the business side of things
photo: Gene Pittman
photo: Witt Siasoco
Photo: Megan Leafblad
photo: Cameron Wittig
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John Nouanesing is a young French architect making a big name for himself designing tables and chairs (among other things) inspired by pop culture, or really simple and well executed ideas. These include tables that mirror folding paper, or dripping paint. He even created a window frame and shade system designed to mirror Microsoft Windows. I personally would murder about a half dozen people if it guaranteed me a drip table.
I’m no expert on the subject, but my girlfriend recently told me about this 21st century street-art incarnation of the centuries old art of knitting and crocheting, YARN BOMBING. If you are familiar with graffiti slang, bombing is essentially the act of doing graffiti (usually throw ups, tags, straight letters, hollows… you know, the fast, destructive stuff…) Well, groups of young ladies (and perhaps gents) around the country and internationally have adopted the graffiti mantra and started bombing… with yarn. These usually pre-made knitted or crotcheted pieces are secretly adhered to public locations, and newly decorated bus benches, bike racks and the like are the result. I thought it was a cool way to combine a very traditional (and perhaps conventional) artform with the ever growing “street art” movement.
Not to be confused with the yet to evolve Ponyta, the pony tail is a hair term. Well, I guess it is also and animal term.
The ponytail is a simple and easy way to make your hair look good, and, gosh darnit, stay out of your eyes. I wanted to learn more about ponytails, so I turned to the smartest man in the universe, Charles Wikipedia III. Here’s what it had to say:
“In the late 1980s, a short ponytail was seen as an edgy, “in-your-face” look for men who wanted to stand out from the crowd while keeping most of their hair flat and functional. Steven Seagal’s ponytail in “Marked for Death” is an example of such.”
Woah! I completely forgot how badass Steven Seagal did look with a short ponytail. How embarassing would it be to get your ass handed to you on a shiny platter of fists by a slightly large man in a pony tail that looks like he might spend his off time learning the bar chords to the old Star Trek theme? You have to be a man to embody that look… And the only way you can become that kind of a man is to rock a PONYTAIL!!!
Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Emmanuel, I read you loud and clear, but I want to stand out from the crowd.”
In my almost endless quest to find ways to procrastinate I stumbled upon StumbleUpon. It is a website that finds other websites, images, or videos all over the internet for you to visit. If you are a loyal reader of mine, (which I highly doubt), you read about Pandora, a music site which provides you with loads and loads of new music in a streaming radio fashion by first having you enter an artist that you like. Well, StumbleUpon is kind of like the Pandora for strange websites you’d never find but now you love. I know I love it, but if you are my girlfriend, you probably hate that I’ve posted about a thousand links to your facebook in the last week…
Check it out. It is a lot of fun. Here are some of my favorites so far:
-LIST OF UNUSUAL DEATHS
-FUNNY CAPTIONS
-DYING FROG
-HAVE A HEART
-ONE SENTENCE
-ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
-MORE SEXISM THAN YOU COULD SHAKE A STICK AT
Note: These last two were more shocking to me than anything. I wondered if I had accidentally checked the ‘chauvinist pig’ box in my settings, but apparently it thought these were something I’d really be into.
Witt strapped me to a chair and took the electric cattle-prod to my back until I finished reading this essay on “Generation Y.” It is a good, well though-out essay, but I couldn’t help feeling that it was a very broad generalization about my friends and fellow artists. I wrote a terrible response, but I encourage anyone with more to say than ,”Hey, f*#k you man, I’m not disrespectful!” to get involved in the discussion. It is a secret window into what your mom and dad REALLY thought about all of those art projects you made them hang on the fridge.
Recently WACTAC got the chance to visit Burlesque of North America’s design and printing studio, as well as being able to interview one of their members, Mike Davis. Burlesque is a collective of artists and graphic designers best known for their poster and album cover work with a multitude of musicians. Watch the video to learn more, and don’t be afraid to visit www.burlesquedesign.com
Hey there internet family. I decided to start a new feature, where I will try and compile links to this weeks all ages events. I know that this will not be a full list, but hopefully if you happened to stumble upon this and have free time, BAM! problem sovled. (That bam was accompanied by me pouring bourbon into my creole chicken).
My personal favorite was the workshop on learning about the ducks that migrate on the Mississippi. You’ll see me there, I’ll be the one dressed in a screen printed replica T-shirt of this year’s duck stamp, and a hat where the bill is a duck bill, and it has eyes.Enjoy your week.
Want to perform at the Walker Art Center?
Seeking musicians (ages 14 – 18) to score films inspired by Andy Warhol. Selected musicians will work with young filmmakers to compose new original works to be performed live during the screening of the film. To enter, please submit your music sample to teenprograms@walkerart.org by Friday, December 12. Call 612.375.7628 for more info.
Halloween is my favorite holiday. There is something about being able to scare little children without repercussions that makes me feel so good. If you were to look at my slew of homemade costumes and Halloween decorations you might think that I owned my own special effects shop. I don’t, I’m just an overly enthusiastic creep. But that is why we celebrate Halloween, so all the people like me can get it out of their system and hopefully don’t start dressing like celebrities and offering children candy on a regular basis.
Hip-Hop journalist extraordinaire Jeff Chang came through the beautiful Twin Cities for the Republican National Convention. You may have heard about it… or maybe ran into problems getting anywhere for the first week of September.
Jeff is famous for his two books, “Can’t Stop Won’t Stop,” and “Total Chaos.” He was in town gathering info for a piece on hip-hop and politics for VIBE magazine, and Evan and Chantz were lucky enough to sit down with him a few blocks out of range from tear-gas and rubber bullets to sit down with Jeff and get schooled on the state of hip-hop and politics. Check out the short video, and then keep your eye on Jeff for new writing and articles in book stores or magazine racks near you.
[/youtube]Excuse my sophmoric humor. Humour if you’re from England, or as they say “The U.K.”
Anways, excuse my excitement, but I have recently been turned on to one of the only true beauties left on the internet. I’m sick of most of last year’s fascinations. All that thrills me now is Netflix, funny Youtube videos, my email, google images, you know, the most basic human needs… But I’ve recently been introduced to spice, the salt and pepper to add to my meat-and-potatoes internet diet. The names on the tag reads Pandora, and in tiny letters “streaming radio awesomeness.”…
Read the rest »
WACTAC is looking forward to our 3 day Chris Johanson and Jo Jackson love fest in May:
Aside from their artist talk at the Walker on May 1st, Chris and Jo will be presenting CONCLUSIONS ON BOUNDARIES, an art exhibition featuring their painting, sculpture, found materials and video at ART OF THIS gallery in Minneapolis. The exhibition opens MAY thizz-erd at 7pm and runs until June 1st!
To hype up the exhibition the WALKER ART ROBOT will be screening the documentary “BEAUTIFUL LOSERS” on May 2nd - two showings: 7pm and 9pm. Since we’re real cool here on WACTAC we spent a whole meeting sticking it to the man and reserving tickets for high school students, so make sure to bring your student I.D. since the rest of the tickets might be sold out AND you get a discount! Purchase advance tickets here.
Here’s a trailer that I guarantee will make you go bananas:
If you don’t know about BEAUTIFUL LOSERS, look no further than first flute at the next school assembly…
But honestly, lifted straight from my paps Big Walker:
Beautiful Losers is a documentary film celebrating a loose-knit group of American artists–Shepard Fairey, Ed Templeton, Margaret Kilgallen, Barry McGee, Mike Mills, Jo Jackson, Chris Johanson, Thomas Campbell, Harmony Korine, Stephen Powers, and Geoff McFetridge–who emerged from the 1990s underground youth subcultures of skateboarding, graffiti, punk rock, and hip-hop. The film tells the story of these independent-minded individuals, each with a passion for making and a DIY sensibility, and the incredible impact they had on the worlds of art, design, fashion, music, film, and pop culture. 2008, U.S., 35mm, 91 minutes
SO to recap the 3 day Chris and Jo Love Fest:
Thursday, May 1st, 7 PM: Chris Johanson & Jo Jackson Artist Talk at the Walker
Friday, May 2nd, 7 & 9 PM: Beautiful Losers Film Screening at the Walker
Saturday, May 3rd: Chris Johanson & Jo Jackson Exhibition at Art of This
I know what you’re saying to yourself… community center, psssh. Well, I would like to challenge that notion. Hope Community offers some really good, and I mean REAAAALLY GOOD classes to youth, and those who take them then have a life crises when they realize that community centers can be a good thing. HOPE is offering quite a few this March, and I’m going to give you all the info.
Articulating Our Voices Now is a FREE Class offered to young women [ages 16-22] at Hope Community Center. The class will focus on the artistic and creative expression of women, especially those in our community. We will listen to music, write poetry/spoken word, dance, take photographs, freestyle, tell our stories and learn to channel our visions in a variety of ways. We will also work with guest artists [poets, dancers, spoken word artists, writers, musicians] from the Twin Cities. No artistic experience is necessary! All you need is the energy, ideas, and interest to join this class! ENROLL TODAY!
The first meeting for WACTAC’s new program, STREAM, is this Tuesday at 4:30 PM at the Teen Programs office at the Walker Art Center. If you are interested please come on down, you’re the next contestant on the Price is Right… Sorry, that was just something I’ve always wanted to say, or type…
During my daily internet trolling I came upon Urban Outfitter’s blog. I didn’t really know stores had the capacity to think independently, but who is this blogging museum to judge? I’ve only been to an Urban Outfitters once, in New York, to warm my hands on a cold day. The idea that everyone in New York is rude is a myth, everyone tend to be really nice, but the reality manifests itself any time you go into a “trendy” store. Think ALife or Supreme. See, the idea in most retail outlets is to be helpful, smile, and make the customer feel comfortable. However, in this bizzaro New York world it seems like the employees of these trendy boutiques exist only to make you feel uncomfortable and inferior.
That’s why I’m glad the folks at Urban Outfitters’ Minneapolis location keep it real and didn’t grow up to be like their New York sibling. In fact, they even shouted us out. So this is me, shouting you out, for shouting us out. Me watching you watch me.
My main man Nico Berry has been a professional baller since the day he was born, or so I hear. Really, by writing this blog I’m trying to legitimize our friendship so that next time I see him he’ll hook me up with a free t-shirt or something.
Nico was the art director over at a little skateboard magazine called Thrasher for a minute, has done countless shirt designs for Timberland, Mecca, Sureshot, Kid Robot, etc. etc. The release of his vinyl toy had lines around the block in New York, and you know New York keeps it real, nawhaddI’msayin kid?
Artist Axel Peemoeller won several international awards for his painting of this parking garage. I think it’s innovative, and obviously took a lot of planning, but the end effect is incredible. Check it out.
Also, i want to start a website where people can submit voicemail messages you enjoyed. I have quite a few left by drunk friends, and I think it is an interesting form of communication, which hasn’t been around that long. The idea of communicating through your voice at a later time is a pretty strange thing to me, when I think about it… Sorry for the terribly inarticulate post, I’m being distracted by Witt and some sort of ‘meeting’ he’s having.
About a month ago, let’s call it a month and a half… whenever the Uptown Art Crawl was going on, I received a call on my way out of the Walker, a hard day of copies and data entry.
Emmanuel: “D-DON!”
Donald: “Yo, what’s good.”
E:”Nothing, what are you up to?”
D:”Shit, I’m just up here at the art crawl, met some guy who takes flicks of graffiti. He’s looking for someone to take him out later tonight. You down?”
I’m silent at this point. Who is this guy? You just met him and you’re trying to lurk with him in the dark?
E:”Yeah, I’m down, let me meet you up there.”
Hopped on the old rusty chain and made my way up the hill, where I spotted Donald, who was with his friend Jeb, and we quickly made a detour toward some cheese curds. Donald realized he had been short-changed at the taco stand earlier by almost ten dollars, and it prompted me to discuss a book that I bought a couple of years ago, “HOW TO CHEAT AT EVERYTHING,” which exposes scams, such as short-changing at fairs and carnivals, (and art crawls).
We went on to the booth of Xavier Nuez, a tall Canadian man who definitely embodies the French look. Not the beret and striped shirt, but the olive skin and dark features… Listen to me, I sound like I’m beginning a romance novel.
I bought the new Atmosphere cd today, “When Life Gives You Lemons You Paint That Shit Gold.” It was my first and only musical purchase of the year. I’ve been apprehensive, because there is not a whole lot of luxury I can afford these days, but I heard the album in full on a long backseat trip to Northfield at 2 in the morning. I also happened to have been awake for three straight days on said trip, so I was busy being glassy eyed, listening intently and ignoring the front seat conversations. Just me and disgarded fast food wrappers and old rapper friends.
For those of you who don’t know, JUXTAPOSITION ARTS is a community based organization that involves youth from the Twin Cities in art making classes, mural projects, and gives them resources to be heard in their community. Juxta has even given me a break, and I can vouch for them being great.
All of their programs are FREE for youth ages 8-21!
This spring/summer, the programs will consist of:
The Chambers Hotel (hey Ralph Burnet, I was at your house!) is holding Juxtaposition Arts’ show, “Constructive Criticism” at the Burnet Gallery. The show features works by instructors and accomplished students reflecting on social issues important to them. It also features two former WACTAC members, Basanti Miller and Emmanuel Mauleon. (In the interest of full disclosure I’ll let you know that I am in fact Emmanuel Mauleon).
The show opens this Saturday, the 23rd of February at 6:00pm at the Chambers Hotel. Check it out, it looks like it should be a good show, good art, good discussion, all-around good time.
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