JaxCAL.org

JaxCAL now has a url that's super easy to remember, www.JaxCAL.org. Remember it. Tell your peeps.

Antlers?

I want to pose a question to all of you folks out there. What's with all the antlers? I've asked several artists who are involved in antler depictions this and I get a vague answer if any answer at all. I'm seeing antler art everywhere.

I'm on My Space and I'm meeting artists from all over the world. Norway. Mexico. Germany. Eastern Europe. Japan. All over the world. What's up with all the deer antlers?

Another trend I'm seeing is drawing humans with animal heads. And sometimes they have antlers? I do believe in the collective unconscious of humanity. That sometimes all over the world humans begin thinking along the same wave length. A perfect example would be the building of pyramids all over the world. It all just started to happen. All at the same time. Similar to this damn deer antler phenomenon. What gives?

Are we being taken over by deer people? Are we all going to have animal heads in the future and these artists are just being psychic? Is it just a trend? If so, why is it a trend? Where did it start? If it's not a trend but some sort of subversive art movement that I am not aware of what is it called? Thanks.

May 2007 Art Walk Photos

Photos by Anna-Marie

Pushing a stroller through coolness.

Went to Artwalk tonight and damn there were a lot of folks walking around. And man did I not feel cool. I don't know what happened but Jacksonville is cool now. It's like all the kids from San Fran and New York who couldn't afford the rent decided to move back to Jax. I don't have one tattoo. I'm pushing a stroller. I don't drink. But it was cool.

Cool to be around something cool. Cool to remember what it was like when I was cool. Now my curfew is not set by my parents but by my screaming toddler. I didn't take any photos. I wish I did. Opaq gallery has a great show up right now curated by Ryan Rummell. It's a painting show. Nice paintings. Really nice mix of work. The work in the Burrito Gallery is definitely interesting.

The bike show was fun. Great tunes. Live music. DJs. The weather was perfect. The streets were packed. We explored the old library. Our little girl ran like a wild deer through the vacant downstairs floor. I love it there. The renovation of the old library will be the best thing to happen to Jacksonville since the Superbowl. And then we went home.

Montana Torrey, M. Torrey Gallery, 2006; mixed media installation/performance. © 2006 Montana Torrey

Mew Zee, Um

Okay, so I hate to clobber a departed equine, but the discussion last week on Folio Weekly’s blog that began as a vent for local artists who feel underserved by MOCA Jax got me to thinkin’. In one of my responses I said that, for the life of me, I couldn’t think of any major museum that had an exhibition space for local artists or did anything for local artists except take their admission fees. At the time, I felt pretty confident in this defense of the museum, but, just to be sure I wanted to research this a bit ( I didn’t want to be like those peeps who defend Bush without even a quick comparison to every other president who ever lived, including the guy who got sick and died at the inaugural!)

My findings? Well, it is true that hardly any museums do anything for local art scenes, so MOCA Jax is a bit rare in this case. But, I did find one special place that…

well…

after you read what I am about to write I fully expect all of you at my doorstep with your carpetbags packed ready to ride the caravan to the artist heaven that is ST. LOUIS, bruthas and sistahs!!!!

Allow me to introduce to you the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis (not sure why there ain’t no “of” in there.). Anyway, this museum is every local artist’s wet dream! I would imagine that every local artist in St. Louis and its environs has a little rug that they fold out onto the floor every day at noon and bow down in prayer towards the direction of 3750 Washington Blvd (the address of this Mecca of a museum)!

If you goto the museum’s website., look under the exhibitions tab and click on “artist opportunities”, here is a synopsis of what you will find.

Four Opportunities:

Flatfiles –

“an oversized filing cabinet housing St. Louis’s best local art….began in May 2006 in order to make the talent of Midwest artists more visible and accessible to the public” … it contains works on paper that are “incorporated into the shows by asking artists [currently exhibiting in main spaces] to select their favorite works to show in the museum’s upper level education space…. the files are also a resource for artists, curators, collectors, critics, and the general public.” The museum’s curatorial staff reviews submissions.

City Wide Open Studios-

“ a weeklong celebration of local art beginning July 17 with the opening of open

studios exhibit at the Contemporary…the show consists of one work by each

artist…” weekend events include a tour of local artists’ studios using a map

provided by the museum.

Emerson Visiting Critics and Curators Series (this is so cool)

“ Each year, the Contemporay invites two internationally-known critics and curators…as part of its mission to make St. Louis a vibrant place for the arts, the Contemporary is committed to supporting the careers of local artists. The Emerson Visiting Critics and Curators Program provides a rare opportunity for local artists to have their work reviewed by important critics, while helping to broaden the national visibility of St. Louis as an important cultural center.” The visiting big-wig also gives a free public lecture!! (im such a nerd!)

And now for the MOTHERLOAD!!!

The Great Rivers Biennial and Fellowship

Every two years internationally known curators choose up to 3 local artists to receive $20,000 grants!!!!!! Money is used at artist’s discretion. In conjunction with fellowship, the selected artists are given a 4 month exhibit at the museum. Its like the freakin Turner prize in the UK! This years deadline is June 1^st, so , let’s see, I think my wife and I can pack up and move there by then… I mean, it’s a sure bet that Id be selected right?!

Well, there ya have it, read em an weep. I know, I know, you are saying “the grass is always greener” right? Well, sometimes the grass IS greener, like for example my neighbor’s yard has MUCH greener grass because he, um, actually takes care of his yard.

A couple of thought to ponder tho. I was thinking that the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis must have a HUGE endowment and a large staff to offer these programs. Well, they do report a recent campaign to raise 5.4 million by June 30^th of which they have raised 4.2 so far. I would imagine that is far greater than MOCA Jax’s endowment, which I heard is 2 million total? I am not sure what St. Louis' total endowment is. Interestingly, I looked at the staff listings expecting to see a huge curatorial staff- not one person was listed as a curator or even an assistant. I am not sure what that is about.

Anyway, the caravan to ol’ St Louie is bein prepped. You can bring pets, food, water an old people. I will pack some wooden coffins in case anyone dies on the way. I need someone to volunteer to make the “ST. LOUIS OR BUST” sign. See ya,.