Thursday, February 28, 2008

Prints Gone Wild



Attention!
Printmaking
Atttention!
Printmaking
I Repeat
Attention!
Printmaking is art.
Art is printmaking.
Printmaking is stamping.
Printmaking is brain stamping.
Brain stamping is art.
Printmaking is brain stamping.
Art is printmaking.

Non Grata performers at the Prints Gone Wild microphone

(Note: some of the links in this post contain images not appropriate for viewing at work or by kids.)

Yes, I experienced it all, thanks to a tip-off by Angela. And the west coasters don't think anything interesting happens in St. Louis! On a snowy Sunday afternoon at the in Contemporary Art Museum ,outlaw printmakers from around the country displayed themeselves and their art. It was a major happening. I came home with several inexpensive trophys including a Tom Huck proof. In addition to the printwork, the Estonian performance art group Non Grata staged a printmaking exercise that featured branding raw steaks on near-nude subjects in the icy courtyard of the museum. Pics . Red hot irons, masked Estonians in red jocky shorts and girls on ice. Another lazy Sunday afternoon absorbing culture.

I didn't have a camera, but I ran across some pictures taken of the event on the web including the one of me below. You can see more prints gone wild photos at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/caitlinemmaperkins
http://flickr.com/photos/budskiphotography/sets/72157603983691376/

The Road to Mecca



















On my recent visit to St.Louis, Nana and Papa Jim took me for a night on the town. Nouvelle asian cuisine at the 609 Restaurant in the loop -order the shrimp - followed by a searing (thanks for the right adjective, Bill) theatrical experience at the hands of the Orange Girls.

The play was intense partly because I'm haven't seen much live theater of late, but more because of the acting, the writing, and the intimacy of the setting, the 'black box' theater in the basement of COCA. It must have room for about 80 and all the seats were sold. The three actors were practically in our laps. And the performances were strong. They did The Road to Mecca by Athol Fugard. About an older widow, who is a half cazy artist working in concrete, glass and glitter, near the end of her ability to live alone in a remote South African village, her visitor, a young women full of righteous convictions and big city single female perspectives and the Afrikaaner Dutch Reformed Pastor trying to get her into an old folks home. Every layer of life's onion is peeled as the conflcit plays out. Man. See it!

We emerged, semi-stunned, squeezed past the cookie stand and up the stairs for a quick tour of the COCA galleries and - what are the odds- a performance ofThe Vagina Monologues was just ending in the main floor auditorium. (Had the trustees of B'nai Amoona anticipated this when they sold the synogogue to COCA? Probably not.) It was some kind of fundraisers, and about a hundred of Papa Jim's closest friends were milling about. After a quick hello with Beth Lewis, Nana and I had to conduct a surgical extraction, but we made it home before midnight. A memorable evening!

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Banff Mountain Film Festival



Well, it is all arranged - B has tickets for Saturday night in Santa Cruz. Care to come along?

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Flightline News




Jakle Air Combat Patrol team members are shown here flying a peactime food drop mission to save snowbound Golden Retrievers from starvation after a heavy winter storm in the Pacific Northwest stranded hundreds of the good natured canines. Navigator Thomas 'Pork Pie" Jakle monitors airspeed while pilot John "Hammer Down' Jakle brings his heavily loaded C-130 Hercules in low over the drop zone, preparing to release pallets of self opening 'Mighty Dog' Beef canned food. (Earlier drops had supplied kibble.) As a result of the flier's humanitarian dedication, all dogs were saved from the snow drifts and returned to their grateful families. Thanks boys! SEE Detailed Mission Images HERE