OK, SO HERE’S THE FINAL GONNA-BREAK-IT-DOWN / YO, DIG-GITTY !!!
ART LOVERS TAKE / ON . . . THAT SLIGHTLY RAW, WILD, YET MUTED MULTI-COLOR, TINY FLOWER DANCING PRINT – GLOBAL-AUDIENCE-REACHING / HISTORY-MAKING / MET-SHAKING / JUST AWESOME !!! VINTAGE THRIFT SHOP / PROBABLY BARGAIN BIN FIND !!!
AMERICAN AS PIE DIY, AS LOW-FI AS THEY GET, EVEN SLIGHTLY SEEDY, BUT TURNS OUT TO BE – FASHION NIGHT’S KNOCK-OUT LOOK – AMONGST A SEA OF CONTENDERS & SOME EVEN BASICALLY NUDE / THIS ERL / A$AP Rocky – MET GALA QUILT- DRAPED ON THE SHOULDERS OF A RAPPER WITH THE CUTEST SMILE & HAIR – SWEPT BY & JUST CAUGHT THE ETHOS, & TOOK . . . SAIL. LIKE A CHILD’S LULLABY.
SOOTHING EACH & EVERY ONE OF US, WITH ITS NEWFOUND RECOGNITION, AND HOPEFUL SWAGGER.
just ONE word ‘wraps’ – it up, and . . .
that word – would be: ‘VERNACULAR’.
up from the streets / just like the amazing creative / artist / musician who wore it.
A$AP Rocky in his ERL / found vintage ‘Puff’ quilt / at the recent MET FASHION GALA.
image via Instagram @highsnobity
if you refer to it just as a ‘quilt’ / as everyone from the ERL founder himself, to the Brooklyn artisan guy who got to repair it, and make a custom backing – with which to (garment) line it, to the entire media talking heads who covered it, but who don’t know a knitting needle – from a crochet hook, let alone a specific quilt ‘genre’, / and, just call it: ‘magic’, you are so missing the point.
this quilt was, just simply put: the runt of the quilt-making lexicon / the runt of the litter . . it was highly unlikely to have set foot in the MET, let alone a Folk Art Museum, unless said venue had a small niche for . . lowly ‘arts & crafts’ & family projects, of yore.
I mean maybe eventually, like in a hundred years. and then, just out of curiosity, and for the record.
talk about . . . vernacular / folk art, and hobby – all in one ‘loser’ breath.
this quilt was:
~most likely,’Appalachian’ basement – DIY !!! I haven’t seen any up here in the North East (?).
~btw ‘Appalachian’ said here, with a great deal of respect. early mountain quilting, is quite renown / those old timers have an amazing legacy – that goes way back. they were mostly focused, just eking out a subsistence living . . providing, originally / all hand-stitched functional, utilitarian / farm quilts, for their neighbors. with young children helping out, starting in early, learning the skills.
but, with a rich individuality & great, great needle skill, much like their country music. ditto children learning.
~but these ‘Puff’ quits were by the 1970s / with the advent of factory-made bed covers / Mother-&-young-kids craft / family project – DIY !!!
~these ‘Puff’, or ‘Biscuit’, or even ‘Bubble’ quilts – had become by this time / more of a ‘hobby’ project / the old skills & patience, and time, need / had been lost. it was all about cutting out simple square shapes, sewing them together on 3 sides, followed by the super easy fun of ‘stuffing’ – the resultant ‘Puff’ pocket, and then simply assembling the over-all grid.
-following a straight-forward ‘template’, that indeed we can see here, in this ERL / A$AP Rocky quilt. ~probably straight out of the pages of your average ‘Womens Craft Magazine’, found monthly in the supermarket aisle.
~a template quilt. to be followed. and strung together, and not deviated from much.
~if you look into blogs on the web, writers recall working on them, with their mothers, and sisters, stuffing the ‘puffs’ – with old pantyhose. busy, and happy.
~yet they were mostly successful as ‘projects’ / they were not really comfortable, let alone snuggly, truth be told. too heavy. too bulky. too stiff. too much fabric.
~today they are mostly made as small baby ‘rugs’, gentle things babies can be placed on, where they can roll around a bit, but not too much, among the gentle cushioned pockets, but also not get – too far off.
~but back, to the older full sized ones / their lumpy fate was finally, to be, not even wanted / even as low-fi ‘hobby’ quilts / they got no respect – and after a generation or so, families were happy to discard, or ‘donate’ them to thrift shops, which in turn dumped them into the $1 bin.
~I doubt if Eli Russell Linnetz paid even, much more than $3.50 / for his ‘Puff’ quilt, in which he was to find so much delight & new inspiration, and the resultant recognition.
sometimes, it just takes another person’s genius / and . . vision. sometimes it just takes a talented person – from another cultural background, to see the truth in our own eccentricities.
yet, this was to be the beginning of the new – American Quilt revival !!
interest in everything DIY, hand-made free-will expressive, or simply decorative / and yet functional, sparked after Woodstock, after the 60s . . . after ‘The Age of Aquarius’ !!
and, there was no going back. and, to prove it /
we have quite the DIY culture today, don’t we. from Granny Squares, to BODE, and back.
interest in all things DIY, hand-made & functional, yet individually expressive – have made made a tremendous renaissance.
this ERL / A$AP Rocky Met Gala quilt was at – that very tipping point.
there’s . . the magic.
and, yet for all its humble origins,
when A$AP Rocky sashayed down that Met Gala red carpet, on Rhianna’s arm, draped in this almost ‘generic’ mass of . . cheerful, craft project color, with the big 3-D puffy pockets, like nothing so much as . . . big textile ‘Chinese dumplings’ – everybody, but everybody caught . . the vibe.
A sense of warmth / an emotional support – that would / could envelop you, soothe, empower, and protect you. all in a great big bubble – of gentle / popping fun.
it was all about the industrious, thrifty voices of our proud American past – a rallying call to arms / our kind of arms – the ‘creatives’ ones.
afterward:
in fact I was going to title this little essay:
‘AGE Of AQUARIUS, not’
vs.
‘Age of VERNACULAR, yes’.
but luckily, I decided maybe I had better look it up first / see what ‘cosmic’ era, this is anyway ?
& GUESS WHAT . . . . EVERY-BODY !!!!
ROCK – YOUR BODY !!!
WE ARE . . . APPARENTLY, JUST ENTERING – A NEW AGE of AQUARIUS !!!!
SO, SURPRISE, SURPRISE, not !!
it seems we are to be in a hopeful cosmic vernacular ‘corridor’.
that the ‘vernacular’ / up from the streets / self-taught, and driven from with-in, and in turn / from within our wider community, propelled by a strong creative drive / will rule.
it’s also supposedly hitting real hard, real, real, super powerful hard / because they say this ‘2021 Age of Aquarius’ is super rare / as it involves / a meeting of 2 STRONG PLANETS, specifically: “a great COSMIC conjunction of Jupiter & Saturn” / that only comes round – every 800 years.”
so, yeah. magic. might be the word that comes to mind. as in a spectacular & happy leap of faith / that lands just right / in a sheer moment of creative thinking / setting all things right – and moving forward with more wisdom, and kindness / and creativity.
if, only.
even among quilts – there is a . . . ‘hierarchy’.
there are quilts that are so skillful, so splendidly colorful, so visually inventive or spiritually compelling, or that are such well pieced historical records, or personal poems . . . that they are cherished, and wrapped in tissue, and only taken out – on holidays, and handed down from generation to generation, with care and pride / until usually, or hopefully, ending up in a museum collection that will not only care for, but share them.
A$AP Rocky’s ERL quilt / was quite – the opposite. totally vernacular in voice,
its composition was generic, following a simple ‘template’ / lifted from a women’s handiwork supermarket magazine.
I’ve been reading about Leonard Cohen, lately.
he said: “there is a crack in everything, and that’s how the light gets in.”
A$AP Rocky in that old, lumpy vintage / not so skillful, not so unique quilt, was just that primordial crack & everybody could feel the light.
~ERL / A$AP Rocky / MET GALA QUILT / YO, DIG-GITTY !!! THE FINAL BREAK-DOWN !!! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | September 29th, 2021, 2:00pm
SUPER CONGRATS !!
ELI RUSSELL LINNETZ / ERL . . L.A. !!
it has just been announced that ELI RUSSELL LINNETZ of ERL,
is one of the 5 nominees . . . for the very prestigious CFDA FASHION AWARD /
AMERICAN EMERGING DESIGNER of the YEAR 2021 . . .
ELI RUSSSELL LINNETZ / ERL
PHOTO VIA INSTAGRAM @cfda / Council of Fashion Designers of America
ELI RUSSELL LINNETZ is the one who made . .
global fashion headlines, American Quilt history, and, even sparked . . social commentary !!
sending ASAP Rocky . . draped in an ERL / up-cycled, one-of-a-kind vintage 1970s ‘Puff’ quilt / down the red carpet – at this year’s SEPT 2021 / MET GALA.
PHOTO VIA INSTAGRAM @erl______
QUILTS RULE !!
WRAP – YOUR BODY, NOW !!
CONGRATS !! ELI RUSSELL LINNETZ / CFDA EMERGING DESIGNER AWARD 2021 / NOMINEE |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | September 24th, 2021, 5:22pm
meet: ERL / ELI RUSSELL LINNETZ . . .
the multi-talented designer/producer,
behind the ZAK FOSTER produced ASAP Rocky – MET GALA QUILT / CAPE !!
he is most def a creative powerhouse.
and, he seems to love – old school quilts !!
ELI RUSSELL lINNETZ, founder of ERL . .
image via ERL / c/o COMPLEX MAG
CHECK OUT: ‘Meet ERL, the New Brand You Should Know’ – by KARIZZA SANCHEZ / COMPLEX MAGAZINE / JAN 24, 2020
ERL – MEN’S FASHION / image via ERL STORE
apart from his dynamic interest in everything chic / ahead of the curve & esp authentic Americana / hand-made / and vintage embellishment . . it’s obviously his sunny, easy-going pastel ‘California’ palette / that sealed the deal / towards his . . . wrapping that soft-hued, Zak Foster found, DIY / vintage 70’s, ‘puff’ quilt – around ASAP Rocky / at the MET GALA /
and the rest – is History. history – with a capital H.
the softness of the overall loose grid pattern / as opposed to a rigid repeating grid, (think Burberry or Vuitton) also fit right in – with the ERL vision.
ASAP Rocky – in an ERL / ZAK FOSTER VINTAGE QUILT / as a cape at the MET GALA 2021.
image via Instagram @diet_prada
but, was it truly – a collaboration ?
yes, it was !!
and, a most excellent partnering – at that.
while ZAK FOSTER produced the (double-sided) finished aggregate / contemporary quilt,
and, I’m thinking based on the photos Zak posted to his IG / @zakfoster.quilts, that, or at least initially . . . the more detailed & complex red plaid / ‘crazy’ quilt, which he had he hand-stitched so meticulously, . . that that red side was probably his primary side / A side. with the found ‘puff’ quilt being the lining & the back.
ELI / ERL . . . is probably the one who jumped – to cloak ASAP Rocky with the plush, multi-color pastel, vintage 3-D ‘Puff’ quilt side / as the primary side. which was the absolute key decision, to propelling this unconventional, but ironically old school 70’s design – to the top of the Met Gala – pack.
though btw, as ASAP Rocky dropped the quilt from his shoulders, to reveal the sharp black ERL suit beneath / the red plaid side – was stunning as pat of the hidden reveal / on that.
ERL . . also probably provided the funding, of course, made sure the work was seen on an amazingly huge platform / and, not to forget / his imparting his ERL brand overall / very chic fashion vision, and, thus inspired edit / and, the curation, as per the sentence above.
so, yes !!
was it a collab ? / yes, yes and more YES !!
an absolute brilliant meeting of creative minds – in a moment of rapt expression.
not forget – the sheet magic of them ole quilts / to be able to step up to the plate, even in 2021.
ERL & ZAK FOSTER – BRAVO !!
CHECK OUT: ERL – FASHION & STORE
NOTE: VOGUE MAG / UP-DATE / SEPT 16, 2021
it’s been . . . a bit of a complicated ‘quilt’ story – to follow. it doesn’t help that many of the first media reports didn’t have a clue re: re-cycled quilts, vintage quilts, contemporary aggregate quilts, repaired quilts, etc etc.
according to the article (link below) that VOGUE just circulated /
and from what I can make of it, the Vogue article / and, after listening to the videos posted on Zak’s Instagram, over & over / it seems:
Eli Russell Linnetz . . . found the multi-colored ‘Puff’ quilt in a thrift shop, though it isn’t specifically referred to as such, it’s only referred to as a ‘vintage’ quilt / not surprising, as on-the-spot . . . Eli wasn’t seeped in quilt history – but, as I already stated above, you could immediately see why he would be attracted to it,
and then . . .
he reached out to quilt-recycling artisan ZAK FOSTER & . . commissioned him to make a red plaid-based ‘memory’ contemporary / aggregate quilt . . using various red plaid vintage textiles, as well several personal clothing items & remnants of sentimental ‘Linnetz’ family value / also on that red plaid theme, and then he had Zak attach the ‘Puff’ vintage quilt – which seems to have been more or less intact – but, perhaps lacked a backing (?), to the red plaid quilt top.
the newly constructed, red plaid ‘memory’ quilt top, in effect became the inner secret ‘lining’ – of the newly worked . . . ‘quilt-as-a-cape’, with the older ‘Puff’ quilt – becoming the top layer, or the – outside.
at any, rate no matter how you cut it !!
magic happened, that’s for sure !!
for me, the key bit of magic – was in ELI RUSSELL LINNETZ finding that gorgeous ‘Puff’ quilt – in the first place /
you love quilts / they love you back – is all I can say.
their power – in how they were made, and the thoughts they were infused with / and then, how they move around, and come forward even, today / is beyond the simply . . . rational.
as the first sentence of this Vogue article states / through the combined efforts of ERL & ZAK FOSTER / hand-worked old quilts – barrelled their way back – to their rightful place, at the top (!!) – in the “Lexicon of American Fashion” . . . !!
“There were plenty of exciting looks on the MetGala’s red carpet, but none captured the spirit of ‘In America: A Lexicon of Fashion’ theme quite like ASAP Rocky’s custom ERL quilt. Since colonial times, the handcraft has been an integral part of the American experience, and quilts have served as historical documents, family keepsakes, and contemporary art.”
~Janelle Okwodu, Vogue
CHECK OUT: “ASAP Rocky and ERL’s Rule-Breaking Quilt Captured the ESSENCE of American Fashion”, by JANELLE OKWODU, VOGUE MAGAZINE / SEPT 16, 2021.
~MEET ERL / ELI RUSSELL LINNETZ . . . with VOGUE UP-DATE |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | September 18th, 2021, 12:26pm
congratulations !!!!
to originally from North Carolina, now Brooklyn-based quilter . . . ZAK FOSTER !!!!!
who made the ASAP Rocky / ERL branded / vintage-based quilt . . . that upstaged the entire fashion world – at this year’s MET GALA !!
see: ZAK FOSTER QUILTS – website
see: ZAK FOSTER / Instagram @zakfoster.quilts
ASAP Rocky . . .
wrapped in a one-of-a-kind “ERL” co-branded / authentic vintage quilt assemblage / handmade by Brooklyn’s own . . . ZAK FOSTER.
image via Instagram @diet_prada
so . . .
wouldn’t it be funny to see a whole city of men running around in re-cycled quilt ‘capes’, or, even full-body throw, ‘granny square’ crochet afghans, for that matter / draping their hurried bodies !!
why cut them old quilts up – for custom suits, ala BODE ?
just leave em as is / to let their deep soothing magic & rockin’ power emanate, true to form / for: protection, for comfort, for warmth, for ease, for . . . emotional support !!
as the world burns, floods, freezes, dries up, and as always, fights / with not enough water & not enough food – up next.
next Afghan-based/Qaedea terrorist attack . . on the American horizon / within one or 2 years,
and, that’s in newspaper hard copy print – according to even: . . . WYNKEN, BLINKEN, BIDEN, & NOD.
Antony Blinken, being our current Secretary of State, you obviously know who sleepy Joe Biden is, as some people call him. I’m not going to say the ‘T’ word, but F all of them.
what the hell.
ok, it’s a tough job, wear a quilt !!
Influencer ?
ASAP Rocky is my vote for . . INFLUENCER of YEAR / 2021.
hands down.
and, with just one sweep . . . of the cape.
&
&
&
some brief notes – for the Millennials, among us !!
I remember growing up, not one of my teachers died.
I mean, maybe I went to one teacher-related funeral in grade 7, and that was her dad, that died.
this is . . . EUGENE FIELD / 1850-1895
he wrote the (once) famous, ultimate / childhood lullaby rhyme, ‘Wynken, Blyken and Nod’,
where children could fall asleep knowing their world was full of stars, and glittering fish in a twinkling / sky / sea.
when, there were only a handful of planets in the sky, most people lived on farms, and climate change ? – an absolute non-topic.
funny . . . how we went from 9 planets / to an ‘infinite’ universe of constellations / well, in my lifetime / yet, to diminishing . . . shrinking resources – with NO real global plan in sight.
when they start mining on the moon, and, oh yes !! – they are planning it as we speak – then, trust me, the whole global, bio-survival game plan implodes,
and, not just for the wave-seeking surfers.
that ‘man in the moon’ controls the tides, our reproduction cycles, and of course – oversees our emotions.
it’s not – just a rolling rock full of minerals to be . . mined & extracted 7 sent back to earth.
mark my words, and don’t blame me.
I’m with the ancient Greeks, and all indigenous peoples . . who believe the planets, the stars, the sun, and the moon – are the Gods.
the sky is frigging sacred / hands off, dudes.
or may you be doomed to living in caves – with only synthetic fiber to keep you warm.
so, I’m thinking . . newspaper men,
and ‘writers of light verse for children’ . . . aka the ‘influencers’ of their generation,
maybe, just maybe . . . they should have thought ahead – just a tiny little bit.
but, even at that – just a little bit of some forward thinking, was beyond the era’s mind-set / industrial revolution evolution.
as, is ‘moon mining’ – for ours.
and yes, it’s most definite – in the works.
but even so,
what do our children – fall asleep to ?
I don’t want to ruin your day, but it’s not starry skies.
it’s a mighty long list / a mighty coarse & scary list that veers from web predators, global food shortage, bio virus attacks & teachers dying / to other endangered species, including wild animals & trees / pinging extreme weather alerts, amber alerts – onto porn, to violence . . and, even onto their own contemporary Greta Thunberg . . . on repeat. gentle good-night verse ?
not.
no wonder people everywhere, with all manners of skills, clothing, or even education levels,
loved, loved loved / Zak Foster’s ‘Memory Quilt’ on . . . ASAP Rocky.
no wonder people love . . vintage and antique quilts, & . . . in fact – handiwork of all kinds.
it’s not – just the skills,
it’s their comfort – zone . . . !!!!
it’s their thriftiness, mindfulness of resources, and re-cycling sustainability.
not to forget: joyful, cheerful patterns, colors & fabric / and all cotton, btw.
CONCLUSION:
in the paper today, I read that the new AUKUS alliance / Australia, United Kingdom and USA, deems their paramount goal is to help Australia develop nuclear-submarine capability . . to counter China’s growing ‘influence’ in the Indo-Pacific region.
no no no.
that’s so dumb-ass backwards.
what about the marine life, the barrier reefs, what kind polluting greenhouse footprint does a project like that entail ? why does talk of war – continually push up against our already stretched-to-the-limit psychic
ambience day-to-day / dream to dream.
no, don’t frigging build another nuclear-powered submarine / just frigging do the world a favor, and ban them – all. across the globe / no exceptions.
just start shutting it down, people.
no wonder, all people want to contemplate – are . . . QUILTS.
creative, sustainable, peaceful solutions – let the alternative world – begin, already.
we miss you, so much . . John Lennon.
~ZAK FOSTER / ERL / ASAP Rocky Quilt / Met Gala |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | September 16th, 2021, 9:27am
on the 20th anniversary of the World Trade Center attack, here’s my story.
‘9-11 / MY STORY: NANCY SMITH’
and, yes !!
a quilt can very much ‘turn over’ with the same significance . . of a tarot card !!
you better – believe it.
there’s some, deep dark magic . . in them there / old quilts.
after our landlord bought us out, from the storefront on Rivington St. & the Bowery, in 1996 we moved to help ‘warehouse’ a one bedroom / penthouse apt on the top of a 20 story building on Grand & FDR – in the Lower East Side. it even had this really nice, but tiny narrow terrace – that opened up to the outdoors.
and, yes. that’s my watercolor !!
the place had a great view of the East River, and the railing was perfect – for hanging out my vintage quilts in the sun, as I worked on them, to repair them / restore, and make them alive again.
this was 20+ years ago, btw.
facing due south, you could even see . . .
. . . the World Trade Center, towers.
but. because the terrace was so narrow, you had to really contort your body to get a decent view of a quilt / against the Twin Towers, so I only did it once.
in the Spring of 1999. this is NO . . photo-shop.
this is a 35mm photo & I have the negatives to prove it.
here, it is in full view / it was a ‘barn’ quilt, an old, raggedy quilt that had finally been relegated to the last step / to cover old machinery in a barn.
you can note the holes and worn areas, especially on the borders, and these are what I repair.
as well, in this case I fully re-quilted this old faded beauty, with all repairs done by hand.
I only hand-stitch, I don’t even know – how to operate a sewing machine.
I couldn’t use one – even if my life depended on it.
and of course, working by hand, gets your very up-close & personal with the history of each quilt, and, each quilt maker.
so of course, while working on it . . I started to research – its history and pattern.
LO, and behold !!
turns out, it’s an old American frontier / pioneer . . . pattern called: “Lightning Strikes”.
it was a reminder to be super careful especially around the wooden barns, regarding fire, and in the wooden homes, whose only warmth came from burning hearth fires / and especially on the prairies, to be vigilant also re: wild fires.
and, in being a reminder: it was a warning, to be conscious / to stay aware, and being aware – you will feel safe, and you are wished comfort, warmth, and safety by the quilt maker / who is probably your mother, wife, or sister . . . as you lay asleep, and dream your dreams.
so . . .
what 800 number are you going to call, when your quilt project divines: danger, a threat of fire, a deadly . . . lightning strike ?
so yeah, less than 16 months later, I watched this tragedy unfold from the same birds-eye-view of my 20th floor terrace. I came running out upon hearing the terrible first impact, and I actually even watched as the 2nd plane come north up the East River, and then made a sharp u-turn, and at full speed flew directly – into the second tower.
so, while the clueless TV anchors were proclaiming, that a small airplane, or helicopter, had ‘accidentally’ collided with the World Trade Center, I was calling my kid’s middle school, and telling the principal, not to let the kids out for recess – because . . . “we are under attack”.
at first, she thought I was just plain dang crazy, but not for long, like maybe 5 – 10 minutes at the most, later / and, the whole city was in . . lock-down.
and shock. it was unbelievable.
I hadn’t even had – my morning coffee yet. I felt so ill, and so aware of: history.
I do still remember so vividly, thinking . . how did it even come to pass, that I – as a Canadian, who grew up in Montreal, had came to be here, to witness this ?
that all this time / quite unknowingly, I had been stitching, & putting hands to – a real warning.
when my kids finally got home, we actually had to go get them in person / this is what they saw.
and then, it was . . . gone.
along, with the many people inside, & the sadly fated first responders – who had rushed in, to save them, only to perish as well.
the worst part was when the buildings pancaked / and you heard millions of screams, like many birds in panic – for a few minutes / and then: complete silence, and a horrible, horrible smell of burnt human flesh, that hovered overhead, for days.
NEVER, NEVER – FORGET.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~9-11 / MY STORY . . . |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | September 14th, 2021, 9:59am
SHAKE THAT – BODY !!!!!!!
‘SHAKE THE PATTERN’ – GROUP SHOW
OPENS THURS SEPT 2 / 5 – 7 PM
& runs thru . . . OCT 2, 2021
SHELTER GALLERY, 179 East Broadway, NYC 10002
HRS: TUES-SAT / 12-6 PM
note: the venue is down one fight of stairs
An Ambitious, Radical-leaning, Pictorial & Narrative / Revolt-Proclaiming – group show of 10 Women Artists:
RAQUEL ALBARRAN, NICOLE APPEL, KARIN CAMPBELL, JACQUELINE CEDAR, HYEGYEONG CHOI, MYASIA DOWDELL,
LILY GIBEON, REBECCA GOYETTE, CHRISTINE LEWIS, & JUANITA ROGERS
see: the exhibition statement – SHELTER GALLERY
some highlights:
NICOLE APPEL, ‘untitled’, 2019.
collage on paper / 6 x 4.5 in.
image via Instagram @shelter_gallery
JACQUELINE CEDAR, ‘NY Ninja’, 2021.
Colored pencil on paper / 9 x
image via Instagram @jacquelinecedar
KARIN CAMPBELL, ‘Drawing’.
image via Instagram @karinhcampbell
HyeGyeong CHOI, ‘I wish I was hiking with her’,
acrylic on canvas / 36 x 30 in.
image via Instagram @choiry_g
note: all images via Instagram
~’SHAKE THE PATTERN’ / SHELTER / L.E.S. / OPENS TO-NITE THURS SEPT 2 |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | September 2nd, 2021, 9:47am
MARIE LORENZ: “Anyone need a ride across the River STYX this weekend ?”
MARIE LORENZ, ‘WATER TAXI, TIDE TAXI, DEATH TAXI’, AUG 28-29, 2021 / CATSKILL CREEK. UPSTATE N.Y.
#charon #death #taxi #underworld #catskillcreek
looks like: deadly cold water, slow rowing, with only the eerie sound of the dipping rhythmic oars & the bittersweet music sound of funeral chimes,
layered by . . darkness & solemn sadness.
presented by: JAG Projects x NADA x FORELAND, CATSKILL, N.Y.
image via Instagram / @lorenzmarie
usually a passage of delight & exploration / history, science & indie rebel art – on a small indie scale /
this is a funerary boat /
listen to the sad chimes & feel the sad coldness of the deep dark water:
MOST, DEF – HIT: . . this link / to the clip on her IG / @marielorenz
artlovers flashback:
MARIE LORENZ, at her ‘sweeter-minded’, but still history-looking / display of her hand-made ancient water ‘vessels’ /
at this summer’s 2021 – NADA / GOVERNORS ISLAND, N.Y.C.
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH / artloversnewyork.com
MAY 7, 2021
note:
STYX . . . “in Greek mythology, STYX is one of the Rivers of the underworld / In Homer’s ‘Iliad & Odyssey’, the gods swear by the water of STYX as their most binding oath.”
~Wikipedia
CHARON . . . “in Greek mythology, the son of EREBUS & NYX (Night) . . whose duty it was to ferry over the Rivers STYX, and ACHERON those souls of the deceased who had received the rites of burial . . .
and who eventually became to be known as the image of death & of the world below.
~Wikipedia / Charon
~MARIE LORENZ / WATER TAXI / of DEATH / JAG x NADA x FORELAND / CATSKILL, N.Y. / AUG 28 & 29 |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 29th, 2021, 10:06am
the summer of 2021.
it’s already in the military history books / but, if as the start of WWW III, remains to be seen. it might be the summer of love & creative freedom / up in the Catskills, but not around the globe.
the targeted civillian as well as U.S.A. military killing / has begun.
surprise, surprise, Not.
what a . . bloody b-o-d-y / cruel death trap that excuse for an ‘airport’ is.
it’s not an airport, it’s a killing field.
with a wretched, talk about ‘medieval’, sewer-infested moat, aka ‘canal’ around it . . to catch the dead / once fleeing / bodies. bodies. bodies.
is it only the artists – with their sense of volume & space – that could have told you that weeks ago ?
maybe they need more artists – in the Pentagon.
you know, maybe when we are all ‘trans-morphed’ into robotic A.I., it really won’t be so bad.
and, if you are looking for your art – without political, and / or social awareness / community commentary / temperature . . all isolated & pure, well, you are looking in all the wrong places, if you’re looking here.
as you might have already – intuited by our LUKE MURPHY / LukeLab.com animated, digital . . ‘RESIST’ banner – that runs across this page.
FUN FACT: I do, as I write this / remember when I first met PATRICK MOHUNDRO, who runs P.A.D. / who as a 2nd year MFA student presented: ‘The Big Short’, a brilliant compendium of small, alternative, indie curatorial projects / in a cramped Hunter office basement, in Feb of 2018 . . that one of the first things he said to me, was: how much he liked the ‘RESIST’ banner – on the artlovers website, just btw.
see: ‘THE BIG SHORT’ / MOHUNDRO & JANOWICK – HUNTER / artloversnewyork – FEB 2018
well, get out there, to the Catskills, and show your ‘freedom’ colors – people !!
I wanna say, don’t jump up and down / on the glass floor !!!
as, you listen to early 60s Rolling Stones blaring through your car radio, as the perfect, angry anthem soundtrack – c/o CHARLIE WATTS, RIP this past week.
P.A.D. x CRAIG POOR MONTEITH / DON’T STEP ON THE GLASS !!!!
CRAIG POOR MONTEITH, ‘Leaded Stained Glass’ packing pad / will be presented by P.A.D. – this glorious summer weekend.
note: JESSI LI lamp including limbs / aka body parts – at the top.
CRAIG POOR MONTEITH, ‘stained, leaded glass Moving Pad’, 2021 / P.A.D.
ps: well, ‘glass’ . . has only been a really really big topic – on artlovers this year. D.I.Y. and, people sick of the screens & and a grass roots / peaceful . . intellectual revolt vs. the high price / elitist ticket / blue chip / art market / auction circuit.
JEFFREY TRANCHELL, of ‘Turn Onz’, Detroit / & my go-to for all things D.I.Y., but esp. glass & the associated field of electric lamps & light switches / & just artists going (sustainable) crazy, creative wild on functional objects in general . . . tells me:
“I know CRAIG . . very well, he learned to solder glass at my house in Detroit.”
surprise, surprise, NOT.
CRAIG POOR MONTEITH, ‘stained, leaded glass Moving Pad’, 2021 at P.A.D.
as well, my other D.I.Y. stained glass maven, JONNY CAMPOLO who is a Brooklyn-based friend of Jeffrey’s / whose fused glass light switches, where presented by ‘Turn Onz’, Detroit – at the recent Nada, Governors Island / and covered on these pages, told me:
“Craig is a friend of mine, and Jeff’s. Craig has a cool story – his mom [quite the craftsperson, esp ceramics I believe, or was that his grandfather ? – Nancy],
was a stained glass artist, and taught him everything.”
both images above, the ‘light’ & the ‘dark’ . . . . !!!!!:
CRAIG POOR MONTEITH, stained, leaded glass floor piece . . at P.A.D. x JAG Projects x NADA x Foreland.
note: the fluctuation of color / as the light hits the glass, dependent on ambiance and time of day & type of camera, I guess / and how it is reflected / recorded back to us – via a camera.
isn’t . . stained glass, such a wonderful, mysterious, man-made of natural materials – object / surface ? it plays with light. it plays with spatial perception. it can be transparent, it can be opaque.
it can be strong, or fragile.
and, for this . . to be a parody of the whole P.A.D. / Project Art Distribution / soft moving pad – concept ?
that’s so, so . . .
unbelievable – ACE !!!!!!!!!
artlovers flashback:
CRAIG POOR MONTEITH, March 7, 2013, NYC.
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH / artloversnewyork.com
see: CRAIG POOR MONTEITH / PETER HUTCHINSON OPENING, FREIGHT & VOLUME, Chelsea, N.Y. – March 7, 2013
artlovers flashback:
co-curators: EMILY JANOWICK, and . . . PATRICK MOHUNDRO – at ‘THE BIG SHORT’, HUNTER /
PHOTO: NANCY SMITH / artloversnewyork.com
FEB 3, 2018
see: ‘THE BIG SHORT’ – HUNTER / artloversnewyork
all images: via Instagram c/O P.A.D. / @art_project_distribution / unless otherwise noted
~P.A.D. x CRAIG POOR MONTEITH x NADA x FORELAND, CATSKILL, N.Y. / SAT & SUN AUG 28-29 |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 27th, 2021, 11:41am
ok, People !! listen up !!!!!
we are still !! talking about . . rock your ‘body’, with these JESSI LI – lamps !!
and, subtext: it’s still – creative art played out on . . functional objects !!
in a word: from light switches . . to lamps / turn on . . the lights, world !!
both via Indie artist-curators: ‘TURN ONZ’ being presented by JEFFREY TRANCHELL,
and ‘P.A.D.’ by PATRICK MOHUNDRO.
and still, on the NADA platform.
thank you as well, to another artist-curator, involved here: JESSE GREENBERG / JAG Projects.
though interestingly enough, we jumped from an island surrounded by the big Apple waters, to the Hudson Valley mountains /
though we still find ourselves, in sustainable historic / exhibition housing, thank you, FORELAND x NADA.
though I do ask myself:
how can there be so much joyful, creative freedom – on this side of the geo-political world / and, so little – on the other.
you can celebrate your body here, / or – be running for your life, there.
the lush, free environs of the ‘Big Apple’, NYC vs. the deathtrap deadline this weekend portends / for the ‘graveyard of the nations’ – Afghanistan.
JESSI LI, sculptural lamp, 2021.
note: the body – limbs.
which you can find at:
P.A.D. pop-up / JAG x NADA x Foreland.
image via Instagram @project_art_distribution / P.A.D.
JESSI LI . . Functional, Sculptural . . . Lamp.
image via: @project_art_distribution
check out: Jessi Li on IG / @jessililili
JESSI LI . . .
image via IG / @project_art_distribution
JESSI LI . . .
image via IG / project_art_distribution
ROCK YOUR BODY – !!
& YOUR . . CREATIVE FREEDOM / & SUPPORT ARTISTS – NOW.
EVEN, IF IT’S NOT PERFECT, IT IS STILL DEFINITE – REACHING FOR THE LIGHT.
~P.A.D. x JESSI LI / SCULPTURAL LAMPS / JAG x NADA x FORELAND, CATSKILL, N.Y. / SAT & SUN AUG 28-29 |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 26th, 2021, 9:54am
YOUR BODY IS – YOUR E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G !!
TRAGEDY – MEETS DEFIANCE !!
SHOW – YOUR COLORS !! EVERY-BODY !!
#metoo #women #artists #real #history #NYC
PATRICK MOHUNDRO of P.A.D. / Project Art Distribution
presents / among other items . . .
a new . . . ‘MENDIETA’ tee by REBECCA BALDWIN
via a one weekend only – pop-up / SAT & SUN / AUG 28-29, 2021
c/o JESSE GREENBERG / JAG Projects x NADA at FORELAND /
in partnership with Upstate Art Weekend /
Sat Aug 28 & Sun Aug 29 / 11am – 8pm
361 Main Street, Catskill, N.Y. 12414
FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
see: ABOUT FORELAND
see: INTRO NADA x FORELAND
see: JAG PROJECTS
Follow: P.A.D. on IG / @project_art_distribution
Foreland, Catskill N.Y IMAGE / via JAG Projects
new ‘MENDIETA’ tee by REBECCA BALDWIN /
presented by P.A.D.
Image via: IG DANA NOTINE / @dananotine
see: REBECCA BALDWIN / HUNTER MFA THESIS 2019
REBECCA BALDWIN / MENDIETA TEE / P.A.D.
Image & Graphics via: P.A.D. IG / @project_art_distribution
REBECCA BALDWIN / MENDIETA TEE / P.A.D.
Image & Graphics via: P.A.D. IG / @project_art_distribution
COME – ON !!
EVERY-BODY !! / ROCK THAT – BODY !!
~P.A.D. x REBECCA BALDWIN / MENDIETA TEE / JAG x NADA x FORELAND, CATSKILL, N.Y. / SAT & SUN AUG 28 – 29 |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | August 25th, 2021, 4:02pm
