09.22 2005

don’t sweat it

max – if that guy’s opinion meant much of anything to anybody, it wouldn’t be on a blog. no one will even take the time to critique his review cos it isn’t worth it (for starters, his writing “skills” are atrocious). just roll your eyes and move on. you know the saying “those who can’t, teach.” (not to imply this about all teachers, but I do feel that some people see this as an alternative when they’re not finding success in their own field) In this case, the guy writes. when is his next solo show?

09.21 2005

This Dude Hates Me So Much That…

he bothered to write about my work twice on his blog. i think its awesome. i really touched someone and he has a hell of a sense of humor. heres the first oneI found Vox to be a rough co-op space. On view this weekend were shows that you would expect to see at a contemporary art gallery trying to be hip. In one room was some sort of installation where the artist set up a computer, music and those cheap string lights found in 50% of college dorm rooms today. Yawn. the second(Before my post, here’s a fun game… go to the Vox Populi Web site and scroll down to current exhibitions. Look at the small thumbnails for the five current shows. I’ll give you three guesses, and the first two don’t count, to guess which artist I’m most drawn to. For anyone who has read this site more than a week, you should get it right. Answer is implied below.)A little while ago I visited Philadelphia and wrote a bit about the gallery hopping I did there. I wrote about my experience at Vox Populi (Libby Rosof reviews it here) and how I found it lacking and very, if not way too… current. And here I mean current as a bad thing. The decorative paintings are fine and all, but the string light installation with quirky computer animation has got to go. Seriously, some governing organization should be formed that restricts artists from using some materials. At this point I’m willing to submit only one thing to the list… string lights. Clearly we cannot trust artists to restrain themselves so someone must do it for them. And titling the piece, “Scorch Doppler, unearthing the demise of a teenage phoneme….” only adds to the hogwash already wasting my time. Libby states that Max Lawrence, the guilty artist, “goes wild and funky and basically out-of-control when he installs a big space…” I have to disagree. It’s not wild. It’s not funky. It’s so completely now that it is tame and expected. Work that is visually and conceptually opposite of this (restrained, elegant, finished, etc) would be “wild” and “funky” today. Chalk this up as another example of installation art I totally despise at this point. Fortunately Libby is more open-minded and provides a great review.Libby goes on to talk about the decorative paintings of Amy Adams and Anne Schaefer which I found to be too decorative. At the same time they were visually appealing. Lastly Libby writes about Jason Hughes. I found his work to be a good escape from the other artists and I felt this guy was serious about his work. He was the clear standout to me, although I think Lawrence’s colorful installation will remain in most viewer’s minds for much longer. I guess some artists will do what it takes to make that happen.Kudos to Libby for the great review… even if I disagree with a lot of it. That is the point of writing about art though, of course.

heres the first post
heres the first one
the second

09.19 2005

For Immediate Release

some information about next month’s art show.

09.12 2005

SHE’S BACK!

Big Big thanks to Janet Lee — who saw my post on craigslist, and helped me find my dog….you are awesome! Also big thanks to Al B from the bike shop on 8th and Washington Ave for finding her and keeping her safe. If anyone needs a decent bike for cheap — 8th & Washington is your spot.

I got a dog yesterday, and lost her in the same day. here’s a flyer….i’m bummed.

09.12 2005

Katrina Relief Sidewalk Sale 9/17

THIS SATURDAY 9/17. 3016 Cambridge Street, Philadelphia. Donation only yard sale. All proceeds will go to the Sparkplug Foundation (http://sparkplugfoundation.org) for immediate disaster relief. Come, browse, buy, donate, support!

09.11 2005

kind of like spitting 9/13

9/13 7pmKIND OF LIKE SPITTING (portland,OR)RAREBIRDS (philly)TINY AMPS (boston)come celebrate the return of ben and music without booking agents…it should be sweet and cozy

09.09 2005

Poster Exhibit

Philippe Apeloig: Design Work September 9 – October 16The Rosenwald-Wolf Gallery @ UArtsReception: Friday, September 9,5:00- 8PM

09.08 2005

100% legit!

Every Thursday in September:FORCEFIELD!1st seating: 7:30pm2nd Seating: 10pm$1075 minutes of Forcefield videos on 4 screens. Reservations are stronglyrecommended: http://www.monkeytownhq.com More info: http://www.eai.org/eai/09_05_mt_pr_press.html Monkeytown58 North 3rd Street (betw. Wythe and Kent)Williamsburg, Brooklyn

09.07 2005

hey jeff.

you’re good.

09.05 2005

Ben Woodward

stuff