Sacred Harp

Galen Rowell

Galen Avery Rowell (August 23, 1940 – August 11, 2002) was a noted wilderness photographer and climber. Born in Oakland, California, he became a full-time photographer in 1972. MORE

Galen Rowell | Patriarch Grove, Bristle Cone Pines, 1974

Introduction to Lighting Design...

Today I attended my first class at Yale University.  Up until this point my classmates and I have been caught up in the details of registration, immunization, financial aid, along with the seemingly endless meetings about campus safety and the general rules concerning building logistics.  It was a pleasure to get a taste of what my academic life will look like: a challenging exploration of interests.  Introduction to Theatrical Lighting presents the opportunity to experiment with a different kind of looking than what I typically experience in my studio.  For the first assignment we are charged with creating a narrative concept based upon a piece of music (see below) and supporting this story with visual evidence to be presented at the next class meeting. The instructor, Stephen Quandt, asked us five basic questions to aid in our creation of the narrative for the musical piece he played:

1. Where are you?
2. What is the time of day/weather?
3. Why are you there?
4. What are you doing?
5. How do you feel?

I wonder what I will come up with...

Whistle Mania

Dog whistle.

To be published...

Writing is a necessary part of my creative practice.  It allows me the opportunity to play around with ideas in a purely theoretical space before I impose the physical universe upon my making. Mostly, I've been satisfied with the blogosphere as a repository for these thoughts, but after an encouraging conversation with Kimberli Gant (curator and Art History Ph.D candidate) I am considering submission of my writing to print publications.  I've culled a brief list from a Google search below.  Stay tuned...

absolutearts.com

Daily international art news and arts information about museums, galleries, and artists.

Aesthetica

UK culture and arts magazine. Covers literature, visual arts, music, film and theatre.

archipelago

International journal of literature, the arts, and opinion.

Art Magazine

Online magazine includes artist portfolios, articles, reviews, and more.

Art Newspaper

Publishes news affecting the visual arts and culture worldwide. Part of a network with correspondents in more than 30 countries.

Art Papers

Selected articles from magazine focusing on contemporary art as a socially engaged discourse.

Art Times

Literary journal and resource for the fine and performing arts.

Artforum

Offers news and critiques of exhibitions in the visual arts, as well as critics' picks, interviews, archives, and events calendar.

artnet

Insider's guide to the art market with daily news, reviews & features, and the Price Database - archive of fine art auction results worldwide.

Artnow Online

Magazine featuring international galleries, artists, events, museums, art fairs and biennials.

Arts & Opinion

Explores contemporary issues and publishes fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and reviews of books, film, music, art, theater.

Arts Editor

Boston based monthly covering the visual, literary, and musical arts.

Arts Journal

Daily arts news from more than 200 newspapers, magazines and e-publications.

Atopia

Multilingual webzine for philosophy, literature, arts and politics.

Bomb

Find interviews between artists, writers, musicians, directors and actors.

C.O.B.A.C.

International monthly art magazine focused on art history.

Culturekiosque

European arts and culture magazine and travel guide, with news, reviews, interviews and travel event calendar.

culturevulture.net

Reviews and commentary on art, architecture, books, dance, movies, opera, television, and theater.

Doodlers Anonymous

Publishes works of non proffesionsal artists in sketching and doodle drawing.

Exquisite Corpse

Art and culture journal featuring poetry, short stories, essays, gallery, and more.

Flash Art Online

Online edition of the print arts magazine with reviews, profiles, news and a forum.

Frieze

European contemporary art and culture magazine. Includes essays, reviews, columns and Art Fair that features over 150 contemporary art galleries in the world.

Her Circle Ezine 

Online portal of women's creative arts and activism from around the globe.

Identity Theory

Online magazine of literature, music, film, social justice, and art.

Juxtapoz

Online version of well known pop-art magazine.

naked punch review

Engaged review of contemporary art and thought. Collaboration of thinkers and artists residing in different cities of the world.

Nat Creole

Online magazine offering an entertaining perspective on the literature, politics, art and music of contemporary global culture.

New Yorker

Premier magazine featuring in-depth reporting on politics and culture, fiction and poetry, book and film reviews, humor and cartoons, more.

nthposition

Free online magazine with politics & opinion, travel writing, fiction & poetry, reviews & interviews, more.

Other Voices

Journal of cultural criticism, publishing essays, interviews, translations and reviews in the arts and humanities.

PopMatters

International magazine of cultural criticism covering music, television, films, books, video games, computer software, theatre, the visual arts, and the Internet.

Ragazine

Bimonthly magazine published in collaboration with artists, writers, photographers, poets, travelers & others.

Ralph

Review of arts, literature, philosophy and the humanities.

Scene 360

Online film and arts magazine, which profiles and interviews artists, web designers, filmmakers, and poets with a focus on their career and analysis of the driving forces behind their work.

StudentsZINE

Ireland's leading publication for contemporary arts.

Universal Colours

Quarterly magazine published by European Union Migrant Artists Network focusing upon the work and experiences of professional migrant artists.

Yareah

Bilingual (English-Spanish) cultural magazine which focuses in myths and legends as a way of analyzing the roots of our contemporary culture. 

"Ok this is a lil random, but the map of New Haven, looks like a Kangaroo jumping away with a baby in its pouch." - Niki Hunter

Indeed.

New Haven / No Haven

I arrived in New Haven on Wednesday, August 24th under the persistent cloud of the town's reputation.  One thing is clear: beyond the bubble of the campus this town is an racialized ghetto.  Walk two blocks in any direction from the Yale perimeter and you will find the hallmarks of a depressed economy.  Check cashing spots, liquor stores and pawn shops abound, and the nearest grocer houses all you need for a diabetic future. I am curious as to how this environment will play out in my creative experience here.  I believe that it's important that I reach beyond the boarders into this 'other' existence but honestly the exploration leaves me depressed.  I went to the "other" Family Dollar on Howe (instead of the shinier version on Chapel) and each time a patron entered the store an automated voice cautioned "this location is under video surveillance for your safety", as if the video offered some sort of protection against...

I'm doing a bit of research to get a better handle of the socio-economic landscape so that I am not paralyzed by the emotive aspects.  Check below for a some of my findings thus far.

• Yale University is no longer New Haven’s biggest taxpayer. 
• New Haven Black Panther Trials
• Elm City Resident Card

Required Reading_For The First Discussion Group On 9/22

"The Painter of Modern Life" by Charles Baudelaire


"The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Production" by Walter Benjamin


"Unpacking My Library" by Walter Benjamin



"In addition, it may be helpful to have read these prior to the first discussion group:"


Sol LeWitt letter to Eva Hesse



























Sentences on Conceptual Art by Sol LeWitt


Paragraphs on Conceptual Art by Sol LeWitt



"The Legacy of Jackson Pollack" by Allan Kaprow



"The Artist as a Man of the World" by Allan Kaprow


Robert Smithson "Selected Writings"



"Playing with Dead Things: On The Uncanny" by Mike Kelley

Required Reading_In Preparation for Rochelle Feinstein's Lecture on 9/8

When I was an undergraduate I accidentally registered for a graduate level course.  The reading was super dense and gave me a glimpse into the life of a professional student.  Now that I am a professional student, at least for the next two years, I am going to rely upon the habits I learned in "Anthropology of the African Diaspora" taught by Dr. Diedre Crumbley.  I will be posting my outlines of each of the readings on this blog shortly, but in the meantime you can enjoy the texts provided below.

Get It In Your Mind #33: Project Targeted

Negative into positive.

Present Balance | An Essay

Whistle...

"A whistle or call is a simple aerophone, an instrument which produces sound from a stream of forced air. It may be mouth-operated, or powered by air pressure, steam, or other means. Whistles vary in size from a small slide whistle or nose flute type to a large multi-piped church organ." MORE

LINKS

• Diesel Horn | Minor(.wav) 
• Steam Whistle | Waver(.wav)
• Throaty | Throaty(.wav)
• Three-Chime Steam Whsitle | Sad(.wav)
• How Whistles Are Made
• History of The Whistle

Testing_Enjoie

Fresh Picks_01 from Kenya Robinson on Vimeo.

Pot Calling Kettle: A Work For Performance

I'm not exactly sure how this work will be configured, but visuals are a helpful part of the development process. Whistling is likely to be involved...

Culinary Considerations

My friend and colleague Andrea Drummer came to Brooklyn, via The Hamptons, for long weekend all the way form Los Angeles.  She is a chef and entrepreneur developing innovative ways to expand the palette through tastings and other events.  Along with a Southern upbringing, we also share a love of cuisine and we each imagined a space where culinary artistry and visual arts could meet.  So, in tandem with the celebration of Martin Luther King's birthday we are creating a unique tasting at my future studio in New Haven, CT.  It will be an integration in which art and food are reciprocal inspirations to one another.  More details to come in 2012...

Of Binding Rope

Perhaps I will

Live as a caretaker

Possessing nothing of my own

Illusion stripped coarse

To bare reality

Finding pleasure in

The least given

Justifying a percentage

Of effort with a sigh

Of gratitude

Careful not to disturb the vessel

Lest I find myself

Adrift

Cold

Wet

Drowning

Perhaps this is

My penance

For those tiny murders

The sacrifice due

The gods of ambition

They are a hungry lot

Generous

With the length

Of binding rope

k(R) 2011

The Oracle and The Teller of Lies

In the earliest time
Before knowledge was divided,
There was the oracle
And
The teller of lies.

They were soon always together
Shadow and light,
One, for the other.

Two, telling the same tale.
Their trade, currency for the journey,
That led them toward
A purposeful wandering.

Both spoke of truth
Riddled with
Not-maybe, forever-sometimes,
Always-almost.
Both seeing the spaces
In between.

Through proclamation,
Through suggestion-
A ball of twine
Unraveled in the labyrinth
The Minotaur,
A suckling babe.
Too fresh to be slain,
Yet.
Yielding to horrors foretold.

Still, it was the likeliest
Of unlikely couplings-
magnets with switching poles.
Never equal.
Always complementary.
A lasting pair.

Walking,
A continuous loop
Of infinite lessons
And wisdom to share.


k(R) 2010

For The Philosopher, Philadelphian and Frat Boy...

As I mature into my personal womanhood I find that I'm more attuned to the socialized interactions that take place between men and women.  On a fairly consistent basis I have witnessed or have been a part of discussions in which men dismiss the assertion of women not on the basis of superior knowledge, but as a matter of course.  Revealed through actual experience, one of the tenets for healthy collaboration seems to be openness to the intellect/experience of your partner.  By all means challenge each other but remember to stay open.
With that said, a word about tools...

"Anthropologists believe that the use of tools was an important step in the evolution of mankind.^[1] Humans evolved an opposable thumb — useful in holding tools — and increased dramatically in intelligence, which aided in the use of tools.^[2] Because tools are used extensively by both humans and wild chimpanzees, it is widely assumed that the first routine use of tools took place prior to the divergence between the two species.^[3] These early tools, however, were likely made of perishable materials such as sticks, or consisted of unmodified stones that cannot be distinguished from other stones as tools. The beginning of the Stone Age marks the era when hominins first began manufacturing stone tools, and evidence of these tools dates back at least 2.6 million years in Ethiopia.^[4] One of the earliest distinguishable stone tool forms is the hand axe.

Tools are the most important items that the ancient humans used to climb to the top of the food chain; by inventing tools, they were able to accomplish tasks that human bodies could not, such as using a spear or bow and arrow to kill prey, since their teeth were not sharp enough to pierce many animals' skins.

The transition from stone to metal tools roughly coincided with the development of agriculture around the 4th millennium BC. Mechanical devices experienced a major expansion in their use in the Middle Ages with the systematic employment of new energy sources: water (waterwheels) and wind (windmills).

Machine tools occasioned a surge in producing new tools in the industrial revolution. Advocates of nanotechnology expect a similar surge as tools become microscopic in size."  MORE

Remitting Default: A Psycho-Economic Performance of Getting Skoooooled

I am happy to announce my placement for RECESS Activities' new online residency ANALOG.  My project is a mundane performance in which I archive the daily available balance in my personal checking account.  These actions will coincide with my two-year tenure at Yale in pursuit of my MFA in Sculpture.  The 'face' of the site will be a numerical listing, but I've also been inspired to write about this experience as another kind of catalog. You can read the first of my essays HERE.

Andy Brown: Emerging Collector

When you've lived in New York for number of years (and this 'number' is different for every person), you recognize a phenomenon I call 'closing the circle'.  The casual connections you might have made previously marinate over time to become significant resources for inspiration, support and community.  Such is the case with Andy Brown.  I first met Andy at an open studio for the NARS foundation (not to be confused with Nars Foundation, of which I am also a fan).  We exchanged cards, as one does as such events, and continued uninterrupted with our daily lives.  I next saw him at my first performance art presentation at Rush Arts Gallery.  It was then that I gained a fuller understanding of his contribution to the creative community.  Andy is a wholehearted supporter of creativity and makes himself fully available as a cultural connoisseur.  In addition to making his own photo-based work, he is a documentarian, capturing images of performances and events all around town.  In fact, when I was selected for MoCADA's commemorative calendar, it was his image that was used to represent the month of July.  Fast forward a few more years and the circle closes with his purchase of one of my sculptures (see above) and a discussion about a future collaboration (Stay tuned)...  

Bim.

The New Amsterdam Branch of The New York Public Library is my musical treasure trove.  From pop confections to serious explorations of American Roots Music,  I've yet to be disappointed by the selection there.   Today I discovered FIRE IN MY BONES a three-disc compilation (although the copy I snagged only had two discs) presenting "Raw + Rare + Other Worldly African-American Gospel (1944-2007).  This stuff is so off the chain that I can forgive Tompkins Square Records for using the ridiculous term "African-American".  Check below for a sample...

"Don't Let Him Ride - Mississippi Nightingales" free mp3 download

white pieces

The Cosby Show was a phenomenon. A manifestation of a particular zeitgeist, and a significant reminder that blackness, was and is, the primary influence in the creation of American culture. In so doing, this ‘piece’ of pop culture reflects, reinforces and reciprocates a substantiation of whiteness as well. Two sides of the same coin, or, in some cases, the chess board. 

white pieces is merely an observation. 

Or it’s a work for video performance. I’ll leave it to you to decide. 

white pieces from Kenya Robinson on Vimeo.

I Zerbert You.

"My problem with The Cosby Show is that all the buffoons are white people. That goes for the children, too."  - Liz M (comment posted on ALLOPINIONSARENOTEQUAL.com)

I've never heard this particular commentary before but it's a fascinating notion.  As an investigator of whiteness and Americana I am drawn to the phenomenon of The Cosby Show.  Thursday nights were specifically reserved so I could get my fill. Homework completed. Chores done and ALL by 8pm Eastern Standard Time.  I've been watching episodes on Netflix streaming and am struck by the nuances that I missed as a kid.  It's funny that despite all of the ruckus about The Huxtables modeling whiteness, it is the black essence that is absolutely undeniable.  The first time I heard "Cosmic Slop"? The Cosby Show.  The first time I'd even seen a work by Ellis Wilson?  The Cosby Show.  The first time I saw a juicer?  The Cosby Show.  And the list continues...  Not to mention we were witness to a stable, committed, apparently monogamous, communicative martial relationship on a weekly basis.  The reality of the fiction still inspires.  Admittedly, I imagine a similar building of family, however blended or progressive, but with a common element of unconditional support and commitment.

Now, to the buffoonery.

Whiteness (and its counterpart, Blackness) is buffoonery.  Ridiculous but amusing. And there is an overwhelming representation of blackness in buffoonery.  We've got shucking and jiving coming out of our pop culture ears!  I love that the quote above posits that The Cosby Show slyly nurtured another racialized archetype: The White Buffoon.  The hunt is on.  I'm planning to collect as many examples as I can.  I believe this quest is a veritable 'Where's Waldo' of American Culture.  Oh, he's in there somewhere, I've just got see beyond the striped patterns...

 

The Hula Hoop Conclusion

 

The comedienne Sommore describes a scene that is brilliantly familiar from my own childhood. My mother did in fact introduce me to the hula-hoop, although its powers remained largely undiscovered until much later. I suppose that is the magic of such lessons- their influence holds exponential resonance. I am confident that performative, visual and sculptural iterations are forthcoming, but, in the meantime, enjoy the audio draft of THE HULA HOOP CONCLUSION.

The Hula Hoop Conclusion from Kenya Robinson on Vimeo.

"Calling Kettle": A Work For Performance (?)

I have a long standing fascination with whistling and tea kettles are no exception.  It's a familiar slice of my auditory memory.  Throughout my elementary and middle school years oatmeal was my breakfast of choice.  My early weekday mornings featured a few sound staples:  Marches on WRUF's "OJ in the Morning" Show, the announcement of the school lunches (also on WRUF) and the whistling of the tea kettle as background music to brushing my teeth.  In fact, my successful boiling of an egg is now contingent upon a whistling tea kettle- many explosions have been avoided based on this insistent alert.  I am curious how a bunch of whistling kettles might sound like together, a piercing chorus.  All reflective silver, about 50 of units, placed on a ridiculously long row of electric burners...

As I navigate my personal and professional relationships, I am reminded of the long-standing phrase "pot calling the kettle black".  Some of the most worrying aspects of personality that we find in others are actually reflections of our own failings. There are some layers (perhaps of my own devising) that I wish to explore with this notion...  

• A WATCHED POT by Seth Stevenson
• Who invented the whistling tea kettle?
• Kettle music
• What is a whistling kettle?

"Soft Machines Hit Hard" by Kathleen Massara

I am a perpetual representer ("BK to the FULLEST", and all of that...).  I ride hard for my friends and colleagues simply on the strength of their spirit, but what is most satisfying about this camaraderie is that they never disappoint in showing tangible evidence of their brilliance.  Take for instance Ms. Kathleen Massara.  I met her during the opening for Ain't I A Woman at MoCADA and was struck by her particular read of the exhibition, featured in The L Magazine.  We continued to the stay in contact and I am confident that the comedy project we've got cooking will present itself well in the future.  Check below for her review of Soft Machines at PACE Gallery.

"The Soft Machine, William Burroughs' cut-up sci-fi novel about addiction and vice, urges us to "smash the control images" and "burn the books," and the title of The Pace Gallery's summer exhibition Soft Machines(through August 26) alludes to the ideas contained in it, though the memorable pieces here are the ones that challenge rather than simply provoke." MORE

Get It In Your Mind #32: Collaboration Up In This Piece.

Brain Crush #3: Katya Usvitsky

ARTIST'S STATEMENT
"My family immigrated from Minsk, Belarus to the suburbs of Cleveland in 1992, when I was 11 years old. This major transition made me feel like a fish out of water for most of my awkward teenage years and it really wasn’t until I embraced my roots that I felt like I could develop my own voice.I am a fiber artist. I use thread and yarn as three-dimensional image-making tools. Embroidery and knitting are timeless forms of human expression that have a hidden history. Seen as mere women’s work, and solely utilitarian, they were not welcomed into the gallery world. My work seeks to build on these notions of femininity, family and tradition, while introducing fiber arts into the contemporary art realm.I feel empowered to use art-making techniques taught to me by my grandmother, and through disciplines I learned in art school, transform them and create something new. For one, I enjoy using a once-silent, “women’s art form” to create dynamic portraits of women in my life who inspire me. The slow meditative process and repetitive motion of the art form feel natural and organic and I see it almost as a form of resistance against the pace of contemporary life."

-Katya Usvitsky

Chameleon Street

Anyone familiar with MOS DEF's Black On Both Sides Album has already been introduced to the film Chameleon Street.  "Chameleon Street is a 1989 independent film written, directed by and starring Wendell B. Harris, Jr.. It tells the story of a social chameleon who impersonates reporters, doctors and lawyers in order to make money."  I am not exactly sure how the film came to be on my NETFLIX cue, one of those pieces of ephemeral from conversation, I presume, but what a find nonetheless.  Please enjoy the bookended clips below.  

LINKS
WENDELL B. HARRIS, Jr.
And a fascinating interview with the director...