Kamp Maykr Update

Listen up Kampers, we have a new addition to the expedition. Theresa Gooby will be participating in the Yard Work Exhibit this weekend. Theresa moved to Beacon last August with her small family from San Francisco (via a year in Brooklyn.)

So again, here's the scoop.

Location: 1172 North Ave, Beacon (S.E corner of 9D & Ralph St.) There should be ample parking on Ralph and other side streets. Here's a picture of the joint so you know what you're looking for:

Michael Pilon's sculpture Ta amidst Michael Natiello's rippling grass piece.

The Potluck brunch will be kicking off at 10 am. Come by mingle, relax and fortify yourself for the day's events.

The Yard Work exhibit consisting of artwork sited around the grounds will be on view Sat and Sunday, May 17 & 18 til 5pm. Participating artists are: Peter Acheson, Kathy Feighery, Michael Pilon, Matt Hereford, Theresa Gooby, Steve Rossi, Michael Natiello and myself.

Michael Natiello creating his mowed work earlier this week. photo by Angelika Rinnhofer .

We extend our thanks to our landlords, Elizabeth and Lee for undulging our creative compulsions.

We'll see you this weekend, just make sure your socks are pulled up and your name is printed clealy inside your underwear (we are across the street from Spire, after all. It's always good to be prepared.)

Eye Candy Friday: Mastering your domain

Here are a couple of morsels for the weekend:

Via MAN, comes Jumping in Art Museums. This is sweet. I imagine that tomorrow's benefit gala at Dia:Beacon might be one of the few opportunities where some form of photography in the museum would be allowed as it is otherwise normally interdit. Given the festive nature of the occasion and presence of libations, I'd love to see some anniversary jumping captured and submitted. Identities of jovial offenders could certainly be kept secret.
I'm not condoning any unauthorized behavior, but if you really love a piece of work, by God, take possession of your art viewing experience and jump, baby, JUMP. Just don't attempt to jump OVER anything. I've heard tell that it has been done, it's just simply not advisable. Then again perhaps "Jumping the shark" might one day be replaced by "Jumping the Heizer" to denote a desparate attempt at garnering attention and relevance. Also, not advisable and certainly not condone or encouraged by this blogger.
Now that I'm thinking of it, could such a thing possibly not be the within the realm of some institutions' sometimes inappropriate (I'll look for examples) pursuit to sex up their appeal and compete with other forms of "entertainment?" Imagine the addition of programs that could prove perilous to both collection and visitor upping the thrill factor of engaging with art. I can see gladitorial matches between works in a museum's collection to gauge the supremacy of one artist over another. Friday Night MuseoFights. The Discovery Channel or TLC had some show once that created scenarios that pitted animals against one another, like a lion vs. a shark to see which was more badass. I couldn't find reference to that show, but I found a similar dramatic and shockingly realistic demonstration. You can choose which creature you want to represent Heizer and Smithson.
Fortunately, Dia is not given to such desparate acts, and even if they were, they'd have a long way to go up the chain of pandering strategies. The first one being to increase the size of their street signs to 11"x14".
Next up, via C-Monster, a new Firefox add on by Steve Lambert that replaces online ads with artwork images. There will be an official unveiling at the New Museum next week.

The latest on Habitat for Artists

Fog descended heavily around midnight last night. I walked down to Spire to see the effect the thickened atmosphere had on the artists habitats.

Just twelve hours earlier Habitat Alley was a center of commotion as the last of the structures were erected for tomorrow's official launch of the project. Below you see Donald Kimmel, Simon Draper and Alexis Elton as the skin is placed on the habitat that Sharon Butler plans to use as an unplugged writing refuge for the Summer.


Here Donald and Simon are working on the Flying Swine Performance Stage/Communitat. On Saturday, visitors will be welcome to adorn the structure with cladding of their own creation. Donald will be on stage, performing, somewhere between 3 and 5pm on Saturday.

Alexis is back in town from New Mexico for a short stint. She's been working on her own structure out west, made of steel, burlap, mud and unlit matches. She'll be showing an installation of the documentation of her habitat and her life outside of Santa Fe during Spire Studios' Open Studios on Saturday. Alexis' arrival yesterday reminded me of a flurry of building taking place on this site two years ago.

The HFA backyard, as it were.

YoHoHo Open StudiOHs in Yonkers, May 17 &18, 2008.

If your not going to be in Beacon this weekend, there are, of course many other art related things happening up and down the Valley. I've already mentioned Plugged In in Hudson, and Chris Jones' talk and opening at HVCCA in Peekskill. You might even have a reason to head down to Yonkers. YoHo Artist Studios is holding its 5th Annual Open Studios on May 17 & 18. Housed in the Alexander Smith Carpet Mills Building at 578 Nepparhan Ave in Yonkers, YoHo is home to nearly 40 artists, and they have a splashy website where you can get info on the open studios event and the individual artists.

Plugged In opening May 17 6-10 pm Hudson, NY.

If you happen to not be in Beacon on the evening of May 17 but up Hudson way instead, be sure to check out the exhibit Plugged In. The two week long exhibit will encompass a length of Warren St. seeded with New Media installations. Around 15 artists hailing from the region, some comprising collaborative teams, who incorporate new technologies into their artistic practice will be creating site specific and interactive pieces. Here's a brief write up from this month's Chronogram.
I've traded a few emails with the exhibit curator, Melissa Stafford, but I've only just now become aware of the extent of the exhibit as a site specific exhibit inhabiting the various environs, inside and out, of a stretch of Warren St.
The opening reception will be held at the PARC Foundation at 330 and 336 Warren St. and will include a number of performances in both spaces.
I won't be able to make it to the opening, and it's doubtful that I'll be able to catch the exhibit before it ends on May 31, but I'll try.
If anyone makes it to the opening or does see the exhibit, I'd be very interested in hearing about it.

Tacita Dean Talk and Screening at Bard College, May 14

I understand that Tacita Dean will be giving a talk and screening two of her films at the Weiss Cinema located on the campus of Bard College. The two films to be screened are "A Bag of Air"(1995) & "Mario Merz"(2002) The program is scheduled for Wed, May 14 from 5:30-7:30. The Weiss Cinema is located in the Bertelsmann Campus Center.

This program is presented in conjunction with the CCS Bard exhibition Another
Time, curated by Milena Hoegsberg as part of her master's thesis project. Tacita
Dean's work "Kodak" was featured in the exhibition that was on view from April
11-27, 2008.
This event is made possible by a generous grant from the Beudert Foundation.

I received the information via email from Milena although I haven't been able to find any listing or information about the talk online. If you're looking for information about the talk, I suggest calling the Bard CCS office at 845.758.7598.

Michael Zansky opening at Ann St Gallery, May 10, 2008

Michael Zansky is having a solo exhibit that is opening at Ann Street Gallery in Newburgh on Saturday, May 10. 100 AD is the name of the exhibit and it will be on view through June 7. Tomorrow's reception will be held from 6-9pm. Ann Street Gallery is at 104 Ann St in Newburgh

@ HVCCA: Jonathan Meese performance & talk, May 10. Chris Jones exhibition opening May 18

German based artist Jonathan Meese will be giving a performance followed by a talk on Saturday from 12-2pm in Peekskill at HVCCA. $5 Adults; $4 Seniors/Educators; $2 Students/Children; FREE HVCCA Members.
Speaking of HVCCA, Chris Jones, the museum's current artist in residence will be opening an exhibit of the work created during these past three months he's been in Peekskill. I stopped in two weeks ago to see him and drop off more magazines to feed the furnace of his studio frenzy. Chris Jones' stockpile of material.

Since my first visit in the beginning of March, Chris' studio has become far more densely packed with materials and it is now dominated by the sizeable works in progress. Chris uses collaged elements from magazines to build a sort of 3D collage. His work has a dualistic nature - visually, and conceptually. Visually, seeing his work feels a little like viewing something through a set of stereoscopic glasses; your field of vision is slightly skewed. Conceptually, that duality plays out in the notion of actuality vs. representation and what is concrete, solid, vs. the ephemeral, non-structural made structural. The glossy pages Chris uses are not simply the surface of the piece they are integral to the structure and form holding his work together, yet the amorphously shifting imagery within the pages that are essentially the building blocks of his structures serve more to dissolve or erradicate the work's representational presence rather than reinforce it.
He manipulates the imagery in the magazines to embody an uncanny presence and form of textures depicted in his source images. Sculpture detail.
It's trippy stuff. How an appropriately crumpled piece of paper bearing a photographed image can take evoke the immediate and visceral experience of seeing a thing even while you are aware that you are viewing a scaled down, 2D, documentation of that thing.
I'm not going to give away what he's been doing, but he's been doing it feverishly. The work that he's creating now has everything to do with his stay in Peekskill, which is his first time in the States.
architecture of paperChris Jones' exhibit opens Sunday May 18 with a reception and Gallery talk from 4-6pm. The exhibit runs through August 17, 2008.

May 10: Second Saturday openings in Beacon NY

@ Pearldaddy: "The Best Medicine" - Paintings and Sculpture by Edie Nadelhaft. Also for the evening, Ron Raymond & Andy Gabrys will be providing music on upright bass and guitar. The reception will be held from 6-9pm and the exhibit will run through July 6.


@Fovea Exhibitions Beacon Gallery: Free screening of Vanishing Giants at 5pm. There will a Q&A session with filmmaker Jennifer Hile and National Geographic Adventure photo editor Sabine Meyer. There is limited space for the screening and reservations are highly recommented, call 845.765.2199. The screening is in conjunction with the Palani Mohan Exhibit of the same name currently on view in the gallery. The exhibit has been extended through June 1.

In Thailand, wild elephants have it good: They're legally protected. Tame
elephants, on the other hand, live with a more uncertain fate. Considered
livestock, they have no protection from being maimed or killed by cruel
handlers. Activist Sangduen "Lek" Chailert is changing that with the creation of
the Elephant Nature Park, a sanctuary north of Chiang Mai where rescued
elephants can heal and thrive.

@Hermitage: "Awake at Night," work by Christian Toscano
"Stars Eat Your Body"Detail. mixed media on paper. 2008

@Zahra's Studio: "Taboo" - photography and painting by Kaylynn Tucker. Opening Reception from 6-10pm. Don't forget the pin up girls that will be circulating through the gallery, passing out goodies, so plan accordingly-whatever that means for you.

@ Go North: "AfterMath" - abstract paintings by Erik Hanson. The reception if from 6-9pm, and the exhibit will run through June 1.

Flash of Blue Streaming, 2008, oil on canvas
@Open Space: "Electric Walls" an exhibit of work by the artists that are participating in the Electric Windows project on May 17. The exhibit runs through June 7 and the reception is from 6-9pm.

May 17-18, 2008: Beacon's unSitely afFair

So the Sitelines Art Fair has been cancelled, but you really had your heart set on making it up to Beacon for the day or for the weekend. What's a body to do? Come what may, come mid-May, we're here for you, and you're welcome. There's plenty of other stuff on tap for the weekend. Here's the shakes on, hopefully most, of what's happening.


View Larger Map>
Here's a map showing what's going on where. Green pins indicate what's happening on Saturday, Red pins represent Sunday.
Saturday May 17th:

Dia:Beacon
10:30am - 2pm Dia:Beacon will be closing at 2pm for its annual benefit.
Two new installations are opening
Kamp Maykr
10:00am-5pm. Welcome to Kamp Maykr, we're hosting a pot luck brunch in the morning and an exhibit of yardwork at 1172 North Ave. Start your day off right, bring a dish, hang out for a while, and build your strength for the adventure ahead. Work on view by the likes of Michael Natiello, Steve Rossi, Kathy Feighery, me. The brunch will run til noon or so, but the artwork will be on view both Sat and Sun 12-5pm. Stay tuned right here for further details
Beekman Banner Project
noon - There will be a ceremony featuring Mayor Steve Gold and Dutchess County Art Council President Benjamin Krevolin to inaugurate a series of banners featuring work of local artists lining Beekman St.
Electric Windows
12:30-through the day. Electric Windows is bringing together 24 artists near and far to create
Artists will be painting through the day while accompanied the entire day by music provided by a range a selection of bands and DJ's. Check the above link for line up and schedule info.
Beacon Studios
1-5pm The many artists of Beacon Studios will be hosting an open house.
In addition, in the building's library gallery, there will be a preview of The Media Church, an installation by a guy named Russell, which will officially be opening on May 31.
Habitat for Artists


1-5pm Habitat for Artists will be celebrating the launch of the studio cum sculpture (or sculpture cum studio) project which has been taking shape in the parking lot of Spire Studios for the last several weeks. Participating artist will be on hand in their temporary digs, working and hanging out.
Donald Kimmel of Flying Swine will doing performance piece at some point in the afternoon.
Spire Studios
6pm - on. Spire Studios will be hosting open studios.

If have some yawing need to hang with an artist, this is the day. I can't say that I'm much good for company, but given the multitude of them roaming about on this day, you're bound to meet one with some charm.
Hermitage
7:30 Allan Kaplan reads from his new book "Like On Of Us."

Next Step
10:30pm - on. The Piggy Bank, Open Space, Burlock, and Break Beats will be bringing us this NonSecondSaturday Edition of Next Step complete with DJ's, dancing, and live painting at the Piggy Bank, 448 Main St. (I still owe Tom Moore $5 from the Next Step of a couple months back. I ain't forgotten ya Tommy.)

And that's just Saturday.
On Sunday:
Dia:Beacon
Dia's got several things going on this day in conjunction with the two sold out performances being presented by the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. There's a family day kicking off at noon that includes a movement based tour of artwork. A selection of items relating to the work of John Cage will be on view. There might be a few other things going on, but I can't quite decipher them, and they may be applicable to members only, like a reception for a Tacita Dean projection based on footage of Merce Cunningham performing.

Electric Windows
The pieces that were created through the day Saturday will be installed in the windows of the Electric Blanket Factory at 1 E. Main St. I don't know what time.

Country Folk @ Zahra's Studio
noon - on. If you simply can't get enough live painting, stop by Zahra's at 496 Main St. and catch the Country Folk crew creating a wall piece that will be part of their June exhibit at the gallery.

Kamp Maykr
12-5pm. Someone will still be hanging out, so stop by and check out what's been done in our yard.

That's what I know at the moment. Check back for updates.

Eye Candy Friday

For your viewing pleasure, here are is a selection from the TED conference. It's a 6 min. presentation by David Gallo on the amazing visual life of underwater creatures. I subscribe to the Ted Talks videos on itunes, and I really get jazzed by the level of expertise, creativity and open source knowledge that flows forth in many of the talks.




The standing ovation that begins to happen at the end of presentation cracks me up. Who are they clapping for? You go, Octopus. Speaking of octopus, I was also going to embed this video on the development of robot feet based on various creatures. The innovation and technological exploration depicted in the video are fascinating, but what really tripped me out was the bipedal octopus at about 5:30 into the vid.
I may indeed be a geek - albeit not an a technologically gifted geek, but I tend to receive more potent, visceral inspiration from topics of science, more consistantly so, than I do from looking at art. Is my art eye jaded from so much looking? I'm just in dumb wonder of that particular application of the creative impulse that embodied by scientists. There is such an affinity between the practices of the two disciplines, yet such a socially engendered division between the two, that it's like a real life embodiment of a philosophical Separated at Birth.
Finally, just goes to show what exploration can get you. Thanks to visiting Youtube to embed the octopus video, I discovered my new reference source for linguistic betterment.

Senior-eye-tis @ Muddy Cup

I caught a bit of the riveting City Council Meeting on Channel 22 last night. From Sara Pasti's report at the meeting, I learned that there will be a reception tomorrow at Beacon's Muddy Cup for an exhibit of artwork created by some of Beacon's Senior Citizens. I can't find any info posted anywhere, but It seems that Jennifer Kurtz, who leads the Senior art education program at the Beacon Community Center, and artist Kirsten Kucer are involved with putting the show together.
I'm planning on running over and checking it out.

Rhinoceros at Beacon Studios May 2-3 & 9-10

Oy. How late am I on posting this info?

Susan Osberg, Marika Blossfeldt, Dean Sharp and Susan Magnus are collaborating to produce a "salon-style, inter-art performance" called Rhinoceros. As the press release states, "Rhinoceros is a big thing in a small room." The piece will be performed in said small room before an audience of ten.

Choreographer, Susan Osberg was interested in developing a
piece for a small room and breaking away from a theater setting, into a
visual/sound space. This dance will eventually tour to Sweden to be performed in
a clone space called 25 sq. meters. Marika Blossfeldt, an Estonian performer,
known for her presence and haunting ‘Butoh-based’ lyricism, is one of her
favorite dancers, and they have worked together in numerous performances in New
York City. Marika will perform ‘Rhinoceros’, an hour-long solo for an audience
of ten, in a movement narrative that unwinds like a mobius strip. She will take
the audience on an intimate journey through a world of her own, accompanied by
composer, Dean Sharp, who will be playing live, mixing his contemporary Gamelan
with computerized sound loops, and poetry by Susan Osberg. Visual artist, Susan
Magnus has provided the visual concept and reflective materials for
‘Rhinoceros’.

Performances are scheduled for Friday and Saturday Nights, May 2-3 and May 9-10, 2008 at 8pm at Beacon Studios, 211 Fishkill Ave in Beacon.
$12 at the door, reserve in advance, seating is limited to 10.
For reservations call: 845 831-1832 or e-mail susanosberg{at}mac.com with subject “Rhinoceros”.