accomplished artists, such as Jeff Koons, Cindy Sherman, John Baldessari, Carrie Mae Weems, and William Kentridge. The audience will observe the artists as they create works that reflect important and timely global issues, tackle complextopics, ask tough questions, and create works that delight, amaze, and sometimes unsettle audiences worldwide. About Art21 Over the past ten years, Art21 has established itself as the preeminent chronicler of contemporary art and artists through its Peabody Award-winning biennial television series Art:21—Art in the Twenty-First Century. It has used the power of digital media to expose millions of people of all ages to contemporary art and artists and has created a new paradigm for teaching and learning about the creative process. In addition to its PBS series and year-round series-based education and public programs efforts, Art21 has expanded its film production and educational efforts in recent years. Several new initiatives have been launched in the past year, including the premiere of the new short-format documentary series Art21–Exclusive on multiple online platforms and expansion of the Art21 Blog. New programs are in the works, including a feature film as well as Art21 Educators, an ongoing professional development program for teachers. University of Memphis Screening Schedule Fantasy September 29, 2009 This episode presents four artists whose works or personal stories transport viewers to imaginary worlds and altered states of consciousness. With works that seem at times hallucinatory, irreverent, and sublime, each of these artists pursue a vision first held in the mind’s eye. The episode’s featured artists are: Jeff Koons, Mary Heilmann, Florian Maier-Aichen, and Cao Fei. Discussion led by: Beth Edwards, Chase Malone, Greely Myatt, and Raleigh Rodgers Systems October 8, 2009 Artists invent new processes to convey the attitudes of today’s supercharged, information-based society, examining why we find comfort in some systems while rebelling against others. Systems features artists who realize complex projects through acts of appropriation or accumulation. In some instances, they create projects vast in scope, which almost elude comprehension. The episode’s featured artists are: Julie Mehretu, John Baldessari, Kimsooja, and Allan McCollum. Discussion led by: Jonathan Brilliant, Jennifer Hornby, Jed Jackson, and Cedar Nordbye Compassion October 15, 2009 This episode features artists whose works explore the possibility of understanding and reconciling past and present, while exposing injustice and expressing tolerance for others. The episode’s featured artists are: William Kentridge, Carrie Mae Weems, and Doris Salcedo. Discussion led by: Chantal Drake, Earnestine Jenkins, Richard Lou, and Wanda Rushing Transformation October 22, 2009 Whether observing and satirizing society or reinventing icons of literature, art history, and popular culture, the artists featured in Transformation capture sensibilities of our age while at times inhabiting the characters the have created. The episode’s featured artists are: Yinka Shonibare MBE, Cindy Sherman, Paul McCarthy. Discussion led by: Sarah Boyce, Michael Darough, Leslie Luebbers, Todd Richardson

The Gist: Notes on Patrick DeGuira

So I went to the lecture at Rhodes for Patrick DeGuira (who is showing at the Medicine Factory this weekend) and took a billion pages of notes. Mostly because I hate trees and love little miniature green sharpie markers. I have scanner fatigue so I decided to just share the most important page with you tonight:

Watercolor on surfboard

Dear Kevin Schmidt,

Watercolor on surfboards is pretty much the best, worst, most beautiful idea ever.

Ever.

Sincerely,

A blogger from Memphis who cannot surf, but used to boogie, skim, and bodyboard like a pro.

P.S. I think these boards would make a great gift. You know?

P.P.S. How do you prepare a surf board so that the watercolor can be absorbed? Very mysterious.

PPPS. Are you related to George and Jacqueline?