Cafe (un)American on New Year's Eve

Still on the fence about what to do on New Year's Eve? If you're looking for a memorable evening, grab a ticket to Cafe (un)American. $100 gets you food (by Cormac Mahoney of MPC; desserts by Victoria Yee Howe, and Theo Chocolates), drinks, and entertainment by 35 performers, plus "...DK Pan and a constellation of debutantes, degenerates, aristocrats and anarchists..." Should be a good time!

contributor for DRIFT

Percept II, 2010 by Nif Hodgson
Multiple-plate etching, image via

I have a short little attention span but you probably already knew that. It manifests in my blog post lengths, in my artistic practice, and definitely in my personal life (I'm infamous for only scheduling my life in 2 hour blocks...). I've really loved all the different places I've written for during the past couple of years but I'd always have trouble with the pace and maintaining interest. The beauty of a personal blog is that you can write about whatever you want. But it turns out that most magazines/other blogs actually prefer to choose their own content and once the writing turns into an assignment, that's the moment I lose passion. I just like to write about what I love; that's always been the point of the blog. 

In 2012, I'll be doing a series of artist interviews for DRIFT, a magazine started by collaborators E. Maude Haak-Frendscho and Sean Collins. It's been around for a year now, documenting "...the site of intersection between various modes of artistic and cultural production and the geographic and social landscape of the American west coast." It's a great publication and you can always read back-issues online. As I've said before, the interviews have always been my favorite part of the blog and the schedule (quarterly) is perfect. Plus, for the first one (coming out in late January, I believe), they'll be reprinting a previous interview. It should be lots of fun and I'm really happy to be revisiting the interview series with such a great group of folks.

Insatiable / Vignettes

image via Victoria Yee Howe

Victoria Yee Howe presents an edible installation tonight at Vignettes from 7-10pm. Yum.

Gregory L. Blackstock

The North American Labrador Retriever Gundogs Complete
by Gregory Blackstock, 2009
image via Garde Rail Gallery

Gregory L. Blackstock is an enigma to me. I've always really enjoyed his inventoried drawings of things that catch his eye. I had no idea he even still lived in Seattle. I figured that after his art got so popular, he'd be living the high life in NYC. (When Comme des Garçons uses your work for their clothes, you've pretty much 'made it', right?) Instead, he still lives here in a modest apartment/studio.

The Pan American World Airways Airliners
by Gregory Blackstock, 2010
image via Garde Rail Gallery

Greg Kucera forwarded me an announcement of Gregory's current European exhibition at Collection de l’Art Brut. It's a huge deal and there's even a documentary film and monographic essay to accompany the show.

The Great World Drongos
by Gregory Blackstock, 2009
image via Garde Rail Gallery

You can read about Gregory's back story in this Stranger article by Emily Hall, written nearly 8 years ago. And congratulations to Gregory!

The Neddy at Cornish

paintings by Ned Behnke (image via Behnke Foundation)

At a party last night, it came up that there's still some confusion about the new and improved Neddy. Some folks didn't realize that it's no longer a nomination process. Instead, now any* visual artist (living and working the greater Puget Sound area) is eligible simply by completing the application. (Complete requirements *here.)

Like previous years, there will be two awards. Since Ned Behnke (the Neddy namesake) was a painter, there will continue to be an award for painting. The second award is for, "...any medium or combination of media grounded in the visual arts." While the program is administered by Cornish, a panel of three local arts professionals will choose the four finalists in each category. The final winners of each award will be selected by an unaffiliated selector from outside the region. Oh, and the amount for each prize? $25,000 - unrestricted!

paintings by Ned Behnke (image via Behnke Foundation)

So now Seattle has two annual awards for $25,000 (The Neddy and Arts Innovator), another annual award for $15,000 (Betty Bowen), along with a biennial (the Brink) award for $12,500. Plus many more grants through organizations like 4culture, Artist Trust and more. Thanks to everyone who makes these possible.

Applications are due February 3rd. Don't let it get lost in the holiday/new year shuffle.

Santa Sunday!

Santa's stopping by NuBe Green this Sunday (12/18) from 2-6pm! Come down between 2-6pm for your holiday portrait! Santa will also be handing out free babycake coupons for Cupcake Royale.

Why stand in long lines to take a picture with the big guy? Shop small this Sunday at NuBe Green, cross off more names on your holiday gift list and get you and yours a FREE PICTURE WITH JOLLY OLD ST. NICK! (portraits will be available online, the green way!) Kids of all ages are invited! Happy Holidays from Nube Green!

Strange Co Fundraiser tonight

"Tongue gilded with hottub enamel", detail (x6) by Amanda Manitach

Strange Co will be hosting their fundraising auction tonight with proceeds going towards their annual event, Strange Coupling. They've got a great group of artists lined up for 2012's event: Julie Alpert, Tosh Beres, Ryan Feddersen, Troy Gua, Susie Lee, Amanda Manitach, and DK Pan. Each will be paired with an as yet to be determined UW student and together they will make a collaborative piece of art. Jurors are Catharina Manchanda (SAM's Curator of Contemporary and Modern Art) and Kris Anderson (Director/Curator at the Jacob Lawrence Art Gallery). I did it two years ago and had a blast.

Tonight from 6:30-9pm in the Jacob Lawrence Gallery at UW.

I'm turning 40!

I'm turning 40 on January 6. You're invited.

Friday, January 6th, from 8-11pm

Sole Repair, cash bar, music by Hooker!

RSVP here.

Saturday and Sunday

Swan Song by Greg Lungren.

Image via Vignettes

SATURDAY

11-2pm: Kurt Timmermeister will be at Calf & Kid today signing copies of his book and sampling Dinah's Cheese. A great read - I picked up a copy for my dad.

11-5pm: DIY Holiday Fair by Hollow Earth Radio and the Vera Project

Noon-9pm: Building C Studios will have an open studio with artists such as Robert Hardgrave, Piper O'Neill, Sue Danielson, Akiko Masker and more!

6-10pm: Equinox Studios has an open house and live music (7-10pm). Joyce McAndrews will be showing her wire sculptures.

7-10pm: Vignettes presents Swan Song by Greg Lundgren which promises, "It will make people break laws and protect the poor and fuck complete strangers and do terrible things. This sculpture will make people take care of each other, but not all the time. This sculpture will recalibrate us all - turn us into the things we have been all along."

9pm-2am: The Wildrose hosts Brush Off (Christmas Edition) with DJs Timmy Taco and Sh6rl6s6.

SUNDAY

The Gift Shop by Matt Offenbacher

Image via Henry Art Gallery

Noon-5pm: Jason Hallman will be showing his most recent work at Square Room.

2-3:30pm: A book release party at Henry Art Gallery for The Gift Shop, a Publication Studio book about last year's rotating exhibition, The Gift Shop, organized by Matthew Offenbacher.

8pm: NEXT FEST NW at Velocity Dance Center with new work by artists Kate Wallich, Mike Pham, PERPETUUM I Mobile, Marlo Martin, Laara Garcia (Also performing Saturday, 12/10)

Theaster Gates / Seattle Art Museum

records from Dr Wax

image via The Art Newspaper

Chicago artist/public planner Theaster Gates will be giving a public talk (free with museum admission) tonight at 7:30 in SAM's Arnold Board Room about his new exhibition The Listening Room. Gates, 2011-2012 recipient of the Gwendolyn Knight and Jacob Lawrence Fellow, has installed 4,000 records from Chicago's defunct Dr Wax which, "...can be used to examine African-American politics through history: “When were our voices radical, when were they pacifist? Do we sing about things we can’t scream about?” A DJ will play selections in a pulpit-like station built by Gates from reclaimed materials. “The DJ is the minister of music, the albums are the choir." (via)

I especially love this part.

Each first Thursday and first Sunday of the month SAM will showcase a local DJ who will select records from the Dr. Wax collection to play. At the same time an archivist will be recording the moment for posterity, recognizing that this exact scenario of music selection and audience interaction is always unique. There will also be “listening parties” out in the community that promote dialogue and engagement with the themes in the show. (via)

The show is curated by Sandra Jackson-Dumont, SAM’s Kayla Skinner Deputy Director of Education and Public Programs and Adjunct Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art. I'm so excited!

The Matador / Amanda Manitach

The Matador by Amanda Manitach

I couldn't make Saturday's Happy Hour so I'm just seeing Amanda Manitach's video now. I love it! It's just so Amanda! Three cheers (one for each of the projects she's constantly involved in) for Amanda Manitach -- Seattle's so much brighter with her in it.

She'll be speaking on a panel today in the Board Room at Cornish from noon to 1pm. She promises, "Literature, ready-made narratives, Christianity, magic/mythological formulae, and the displaced self are all sure to play a part."

2011 USA Fellow Akio Takamori

“Three Women” by Akio Takamori, image via

Congratulations to Akio Takamori. He was just awarded one of the fifty 2011 USA Fellowships, each in the amount of $50,000. Akio's in great company, other recent USA (visual art) Fellows include folks like Laylah Ali, Nick Cave, Uta Barth, Kara Walker, Glenn Ligon, Dario Robleto, and Carolee Schneemann.

STars on Broadway

My star for Entre Hermanos

Now in its second year, Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce and Sound Transit present, STars on Broadway, "... a program that shines some light on a few of the non-profit organizations that make life brighter for everyone on Capitol Hill throughout the year." The stars will be up on the big, red wall through the holiday season. Here are this year's honorees.

Entre Hermanos (star by Joey Veltkamp)

Friends of the Conservatory, Volunteer Park (star by JoAnne Lepore)

Ingersoll Gender Center (star by ilvs strauss)

Real Grrls (star by Kelly Lyles)

Youthcare (star by Ferdous Ahmed)

Entre Hermanos is great organization which promotes, "the health and well being of the Latino Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and questioning community in a culturally appropriate environment through disease prevention, education, support services, advocacy and community building. For my STar, Entre Hermanos is a blanket of comfort wrapped around the community (the white star). The colors of the blanket are pulled from the flags of Latino countries.

There will be a brief dedication tonight at 5:30 where the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence will bless the STars.

where art thou?

Hey Seattle artists! Are you having trouble connecting with collectors? Try this...

Need more exposure? where art thou is an online gallery in Seattle that connects you with people whose tastes match your work. To be part of the project, go to whereartthou.co and send us a few examples of your work. No fees, no commission. We’re working to build an active, vibrant, inclusive marketplace for Seattle artists and Seattle art lovers.

World AIDS Day 2011

Day With(out) Art poster #2, 1998

image via

Today is World AIDS Day, originally started by W.H.O. in 1988 as a way to raise AIDS awareness. A year later, Visual AIDS created a Day Without Art, where "...some 800 U.S. art and AIDS groups...[shut] down museums, sending staff to volunteer at AIDS services, or sponsoring special exhibitions of work about AIDS." Because where there is art, there are homosexuals and the creative communities of New York and California were hit first and hardest. This action was meant to serve as a call-to-action, "...symbolizing what would happen if AIDS wiped out the arts community."

video still from Untitled

This year, to recognize the 30th anniversary of AIDS, Visual AIDS will be distributing Untitled, a film by Jim Hodges, Encke King, and Carlos Marques da Cruz. Art organizations and museums across the country will be screening this film. You can catch it at 2 places in Washington: Tacoma Art Museum and The Magic Lantern Theatre in Spokane.

Beginning with a reflection on the early AIDS epidemic, Untitled eschews a linear narrative to introduce a fractious timeline, moving from the sublime to the tragic and back again. By juxtaposing mainstream network news, activist footage, artists' works, and popular entertainment from the last turbulent decades, Untitled references regimes of power that precipitated a generation of AIDS and queer activism and continues today with international struggles for freedom and expression. 

via

And for what it's worth, I'd like to take a minute to give my personal thanks to Tacoma Art Museum (especially Rock Hushka and Stephanie Stebich) for having the courage to bring HIDE/SEEK to the Northwest. Out of any regionally museum, they have the most to lose by doing this and yet they're willing to take a risk for art. I'm so amazed and REALLY, REALLY, REALLY thankful! HIDE/SEEK opens March 17th, 2012.