Dennis Hopper 1936-2010

Land Art Road Trip

I've always wanted to do a cross country trip that involved exploring the wide range of land art across our country. Then a couple weeks back my friend, artist Megan Vossler, emailed saying see was embarking on such a trip with her friend Rhamy. They have a website recording this adventure called land land land ART ART ART! The duo are currently in Marfa. Be sure and check it out.


Destinations:

Arches National Park

Badlands National Park

Bonneville Salt Flats

Bryce Canyon National Park

Center for Land Use Interpretation

Donald Judd: Chinati Foundation

Michael Heiser: Double Negative

Nancy Holt: Sun Tunnels

Robert Smithson: Spiral Jetty

Walter de Maria: Lightning Field

White Sands National Monument

Zion National Park

About the project:

We are two California-to-Minnesota transplants (one an artist and teacher, the other a medical resident), chronicling a road trip we will take in May 2010 through the southwestern United States. Our purpose is to record our experience of the changing landscape, through drawings, photos, video, writing and sound. We’ll also be visiting as many of the major American land art sites as we can, to see how they’re holding up 30-plus years after their completion.

This trip has been partially funded by a generous travel and study grant from the Jerome Foundation in St Paul, MN.

image: Spiral Jetty, Robert Smithson

Molly's River coming to Times Square

This summer, Times Square is getting a river! Brooklyn-based artist Molly Dilworth (a hard working friend) has landed the the commission to paint the pedestrian plazas on Broadway from 47th to 42nd Streets. Her piece is titled "Cool Water, Hot Island," a graphic representation of NASA's infrared satellite data of Manhattan.

from the DOT:

The artist's concept focuses on the urban heat-island effect, where cities tend to experience warmer temperatures than rural settings. The proposed design's color palette of striking blues and lighter hues reflects more sunlight and absorb less heat - improving the look of these popular pedestrian plazas while making them more comfortable to sit in. The color and patterns evoke water, suggesting a river flowing through the center of Times Square, and they also provide a compelling visual counterpoint to the reds, oranges and yellows of the area’s signature marquees and billboards.

Molly's river will begin flowing by mid-July, and is expected to run about 18 months. If you want some early Manhattan geography check out this site for an interactive map. Additional history here.



via: Gothamist

BP's shit show from Space

image:NASA

Gulf plume -live stream

Live Broadcasting by Ustream
The live footage of BP's underwater black hole is now up.

Via FDL:

Note: The video seems to be coming in and out, so if it appears to be down just give it a few minutes and a couple of old fashioned refreshes and it should come back.

I encourage you to bookmark it and monitor the leak’s progress (or lack there of) for yourself. After all, we can’t really depend on anyone else to do it for us.

volunteers wanted in the gulf coast

If you are looking for a way to contribute towards the unfolding catastrophe in the Gulf, here are some options.

The National Wildlife Federation is soliciting donations and volunteers to fight the oil spill through the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana:

... We do not know the location or the extent of impact to birds, wildlife, and habitat at this time. What we do know is that we need to be ready with on-call volunteers in the event that they are needed. National Wildlife Federation, National Audubon Society, the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program and the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana are building a list of volunteers prepared to help with this response.

Volunteers can fill a variety of needs, from oiled wildlife recovery, to monitoring and photographing oil movement, to providing a boat and driver for response activities. No specific training or experience is necessary, although you must be at least 18 years old to volunteer. Some tasks, such as food preparation, may require no training. Other tasks, such as washing oiled birds, may require specific certifications or skills. We encourage pre-veterinary students, veterinary technicians, and anyone with HAZWOPER training to volunteer. Anyone with experience in dealing with wildlife handling, rehabilitation, or hazardous materials clean up is also strongly encouraged to register…
[...]
Once you have registered, we will contact you as soon as opportunities arise. The severity of this spill may require a long-term and ongoing response, so if you don’t hear from us immediately, it doesn’t mean you won’t be contacted or that your efforts won’t be needed. With your help, we can meet this challenge and reduce the impacts of this spill to habitat and wildlife.

Note: If you encounter oiled wildlife, please call 1 (800) 557-1401. Please do not touch or disturb oiled wildlife, for your safety and theirs.

image: Boston.com
hat tip: Balloon Juice

Escape from New York - May 15-June 19

Escape From New York
Opening Reception Saturday, May 15, 3:00 - 9:00 PM.
Shuttle buses running from Chelsea arts district to 24 1/2 Van Houten Street across from Federici Park in downtown Paterson. Click here for a detailed map.

Our heroine runs with purpose through the darkened streets of Chelsea, looking for a way out. At every corner she's met with roadblocks. Turning down 24th Street, racing past Feuer, Boone, and Gagosian, she sees a clearing. She leaps across 11th Avenue without a thought, spotting the Hudson! "If only I can make it!" Darting through the traffic of the West Side Highway, she leaps over the concrete barrier. Herein lies the pier. Out of breath, she looks up. Spotting lights in the distance, New Jersey's glacial cliffs taunt her, their lights of shimmering color bouncing off the water's edge. A sirensong like Gatsby's eyes, she walks to the end of the path. She has no vessel. "How will she get there?"

Throughout American history, the concept of Manifest Destiny has greeted us with a newfound optimism for the future of what COULD BE versus what IS. "Go west, young man" held true for generations. Escape From New York concentrates specifically on the breaking free of long-held notions and beliefs that Manhattan only can be the center of the art world. An active experiment in reverse bridge and tunnel, Escape From New York highlights Paterson, NJ-- a historic community in transition with massive venues less than a 15 minute drive from the George Washington Bridge. Ready and waiting with open arms to help reignite a cultural renaissance, the city has given us heretofore unheard of space to showcase contemporary art in a former silk factory.

Escape From New York spotlights the work of 45 top contemporary artists. Running weekends through June 19th, the exhibition includes a broad breadth of genres-- from painting, to video, photography, installation, sculpture, performance and social media-based art. Leaving behind the cramped spaces of Manhattan, for the broad horizons of New Jersey.

For additional information, please contact curator Olympia Lambert at olympia.lambert@gmail.com, or 646.642.4393.

Participating artists:

2010 Whitney Biennial selectees
*The Bruce High Quality Foundation
*Kate Gilmore

Robert Aitchison
Robert Appleton
Man Bartlett
Adam Bateman
Jason Robert Bell
Alison Blickle
Boyce Cummings
Jennifer Dalton
Vicki DaSilva
Sumner Dilworth
Debra Drexler
Murray Dwertman
Richard Eagan
Jeremy Earhart
Agnes Eperjesi
Stephan Fowlkes
Nicholas Fraser
Angela Freiberger
Micah Ganske
Alex Gingrow
Dean Goelz
Grant Haffner
Iliyan Ivanov
Kezam
Daniel Leeb
Thomas Lendvai
Julie Lohnes
Michelle Manley
Jason Metcalf
Michael Paul Miller
Laelia Mitchell
Laurel Nakadate
Mia Pearlman
Rafael Perez
Don Porcella
William Powhida
Christopher Saunders
Robert Schatz
Emil Silberman
Sean Slemon
Peter Soriano
Tamas Veszi
An Xiao

A collaboration with the Paterson Arts Council. Click here to learn more about the city and its rich history of involvement in the arts.


(Above, Julie Lohnes, Tug of War, 2009, video still)