Keri submits her latest for the reunion series

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

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

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

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

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!

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

where we're coming from

the world' largest art prize

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

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

on community

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

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

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

"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

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

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!

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

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

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

Featured Artist: Meredith Williams

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

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!

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

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

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

...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

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

Queens Council on the Arts

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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.