camp

Keri submits her latest for the reunion series

2010-04-12T19:41:00.002-04:00

Keri Meyer's latest, with more to come...

excerpt from Tania's "During the Times of Leafless Trees"

2010-03-31T16:02:00.002-04:00

these visions are

ancient

like the maps on my hands

they’ve been chanted

they’ve been danced

they’ve been walked

borderless

once before

they have room

go high

go vast

go familiar over and over again

as long a fear

is allowed to rest.

email from reunion participant #2, Mista Stein

2010-03-30T14:17:00.001-04:00

I forgot how hard writing can be.

I make my students write all the time, and I pretend to write with them.

But I never need to turn my writing into a finished piece.

I have no due date, and there are no stakes.

And then Reunion came up again.

And there was a due date, and there were some stakes.

And I realized that I forgot how hard writing can be.

When are you visiting the mainland?

reunion iv: enfin

2010-03-29T18:26:00.003-04:00

I am so excited that reunion #4 is now underway! Huge props to Mister Diego, the first to submit. Feast your eyes on his beautiful, beautiful work- such an interesting progression from his riii series.

More to come!

That's So Bunny!

2009-05-19T15:05:00.005-04:00

A HUGE congratulations to my good friend Barbara Loveland, whose lust for fashion has hit a target-market home-run in this month's issue of Seventeen Magazine:

Go panties!

awesomeness part deux

2009-05-08T19:10:00.001-04:00

where we're coming from

2009-04-30T15:09:00.001-04:00

the world' largest art prize

2009-04-29T15:36:00.005-04:00

Deadline: July 31, 2009
ArtPrize exists to reboot the conversation between artists and audiences on a grand scale. Any artist—from established to emerging—has the chance to show work. Any visitor can vote. The vote will determine who wins the largest art prize in the world. There is not one official curator or one jury for the competition. The possibilities are wide open.
"There are enough art competitions where the winners are decided by a jury of experts. That's not the competition we are creating. We're looking for a giant conversation to happen between artists and the public. That is why we developed a radically open framework for this event, which gives power to everyone's opinion. When everyone's opinion counts, everyone is included in the conversation."

amazingness prevails

2009-04-29T15:29:00.001-04:00

The Lost Tribes of New York City from Carolyn London on Vimeo.

on community

2009-04-28T00:09:00.001-04:00

The term "community" in and of itself is a malleable brand of sorts; from its literal meaning as a group or gathering of people to its broader meaning as a group or gathering of ideas, it simply implies commonality whose aim tends to be one of improvement (whether it be in terms of communication, relationship-building, artistic/ intellectual stimulation, etc). A colleague of mine recently recommended exchanging the term "community" for "tribe" – which seems to be the new "it" term in the social media marketing current, which to me ignites more of an exclusive air- potentially genius for marketing products or services but rather isolated when working toward an idea of community development.

Moving from a raging metropolis to a small rural island in the middle of the pacific rim has taught me a thing or two about the nature of community- and just how many communities we are linked to in every aspect of our life. By stepping outside of the everyday and into a place completely unknown, we're somewhat forced to stop and analyze our present situation. One of the toughest lessons I've learned is that it's relatively impossible to sustain a community you are not linked to on a personal (read: in-person), regular basis. Sure, this facebook/ flickr/ blogger/ twitter business has helped me reacquaint myself with countless connections that would have simply dwindled without the fascinating little e-communicados, but as you begin to lose the little, everyday, completely unplanned aspects of a relationship, sustenance becomes more of a challenge, regardless of the caliber of thought or genius that come of the modes of exchange.

let's scribble

2008-07-17T15:36:00.012-04:00

I asked a handful of friends to grab a piece of paper, scribble for 5-10 seconds and send me the results. It's so interesting how a flicker of personality always shines through, even in the most arbitrary acts of unexpected invention.

"A scribble is a drawing composed of random and abstract lines, generally without ever lifting the drawing device off of the paper. Scribbling is most often associated with young children and toddlers, because their lack of hand-eye coordination and lower mental development often make it very difficult for any young child to keep their coloring attempts within the line art of the subject.

"Adults also scribble, although generally it is done jovially, out of boredom (as in doodling), or as a form of abstract art, or to see if a pen works".

Live in Ireland for a year as an Artist-in-Residence

2008-07-16T12:56:00.000-04:00

Irish Museum of Modern Art Artist Work Programme offers an opportunity for artists to research and develop their work practice, with an emphasis on the work process rather than the finished product. Open to artists working in all mediums, including the visual arts, installation, performance art, video/film, critical writing, and curatorial practice. Participants receive studio/accommodations, administrative assistance, and a basic living allowance. Residencies run 2-4 months in length. Interested applicants are encouraged to apply up to a year prior to residency period desired. Application deadline: SEPT. 30, 2008. For more information, contact: Janice Hough, Artists’ Work Programme Coordinator, IMMA, Royal Hospital, Military Rd., Kilmainham, Dublin 8, Ireland; Phone: +353-1-612-9900; email: janice.hough@imma.ie; or check website: www.modernart.ie.

bringing it back home

2008-07-02T11:49:00.000-04:00

"Art and artistic expression shouldn't be the jewelry of society, it should be part of the blood, part of the muscle, and part of the bone. When our strategies set us apart from the world so that we can be separately admired, supported, and valued, we shouldn't be surprised when we are perceived as separate". -Andrew Taylor, the Artful Manager

this just in

2008-06-13T12:26:00.004-04:00

Yes, I've been pretty slow in the updates department, but hey- check out the camp site for updates under "words & such," and the reunion site under "download issues." Click to view pdf versions of all three reunion issues, either via the site or on the right-hand column of this page. Very exciting! I've been receiving some beautiful submissions for reunion iv and want to thank all of you who are making this long-awaited project not only possible, but the greatest one yet. Please send your pretties to ME stat!

Ps. Hooray for summer

big words from one little guy

2008-06-10T09:45:00.002-04:00

There's really no introduction that can do these words justice, instead perhaps a brief description of the person that wrote them. Meet Miguel Ernesto Colon Landrón, an 8-year old boy living in Puerto Rico, lucky enough to have some fiercely strong women at his side: Graciela, Inés, and Abuela the marvelous. Kindly translated from Spanish to English by Ms. Inés, please enjoy the musings of a young lad living more than 1,600 miles away but with a heart right here at home:

Mi alma
Cuando la gente
va a la guerra,
mi alma es como un rey,
tambien
comandante,
comandando
la paz.

(translation): My Soul
When people
go to war,
my soul is like a king,
also
commander,
commanding
peace.

La perla
La perla de plata
la perla de mi alma,
lleva vida en su almeja.
Esta perla
no solo
es linda,
sino que
vive
y nunca muere.

(Translation): The Pearl
The silver pearl
my soul's pearl,
carries life in its shell.
This pearl
is not only
beautiful,
but it
lives
and never dies.

Short story: Daniel
Habia una vez una anaconda. Se llamaba Daniel. Daniel tenia sed. Despues encontroun humano. Le espeto sus dos dientes. La sangre volo. Se la trago en el aire. Daniel sesintio feliz.

(Translation): Daniel
Once upon a time there was an anaconda. Its name was Daniel. Daniel was thirsty.Afterwards, it found a human. It sank its two teeth in him. The blood flew. It swallowed it in the air. Daniel felt happy.

Diego's film debut!

2008-06-02T11:50:00.002-04:00

Give it up for Mr. Fernandez' s latest installment. You may (and should) recall his earlier illustration work as a featured artist on the camp site. Play the flick below to witness his developing genius!

$10,000 photography grant

2008-04-01T16:00:00.003-04:00

Click the following image to learn more about an unbelievable grant opportunity a very special friend of mine just sent my way:
ShootQ Grant is a $10,000 grant given to a photographer to fund a project that raises public awareness about an important social, environmental or economic issue.

Deadline: Wednesday, April 30, 2008

ShootQ Grant Mission: To empower photographers to invest time working on projects that raise awareness about important issues. More than a monetary award, the ShootQ Grant will provide photographers the opportunity to work on a meaningful project, unencumbered by daily work, with the creative freedom and financial support necessary to produce photographs that raise public awareness about important social, environmental or economic issues.

apartment wanted

2008-04-01T11:23:00.001-04:00

now here's a fun alternative to posting on craigslist:

Featured Artist: Meredith Williams

2008-03-31T10:25:00.003-04:00

I’ve been saving this one for a while…please meet Ms. Meredith Williams, one of the most inspiring artists I am lucky enough to call my friend. Founder of Castle Point Photography, Meredith is a New York photographer producing newborn portraits, baby pictures, child and family photos, as well as fine art photography prints and custom designed albums. Meredith also creates custom designed birth announcements and holiday photo cards. View her new & improved photoblog here (comments welcome!) or, even better, the Castle Point Photography website here (updated regularly).

calling my peeps

2008-03-28T12:35:00.006-04:00

reunion iv is officially in the making! please contribute to the pile of amazing here. here's a sneak peek:
and for those of you yet to feast your lids on r the iii, here's the gist:

click for the full (huge) pdf version. enjoy!

Congrats to Newman!

2008-01-28T11:14:00.000-05:00

Huge congrats to my friends Jay Newman & co, who produced the first ever Hip Hop Karaoke Championships this weekend at Highline Ballroom. What started as a fun, free Friday night of old skool karaoke has turned into a phenomenon featured on Hot 97, the New York Times, NYC-TV, (to name a few) with all-star judges Prince Paul, Ralph McDaniels and Black Sheep’s very own: Dres. The best example of taking what you love to do artistically to the next level that I’ve seen in a while. Congratulations!!

Featured Artist: Rich Gelchinsky

2008-01-07T11:52:00.000-05:00

Come take a gander at Mr. Rich Gelchinsky, camp’s latest addition! A full-time graphic designer and studio supervisor slash freelance designer and web developer, Rich has been shooting for over 15 years: “I don't shoot professionally (i.e. gigs, events, etc, though I have). It's my passion and creative release”. Check him out in the featured artist section at camp, or check our more of his work here: http://rich.gelchinsky.com/

Featured Artist: Caroline Killhour

2008-01-03T11:31:00.001-05:00

Aside from being one of the coolest ladies I’ve ever met, Caroline Killhour is a master woodcutter who can carve layers upon layers of the most intense details into her work ever seen. The sample below was inspired by a short story her son wrote several years back based on a road trip and a pond of floppy fish. Absolutely teeming with imagination, I hope to get my hands on more & more of her work in the near future. Click the image below and enter the “camp” site to see more.

describing your work

2007-12-20T16:21:00.000-05:00

...can be none but devil or it can be something like this, an excerpt I found on a sculpture exhibition in Baltimore:

So, this isn’t just about color. It’s about feeling as well as seeing red, it’s about the liquid of life and the liquid of death, it’s about leftist politics and it’s about courage and it’s about Christmas – in a Santa Claus sort of way. It’s also about one third of the American flag and nearly all of the Chinese flag, and finally, it’s about empire and it’s about hell. The parameters are wide open. Interpret it as you will, as I know you will, in your own unique way.

A class act. -K

Holiday Gifts

2007-12-17T11:24:00.000-05:00

Some crafty folks making their own gifts this year...

Queens Council on the Arts

2007-10-24T11:16:00.000-04:00

Although not the most accessible of organizations, they're doing some great work. Check out their member gallery here. This photographer will knock your socks off.

Featured Artist of the Week: Terrance

2007-10-03T17:49:00.000-04:00

Terrance Hughes is a funny and charming bastard with a modest and humble spirit. Originally from St. Louis, Mo, this self-taught artist has moved from state to state, befriending other artists and honing his skill in painting and drawing to become the artist that you are bearing witness to today. Check him out in the featured artist section at camp, or, learn more about him here.

Featured Artist of the Week: Diego!

2007-09-14T19:55:00.000-04:00

This kid is basically a trip. His patience, wit, intensity and general sense of "cool" burn through his drawings. Go Diego Go! Click on the below, enter "camp" and check him out at "featured artist."

A Cotton Anniversary

2007-09-06T11:36:00.000-04:00

Keep an eye out for Ms. Joyce Hansen; one of the most imaginative souls I have had the pleasure of intermingling with. Her bright colors pop on cotton canvases and invite the viewer into a wee world of dreams, koi ponds and goldilocks. She can be found in the camp portal under galleries>mixed media. Enjoy!

Featured Artist of the Week: Leon

2007-09-04T09:47:00.000-04:00

Leon Miller-Out has a unique skill for capturing moments that make the viewer feel they were always a part of. Organic photography, if you will! Check him out here at camp>featured artist to see for yourself. If we're lucky enough, he will become a regular contributor to the project.

Featured Artist of the Week: Sly

2007-08-21T20:15:00.000-04:00

This week’s featured artist is Mr. Sly. An engineer found most usually atop the highest buildings of the NYC, this crazy cat snaps pics throughout the day of birdseye views and his animal friends. Kudos to Sly! Find him in the CAMP portal under “featured artist.”

Featured Artist of the Week: Jazu

2007-08-03T17:34:00.000-04:00

This week’s featured artist is Mr. Jazu Stine.

A New York native and regular nomad, his pursuit of creativity has led him from Mass to Australia to Mexico and back again, all the while swimming in clay, firing pots and slopping up oils. Most recently, Jazu has delved into the wild, wild world of digital photography where he explores an eerie sense of presence in (beautiful!) twilight abandonment. Sound heavy? Yeah, it is.

featured artists

2007-07-27T17:09:00.000-04:00

Each week CommunityAMP will feature the work of an artist submitting to reunion iv. Visit the website at communityamp.org, enter the camp section and click on “featured artist” to catch a glimpse of the latest contributors.

the flood

2007-07-27T09:57:00.001-04:00

I have about 75,000 ideas for projects lately, but I can’t seem to begin! I am going to spend a solid portion of this coming weekend tweaking the site and publishing a recent assignment entitled “a day in the life” that a few of my peeps put together. For anyone interested (be interested!) the idea is to wake up, grab your camera, click away consistently throughout the day and pick 10 shots that would help a stranger or old friend get an idea of who-you-be. This could be 10 facial expressions, 10 pieces of food, 10 locations you regularly hit in any given day- the possibilities are endless!

day 4: what cool breezes do

2007-07-27T09:44:00.001-04:00

day 3: le feu

2007-07-26T17:29:00.000-04:00

day 2: waves

2007-07-25T10:22:00.000-04:00

day 1: trees

2007-07-24T22:42:00.000-04:00

National Novel Writing Month

2007-07-24T17:27:00.000-04:00

What: Writing one 50,000-word novel from scratch in a month's time.
Who: You! We can't do this unless we have some other people trying it as well. Let's write laughably awful yet lengthy prose together.
Why: The reasons are endless! To actively participate in one of our era's most enchanting art forms! To write without having to obsess over quality. To be able to make obscure references to passages from our novels at parties. To be able to mock real novelists who dawdle on and on, taking far longer than 30 days to produce their work.
When: Sign-ups begin October 1, 2007. Writing begins November 1. To be added to the official list of winners, you must reach the 50,000-word mark by November 30 at midnight. Once your novel has been verified by our web-based team of robotic word counters, the partying begins.
Still confused? Just visit the How NaNoWriMo Works page!

the lingo

2007-07-18T09:56:00.000-04:00

I recently came across an article by Bill Cleveland, director of the Center for the Study of Art and Community, based in Minneapolis, Minn, which outlined many of the basic concepts I am trying to build upon (or from, as it were) for the Community Arts Movement Project. Really interesting, inspiring and relevant stuff here:

When my colleagues and I established the Center for the Study of Art and Community these experiences informed both the philosophy and focus of our work. Our intention was to help the field learn from itself. As our work has evolved, we have developed a dictionary of sorts to help communicate with colleagues in and out of the arts. Building a common vocabulary has also been a critical aspect of our training efforts. The increasingly cross-sector nature of ABCD has demanded an increased clarity of focus and intent. In the mix, principals and definitions from other fields have been adopted and a lot of common ground has been discovered. Especially with the areas of asset-based and sustainable community development. Here are some of the basic definitions and core concepts that have found a place in our dictionary.

The arts: Pertaining to the performing, visual, literary or media arts.
Artist: A person who by virtue of imagination and talent or skill is able create works of aesthetic and/or cultural value in one or more arts discipline.
Community: Our definition of community is derived from the one used by Alternate ROOTS:groups of people with common interests defined by place, tradition, intention or spirit.
Community-based: Activities created and produced by and with community members that combine significant elements of community access, ownership, authorship, participation and accountability.
Arts-based community development (ABCD): Arts-centered activity that contributes to the sustained advancement of human dignity, health and/or productivity within a community. These include:
Activities that EDUCATE and INFORM us about ourselves and the world
Activities that INSPIRE and MOBILIZE individuals or groups.
Activities that NURTURE and HEAL people and/or communities
Activities that BUILD and IMPROVE community capacity and/or infrastructure.
Historically we see ABCD as a modern iteration of perhaps the oldest "field" with a lineage that stretches back to prehistoric shamanism.
Sustainable development: We define sustainable development as locally generated economic, social and cultural development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Asset-based community development: The word "sustainable" has roots in the Latin subtenir, meaning "to hold up" or "to support from below." We concur with many in the community-development field who feel that a thriving community must be supported primarily from within—by its members, resources and capacities, for the present and future.
Cross-sector: Many people feel sustained community development requires collaborative effort that emphasizes a holistic, systems approach. This is because many community issues are diffuse, multidisciplinary, multiagency, multistakeholder and multisector in nature. In this context, "cross sector" refers to community development activities among and between often separately defined areas of influence and expertise such as education, public safety, human services and the arts.

grants for NY artists

2007-07-17T09:57:00.000-04:00

I had a really interesting meeting the other day with some fellow arts grantmakers and found out about this no-strings-attached program through NYFA. The deadline is October 3rd- submit an application, damn it!

a poem for max

2007-07-14T19:39:00.000-04:00

my long, lost friend

i drank a beer in your honor just now
and found that my little kitchen plant- which has been a source of utter perplexity
sprouted a tiny blossom
that I’m sure nobody can see but me
because it’s the color of your laugh
it’s the shape of your scent
and it demands a presence of redefinition
perhaps, and hopeful might I say, like this rekindling
this spark
of remembrance

and ACTION!

2007-07-13T09:27:00.000-04:00

We're live!

Please feel free to take a look at the site and offer suggestions, comments and most importantly, additions.

call-for-entries

2007-07-12T09:49:00.000-04:00

Aloha wee campers. Good news, the communityAMP site is up-up-up! I am just waiting for all the nerdy codes to transfer over between host & domain and will post the link most immediately. In the meantime, I've come across some new art that I thought I would share with you. Call it my online gallery of plagiarization; I'm all about it these days. Enjoy!

culture calendars

2007-07-08T16:14:00.000-04:00

Looking for something to do this week? Click on one of these handy calendars!

Poetry
Alliance for the Arts
Salsa
DanceNYC
Triathalons
Music

Summer picks

2007-07-02T09:59:00.001-04:00

Anti-War Expressions @ The Brecht ForumWritten and Performed by Ollin ImaginationSaturday July 7, 2007, 7pm & Sunday July 8, 2007, 1pm
Brecht Forum 451 West (between Bank and Bethune Streets), New York, NY 10014
http://ollinimagination.blogspot.com/

Cherry Poppinʼ Daddies
July 7, 2007
BB Kingʼs Blues Club
237 West 42nd St, New York, NY 10036
http://www.daddies.com/

Hip Hop Karaoke
Sat, July 14th, 2007Knitting Factory74 Leonard St (@ Church St), New York, NY 10013
http://www.hiphopkaraokenyc.com/

Ani DiFranco
July 18, 2007Wednesday, 7:30 PM
Prospect Park BandshellBrooklyn, NY

Aeroplane Pageant
July 20, 2007
Mercury Lounge
217 East Houston Street, New York, NY 10002
http://www.aeroplanepageant.com/

The Sting
Monday, July 23, 2007
5pm
Bryant Park, New York, NY
http://www.bryantpark.org/calendar/film-festival.php

Caddy Shack
August 8, 2007
8pm
Pier 1 is located on the Hudson River at 70th Street. Take the 1 train to 72nd street and walk west to Riverside Park South and enter the park there.

Beastie Boys
August 09, 2007Thursday, 5:30 PM
McCarren Park PoolBrooklyn, NY

Sneak Peek

2007-06-19T11:04:00.000-04:00

reunion iv submissions to include:

-Matt Clark

-Peter Kelly

-Meredith Williams

-Allison Sykes

camp's inception

2007-06-19T09:43:00.000-04:00

Five years ago I worked with a small nonprofit called the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, a division of Scholastic, Inc. The Alliance identified creative potential in kids across the nation and set up exhibits and publications featuring their work with the aim of encouraging artistic continuation through college. The works of art and writing that came through the office absolutely blew my mind and prompted me to get moving on my own artistic pursuits, having done very little since earning my degree in the visual arts 2 years prior.

So began a quest to seek out friends and family that might help to ignite a new "creative movement". As I made contact, I came to realize that we were all very sporadically working on our art; many of the best artists I knew simply stopped creating new projects and were now focused on what any 20-something was: job stability, making rent and developing a new and improved sense of self in their post-collegiate lives.

Determined to convey the newfound inspiration I obtained with the Alliance, I continued pooling these resources to create a physical space upon which to accentuate the talents of these people. I felt that by displacing individual works into a new environment, they would take on a renewed presence, impinging on both producer and observer and inspiring further creation. Thus began a series of amateur publications entitled reunion.

My original (extended) intent with the project was to create a continuance from classroom feedback and constructive criticism to the present work of a community of artists, be it academic, journalistic, visual, et cetera. I also wanted to see where everyone was in their work and to emphasize the importance of personal production in relation to where we are immediately: in school, on the job or in transition. I wanted to take this basic idea and dually use it as a means of coming together. My hope, alternately, was to create a space or situation where this group could continue to reflect upon their own work in relation to their fellow collaborators, either as inspiration or simply experience. The intended result: artistic engagement, connection, inspiration and productivity.

With three publications underway and a fourth around the corner, more and more requests for submission media alternatives have been coming my way; friends in the performing and multi-dimensional arts have exhibited interest in becoming part of the project- posing a logistical challenge. After much thought and research I developed a more inclusive model and invited some of reunion's key players to help strategize about transforming reunion into a physical concept, thus named the Community Arts Movement Project (c.a.m.p.).

This blog will serve as a tool to track the progress of the project. It will be part of a larger and further developed space, Community AMP, which should be launched later this week. Community AMP is made possible only by the participants of its contents- most especially, my close friend Meredith Williams, whose generosity and support outweigh any form of thanks I can present her with.

CAMP’s goal will be a series of live events directly resulting from these and other spaces. Participation is warmly welcomed to reunion contributors, each of their communities, friends, family and those that happen upon the work and want in. If you’re the latter, please contact me with your work and it will be posted to the site, pronto!

In the meantime, please feel free to chat me up, offer your two cents and gather up your pictures, words, music and actions- because the hounding has only just begun. In order to make this blog work, I'll need community happenings, inspiring events, gigs, creation and ideas. Bombs away!

-Kelly

Introductory Committee Meeting

2006-03-27T16:04:00.000-05:00

Welcome to CAMP! Our 1st meeting will be held at Schofield Studios in Soho this Saturday, April Fool's Day, at 1:30pm.

Attendees:

Leon Miller-Out
Elisa Miller-Out
Jesse Mendelson
Michael Stein
Jazu Stine
Jay Newman
Nicole Hunt
Erin Scime
Kelly McHugh