Archive for the ‘Social Commentary’ Category
The 4th semi-annual Childbloom camp is an immersion into creative play and exploration of music, dance, visual art, and theatre for young people ages 7-11. Our week is a trip around the world, traveling through the traditional songs, rhythms, stories, and dance of the U.S., South America, India, Africa, and beyond. A week-long exploration of music, movement, and story telling for young people ages 7-12 Activities will include: There will be optional aftercare & recreation available in the afternoons until 5:30 p.m. (there will be an additional fee for this service). Please pack a brown bag lunch for your child. Campers are provided with a healthy mid-morning and afternoon snack. Heidi Junkersfeld grew up training in tap dance, musical theatre, jazz and madrigal choir, and piano. She graduated with a degree in Physics and a minor in Dance. She has produced various multi-media shows that include artistic mediums such as dance, theatre, spoken word, music and visual art. In 2002 Heidi moved to Ecuador, and proceeded to travel, work, and study in 8 different countries in South America. During her travels Heidi studied Ashtanga Yoga, Capoiera, dance, traditional South American music, contact improvisation, theatre, and contemporary clown. She taught theatre and dance in several schools and Universities, as well as creating travelling multi-media performances all over South America. She now lives in Missoula, teaches yoga, works as the music and movement specialist at the Missoula Community School and the Missoula Community Resource Coordinator for the Missoula County Public Schools. She is part of the art collective Open Field Artists, and is one of the cocreators of the music duo Sueno Lunar. Nathan Zavalney is a trained and licensed Childbloom guitar instructor. He has been director of the Childbloom Guitar Program of Missoula since September 2000, specializing in teaching guitar to young students. He has 15 years of experience with guitar in classical, jazz, and folk styles. He has performed as a guitarist, vocalist, and percussionist in solo and group settings, including the world music group Drum Brothers and the Mo-Trans modem dance company. During his musical studies at the University of MT. he focused on composition, jazz studies, and classical voice training. Nathan has taught music to students all over the northwest in educational assemblies and in-class instruction, including two years as the music instructor for the Missoula City International School. He has taught private lessons for the last 7 years in both percussion and classical guitar. Nathan also runs Burning the Midnight Oil Audio Productions, through which he has created a variety of music for film, television, dance, and commercial CD release. Tags: 59801, creativity, dance, learning, playI’ve discussed graf in depth here in the past. I was interested to see that the Graffiti Research Lab has “made it big”. Check out the video.
Ever since the OPP renovated the bar, one thing has bothered me and that’s the lOWERCASE ls on the beer signs. Now, I’ve always loved the artwork on the OPP’s chalkboard, don’t get me wrong. I think each panel is absolutely beautiful. I remember, just after the remodel, wondering when the chalkboard would return. Finally it did, and WTF. One of my favorites is the LAKE MISSOULA AMBER from the KETTlE HOUSE. I mentioned it to some of my friends, and we had a laugh about it, ordered another round, and (they) forgot about it. But I couldn’t. It was one of those things that was always slightly annoying. But I should just get over it, right? Well, I found some other folks who think lOWERCASE ls are equally as absurd. I guess this validation is enough to let it go.(yeah, another restaurant post. This one deals directly with local art, so cut me some slack, eh?)
Check out more lOWERCASE ls here. Why not buy me a MOOSE DROOl? Click below to buy me a beer. Thanks! Tags: 59801, art, art in missoula, bar, beer, lOWERCASEl
The only CD I ever checked out of a library that I never returned was “My Life in the Bush of Ghosts”, the David Byrne/Brian Eno collaboration. (After many overdue notices arriving in the mail, I went down to the library, told them I’d lost the item, and paid for it. they now have another copy in their stacks). I loved MLITBOG for a lot of reasons, the layered sounds, the samples, the beats, the moods that it created. At the time, I was already familiar with David Byrne’s solo work as well as his work with The Talking Heads, but I had only heard about Eno. Since then, I’ve come to love Eno and his work with a variety of other musicians, including his production work with Devo, Talking Heads, Jane Sieberry (now Issa, who, like Reznor, gives her music away for free) and especially James and the “Laid” and “Wah-Wah” albums. Eno, the “non-musician”, is most known for his prolific catalogue of ambient music, including the fantastic “Music for Airports”, as well as being an amazing record producer and contributor to such movies as David Lynch’s “Dune”.
Eno has always been fascinated by technology and how to twist and bend it for his own purposes. He’s experimented with generative music, music that composes itself, and has branched out into visual art as well, creating a computer game that generates a possible 77 million paintings, chosen by Eno himself. He is currently working on the soundtrack for the multi-player game Spore, “that allows a player to control the evolution of a species from its beginnings as a multi cellular organism, through development as a sapient and social land-walking creature, to levels of interstellar exploration as a spacefaring culture.” [Wikipedia]. I’m here to make the case that Trent Reznor is the new Brian Eno.
Reznor got his start in Cleveland creating what would become Pretty Hate Machine by himself after-hours at the Right Track Studio where he worked as an assistant engineer and janitor. He became proficient at manipulating sounds and bending technology to his own purposes as well, just as Eno learned to do. He’s produced many record albums, including a handful for Marilyn Manson, as well as the phenomenal “Natural Born Killers” soundtrack and the “Lost Highway” soundtrack. His subtle contribution to Tori Amos’ “Past the Mission” on her “Under the Pink” album showed how quiet he could be when he needed to be. It was also the first time I can remember hearing him sing quietly while someone else took the spotlight. Reznor’s original music from id Software’s video game “Quake” was long one of my favorite ambient pieces of music to load into iTunes when I needed to get some work done and didn’t want to be disturbed. He expanded his fascination with technology and its possibilities with the release of “Year Zero” and its companion alternate reality websites/reality game and subsequent user-submitted art in 2007. Eno once predicted that music would one day become user-modifiable constructs, and imagined a day when future generations would look at past generations in wonder, asking in wonder, “you mean you listened to the same music over and over?”. Reznor took that idea and ran with it, releasing “The Hand that Feeds” from his dismal “With Teeth” 2005 release as a multi-track Garage Band download that fans could get for free and remix as they pleased. His newest release “Ghosts I-IV”, was released in a variety of formats, including a free torrent seeded by NIN itself. “Ghosts” was released as with a Creative Commons license (no copyright), and Reznor announced yesterday that the tracks can be used to participate in a NIN sponsored film festival on You Tube. Talk about user generated content. The album itself is supurb. I’d love to hear Eno’s thoughts on it. Those of you who haven’t hear it, go grab it at NIN’s official site and give it a listen for yourself. Grab the torrent if you’re familiar with the technology. “Ghosts” ranges from smooth and quiet piano to the heavy muddy guitar and keyboard laden layers we’ve come to expect from Reznor. I’m looking forward to what people come up with, and might even make a contribution myself if I can find some time along with everything else I have going on. NIN Ghosts Film Festival on YouTube .. Tags: alternative, art, artist, artists, arts, call to artists, community, creativecommons, creativity, experiment, festival, film, inspiration, internet, music Originally uploaded by love not fear The most recent issue of Missoula Living features four unknown Missoula artists (including me!) in a story about how we are making art and affecting our local community. Pick up your copy at drops around town. Thanks to Debby Florance for all of the hard work that went into writing the article. I haven’t seen it yet myself, but am looking forward to perusing it. Hello Missoula Living readers, and welcome. Have a look around the place, and be sure to check in to see what I’ve been up to lately. All artwork is available for sale. You can get prints in a variety of places, or you can contact me directly by email or by phone [406.203.4683] to arrange a private viewing. Donate and Support the Artist
Originally uploaded by love not fear Sweet. Just got the press release from the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival announcing the 2008 selections.There are 98 films this year from 40 countries. Already there are a handful of films I’ve heard about and I’m excited about. This year, a fun added addition to the festival is an interactive community site where users can create an account to keep track of the films they have seen, and rate/review the films. Awesome. Read the press release after the jump. Sign up at the community site here [link]. Read the reviews I wrote about the films I saw last year: [part 1] [part 2] [part 3] [links]. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Big Sky Documentary Film Festival Announces 2008 Selections Event To Celebrate It’s 5th Anniversary With 98 Documentaries and 20,000 fans Official selections for the 2008 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival are now on-line at: the official Big Sky Documentary Films site [link]
Since 2004 the festival has grown into a premier international venue for exhibition of innovative, contemporary and classic non-fiction cinema. Screenings are held in the historic Wilma Theater in scenic downtown Missoula, Montana. BSDFF has built a reputation for its programming excellence and is the largest event of its kind in the American West. The event includes three competitions.
The 2008 jury includes distinguished filmmakers, industry professionals and academics. The jury members will present the awards at a reception and press conference on Tuesday, February 19, 2008. Competition films will be announced next week.
Each year BSDFF recognizes the work of important filmmakers by highlighting their contribution to documentary arts in the Big Sky Retrospective Series. The 2008 series will present the work of Hart Perry and Dana Heinz Perry. This distinguished filmmaking duo continues to make exciting new work today and will be two of this year’s BSDFF Judges. Their latest work, SEX: THE REVOLUTION, will have its World Premiere at Big Sky this year. Q & A sessions with filmmakers follow most screenings. This year over President’s Day Weekend, Big Sky offers three panel discussions that are free and open to the public. Passes are now available for sale on-line at the BSDFF site [link] and will also be sold at the box office at the Wilma Theatre during the week of the festival. For ticket prices, pass purchases and more information for this year’s festival visit http://www.bigskyfilmfest.org/ Sponsors of the 2008 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival include Bresnan Communications, HBO Documentary Films, Modern Digital, Montana Film Office, Indie Pix, Sony, B-Side Entertainment, Absolut Vodka, Panasonic, Current TV, Avid, Big Sky Brewing, Vanns and the International Documentary Challenge. 2008 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival Official SelectionsFeatures: Shorts: Atlantis Unbound Perry Films Retrospective: Big Sky Documentary Film Festival - 2008 Official Selections The Big Sky Documentary Film Festival is a program of the Originally uploaded by love not fear Last time you wrote you said that you thought collage was a nostalgic impulse. I think you’re wrong. Can we argue about this? Kurt Schwitters would laugh up his sleeve at you for saying that. His collages are like writing letters. Letters are collages. Educations are collages, too. –Jolene Iolas to Martin Sloane; Martin Sloane, Michael Redhill So often, when I’m working on a project, layers of that project reveal themselves to me in other aspects of my life. Recently, I was introduced to the writer Michael Redhill as a result of an interview with him that I’d heard on The Kacey Kowars Show [disclosure, Kacey Kowars is my uncle]. In the interview, Redhill mentioned his fascination with Joseph Cornell, the artist who makes intricate boxes of objects. He said that he drew inspiration from Cornell in his book Martin Sloane, which I have just begun reading and am enjoying very much. It’s making me think a little more cerebrally about the Leaving and the Left project I’ve undertaken recently. I posted some early sketches and notes about the project previously here, but I never flushed out the idea. I guess the idea won’t be fully flushed out until the project is completed, but I’ll explain a little more about the concept before tracing the process thus far and then sharing what I’m learning as I go. My progress on the project has been slower than I’d hoped. Part of the reason for that is that I unintentionally made excuses as to why I could not move the project forward, namely that I didn’t want to be cutting up glass in my kitchen and risk having glass shards in my food, or on my floor for me to step on like some sort of modern Bukowski, going weekly to the doctor to have them removed from the bottoms of my feet. Excuses are always barriers to progress, and I have begun eliminating them and will have a prototype completed by the end of the weekend. I already have one laid out. A quick todo list:
Each piece will likely have its own todo, but that’s a good start for now. As far as the actual idea for the series, let’s backup a minute and I’ll share some insights that the process is teaching me. My own little art education. Love relationships, and I’m speaking here about relationships comprised of romantic and/or sexual love, break down for a variety of causes for their crumbling. Granted, sometimes they don’t break down at all, which is good, but when they do break down, there can be a variety of reasons for their demise: a wrongdoing to one or another in the relationship, new information that informs the feelings of the relationship’s participants, lack of communication between partners, new honesty in the reasons for entering a relationship in the first place, clarity as to the goal of the relationship and realizing that one or both parties are on different paths, geographical distance that cannot be overcome. I’m simplifying a huge thing here, and am not trying to create an all-encompassing list, but you get the idea. When a relationship ends, there are associated with its ending a variety of feelings: hurt, anger, resentment, relief, regret (again, not an all-encompassing list). But my thought as I have been thinking about the series is that the love shared between the two individuals does not just disappear. That which has been given cannot be taken back. Amidst the pain and heartache we often forget the good and valuable things that drew us together in the first place. Initially, I had intended to use snippets of old love letters, juxtaposed with after-the-breakup letters to illustrate that love and sadness can exist in the same space, although maybe in different time continuums. Acknowledging and honoring both disparate feelings is important. Attempting to replace love with hate isn’t truly possible or healthy. The concept may not be fully articulated here, and I’m still spinning it in my head, but it’s stuck around long enough that it’s worth exploring. Some unexpected things are coming up as new themes while I continue working on this series. The big surprise was that I had almost all of the love letters, but none of the breakup letters. No “You hurt me, I hate you” letters. Nothing. Then I started going through some old email archives. (I save everything. I’m going to be one of those old men with goat trails in his house, I swear). I noticed that I had some love letters sent electronically, but what surprised me was that there were quite a few residual after-the-breakup letters in the emails I was reading. This realization raises a question about technology and the coldness of words displayed as intangible pixels on a screen. Sure, they can be printed, but the former love/lover had not physically touched the printout. Her essence is not present. This creates distance between the leaving and the left. Is this intentional? Does it matter if it is or isn’t? The process is a fascinating one for me, and I’m learning much about myself in the process.
photo by GaetanLee on Flickr.You are invited to City Club Missoula’s December Forum: Art in Missoula: Left Brain - Right Brain.The following is reprinted from the Missoula Cultural Council newsletter.City Club Missoula’s December Forum is entitled Art in Missoula: Left Brain - Right Brain. This forum promises to educate and intrigue you with a discussion of the left brain (economic values) and the right brain (intrinsic values) of art in our community, on Friday, December 21, from 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at the Doubletree Hotel. Reservations for the December City Club Forum can be made by email to ccm@cityclubmissoula.org or by calling 546-6643 before Wednesday, December 19. Please indicate if you want lunch: $11 for members and students, $16 for nonmembers, or the no-lunch option of forum only for $5. Cancellations must be made by the reservation deadline. For more information about City Club Missoula, visit www.cityclubmissoula.org. Tags: art, art in missoula, arts, arts and culture in missoula, community, economy, missoula, montana, travel guide to montana
Interesting article on The Greyman in today’s Montana Kaimin. Check it out here. Tags: art, art in missoula, arts, arts and culture in missoula, controversy, graffiti, missoula, montana, painting, public art exhibitions |
