Dead or Alive

Saw the exhibition Dead or Alive at the Museum of Craft and Design during my trip to NYC and Brooklyn. The show was incredible-- much of the work in the show reminded me so much of my own work, to the point that it made me feel a little weird. I ended up buying the show's catalogue, which is also gorgeous.

More on the show here.

From the top:

Keith Bentley, Cauda Equina

Helen Altman, Balsam Fir Skull

Tracy Heneberger, Cool Water

Kate MccGwire, Sluice (detail)

Alastair Mackie, Untitled (+/-)

Brooklyn

Went to Brooklyn Museum on Wednesday and saw these amazing shows:

http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/extended_family/

http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/kiki_smith/

http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/dinner_party/

From top: Brooklyn Museum, Kara Walker, Judy Chicago, Kiki Smith, Cheese fries at Coney Island.

Shrimplace

Two new Shrimplace shadow boxes, made as a wedding present.

6"X6"

16.06.10

PLP at Mixed Media, Hamilton

And now for a rather late update on last week's PLP reception at Mixed Media in Hamilton. The opening was loads of fun...the James Street Art Crawl was incredible, with hoards of art-hungry observers packing the streets and galleries until nearly midnight. I can't recommend the Art Crawl enough to Toronto artists starved for a little art-related enthusiasm and a sense of community often times hard to come by in a city as large as ours. Thanks to everyone who stopped by to see The Portable Library Project, and for all the kind feedback. Thanks also to Dave Kuruc of Mixed Media for hosting the project in his incredible store and for all his help along the way, as well as PLP artists Stephanie Vegh, Sheila Jonah and Fiona Bailey for coming out to see the show! And...thanks again to Fiona and her partner Patrick for the ride back to T.O!

The Portable Library Project is on view at Mixed Media until July 3rd.

Photo courtesy of hamilton.ca

PLP at Mixed Media, Hamilton

The next showing of The Portable Library Project opens this Friday at Mixed Media in Hamilton. The opening will coincide with Hamilton's monthy James Street Art Crawl. See above (and below!) for all the details. Hope to see you there!

The Portable Library Project is a multi-dimensional mail-art/bookmaking project involving the creation of small works exploring ideas surrounding archiving, ephemera, journalling, libraries and incorporating an art practice into everyday life. The 18 participating artists span several artistic disciplines, from performance art to fibre-based art; from photo-based art to craft to sculpture and installation. Artists involved in the project are based across Canada, and are from as far away as Seoul, Korea.

Invited artists were sent/delivered an empty cigar box, roughly the size of a hardcover book. Over the course of one week, participants were expected to create a 'book' a day, reflective of each person's day-to-day activities and artistic process. Books were ideally made while on the go; boxes were intended to be carried with the participant, where books were to be added and collected each day for seven days.

Participating artists:
Aimee Lee (Seoul, Korea)
Amber Landgraff (Toronto)
Cara Spooner (Toronto)
Daphne Gerou (Toronto)
Debbie Danelley (Winnipeg, MB)
Deborah Margo (Ottawa, ON)
Fiona Bailey (Toronto)
Jen Pilles (Oakville, ON)
Laura Calvi (Halifax, NS)
Laurie Kang (Toronto)
Margaret Flood (Guelph, ON)
Margaret Legue (Forest, ON)
Morag Schonken (Halifax, NS)
Sheila Jonah (Toronto)
Simon Rabyniuk (Toronto)
Stephanie Cormier (Toronto)
Stephanie Vegh (Hamilton, ON)
Sylvia Ziemann (Regina, SK)

The Portable Library Project is organized and curated by Tara Bursey.

Poster design: Tara Bursey

Drawing on Washi Exhibition at the JPP

My work is going to be included in the above group show, which opens this Friday, from 7-9pm. Drawing on Washi: The Presence of the Void is part of this year's city-wide washi birthday festivities, organized largely by the Japanese Paper Place. For more info on other going's on-- which include exhibitions, talks and workshops celebrating Japanese paper-- take a look at this website.

Click on the image above to view the info larger.