Category Archives: Culture

Culture

NARAL Hand Drawn Playing Cards Celebrate Trailblazing American Women

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In honor of Women’s History Month and coinciding with worldwide activities marking International Women’s Day, NARAL is relaunching The Gender Cards—a deck of illustrated playing cards that celebrate trailblazing American women. Each card is hand-drawn and unique, and recalls the incredible women—past and present—who have helped define the American spirit.

NARAL cards animation

These cards feature some of the strong leaders, brilliant thinkers, fierce competitors, brave risk takers, and trailblazing innovators who achieved great things while always moving the nation forward.

“Now more than ever, it’s time to celebrate the trailblazing women who have always made America great,” said Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America. “One of my favorite things about The Gender Cards is seeing my friends and family post photos of their kids playing with the cards. These cards are not only beautiful to play with, they help us learn more about the women whose lives help tell the American Story. These really are the perfect gift.”

The Gender Cards make a great gift for friends and family, and are available only through NARAL. Get yours today at TheGenderCards.com.

Some of the amazing American women featured on the 54 hand-drawn cards include:

  • Rosa Parks
  • The Women of the Supreme Court
  • Black Lives Matter leaders
  • Hillary Clinton
  • Helen Keller
  • Rachel Carson
  • Gloria Steinem
  • Dolores Huerta
  • Sojourner Truth
  • The Suffragists
  • Sheryl Sandberg
  • Beyoncé
  • Michelle Obama
  • Sally Ride
  • Ella Fitzgerald
  • Laverne Cox
  • Georgia O’Keeffe
  • and many more!
For the Silo, Bianca Rosales.
NARAL Pro-Choice America and its network of state affiliates are dedicated to protecting and expanding reproductive freedom for all Americans. NARAL works to guarantee that every woman has the right to make personal decisions regarding the full range of reproductive choices, including preventing unintended pregnancy, bearing healthy children, and choosing legal abortion. In recognition of its work defending our constitutional right to choose, Fortune Magazine described NARAL as “one of the top 10 advocacy groups in America.”
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Fans Of 1960s TV Star Trek Should Be Aware of Star Trek Continues

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When the next episode of STAR TREK CONTINUES is revealed, science fiction fans will see a familiar face in a guest star role.  The new episode, titled Still Treads the Shadow, features guest star Rekha Sharma, perhaps best known to science fiction fans for her role in more than 30 episodes of Battlestar Galactica.   While details of Sharma’s character in STAR TREK CONTINUES are being kept under wraps until April, she says the offer for a role came after meeting Vic “Kirk” Mignogna at FedCon Germany last year during the 50th Anniversary of STAR TREK event.



“Vic and I kept in touch after FedCon, and then he asked if I’d be interested in coming aboard STAR TREK CONTINUES.  He told me about a script that was in development and the character he had in mind.  I’m so delighted that it worked with my schedule,” Sharma says.   Sharma’s first introduction to the original STAR TREK series came from her big brother.   “All my friends were watching Full House or something.  I’m not sure! And there I was, coming home after school and watching the original STAR TREK and old Perry Mason reruns!  I remember my brother told me that there were people opening and closing the doors, which I thought it was so cool and cheesy. And it very much appealed to my dreams of utopia — especially as a young colored girl growing up in very white neighborhoods,” says Sharma.   Rekha’s character of Tory Foster in the rebooted Battlestar Galactica, which began in 2004, developed after several auditions.   “From the very first audition, I was immediately struck by the intelligence, artistry and kind-heartedness of the directors and producers. I thought, I’d really like to work with these people! First I went in for the role of a Viper pilot, then a captain, and then the role of Tory came along.  Oh yeah, I thought, this is a perfect part for me.” Galactica’s producers apparently agreed.   “Working on Battlestar Galactica was a dream come true.  From my previous experience, I honestly didn’t think I could be creatively satisfied working in TV. But Battlestar Galactica changed that. Not only was it creatively satisfying, but we also had such a great team of people.  We are all like family to this day,” Sharma explains

 star trek continues bridge

What does it mean to be a STAR TREK CONTINUES guest star?   “It means I have fulfilled a dream, in a way, and that I’ve come full circle. I loved those stories. They had a wonderful morality and vision for humanity that made my heart sing. And then I got to step onto those sets and step into my childhood and be a part of telling that kind of story.   Not only that, but that world was so fun! I loved those neat-o futuristic gadgets when I was a kid. And now, as an adult, I got to play with them. I got to sit on the bridge.  There weren’t any trailers, so when I needed to rest between scenes, I took naps in sickbay on board the Enterprise.   And I got beamed in the transporter!  I can’t wait to see that,” she says enthusiastically.   The experience of working on the STAR TREK CONTINUES set “was so refreshing,” Sharma says.  “Everyone is there for love, not money. It felt like Battlestar Galactica that way. Although it’s a fan run project, the STAR TREK CONTINUES sets were surprisingly professional and very impressive. It was a mix of TV veterans and total newbies, and that made for an awesome atmosphere to work in. It was the best of both worlds, really.”   Sharma likes to compare the character she’s playing in Episode 8 to be much like aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart.  “She is smart as a whip, very technically inclined, and brave. I thought of her as a bright light of goodness and intelligence with a big heart.”   She admits to being very surprised at what the cast and crew have created with STAR TREK CONTINUES.   “You know, Vic told me that I’d become part of the family, but I had no idea what he meant. They have chosen a team who are all friendly, diligent, thoughtful and good-hearted people. I felt so welcomed and incredibly lucky. It makes sense that they’re shooting in the south – they’re so hospitable!  And those sets! Again, Vic told me what they built, but until you’re there you just can’t conceive of it. It’s really impressive. I know I’m not the only one who was moved to tears,” Sharma says.   Fans will be able to see Rekha Sharma at future conventions and events.   “It’s funny. At first it felt so strange to do conventions, but as time has gone on I’ve really come to appreciate them.  It’s special to have the opportunity to meet the fans and discuss the themes of these shows. You get to connect with people that you’d never get to meet otherwise. And sci-fi fans are awesome because, generally speaking, they still have dreams. They’re not jaded. They believe in possibility. And without that, nothing would ever change for the better. We’ve got to hold on to our dreams and keep being warriors in this world – to truly go where no man has gone before.”   “Still Treads the Shadow” will premiere at Fan Expo Dallas on April 1 at the Dallas Convention Center.

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers about remaining episodes of STAR TREK CONTINUES 

 

How are you getting around the guidelines for fan films?   As CBS/Paramount has made clear, the guidelines are not laws; they are general parameters applied on a case-by-case basis. Since the implementation of the guidelines, we have stopped all crowdfunding activities and have focused strictly on completing the four episodes which had already been funded as of that time by fans’ donations to our 501(c)(3) non-profit. STAR TREK CONTINUES has always followed any and all instructions given to us by CBS regarding our production, and will continue to do so.   Does STAR TREK CONTINUES have any type of special and/or official arrangement with CBS/Paramount?   No.

 

How long are the episodes?   They will be exactly the same format as our previous episodes   Why are you ending the series?   Recent developments necessitated our finishing up sooner than we intended, but it was always our goal to bring The Original Series to a conclusion. With our final four episodes, we will have done that. It’s been an amazing five years creating this series, and we will miss making it.  But all good things… Weren’t you going to make 13 episodes? Did CBS make you stop?   CBS is not responsible for the decision to end the series. We are doing 11 episodes instead of 13 because another fan group took advantage of the good graces of the copyright holders forcing them to protect their property and the interests of their license holders. In deference and gratitude to CBS, we are wrapping up earlier than planned. We always have stood, and continue to stand, with CBS.   Can we get DVDs/Blu-ray discs of the final episodes?   As we do not own STAR TREK, we cannot sell DVDs or Blu-ray discs. In the past, we’ve made a limited number of discs available as crowdfunding perks. However, since we are no longer crowdfunding, providing episodes to the public on DVD and/or Blu-ray discs is not currently feasible for us.   What will happen to the studio/sets? Will set visits/tours be available?   We don’t have a definitive answer on this right now, but we’re considering all our options.

Art

In These Days Of Alternative Fact And Secrecy It Is Difficult To Hold On To Truth

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The shape of truth is often difficult to discern. It bends and shifts or is manipulated to suit a particular narrative. Facts become the object of debate when power is at stake. Corruption breeds untruths. While objective concepts do not require belief in order to exist, we can not grasp what we simply do not know. In these days of alternative fact and secrecy, it is difficult to hold on to what constitutes truth. We are told by those on high to avert our eyes and ears while purveyors of truth are silenced. John Dalberg-Acton bequeathed these words to the world, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.”

Richard Vine is the managing editor of Art in America.
Richard Vine is the managing editor of Art in America.

Richard Vine, art critic and managing editor of Art in America has recently penned his first novel. SoHo Sins follows the pulp tradition right down to the cover art created by Robert McGuire, one of the greats of noir cover art in the 1950s. The novel deals with the corruption of innocence by way of a murder mystery and harkens back to the 90s heyday for the art world in SoHo. Vine has also curated multiple exhibits including “Darkness Visible” in Beijing, China and “Golden Selections” in Iceland. Vine’s second novel will take on the political crimes enacted at Kent State when the National Guard opened fire on demonstrating students wounding nine and killing four. He was a student at Kent State at the time and witnessed this incident.

Installation View, Cynthia Greig's “Making Mischief” at Center Galleries, College for Creative Studies, Detroit, MI photo credit: Alex Gingrow
Installation View, Cynthia Greig’s “Making Mischief” at Center Galleries, College for Creative Studies, Detroit, MI photo credit: Alex Gingrow

Cynthia Greig is a native of Detroit. Her studio sits north of the famed 8 Mile. She says of her home city that while there is a great diversity of opinion, even in the midst of decay those who truly know the city could see the inherent beauty of the place. Her art takes on the topic of exhibitionism, investigating and deconstructing the concept of the white cube gallery space and breaking it down to its essential parts. She has watched the scale of galleries grow exponentially from white cube to international powerhouses and examined how this affects the value of the art within. Her art explores these themes often depicting interruptions in the pristine facade of the gallery space.

Additional interviews include: Nate Harrison, Christopher Richmond, and Melissa Stern.

tequila mockingbird bookWhile we can not ever know absolute reality, we can look at it from every angle and make informed decisions. What are you reading to shape your own reality? Tequila Mockingbird is a book written by Carter Ratcliffe, friend and colleague to Richard Vine, that bears witness to Russian oligarchy through the vapid eyes of a supermodel. Cynthia Greig balances intake of the barrage of political news with American Canopy: Trees, Forests, and the Making of a Nation by Erik Rutkow. Add your titles to our reading list here.

FIGMENT NYC invites artists to submit their proposals for an annual mini golf course. Artists create large, interactive installation pieces at Governor’s Island, New York to be enjoyed by the public. Deadline for submissions is March 10 and artists must be able to participate in installation during late May. All proposals must include an estimated budget.

For some, truth is malleable and to be used in order to bolster a particuclar need. We must always strive to stay awake, demanding transparent truths and examining from every angle. We must raise our eyes and our voices, crying out until the truth is spoken loud and clear. For the Silo, Brainard Carey.

Brainard  is currently giving free webinars on how to write a better Artist bio and statement and how to get a show in a gallery – you can register for that live webinar and ask questions live by clicking here.

Art

US Premiere of Small Wonders: The VR Experience At Metropolitan Museum Of Art

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“Walking through 500-year-old art…Once I put the VR headset and headphones on, it truly felt like I was transported to another world. You could walk through the levels of sculpture and detail in the bead, which was a frieze of heaven on top, purgatory in the middle, and hell below it. There were easily 20 fully carved objects – humans, demons, and animals – in the five centimeter bead, with multiple layers of objects on top of one another to create a three-dimensional image. I was astounded to be able to see, as close as I wanted to get, the bead in all its detail.”— Stefan Palios,betakit

The Canadian Film Centre’s Media Lab (CFC Media Lab), Seneca’s School of Creative Arts and Animation, and the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) are pleased to announce their groundbreaking virtual reality (VR) collaboration, Small Wonders: The VR Experience. It will screen for a special four-day limited-run as part of The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s new exhibition, Small Wonders: Gothic Boxwood Miniatures, February 22-27, 2017 at The Met Cloisters (99 Margaret Corbin Drive, Fort Tryon Park, New York, NY 10040).

From February 24 to 27 during public hours, visitors can don a VR headset and explore a 3D rendering of a miniature boxwood carving from the AGO’s collection. The experience is free with general admission, reservations required, and marks a significant first for The Met Cloisters—the integrated use of VR to enhance the exhibition experience.

The exhibition Small Wonders: Gothic Boxwood Miniatures, which runs through May 21st, brings together for the first time some 50 rare boxwood carvings from museums and private collections across Europe and North America. The exhibition offers new insight into the methods of production and cultural significance of these awe-inspiring works of art. Small enough to fit in the palm of the hand, these tiny masterpieces depict complex scenes with elegance and precision. Without fail, they inspire viewers to ask how a person could have possibly made them, a question that can only be answered today and a challenge perfect for VR technology.

“Much of the success of new VR will hinge upon the quality of experiences being created. Everyone is searching for that sublime encounter one can only have in VR. With the boxwood miniatures and their high-resolution scans, we have found the perfect, transcendent landscape to explore in this medium,” says Ana Serrano, Chief Digital Officer, CFC, and Producer, Small Wonders: The VR Experience.

The AGO, CFC Media Lab and Seneca’s School of Creative Arts and Animation partnered to create Small Wonders: The VR Experience. Using one of the AGO’s micro-computed topography (micro-CT) scans of the miniatures, the creative and technical team led by interactive artist and designer, Priam Givord, developed an experience specifically for the HTC Vive platform. Viewers can explore the intricate carvings of the prayer bead from various angles and in detail otherwise inaccessible to the human eye. The soundtrack, Treasures of Devotion: Spiritual Songs in Northern Europe 1500-1540, echoes the ambience of the wider show. The result: VR enriches the contemplative and immersive experience.

Barbara Drake Boehm, the Paul and Jill Ruddock Senior Curator for The Met Cloisters said: “At first glance, the VR experience might seem anomalous in the medieval ambiance of The Met Cloisters. But, thanks to the efforts of the CFC Media Lab, Seneca and the AGO, VR opens a portal through which our visitors can tumble into a tiny world, and sense the meditative power that these centuries-old works of art were intended to convey.”

Small Wonders: The VR Experience was created by Lisa Ellis, Conservator of Sculpture and Decorative Arts (AGO); VR Creative and Technical Director Priam Givord (Interactive Artist/Designer); VR Producers Ana Serrano (CFC Media Lab) and Mark Jones (Seneca College); VR Technical Team Craig Alguire, Morgan Young (Quantum Capture) and Tyrone Melkitoy (Mobius Interactive); Composer/Vocalist Anne Azema, Artistic Director (The Boston Camerata); Narrator Gillian McIntyre; and Micro-CT Scanner Andrew Nelson, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Sustainable Archaeology (Western University).

The exhibition continues at The Met Cloisters through May 21, 2017, but the VR experience will only run during public hours, February 24–27. To learn more about the Small Wonders exhibition and to plan your visit, go to: http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2017/small-wonders

At The Met Cloisters, Small Wonders: Gothic Boxwood Miniatures is made possible by the Michel David-Weill Fund. It was organized by the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; and the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.

Social Media

Canadian Film Centre (CFC)
@cfccreates.com | facebook.com/cfccreates CFC Media Lab (CFC Media Lab)
@cfcmedialab | facebook.com/cfcmedialab		 Seneca College
@senecacomms | facebook.com/senecacollegeArt Gallery of Ontario (AGO)
@AGOToronto | facebook.com/AGOToronto

The Metropolitan Museum of Art
@metmuseum | facebook.com/metmuseum

About CFC

The Canadian Film Centre (CFC) is a charitable organization whose mission is to invest in and inspire the next generation of world-class Canadian content creators and entrepreneurs in the screen-based entertainment industry. A significant economic and cultural driver in Canada and beyond, CFC delivers a range of multi-disciplinary programs and initiatives in film, television, music, screen acting, and digital media, which provides industry collaborations, strategic partnerships, and business and marketplace opportunities for talent and participants. For more information, visit  cfccreates.com.

About CFC Media Lab

The Canadian Film Centre’s Media Lab (CFC Media Lab) is an internationally acclaimed digital media think tank and award-winning production facility. It provides a unique research, training and production environment for digital media content developers and practitioners, as well as acceleration programs and services for digital entertainment start-ups and related SMEs. The Silo founder and Digital Editor Jarrod Barker and contributor Arthur Maughan are graduates and fellows of the CFC Media Lab. Program participants have emerged as leaders in the world of digital media, producing groundbreaking projects and innovative, sustainable companies for the digital and virtual age. CFC Media Lab is funded in part by the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario. For more information, visit  cfccreates.com.

About Seneca

With campuses in Toronto, York Region and Peterborough, Seneca offers degrees, diplomas, certificates and graduate programs renowned for their quality and respected by employers. It is one of the largest comprehensive colleges in Canada, offering nearly 300 full-time, part-time and online programs. Combining the highest academic standards with work-integrated and applied learning, expert teaching faculty and the latest technology ensure Seneca graduates are career-ready. Find out more at  senecacollege.ca.

About AGO

With a collection of more than 90,000 works of art, the Art Gallery of Ontario is among the most distinguished art museums in North America. From the vast body of Group of Seven and signature Canadian works to the African art gallery, from the cutting-edge contemporary art to Peter Paul Rubens’s masterpiece The Massacre of The Innocents, the AGO offers an incredible art experience with each visit. In 2002, Ken Thomson’s generous gift of 2,000 remarkable works of Canadian and European art inspired Transformation AGO, an innovative architectural expansion by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry that in 2008 resulted in one of the most critically acclaimed architectural achievements in North America. Highlights include Galleria Italia, a gleaming showcase of wood and glass running the length of an entire city block, and the often-photographed spiral staircase, beckoning visitors to explore. The AGO has an active membership program offering great value, and the AGO’s Weston Family Learning Centre offers engaging art and creative programs for children, families, youth and adults. Visit ago.net to learn more.

About The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world for everyone to experience and enjoy. The Museum lives in three iconic sites in New York City— The Met Fifth Avenue, The Met Breuer, and The Met Cloisters. Millions of people also take part in The Met experience online. Since it was founded in 1870, The Met has always aspired to be more than a treasury of rare and beautiful objects. Every day, art comes alive in the Museum’s galleries and through its exhibitions and events, revealing both new ideas and unexpected connections across time and across cultures.

The Met presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world for everyone to experience and enjoy. The Museum lives in three iconic sites in New York City— The Met Fifth Avenue, The Met Breuer, and The Met Cloisters. Millions of people also take part in The Met experience online. Since it was founded in 1870, The Met has always aspired to be more than a treasury of rare and beautiful objects. Every day, art comes alive in the Museum’s galleries and through its exhibitions and events, revealing both new ideas and unexpected connections across time and across cultures.

Art

Light Informs Art In Ways That Cannot Be Disentangled

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We sit in the grip of deep winter, snow reflecting the moonlight at last. At this time of the year, the earth slows down and so too can we. It is time for us to reflect as well, upon the year that has been and the year ahead. During these dark months, light becomes a precious thing. Something to celebrate and embrace as we pass the days. Everything we see is light and light informs art in a way that cannot be disentangled.

ak-dolven-painting-detail

“Light is also about…the passage of time,” says Norwegian artist A K Dolven. Living on an island in Norway above the Arctic Circle has given her a unique perspective about the interplay of art and light. Her work examines intimacy and large social groups, the relationships of nationality, population, space, and how this changes the work she does. In her village of nine people, a piece of art takes on a very different character than it does in a large city such as Brussels or London. Dolven incorporates balance in its many forms in the world we live in. Political balance, social balance, life balance, and other delicate equilibriums contribute to the nature of her art.

Milovan Destil Markovic recently participated in a Belgrade-based exhibition titled “The Pleasure of Love in a Time of Hate.” His work for the exhibition was in the form of barcode paintings that touched on sexual intimacy. Markovic also uses his barcode paintings in a series titled “The Abduction of Europe” in which he takes a hard look at economic power struggles within the European community.

milovan-destil-markovic-barcode-paintings

The paintings resemble street graffiti with economically and politically charged statements spray painted within the confines of a barcode structure. Markovic also creates what he calls Transfigurative Paintings. These works employ a medium that reflects the subject in some way.
Additional interviews include: Karl Haendel and Paul McDevitt

Winter can be a time for personal reflection. We can create a space where it is safe for our minds to explore new horizons through literature. What are you reading to pass the cold days and dark nights? Click here to add your books. User Carla Cruz has been immersed in The Mandarins by Simone de Beauvoir, while M Chevska seeks winter solitude in Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann.

An example of Jarrod Barker's graffiti inspired landscape painting.
An example of Jarrod Barker’s graffiti inspired landscape painting.

Those interested in the opportunity to create a piece of permanent, public art can submit to Seattle’s Central City Connector Project. An artist or team of artists will be chosen to create artwork that defines the aesthetic of the Central City Connector Streetcar Line. Alte Schule Hohenstein has an open call to artists interested in a residency at their school in Germany.

As we run down the days until the world is reborn and spring returns, let us not forget to enjoy the respite of winter darkness. Invite light in when it presents itself and wrap your mind in the stillness of midwinter.For the Silo, Brainard Carey.

Brainard  is currently giving free webinars on how to write a better Artist bio and statement and how to get a show in a gallery – you can register for that live webinar and ask questions live by clicking here.

Spotlight image courtesy of urbanchristiannews.com

Supplemental– The History and Creation of the Barcode.

Culture

eBay Canada Set Sights On Kijiji Shoppers With Test Integration Project

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Back in 2017, eBay Canada and Kijiji Canada launched a test to bring increased visibility to Canadian eBay inventory: eBay listings for certain items located in Canada were integrated into search results on Kijiji – the #1 classifieds site in the country. Kijiji buyers were given the opportunity to connect with relevant eBay inventory, and eBay sellers were able to gain exposure to Kijiji’s more than 16 million unique monthly visitors.

Listing Ads Served Within Listing Ads

This inventory integration project was part of ongoing global efforts to create synergies across eBay Inc.’s businesses.

Canadian eBay sellers were asked to keep the following in mind regarding the inventory integration test:

#1. It was a test. We were adjusting listing integration parameters based on a variety of criteria – including Kijiji buyer behaviour and eBay listing performance – to ensure we are delivering the best possible experience for eBay sellers and Kijiji buyers. This test would evolve based on our learnings.

#2. The test was small-scale. Only one or two eBay items were shown in any given Kijiji result set, and only for selected searches.

#3. eBay sellers did not need to do anything at the time. eBay listings for inventory located in Canada were automatically made eligible for exposure in Kijiji search results. There was no opt-in process required; there were no additional fees required; and there were no account settings that needed to be adjusted.

Fast forward to today- if you are a Kijiji Canada user you may be surprised by how many eBay ads are now served as the test is now a permanent fixture. For the Silo, Russ Patterson, COO and Director of Product Management, eBay Canada.

Supplemental- Collectibles market has been hit hard.

Mr. Thrifter: eBay vs craigslist vs kijiji vs Amazon – Where should I sell my stuff?

Culture

Zoos Are Consumers Of Elephants Not Conservers

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In Defense of Animals has released its respected annual list of the Ten Worst Zoos For Elephants for 2016, exposing the shocking hidden suffering of elephants in zoos in North America. The list reveals captivity-related deaths, abuse with weapons, grossly inadequate conditions, families ripped apart, elephants torn from Africa and shipped to US zoos, elephants forced to wash cars, and even elephants found playing with a car battery.

 1-oklahoma-city-zoo_chai-on-hoist_credit-public-record-via

“2016 was a shocking year for zoo elephant suffering”, said In Defense of Animals President, Dr. Marilyn Kroplick. “In our zoos, elephants’ rights are violated, they are stripped of their dignity, and submitted to disgusting abuses. We owe it to elephants to stop exploiting them. It is time to shut down archaic and barbaric zoo exhibits, and retire elephants to sanctuaries where they can live in peace.”

 

Zoos all over the US and one zoo in Canada appear on the worst list, with Oklahoma City Zoo shamed as the #1 Worst Zoo. Tragic captive elephant Chai was found dead outside the Oklahoma elephant exhibit on a very cold January morning in 2016, at just 37 years old. She had lost 1,000 pounds since she was shipped in from Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. Gut-wrenching footage reveals Chai in a severely emaciated and weak state, being hoisted on a crane after she was unable to stand up. After her death, Chai was found to have been suffering from a bacterial infection and untreated pus-filled abscesses, marking a gross failing of the zoo to provide basic animal care.

 

Chai’s only friend Bamboo survives her, and has since had two inches of her tail bitten off by another frustrated elephant in their prison-like pen. Bamboo has been kept in either in solitary confinement with the aggressive female, or in the occasional company of a young male; none of these circumstances constitute even reasonable social companionship. Yet Oklahoma Zoo callously describes this sad elephant inmate as doing “great”.

 7-wildlife-safari_george-used-as-an-elephant-carwash_credit-kpic

Chai and Bamboo are not the only victims of Oklahoma Zoo’s mismanagement. Baby elephant Malee died at in late 2015 at the age of just four. She was likely killed by the same herpes virus the zoo knew Chai and Bamboo had been exposed to.

 

All these tragedies may have been avoided by sending Chai and Bamboo to a sanctuary home that offered to accept the pair when Woodland Park Zoo shut down its elephant exhibit in 2014.

 

Shockingly, Oklahoma City Zoo is among half of all the captive facilities shamed on the Ten Worst Zoos List that are accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, showing how little AZA certification stands for. In 2016, the Association’s own study found social aspects of elephant lives to be of paramount importance to their wellbeing, yet 20% of AZA accredited zoos with elephant exhibits have only two elephants. Some AZA certified zoos are even keeping highly social elephants in isolation, such as the Bronx Zoo, where Happy the female elephant is tragically separated from two other females.

 

Zoos are consumers, not conservers, of elephants. Captive elephants are dying faster than they can reproduce, leading zoos to steal young elephants from the wild, which destroys the elephant societies zoos claim to be conserving. Behind the scenes, zoos in the US and Canada are condemning Earth’s largest land mammals to lifetimes of deprivation, disease, despair, and early death. It is time to end our shameful exploitation of elephants in American zoos.

 

10 WORST ZOOS:

1. Oklahoma City Zoo, Oklahoma

2. Natural Bridge Zoo, Rockbridge County, Virginia

3. Honolulu Zoo, Hawaii

4. Edmonton Valley Zoo, Alberta, Canada

5. Oregon Zoo, Portland, Oregon

6. Buffalo Zoo, Buffalo, New York

7. Wildlife Safari, Winston, Oregon

8. Pittsburgh Zoo, Pennsylvania

9. Milwaukee County Zoo, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

10. Fort Worth Zoo, Fort Worth, Texas

 

HALL OF SHAME

Buttonwood Park Zoo, New Bedford, Massachusetts

DISHONORABLE MENTION

Bronx Zoo, Bronx, New York

For the Silo, Toni Frohoff, Ph.D.  For more information, please visit http://www.idausa.org/tenworstzoos2016

In Defense of Animals is an international animal protection organization with over 250,000 supporters and a 30-year history of fighting for animals, people and the environment through education, campaigns and hands on rescue facilities in India, Africa, and rural Mississippi.

 

IN DEFENSE OF ANIMALS • 3010 KERNER BLVD. • SAN RAFAEL, CA 94901 • 415-448-0048  Please mention thesilo.ca when calling.

Culture

A Basic Visual Guide On Helping Your Children Through Divorce

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For children, divorce can be an extremely upsetting and stressful time. Their world changes and it’s confusing. They may feel uncertain, scared, angry, hurt and depressed. As a parent, you can make the process less stressful for your children by being aware of ways to make the process less unsettling for them.

Your understanding, patience and reassurance can help greatly in your child’s adjustment. The infographic below via our friends at Browell Smith & Co Solicitors shows ways for you to reduce your child’s pain by making their well-being the most important part of the transition.

helping-your-children-through-divorce-infographic

Art

Light, Interviews, Books to Inspire, And A Call To Artists From Rome

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Consider for a moment the nature of light and time. Fleeting, infinite, unknowable, and yet familiar as our own minds. We long for more time while cursing its slow progress. Temporal matters dictate every aspect of our human lives. We are beholden to the times in which we live. We cannot grasp light and yet we are surrounded by it. When we enter into the unknown, art is a light guiding us toward better days ahead.

Mary Temple's "unsolved red white and blue"
Mary Temple’s “unsolved red white and blue”

Mary Temple has the ability to incorporate all of this into her artwork in the most surprising ways. She can capture a moment and freeze it for all eternity with the stroke of her brush. Her ethereal public art painted on existing architecture preserves the memory of a moment of light. Temple also focuses on the times in which we live, using her art to engage in global political discussion. Her series Currency depicted world leaders in such a way that ranked them according to their ability to achieve progress in matters of world peace. Temple uses time as a dimension in her work. Currency was an up to the minute newsfeed told through hand drawn portraiture, while her public artwork uses light to capture time and hold it still for all to see.

Susan Silton Billboard commission
Susan Silton Billboard commission

Susan Silton lets our life and times inform her art. Through performance, installation, video, photography, text, audio, participation and print-based projects, Silton speaks to the turbulence around us. She fuses humor, unease, beauty with the intention of shining a light on the failures and triumphs of our moment on the planet. Her video work “Turn the Beat Around” was a direct response to the 2016 attack on an Orlando, Florida nightclub. Her art is a conduit to process grief, come to terms with the violence in our society, and seek common ground.

Writer Murong Xuecun once said, “Literature is not at the service of the government; on the contrary governments should do everything in their power to create a favorable climate for literature.” In these uncertain political times, what are you reading? Click here to contribute your books in the comments  or use the comments feature at the end of this post. Tony Maslic, is reading “The Dispossessed” by Ursula Le Guin. Lian Brehm has turned to Suzi Gablick’s “The Reenchantment of Art” while artist Mary Temple cites the works of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, as well as her TEDx talk We Should all be Feminists as necessary fuel.

The Rome Glocal Brightness 2017 Light Festival has issued a call for artists. The Festival illuminates the sixth district of Rome allowing viewers to experience undiscovered corners of the city.

This bringing of light does not seek to diminish the dark, but to emphasize that the darkness can become a canvas in itself.
As we stand together at the edge of a new ravine, let us not fear what may be but embrace what is in each moment and never stop reaching toward the light. For the Silo, Brainard Carey.

Brainard Carey is an artist, author and educator. You can attend one of his free webinars for artists here. He also has an educational platform for artists called Praxis Center.

*featured image- Mary Temple “Currency”Series

Culture

Toronto Erotic Arts And Crafts Fair Returns To The Gladstone Hotel In February

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The Erotic Arts & Crafts Fair is Back!  Toronto’s first – and most beloved – fair celebrating all things sexy is popping up once again this February at the Gladstone Hotel!

Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be brought to you by Hallmark – for another way, full of charm, wit, and craftsmanship, visit Toronto’s beloved Erotic Arts & Crafts Fair this season! The Erotic Arts & Crafts Fair is a one day celebration showcasing local handmade wares celebrating love, sex, and community, hosted by ‘anti-capitalist worker-owned co-operative’ Come As You Are.

toronto erotic arts crafts show official poster2017

Visitors can expect lovingly made goods ranging from raunchy embroidery, whimsical gitch, natural contraceptives, zines, pasties, jewelry, erotic art, leather bowties, sex toys, BDSM gear, and so much more! Come As You Are will also be offering free prize draws throughout the day, plus free sweet treats.

Date: February 11, 2017
Time: 10-4
Cost: Free
Venue: The Gladstone Hotel, North Ballroom. 1214 Queen St. West. Wheelchair Accessible!

www.eroticartsandcrafts.com
https://www.facebook.com/eroticartsfair

About Come As You Are: Come As You Are is the world’s only worker owned and operated sex toy store, and is currently celebrating it’s 20th year. Come As You Are’s mandate has always been guided by the co-operative’s love of sexual health, pleasure, and education plus a profound sense of dissatisfaction with the “sex industry” as a whole.
Click here for a sampling of this year’s vendors.

BlackLine Accessories
blackline accessories

A vegan up-cycled jewelry and accessories line made from motorcycle inner tubes.

Crafty Chas Crochet

crafty chascrochet

These dolls are made in the hopes that a wide range of people can finally feel represented, to act as a healing tool, and made to remove the shame from nudity.
Lovecrafters
lovecrafters

Geeky, playful, whimsical and fun adult fantasy toys. All hand sculpted and made out of safe platinum grade silicone.

Michelle Gauthier Art

michelle gautierart

Gauthier creates feminist and reproductive-themed works in order to promote self- love, to embrace individuality, and to show that there is no cause for shame when it comes to what is natural.

Milkweed Zine
milkweedzine

Milkweed is a sex-positive erotic zine, featuring photography, visual art, poetry and short fiction from around the world. It explores playfully explores identity, sexuality and eroticism, reflecting a diversity of experiences.
Sartoria
sartoria

The finest cashmere undergarments for a superior winter experience.
Vanessa Walsh
vanessawalsh

Watercolour artist specializing in hyper-realistic erotic and bdsm art. Definitely not your grandmother’s watercolours!
vintagelove
vintagelove

A subversive peek into the 1950s modern lifestyle and aesthetic.
Weal & Breech

weal and breech

Makers of bespoke implements for impact and restraint play. All of their toys are designed and made by hand out of the finest local and exotic woods, and full-grain leathers. For the Silo, Noah Kloeze.

Art

Emerging China Wine Market Impacts USA, Canada and Global Wine Markets

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It’s no secret that luxury brands have thrived in China in recent years amid a population increasingly oriented toward high-end consumer goods like fashion, jewelry and automobiles—and the elevated social status such items confer. Today, the Chinese population is immersed in a new love affair: with grape-based wine!  According to internationally-renowned sommelier, Noel Shu, China is about to be known producing quality wine bringing the region on par with other wine producing regions such as Napa Valley and Sonoma in California.
A self-made entrepreneur who serves as Managing Partner for ultra-luxe wine and spirits purveyor, Prodiguer Brands Shu recently launched his new book, China Through a Glass of Wine, to provide the most in-depth understanding of the wine marketplace to date and an extensive analysis of the modern Chinese wine industry, revealing a delicate interplay between commerce, the government and the consumer.
emerging-china-wine-market-book-cover-isbnInternational-renowned sommelier, Noel Shu, provides in-depth look at the modern Chinese wine industry and guides us through the misty vineyards and crowded wineries of China.
Following the tradition of great traveling sommeliers, his no-holds-barred journey through China’s emerging wine culture is part ethnography, travel guide, tasting guide, cross-cultural examination and snapshot of the Chinese wine trade and consumer culture at large.
China Through a Glass of Wine also includes insightful interviews with key industry movers and shakers, including China’s largest wine importer and distribution company as well as boutique and unique chateaus across the region, revealing what wine making in present-day China is really like.

Casual wine enthusiasts and travelers as well as serious collectors and globally-minded investors will appreciate the accurate portrayal of China “through a glass of wine.” For the Silo, Trina Kaye.

About the Author
Internationally-regarded sommelier Noel Shu, Managing Partner for the ultra-luxe, award-winning wine and spirits purveyor Prodiguer Brands, is a 24-year-old self-made millionaire, entrepreneur and author of the newly released title, “China Through a Glass of Wine.”  With impeccable panache and style, Shu, has already accomplished more than many do in an entire lifetime. He earned his undergraduate at West Point, completed the U.S. Army’s elite and grueling Combat Diver Qualification Course at the Special Forces Underwater Operations School (regarded by many Soldiers as the toughest military school to endure), and has personally designed and sold extraordinary multi-million dollar timepieces and necklaces to China’s elite through his ancillary, highly successful luxury jewelry business.  Always striving to for growth and self-improvement and with a reverence for continuing education, despite his busy schedule Shu is currently pursuing an Ivy League Master’s degree at Columbia University. As a globally-minded business practitioner, Shu understands commerce on both sides of the Pacific and brings that expertise to bear with his various ventures, including the highly anticipated upcoming release of “Regale”—an exclusive wine brand expressly developed for the Chinese marketplace, which will be exported to the region in early 2016.  For more information about Noel Shu, visit www.prodiguerbrands.com.

 

Art

Gainsbourg Still Alive Exhibit In Paris, France Is Smashing Tribute

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Emerging and established contemporary artists pay tribute in a new exhibit to SERGE GAINSBOURG, to his libertarian and rebel spirit. SERGE GAINSBOURG was very close to SALVADOR DALI, whom surrealist genius fascinated him.

Like Dali, Gainsbourg knew how to play with his image and how to manipulate the medias to communicate about him.

Author, composer, producer, actor and photographer, Gainsbourg is the Artist of the 80s.

On the occasion of the 25th birthday of his death, emerging and established contemporary artists revisit the famous portrait “Gainsbourg-Dali” immortalized in 1985 by the photographer ROBERTO BATTISTINI

READ the gainsbourg-still-alive-pdf   For the Silo, Nathalie de Frouville.

Exhibition address-

Etude Cornette de Saint Cyr

6 avenue hoche

75008 Paris

France

roberto-battistini-photo-gainsbourg-still-alive-exhibit

L’IDÉE A l’occasion du 25e Anniversaire

Des artistes contemporains majeurs et de jeunes plasticiens rendent hommage à SERGE GAINSBOURG à son esprit libertaire et contestataire. SERGE GAINSBOURG était très proche de SALVADOR DALI qu’il avait côtoyé et dont le génie surréaliste le fascinait.

Comme lui, il savait jouer de son image et manipuler les médias pour communiquer. Auteur, compositeur, réalisateur, acteur et photographe, il est « l’Artiste » des années 80.

A l’occasion de la commémoration du 25e anniversaire de sa disparition, des artistes contemporains majeurs lui rendent hommage en revisitant le célèbre portrait « Gainsbourg-Dali » réalisé en 1985 par le photographe ROBERTO BATTISTINI.

LISEZ gainsbourg-still-alive-pdf   Pour le Silo, Nathalie de Frouville.

Adresse de l’exposition-

Etude Cornette de Saint Cyr

 

6 avenue hoche

 

75008 Paris

 

France

 

Culture

Ontario’s Fertility Program Marks One Year Anniversary

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Ontario is helping thousands of people fulfill their dreams of starting or growing a family with the Ontario Fertility Program.

Today, Premier Kathleen Wynne celebrated the success of the Ontario Fertility Program alongside families who have participated in the program over the past year. Since the government launched the program in December 2015, Ontario has provided more than 6,500 people with funding for in vitro fertilization and related services.

In vitro fertilization, or IVF, is a medical procedure in which an egg is retrieved, fertilized by sperm outside the body, and the resulting embryo is then implanted in the uterus. One cycle of IVF can cost more than $10,000 if paid for privately, in addition to the cost of drugs, making it unaffordable for many of the roughly one in six Ontario couples experiencing infertility. The Ontario Fertility Program helps to reduce the cost of IVF, making it more affordable for people with all forms of infertility, regardless of sex, gender, sexual orientation or family status.

kathleen wynne ymca kids

Improving affordability and access to reproductive health care is part of the government’s plan to build a better Ontario through its Patients First: Action Plan for Health Care.

 

QUOTES

” Infertility can be an emotionally and financially draining experience. With this program, we are helping ease the financial burden for thousands of people and making it easier for people to start or grow a family. I look forward to seeing more happy and healthy families as the program continues.” – Kathleen Wynne Premier of Ontario

dr eric hoskins” Nearly one in six Ontario couples is affected by infertility, and we are pleased to see so many people embracing the Ontario Fertility Program in its first year. Children are our future and by creating a more reasonable and accessible fertility program, Ontario is supporting family building for those who need the assistance of IVF.” – Dr. Eric Hoskins Minister of Health and Long-Term Care

michael cocteau” I am proud Ontario is supporting families and has taken such positive steps towards strengthening our adoption system, and we remain committed to keeping the process as smooth and successful as possible. All children and youth in Ontario deserve supportive, loving homes, and I’m thrilled to say that many families are one step closer to making this a reality.” – Michael Coteau Minister of Children and Youth Services

” Ontario has shown great leadership with the Ontario Fertility Program and is a successful model for other Canadian provinces when it comes to providing equitable access to IVF. We congratulate all the families who have had a positive experience with the program to date — from those who have welcomed a new addition to their family to those who have gained a renewed sense of hope for the future.” – Danielle Xavier President of the IVF advocacy group, Conceivable Dreams

 

QUICK FACTS

  • In its first year, the Ontario Fertility Program has provided almost 4,800 patients with funded egg retrieval, embryology and fresh embryo transfer services, and over 1,700 IVF patients with funded frozen embryo transfer services.
  • There are 18 clinics in Ontario where patients can receive a funded IVF cycle.
  • To further support people looking to start or grow a family, the government is also strengthening the adoption system.
  • Helping people conceive and adopt children builds on a number of recent steps Ontario has taken to better support growing families, including increasing the number of newborn screenings, increasing the number of birth options and creating two out of hospital birthing centres, funding well-baby visits through primary care, opening the province’s first ever breast milk bank and recognizing the legal status of all parents, whether they are LGBTQ2+ or straight, and whether their children were conceived with or without assistance.

 

LEARN MORE

 

 

 

 L’Ontario aide les gens à fonder ou à agrandir leur famille

Le Programme de procréation assistée est offert depuis un an

10 janvier 2017 09h30

 

L’Ontario aide des milliers de personnes à réaliser leur rêve de fonder ou d’agrandir leur famille grâce à son Programme de procréation assistée.

La première ministre Kathleen Wynne a souligné aujourd’hui le succès du Programme de procréation assistée de l’Ontario, en compagnie de familles qui ont participé au programme au cours de l’année écoulée. Depuis que le gouvernement a institué le programme en décembre 2015, l’Ontario a fourni du soutien financier à plus de 6 500 personnes pour leur permettre d’accéder à la fécondation in vitro (FIV) et aux services connexes.

La FIV est un acte médical qui consiste à prélever un ovule et à le féconder à l’aide de sperme en dehors du corps de la patiente. L’embryon qui en résulte est ensuite transplanté dans son utérus. Lorsqu’il est payé par des particuliers, un cycle de FIV peut coûter jusqu’à 10 000 $, en plus du coût des médicaments, ce qui est trop onéreux pour de nombreux couples ontariens qui ont un problème de fertilité. On évalue qu’environ un couple sur six éprouve un tel problème. Le Programme de procréation assistée de l’Ontario aide à réduire le coût de la FIV et à rendre ce traitement plus abordable pour les personnes ayant une forme ou l’autre d’infertilité, sans égard à leur sexe, à leur orientation sexuelle ou à leur situation familiale.

Rendre les soins de santé reproductive plus abordables et plus accessibles, cela fait partie des objectifs du gouvernement visant à bâtir un meilleur Ontario grâce à son Plan d’action en matière de soins de santé, qui donne la priorité aux patients.

 

CITATIONS

« L’infertilité peut causer des difficultés émotionnelles et financières. Grâce à ce programme, nous contribuons à alléger le fardeau financier de milliers de personnes et les aidons à fonder ou à agrandir leur famille. Nous anticipons le plaisir de voir de plus en plus de familles heureuses et en bonne santé au fur et à mesure que se poursuit le déploiement du programme.» – Kathleen Wynne première ministre de l’Ontario

« En Ontario, près d’un couple sur six éprouve un problème de fertilité, et nous sommes enchantés de constater qu’un si grand nombre de gens aient fait appel au Programme de procréation assistée de l’Ontario dès sa première année. Les enfants sont notre avenir et en instaurant un programme de fertilité plus raisonnable et plus accessible, l’Ontario aide les personnes qui ont besoin de la FIV pour agrandir leur famille.» – Dr Eric Hoskins ministre de la Santé et des Soins de longue durée

« Je suis fier que l’Ontario soutienne les familles et que nous prenions des mesures propices, par exemple renforcer notre système d’adoption. Nous restons déterminés à ce que le processus demeure aussi souple et fructueux que possible. Tous les enfants et les jeunes de l’Ontario méritent de vivre dans un foyer où ils sont bien traités et aimés, et je suis ravi de pouvoir dire que de nombreuses familles sont encore plus proches de réaliser leur objectif à cet égard.» – Michael Coteau ministre des Services à l’enfance et à la jeunesse

« L’Ontario a joué un rôle d’avant-garde avec son Programme de procréation assistée, qui est devenu un exemple de réussite dont s’inspirent d’autres provinces canadiennes lorsqu’il s’agit de fournir un accès équitable à la FIV. Nous félicitons toutes les familles qui ont vécu une expérience positive avec le programme — tant celles qui ont eu le bonheur de s’agrandir que celles qui nourrissent un nouvel espoir pour l’avenir.» – Danielle Xavier présidente du groupe de revendication de la FIV, Conceivable Dreams

 

FAITS EN BREF

  • Au cours de sa première année, le Programme de procréation assistée de l’Ontario a accordé du soutien financier à près de 4 800 patients qui ont bénéficié de services de prélèvement d’ovules, d’embryologie et de transplantation d’un embryon frais. En outre, plus de 1 700 patients de la FIV ont obtenu des services de transplantation d’embryons congelés.
  • Les patients de l’Ontario peuvent obtenir un cycle de FIV financé dans 18 cliniques.
  • Afin de mieux appuyer les personnes désireuses de fonder ou d’agrandir leur famille, le gouvernement renforce aussi le système d’adoption.
  • L’aide offerte aux personnes qui veulent concevoir et adopter des enfants fait fond sur des mesures récentes que l’Ontario a appliquées en vue de mieux soutenir les familles en croissance, y compris une hausse du nombre de tests de dépistage des maladies chez les nouveau-nés, l’augmentation du nombre d’options pour la naissance, la création de deux centres de naissance hors hôpital, le financement de visites de santé du bébé dans le cadre des soins primaires, la mise sur pied de la toute première banque de lait maternel de la province ainsi que la reconnaissance du statut juridique de tous les parents, qu’ils soient LGBTA2+ ou hétérosexuels, que leurs enfants aient été conçus avec ou sans aide.

 

POUR EN SAVOIR DAVANTAGE

 

Culture

On Demand Car Services Are Latest Group To Take Heat Over Discrimination

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Discrimination. African American customers wait up to 35% longer for Uber and Lyft rides, in addition to drivers cancelling rides 2x as often for customers with “black-sounding” names.3

[To be fair, a quick search engine result for “racism in the Taxi industry” reveals that discrimination exists in all ride service industries regardless of the company. CP]

New studies have found that the cost of this type of discrimination can run companies up to USD$200,000 in lawsuits – in addition to tarnished reputations, companies experience, lowered morale and abandoned trust.1

Michael Welp, co-founder of White Men As Full Diversity Partners (WMFDP) a leading diversity process consulting firm to Fortune 500 companies, says the new economy is forcing companies to come to grips with old biases if they want to protect their bottom line.

“Systemic bias in the workplace will inevitably reach deep into the pockets of the employer, while its ripple effect undermines the principles of good business. There is simply too much at stake to ignore the warning signals.”- Welp

47% of the millennial generation said they consider diversity and inclusion to be an important criterion when considering potential employers. Additionally, more than 2 million workers quit their jobs each year due to discrimination – costing the US economy more than USD$64B annually.

Per Welp, diversity and inclusion not only breed innovation, creativity but also a greater market share.

Welp explains that full diversity has the potential of propelling this new economy further by:

 

  • Creating more jobs,
  • Reducing lost production time due to having to train new hires,
  • Less discrimination lawsuits, and
  • Increased innovation that will be produced by diverse teams working together.

 

four days to change bookcoverIn his new book, Four Days to Change, Welp provides the solution to systemic inequality through a comprehensive approach including diversity consulting, experiential learning, and leadership development. He also adds that all efforts should lead to tangible action and measurable results.

WMFDP’s mission is to inspire leaders (especially, white men) to examine their mindsets and assumptions, in order to shift behaviors that create sustainable and inclusive work cultures, which in turn drives business results.  Their client list includes: Rockwell Automation, Lockheed Martin, Coca-Cola, Starbucks, BP, Shell, Intel, AT&T, Dell, Microsoft, HP, NASA, Catalyst (women’s advocacy leader), and MARC (Men Advocating Real Change).

 

  1. 1. Schappel, Christian, “What will the next discrimination charge cost you?” HRMorning, November 6 2015

 

  1. 2. Schrader, Brendon, “Here’s Why The Freelancer Economy Is On The Rise,” Fast Company, August 10, 2015

 

  1. Ehrenkranz, Melanie, “Uber and Lyft drivers exhibit racial bias against passengers, study finds,” Mic Network Inc, October 31, 2016

 

Art

Across The Arts Vulnerability Prevails And Here’s Why It’s An Asset

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Just for a moment, think about all of the many career fields in the world. Now think about those that require a personal emotional investment as a matter of course.

How many bankers make a regular practice of exposing their deepest insecurities to the world through their work? How many veterinarians routinely put on display the most precious and personal aspects of their hearts and minds? Probably not that many. As an artist, you are literally doing this all the time. Whether the emotional investment is major or minor, and whether you are exposing personal joys or defeats, the fact remains that careers in the arts by their very nature involve a whole lot of very personal investment. Unfortunately, some artists view this as a liability and allow the idea that they don’t possess the right self-esteem to affect their ability to work. It is important to find ways to lay these insecurities to rest and accept that by its very nature, art puts us in a vulnerable space. Embrace this rather than allowing it to overwhelm you, consider it an asset going forward.

Across the arts fields, vulnerability prevails. It is what often informs some of the most beautiful work. Whether we are talking about a performer or a visual artist, human nature dictates that when we put ourselves out into the world in the way that an artist does, there is a certain measure of vulnerability built in to the equation. It is a rare thing indeed to find a performer who doesn’t experience the butterflies of stage fright however subtly, no matter how seasoned he or she may be. And it is equally unlikely to find an artist who operates from a place of pure confidence free of the weight of uncertainty.

Jarrod Barker After the Rain 2016
Jarrod Barker After the Rain 2016

The world of art, not to mention the world at large, would be a very different place if insecurity did not exist. If everyone walked around with stiff confidence all the time there would be no room for tenderness, bravery, courage, and the bonding commonality of vulnerability that we all experience which is often the key to connecting an audience to a work of art. Every human alive understands what it is like to feel overwhelmed and uncertain and it is often this understanding that leads people to seek out art as a means of connecting to others through this shared human emotion.

Self-esteem has become a buzz word without a strong definition to back it up. We allow it to inform us as though it is some sentient entity that can make or break our resolve as artists. The fact is, self-esteem is merely a label for the way we view ourselves. It is us, and us alone, who decide how we approach the world. Allowing a vague concept like self-esteem to stand in the way of creating something that speaks to the very soul of who you are makes as much sense as allowing a phobia of flying stop you from seeing the world. You must conquer these self-made fears and come out on the other side.

Jackson Pollock Number 1 1950 Lavender Mist
Jackson Pollock Number 1 1950 Lavender Mist

The fact is, there is no way around baring your very soul as an artist. Whether it is only a glimpse or whether you let it all hang out for the world to see, in every work you create there is, inherently, a very personal piece of you. Without this, your work would lack meaning and depth. People view art expecting the spectacle of human emotion. To deny this because of some feeling of low self-esteem is to deny an opportunity to yourself and your audience.

There are no guarantees in life, everything we do carries a risk. Every career has its risks and benefits, though these vary wildly across the spectrum depending on what field we look at. Art is no different. There are no guarantees. Sometimes you will expose your most private self and receive less than gentle feedback. Under no circumstances should this give you anything more than a moment’s pause. Brush off, stand up, and get back to it. Use these experiences to further inform your work. Explore the feeling of exposure and the insecurities of this concept of self-esteem. Look fear in the eye and let it look right back.

Ultimately it is up to you how you choose to face the very real challenges of so-called self-esteem in your work as an artist. Only you can know your own limits, and only you can be brave enough to step beyond them. No one ever achieved very much who didn’t expose their inner selves to total annihilation. While this may sound like a terrifying prospect, consider why you are sitting here reading this blog in the first place. If you’re an artist, by simply declaring to the world that you are an artist, you have already chosen the path of courage. You have willingly stepped into the ring with your heart on your sleeve. There’s no turning back now. For the Silo, Brainard Carey.

Supplemental- The start of abstract expressionism challenged “safe, established painting styles”

Culture

Perfect Allaire Cristal Age Tequila

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In case you’re looking to get in the spirit (pun intended) to ring in the new season of decorations, family time, and counting down the new year, you may need a boost and we have just the thing. Tequila!
 
Let’s toast in glitter and gold with Allaire Privee‘s Golden Margarita-
 
Recipe:
2oz of Allaire Cristal Age tequila
fresh squeezed lime juice
Organic agave
Pour over ice
Topped off with 24K eatable gold powder that melts on top of the cocktail, giving a melted gold look floating on top of the Margarita.
If  you’re looking to give a little extra this season, Côte d’Azur, Allaire luxury spirits are an opulent trifecta of quality, elegance, and uniqueness.  
 
The collection
 
menage a trois with smith wesson gold handcuffsVodka: Unequaled flavors and aromas originate from Allaire’s choice of select grains grown in the heart of the polish plains. Their crafting methods, distilling it six times and then filtering it five times, gives it outstanding purity, clarity and shine. The complete process tops up its elegant taste.
 


Tequila:   The premium tequila is made with 100% select blue weber agave that were slowly cooked to give a perfect balance of sweetness. Made in small batches and crafted free of any additives to respect its true essence. Aged in bourbon casks and filtered with an innovative process to give it a smooth agave flavor and characteristic crystal tone.  
 

Rum:   Rum from Barbados is considered by many the archetype to be taken as a reference point for others. Allaire’s rum is the ultimate representation of excellence from the island. Aged for a minimum of 3 years in oak barrels and filtered with their proprietary method that gives it a beautiful crystal tone and enhances the sensory richness.  
 
 
If you can’t choose just one, have a  Ménage a Trois, which features a collection of Allaire’s premium Vodka, Tequila, and Rum cased with  24 karat gold Smith & Wesson handcuffs.  For the Silo, Jessica Kirk.
 


 

Art

Boston Based Artist Jeannie Motherwell Draws Structures From Uncertainty

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Dear Artist, Aristotle differentiated humans from their animal counterparts by dint of logos, the power of rational speech. Napoleon was attributed the quote, “four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets.” Human civilization was founded on the exercise of this divine faculty, and is destroyed by it in equal measure. Speech, in its complexity and weight, is the only world capable of rivaling nature.

This week, in view of two ponderous interviews, I ask you to summon to mind those rare and revelatory conversations that have left an indelible imprint on your life. What intimate discussion would you revisit and savor, if you were aware of the contents beforehand? What words of the past would be left unsaid or better spoken with the retrospective guidance of age?

Abstract acrylic painter Jeannie Motherwell refuses to grow cold in the artistic shadow of her father and stepmother, Robert Motherwell and Helen Frankenthaler. As a stable ecosystem quells its wrestling constituents, Motherwell’s refined intuition hushes the spontaneous boundaries of dilating paint on clay board and canvas. Over a soberly spoken interview, the New York artist now based in Boston, admits in her work the faint pursuit of a faded horizon: the shifting waters from the view of an old home, replaced, in time, by a windowless studio. The methodology of Motherwell’s art – to draw a structure from an uncertainty – eerily echoes a ritual from her upbringing: discerning, with the right words, to the joy of her guardians, the spiritual essences behind their cascades of paint.

Jeannie Motherwell in her Joy Street Studios, Somerville, MA
Jeannie Motherwell in her Joy Street Studios, Somerville, MA Click image to visit her studio website.

Inexhaustible curator and researcher Ele Carpenter maintains that the lasting footprint of humanity will not be a monument or an idea, but a radioactive glare. Radioactive isotopes of a unique breed first entered the Earth’s atmosphere with the testing of the earliest nuclear bomb, signaling the beginning of a geological period known as the nuclear anthropocene. Dedicated to disseminating information about the irreversible changes to the environment caused by human hand, Carpenter organizes discourse and collaboration on a global scale, uniting scientists, activists, and visionaries in the depiction of a haunting reality that eludes the senses.

the nuclear culture sourcebook by ele carpenter

Additional interviews include: Barbara Wilks, Nate Page, Frans van Lent, and Katya Gardea Brown.

Looking for new additions to your reading list? Rachel Wolfe, one of our users, is deconstructing and rebuilding her fundamental conceptions of nature and mind. Sensitive Chaos, by Theodor Schwenk, vacillates between rigorous and metaphorical depictions of the underlying systems of movement that govern aeolian and liquid dynamics, from the furious dance of a hurricane to the soft aria of a developing child. Strange Tools, by Alva Noe, is a philosophical text that sees artmaking as a faculty for reflection, a primordial instinct that consciously and unconsciously takes stock of the external conditions that govern our identities and worldview.

Occupy Museums is seizing the means of cultural production with Debtfair, an exhibition dedicated to the overworked and underfunded. Creators, performers, and thinkers with financial weights on their shoulders have until December 9th to see their arduous narrative showcased in the 2017 Whitney Biennial. Debtfair serves to expose the aggressive business models that permeate leading art institutions, while encouraging solidarity amongst all encumbered populations of the economically segmented social landscape. Necessity may be the mother of invention, but no artist needs to bear the burden of Atlas.

The great American poet Wallace Stevens, envisioning life’s origins with a brain that thought without words, once instructed, “Begin, ephebe, by perceiving the idea / Of this invention, this invented world, / The inconceivable idea of the sun.”

As always, here are the links to interview archive and free resources page. For the Silo, Brainard Carey.

*Highlight image: Absolute by Jeannie Motherwell. Visit Jeannie’s Boston Studio by clicking here.

 

 

Culture

Day Marks Another Anniversary Of JFK Assassination

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The Grassy Knoll at Dealey Plaza.
The Grassy Knoll at Dealey Plaza.

2015’s historic JFK 50th assassination Special was a riveting and powerful demonstration of media technology. We co-hosted the CBS feature which “rebroadcast” their original assassination television coverage in real-time, fully and completely. Every detail was reproduced exactly as it was shown on that fateful day- even the interruption of a certain soap opera with the first “bulletin” announcement. Live internet coverage began at 1:38 EDT exactly 50 years to the minute of the initial CBS news broadcasts.

If you have any #JFK thoughts (perhaps you even remember that fateful day)- or if you watch the archived live stream please share your feelings by commenting below at the end of this post. We will respect all requests for anonymity.

In the meantime, you may want to view Newsmax TV documentary: “I killed JFK” claiming to showcase a newly revealed “confessed killer”. In 1978 a US Congressional Investigation into Kennedy’s death determined that there were likely more than one shooter/killer.

RIP JFK CBS coverage

JFK visits Ottawa 1961:

Silo Tweet JFK Ottawa 1961

 

 

@CBSNews live tweeting during this historical rebroadcast event- image:CBS Twitter
@CBSNews live tweeting during this historical rebroadcast event- image:CBS Twitter

 

Supplemental- The United States National Archives Report of the Select Committee on Assassinations of the U.S. House of Representatives
References: I. Findings in the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy

Comics

Neal Adams Unveiled Bucky O’Hare Digital Comic At L.A. Comic Con

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LOS ANGELES  – Bucky O’Hare – the original comic book series turned into a classic cartoon – made its debut in the digital domain with an 8-page exclusive Swipe Studio e-comic book written and illustrated by brand creators Larry Hama and Michael Golden together with Neal Adams and his Continuity Productions.  Bucky O’Hare and the Toad Menace made its premiere appearance Day One of Stan Lee’s Los Angeles Comic Con recently held October 28-30 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

nea ladams comic book coversDesigned utilizing the tools available on the all-new Swipe Studio design app, the latest offering in the Bucky O’Hare legacy follows Bucky and his crew as they do battle with the Toad Armada.  The special Los Angeles Comic Con presentation featured legendary artist Neal Adams together with Swipe Studio’s famed creator Satoshi Nakajima.

The 8-pager provided fans with a glimpse into the creative for the planned Bucky O’Hare theatrical motion picture now in the works with Neal Adams producing and directing.

The brainchild of software genius Satoshi Nakajima – the engineering architect responsible for Windows 95 and Windows 98 along with Internet Explorer versions 3 and 4 – Swipe empowers everyone from consumers to creators to easily animate everything from emails to digital comics with media-rich digital elements and make use of animation, video, vector graphics as well as full audio for voice, music and sound effects on tablets and smartphones. Created to take full advantage of today’s touch-enabled smartphone and tablet technology, Swipe eliminates the need for complex programming typically required to build animation or other forms of design content.  As a result, creators, designers, animators and artists have the tools to create media-rich animated digital content for consumption via touch-enabled devices including smartphones, tablets and touch-enabled set-top-boxes, such as iPhone and Apple TV.

In addition to the Swipe Bucky O’Hare comic book, artist Neal Adams also worked with the Swipe team to load into the platform an impressive portfolio of Bucky art elements and animation that can be adapted by anyone for any digital purpose, including e-mails or presentations of any kind, including all main characters and several backgrounds.

bucky-via-swipe-adams-kanji-kazahayafb-post
Creators and artists can now experience the free Swipe app instantly by downloading Swipe Studio to their iPhone/iPad/iPod touch and begin to create media-rich animated digital content.  To download the Swipe Studio, go to App Store  https://appsto.re/us/hlcDeb.i Note- Swipe Studio is available only for iPhone/iPad/iPod touch users with version iOS9 or later.

Swipe Studio users are welcome to join Facebook group; Swipe Studio Users https://www.facebook.com/groups/1076516299084537/

“We are thrilled to unveil the newest Bucky O’Hare creative from the team responsible for this celebrated and enduring property at Stan Lee’s Los Angeles Comic con,” said Nakajima.  “I [had] tremendous enthusiasm towards sharing a panel with the great Neal Adams whose brilliant use of the Swipe Studio design tools helps us usher in a new era in digital design.”

“It has been a lot of fun to work with Swipe Studio and I encourage artists to check it out for their own design projects.  In fact, Swipie – which is Swipe’s platform for consumers – continues to offer a wealth of art and animation applications to enhance everything from emails to digital presentations.  Mr. Nakajima has built an extraordinary platform and I am proud to contribute Bucky O’Hare as a way of underscoring its power as a design platform,” said Neal Adams.

About Swipe, Inc.

Headquartered in Tokyo, Swipe, Inc. is the parent company for Swipe™, an open source platform embedding the full range of visual and audio media into digital documents for smartphones, tablets and other touch-screen devices.  Swipe, Inc. Founder-Chief Technology Officer Satoshi Nakajima is recognized industry-wide as the lead engineer and architect of Windows 95 and Windows 98 which he created during his tenure with Microsoft.  Visit Swipe, Inc. online at http://www.Swipe.net/.

Comics

Toei Animation Simulcast Brings Back Dragon Ball With World & Japan Linkup

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LOS ANGELES  – Toei Animation Inc. will debut an English subtitle simulcast of Dragon Ball Super on multiple digital platforms on October 22nd. For the first time, fans in North and Latin America, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand will be able to view Dragon Ball Super simulcast. Since its debut in Japan in July 2015, the hit follow-up to one of the greatest anime series of all time has been eagerly awaited by followers around the world. Through non-exclusive streaming partnerships with Crunchyroll, Daisuki.net and Anime Lab, Dragon Ball Super will finally be available.

dragonball super

Kicking off on Saturday October 22 at 9:00pm EST, viewers of Crunchyroll, Daisuki and Anime Lab can log in for a non-exclusive English-subtitled simulcast of episode 63, “Don’t Define Saiyan Cells! The Curtain Rises on Vegeta’s Intense Battle!!” which leads into the thrilling conclusion of the “Future Trunks Arc.” Audiences will get to join Japan live during the broadcast, and then tune in weekly for future new episodes.

Crunchyroll: USA, Canada, Australia/New Zealand for subscription viewing on demand (SVOD) and advertising video on demand (AVOD). Latin America and South Africa can only be viewed on SVOD.

Daisuki.net: USA, Canada, Australia/New Zealand for SVOD & AVOD

Anime Lab: Australia and New Zealand for SVOD & AVOD

Dragon Ball Super’s fourth arc features the return of Future Trunks. Hunted by a mysterious being bent on destruction, Future Trunks is brought into a fight spanning time and space. Episode 63 follows Future Trunks’ epic battle against Goku Black, and Goku’s acquisition of the powerful “Evil Containment Wave” technique.

Dragon Ball Super To prepare for episode 63’s debut, viewers will also be able to stream the entire Future Trunks arc (the arc begins at episode 47). Then, starting on October 30, the complete series will roll-out, with 10 episodes released a week at a time.

“Patience always pays off, and we’re delighted to finally share Dragon Ball Super with our fans around the world. And believe me when I say there’s more to come. Stay tuned for additional exciting news before the end of the year!” said Masayuki Endo, President of Toei Animation Inc.

About Toei Animation Inc.

Based in Los Angeles, Toei Animation Inc. manages the film distribution of Toei’s top properties, including Dragon Ball all series, Sailor Moon, One Piece, Saint Seiya, and many others to North America, Latin America, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.  Toei Animation Los Angeles office further handles all categories of consumer product licensing based on its film and television brands within these territories. For more information, please visit http:www.toei-animation-usa.com or contact [email protected].

 

Do you have Dragonball stuff to share with us? Send us your webcam/smartphone camera feed now (or uplink us with your media files) by clicking here- [vidrack align=”right”]

Toei Animation Co., Ltd

Toei Animation Co., Ltd. (Jasdaq:4816) ranks amongst the world’s most prolific animation production studios.  The company’s operations include animation development and production, and worldwide marketing and program licensing with sales offices in Paris, Hong Kong and representative office in Shanghai. Since its founding in 1956, Toei Animation Co., Ltd. has produced more than 11,000 episodes of TV series (more than 200 titles) and more than 215 long feature films. For more information, please visit http://www.toei-anim.co.jp.

Supplemental- Have questions? http://ask.fm/DragonBall_Nation

Comics

New TREADWATER Graphic Novel Will Have Augmented Reality Cover

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Last year’s indie best-selling graphic novel set to release the next installment in the breakthrough series. The second novel features an augmented reality app and introduces the character of actor Chad L. Coleman.

When TREADWATER Vol. 1 was released in comic book stores in July 2015, it was just another self-published indie title among many others. At the end of the month, this was no longer the case.

When the sales figures came in a month after its debut, TREADWATER found itself on equal footing with the likes of The Walking Dead when they first started out. According to Diamond Comic Distributors TREADWATER managed to achieve 90% of Walking Dead’s sales, while outperforming other popular franchises like Dark Matter in their respective opening months.

Explore the TREADWATER Interactive PDF…click here.

TREADWATER is best described as a dark and mature sci-fi action drama. It is a pre-apocalyptic story that takes place in a plausible dystopian future, where a global economic crisis splinters political alliances and plunges the world’s nations into crime and disorder. As the dual forces of anarchy and totalitarianism sweep over the world, six antiheroes are recruited into a privately funded special operative program in an attempt to keep the world from tearing itself apart.

treadwater part2 page previewPart of the ugly charm of TREADWATER lies within its ability to predict current events. The isolationist politics of the world’s leading nations, as exemplified by the rise of Trump in the US and BREXIT in the UK; the attempted coup in Turkey, along with its backlash in the form of a dictatorial powergrab; the increasing civil unrest in the US and the terrorist attacks in Europe – all these developments find their parallels in the world of TREADWATER.

Yet Morgan Rosenblum and Nat Prinzi, the creative minds behind the TREADWATER franchise, take no pride in the accuracy of their grim predictions. Their primary goal is to create an engaging and believable superhero story, which avoids the pitfalls of the genre, while staying true to its roots. This is why the story of Treadwater is driven by its larger-than-life, yet deeply imperfect characters, rather than merely a clever premise or unlikely plot twists.

The new installment of the graphic novel, TREADWATER Vol. 2, will be released in late 2016. Along with the novel, the TREADWATER team will debut its own augmented reality app for smartphones. When pointed at the comic book, the app will immerse the readers into the world of TREADWATER by bringing its characters to life in front of their eyes.

The AR app is not the first step that Rosenblum and Prinzi have taken in the direction of interactive storytelling. The TREADWATER franchise already consists of a motion comic, a video game and an interactive website, which lets its users “hack” into Treadwater’s secret database, allowing them to explore their coveted network.

The ability of the creative duo to inspire and impress their audience has led to the inclusion of TREADWATER Vol. 1 into the curriculum of West Aurora High School in IL. It is now being taught in their creative writing class alongside of Orson Welles.

The appeal of the TREADWATER franchise goes beyond high school students, as actor Chad L. Coleman has become a character and a partner in the TREADWATER franchise. Best known for his roles as Tyreese in The Walking Dead, Dennis “Cutty” Wise in The Wire and now Tobias Church in Arrow, Mr. Coleman’s character will see significant development in the second volume of the graphic novel. The new installment will also introduce the character of Holly Wolf, a celebrity cosplayer and 2015 Geek Fantasy Woman of the Year, who also joined the TREADWATER franchise as a supporting character.

Key Dates in 2016:

October 6-9: Come visit us at New York Comic Con. You’ll find us at booth 2314, where you’ll be able to interview the creators of TREADWATER, actor Chad L. Coleman and cosplayer Holly Wolf among others. You’ll also be able to experience the entirety of the TREADWATER franchise, including the Beta Version of our very own PS4 video game.

October 1-21: Special pre-order promo period for TREADWATER Vol 2. Each pre-order will come with a digital copy of the bestselling graphic novel TREADWATER Vol 1 to help the new readers get caught up to speed with the story. Additionally our readers will get a limited edition single issue, signed by its writers, creators and artist. Thirdly, they will also receive a digital collector’s edition of the “Treadwater Dossiers” Character Art Book.

 

Art

Inspiring Mouth Painter Amanda Orichefsky Of Toronto

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October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month in Canada, and Amanda Orichefsky wants to celebrate the contributions of workers with disabilities and educate the able bodied about the value of a diverse workforce inclusive of their skills and talents.

Amanda Orichefsky of Toronto, now 27, was born with arthrogryposis, a condition that robbed her of the use of her arms. Despite her disability, Amanda has pursued her passion for art, attending George Brown College where she graduated in 2010 with a diploma in Fine Arts & Animation.

Today, Amanda earns a stipend to further her painting studies as a member of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists, an international association of 800 disabled artists around the world. She also sells reproductions of her work to support herself. A younger Amanda was also asked to give a demonstration of her mouth painting skills to Wayne Gretzky, which was filmed as part of the commercial for Ronald McDonald House Charities seen above.

Amanda is also a member of the MFPA which has been operating in Canada since 1961 and is a member of the International Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists. There are currently 13 disabled artists working in Canada and over 750 others around the world. For the Silo, Ginny Grimsley.

For more information about the MFPA, to purchase product, or to view a full list of products available, visit www.mfpacanada.com or email [email protected]

Culture

Aviation Books From Quarto Include Original SR-71 Pilot Handbook

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It’s late September as I write this and with winter slowly creeping in (Sorry but true!) and holiday shopping season around the corner, I would like to tell you all about some amazing books to add to your shopping list and help pass the cold months. If you are an aviation lover, you are in for a very special treat courtesy of Quarto Publishing.

The Blackbird first flew in Dec 1964!

They took the ORIGINAL flight manual and republished it… all 1,040 pages and 8 pounds!!!! The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird was a long-range, Mach 3 reconnaissance aircraft developed by Lockheed’s top-secret Skunk Works. One of the first aircraft designed to have a low radar signature, the SR-71 could map 100,000 square miles from an altitude of 80,000 feet. Operational from 1964 to 1998, it is still the fastest jet-powered aircraft – a Blackbird once completed a Los Angeles-to-Washington, D.C. flight in 64 minutes. Naturally, reigning in all that technology and performance required some know-how on the parts of the pilots and ground crews
spyplanes
For as long as there has been sustained heavier-than-air human flight, airplanes have been used to gather information about our adversaries. Less than a decade after the Wright Brothers flew at Kitty Hawk, Italian pilots were keeping tabs on Turkish foes in Libya. Today, aircraft with specialized designs and sensory equipment still cruise the skies, spying out secrets in the never-ending quest for an upper hand.
 skunkworks
Hatched in June 1943 after a special request of the US Army Air Forces to develop a turbojet-powered fighter to counter growing German threats, Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works has gone on to develop remarkable aeronautical and space technologies, including stealth. Some have made it into production, while others never quite made it off drafting boards and computer screens, but proved fascinating nonetheless.
fighter killer planes ww2

There’s no shortage of fantastic archival aviation photography from World War II. But photos from the period fall short in three major categories: the vast majority are black and white, most were composed under duress, and very few capture moments that have since entered the written record of aerial conflict.

Award-winning artist Jim Laurier rectifies the situation in this stunning, large-format, hardcover book celebrating World War II’s top fighter aircraft.

arado ar234
For the Silo, Nichole Schiele.

Supplemental-  Clint Eastwood’s under-rated movie “Firefox”

Culture

Ciroc Presented ‘King Of The Dancehall’ Premiere Screening Party in Toronto

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A gala premiere screening party for King of the Dancehall was well attended on Sunday, September 11th at the Toronto Film Festival.

Star watchers noticed Film star and director Nick Cannon in attendance as well as additional talent from the film including Busta Rhymes, Kreesha Turner and Kimberly Patterson. Adding to the excitement, Kardinal Offishall, Extra’s A.J. Calloway, professional boxers Lennox Lewis and Adonis Stevenson, Drew Dazzle, Louis Gossett Jr. and more, also stopped by EFS for CIROC cocktails and to congratulate the cast.

TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 11: Actress Kreesha Turner attends the "King of the Dancehall" premiere screening party presented by Ciroc during the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival at EFS Lounge on September 11, 2016 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Brilliant Consulting )
TORONTO, ON – SEPTEMBER 11: Actress Kreesha Turner attends the “King of the Dancehall” premiere screening party presented by Ciroc during the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival at EFS Lounge on September 11, 2016 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Brilliant Consulting )

TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 11: An interior view inside the "King of the Dancehall" premiere screening party presented by Ciroc during the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival at EFS Lounge on September 11, 2016 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Brilliant Consulting )
TORONTO, ON – SEPTEMBER 11: An interior view inside the “King of the Dancehall” premiere screening party presented by Ciroc during the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival at EFS Lounge on September 11, 2016 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Brilliant Consulting )

TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 11: Professional boxerrs Adonis Stevenson (L) and Lennox Lewis attend the "King of the Dancehall" premiere screening party presented by Ciroc during the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival at EFS Lounge on September 11, 2016 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Brilliant Consulting )
TORONTO, ON – SEPTEMBER 11: Professional boxers Adonis Stevenson (L) and Lennox Lewis attend the “King of the Dancehall” premiere screening party presented by Ciroc during the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival at EFS Lounge on September 11, 2016 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Brilliant Consulting )

ciroc recipe the diddy

*Main Photo credit:  Matt Winkelmeyer / Wireimage

Music from the Future. Click me.
Music from the Future. Click me.

 

 

Art

Iconic Architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s Last Home Now For Sale

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Frank Lloyd Wright designed over 1,000 structures (532 were completed) in his 70-years-plus career – mostly homes but also hotels, schools, churches, the Johnson Wax Headquarters and the Guggenheim Museum. This iconic American architect’s  final design was the Norman Lykes House in Phoenix in the same year of his death in 1959. It is now for sale priced at USD$3.6 million and profiled at toptenrealestatedeals.com.

The Guggenheim cameo in Men In Black (1min 25secs)

Wright had been working with his apprentice, John Rattenbury, on the Lykes House sketches and had already chosen the building site for the home when he died. Having come full circle from his start in Prairie style, to textile block, to organic and, towards the end, the functional Usonian for the masses, his last designs showed a new interest in  circles and curves as he created buildings in the round such as the Guggenheim and the house he built for his son, the David and Gladys Wright home also in Phoenix.

Curvilinear Design FLW Final Home With a site on top of Palm Canyon with views of the valley, Wright began the Lykes design by replicating the curves of the mountainsides, making the home an integral part of its environment and providing big views for its owners and visitors.  Though Wright passed away before finishing the working plans, the Lykes hired his apprentice, Rattenbury, to complete the plans according to the details set forth by Wright.  The couple loved the completed plans, though it was another seven years before they started construction.  When they did, Rattenbury oversaw the build and the home was completed in 1967.  In addition to the structure itself, Wright also designed the furniture and built-ins for the home.

In 1994, new owners wanted some updating, so they called back Rattenbury to do the redesign by expanding the master bedroom, converting a workshop into a media room and combining two other bedrooms into a guest room – all without disrupting the overall design.  Rather futuristic for its time, the circular and curvilinear design has become a timeless piece of architecture that continues to be copied by today’s designers and builders.

Interior FLW Final HomeNow for sale and registered with the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, the 2,849-square-foot home on one acre of desert plateau has three bedrooms, three bathrooms, the signature large living room fireplace intended to bring families and friends together, a lower-level media room, two home offices with built-ins of desk, cabinet storage and walls of shelving, a distinctive curved kitchen with Wright-designed island and unique under-cabinet windows and timeless stainless-steel counters, contemporary tiled large baths, and a privacy walled crescent pool patio viewed from inside through glass walls.  There is also a separate large office in the round with all built-in furnishings encircled by half-moon windows.  Views of valley and mountains can be seen from almost every room.  

Exterior FLW Final HomeClassic last Wright design before his death, contemporary for today including lots of storage space with furniture and built-ins designed by the famous architect, the Lykes House is now for sale and priced at USD$3.6 million. For the Silo, Terry Walsh.

Supplemental- Architecture nerds will love this videogame inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright

Art

Poetic Grace Gesture Is Needed In All Art Work

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Dear Reader, it is difficult to deny that a side of art making is fatally concerned with the poetic grace of the gesture – it is expected that a work should exude a cosmic and ineffable air.

Metropolitan Museum Of Art Curator Denise LeidyRegardless of your medium, I hope this glance into the minds of two established poets from very different walks of life can help dissipate the intimidating mist between process and product, as well as remind you that the transcendent and the familiar are often one in the same.

Meena Alexander PoetGlobal spectator Meena Alexander recognizes that even in the grand art of poetry is a desire to express what cannot be said through its own means. After eight books of poems and a lifetime of travel, Alexander continues to defend her craft as the most ordinary of entities, no more inexplicable than a child’s obvious and impossible sense of language or rhythm.

New York-based Eileen Myles approaches poetry from a reserved and humble perspective, with the intent of striking a tasteful balance between metaphysical grandeur and the habitual rhythm of the everyday.

Eileen MylesMyles, a breathing artistic currency, treats poetry as an extension of the self with the potency of a movement and the collective memory of a civilization. Myles proves that common experience and abstract phenomena are synonymous when we step back to look.

If the weight of the world seems so immense that the few strands of creativity cannot unravel, the Mayer Foundation offers emergency funding for New York artists facing economic, residential or medical turbulence. Proposals may be submitted at any time, with over two thousand dollars granted to those with concrete objectives and a levelheaded art plan.

It is easy to forget that behind the polished mirror of history is a messy and cumulative reality. There is little difference between the intelligentsia of years past and the friends sitting at your dining room table. For the Silo, Brainard Carey.  

Supplemental-

Culture

Harmonium Once Banned By All Indian Radio

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There is general disagreement on whether Indian music can be performed on the harmonium and public interest in the debate is accordingly intense, as the controversially written articles and discussions prove to this day.

Harmonium InstrumentThe matter has evaded scientific scrutiny until now…….click the following link to learn more about the harmonium in North Indian music:  Full Text PDF- The Harmonium in North Indian Music by Birgit Abels.

https://uni-goettingen.academia.edu/birgitabels

Published by NEW AGE BOOKS

A-44 Naraina Industrial Area, Phase I

New Delhi 110028 (India)

Email: [email protected] *Please mention this article when contacting.

Website: www.newagebooksindia.com

Printed in India at Shri Jainendra Press

A-45 Naraina, Phase I, New Delhi 110028

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Art

Collective Establishes HAVN For The Arts In Hamilton

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I learned about the Hamilton Audio Visual Node (HAVN) a few years ago by doing the rounds during Art Crawl. Since then it’s become obvious they’re hosting some of the most innovative music and visual art in Hamilton. I sat down with Connor Bennett and Chris Ferguson at the beginning of July to learn more about the collective and discover yet another reason to move to Hamilton. Connor and Chris made it pretty clear you don’t need an invitation to join the party. Featured Title Image, The HAVN Storefront on Barton Street Credit: Ariel Bader-Shamai

Timothy: How did HAVN get started?

Connor: Um, a few of us started a band, and we were practising in the basement of a student house and when it came time to leave that house, we wanted a space where we could continue to play, and show art, and we just lucked out, our collaborator and co-founder Amy McIntosh was living above a storefront and…

Chris: …had a good relationship with the landlord and managed to get the downstairs space at a price we could afford.

Connor: That was May, 2012, we opened up just as most of us were graduating from McMaster University.

Timothy: What does it mean to be a node for the arts? Is the storefront a critical component?

Connor: It’s probably not critical, although it’s nice, it’s really nice. I wouldn’t say it’s critical because we don’t do regular gallery hours, where people can just pop in. It is nice to have the storefront space for things like art crawl. We’re off of James Street but it’s still easier to get people out as compared to a studio space.

Aubrey Wilson Quartet in February 2015
Aubrey Wilson Quartet in February 2015, Photo Credit: Amy McIntosh

Chris: Back to your question, as to what it means to be a node. Nodes are intersection points, which denotes the collaborative nature, the interdisciplinary nature of what we’re trying to do. And it was chosen for the sake of the acronym [Laughter].

Timothy: So what are your activities?

Chris: You could put it into four categories. We do art shows every art crawl, and occasionally outside of art crawl. We do music shows two to five times a month. And then there’s HAVN Records, our cassette tape little label. There’s also some miscellaneous things that are harder to categorize. We’ve done craft nights where people come out. Or if people in the collective supply an idea and make it happen. For a little while we had a darkroom in the backroom where people could develop photos.

Timothy: What are some of the highlights from the past couple of years?

Chris: It wasn’t something that I was involved with personally but I thought the darkroom was a really cool idea. It’s not something that’s widely available and it was a DIY thing where they obtained all the equipment and brought it all together. Some of it was donated by a like-minded friend from Guelph.

Connor: One of the best concerts I’ve seen recently was hosted by Cem Zafir and his partner Donna Akrey at HAVN, and they had a percussionist by the name of Tatsuya Nakatani come in and everyone in the room was transported to a different world, it was a magical moment. Those happen a lot. We’ve been really lucky with a lot of good music.

Hagface and Zena in August 2015
Hagface and Zena in August 2015, Photo Credit: Tony Hoang

 

Chris: What was the name of the show, I think Ariel and Petra did it, with the yarn, it was kind of, performance stuff; would you consider it a successor to the Quanta_1 show, where you and Kearon…

Connor: Yeah, yeah, it’s kind of like that…

Chris: An extension of that idea. Petra and Ariel did it, how would you describe it?

Connor: It was kind of a poetic yarn installation, with figures…

Chris: …and quotations.

Connor: It was great.

Chris: Really well executed. Not something you see a lot of.

Connor: Yeah, there’s lots of highlights.

Chris: We could keep going.

Connor: Once you start thinking about it.

Chris: I really liked our show for Supercrawl last year, which ended up being themed around Cootes Paradise, the Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark System, which is a conservation effort beginning with Cootes Paradise all the way into Burlington to connect some critical natural lands. The show really nailed the peaceful nature of it. Supercrawl is very busy, there’s tonnes of people and then you come to HAVN and it’s peaceful, relaxed.

Connor: Serene.

Chris: Yeah, Judy Major-Girardin, a professor at McMaster that taught a lot of the HAVN crew, was very generous with her time and she’s a big supporter of that initiative, so she put up a gorgeous installation with sound recordings from Georgian Bay. Frogs. Printed cheesecloth. It was stunning.

Corridors, in Support of the Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark System, September 2015
Corridors, in Support of the Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark System, September 2015, Photo Credit: Ariel Bader-Shamai

 

Timothy: What are your objectives? What is the need or desire that you are addressing?

Connor: I’d say from the music side of things, it’s a space for outsider music, for music that doesn’t really fit in a club or a bar. It’s a small space, really intimate, so even if ten people come out it feels like a nice crowd.

Chris: Yeah, It could just be a touring band who might have trouble booking a show at a bigger venue, because they wouldn’t attract a bigger crowd.

Connor: We know a lot of people who are booking shows in Hamilton and we’re filling a bit of a void since they’re not booking these types of shows. Like free jazz, for example, there’s no venues that are booking free jazz but we will gladly and enthusiastically book a free-jazz show.

Boyhood and Holzkopf in July 2015
Boyhood and Holzkopf in July 2015, Photo Credit: Tony Hoang

Timothy: How did you determine the scope of your practice?

Connor: Time determined that. When I started out with HAVN I was working a lot more with Kearon on the visual arts and installation projects and with time my interests and time investments moved more towards the music. It’s a natural evolution within the group, that we’ve settled into our roles based on our interests.

Timothy: Were those interests present from the beginning, or have they been nurtured over time?

Connor: One of the reasons why this has worked out for so long is that everyone has been really passionate about creativity, and art in general, and open to all art forms. That’s been the crux of why we’ve been around for so long, and putting on shows that are successful.

Timothy: What is your current relationship with institutional structures like the university and the gallery?

Connor: Well, quite a few professors from McMaster have shown art in our space. Judy and Dr. McQueen had a show recently. Other galleries? We have good relationships with other galleries, in particular, the Factory Media Centre, because we’ve done a lot of media art, not only that, we’ve shown a lot of art there, and both Amy McIntosh and Aaron Hutchinson have been on the board there. Amy’s been involved since the beginning.

Timothy: You position yourself as an alternative, though.

Chris: It’s not an adversarial relationship, like ‘that stuff is no good.’

Connor: We just don’t want to replicate things that are being done elsewhere. I’m sure we do it all the time. But the intention is to fill a void, take a risk.

Timothy: What are the benefits and limitations associated with your present configuration?

Connor: We’ve had trouble finding grants that apply to us. That’s one challenge because we operate with no inflow of money, so it’s just tough to make it work sometimes. That’s one of the limitations.

Chris: Sometimes I wonder if we put more time into the grants whether we would begin to take a different path. Like, having gallery hours wouldn’t be a bad thing, but it would be different than what we do now, and it would mean that we would be travelling down a more traditional path.

Timothy: Can you speak of the benefits and effects of HAVN, for yourselves and the broader community?

Connor: It’s such a useful space for us as artists and musicians, that’s kind of priceless.

Chris: It’s great to have a spot that you’re part of.

The Celestial Offerings Show in December 2015
The Celestial Offerings Show in December 2015, Photo Credit: Petra Matar

Connor: Ideally we’re providing a space that’s inclusive, and open, where people feel comfortable. But if I was new to Hamilton and I went to HAVN I could understand feeling intimidated because there’s all these people who know each other already.

Chris: I think it’s always hard, because you establish your audience, and your friends, and you want people to have a stake in the space, that they’re part of it, that they’re not just attending shows, but that they’re part of the community too. But you have to balance that with being open and having new people feel that they can be part of it.

Timothy: So do you have any words of advice to people who might want to start a collective?

Chris: If I had any advice it would be pretty cheesy.

Connor: I don’t know. [Laughter]

Chris: The real trick is having the right group of people.

Connor: Get lucky.

Chris: Yeah, we couldn’t have made this happen in a bigger city where the rents are more expensive.

For the Silo, Timothy deVries.

Supplemental- Video Credit: Mubarik Gyenne-Bayere

 

Video Credit: Footage by Ariel Bader-Shamai, live visuals by Andrew O’Connor https://www.instagram.com/p/BDE-Nhwk0BT/
Video Credit: Footage by Ariel Bader-Shamai, live visuals by Andrew O’Connor https://www.instagram.com/p/BCCFlOBE0FF/

Video Credit: Olga K.