Inspiration Friday- Art happens.

HIYA!

This week went by so quickly I didn't make a thing.
Thursday was filled with ALL interesting things!

I've had a visit to The New Museum Of Contemporary Art in my "to do" list for over two years.
The have a gorgeous new building that looks like stacked corrugated steel blocks.

New Museum Website

See? SO PRETTY! Also? Giant metal rose! What's not to love?

I love modern, challenging and contemporary art museums.
The exhibit "NYC1993: Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No star" was SO not time to visit this museum on a whim.
Very little of what's hanging in the galleries is ok to show here.
No, really.
Crude, shock baiting, obvious and irrelevant are all words that come to mind in regards to what's on exhibit now.

I am an open-minded person who enjoys having the rug pulled out from under her expectations.
But even for me, a good time does NOT include visiting a space where people stare and smirk at a "mixed media sculpture" of a man, a child and a goat.
That move.
Luridly.
Yes- feel free to imagine the very worst.

Who. Buys. This. Stuff?
More importantly, WHY?

I mean, yes, art is MORE than just pretty pictures to match your furniture.
Art is about making you see things in a new way.
It's about opening unexpected doors to new ideas and view points.
For me, art is NOT about beating the viewer over the head with the terms
SEXISM! RACISM! HOMOPHOBIA! FEMALE DISEMPOWERMENT and SUFFERING!

If I wanted to experience obvious interpretations of these societal ills I would walk down the street like I always do, eyes open.

When I see art, I want to be transported.
This exhibit took me straight to a dark place and left me there saying
"Ok. Never coming back here again."

Yet, there was another aspect to this.
As we trudged from gallery to gallery blocking Lola from the worst of the "art"
PS- that's not something I do. I would rather deal with the following:
"What is THAT?"
"That is a set of teeth jutting up and out of a chair." (See? Told you! BANANAS!)
But the husband wasn't HAVING IT!
He left and took the kiddo with him to the food court where a thousand tiny origami paper cranes flew.
Ahhh... art.
Transcendent and perfectly normal all at once.

In my feeble defense, I had no idea WHAT the museum was showing.
It was free thursday and we were curious to see the inside of the place.
SO not what you do.
SO. NOT. !!!
Always, ALWAYS check the museum website or stick to The Met.
The statues in The Met are naked but DO NOT MOVE.

I was feeling all kinds of mixed up.
Here I was grossed out by this spastic display of creative desperation
All the while getting a chance to relive my past.
Not a past of violence or political disempowerment but a past of youthful creativity and hope.

In 1993 I was a Freshman college major participating in an exciting program called Yo-Tv.
We got to make the exhibit video for the Whitney Museum's Biennial.

I met many of the artists in this exhibit 20 years ago when I was pretty impressionable but even THEN I knew the work was lacking.

Here are a few of the installations or exhibits I thought flew past their social ills moorings and spoke to the soul about truth not just capital lettered negativity.

Janine Antoni's "Lick and Lather".
Chocolate  or soap busts that have been licked or lathered.
The results are rather eerie and beautiful.
We can talk for HOURS about female ideations of beauty and empowerment or
we can admire this set of 20 busts that fills the room with the scent of chocolate. 

Didn't get the name of this artist but I loved the interpretation of words so hot they
burned the letters off the page. What a beautiful way to capture feelings and ideas about
sexuality, privacy and knowledge without thrusting body parts my direction. (EWW!)

No artist info- sorry! This was a huge room with wall paper, an orange rug,
lights hanging from the ceiling and music. It was pretty and I wanted a great picture
then the guard yelled at me for getting too close to the installation. So I hid him behind the light.

A photo of a  mirror. Cast your vote for what this stands for. Yeah pretty obvious.
I loved it anyway. It was printed beautifully by Zoe Leonard- an artist I got to meet
and whom I found especially insightful, inspiring and down to earth. 

Pepon Osorio. This two room installation showing all the stereotypical objects d'art that
Caribbean Latinos of a certain generation and dare I say, economic status, tended to fill their homes with.
On the floor is a dead body (a fake one- this is supposed to be a movie set).
I identified with and was repulsed by this but I interviewed this artist for the Biennial video.
I thought the work  didn't make a lick of sense but I liked that he was able to explain himself to
19 year old me plainly and without that tone grown ups get with ignorant know-it-all teenagers.

Uhmmm- enough of THAT.

The New Museum changes exhibits frequently so maybe I'll see something interesting next time- if I ever bother visiting gain.

Onto the more accessible art!
Thursday morning we lined up and waited an hour to get our portraits taken for the InsideOut NYC Project.
If you are near 46 street and Times Square and have a few hours to kill I suggest you line up.
It's free.
You go to the back of a black and white polka dot truck to sit for 6 seconds and get a photo taken- no backsies!
You can then choose to take the resulting poster home or let the crew paste it to the ground in front of the TKTS booth.
This was total AWESOME SAUCE.
We are going again because this happened:

Beware of "funny" faces and distracted toddlers. :)

If Lola had looked in the general direction of the camera, this would have come home with us.
I don't enjoy the sight of my daughter's enlarged nostrils.

Have a great weekend folks!
Michelle

Friday Inspiration- NYC photo walk-about

Hiya!

Yesterday was my day off.
Naturally I had a TON of errands to run so even though the day was freezing I decided to walk around and visit some of my favorite mural spots to see if anything new was up.

So. GLAD. I. did!!!

Here is what I found most inspiring this week:

BAST at Soho- not sure if the artist defaced his/her own mural- this was hella cool.

If you listen- the walls speak.

Ryan Russo's "Out Of Context" at the Charles Bank Gallery.
Acrylic spray paint and newspaper collage on canvas.

Meanwhile over at Nolita... (Kenmare and Bowery)

Crash AKA John Matos over at Bowery Mural
Also? POPEYE!!! TOO AWESOME!

Abandoned building across from
The New Museum has some of the best old school poster graffiti.
These are all letters cut out of ads.

Must go back and shoot this one again!

Detail of Ryan Russo piece- canvas was 8 x 8 feet.
Newsprint, paper, photographs- collage- amazing.

Layered oblong hexagon vellum over at the Anthropologie store window.

I freaking LOVE New York!
Michelle

December Daily Album- Hanging with Louise Nelson and talking crafts and art.

Hello happy people!

I had THE BEST SUNDAY EVER.
I got to meet my art/craft/scrap HERO.
Louise Nelson.
EEEEEEE!!!!
I can't EVEN begin to tell you how nervous I was.
First of all I made her wait at the station for EVER because I didn't plan an exact pick up location
YIKES!!
Then I talked her ear off.
It's what I tend to do when I'm nervous.
I then walked her around with no visible aim.
Thankfully she sees things and was able to take photos and do a bit of shopping all the while listening to my ever present chatter.

It was great to meet a serious artist face to face.
I'm not gonna front.
Most scrappers have a problem with the word "artist'".
Their thoughts or words:
"Give me a break! IT'S JUST PAPER.
Your work isn't original, you are using other people's designs.
You do this for FUN. You do this for a HOBBY.
Calling it art is pretentious."

Blah blah Blah. Whatever.
The first step to making life truly yours is to take yourself and what you do SERIOUSLY.
Who set the rules for what is art?
Why should there be ules fro creativity and self expression?
As Sara Bareilles so aptly puts it:

Who cares if you disagree?

You are not me

Who made you king of anything?

Rule breakers have ALL THE FUN.
They get stuff done.
They sometimes fall off cliffs and get arms stuck in collapsed caves (I saw that movie!) but mostly they are happy.
They are living life on their terms.

For many reasons this concept of positive of self definition and vision is threatening to some people.
It's been my experience that the loudest negative voice is usually the unhappiest, the most fearful and the least productive.
So who are you going to be?
The troll deciding who is or isn't an artist/good person/fill in the blank?
Or the cool chick who travels the world, gets things done and kicks life's butt?
I know who I want to be!!!!
Thank you Louise for great conversation and some major food for thought.

Onto my December Daily Album:

 I found these OLD Making Memories polka dot circle stickers
while destashing! WOO HOO!

Took a risk with Heidy Swapp mists after watching Janna Werner's
Creative Jumpstart video. You should join- it's a GREAT series and it's FREE.

Made this page after watching Louise's Creative Jumpstart video then I got
her invite via email to have coffee and PINCHED MYSELF!!!!!!
DREAM COME TRUE!!! Not EVEN joking!

OOPS! Skipped a page! WIll upload later.

Scrap FX chipboard with glitter embossing powder- LOVE!

My favorite Studio Calico Mask.

 I switched color halfway through my book. Because I can.
I really like Kraft and silver.
On December 16th I went to a Sandyhook Memorial at McCarren Park here in
Brooklyn and I really needed to reflectthis in my mini.
When my daughter asks why she has to go through metal detectors at school I will tell her.
It is reality, one she must comes to terms with now.
That very thought is a tragedy all on it's own.

As I near number 25 the pages are getting simpler.
Sorry for the fuzzy photos- something happens when Blogger compresses files
 I don't know how to fix it.

Another page inspired by a video I saw at Nat Kalbach's
Creative Jumpstart Summit- swing by and join!

I also want to wish President Obama the best of luck in his next 4 year term.

I voted for him twice because I believe in his vision and I stand by his plans for the next 4 years.

I will also keep Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. first and foremost today. 

His words. 

His call to action. 

His passion for truth and fairness for all.

He represented the best of the American dream because he helped expand that dream.

I am but one.

A small ant in a giant world. 

Dr. King helped me realize I have purpose 

I am but one yet I have power 

I am but one yet I have dreams that deserve to be pursued and treated with respect and honor.

And sometimes I get to bask in the presence of greatness.
Life is good.

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Die Scrapperin Magazine November 2012 issue is here! Also, there's a DT CALL!!!!

Good saturday morning folks!
I'm off to work but I wanted to share some happy scrappy news.
The latest issue of Die Scrapperin Magazine is available!

Here's a link to the digital preview:
November 2012 issue of Die Scrapperin Magazine.

I was asked to GDT and made three pages so I'm excited to get this pretty baby in my hot little hands soon.

Some of my all time favorite art style scrappers are part of the DT right now.

The good news is you have till November 11th to apply for the 2013 team so put your apron on, open up that art journal and send in your application people!

Here's a link:
http://scrapperin.blogspot.de/2012/10/die-scrapperin-sucht-neue-designer-fur.html

You can also apply for Guest Designer consideration by linking your work to the Die Scrapperin Flickr group.

Here are a couple of sneaks of my pages in the November issue:

 Glitter and die cuts page

NEON!!!!!

Have a great weekend and good luck!!
Michelle

Photo Inspiration post- Anthropologie

I was looking over my iphone photo library yesterday and realized I need to get out and shoot more.
I don't have time to go on my inspiration walks anymore.

Unlike other things I've cut out of my life lately this is something that simply CANNOT get ignored. There is no creation without inspiration- even hard and diligent work needs something to build on.

So here are some photos from yesterday's short but much needed inspiration trip to Anthropologie.

I LOVED the hand cut box board frames they had on the wall!
This should be easy to imitate right? (yeah right!)

Sequined pillows! Loving the large sequins with the star stitch center.

Rubber plant leaves dipped in gold paint and
hung from the ceiling with fishing wire. GENIUS!

Boxes painted neon green and yellow into which branches were inserted.
Love the contrast of natural versus man made.  

Pebble pattern- lovely!

A quote from a friend that brightened my day:

And lastly (this stopped me cold when I saw it on Facebook- WOW WOW WOW!!!)

Not my photo but I really want my place to look like this! 

Michelle

Mama don't take no mess! A 4x6 post card exchange

So I'm loving the whole 4x6 postcard swap thing.
It started with one I made for the Brooklyn based Art House Co-Op.
I love that I bring a tiny bit of scrappy joy to someone I admire and that I get to do it with paper.

MATERIALS: Stencils and stamps from Retro Cafe Art, Viva pearl pen,
Tattered Angels Mist in gold and Glimmer Glam in Mermaid, Tim Holtz Grunge
embossing powder, Studio Calico text stamp

This project wrought all kinds of drama.
I won't bore with the details since frankly exactly NO ONE cares but let's just say right up front
THIS girl doesn't take to scolding or "humbling" of any kind.
If you need to trip all over yourself to "put me in my place" PLEASE

Check yourself

Before you wreck yourself.

Lyrics from a master of tough guy talk.
They never made more sense than now.
I'm not here to hurt anyone or ruin their day.
I just want to be happy and share my FUN times with you.
I want to listen to your personal stories and cheer you on.
I want to help you raise your circus tent and be awesome(r).
But I won't play along with power trips.
It's incredibly wasteful.
Wasteful of general goodwill.
Wasteful of time.

SURPRISE!!!! The back is in on the fun as well.
I had to send this along in an envelope. Can't wait to get mine!
Making Memories stencil foam stamp, Grunge backdrop
paper from Paper Source.

And I just don't have any time to waste.
I. don't. have. time.
Writing this sentence took 4 seconds.
Time I no longer have and needed to work on something else.
So if I can't spare time to write a six word sentence WHAT makes you think I have time to explain my schedule, methods or thinking to someone who's busy drawing lines in the sand?

BING!
This turkey is DONE.
I've been setting limits on foolishness lately and this was just one more chance to practice.
Believe it or not,
I'm happier now!
Sometimes you have to fight you own neediness, feelings of guilt and comfort in group think.
And before this becomes much more melodramatic
(Can you HEAR the sweeping music? This is the HERO of the story speaking "truth" here! Here is THE VICTIM. Feel for her story! Go along with everything said!)
NOT!

Let me assure you,
I am perfectly aware
many times the things we find most vexatious in others,
are things we see and despise about ourselves.

Funny how things work out. I now have more time to notice when this face laughs.
I was around to take the picture.
Winning!

MuChoS SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Art House Co-Op- join the fun!

In March art House Co-Op based here in Brooklyn put a call out for flat, non-glitter using, 4 by 6 postcards to be exchanged.

At first I had a real hard time with the "flat" part. I tend to use depth as a way to add visual interest to my layouts so this was a hurdle indeed. Then I became fixated on glitter just because they told me not to use it- how dare they? Mostly they just hate how it gets everywhere.

Then I got stuck on the whole "art" versus "craft" internal debate. I wanted to create something that was abstract and try some new techniques. I will admit I was worried my postcard would underwhelm the more experienced image makers that usually participate in Co-Op projects.

But the best way to learn and grow is to fall flat on your face,
so:

Materials: water color paper, Punchinella from Gauche Alchemy, yellow tissue paper, Tim Holtz newsprint tissue paper and Tiny Attacher, word stencil from Retro Art Cafe, alpha stamps from Image Tree, camera from Echo Park This and That, Ek Success Smash tape, flying bird punch from EK Success, Recollections feather 

This was such a freeing experience I will be trying it again in April!
I've joined the Chronicle challenge which requires you fit a visual representation of an entire day into a 4 by 6 card- cross my fingers!

Off it went literally at the last possible moment.

This is my favorite one from the bunch.

This is the one I sent off. I hope whoever gets it, likes it!

 GRATUITOUS BABY PHOTO!!!!!

Our Easter weekend concentrated on the hubster's final exams but Lola did
manage to find this one easter egg. She was ecstatic.

MuChos SmOoChEs!

Blast from the past! The Educational Video Center in NYC

Last week I had a fine old time with some old friends and I am finally getting around to talking about it here. 


When I was 17 I joined the Educational Video Center and spent half my day working and learning away from my tiny and confining high school in the Bronx. 
I earned high school credits for doing what I do best- arguing with people, writing and asking annoying questions (a process documentary professionals call an "interview").
And it's all captured on tape for future humiliation, I mean, enjoyment.

I helped make three videos but only one was being shown at Lincoln Center last week.
This one. Made in 1993 while a member of YO-TV (Youth Organized Television) the graduate division of EVC and a great platform for a college freshman looking for a meaningful job.

Lower left- That was me back when I was cool.

I remember our group's teacher, David Murdock, walking up to us as we sat around a table trying to figure out the topic we would cover and saying "HEY we have a grant to work for the Whitney Museum. We're gonna shoot the Biennial!!!"

Our collective reaction was: HUH? Whitney Museum??? Biennial?

My specific addition was:
What the heck is a Biennial? Art? I hate art! 
It's SOOO pretentious!

I was 18 and a complete dumb ass.

No, a BIGGER one than now.

Sorry for the AWFUL photo- the lighting was lowered
and I'm using my crappy low rez  iTouch lens.

So last week I got to share that moment with a large group of high school age documentarians from all over the city and it was WONDERFUL.
I wasn't prepared to stand up in front of a filled auditorium but I surprised myself with how much I remembered about the process.
I really missed talking to young people. 
I can't believe I'm using that expression! 
But let's be real- it's been 20 YEARS. 
I ain't no spring chicken.

Some of our team: wish I had brought a tripod- this photo stinks!

Anyway here's a link to the video- warning- art form the 1990's- may not be "work" safe! 
Ah go ahead- it's totally PG!

Educational Video Center- That's What They Call Art!

I remember that one of my biggest arguments centered on the exclamation point on the title. 

I wanted it to end with a question mark. 

It would have read like this:

THAT'S what they call ART?

With all the sarcasm and distaste an 18 year old kid can muster.

Because that's what I thought about 95% of what was hanging in the museum at the time. 

Public speaking-
some people are more eloquent than others

I helped research, interview and edit the actual video (we were a collective of 7 producers with equal decision making powers and work loads). 
I saw 9 artists explain and go through their individual creative processes.
It slowly dawned on me how important their work was (and still is). 
How important it is to paint a stick and hang it on a wall.
Or chew a giant cube of chocolate and make small candy hearts with the "bites".
Or shoot pictures and pin them to a blank wall- unframed, edges curling.


Art is about creating a market place of ideas and challenging the norm.
It doesn't have to be figurative, beautiful or "important".
It isn't inherently bad or pretentious.
It just has to have meaning.
As a creator or a viewer- YOU have equal say in what that meaning is.
I think that's pretty awesome.
That was my primary lesson from my years at EVC and one I and apply to everything I do to this day.
So yes, it was a very well spent night.


If you know of a high school age kid looking for a great internship/educational experience in the NYC area- have them look into EVC- it's a great way to make connections with other thoughtful kids, round out a college application and learn marketable skills. 

TOTALLY UNRELATED PROJECT!

This is a series I'm working on just for FUN. I'm having the BEST freaking time!

MuChoS SmOoChEs!

Michelle

Project 365 on the BRAIN

I got a little behind on my Project Life/365 these last few weeks.
I haven't been taking notes but I started using the My365 app to try to keep track of images.
I found that the more I tried to fit the standards of PL the more I started to feel pressure to record every last detail in exact order which took some of the fun away from the process.
I started to ask people to pause while I took photos which caused a certain amount of vexation in my family. As my husband said several times this week- it would be nice to eat dinner without me stopping everyone so I could shoot the plate.
I love how not a single one of those shots ended up printed- it was boring me to tears.

Then I read the latest 52 creative lifts newsletter by Ali Edwards where she says it's more about being present in the moment than getting a smashing photo every time. Suddenly the whole thing felt a lot easier and less monumental.

Without much ado here are this week's efforts:

Week 6 where I acknowledge publicly that I have a buying addiction, not a scrapping one.
Thanks ton fine artist Barbara Krueger for that awesome inspiring art piece cut out from
New York Magazine. I found that awesome "We Can Do It" poster online and
 printed it to give myself a boost whenever I start to feel down. Love the color mix in this group.
The mustard paper is from Crate, the numbers print is an old  Studio Calico exclusive from 2009.

Week 7- I altered the top 6 by 12 pocket this week with my sewing machine. The final page is rather 

wonky since the edges didn't match perfectly but when the cards are added everything does flat 

again so I didn't give it another thought. I used the new Studio Calico kit

I got for my birthday including my favorite stamp EVER- the "awesome"insta-frame. The first 

segment tells the story of Lola's first I'M BUSY when I interrupted playtime to give her a bath.

 I'm constantly saying that (mostly when my husband interrupts my blogging) and now she's saying it as well.

Some detail shots:

The Lolster- she's too funny!

Real honest to goodness art at the 14th Street Station

This stamp set is AWESOME! This
is a photo of my long lost Instax
prints I found in a random box
after months of looking.

Week 7- Went on a long bike ride with the hubster while baby was with Grandma.
Here I'm using a page protector meant for Baseball cards which cost 2 dollars for a pack
of 10 at the Container Store. I was thinking of adding 2- 4 by 6 pockets on the side with my
sewing machine but quickly I realized I don't posses the tailoring skills needed. 

Detail shots:

Found that bicycle clip at Container Store as well- it
followed me home. The backing for most of these is
a NYC bike map from 2011- too old to use now.

If you want to shoot ipod shots with gloves on
you gotta sacrifice that glove tip. I opened the
seam and pulled the glove back over my finger
tip when done.

I also had entirely too much fun posting Instagr.am images on saturday- here is my favorite:

I ALWAYS wear a helmet- even though
I look like a Class A TOOL with it on.

MuChOs SmOoChEs!

Michelle