Leah Rico - Big Orbit Gallery

4/20 – 5/14/06
“De Vulgari Eloquentia”
Big Orbit Gallery
30D Essex St.
Buffalo, NY 14213
Hours: Thurs. – Sun. 12-5pm
Closing Reception: Sat. 5/6/06, 8-11pm

Buffalo News 4/21/2006

Artist Leah Rico's upbringing in Williamsville, as the daughter of a local mom and a Filipino father, contributed to her intense interest in language. Her current installation, titled "De Vulgari Eloquentia," opened Thursday and runs through May 14 in Big Orbit Gallery, 30-D Essex St. The prerecorded, manipulated spoken words play upon people's preconceived cultural notions of what language means. It addresses, among a range of provocative subjects, how our upbringing and experience may color our perceptions - some perhaps beyond explanation.

You are finishing up a master's in fine art. Your other degrees encompass art history, painting and printmaking. How did you come to employ sound as a medium?

Language is tied into cultural and racial identity, more than geographic location or race. I was always curious about language as a way of tying a group together. Sound is the best media to talk about something that may occur in a moment or a specific conversation.

Your artist's statement includes the phrases "rigid historical stereotypes" and "language-based power structures." We get the idea that you have a lot to say.

Just about everyone uses language. And, as with any art form, the assumption is that what you hear is transparent. For example, the idea that once something is written down, it becomes codified, like a receipt. You have it written down, so that proves something happened.

I'm fascinated by the way that African-American slaves undermined the codified, hierarchical language of the slave owners, who did not know that they were speaking a "secret" language. It was created to keep in one group and to keep out another. Language is not static; it's always developing and changing.

Who or what are some of your influences?

In terms of visual art, there are not a lot of people working in sound. It is considered more sculptural, since it has to do with acoustics. There is a lot of basis in movements that examine language in a deconstructive way, like Dada sound poetry, the Italian modernists or even Native American oral traditions. I am even influenced by events in the 17th century, when there was interest in creating universal language to eliminate civil wars.

By breaking down language and sound either grammatically or sonically, we examine how it is used, and its structure. But it is such a huge thing to say that you are "studying language." It is all based on your own experiences, on casual conversations. I feel that the work should, on some level, be based on an everyday experience.

- Jana Eisenberg, Special to The News

MFA Show - Steven Heil 4/29

Steven Heil’s current body of work is a psychological journey, encouraging the development of multiple sensations as the onlooker may become transfixed in an oscillation between awe and trepidation. The paintings function as remnants of a hostile, scarred landscape and connote a sense of loss and sadness in regards to irreparable environmental alteration, seeking to provide a space of contemplation or meditation on mortality and transcendence. These works serve as an exploration of the incomprehensible power and spirit of a wilderness devoid of human habitation and are a celebration of an illusive and enigmatic spiritual connection to place. Numina is an installation of paintings and drawings that grapple with the unknown, assume no conclusions and question our ongoing, evolving relationship with the landscape.

On View 4/29 -5/26
Opening Reception 4/29
http://www.carnegieartcenter.org

Deborah Jack - Carnegie Art Center

Salt in all its forms has been the conceptual center of Deborah Jack’s work for several years. It was literally cultural currency of her country’s colonial past. She sees the salt of the sea, the salt in coastal breezes and hurricane rain. It functions as a corrosive or preservative. The video image of the crystal “lake” of salt is the harvest site and the piles are the result. The piles of salt are a metaphor for the stockpile of memories stored in nature. This is salt/memory has been harvested for export and will be refined on many different levels for a variety of functions. Like multiple permutations of memories, some are coarse and some more refined. “bounty” is an installation that employs both video and still images.

Artist Website: www.DeborahJack.com

On View 4/29 - 5/26
Opening Reception 4/29 7-9pm
http://www.carnegieartcenter.org

Hallwalls 4/22

laurel farrin
shaun gladwell

April 22–MAY 27, 2006

Opening Reception: April 22, 8–11 pm
Slide Talk: April 22, 7 pm

Laurel Farrin
The paintings of Laurel Farrin encompass multiple gestures to illustrate the malleable persona of visual language. A perpetual construction and deconstruction of form create visual uncertainties in which the paradox of being and becoming is expressed. An intuitive understanding of "betweenness" lies at the heart of the work and Farrin explores these concepts by juggling the basic precepts of Painting’s history: of illusionist representation and the formal emphases of abstraction. Through trompe l’oeil, Farrin addresses the basic deception of painting.

Shaun Gladwell
She depicts an illusionistic canvas on real canvas, a doubling of the object we call a "painting ". The ground becomes a vertical field, an arena without perspective on which abstracted images—improvised primarily from an inventory of modernist painting and popular culture—interact. In some paintings, these typologies "press" into the field, impacting its surface and each other. In others, the forms exist on the periphery, appearing to exist in front of, or behind, the ground. The shifting hierarchy between field and figure, illusion and flatness, triggers conversations about the complications of coexistence, both cultural and personal, which extends beyond the discourse of painting to resonate with the pathos and humor of living.

Prominent in the video work of Australian artist Shaun Gladwell are situational vignettes in which both skateboarding and breakdancing are often the featured actions. At the same time Gladwell’s works are not strictly about these subjects, but serve more aptly as points of departure for other considerations. Within Gladwell’s videos there are undeniable depictions of athleticism and technical proficiency—whether boarding or breakdancing—and their often slow-motion aspect might seem to suggest that illustrating a sporty performance is the point of the work. But these physical maneuvers also operate as formal devices within the works, means by which space is physically disrupted, actually and conceptually. That the actions depicted take place in public spaces bluntly remarks on the manner in which either act (fringe pastimes that have been partially folded into the mainstream culture) can deftly carve up the spaces in which they occur—there is social action and interaction at work here. But additionally, Gladwell uses these actions to elegantly divide his picture plane, a terrain of emphatic colors and composition. Locating hubs of intense action within visuals that are otherwise calmly composed indicates a deep dive into the moment, the sublime within a singular gesture, a repetitive beauty winding its way toward a state of grace.

Shaun Gladwell is represented by Sherman Galleries, Sydney, Australia.

CEPA Openings - 4/22 7pm

A Boy Named Noname - work by David Mitchell
A Floodline by Rachel Detrinis

Runs April 22 - June 3, 2006
Opening Reception 4/22 7pm

www.cepagalery.com

CAUTION: Design Meets Safety 4/20

CAUTION: Design Meets Safety

UB Communication Design students in the Department of Art explore what it means to be safe in a moment of cultural hysteria. From the utilitarian to the absurd, projects include self help kits to protect against technological malice, emergency recipes for dehydrated gasoline and other stress-reducing culinary delights, wearable gadgets and devices to guard against sex offenders, anthrax and peanut butter allergens, a 365 day calendar to relieve daily phobias and much more.

Exhibition opening:
Thursday, April 20, 5-7 pm
UB Art Department Gallery, Lower Level, B45
Center for the Arts, North Campus

Show runs April 20- May 5

The exhibition presented in conjunction with Art 422 Design Issues
instructed by Assistant Professor Stephanie Rothenberg

David Schirm - 4/20

"Welcome to the Promised Land"
Paintings and Drawings
Opens 5-7 April 20th
2nd Floor UB Art Gallery

Public Humanities: Practice and Opportunities 4/13

Public Humanities: Practice and Opportunities

Jane McNamara from the New York Council for the Humanities will present a workshop for graduate students and interested faculty in the humanities. The topic is "Public Humanities: Practice and Opportunities." "Public Humanities" refers the interface between the academy and the public, bridging the gap between the university and the community. 

Jane will talk about what public humanities entails, and what opportunities are available now for grant funding for public humanities projects and what career opportunities look like in the growing fields of public history, museum studies, and cultural development. 

Clemens 830
12:00 noon
Coffee and snacks will be provided; feel free to bring your lunch.

MFA Show - Li Zhang 4/29

Li Zhang
4/29 – 5/5/06
“Walking Through”
Tri-Main Bldg.
2495 Main St.
Buffalo, NY 14214
Hours: By appointment
Opening: Sat. 4/29/06, 8pm-12am

MFA Show - Kirstin Krogh Sturdivan 4/29

Kirstin Krogh Sturdivan
4/29 – 5/5/06
“Illuminati”
Tri-Main Bldg.
2495 Main St. Suite 524
Buffalo, NY 14214
Hours: By appointment
Opening: Sat 4/29/06, 8-10pm

MFA Show - Kristin Desiderio 4/29

Kristin Desiderio
4/29 – 5/5/06
“Nonplus”
Tri-Main Bldg.
2495 Main St.
Buffalo, NY 14214
Hours: By appointment
Opening: Sat. 4/29/06, 8pm-12am

MFA Show - Andrew Hershey 4/17

Andrew Hershey
4/17 – 5/5/06
“MFA Thesis”
Tri-Main Bldg.
2495 Main St.
Buffalo, NY 14214
Hours: By appointment
Opening: Sat. 4/29/06, 8-10pm

MFA Show - NicEllis Withey 4/15

NicEllis Withey
4/15 – 4/30/06
“MFA Exhibition”
Kitchen Distribution Gallery
20 Auburn Ave.
Buffalo, NY 14203
Hours: Wed. – Sat. 4-7pm
Or by appointment (art@kitchendistribution.com)
Opening: Sat. 4/15/06, 7-10pm

FRANCES RESTUCCIA - 4/7

The Group for the Study of the History of Ideas in conjunction with
Julian Park Professor of Comparative Literature, Ewa Plonowska
Ziarek and Melodia E. Jones Professor of Romance Languages and
Literatures, Gérard C. Bucher Present:

A Guest Lecture by Professor FRANCES RESTUCCIA of Boston College

Kristeva's Intimate Revolt and the Thought Specular: Encountering the (Mulholland) Drive
Friday, April 7, 2:00 p.m.
Clemens 412
[Refreshments to Follow]

prior to Professor Restuccia's lecture on April 7, please join us for...

A Screening of David Lynch's Mulholland Drive
Thursday, April 6, 3:30 p.m.
Clemens 640

Professor Restuccia has worked extensively in the fields of gender
studies, queer theory, film, modernism, literature, philosophy and
psychoanalysis. She is the editor of a series on Contemporary Theory
for The Other Press (NYC) and the co-chair of the Psychoanalytic
Practices seminar at The Humanities Center at Harvard. Her
publications include Melancholics in Love: Representations of Women's
Depression and Domestic Abuse, James Joyce and the Law of the Father,
and "A Cave of My Own': The Sexual Politics of Indeterminacy." Her
latest book, Amorous Acts: Lacanian Ethics in Modernism, Film, and
Queer Theory is forthcoming from Stanford University Press.

Rebecca Belmore 4/5 - Artist Lecture

Tomorrow, Wednesday, April 5 at 2:00, 120 Clemens
Visiting Artist: Rebecca Belmore
Represented Canada at the 2005 Venice Biennale
120 Clemens, 2:00 Artist Talk

This lecture is sponsored by Art History and the UB ART Gallery

Exhibition at McMaster University:
The Named and the Unnamed : Rebecca Belmore
March 16 - Apr 23, 2006
On loan from the Morris and Helen Belkin Gallery, this installation by Belmore incorporates her 2002 performance Vigil, and presents a commemoration of the women who have gone missing from Downtown East Side of Vancouver. Belmore's performances and multi-media works have drawn critical acclaim in Canada and internationally, including the Biennial of Sydney, Australia, the Havana Biennial, and Site Santa Fe. She represented Canada at the 2005 Venice Biennale.

Alvin A. Lee Building, University Avenue,
McMaster University 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L6
Tel. (905) 525-9140 ext.23081, Fax (905) 527-4548

Thesis Opening 4/23 - 2-6pm

Videodrome 4/1 & Carolee Schneemann 4/7

MOCCA Spring Events

FameFame: VIDEODROME 2
April 1, 2006 at 9:00 p.m. $5 (Canadian)

Carolee Schneemann
April 7, 2006 at 8:00 p.m. $5 (Canadian)

The Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art kicks off our Spring Events series with two important innovators in the field of visual art. On April 1st Toronto media saboteurs FameFame present Videodrome 2. On Friday April 7th, MOCCA, in collaboration with Pleasure Dome and the Loop gallery collective present pioneering multi-media artist Carolee Schneemann in person.

For Videodrome 2, FameFame bring together some of the worlds best image and sound destroyers in a video clash like no other. This international beamer futurist throwdown promises to be a sensory overdose for even the most television-addled brain. Based on the structure of the Jamaican soundclash, rival crews drop a track which is followed up by the other team who must try and up the ante and outdo the previous presentation - just like in 8-Mile only done by nerds who watch too much t.v. MC Pinky Beckles of TV Carnage will whip the crowd into a frenzy, encouraging them to voice their responses to the video offerings, and the cheers and jeers of the audience will eventually decide the winner of the battle. The winner will be awarded the championship belt, a one-of-a-kind stainless steel trophy handcrafted by FameFame's Josh Avery. On Friday April 1st hometown heroes FameFame, winners of the vicious Videodrome battle held at MOCCA last summer, take on current champ V-Atak (who stole the title in November on his home turf in Paris), Electric Method (London), and Madame Chao (NYC).

It may be worth considering that none of these whippersnapper art punks would be doing what they're doing today, if not for the audacious, groundbreaking work by Carolee Schneemann that, during the 1960s and beyond, transformed the dynamics of the body and of installation and performance art. One of the most important and influential artists of the latter half of the 20th Century, Schneemann will present Disruptive Consciousness: a lecture, a unique, multimedia discussion on resistance and radicalization in contemporary art through a presentation of her own work. Using video and a sequence of slides she will examine the unpredictable directives of lived experience, the unconscious and the materials through which her installations, films and videos take form. Her motives for addressing new technologies, social issues and the latent cultural taboos surrounding sensuality will be discussed with the audience.

After spending most of her career in New York, Schneemann has maintained a part time studio in Montreal since the mid-1990s. Her career highlights are too numerous to mention here, however, solo exhibitions of Carolee Schneemann's work will be held at Presentation House in Vancouver this Spring and at the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art in 2007.

All programs and activities at the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art are supported by Toronto Culture, the Ontario Arts Council, BMO Financial Group, individual memberships and private donations.

Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art 952 Queen Street West Toronto, ON M6J1G8
Public Information: (416) 395-0067 Gallery Hours: Tuesday-Sunday 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Pay What You Can
For media information contact Camilla Singh: (416) 395-7430 or csingh@toronto.ca

Hallwalls 3/30 and 3/31

Thurs. March 30 at 8 pm and 10 pm (2 screenings!)
PAUL CHAN presents THE TIN DRUM TRILOGY
The videos that comprise THE TIN DRUM TRILOGY are concerned with the consequences of the illegal war in Iraq. The trilogy features RE: THE_OPERATION based on a set of the artist's drawings that depict members of the George W. Bush administration as wounded soldiers in the war against terrorism; BAGHDAD IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER, a video essay of life in Baghdad before the American invasion and occupation; and NOW PROMISE NOW THREAT that uses Omaha, Nebraska as a site and subject from which to follow the often unexpected lines connecting people, religion, and politics in "red state" America.
Event co-sponsored by the Experimental TV Center and UB Dept. of Media Study programming committee.

Fri. March 31 at 8 pm and 10 pm (2 screenings!)
JEM COHEN presents CHAIN
As regional character disappears and corporate culture homogenizes our surroundings, it’s increasingly hard to tell where you are. In CHAIN, actual malls, theme parks, hotels and corporate centers worldwide are joined into a monolithic “superlandscape” that shapes and circumscribes the lives of two women. One is a businesswoman researching the international theme park industry for her home company. The other is a young drifter, illegally living and working on the fringes of a shopping mall.
Organized by Hallwalls & Squeaky Wheel; co-sponsored by the Experimental TV Center, UB’s Dept. of Media Studies Graduate Club and UB Dept. of Media Study programming committee.

For details, please visit www.hallwalls.org

AN EVENING OF NEW VIDEOS 3/27

Mon. March 27 at 6:30 pm
QUANTUM LEAPS
AN EVENING OF NEW VIDEOS
CURATOR ASTRIA SUPARAK IN PERSON

Center for the Arts 112
The University at Buffalo, North (Amherst) Campus
Admission is FREE

Curated by: Astria Suparak
Videos by: Daniel Barrow, Philippe Blanchard, Dearraindrop, Emily
Vey Duke and Cooper Battersby, Jim Finn, Caroline Koebel, J.
Macdonell, Marriage, Jim Munroe, Liz Rosenfeld, Seth Price, Andy
Puls.

Posters by: Celebrate People's History

This inspirational screening catalogues heroes, compresses history and hallucinates futures.

Details: www.astriasuparak.com/quantumleaps.htm

With cameos by: Annie Sprinkle, Ché Guevara, Liberace’s teen lover, ‘big-eyed’ style ghost painter Margaret Keane, the Berlin Wall, Quentin Crisp, yoga, Kathie Lee Gifford’s sweatshop labour, Harry and Jack Smith, the Battle of Seattle, Wayne Gretzky, Ho Chi Minh, Sun Ra, cosmonaut stamps, mob ties and Vegas retirements, Nelson Mandela, many more.

Sponsored by The Department of Media Study, The College of Arts and Sciences, and the Canadian-American Studies Committee.

Hallwalls 3/25

Sat. March 25 at 8 pm
HARP artist Stephen Vitiello in person
$7 general, $5 students/seniors, $4 members

Stephen Vitiello will be back at Hallwalls to present an evening of his sound and video work in the Hallwalls Cinema. his recent Hallwalls Artist in Residence project resulted in the original CD BuffaloBassDelay, compiled from sounds gathered in and around Buffalo’s famous grain elevators. Copies of the CD will be available for purchase. To hear a clip from the disk, click on:
http://www.hallwalls.org/media-arts-pages/media-arts-bbd.html

“Buffalo Bass Delay is haunted by the remembered sounds of 2005, today: the sounds of distant sirens and traffic on nearby Route 5, and the mournful heaving of passing locomotives. Then, amid occasional wisps of faraway conversation, the sallow tribal rhythms and low whistling of the Last Men carry us up the time tunnel into that vague Never (or Ever) that good music always inhabits.”
— Tony Conrad, June 2005

Matthew Shipp solo

Thursday March 23 • 8:00 p.m.
Matthew Shipp solo
Hallwalls 341 Delaware Ave. Buffalo
$12 general, $8 Hallwalls members, students and seniors
http://www.hallwalls.org/music.html

Matthew Shipp - piano

Visionary pianist/composer Matthew Shipp returns to Hallwalls in support of his luminous new solo piano recording One on Thirsty Ear records.

“The 12 tracks that make up One, Matthew Shipp's first solo piano outing since 2002's Songs on the Splasc(h) label, amount to a new kind of recital for the pianist. Two of his major influences on the instrument, Cecil Taylor and Mal Waldron, make their traces heard in terms of Shipp's architecture, but never do they become dominant. There is a kind of economy of scale that goes into these pieces that's refreshing for any solo piano outing. For starters, there are the elegant middle- and lower-middle-register chord voicings that make up the lion's share of "Arc," the opener. Shipp puts down a series of chords following in scale, and then extrapolates on them, shading their colors more sharp or more flat, a little bit at a time, never trying to arrive at a destination until one speaks out loudly enough for more detail. On "Patmos," one can hear the unhurried projection of scale in the single-note flourishes that stack up, allowing one set of t! ones to bleed into another, asserting not so much projection as a platform from which to hear what comes next and to allow that songlike voice to rise to the surface. "Gamma Ray" invokes both Thelonious Monk and Taylor in its jagged, rhythmic dexterity. The play of melody works against the grain here in the beginning, but it does make itself known before the pianist's own sense of space between chromatic statements becomes dominant. But Shipp is very keen on balance in these pieces, too; there is the constant rise of tension and its gradual release once a path of inquiry is found and decided upon. The drift in "Zero" is charted so that one of Shipp's most beautiful and realized melodies comes to the fore -- along with graceful melodic and harmonic articulations -- and stays there for the entire piece. One is a fully realized and poetic work by a mature pianist who should finally begin getting his due, not only as an improviser and a visionary but as a t! echnician as well.”

-Thom Jurek - www.allmusic.com

MFA Show - Hans Gindlesberger 3/25

Hans Gindlesberger's I'm in the wrong film is a body of work composed of a series of staged tableaus that interrogate the small town. Presented as a non-linear narrative, these photographic stills and moving images explore identity, memory, place, and the loss of belonging by probing the psychology of a transient character as he is inserted within a variety of constructed environments with which he must interact. This process references the theatre as well as silent film and places the otherwise realistic images at the threshold of a dreamlike space. The techniques employed in synthesizing the images are intentionally left ambiguous. While presenting themselves on the surface as truthful documents, each construction finds a way to falter and show its seams. This disruption of reality is an acknowledgement of the simulated space of the small town. Therefore, the actions of the character within this environment serve as a catalyst for the viewer to think about their engagement with the space around them.

Artist Website: www.iamhansg.com
On view 3/25 - 4/22
Opening Reception 3/25 7-9pm
http://www.carnegieartcenter.org

MFA Show - Soyeon Jung 3/25

Soyeon Jung's Memory of November is a multi-channel, three-dimensional video installation that explores a chronological development of memory in three stages. The artist investigates themes of affliction, acquiescence, and reconstruction as she reflects on her cultural background in Korea and its irreconcilable difference to life in America. Using iconic imagery from both cultures as visual clues, each video projection documents a specific cultural performance while attaching to it a metaphorical meaning. By interpreting these symbols the viewer engages in a process of recuperating memory and identity. This act opens up a space in which the artist’s personal memory becomes a conduit for reflection.

Artist Website: www.SoyeonJung.com

On View at the Carnegie Art Center 3/25 -4/22
Opening Reception 3/25 7-9pm
http://www.carnegieartcenter.org

Art School Confidential

http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony/artschoolconfidential/mediumteaser.html

Cober Scholarship - Deadline 3/10

Reminder -- Cober Scholarship Application Due 3/10
See 2/8/06 posting

FRANCES LEEMING at Vtape

In the Vtape Video Salon
FRANCES LEEMING

Genetic Admiration
DVD, 2005, 23:00

March 4 - April 13, 2006
Opening Saturday, March 4, 2006 1-5PM
Artist's talk Saturday March 4, 2:00PM

With her collage animation Genetic Admiration, Frances Leeming has given us a work of dark humour and rare visual pleasure. It is replete with images drawn from the high modernity of the 20th century: representations of the nuclear family, of "fun centres" such as fairgrounds and midways, of iconic Hollywood heartthrobs, and finally of science as the new god - or at least with god-like powers. Her technique - which is more Hannah Hoch and John Heartfield than Photoshop - never smoothes the seams of the cuts that allow her flattened figures and landscapes to move about. It is precisely these visible "cuts" that produce the suture effect permeating the work. It is here - in the inevitable and unhealed suture - that Leeming shows us the reversal of modernism's 20th century. In spite of all our faith in "progress" and "the possible", things may not be going in just one direction after all. The mirror is both a reflection and a pool. Having plunged into biological reproduction with the zeal of an assembly line manager, our species may well have invented our own credible ending.

But in spite of the serious content, Leeming's adept eye for detail, her mordant humour and the wealth of her material - drawn from old Life magazines, posters and books, and finally from the archives of the Canadian National Exhibition - propel Genetic Admiration into a provocative - and hilarious - critique of both Big Science and Big Ideas.

Frances Leeming's performance and film projects explore the relationship between gender, technology and consumerism. Her work has been presented and exhibited across Canada, the U.S., Britain and Poland and has been purchased by such institutions as the National Gallery of Canada, California Institute for the Arts and broadcast on PBS (US), Channel Four (UK), SBS (Australia) and the Women's Television Network (Canada). In 2005, Genetic Admiration was awarded the grand prize at the Images Festival in Toronto. She teaches in the Department of Film Studies, Queen's University, Kingston.

Vtape
401 Richmond St., #452
Toronto, ON M5V 3A8
416 351-1317
www.vtape.org

Practical Submission: Getting Your Films and Videos Seen

Practical Submission:
Getting Your Films and Videos Seen
Presented by Joanna Raczynska
and Dorothea Braemer
Saturday, March 4, 2005
3:00-5:00 pm
Free
at the Carnegie Art Center

The Carnegie Art Center, located at 240 Goundry Street in North Tonawanda, will present a workshop entitled, Getting Your Films and Videos Seen, on Saturday, March 4, from 3-5:00 pm. This workshop is free of charge; film and video artists as well as the general public are encouraged to attend.

There are countless opportunities for the exhibition of your films and videos. This informal workshop will explore some ways that media artists have successfully applied for production and distribution funding in New York State and gotten their work shown at festivals, in galleries, arts centers, and at other spaces. Come ready to share your own experiences. Joanna Raczynska, media arts program director at Hallwalls since 2002, will show some examples of work and applications from artists who've had success in getting their work supported and seen.

Dorothea Braemer, video artist and executive director of Squeaky Wheel/Buffalo Media Resources, will present examples of her work and speak about how these works were created.

For more information, or to RSVP for this event, call the Carnegie at 694.4400 or email carnegie@broadviewnet.net

DIRECTIONS TO THE CARNEGIE ART CENTER:
Take the I 290 to the Colvin Exit North.
Continue straight on the Twin Cities Highway.
Turn Left on Tremont St., turn right on Payne Ave., turn left on Goundry Street. The Center is on the right at 240 Goundry.

Blue Republic: Nostalgia for the Present

Blue Republic: Nostalgia for the Present
The Koffler Gallery: March 2 to April 30, 2006
Curator: Carolyn Bell Farrell
Opening Reception: Thursday, March 2, 7 - 9 pm; Artist Talk: 7 pm
Free Guided Sunday Bus Tour: April 30, 1 - 5:30 pm

Blue Republic is a critically acclaimed, multi-disciplinary artist collective. Originally from Poland, and now based in Toronto, the collective has exhibited internationally with projects at the Galleria d'Arte Moderna in Bologna; the Ludwig Forum for International Art in Aachen, Germany; and CCA Ujazdowski Castle, Warsaw; as well as Oakville Galleries in Canada.

Artist members Anna Passakas and Radoslaw Kudlinski produce installations that combine humour, wit and metaphor to stimulate discourse on political ideas, power structures and economic imbalances. Nostalgia for the Present, their upcoming exhibition at the Koffler Gallery, includes an array of discrete objects and site-related installations that further the artists' explorations of urban culture. In this meta-city, Passakas and Kudlinski approach notions of utopia and dystopia through a fictional, futuristic lens, revealing the desires, fantasies and prejudices that drive our contemporary society.

Central to this exhibition is Speeding (2004--), a sprawling urban environment realized on a miniaturized scale. Here, debris from the present-day -- cardboard, fashion magazines, tin cans, Styrofoam, plastic bottles, etc. -- form the building blocks of the future. In Limited Activities, garbage is strewn on the gallery floor, and then swept into circles by hand brooms. Each broom is tied with a string and attached in the centre of each circle to the floor/walls, producing a radius of what may be read as personal space -- a material manifestation of the subjective boundaries that define and divide. In another installation, Beautiful Infections (2006), outcroppings of small plastic blocks appear on an aluminum stepladder. Ascending the steps, the blocks clone the shape of the ladder, replicating its order. As the block formations extend to the adjacent gallery wall, movement independent of this organizing structure takes place. An insidious new order is generated, characterized by random, accelerated and unbridled growth.

In Nostalgia for the Present, Passakas and Kudlinski assemble artworks from discarded industrial materials and re-fashioned ready-mades, inviting reflection on the commonplace and the ideologies that inscribe them. Alluding to systems of authority, currencies of exchange, and habits of consumption, collection and waste, their project exposes the underlying mechanisms and motivations that govern society's evolution.

A publication for Nostalgia for the Present is forthcoming with an essay by esteemed author and culture critic Mark Kingwell, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Toronto.


General Information

Reception and Gallery Talk: Nostalgia for the Present will be on view in the Koffler Gallery from Thursday, March 2 to Sunday, April 30, 2006. A reception for the artists will be held Thursday, March 2 from 7 to 9 pm, with a gallery talk at 7 pm.

Free Guided Sunday Bus Tour: On Sunday, April 30 there will be a free, guided bus tour to the Koffler Gallery, the Art Gallery of York University and Doris McCarthy Gallery UTSC. The bus departs from The Textile Museum of Canada (55 Centre Avenue) at 1:00 pm returning downtown at approximately 5:30 pm. To reserve a seat, please call AGYU at (416) 736-5169.

Group Tours and Workshops: Gallery talks and tours are free and are offered in both English and French. Group tours and workshops are also available. For information, please call (416) 636-1880 ext. 270.

Gallery Location: The Koffler Gallery is part of the Koffler Centre of the Arts, located at the Bathurst Jewish Community Centre, 4588 Bathurst Street, three stoplights (two TTC stops) north of Sheppard Ave. The gallery is accessible by TTC via the Bathurst 7 bus north from the Bloor/Bathurst subway station, or the 160 Bathurst North bus from Wilson subway station. Buses stop at the BJCC.

Gallery Hours: The gallery is open Tuesday to Friday 10 am to 4 pm, Sunday noon to 4 pm and Monday by appointment. Closed Saturday. Closed from Thursday, April 13 through Thursday, April 20 for Passover. Admission is free.

Contact Information: Please call our information line (416) 636-1880 ext. 268 or visit our web page at www.bjcc.ca and www.kofflercentre.com for information on gallery programs. E-mail inquiries can be forwarded to kofflergallery@bjcc.ca. Digital images for press purposes are available on request.

Acknowledgements: The Koffler Gallery gratefully acknowledges the support of its Patrons and Members, BMO Harris Private Banking, the Bathurst Jewish Community Centre, the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council, the Ontario Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts.

Image credits: Beautiful Infections from Alterations, 2004; Speeding from Beautiful Infections, 2004; Untitled from Limited Activities 2004. Photos courtesy of Peak Gallery.

1st Year MFA Show

1st Year MFA Show will up in the cfa on Thursday 3/2 from 5-7pm.

Also the 2nd Year MFA students will begin installing their thesis exhibition soon around town and in area art galleries. Stay Tuned.

Dori Griffin's Artist Talk 2/16

Dori Griffin is giving an artist lecture will on Thursday 2/16/06 at 11:00 AM in the Art Department Gallery (CFA B-45).

Stop in!

Conrad Gleber - Artist Talk 2/14

Conrad Gleber will give an artist lecture on Tuesday 2/14/06 at 11:15 AM in the Screening Room, CFA 112.

Stop in!

terminal visit on 2/16

We have scheduled a curitorial meeting at the terminal on 2/16 at 3:45 so that we can get a clear understanding of the space now that the proposals have been read. The curitorial team has been hard at work reading and organizing equipment (thank you for your hard work). If you received an email from the curitorial team regarding equipment please respond back to the senior thesis email account that you received the message from.

The visit to the terminal is optional for all but the curitorial team. If you are so inclined we wanted to make sure that you had another opportunity to see the space. If you do come to the terminal we will be there from 3:45pm to 4:45pm

Please DO NOT go above the 2nd floor. Many parts of the building are not safe at this point and are still being restored. We do not want anyone getting hurt. Russell will tell us where we can move about safely on the 1st and 2nd floor. Please be sure to pay attention to this.

Any questions, let us know.

Central Terminal
495 Paderewski Drive
Buffalo, NY
http://central.terminal.railfan.net

apriori

The spring 2006 Senior Thesis Exhibition title will be apriori.

The opening is April 23, 2006 from 2-6pm.

Keep up the great work!

Cober Scholarship - Deadline 3/10

ALAN E. COBER SCHOLARSHIP GUIDELINES

[Applications outside the Art Office]

PURPOSE: The Alan E. Cober Scholarship award is intended to recognize and support talented art majors at UB who are engaged and committed to drawing. One award of approximately $500 will be given annually to be applied towards completion of the student’s degree which can include supplies and tuition.

ELIGIBILTY: All undergraduate accepted art majors in good academic standing may apply.

Process of Application
1. A portfolio of between 10 and 15 digital images on CD or slides of works must be submitted to the Art Department office (CFA 202). In addition to drawings, submission can include sketchbooks, works in progress, art books, or other forms of expression where drawing is celebrated.

2. Work submitted should be professionally presented. Each work should be clearly labeled with the students name, orientation (indicate top of work) and number. A numbered inventory list (titles and description of assignments is optional) corresponding to work should be enclosed and must include full contact information.

3. A statement (one page maximum length) about the content of the work, related interests and goals should be enclosed.

Application Deadlines: The deadline for portfolio submission is Friday, March 10th. Late submissions will not be considered.

Vote - Exhibition Name

Everyone check your email for more details. The 4 exhibition titles for voting are:

Apriori
Influx
Terminus
New Routes

Thank you to the pr/design team for bringing these titles foward for voting!

NOW AGAIN THE PAST: REWIND REPLAY RESOUND

NOW AGAIN THE PAST: REWIND REPLAY RESOUND
February 11 - March 18, 2006
Opening reception: Saturday Feb. 11, 7 – 9 pm

Carnegie Art Center
www.carnegieartcenter.org/current.html
240 Goundry St.
North Tonawanda, NY

directions: Take I-90 to I-290 towards Niagara Falls
Take Colvin exit North. Continue on Twin City Highway (Colvin Ext.), turn left on Tremont Street
Right on Paynes Ave. Left on Goundry St.

The exhibition NOW AGAIN THE PAST: REWIND REPLAY RESOUND focuses on the re-telling of historic, political, and cinematic moments by nine national and internationally known artists. Included in the exhibition are film and video installations by Amie Siegel, Felix Gmelin, Caroline Koebel, Bruce Checefsky, Kota Ezawa, Zach Poff, Anita Di Bianco, Allison Smith, and Pia Lindman. (Guest Curator: Joanna Raczynska)

A catalogue will accompany the exhibition and a film + video series of classic and new experimental works that use the reenactment as a technique will be held at Hallwalls Cinema in downtown Buffalo, NY from February 15 - April 1.

NOW AGAIN THE PAST FILM SERIES
Hallwalls Cinema, 341 Delaware Ave. Buffalo
$7 general, $5 students/seniors, $4 members
For details, visit www.hallwalls.org

Sat. February 18 at 8 pm
THE TOUCH RETOUCHED by Marie Losier (6 min. video, 2002)
SHULIE by Elizabeth Subrin (37 min. 16mm on video, 1997)
I'M BOBBY by Xav Leplae (32 min. video, 2003)

Sat. February 25 at 8 pm
LES ORDRES directed by Michel Brault (107 mins., 1974)

Sat. March 4 at 8 pm
THE INEXTINGUISHABLE FIRE by Harun Farocki (30 min., 1969)
WHAT FAROCKI TAUGHT by Jill Godmilow (32 min., 1997)

Sat. April 1 at 8 pm
CULLODEN (69 min. 1964) by Peter Watkins
FREE SCREENING

Big Orbit Members' Show

February 24 - March 25, 2006

We are looking for this year's Members' Exhibition to be our best ever. Each current or new member will be allowed to present work in this year's exhibition. Guidelines are:

If your work is larger than 24 x 30 inches you may submit one piece.

If your work is smaller than 24 x 30 inches you may submit two pieces.

Work must be ready to hang. I.E. framed or matted behind glass, paintings do not have to be framed but should include some appropriate method for hanging.

Video submissions are limited to works or excerpts not exceeding 10 minutes in length. If you wish to submit a longer piece for screening you must provide your own equipment.

DROP-OFF TIMES WILL BE SATURDAY-SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 4-5 / 11-12 / 18-19 FROM 12-5 PM OR BY APPOINTMENT.

Once again, help us celebrate Big Orbit's wonderful past, present and future by submitting work for this year's Members' Exhibition. Our membership is our lifeblood and the best representation of what we are about — Western New York Art and Artists.

See you at drop-off, Sean Donaher, Executive Director

For more information call Big Orbit at 883-3209 or email Sean at sean@bigorbitgallery.org

2006 Practical Multimedia

The UB Department of Visual Studies Spring 2006 Practical Multimedia
Workshops focus on specific multimedia processes, from still image
scanning and editing, to digital video, DVD creation, animation, and
more.

Monday 6 p.m. - 10 p.m. in 136 Center for the Arts (the computer art/
communication design lab)

ubArt students - Free

Reservations are required. Seating is limited. First-come, first-
served. If payment is due, it must be received before your
reservation can be confirmed.

Contact Dom Licata for more info or to reserve a seat.

Feb 06
#01 - Basic scanning and image editing for Web and DVD (Adobe Photoshop CS2)
Instructor: Sarah Paul
Topics covered:
- Slide Scanning
- Print Scanning
- Image cropping and resizing
- File formats and extensions
Prerequisites:
- Some familiarity with Photoshop or other image editing program
- Bring printed images to scan (optional)

Feb 13
#02 - Basic video capture and editing for Web and DVD (Apple Final
Cut Pro 5)
Instructor: Nelson Tan
Topics covered:
- NTSC and PAL
- Frame rate, Formats and video size
- QuickTime
- Video codec
- Final Cut Pro Interface
Prerequisites:
- Some experience with video making
- Bring miniDV tape (with camera and FireWire cable) to digitaize
(optional)

Feb 20
#03 - Creating a DVD with images and video (Apple DVD Studio Pro 4)
Instructor: Sarah Paul
Topics covered:
- Import Assets
- Compression
- Building a basic menu
- Building a track
- Linking menus and track
Prerequisites:
- Basic knowledge of image and video preparation
- Bring scanned images and captured video to present in a DVD
(optional)

Feb 27
#04 - Dreamweaver 1 for CD
Instructors: Nelson Tan and Sarah Paul
Open to Art 422 Students Only

Mar 06
#05 - Dreamweaver 2 for CD
Instructors: Nelson Tan and Sarah Paul
Open to Art 422 Students Only

Mar 20
#06 - Creating a Web site with images and video (Adobe Dreamweaver 8)
Instructor: Nelson Tan
Topics covered:
- Basic Dreamweaver Interface
- File Management
- Layout design
- Roll overs
- Links
- Media embedding
Prerequisites:
- Bring scanned images and captured video to present on a Web site
(optional)

Mar 27
#07 - Intermediate Video Editing - effects, compositing, transition
(Apple Final Cut Pro 5)
Instructors: Nelson Tan & Sarah Paul
Topics covered:
- Splicing and Intersecting (Intro to non-linear editing)
- Transitions
- Multiple track edits
- Effects
- Soundtrack
- Print to tape
Prerequisites:
- Basic understanding of Final Cut Pro or other digital video editor
- Bring captured video to edit (optional)

Apr 3
#08 - Intermediate image editing (Adobe Photoshop CS2)
Instructor: Sarah Paul
Topics covered:
- Digital compositing
- Filters
- Layer properties
- Alpha channels
- Adjustments
Prerequisites:
- Basic understanding of Adobe Photoshop or other digital video editor
- Bring digital images to edit (optional)

Apr 10
#09 - Animation & Motion Graphics (Adobe After Effects 6.5)
Instructor: Nelson Tan
Topics covered:
- Aftereffects interface
- Layers
- Video compositing
- Keyframes
- Rendering
- Plug-ins
Prerequisites:
- Some understanding of digital imaging will be helpful

Apr 17
#10 - Blogging & Podcasting (Apple iLife ’06 and others)
Instructor: Nelson Tan
Topics covered:
- Setting up a blog (Blogspot)
- Setting up RSS
- Sitemeter
- ITunes podcasting
Prerequisites:
- None, but some experience with Web design and audio recording will
be helpful

ubArt students - Free
Other university/high school students & faculty (with ID) - $30/session
General public $40

Exhibition Update - 2/4

All work groups have met to begin working on the exhibition. The PR/Design group is already in progress to begin naming the show, posters and pr etc.

More details soon about the name of the exhibitions. Very soon we will propose three names for vote -- watch your email, the blog and posters around the department for more details.

For a one stop web page go to:

http://ubart.buffalo.edu/resources/classnotes/art485-486/index.html

Or click the link of the top right - senior thesis site. It is in progress but this is where you will soon find the blog, the name of the show, the postcard/poster that will be selected and once the show is up a webpage with installation photos etc.. more information to follow.

Everyone keep up the great work.

REMINDER - Morrison Scholarship

Morrison Scholarship due 2/6
see previous post on 1/23

Work Groups meet 2/2

Curitorial and Installation Group at 3:15 in CFA 144
Design/PR Group at 4:15 in CFA 144

This first meeting will be used to give guidelines and
deadlines for each group or the initial organizational
meeting. Any questions, bring them with you.

Exhibition Proposals due 2/1

Exhibition Proposals due 2/1

When Emailing your exhibition proposals please send to
ubSeniorThesis@hotmail.com and be sure to cc your instructor.

Any questions, just ask.

HALLWALLS CINEMA

HALLWALLS CINEMA
341 Delaware Ave. Buffalo
(716) 854 1694
For more information, visit www.hallwalls.org

Admission to all screenings: $7 general, $5 members, $4 students/seniors

Fri. February 3 at 8 pm & 10 pm
TRANSAMERICA directed by Duncan Tucker (103 min.) 2005
Inaugural Ways In Between Gender series screening
Introduced by Camille Hopkins

On the first Friday of every month from February through May, Hallwalls will host a Ways In Between Gender film screening of films and videos by or about folks who identity as transgender or gender-queer. The winner of numerous awards, including Best Film at the 2005 Berlin Film Festival, TRANSAMERICA is a fictional narrative about Bree, a pre-op transsexual woman, who learns about a son she helped conceive as a man 17 years earlier.

Call for Work

Rossy Mendez is a Master's student in the Art History department and is currently seeking submissions for my small exhibition at the One Hour Gallery.

Below is the information:

The exhibition Terramorph seeks to explore human?s interaction with the
physical environment (nature) and the ways in which humans both destroy
the landscape and attempt to regenerate it through environmental projects.
The works in this exhibition will hopefully vary in approaches that range
from the psychological experience of this destruction/regeneration to the
physical effects of these acts of morphing the landscape.

We seek work of all kinds including digital and performance art.

Submission Deadline: Feb 27th
Send proposals to:
Rossy Mendez
Terramorph2006@hotmail.com

Area Shows

Your best comprehensive listing will always be the Artvoice Gallery Directory
(list courtsey of John's email from Hallwalls)

• UB UNDERGRAD PAINTING EXHIBITION at UB North Campus

• DEBORAH JACK, RICHARD METZGAR (upcoming at Hallwalls), and MASHA RYSKIN at Rochester Contemporary, through Feb 11

• KURT TREEBY and JOSEF BAJUS at Buffalo Arts Studio
• CATHERINE LINDER SPENCER & DONNA JORDAN DUSEL at the Neighborhood Collective, opening Feb 3

• Big Bad BRUCE ADAMS at INSITE GALLERY, opening Feb 3

• DANA HATCHETT and MICHAEL MORGULIS continue at the Neighborhood Collective through Feb 1

• LILLIAN MENDEZ at the Castellani Art Museum, opening Feb 3 (with artist talk), 5—8pm

• CEPA MEMBERS’ EXHIBITION and CHRISTINE GATTI: 18 PROJECT, opening Sat Feb 4, 7—10 pm

• ROBERT SCHULMAN: PHOTOQUILTS & PHOTOGRAPHY at the JCC in Getzville, NY opening Feb 5, 2—4 pm

• paintings by CATHERINE PARKER continue at the JCC Getzville through Jan 29

• the great photographic work of MARION FALLER remains on view at the Burchfield Penney through Feb 26

• the current 24/12 exhibitions, featuring PETER ARVIDSON and WILL REDMAN, continue through Feb 5

• photos by MICHAEL MULLEY at College Street Gallery through Jan 29

• BIG ORBIT 2006 MEMBERS’ EXHIBITION, opening Sat Feb11(go here for spec’s on dropping off work: http://bigorbitgallery.org/bigorbit/allofthemfuture.html)

• NOW AGAIN THE PAST: REWIND REPLAY RESOUND at the Carnegie Art Center, opening Sat Feb11, 7-9 pm

• STEVE KEISTER at Nina Freudenheim through Feb 16

• TIM STEVENS at HARDWARE through Jan 29

• FIRST ANNUAL STAFF ART EXHIBITION at Betty’s through Feb 19

• THE WALL at the Albright, UB and Anderson Galleries through jan 29

• KAREN DAVIE at the Albright through May 14

Morrison Scholarship

The spring application for the Morrison Scholarship is due 2/6. If you did not receieve this scholarship in the Fall 2005 semester, you can apply for the Spring 2006 semester. If you are awarded this scholarship, this is one way of potentially helping out with your senior thesis project. The applications are located outside of the Art Office.

CEPA Members' Show

CEPA Gallery is seeking submissions for its annual Members Exhibition to be held February 4 – March 18, 2006. An opening reception will be held at CEPA in the Market Arcade Complex, 617 Main St., on Saturday, February 4 from 7:00-10:00 PM. We are proud to announce that this year’s juror is Nina Freudenheim, Owner, Freudenheim Gallery. All work is due at CEPA, by 5 PM, Monday, January 30, 2006. Artists who wish to have their work returned by mail should include the appropriate postage.

· All current, new, and renewing members of CEPA are invited to participate.
· All members’ may submit up to 2 pieces of photo-related art for inclusion.
· All work will be exhibited in one of CEPA’s nine main galleries. Space limitations may prevent exhibiting all submitted work in which case one piece per member will be exhibited. Such determinations will be made by CEPA staff at the time of installation.
· All work should be ready to hang, meaning matted and/or framed. All work should be labeled with artist’s name, title, process, date, and sales price.
· Video and Film work is acceptable, but please contact the Gallery prior to submitting to make arrangements
· Select work will be exhibited on CEPA’s website – www.cepagallery.com
· Visit CEPA’s website or contact the Gallery office (716-856-2717) for membership information and exhibition guidelines.
· Exhibition Dates: February 4 – March 18, 2006. Submissions due at CEPA, Monday, January 30, 2006.

This year’s juror is Nina Freudenheim, Owner, Freudenheim Gallery. This year CEPA will continue its new tradition of awarding an EXHIBTION AWARD. EXHIBITION AWARDS recognize those artists who demonstrate an elevated level of artistic maturity and skill in their work. The winner will receive a solo exhibit of their work in the 2006/07 exhibition year. To be considered for an EXHIBITION AWARD artists must submit 10 slides or images on CD, a slide script, an artist statement, and an artist resume with their Members’ Show artwork submission. This facet of the Members’ Exhibition is open to all artists. It is an option and does not affect regular submissions to the exhibit. Other awards including “Best In Show” will also be awarded.

HALLWALLS second annual RESOLUTIONS FESTIVAL

HALLWALLS second annual
RESOLUTIONS FESTIVAL
this Friday and Saturday, January 27 & 28 at 8 pm

Admission: $7 general, $5 members, $4 students seniors
Passes for both days at Hallwalls: $12 general, $8 members, $6 students/seniors
After party admission at Squeaky Wheel: $5 general, $4 members/students

Friday at 8 pm
RESOLUTIONS open house
HALLWALLS Cinema 341 Delaware Ave.
Installations, projections, and Virtual Reality performances

Saturday at 8 pm
RESOLUTIONS film & video program
HALLWALLS Cinema 341 Delaware Ave.
with visiting artists

Saturday after party at Squeaky Wheel (at approximately 10 pm)
Admission: $5 general, $4 members
Installations, with performance by HEADLESS BABY + 3

For details, visit http://www.hallwalls.org/media-arts-pages/res06.html

Spring Semester

Welcome back from winter break.

Tuesday 1/17 -- All sections please meet in 144 for a full group meeting.

Art Out of Anything: Rauschenberg in Retrospect

Robert Rauschenberg
Originally uploaded by Adriane Little.

Art Out of Anything: Rauschenberg in Retrospect
By MICHAEL KIMMELMAN
Published: December 23, 2005

IT is largely, if not exclusively, thanks to Robert Rauschenberg that Americans since the 1950's have come to think that art can be made out of anything, exist anywhere, last forever or just for a moment and serve almost any purpose or no purpose at all except to suggest that the stuff of life and the stuff of art are ultimately one and the same.

Stuff, in Mr. Rauschenberg's case, could mean a stuffed angora goat, like the one he picked up for $35 one day from a failing office-supply store on Eighth Avenue and girdled with an automobile tire. Originally despised, the "combines," as he called works like the shaggy "Monogram," gradually became fixed in the public imagination along with Warhol's Marilyns and Jasper Johns' flags as the classic symbols of what's American in American art.

read more ...
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/23/arts/design/23raus.html

Half Way There

Congratulations Everyone.
We are half way there.

We will regroup at the start of the spring semester.
Have a great winter break.

Jacob Kassay @ Kitchen Distribution

New Paintings:
Jacob Kassay

dialogue: December 10th - January 1st
In upper/Main Gallery
by appointment only
716.622.6738

Opening December 10th 7-10pm

Kitchen Distribution
20 Auburn Street
Buffalo

Come support one of your senior thesis classmates.
Congrats Jacob!

Sculpture Show

UB Sculpture Show
Basement Level @ Kitchen Distribution
One Night Only
December 9th 7-9pm

Kitchen Distribution
20 Auburn Street
Buffalo

Venice Italy -- live conference stream

This is an unusual opportunity to be able to hear the goings on at a conference of this magnitude

It is possible to attend the Symposium live through talk_saver which covers four days (dec 9-12) of debate and discussion.

Where Art Worlds Meet:... Multiple Modernities and the Global Salon... International Symposium

There are leading theorists/thinkers/artists (that were in the Venice Biennale in 2005) speaking at the conference; including Jolene Rickard who teaches at UB in Art and Art History.

go to:

http://www.labiennale.org/en/index.html
then go to talk serve on the right side of the screen

For a list of speakers go to:

http://www.nmai.si.edu/
then click on the Venice Symposium Global Perspectives
then got to the botton of that page until you see:

For an overview of the NMAI Vision, Space, Desire symposium, please click here.
For a detailed schedule and list of speakers for the NMAI Vision, Space, Desire symposium, please click here.

Image from Tomie Arai @ CEPA

Tomie Arai
Originally uploaded by Adriane Little.

Untelling
A Mid-Career Retrospective
the work of Tomie Arai
Curated by Millie Chen

November 18 - January 14, 2006

In her constant crossing of boundaries, be it racial, curltural, class, Tomie Arai disclaims any positions of authority. By conveying the stories of others, she acts not as expert, informant, representative, enothographer or neutral observer; in fact she un-tells the versions that we expect in order to recontruct and repair society's understanding of history.

http://www.cepagallery.com/cepa/index.html

12/5 Meredith Davis

Time: 6pm, CFA 112

Meredith Davis is professor and director of graduate programs in the College of Design at NC State University. Her previous positions include director of the graduate program in Communication Arts and Design at Virginia Commonwealth University and president of a communication design firm in Richmond, Virginia. Her design work has received more than 50 international and national awards and has been exhibited in the US and abroad. Meredith is a member of the AIGA national board of directors, founding president of the Graphic Design Education Association, president of the American Center for Design, and a member of the accreditation commission of the NASAD. She has also served on the Citizen’s Stamp Advisory Committee for the US Postal Service. Her book, Design as a Catalyst for Learning, won the 1999 Choice Award from the Association for College and Research Libraries. She is currently writing and editing five textbooks on graphic design for Thames and Hudson Publishers, London.

The Power Plant - Toronto

Friday 9 December, 8-10 pm
Exhibition Openings:
On Kawara / The Cold City Years / Javier Téllez

On Kawara
A major retrospective exhibition of Japanese born and New York based artist On Kawara, one of the most important artists of the second half of the twentieth century, whose work addresses the passage of time, the nature of consciousness and ultimately human mortality.

Exhibition organized by Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, UK and Le Consortium, Dijon, France. Support for the exhibition provided by Steven and Lynda Latner. Additional support provided by Donna and Bob Poile.

The Cold City Years
An exhibition drawn from the archives of the Cold City Gallery, a seminal Toronto artist run/commercial gallery hybrid.

Curated by Nancy Campbell, Marlene Klassen and Pamela Meredith.

Javier Téllez
The first exhibition in Canada for Téllez, showcasing this Venezuelan artist's ambitious collaboration with Australian psychiatric patients.

www.thepowerplant.org

One Hour Gallery Seeks Work

This Friday, December 2nd from 8-11 P.M. , One Hour Gallery will be presenting its "Student Salon" Show. We will be accepting work from all majors, undergrads, grads, faculty, staff etc. I would like to have a wide range of work from everyone, and have as much in the space as possible; this is a perfect time to display something that you have been working on through out the semester. I still need a lot of work and would like to come to as many of the grads and faculties classes as possible. If anyone is interested in submitting work, setting a time that I may be able to speak to a class, wanting to see the space etc.

If anyone is interested in submitting work to show, you can drop it off in the Undergrad sculpture studio, B24 anytime, including Friday the 2nd.

One Hour Gallery- 2331 Elmwood Ave., Kenmore
http://www.thechung.com/onehourgallery/Main.php

Mike Rakoczy
One Hour Gallery Intern/ S.V.A.O.
mrakoczy@buffalo.edu

David Rokeby speaks in Toronto

Interactive Art Pioneer David Rokeby speaks in Toronto December 2 as part of the Kodak Lecture Series

Kodak Lecture Series: David Rokeby
7:30 pm, Friday, December 2, 2005
Ryerson University, Centre for Computing and Engineering, Lecture Theatre 103, 245 Church Street (just north of Dundas Street East at Gould Street)
FREE. Arrive early for guaranteed seating.
Lectures are webcast live as well as archived at www.ryersonlectures.ca

The Kodak Lecture Series is pleased to announce that Toronto artist David Rokeby will present a talk about his work on Friday, December 2, at 7:30 pm at Ryerson University in Toronto.

David Rokeby has won acclaim in both artistic and technical fields for his new media artworks. A pioneer in interactive art and an acknowledged innovator in interactive technologies, Rokeby has achieved international recognition as an artist and seen te technologies which he develops for his work given unique applications by a broad range of arts practitioners and medical scientists.

Born in Tillsonburg, Ontario in 1960, Rokeby studied at the Ontario College of Art where he began to use technology to make pieces that directly engage the human body, or that involve artificial perception systems. His best known work, Very Nervous System (1986-90), premiered at the Venice Biennale in 1996, won the first Petro-Canada Award for Media Arts (1988) and is permanently installed in several museums around the world. Rokeby has twice been honored with Austria's Prix Ars Electronica Award of Distinction (1991 and 1997). He has been an invited speaker at events around the world, and has published two papers that are required reading in the new media arts faculties of many universities. He received a Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts in 2002.

Current exhibitions of David Rokeby's work can be seen in Toronto at InterAccess Electronic Media Arts Centre (9 Ossington Ave.) until December 4, Blackwood Gallery (U of T at Mississauga) until December 18, and Pari Nadimi Gallery (254 Niagara St.) until December 31. Upcoming projects in Canada include a major exhibition opening at the Art Gallery of Hamilton and a new commissioned work for the Hamilton Airport, both in Spring 2006.

ARC

If you have or are borrowing equipment from the ARC room, please keep in mind that everything needs to be returned for winter break by 12/16 at 5pm. Unless you have made special arrangements, all equipment must be checked back in at the end of the semester.

11/28 Doug Hall

Time: 6pm, CFA 112

Doug Hall received his B.A. in 1966 from Harvard University where he studied Anthropology. In 1969 he received his MFA from the Rinehart School of Sculpture of The Maryland Institute, College of Art in Baltimore. In San Francisco, he formed the media art collective, T.R. Uthco who produced works during the 1970’s. One of these works is a videotape in collaboration with Ant Farm, entitled The Eternal Frame, which is a reenactment of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Hall continues to work in video, performance, and installation. His work in diverse media has been exhibited and collected in museums in the US and Europe at: San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, MOMA, New York, The Contemporary Art Museum, Chicago, The Berlinische Galerie, Berlin, Museum für Moderne Kunst, Vienna, and The Whitney Museum, New York. He is a Professor in the New Genres Department at the San Francisco Art Institute.

Terminal - Passenger Concourse

Terminal - Passenger Concourse
Originally uploaded by Adriane Little.

View from the Mezzanine. We will have access to all of this space as well as the smaller rooms that are at the end and to the left in this photo (where Sarah's piece was last year. There are walls already here that can be used which can be put up in a different configuration than last year. Keep in mind that parts of the ceiling in the two large rooms to either side in this photo are off limits since the ceiling is still sheding debris. Also all floors above the second floor near the west Mezzanine, including the end end of the Mezzanine level, are OFF LIMITS first for your safety as the building is slowly being repaired and second because we are guests in the space. Keep this in mind for the next time that we enter the space as a group.

Terminal - Mezzanine

Terminal - Mezzanine
Originally uploaded by Adriane Little.

We anticipate that the railing will be up in time on the Mezzanine level on the west side of the building (where you enter the terminal). If this happens, will also be able to use the smaller spaces up on the second floor

Spencer Tunick at the Terminal

Spencer Tunick at the Terminal
Originally uploaded by Adriane Little.

Last Year the terminal hosted Spencer Tunick in conjunction with the Albright-Knox.

For more photos of Tunick's work, see link below

http://www.i-20.com/artist.php?artist_id=19&page=images&work_id=447

Terminal - After

Terminal After
Originally uploaded by Adriane Little.

This is Sarah Stonefoot's project from last year. There are a few things that you can't see from the image. There was text written on the white parts and also looking through the keyhole, there was video. She brought the wood and doors with her and added to the space. I have other examples and also more details of this piece that we can look at closer once we start to decide together what goes where in the space... most likely this will begin in mid-February.

Central Terminal - Before

Central Terminal - Before
Originally uploaded by Adriane Little.

This is an example of what is possible with the space at the terminal. Keep in mind that the building is in the process of being restored so what ever you do to the building you ultimately need to undo. This is actually what this part of the terminal looks like now, but is an example of what is possible. I'll post the project that was in the spot last year.

Central Terminal

The spring semester exhibition will again be held for senior thesis at Buffalo's Central Terminal.

On 11/22 please make your way to the space by 3:30 so that you can get a good look in relation to your project. We are losing daylight everyday so be sure to be on time so that you can get a really good look around.

Here is the link to the site for the terminal:

http://central.terminal.railfan.net

Central Terminal
495 Paderewski Drive
Buffalo, NY

Tomie Arai at CEPA Gallery

Untelling
A Mid-Career Retrospective
the work of Tomie Arai
Curated by Millie Chen

November 18 - January 14, 2006
Opening Reception
Friday November 18 5:30-9:00pm

In her constant crossing of boundaries, be it racial, curltural, class, Tomie Arai disclaims any positions of authority. By conveying the stories of others, she acts not as expert, informant, representative, enothographer or neutral observer; in fact she un-tells the versions that we expect in order to recontruct and repair society's understanding of history.

http://www.cepagallery.com/cepa/index.html

Jean-Luc Nancy

Comparative Literature Department Guest Lecture Event
Jean-Luc Nancy -- "Church, State, Resistance"

November 22, 2005
Time: 12:30pm, 120 Clemens Hall

Visit HARP artist NAOMI UMAN at THE LENOX

Nov 14 – 21, by appointment

Internationally renowned filmmaker NAOMI UMAN is in town from Mexico City on a HARP (Hallwalls Artist Residency Project) award and she’d like you to come visit her as she works on her new project.

Naomi is currently working on a video diary and the daily construction of
Buffalo-hide coats for herself and her canine companion. If you would like
to schedule a time to meet with her and talk about her work, please call
The Lenox at (716) 884-1700 or me (Joanna) at (716) 854-1694 to schedule a day and time.

Naomi will be screening her 16mm films at Squeaky Wheel (712 Main St.)
on November 19 at 8 pm. For more information, please visit www.hallwalls.org.

11/21 Elizabeth Otto

Time: 6pm, CFA 112

Elizabeth Otto is an Assistant Professor of Art History at UB. Her lecture is entitled: Surface Tension: Late 19th Century Theories of Perception and the Origins of Photomontage. Her work examines photomontage and the political, cultural and gendered valences of represented bodily fragmentation in interwar Germany. Her research explores the relationship between popular and avant-garde visual cultures from the 19th century to the present, gendered neoclassicism and French cubism, and the history of photography. Recent publications include Bauhaus Photomontage, The Secret History of Photomontage, and Uniform: On Constructions of Soldierly Masculinity. She has received grants and awards at Queen’s University, the University of Michigan, Freie Universität Berlin.

Rumsey Winner Exhibition

Rumsey Winner Exhibition:

Sara Barry
Ariane Fulk
Jacob Kassey

11/17-12/10
Opening 11/17 5-7pm
UB Art Department Gallery
B45 Center for the Arts

11/17 Meeting - All Sections

All Sections please meet in CFA 144 at 3:15 on 11/17. Sean Donaher, Executive Director of Big Orbit Gallery and Creative Director of CEPA, will be in class to speak about both galleries, galleries submissions and exhibitions. Please come prepared with questions.

After Sean's presentation. We will be discussing how to document your work, prepare packages for graduate schools and exhibition proposals; including proposals, cv, how to organize images, etc.

11/14 Julianne Swartz

Time: 6pm, CFA 112

Julianne Swartz creates sculptures and site-specific installations involving light, sound, physics and architecture. She has exhibited her work at the 2004 Biennial exhibition at the Whitney Museum, The New Museum of Contemporary Art, P.S 1 Museum, Sculpture Center and Palm Beach ICA. She received a Masters of Fine Arts degree in Sculpture from Bard College in 2002 and attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in 1999.

Fariba Samsami

Fariba Samsami
Originally uploaded by Adriane Little.

http://www.cam.org/~articule/rec.html

Science Meets Art in Pluto's Cave

Panel Discussion featuring Gary Nickard, Reinhard Reizenstein, Robert Hirsch, Ulrich Baur, Doreen Wackeroth and Krzysztof Ziarek

7:00 p.m.
@ Big Orbit Gallery

The Inaugural Event in "Science, Technology, Art" Public Lecture Series for the Humanities Institute

http://www.humanitiesinstitute.buffalo.edu/

Thayer Fellowship / Ross Award

Deadline 12/1/2005
Applications are in the Art Office

The purpose of these awards is to serve as a bridge between study at The State University of New York (all SUNY campuses) and first-time entry into a professional career in the creative or performing arts; namely music, theatre, dance, film and video, creative writing and the visual arts.

The Thayer Fellowship is $7,000
The Patricia Kerr Ross Award is $1,000

The awards are available to undergraduate seniors and graduate students in the arts who are about to graduate from the University and make a career in the arts. They are not intended for students going on to graduate school.

***Letters of recommendation are required.

For full information, pick up an application.

Ask the Lawyer Panel Discussion

Presented by Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
2:00-4:30 pm
Free
at the Carnegie Art Center

The Carnegie Art Center, located at 240 Goundry Street in North Tonawanda, will present a workshop entitled, Ask the Lawyer, on Tuesday, November 15 from 2-4:30 pm. This workshop is free of charge and the public is encouraged to attend.

Ask the Lawyer is a unique opportunity for artists and individuals representing arts organizations to get legal advice from attorneys from Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (VLA). During this session, VLA attorneys will address arts-related legal issues and concerns in a question/answer format. Questions usually range from how to protect your work to when you need to have a contract.

Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts has been the exclusive provider of pro bono and low cost legal services, legal representation, mediation services, educational programs and publications and advocacy to the arts community in the greater New York Metropolitan Area since 1969. VLA makes essential legal services, representation and education accessible and affordable for low income artists and nonprofit arts and cultural organizations. VLA also serves as a public information resource center about the legal issues that affect artists and arts organizations, regardless of income. The first arts-related legal aid organization in existence, VLA is the model for approximately 50 similar organizations around the world.

For more information, or to RSVP for this event, call the Carnegie at 694.4400 or email carnegie@broadviewnet.net

This event is funded, in part, by the State and Local Partnership Program of the New York State Council on the Arts. Additional support provided by the Tonawandas’ Council on the Arts, University at Buffalo Art Galleries, NYMAC (New York Multi-Arts Center Consortium) and the Arts Council in Buffalo & Erie County.

Tonawandas' Council on the Arts
CARNEGIE ART CENTER
240 Goundry Street, North Tonawanda, NY 14120
Phone: 716.694.4400
Fax: 716.995.0180
www.carnegieartcenter.org
Gallery Hours: Wed.- Fri., 11- 4 pm & Sat., 1-4 pm

Carnegie Art Center Member's Show Open

The Carnegie Art Center member's show opened last night. Sara Barry, one of your fellow senior thesis mates, received a juror award for her 16mm film "Practice". The exhibition was juried by Sean Donaher - Executive Director of Big Orbit Gallery.

Marina Abramovic Performs

abramovic
Originally uploaded by Adriane Little.

Self-Mutilation Is the Sincerest Form of Flattery
By RANDY KENNEDY

Posted in today's NY Times
photo by Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/pages/arts/index.html

11/7 Sylvia de Swaan

Time: 6pm, CFA 112

Sylvia de Swaan is a Romanian born photographer who has lived in Europe, Mexico and the United States. She works on projects that address a range of issues, including memory, identity, transience, war, the imprint of the past on the present and the anxieties of living in a changing world. Her projects have been supported by a variety of art foundations and organizations, including Art Matters, New York Foundation for the Arts, ArtsLink, Light Work, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and Austrian Ministry of Culture. She has exhibited work at CEPA, Buffalo, Bemis Center for Contemporary Art, Omaha, NE; the Springfield Museum of Art, Springfield, OH; Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute, Utica, NY; Cankarjev dom, Ljubljana, Slovenia and Art in General, NYC. She teaches photography at Hamilton College.

Sculpture Area Proposal

As announced in seminar today:

If you are interested and have a need to work in the sculpture are over break, Chris Siano has offered to establish dedicated space for and work closely with 10-12 students over winter break. This will occur 9-5 during week days on the days that the building is open. If you could use this space and assistance for this extended period please submit a proposal to Chris Siano (in his mailbox) by 12/1/05.

What to include in your proposal is a BRIEF description of your project, followed by why you need this space and assistance and what speficially Chris and this extra opportunity can assist you with. This proposal should not exceed 1000 words.

You must be committed to the entire block of time. This is not for help that can be done in one or two days. We can give you that assistance outside of this opportunity.

If you have any questions, email me at alittle@buffalo.edu

Seminar Recap - Graduate Schools

All 3 Sections in 144 on 10/27

Should you find a graduate school that found and would like you would like to share with your classmates, please feel free to post a comment here. Also see the 9/30/2005 post in the September 2005 archive for more information.

Additional:

All three section to meet at the Central Terminal in Downtown Buffalo on 11/17. Time TBA. This is your opportunity to look around the space and to bring that information back to the projects that you are working on for exhibition in the Spring.

Terminal Address:
495 Paderewski Drive
Buffalo

Mid Term

All section have completed or are near completion of mid-term reviews. If you have additional information to share, feel free to post here.

Humanities Institute Annual Conference

New Futures: Humanities,Theory, Arts
October 28-29, 2005
Center for the Arts, UB North Campus
Center for the Arts, Room 112
and
Albright Knox Art Gallery

For full schedule go here:
http://www.humanitiesinstitute.buffalo.edu/popup/conference_schedule.shtml

10/24 Mark Dery

Time: 6pm, CFA 112

Mark Dery is a cultural critic. He is the author of Escape Velocity, Cyberculture at the End of the Century and The Pyrotechnic Insanitarium: American Culture on the Brink. His seminal essay, Culture Jamming: Hacking, Slashing, and Sniping in the Empire of Signs popularized the guerrilla media tactic known as "culture jamming"; widely republished on the Web, "Culture Jamming" remains the definitive theorization of this subcultural phenomenon. In Flame Wars: The Discourse of Cyberculture, an academic anthology he edited, Dery coined the term "Afrofuturism" and kick-started the academic interest in black technoculture, and cyberstudies in general. He is the director of digital journalism at New York University, in the Department of Journalism.

The Wall

The Wall: Reshaping Contemporary Chinese Art

BUFFALO, N.Y. – The most ambitious exhibition of Contemporary Chinese Art to travel beyond China will be presented this fall by the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and the University at Buffalo Art Galleries after its debut in Beijing this summer at the Millennium Art Museum.

The Wall: Reshaping Contemporary Chinese Art is the first collaboration between U.S. art museums and a significant Chinese art museum to focus on contemporary Chinese art.

Because of its size and scope, The Wall will be installed at three venues: the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, the UB Art Gallery in the Center for the Arts on UB’s North Campus in Amherst, and the UB Anderson Gallery on Martha Jackson Place in Buffalo. The exhibition will open to the public on October 21, 2005 and remain on view through January 29, 2006.

Gao Minglu organized The Wall during his tenure as assistant professor in the Department of Art History of the UB College of Arts and Sciences. A leading authority on twentieth and twenty-first century Chinese art, Gao was curator of Inside Out: New Chinese Art at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in 1998 and the Chinese section of the Conceptual Art: Point Of Origin 1950s-1980s exhibition, sponsored by the Queens Museum in New York in 1999.

While the Great Wall certainly will come to the minds of visitors to the exhibition, Gao says there are several interpretations of walls in Chinese culture. “The Wall can be interpreted as a physical or architectural form such as the Great Wall or other various walls in a living space; as a modernization project that has posed a challenge in China such as the Three Gorges Dam Project; or as a cultural and social boundary experienced by Chinese citizens,” said Gao, Associate Professor of East Asian Modern and Contemporary Art in the History of Art and Architecture Department at the University of Pittsburgh. “These three interpretations provide the intellectual framework for the exhibition.”

Locus

Second Year MFA Exhibition

10/20-11/12
Opening 10/20 5-7pm
UB Art Department Gallery
B45 Center for the Arts

Carnegie Art Center Member's Exhibition

Juror: Sean Donaher, Executive Director, Big Orbit Gallery
On view: November 5 - December 10, 2005
Opening reception: Saturday, November 5, 7 - 9 p.m.

* All members in good standing may submit two pieces of artwork.
One work is guaranteed to be exhibited.
* Members must be 18 years or older to enter.
* Existing members may renew at time of drop-off.
* All work submitted must have been completed within the last three years.
* Video and digital submissions encouraged.

Drop off of artwork:
Thursday, Oct 20, 4-7 pm
Friday, Oct 21, 11-4 pm
Saturday, Oct 22, 1-4 pm.

For more information:
http://www.carnegieartcenter.org/upcoming.html

10/17 Wenda Gu

Time: 6pm, CFA 112

Wenda Gu was born in Shanghai and studied ink painting under the great modern master Lu Yanshao. In the early 1980’s he explored radical extensions of the traditional technique in a series of large semi-abstract works and environmental installations. Since moving to New York he has embarked on an ambitious series of installation works that stress the essential unity of human experience and community. In the United Nations series, Wenda Gu uses contributions of human hair to "weave" monumental banners of unreadable text in various scripts, with the intention of having a work in every country of the world. Wenda Gu’s current project is entitled Confucius' Diary, a performance work. In this piece the artist plays the role of a Tran cultural Confucius, dressed half in Chinese ceremonial robes and half in a tuxedo, leading a donkey through the city and meeting with leaders of business, politics and culture to discuss matters of importance to humankind.

10/15 Big Orbit Opening

Pluto's Cave

An Installation by
ACME PHYSICS - Gary Nickard, Reinhard Reizenstein and Robert Hirsch

They are splitting the Atom... for real.

Opening 10/15 from 8-10pm

Exhibition runs October 15 - December 18, 2005

James Blue: A Retrospective

Known internationally for his ground-breaking documentary films, James Blue (1930-1980) was an artist, an educator, and an advocate of experimentation in the non-fiction form. A professor at the University at Buffalo’s Department of Media Study in the early 1970s, Blue influenced a generation of media makers and worked tirelessly to promote the craft of telling true stories with moving images. This retrospective will feature screenings of rare prints of Blue’s films and include discussions with some of his colleagues including Gerald O’Grady, PhD.

Thursday, October 13, 6:30 – 9 p.m.
AN OVERVIEW OF BLUE’S WORK
Reception and screening/presentation
by Gerald O’Grady PhD.
at the Burchfield-Penney Art Center, FREE

Friday, October 14 at 7 p.m.
USIA & JAMES BLUE: SHORT 16MM FILMS, including THE SCHOOL AT RINCON SANTO, COLUMBIA (1962), A FEW NOTES ON OUR FOOD PROBLEM (1968), and THE MARCH TO WASHINGTON (1963-64)
at the Center for Fine Arts, University at Buffalo North Campus
$5 general, $4 seniors, $3 students, FREE to members of Hallwalls and the Burchfield-Penney

Saturday, October 15 at 2 p.m.
VIDEO AND THE CITY, selections from WHO KILLED FOURTH WARD? (1976/77) and INVISIBLE CITY (1979)
at the Burchfield-Penney Art Center
FREE with gallery admission; $5 general, $4 seniors, $3 students

Saturday, October 15 at 7 p.m.
INTERNATIONAL ACCLAIM: BLUE’S APPROACH TO WAR IN ALGERIA, featuring AMAL (1960) and a new 35mm print of THE OLIVE TREES OF JUSTICE (1961, Cannes Film Festival Award, 1962)
at the Market Arcade Film & Arts Centre, 639 Main St.
$8 general, $6 Hallwalls and Burchfield-Penney members, $5.50 students and seniors

Sunday, October 16, 1 pm
BLUE AND ETHNOGRAPHIC FILM, featuring KENYAN BORAN, PARTS 1 & 2 (1974)
at the Burchfield-Penney Art Center
FREE with gallery admission; $5 general, $4 seniors, $3 students

Performance by One of Your Classmates

Live Digital Media - Performance - Music - Sculpture

Free Event!
Gusto @ The Gallery: October 14th
6-10PM in Clifton Hall
Albright-Knox Art Gallery
1285 Elmwood Ave

Featuring:

Dharma Lab - DJ & Live performance PsyTrance, Ambient, Downtempo, House,
Techno more info at www.DharmaLab.com

Anton Hand (UB BFA Art Student) as VJ Xenius - Realtime performance
programatic visualizations Hyperkinetic - Pulsing - Undulating - Light

DJ Flip of Fractal Project - Crazy mixing madness - audio - video
www.FractalProject.com

10/10 at SOUNDLAB....

Monday, October 10, 9pm, $7
SOUNDLAB
110 Pearl Street
Buffalo

Six Organs of Admittance (feat. John Maloney of Sunburned Hand of the Man on drums), Hush Arbors, Warmer Milks, Bare Flames

A contemporary master of midnight ragas, acoustic noise, and finger-picking polysyllables, Ben Chasny doesn't snag as many magazine covers as Devendra Banhart, but there's no doubt the Oakland guitarist is an equally compelling-- albeit more taciturn personality. For starters, Chasny overlaps his Six Organs of Admittance moniker's Buddhist origins with paganism, astral projections, prophetic dreams, surrealism, and a reverence for outsider folk masters. Then, of course, there's his day job as a psych monster in Comets on Fire, his craggy partnership with Deerhoof co-founder Rob Fisk in backwoods experimenters Badgerlore, a touring/recording relationship with Current 93's David Tibet, and a brief European tour with Joanna Newsom this April. As lazy as it is to pin Banhart to one specific scene or motif, Chasny proves even more difficult to jam within the confines of the "New Weird America" tag. It's like pigeonholing John Fahey's ghost.

Now add to all of that an obvious knowledge and love of Southern Lord metal/drone and early 1990s noise. Unlike those who list Vashti Bunyan and Harry Smith as forebears, Chasny cites Ghost, Dead C, Keiji Haino, the Japanese noise label PSF Records, and the vastly underrated contemporary avant guitarist Loren Conners. In the same breath, he talks about the importance of complimenting your Incredible String Band forays with Fushitsusha, Sunn 0))), the radio on white noise, and Skullflower. So while there's no doubt he works within a folk tradition on some level, instead of tagging Chasny with the full-on f-word, it makes more sense to link him with Supreme Dicks or Tower Recordings or other acoustic-minded experimenters.

Either way, Chasny's incredibly prolific by any standard. In 2004, his Six Organs ouput alone included For Octavio Paz-- a shadowy collection of mostly instrumental steel and nylon guitar pieces (with lovely bells and chimes)-- along with the reissues of 2000's Manifestation and 1999's Nightly Trembling. The year before he turned Nikki Sudden with Compathia and his self-titled 1998 debut received the reissue treatment. As Lou Barlow once taught by example, being so prolific can present a dud-heavy obstacle course, but thus far Chasny's yet to lay an overcooked egg. Better yet, his newest foray (the first for Drag City) is his strongest, most satisfying effort to date.

Though his past home-recorded output never felt thin, School of the Flower is his first recorded in a studio (gone is the borrowed cassette 4-track) and the result is a dense, more three-dimensional sound. It's also his most tightly composed effort, a Zen balance between Compathia's lullabies, For Octavio Paz's melancholy six-string intricacies, and Dark Noontide's drifting, fractured downer psych universe. If you haven't heard Six Organs yet, this is where to start.

The album begins with the raucous "Eighth Cognition", wherein Sunburned Hand of the Man/Cold Bleak Heat drummer Chris Corsano does what he does best, sluicing up an elegant dust storm part tornado/part precision rap. The churning, cymbal crash lasts for a little over a minute before suddenly dissipating and blending into the fragile "All You've Left", one of Chasny's gorgeous falsetto ballads.

Taking the whirlpool of "Eighth Cognition" whirlpool a bit further, the 13-and-a-half-minute title track is a guitar/drum meltdown Chasny says was inspired by John Cale and Terry Riley's seminal 1971 collaboration, Church of Anthrax. On it, Chasny's guitar turns into an infinite loop under which Corsano's free to blow to and fro. Inititating a different sense of motion, "Saint Cloud" drifts patiently along Chasny's soft chants and dense "Ohm"'s, some sort of droning, increasingly spiraled feedback, and crisp repetitious strings.

The spare "Words For Two" and "Home" (the later with a star-kiss, Loren Connors-style guitar launch) are Chasny's tightest, most affecting vocal-and-guitar pieces to come gliding 'round the holy mountain. There's also a thoughtful cover of Gary Higgins' folk classic, "Thicker Than a Smokey" from the 1973 album, Red Hash, which was recorded briefly before he went to prison on a two-year, nine-month sentence for possession of marijuana. Chasny's take perhaps lacks the distant small-town melancholia of the original, but when he sings its haunting opening-- "What do you intend to do young man? Where do you intend to go?"-- there are still chills. Chasny has often covered it live and decided to "throw it on the record to put the word out so we could find Gary Higgins." In fact, Zach Cowie at Drag City started writing all the Gary Higgins' he could find and eventually located the red-haired folkie, who just signed a contract with Drag City to reissue his lost 1973 masterpiece. (Like the best records, School of the Flower's legacy extends beyond just its songs.)

As intimated earlier, School of the Flower blooms and dies rather quickly. Put more prosaically, the whole thing runs its course in just under 40 minutes. This might seem like a minimalist shame for amped-up drone junkies, but really it's a tasteful (and very very welcome) gesture. More practically speaking, when Chasny reaches the final jangling sustain of the guitar coda lullaby "Lisbon," he still hasn't made a misstep or tapped a wrong note, so who can blame him for achieving something so sublime and not wanting to fuck it up? Whatever its duration, School of the Flower is one of those rare, understated but compulsive collections you'll want to listen to on repeat until it's time to blow out the incense, dump the wine in the sink, and step fuzzy-headed into the imperfect sunlight of the prosaic, but suddenly potentially transcendent world.

-Brandon Stosuy, Pitchfork Media, February 9, 2005

Michelle Bellmare

MichelleBellmare
Originally uploaded by Adriane Little.

Dust Socks (2000) – detail closeup life-size socks knitted from dust – approximate dimensions .5 x 12 x 2.5 inches dust, hair, discarded materials, hanging light Life-size socks, knitted out of dust utilize materials which are not valued, in order to create an item of clothing which typically represents warmth, comfort and a barrier from our contact with the ground. The notion of putting on socks made of dust asks us to become closer to the fragments of decay from which we protect ourselves.

10/10 Enrique Chagoya

Time: 6pm, CFA 112

Enrique Chagoya is a Mexican-born artist whose work has been praised for its "deep political consciousness and its daring excursions across cultural, historical and artistic boundaries." His paintings and prints are about the changing nature of culture, the conceptual fusion of opposing cultural realities from his personal experiences. Enrique Chagoya's sometimes bitter, sometimes humorous, but always engaging montages of imagery and associations propose a communal internal voyage. As he puts it, "In a world which has masses of people who move, we are talking about a spiritual experience in which everybody is an immigrant of some kind." Chagoya's work is included in the collections of The LA County Museum, The National Museum of American Art, and The Whitney Museum of American Art, the Museum of Modern Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the New York Public Library. He is an Associate Professor at Stanford University.

10/6 Steve Heil at Kitchen Distribution

Adrift by Steve Heil
an Exhibition of recent paintings and drawings

Opening Reception
Thursday October 6, 2005 from 6-9pm

Gallery Hours:
Wednesday thru Sunday 4-7pm

Kitchen Distribution
20 Auburn
Buffalo NY

SPE Scholarship Deadline Approaching

SPE - Society for Photographic Education

The annual conference in Chicago 3/2006 has student opportunities for awards and scholarships. The deadline is 10/14. Go here for more information:

http://www.spenational.org/conference/conf2006/index.html

In the past, students that volunteered had their conference fee waived. Check it out... pile up in a car and get out there if you can and are interested. There are also regional conferences that occur in the fall. At all conferences, there are opportunities to have your porfolio review by curators, which is a great way to start getting your work seen. Your print up a set of prints, box them in a portfolio box and sign up for reviews. There is also open portfolio sharing were you find a space in the main section of the conference and everyone walks around and takes a look.....