New Museum opens on December 1, 2007 + Target Saturdays @ The Brooklyn Museum

The New Museum, located at 235 Bowery (at Prince between Stanton and Rivington Streets, one and a half blocks south of Houston), opens on Saturday, December 1, 2007 with Target 30 Free Hours. Established in the mid-70s by Marcia Tucker (then curator at The Whitney Museum of American Art) out of a need for a contemporary art museum in New York, The New Museum has gone from was first housed in The Tribeca Fine Arts Building to having its own 60,000 square foot building (designed by the SANAA firm under the direction of Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa). With a bundle of exhibits slated until Summer 2008, The New Museum promises to deliver "new art, new ideas".

For more information on The New Museum, click here.
Image is courtesy of The New Museum website.

At the Brooklyn Museum's Target First Saturdays, thousands of visitors enjoy free programs of art and entertainment each month from 5–11 p.m. All evening long, the Museum Café serves a wide selection of sandwiches, salads, and beverages, and a cash bar offers wine and beer. Parking is a flat rate of $4 starting at 5 p.m. All other Saturdays, the Museum closes at 6 p.m.

Please note that due to limited capacities, some Target First Saturday programs require tickets. Ticket lines often form 30 minutes before ticket distribution at the Visitor Center located in the Rubin Lobby. Programs are subject to change.

December 1, 2007

Special Exhibitions and Holiday Cheer!

6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m. Performance
Hall of the Americas, 1st Floor

Enjoy Parang, festive Caribbean music, with the Starlite Serenaders.

6:00 p.m. Artist Talk
Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, Forum, 4th Floor

Contemporary artists Rene Lynch and Patricia Cronin discuss watercolor painting and feminist perspectives in their work. Free tickets (30) are available at the Visitor Center at 5 p.m.

6:30 p.m. Film and Performance
Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Auditorium, 3rd Floor

Pianist Ben Model accompanies the classic silent film It (Clarence Badger, 1927, 72 min., NR), a romantic comedy featuring Brooklyn's own "It girl," Clara Bow, and the delightful short Rube and Mandy at Coney Island (Thomas Edison, 1903, 12 min.), featured in the Museum's collection. Free tickets (300) are available at the Visitor Center at 5:30 p.m.

6:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m. Hands-On Art
Education Division, 1st Floor

Sketch with charcoal from a live model. Free timed tickets are available at the Visitor Center at 5:30 p.m.

7:00 p.m. Young Voices Gallery Talk
Meet at the entrance to Infinite Island, 4th floor

Student Guides lead a tour of Infinite Island: Contemporary Caribbean Art.

8:00 p.m. Young Voices Gallery Talk
Meet at the entrance to Global Feminisms Remix, 4th floor

Student Guides lead a tour of Global Feminisms Remix.

8:30 p.m. Film
Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Auditorium, 3rd Floor

See the film Raising Victor Vargas (Peter Sollett, 2003, 88 min., R), a coming-of-age story set in the Lower East Side's Dominican community, preceded by the animated short Caribbean Christmas (Walter Tournier, 2001, 24 min., NR). Free tickets (300) are available at the Visitor Center at 7:30 p.m.

9:00 p.m. Young Voices Gallery Talk
Meet at the entrance to Brushed with Light, 1st Floor

Enjoy the evening's final Young Voices talk on Brushed with Light.

9:00 p.m.–11:00 p.m. Dance Party
Beaux-Arts Court, 3rd Floor

DJ Laylo of Liberation Lounge spins a hot mix of Brazilian hip-hop, Puerto Rican reggae, Brooklyn soul, and more.

Sponsored by Target

Made possible by the Wallace Foundation Community Programs Fund, established by the Wallace Foundation, with additional support from DLA Piper US LLP, The Ellis A. Gimbel Trust, KeySpan Energy, and other donors. Also supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York Community Trust. Media sponsor: New York Times Community Affairs Department.

All information is courtesy of the Brooklyn Museum website.

What is Art Informel?

"Fruits dans un compotier et fleurs"
Öl auf Papier auf Leinwand, Signiert und datiert oben links, 81 x 116cm


The french word informel means 'without form' rather than 'informal'. In the 1950s Art Informel artists were looking for a new way to create images without adopting the recognizable forms used by their predecessors (see Cubism and Expressionism). Their aim was to abandon geometrical and figurative forms and to discover a new artistic language. They invented shapes and methods that came about by improvization. The work of Art Informel artists is extremely varied but they often used free brushstrokes and thick layering of paint. Like Abstract Expressionism, which developed simultaneously in the USA, Art Informel is a very broad label and includes figurative (see Jean Fautrier) and non-figurative (see Hans Hartung) painters. Although centered mainly Paris, its influence reach other parts of Europe, notably Spain, Italy and Germany.

All I Want for Christmas are my Lomographic Society Cameras

For all of you wondering what to buy an amateur photographer for Christmas or even as a belated 30th birthday present, check out the Lomographic Society International cameras posted below. They take the most amazing and warped fisheyed pictures one would ever want to see. Also, they're dirt cheap (all I need are a few American Express gift cards or even 5 people to give me $10 bucks each) and would bring joy and cheer to my little heart as does little puppies and 4th of July sparklers!!! They are the illest cameras out there at the moment and would make me the coolest kid on the block. Below are the cameras I have been eyeing. Aren't they absolutely beautiful?


Lomographic Society "Orbit 360F"

Lomographic Society "Zenit 122K SLR" Camera

Lomographic Society "Holga 120 GN"

Lomographic Society "Diana" Limited Edition

Lomographic Society "Diana"



To learn more The Lomographic Society, click here.

Now at MOCA: MURAKAMI + Black Panther: The Revolutionary Art of Emory Douglas

Dubbed the Warhol of Asia and one of the most exciting and innovatiive artist of this century, Murakami style navigates between fine arts, popular culture and his use of "cartoon-like" flat style images to create a blend that has won his following since the early 1990s. The exhibition combines multi-media, painting, installation as well as scultpure and the results are absolutely breath-taking. Check out the links below to hear the artist discuss his inspirations as well as the exhibit and other tidbits. The exhibits runs through February 11, 2008.

http://www.moca.org/murakami/index.php?video=1

http://www.moca.org/murakami/index.php?video=2

Black Panther: The Revolutionary Art of Emory Douglas












(all photos are courtesy of the MOCA website)

I posted a review of an article that was feature in the Fall 2007 Legacy Magazine on Emory Douglas and the exhibit has finally opened at MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art-Los Angeles). Since I am in NYC and not L.A., I have not been able to attend the show but I jacked some pictures from the website for your enjoyment. Please go out and support this exhibit since the buzz has been not nearly enough pr has been given to this ground-breaking retrospective show. The exhibit runs until January 20, 2008 so maybe I wil have a chance to check it out over the holiday season. Don't let them keep the artistry of The Black Panther Movement under wraps.

Muji Opens First Store in USA (SOHO,NYC)+ Weekend Happenings in ATL, MIA, CHI and LA

MUJI Arrives in The USA
Muji opens its first store in SOHO, NYC at 12:00 noon on Friday, November 16, 2007 and I plan on being one of the first 500 customers; MUJI promises a free gift and I cannot wait to see what it is. Created in 1980, MUJI offers superb product design but at lower prices dues to modest and simple production-manufacturing and production. Its a hybrid of the Miminalist meets Futurism movements and very attractive in its use of sleek, chic design and recycled/enviornmentally friendly products. Those who are into minimalist, clean, simplistic and ordinary modern Asian design will certainly love this gem nestled in the hustle and bustle of the SOHO neighborhood. Also the products can be purchased at the MOMA Design Store as well. For more information about the store as well as the history of the company and selection of productions, please visit www.muji.com

Atlanta
High Museum of Art

Friday Jazz-Takana Miyamoto
High Museum of Art
Robin Atrium, Stent Family Wing
Nov. 16, 5-10pm
Admission: $18; free to members

Miami

Art and Wine Lecture: Paul Gauguin
ArtCenter South Florida
800 Lincoln Road
305-674-8278
Nov. 16, 2007
Admission: $20

Chicago

Mark Wallinger: The Human Figure in Motion
Donald Young Gallery
933 W. Washington Blvd
312-455-0700
Nov. 16-Feb. 8, 2008
Admission: FREE

Los Angeles

Milo Martin: The Bunnies of Denham
Brickhouse Kitchen
826 Hampton Drive
310-581-1639
Nov. 16-Dec. 9, 2007
Admission: FREE

Adria Julia: A Means of Passing the Time
LAXART
2640 La Cienega Blvd
310-559-0166
Nov. 16-Jan. 5, 2008
Hours: Tue-Sat, 11am-6pm
Admission: FREE

Mark Mothersbaugh: Rugs During Wartime and Peacetime
The Scion Installation LA Space
3521 Helms Avenue
310-815-8840
Nove. 17-Dec. 1, 2007
Hours: Wed-Sun, 11am-6pm
Admission:FREE

What is Action Painting?+Kori Newkirk premieres "1997-2007"+Jacob Lawrence's Migration Series cancelled at The Studio Museum of Harlem

Action Painting is painting produced by the emphatic physical activity of the artist, for instance, throwing paint or dripping it onto a canvas. Needs to be done on a large scale for maximum impact. Messiness and accidents are among its considered virtues.

Cumming, Robert (2001). Art: A Field Guide (p.373). New York: Alfred A. Knopf

Kori Newkirk "1997-2007"
Celebrated multi-media/multidisciplinary artist Kori Newkirk new exhibit "1997-2007" is on display from November 14, 2007-March 6, 2008. This exhibit is comprised of multi-media and installation works that Newkirk has created since receiving his MFA from The University of California Irvine. Newkirk's work reference his own heritage (think hair pomades and hair beads)and always seem to display symbolism between races as well as show their beauty as well. Newkirk was also a part of The Whitney Museum 2006 Biennial showcase. Be sure to check out this amazing event and look for more this emerging African-American artist.

As part of the Fall/Winter 2007-08 Exhibition Series, selections from The Phillips Collection was suppose to premiere at The Studio Museum of Harlem on Wednesday November 14, 2007 and go through January 6, 2008. Instead the following message was posted on the museum's website:

"Due to unforeseen circumstances, the exhibition Jacob Lawrence's Migration Series: Selections from The Phillips Collection has been postponed.

While it is the Museum's great hope to present these cherished masterpieces soon, we require some time and planning before we can proceed with the exhibition. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and disappointment that this may cause. Please enjoy the exhibitions and projects currently on view."

Updates will be posted here and on our telephone lines (212-864-4500).

New York Magazine Profiles Art Adviser Kim Heirston

African-American, female and six feet tall without heels, Kim Heirston is one of the leading private art advisers specializing in contemporary art (1960s to present-day) and one of the few African-Americans in the business. Check out her three page write up in the New York Magazine by clicking the link below. Enjoy!


nymag.com/arts/art/features/40279/

HERE & NOW: African and African American Art & Film Conference, November 15-18, 2007

This four day conference focuses on contemporary art, film and media studies. At this time, pre-registration is closed but you are able to register the days of the conference. Hope to see you there. I will be updating each day of the conference.

Thursday, 15 November 2007, 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

OPENING SESSION
Location: Cantor Film Center – Room 200

6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Registration/Check-in

6:30 – 7:45 p.m. Welcome by Deborah Willis, Manthia Diawara, and Sheril Antonio
Panel: How Do We See Ourselves in Art and Film
Moderator: Sheril Antonio
Panelists: Danny Glover, Manthia Diawara, Zola Maseko,
Jihan El Tahri, Moussa Sene Absa, and Ed Guerrero.
8:00 – 9:00 p.m. Film: The Foreigner by Zola Maseko 1997, 17 min.



Friday, 16 November 2007, 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 p.m.

ART SESSIONS
Location: Kimmel Center, 10th Floor, Rosenthal Pavilion

8:45 – 9:15 a.m. Continental Breakfast, Registration
Welcome by Romi Crawford and Deborah Willis
9:15 – 11:00 a.m. Panel: Black Artists and American Museums
Moderator: Bridget Cooks.
Panelists: Jonathan Binstock, Valerie Cassel Oliver, Howardena Pindell

11:15 – 1:00 p.m. Panel: Artists and Educators I: Trends in Art
Moderator: Nancy Barton
Panelists: Sandra Jackson Dumont, Sarah Lewis, Myra Greene,
Arturo Lindsay, C. Daniel Dawson

1:00 – 2:00 p.m Lunch Break



Location: Skirball Center for the Performing Arts Theater

2:00 – 3:45 p.m Panel: Word and Image
Moderator: Franklin Sirmans
Panelists: Quincy Troupe, halley k. harrisburg, Carla Williams,
Richard Powell, David C. Driskell

4:00 – 5:45 p.m. Panel: Image and Exchange: Strategies at Home and Abroad
Moderator: Isolde Brielmaier
Panelists: Terry Adkins, Huey Copeland, Naomi Beckwith, Krista Thompson



6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Keynote Conversation: Connections and Collaborations
Carrie Mae Weems in conversation with Kori Newkirk
Introduction by Deborah Willis



FILM SESSIONS
Location: King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center

11:30 – 5:30 p.m. Registration

12:00 – 1:30 p.m. Screening: Langston Hughes: The Dream Keeper, documentary by St. Clair Bourne, 60 min.
Introduction by Clyde Taylor.

1:30 – 2:30 p.m. Lunch

2:30 – 5:00 p.m. Screening: Cuba, An African Odyssey, documentary by Jihan El Tahri, 2007, 120 min.
Introduction by Manthia Diawara with filmmaker.

NEW TIME AND LOCATION: Cantor Film Center, Room 200

6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Screening: Juju Factory, fiction by Balufu Bakupa Kanyinda, 2007, 90 min.
Introduction by Yemane Demissie with filmmaker.

RECEPTION
Location: Tisch School of the Arts - Riese Family Lounge, lst floor

8:00 – 9:30 p.m. Performance: Music by KAISSA
Welcome by Associate Dean Sheril Antonio, Manthia Diawara, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and Danny Glover



Saturday 17 November 2007, 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.



ART SESSIONS
Location: The Lecture Hall at 19 West 4th Street, Room 101

9:00 - 9:30 a.m. Registration

9:30 – 11:15 a.m. Panel:Curators and Critics
Moderator: Kellie Jones.
Panelists: Salah M. Hassan, Alvia Wardlaw, Christine Y. Kim, Trevor Schoonmaker, Cheryl Finley

11:15 – 12:30 p.m. Lunch Break

12:30 – 2:00 p.m. Panel:Contemporary Artists in Conversation
Moderator: Sarah Lewis.
Panelists: Leslie Hewitt, Wangechi Mutu, Hank Willis Thomas, Kehinde Wiley



2:30 – 3:45 p.m. Panel:Artists and Educators II: On Particularism
Moderator: Romi Crawford.
Panelists: Whitfield Lovell, Emma Amos, Leslie King-Hammond, Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw, Melvin Edwards

4:00 – 5:30 p.m. Panel:The Artist and the Art Market
Moderator: Nancy Lane.
Panelists: June Kelly, Jack Shainman, Charles Guice, Alvin Hall, CCH Pounder



FILM SESSIONS
Location: Cantor Film Center – Room 200

10:30 – 12:00 p.m. Screening: Handsworth Songs, documentary by John Akomfrah, 1986, 58 min.
Introduction by Awam Amkpa with filmmaker.

12:30 – 2:00 p.m. Screening: The 12 Disciples of Nelson Mandela, documentary by Thomas Allen Harris, 2005, 73 min.
Introduction by Awam Amkpa with filmmaker.

2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Lunch

3:00 – 5:00 p.m. Screening: Teranga Blues, fiction by Moussa Sene Absa, 2007, 95min.
Introduction by Clyde Taylor with fimmaker.

5:00 – 6:30 p.m. Screening: “Homage to Ousmane Sembène” Ousmane Sembène, the Making of African Cinema by Manthia Diawara, 1993, 56 min.
Introduction by Clyde Taylor and Manthia Diawara with filmmaker.

RECEPTION AND EXHIBITION PREVIEW
Location: Studio Museum in Harlem

7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Exhibition: Kori Newkirk: 1997-2007




Sunday 18 November, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST AND EXHIBITION PREVIEW
Location: Whitney Museum of American Art

9:00 – 11:00 a.m. Exhibition: Kara Walker: My Complement, My Enemy, My Oppressor, My Love
Welcome by Margie Weinstein

EXHIBITION PREVIEW AND RECEPTION

Location: Institute of African American Affairs

12:00 - 1:30 P.M. Exhibition: Memory and Place



FILM SESSIONS
Location: Cantor Film Center - Room 200

2:00 – 4:30 p.m. Panel: Contemporary Filmmakers in Conversation
Moderator: Manthia Diawara.
Panelists: Jacquie Jones, Mahen Bonetti, CCH Pounder and the filmmakers, John Akomfrah,
Balufu Bakupa Kanyinda, Jihan El Tahri, Zola Maseko, Thomas Allen Harris,
Moussa Sene Absa. Clyde Taylor.

4:30 - 4:45 p.m. Closing Remarks by Manthia Diawara.

5:00 – 7:30 p.m. Screening: Drum, fiction by Zola Maseko, 2004, 94 min.
Introduction with Ed Guerrero.

www.hereandnownyu.com

Time.com Names The Five Modern Asia Painters to Watch For

M.F.(Maqbool Fida) Husain, India

Called the "Picasso of India" by Forbes Magazine.
Born September 17, 1915, Pandharpur, Maharashtra
Husain went on to become the highest paid painter in India.
In February 2006, Husain was charged with hurting sentiments of people because of his nude portraits of Hindu gods and goddesses.
Self-taught
Combines Hindu mythicism with Modernisn.
Exiled in Britian and Dubai

Dinh Thi Tham Poong, Hanoi, Vietnam

Born in 1970 in Lai Chau Province.
Infuses elements of nature and man-made environment of human shapes.
Focuses on relationship of man and nature.
Uses colors indigenous colors of Vietnam.

Baiju Parthan, Mumbai, India

Born in 1956 in India.
A scholar of comparative mythology and philosophy.
A botanist and cartoonist by trade.
Uses symbols and archaic imagery.
Uses hues of black, blues and greens.
Paints the primitive man and elements of black magic.

Le Thiet Cuong, Hanoi, Vietnam

Born in 1962
Studied at The Vietnam State Film College Hanai and Tay Tang Buddhism College.
Since 1991, he has exhibited his works in Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Thailand, Germany, Laos, France, USA, Italy, United Kingdom and Belgium.
Work is based on 3 primary basic shapes: squares, circles and triangles.
Uses new material (gouache on cheesecloth or paper) and uses themes such as poetry, beauty, harmony, folklor and everyday life in Vietnam.

Yue Minjun, Beijung, China


Born 1962, Heilongjian Province, China
Based in Beijing working in painting and sculpture
His piece, Exhibition, became the most expensive work ever by a Chinese contemporary artist, sold in 2007 for 2.9 million pounds (US $5.9 million) at London's Sotheby's.
First museum show in the U.S. opened at the Queens Museum of Art on October 14, 2007 and will be on view through Saturday, January 2, 2008.
Work consists of mainly bronze and polychrome sculptures, painting and drawings.

I HEART ART @ "THE WALLS BELONG TO US"...EVENT PICS 2