I would mention this benefit even if James and I weren't the honorees! I am told you should be able to buy tickets on the website starting Wednesday.

Not only do you get to support a good cause, and have a chance at some inexpensive art, you can meet my mother if you attend. She had suggested that week to visit without even knowing about the event.

--

NURTUREart Non-Profit, Inc. Invites You To:
NEW '07
Celebrating Ten Years of Nurturing the Edge

Monday, June 4th, 7 PM
Hosted by the CUE Art Foundation
511 West 25th Street
New York, NY 10001
Purchase Tickets Online at: www.nurtureart.org

Join Us for our Ten Year Anniversary Party
Honoring Visionary Supporters of Emerging Art:
Barry Hoggard and James Wagner, Collectors, Bloggers and Curators
Introduction by Artist William Powhida

Honorary Chairs:
Marty Markowitz, Brooklyn Borough President
Sina Najafi, Editor in Chief and Co-founder, Cabinet Magazine

Nurture the cutting edge of contemporary art by collecting from our Annual Small Works Salon Sale, an extraordinary array of new work by our talented and ambitious emerging artists. See the future in the student projects from our Education Outreach Program with the Juan Morel Campos Secondary School.

Student Art Materials Awards funded by the Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation Inc.

Ticket Prices:

Gala Entry Ticket: $75
gala celebration with wine & hors d’oeuvres, from 7–9 p.m.

All Artworks: $150 Each
choose your own from the extraordinary array in our
emerging artists small works salon

The Following are Available for Purchase by May 31st Only:

Combination Ticket: $200
includes entry to the gala and one artwork

The VIP Preview: $275
exclusive for dedicated collectors, first choice art selecting at the
champagne reception at 6:30 p.m., includes one artwork

This is an interesting use of YouTube. Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ is trying to organize security workers at Chase buildings. They have posted a video on YouTube claiming to have found client records in the trash of several bank branches in the city.

Via Crain's New York.

From the press release:

Lance Wakeling is the director of Art Mini, a miniature art fair. Each participating artist designs every detail of their booth including layout and the work to be shown. Parody and satire are indistinguishable from earnest and literal representation.

Seen in the "One Pill Makes You Small" show at Tastes Like Chicken Art Space. Here are some photos I found on Flickr from the opening.

I suspect if someone put a bomb outside a post office, government building, or religious institution, not only would the New York Times write about it, our federal officials would be on TV talking about it. If it's a bomb outside of an abortion clinic, neither thing will happen. There are not a lot of big deal media outlets in the Google News Search on the suspect's name.

Via Reuters.

A 27-year-old Austin man was arrested on Friday and charged with placing an unexploded bomb containing some 2,000 nails outside an abortion clinic in the state's capital.

The explosive device also included a propane tank and a mechanism "akin to a rocket," Austin Police Commander David Carter said.

The device was discovered on Wednesday in the parking lot of the Austin Women's Health Center, police said.

The Texas Joint Terrorism Task Force -- made up of federal, state and local law enforcement authorities -- arrested Paul Ross Evans, who authorities said was on parole for an unspecified crime.

Evans was charged with violating federal laws banning the manufacture of explosives and interfering with access to an abortion clinic. He appeared before a federal magistrate, and was being held without bail.

No further arrests were anticipated in the case. "The threat is over," Carter said.

A robot was used to disarm the bomb after the unmarked clinic building and an apartment complex were evacuated, police said on Thursday.

This was the first bombing attempt this year at an abortion clinic, according to the National Abortion Federation, which tracks violence against abortion providers.

Four incidents of attempted bombing or arson were reported in 2006, the NAF said. More than 40 abortion clinic bombings have occurred since 1977, with the last reported in 2001.

Artist websites:

• Jacques Louis Vidal
• Brian Bress

Jacques was also in the show we curated last fall.

Thanks to Joy Garnett for alerting me to this action two days ago at the Hart Senate Office Building. Note that it barely made the news at all except for some tiny AP stories.

I'm quoting the press release from her post:

via email: WASHINGTON, D.C.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
HIGH CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS - WE WILL NOT BE SILENT

Multiple actions occurred in the early afternoon today inside the Hart Senate Office Building. Eight New York
activists were among the 15 plus arrested.

TODAY, APRIL 26, 2007, A.R.T.* OCCUPIED THE HALLS OF CONGRESS IN A DRAMATIC TWO-PART ACTION.

First, in a massive distribution, A.R.T. hand-delivered a 20-page tabloid petition to every representative. It contained documentary evidence for indictments, literally putting impeachment back on the table.

Then, at 1PM, in a spectacular visual feat, A.R.T displayed the full text of Article II, Section 4 to the Senate as a 30-foot banner drop in the Hart Office Building atrium. A second 30-foot banner read "YOUR SILENCE YOUR LEGACY". Organizers said, "We must magnify the refusal of Congress to uphold the Constitution. Their silence equals complicity in the flagrant crimes of this administration."

Contact: *A.R.T. (Activist Response Team)
email: stateofemergencyaction@gmail.com

Related: A28, National Impeachment Protests

We haven't watched the Bill Moyers show about the run-up to the Iraq War yet, but here is an amazing post from Digby about what happens to journalists who point out government and media lies about the war.

I'm a few days late. On April 21, 2002, I did my first post on bloggy. It's about the art we bought at a White Columns benefit.

Recommended listening while you're celebrating in your own special way: This mix by Adam Smith from ABL Radio of house, etc. from 1986-1993.

Check out my friend Stu's The Reeler for all of your Tribeca coverage. We -- I'm the tech consultant -- launched the Tribeca part late last night.

Nancy Shaver, installation view

I love this show, with its mix of minimalist sculpture and cash and carry "curiosities" from her store in Hudson, NY called Henry.

Here is an image of her work I saw and wrote about in 2003.

Nancy Shaver
Yellow and Black Horizontals and Red and Green Verticals, 2002
Wooden boxes, plastic blocks, flashe, acrylic and house paint

Donna Huanca, installation view

I said earlier that I would put up some more photos on flickr of the show. Check them out.

Care about your first amendment rights? Today is a good day to show it at 4PM at City Hall. James has more details.

I'm a bad activist and can't leave the computer today.

What a scary country this is. This is what happened at a McCain campaign stop yesterday.

Another man — wondering if an attack on Iran is in the works — wanted to know when America is going to "send an air mail message to Tehran."

McCain began his answer by changing the words to a popular Beach Boys song. "Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran," he sang to the tune of Barbara Ann. "Iran is dedicated to the destruction of Israel. That alone should concern us but now they are trying for nuclear capabilities. I totally support the President when he says we will not allow Iran to destroy Israel."

He stopped short of answering the actual question and did not say if he supports an invasion of Iran.

[via Huffington Post]

Update:

Here is a post with a video at TAPPED. It's pretty funny that the person asking the question thinks there is only one country (Iran) causing all of the "troubles" in the Middle East. He probably drove an SUV to the event.

Julian Montague is the winner of the Diagram Prize for the Oddest Title of 2006, for his book The Stray Shopping Carts of Eastern North America. It is a book documenting his art project of the same name. Other books in the competition included How Green Were the Nazis? and Spoon Boxes of Daghestan.

There are a huge number of news articles on him winning the prize, including ones from The Guardian and the CBC.

I first wrote about this project in July 2004 and again in October 2004.

My MacBook is still in the shop, so here is a quick post of my favorite things from last Saturday. The first two are now "top picks" on ArtCal.

Christopher Lowry Johnson at Winkleman Gallery. Hard to show via JPEGs, these are beautiful subtle paintings. We've been fans for a long time, having bought a painting by Christopher from the very first show at Plus Ultra. This is the final week, so run over there!

Donna Huanca, Che Guevara's Family, 2006, fabric, 82 × 57.5 inches

Donna Huanca at Susan Inglett Gallery. We first saw her work at the "Manic and Wasted" show curated by at LMCC's Swing Space. I will probably add some photos to my Flickr feed once I have my MacBook back, as there are some great sculptures/installations too. The show also includes a sound installation.

Julie Evans, Perch, 2006

Julie Evans at Julie Saul Gallery. Gorgeous paintings influenced by Indian miniature painting. I met her via Edward Winkleman, who has a big post on her work.

Lisa Sanditz, Pearl Farm II, 2007, acrylic on canvas, 70 X 90 inches

"Endangered Wasteland" at CRG Gallery. Lots of big paintings hovering between abstraction and landscapes. I especially liked the paintings of Lisa Sanditz.

Jae Hi Ahn at Phoenix Gallery. Jae Hi is pushing the limits of what one can do with found plastic objects. We have one lovely example hanging on wall here at the Hoggard/Wagner Collection.

Here is a reminder to buy tickets to the benefit events of Rhizome (April 16) and The Civilians (April 18). While you're at it, the playwright organization 13P is having a cabaret benefit at Joe's Pub on April 29th. More details are on their website.

That's the description of the sound my MacBook Pro was making on the Tekserve check-in ticket. I was trying to be ergonomic, setting the computer on a riser so its screen is at the same height as my LCD. Then it slid off, landing on the (carpeted floor). I'm also behind on a couple of client deadlines, so if you email me and I don't get back to you quickly, that's why. I'm doing my work on a -- shudder -- PC right now.

Coincidence: I know the artist who did the check-in at Tekserve. I didn't even know he worked there.

I don't know more now than you did then, 2007
acrylic on paper
18" × 24"

ArtCat artist Wendy Heldmann has a solo show at sixspace in LA opening on Saturday. Check out Wendy's site and the gallery website for more information.

I'm starting to get some silly comments on my blog post from 2003 about the artist Jeff Burton's photographs of a young hustler named Kevin in New Orleans. At the moment, the top result on Google Images for Jeff Burton links to an image from the post, rather than a photo of the NASCAR driver.

Olive tree in Juan Carlos I Park, in Madrid, photo by R. Duran found on flickr

James and I are going to spend some time in Madrid and Barcelona, plus some wine areas such as Rioja or Navarra, in May. Feel free to email any tips or leave comments.

Update: How funny. We didn't plan it that way, but we're going to be in Barcelona during the last day of SWAB (art fair), so we'll have to stop by. Our friends at DCKT Contemporary, Leo Koenig, Mixed Greens, and Samson Projects will be there.

I love the website for Miranda July's new book of short stories.

The Progressive has an interview with "social satirist" Lewis Black. Excerpt:

Q: You describe yourself as a socialist.

Black: From the time I was kid, I saw the broader context of how we live here in the U.S. When I was twelve, I saw Edward R. Murrow’s Harvest of Shame and that was it. It led me to uncover the image versus the reality of how people live. I then learned to pronounce “apartheid” and saw the treatment of blacks here in this country as they struggled for civil rights. It made me question deeply and ask myself: How can people like migrant workers who are helping us eat not have a pot to piss in? I started learning about countries that have a “share-the-wealth” system and I said to myself, “There is nothing wrong with that. This makes sense.”

Capitalism’s problem is that it has nothing to say about how to combat greed. For all the moralizing this country does, people don’t get it: They’re greedy. And it’s gotten worse in my lifetime. You don’t even have to have socialism. I am talking about minimal things. Put money aside to fund playgrounds and high school football teams. Are you kidding me? The Grammy Awards has to make a plea to keep music in schools? I mean, what planet are we on? I guess I am asking another question in my work as well: What happened?

The latest online essay by Paul Graham, author of Hackers and Painters, is titled "Microsoft is Dead." A couple of excerpts:

A few days ago I suddenly realized Microsoft was dead. I was talking to a young startup founder about how Google was different from Yahoo. I said that Yahoo had been warped from the start by their fear of Microsoft. That was why they'd positioned themselves as a "media company" instead of a technology company. Then I looked at his face and realized he didn't understand. It was as if I'd told him how much girls liked Barry Manilow in the mid 80s. Barry who?

Microsoft? He didn't say anything, but I could tell he didn't quite believe anyone would be frightened of them.

...

The last nail in the coffin came, of all places, from Apple. Thanks to OS X, Apple has come back from the dead in a way that is extremely rare in technology. [2] Their victory is so complete that I'm now surprised when I come across a computer running Windows. Nearly all the people we fund at Y Combinator use Apple laptops. It was the same in the audience at startup school. All the computer people use Macs or Linux now. Windows is for grandmas, like Macs used to be in the 90s. So not only does the desktop no longer matter, no one who cares about computers uses Microsoft's anyway.

I see today that The Civilians are listed in Time Out New York as one of eight Off-Off Broadway companies to watch. This reminds me to write about their benefit coming up on April 18, titled Resurrection Vaudeville. James and I are big supporters, and have seen nearly everything they've done in the last four years in NYC. Join us for some drinks and entertainment!

Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Arena Nightclub
135 West 41st Street
Between 6th Avenue & Broadway
New York, NY 10036
8pm to 1am, Performance at 9pm

Enjoy drinks and dancing in this new Midtown club, surrounded by The Civilians’ artists, friends, and supporters. Includes complimentary drinks from event sponsors Tequila Corazón, Smithwick’s Ale, and Red Stripe Beer; full cash bar; silent auction; and raffle.

Members of The Civilians will perform songs from the company’s new show about Evangelical Christianity—along with a few favorites by Michael Friedman.

In a lucky bit of timing, they were in Colorado Springs visiting Ted Haggard's church as part of their research when all the excitement broke.

Timothy Lonergan, Prometheus in Baltimore No. 1, 2002
digital print from video still image, 11" × 14"

I met Tomoko in her role as the curator/director at AG Gallery in Williamsburg. She has put together a beautiful web gallery this month from the Visual AIDS slide registry, concentrating on documentation of performance. The artists she chose are John Eric Broaddus, Timothy Lonergan, Hunter Reynolds, Richard Sawdon Smith, Stephen Varble and Yolanda.

In reading her curator's statement, I learned she is a bit more wacky in her history as an artist than I had surmised from her sweet exterior!

I used to be a performance artist before my curatorial career and always believe that the body is the most effective medium to express how human beings are strong and sensitive. It is also the most effective medium to actually interact with the audience. I sold my used panties in the subway, gave audiences a menu with several options of sexual activities to choose from, and lay down with only my underwear in front of an audience and watched a Japanese pornographic video. There was always this amazing moment when I actually felt through my body that I shared the same time and experience with the audience. It was one of the reasons why I chose performance as a medium for my artwork.

[image from the Visual AIDS website]

Mark Creegan sent me a link to this Gilbert and George video on the Tate website. In it they talk about their "Bomb Paintings" inspired by the London terror attack in 2005 and about their working methods.

James already wrote about her show (now closed), but I thought I would add a few of my photos.

Spotted on 26th Street in Chelsea a week ago.

On the dashboard - Fire your Stock Analyst:

I'm a few days late on this. Is it just me, or does having President Bush make a major speech related to the war in Iraq to the National Cattlemen's Beef Association have "banana republic" written all over it?

Related: Bush was wrong when he said that the spending bills intended to set a withdrawal date contain spending provisions not related to war and security. Of course, the media didn't bother to report that.