Art Np2

Men can starve from a lack of self realization as much as they can from a lack of bread." — Richard Wright   The name of this piece is Rooted in Strength and Beauty.  Anna Alvarado is a comtemporary Latina Artist.  She creates art with paint, sharpie marker, pen, and pencil. See more of her work on http://www.dulcedetamarindo.com/About_the_Artist.html   My son said that it reminds him of Medusa re-imagined.  That's my boy!  I just thought it was beautiful. 

Poor video quality, but. I love the way he holds and plays the violin.

Unexpected Death I haven't felt like reading or writing anything in the last month.  A very good friend's nephew died and it upset me more than I expected.  I didn't really know him, but I had seen him here and there since he was a child.  The nephew was thirty-one years old and a heavy drinker.  One night his father got a phone call from a bartender who told him that his son was drunk and needed a ride home.  The father went to the bar and loaded his son in the car, but by the time they arrived home the son had passed out.  The father left the son in the car to sleep it off.  When he came out to check the son in the morning, his son was dead.  The father, my friend's brother, was in shock.  He called his parents who live nearby and 911.  When his parents arrived all they could do is look at their grandson's body and wait for the ambulance.  His whole family is heartbroken and watching them suffer is painful.  I cannot even imagine what his mother is going through. 

"It is always very important to limit exposure to negative influences as much as possible, especially while living through a period of healing."  Judaye Streett

This young man's influence on Rock music cannot be measured.

Celebrate the Winter Solstice with the astounding cut paper artwork of Richard Shipps which encourages the viewer to explore negative and positive form, shadow and light, through signs and symbols-a visual feast. Through the long night we pass, and find our way from dark to light. December 1, 2010-December 23, 2010 Artist Reception Wednesday December 8 4-5pm Paper Cutting Demo- make a snowflake 5-8pm reception- free and open to the public Welcoming our south side art partners: Monkey Mind Studio, Tall Grass Art Association, Union Street gallery

The contest ends November 30, 2010. http://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/contest.php

l http://www.womenwritingthewest.org/laura.htm Read the winning stories. http://www.womenwritingthewest.org/pdffiles/2010lauranewsletter.pdf

Full Moon Painting by James Denmark http://www.gallerychuma.com/james_denmark.htm ------------------------------------------------------ The poet Robert Hayden was born in Detroit in 1913 and lived in a predominately African American neighborhood near downtown known as Paradise Valley or the black bottom. At the time of Hayden's birth Detroit was very segregated. Most of the people who lived in Paradise Valley had migrated north from the southern states to work in the auto industry. Hayden attended Detroit City College (renamed Wayne State University) and the University of Michigan. He studied with the poet W. H. Auden, researched black folk culture for the Federal Writers' Project, and spent twenty-three years teaching poetry at Fisk. Before his death in 1980 he was the Poet Laureate for the United States from 1976-1978 . Biographical information obtained by Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Hayden Paradise Valley: http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.p

Hyperreality Digital Composites by Rebecca L. Heide Hyperreality is about the manipulation of time and space through digital imagery. A personal narrative has been created from the dissection and reassembling of images that reflect the life of the artist. Photographs of landscape, the human form, and sculpture are manipulated to create memory vignettes. The images are a simulation of the mental state at various times through life. Feelings of happiness, loss, fear, isolation and complacency are reconstructed in a visual form for the viewer. Rebecca’s work depicts a heightened sense of reality that blurs the line of what is real and what is fantasy. Hyperreality is a solo exhibition at Governors State University, Visual Arts Gallery E-1580. The exhibition will open on November 15, 2010 and run through November 23rd. Opening reception is Tuesday, November 16th from 5:00-8:00 pm. The event is free and open to the public. Rebecca received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from The School of the Art

"Nobody has ever measured, not even poets, how much the heart can hold."   Zelda Fitzgerald      Fath Ringgold. Coming to Jones Road #4: Under A Blood Red Sky, 1999–2000.  Description: This painting, or story quilt, is number four in the "Coming to Jones Road" Series. Read the poetic story of slaves migrating through the landscape story in the "Coming to Jones Road" book.   http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/eascfa/feminist_art_base/gallery/Faith_Ringgold.php?i=920

Unexpected My friend was twenty-five years old when her sister introduced her to the beady-eyed, bearded man who became her lover.  He told her how he had watched her with longing as she drove her car fast and free, up and down and around the town.  Although he was not her type, after a few dates she became fascinated by his superior intelligence and devotion. She was shocked the first time he hit her in the breast. When she showed him the purple and brown bruise he stared then whispered, “Are you sure I did that?” In his spare time he crafted beautiful furniture, while she had babies and kept the house spotless and friendly. She was still surprised when he told her to pretend his drugs were hers because as he said, “A goody- two-shoes like you will only get probation.” I did not understand how she could bear to have the gun cabinet in the bedroom. Her brother told me the bed was bloody and the children with relatives. There is no way to know exactly what happened.  No one wants to tal

"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant." — Robert Louis Stevenson Anna Quincy Waterston,  1866. Artist: Edmonia Lewis, First African American Professional Sculptor. http://www.suite101.com/content/edmonia-lewis-first-professional-african-american-sculptor-a253339

Image by subsetsum via Flickr About a month ago I went to get new glasses at a very well known department store. I have had many positive experiences with this store and they had a sale on, and so I thought it was time for me to make a purchase. The sale was two for $199. I had to pay a higher price than most because I need bifocals now and of course I wanted the unlined. I made my appointment with my _______ phone that does not work well when I am inside, so every time I spoke to the Optical Department my phone kept fading out. I could barely hear the woman who called to confirm my appointment. When I arrived for my appointment the same woman took my information.  We picked out some frames and I told her I wanted the package that was on sale. She billed my credit card $60. for the eye exam. She then told me that I did not need the package and recommended that I buy one pair of glasses with glare protection because the glasses I had on have it.  She added up the amount of the one pair

I went out today looking for some of the books on the College Bound List for Arrowhead. Now you know I wasn’t going to buy those books new. I am frugal and have very little money, not cheap, ok.  And it's comforting to thumb the pages of a used book with a softly creased spine. It turns out I ended up finding vinyl cheap and didn’t get any books at all. What I bought was Donna Summer’s Greatest Hits, Roberta Flack’s Killing Me Softly, and Frampton Comes Alive .  I hope you agree that Frampton rocks!

Governors State University is pleased to present Narratives of the Secret Darkroom by Joe Baltz. The exhibit explores the relationship between the language of visual reality recorded by Black & White film and the language of inner emotional experience. He uses the silver gelatin process to produce B&W postcards which are sent through the US Postal Service. The Postcard and text amplifies the connection of his personal world through photos and text. Baltz believes that images often call forth a secret story and stories often hold a secret image. Narratives of the Secret Darkroom is a two year photo project that allowed him to present 30 individual post card recipients a unique collection of personal observations and reminiscences captured on film and in text. Joe Baltz’s photos and cards will be exhibited in a solo show at Governors State University, Visual Arts Gallery E-1580. The exhibition will open on November 2, 2010 and run through November 10. The opening reception