I did it!

One of my goals for 2012 was to read at least three books written for an adult audience.  Considering that I often go on young adult fiction binges that can last upwards of eleven months, planning to read three was doable, but certainly not a given.  I'm proud to say that as of April 11, 2012, when I completed Sherman Alexie's The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, three of the eight books I've read since January 1, were not written for adolescents!  (Insert my happy dance here—which bears a striking resemblance to the twins' moves.)

That said, I want to share a graphic novel (written for young adults) I recently read with you.  Meet the Janes, who are the cast of characters in The Plain Janes, a tale written by Cecil Castellucci and illustrated by Jim Rugg. 

After the main Jane's parents move her to suburbia in the name of safety, our leading lady manages to make friends with three other Janes-of-various-spellings.  Together, they form The P.L.A.I.N. Janes, a secret "art girl gang" whose mission is to create thought-provoking public art, in hopes of inspiring their strip-mall loving neighbors to appreciate beauty.  P.L.A.I.N. = People Loving Art in Neighborhoods.

Reasons these Janes are kind of my kindred:   

• Main Jane's (far left above) first thought as she stares at the sky from the perfectly manicured lawn in her new yard, notebook by her side, bird chirping overhead: "I'm in hell."
• And as she enters her new high school, she tells herself: "Remember it's just four years . . . Om, and all that."
• Jane-with-the-bob (second from right above) puts on a prosthetic nose and recites from Cyrano De Bergerac when she tries out for the school's production of Grease, much to the horror of the "cool" girls running the auditions.
• "I want her to stop worrying and love the world again." —Main Jane, speaking about her mom.  
• P.L.A.I.N. projects include: installing hundreds of stuffed animals outside an animal shelter with clever signs encouraging pet adoption; a message bottle tree, with instructions like dance, hug, and skip inside the hanging bottles; and yarn bombing parking meters and fire hydrants with striped cozies. 

No doubt you understand why I would invite the P.L.A.I.N. Janes to help fulfill my birthday mission.  These girls would be all over #s 5, 9, and 12!  

p.s. You're still totally invited to help fulfill my birthday mission, too.  The Janes would be so proud, and I would be impressed, grateful, and a lot of other positive adjectives!   

Through a window on a rainy day

I see her about once a week.  The pink + green girl always makes me smile.

Fill in the blank

You may have noticed that I like me some whimsy and cheek in my street art.  I also have a penchant for pieces that make me think.  But Candy Chang's Before I Die project goes beyond simply making me think.  She re-imagined an abandoned house in her neighborhood in New Orleans, and gave her community a public place for reflection and awareness.  Using plywood and chalkboard paint, and offering chalk to all passersby, she created opportunities for individual expression and community interaction.  Brilliant.  I am in awe of her vision and its execution.

The project has grown, and continues to spread into other communities.  I found the wall in Santa Cruz particularly poignant.  And, as a runner, I appreciated San Francisco's twist: I Run Because.  Reminded me of the exceedingly sage pontification I once offered the world, via Twitter (the source of all contemporary philosophy worth its salt): we should run because we can.  

I now expand my credo to incorporate living an art-ful life—we should create because we can.  Thanks for the reminder, Ms. Chang.

Makes me smile

when people re-imagine their surroundings—

making streams of hearts gush from once-obsolete pipes,

and dumpsters smile.

Makes me smile when folks see potential in objects, and use them for something other than their original purpose.

And turn something mundane into something amusing.

Makes me smile to daydream of a home that greets me with a cheeky grin.


Sources
Color Me Katie's heart pipe 
Kristin Farr's smiling dumpster
refrigerator magnet letters mural
piano stairs
smiling house

Progress Report

Have you guys crossed off any tasks on GOOD's Art Every Day list this week?  I managed to check off a few, especially if you allow for altering and amending (which I do!).

✔ Doodle for 10 minutes straight.  Here's a close up of my favorite part (the yellow squiggles!).  Little did GOOD know, I keep a notebook exclusively for doodling, and I "assign" myself one doodle a week anyway.  :)

✔ Create something handmade.  Here's a crocheted cowl I'm working on.

✔ Research an art topic.  I began my quest to learn more about the origins of street art.  Yarn bombing is a form of street art that is particularly close to my heart.  On the left: Ben shows appreciation for a yarn bomb in Leipzig, Germany.  On the right: a tree cozy in Salzburg, Austria.
  

✔ Share links to a favorite artist's work.  I am smitten with Björk.  Not only is she a talented, hard working, and unique musician, she collaborates with others to create stunning visual aspects to her music performances.  Have you seen her videos for Crystalline and Moon?  Mesmerizing!  But, since we're about to usher in the weekend, I thought I'd also share my favorite upbeat Björk tune: It's Oh So Quiet.  I dare you not to dance along!

✔ Support the local arts scene.  Tomorrow is my first day of volunteering at the Museum of Craft and Folk Art in San Francisco, and I am so excited!  (But not like Jessie Spano excited; not to worry.)  Some of my first tasks will be in preparation for the closing party of the Randy Colosky Fiat Lux exhibit, which features the piece pictured above, Axis Mundi.  The entire exhibit is interesting and thought-provoking—especially in regards to how we view ordinary objects and their use.  If you're in the Bay Area, you should come check it out between 4:00-6:00 p.m. tomorrow.  MOCFA is near the Powell Street BART station.  And I hear there will be beer. 

I hope you all have an art-ful weekend!

p.s. I have a few other ideas for how to incorporate art into your weekend, if you're interested.  ;)

I didn't study this in my art history courses

When I was in Europe last fall, soaking in all of the architecture, (sanctioned) public art installations, and fine art in the museums, the question I was most interested in investigating was when and how did street art, as we know it, develop?.  It's not that I wasn't in awe of the traditional art.  Of course I was, but what can I say?  I'm a fan of subversion.  And beautifying our neighborhoods.  Because they are our neighborhoods, after all.  I suppose I should research the "artivism" sub-category from the diagram above, because street art that makes a statement, be it aesthetic or political, is my favorite.  I admire the combination of creativity, cleverness, and conviction.   

Many moons ago, I watched Style Wars (which is kickass, btw), but like the amnesiac I am, I don't remember many of the details (luckily, the entire documentary is streaming on YouTube).  New York.  Subways.  Train yards.  Cans of spray paint.  That's pretty much the extent of my knowledge on the origins of street art, specifically graffiti.  So, I went where all deeply serious academics go to conduct thorough and reliable research: Wikipedia.  I now know precious little more than previously noted above.  (Did you know cave paintings that date back to 30,000 BCE, can be classified as graffiti?  I did not.  I always thought of cave people as rule followers.)  As you can imagine, though, it is difficult to determine precise origins for such a dynamic movement.  And being such a recent (comparatively speaking) branch of visual arts, I didn't expect to find oodles of definitive texts on the topic. 

But, I shall not be deterred!  I plan to watch Style Wars again.  Then, I'll read Street Art: The Graffiti Revolution, Graffiti World: Street Art from Five Continents, and Graffiti Women: Street Art from Five Continents.  You better believe all this research totally counts as one, if not two (or three!), of the tasks on GOOD's 30-day Challenge checklist.     

Would you like to see some of my favorite 

street art works from my recent trip to Europe?

diagram source       

Be GOOD: Art Every Day

I'm a bit tardy alerting you guys to GOOD's 30-Day Challenge for March.  But you know what they say about late and never.  Plus, I'm giving you the opportunity to double up on some artistic activities for a few days in order to catch up, thus enhancing your enjoyment on said days twofold.  You're welcome.  ;) 

I digress.  The good people of GOOD are challenging us to incorporate art on the daily.  They've brainstormed 31 tasks that will ensure we are maximizing our artistic interactions with the world.  A few of my favorites:

• doodle for 10 minutes straight
• take a street art walking tour 
• make origami

Ok, you know what?  All 31 are my favorites, and I don't want to retype their whole list.  So, follow the link above to see which daily art activities you'll perform in March.  Feel free to alter some of the tasks, delete any you're not into, and/or add your own!  I even see some major crossover opportunities should you still desire to participate in the Magic Mission.  :D

p.s. That stunning Tupac/Adventure Time mural up there?  Is in Castro Valley!  I know!  (I mentioned it once before.)  Had I not seen it with my own eyes, I would not believe it either, friends.  But extraordinary surprises are all around us.  Are you looking?

Touring the City: Unexpected Bonus!

Didn't mean ta disappear on y'all like that.  Life is always full of unexpectedness, ya know?  The photo above is evidence of why I believe it's important to carry on like a tourist in our own stomping grounds.  (i.e. consciously appreciating all that wherever-we-are has to offer, viewing our surroundings with the same kind of awe we have when touring foreign towns, noticing the sparklies, and all that jazz).    

There I was . . . just a small-town girl . . . livin' in a lonely world . . . heading to the 5:22 BART train that would take me back to the East Bay (you had to sing that last part super fast to make it sync with the original notes).  Many thanks for indulging my Journey detour.  (Wish I could promise that it won't happen again. I cannot.)  Um, what was I going to tell you?  Oh yeah!  I was finished with my City Touring, and walking down Columbus toward the Montgomery BART station, when I hit a red light at Broadway.  So I look up and around, like a good, observant tourist does.  And what should I see on the Southeast corner?  No, not the naked ladies enticing me to come into the Garden of Eden.  Higher.  Yes!  Up there, beyond the tree that looks like an ambitious chia pet.  See that black stencil and red lettering?  That, my friends, is a Banksy.  I happened upon a Banksy while ambling through North Beach.  (You may recall that I am a fan of street art.  I've mentioned it two or three times.)

I remember when Banksy made his mark in San Francisco in 2010, around the time Exit Through the Gift Shop hit theaters.  But, for some reason, I never made the pilgrimage across the Bay to see his work in person (I think I thought they'd all be promptly removed, defaced, or stolen).  And I questioned whether what I saw on Columbus and Broadway was actually "a Banksy" because I only remember hearing about the ones in Chinatown, the Mission, and a few others; I hadn't heard of one in North Beach.  Sure enough, though, there are a few "Lost Banksy's of San Francisco". 

Truth is, my favorite moments during my "tour" of San Francisco-y spots were the unexpected ones.  Inadvertently seeing that Bansky?  Was like a surprise party for my eyes.  And my heart had a grand time dancing at that party.  Such a moment underscores how important it is to get out there for mini-adventuring.  We must invite the opportunity to see the sparkly things around us.  And, I'd like to take this opportunity to remind you—if all the glittery things are eluding your vision, make your own magic.  There are plenty of ways to do so, including ones you've yet to imagine.