Upcoming Events featuring . . . us!

Check out upcoming events featuring the work of our class members:

Roll Call: Year One
A juried exhibition of first year art students who are competing against members of their own class for merit scholarships ranging from $500-$10,000 towards tuition.

Feb 27-March 2
Cornish Main Gallery 1000 Lenora Street, 1st Floor

Free. Cornish Main Gallery hours are Monday - Friday, 9am – 4pm.

BFA Dance Concert

March 1-4

Broadway Performance Hall

1625 Broadway at Pine
Tickets are free but required for admission. Ticket reservations are made by calling 206.726.5151, Ext 1018

Myth Projects

Performances created by first-year theater students.

March 6 at 8PM

Raisbeck Hall

Free.

Other events? Please post!

For people who loved the Vivarium . . .

The "Other" Life of a Tree

by Mark E. Harmon

A tree's life is not over once it falls to the forest floor. An entirely new life is only beginning.

Releasing small quantities of stress-related chemicals into the air, the tree announces its new life. Sensing minute concentrations of these compounds on their antennae, many insect species hone in on these recently fallen trees, in which they make a home and provide food for their larvae. Those locating a new home release scents which encourage others to join them. Insect predators, cued into the chemical "chatter," arrive and scurry along surfaces to ambush new arrivals. Other large and colorful beetles or wasp-like insects arrive to lay eggs that develop into large larvae, which bore deep into the wood. As the insect larvae mature, they leave holes up to one inch deep in diameter which provide access to salamanders, centipedes and other insects.

Fungi, protozoa, nematodes and bacteria also hitch rides on these insect "taxi cabs" from one dead tree to the next. Wind and water carry these decomposers to the new feast, too. Among these are the fungi, the world's foremost experts in breaking down trees. They weaken the wood and thus provide food and shelter for other organisms, such as dampwood termites.

The tree is gradually decomposing.

As life changes inside the tree, so it also changes on the outside. Lichens, mosses and liverworts draping the log's surface trap falling needles and leaves from trees above. As these leaves accumulate, they form deep rich organic soil both around the dead tree and on its surface. This rich soil traps seeds and spores, begetting ferns and shrubs. New trees seed themselves and are nourished by the tree we called "dead."

Trees and plants that root and live on the "nurse log" receive nutrients from what is left of the original fallen tree, which has been altered by insects, fungi, bacteria and other decomposers. In time, the growth and life of such nursing "babies" further reduces the original tree to a small fraction of its size.

It now has a new life--as a nurse log.

Long after the nurse log is only a brick-red residue, the plants and trees it has nurtured remain, beginning anew the cycle of life in the forest.

Mark E. Harmon is the Richardson Chair and Professor, Department of Forest Science, Oregon State University.

Myth Projects!

So, I'm not sure anyone would be interested, but I'm going to tell ya all anyway...

March 6 at 8 in Raisbeck, a night of ensmeble generated MYTH PROJECTS! It should be freakin' awesome -- the whole freshman theatre class has been working on putting these together for the last few weeks... you've never seen aything like it.

So come and watch! It's free, it's fun, and you'll get to see Jessie and I act!

score

I'm scoring free tickets. look at the kitty!!

SUCK IT WORLD!

Hells yes! I get free tickets!!!

Time to be creative i spose...

My neglect of writing about the OSP is for one reason. I didn't like it (big surprise?).

I liked things about it. The Vivarium was pretty awesome I thought. It's like that song from the Lion King, The Circle Of Life. I just thought it was cool how it showed the existence of everything, dead or alive, can impact our surroundings. Weather it is a passed away family member of friend, our presence in the material world will always have an impact, even when we no longer are in this realm of existence. And maybe that's what I saw from this dead rotting tree. Kind of funny how one can get something deep like that from something like a dead tree log. no?

When I think of sculpture parks, I think of massive, FINISHED, spaces with large works of art. They had impressive sculptures, yes. And wonderful architecture, with the design of the buildings. But it was like the sculpture park in Leningrad, Russia (which was never completed). I don't know... maybe I'm an ass. If you're going to half ass something, at least clean up the edges and make it look somewhat pretty. Whatever.

It was a good bonding experience.

Here is a story.

I remember when I was little I had Burt and Ernie dolls from Sesame Street. I liked Ernie better and decided one day he needed a hair cut so he could be even better than Burt. Burt was really suck. He looked like a banana, his colours on his shirt were ugly, and he couldn't hold the gun from my G.I. Joe action figure(sometimes Burt and Ernie had to help kick some ass with G.I. Joe).

Anyways... I went and got my two tone, red and white, safety scissors and proceeded to give him a nice short hair cut. After I was finished... well... lets just say Burt was my favorite from then on. You could see Ernie's weave and look down into his hollow, orange skull. I ruined Ernie. He looked like he had just had a lobotomy. Oh well. I think those two are up in my parents attic now. I gave other things hair cuts too. The neighbor girl, my cat, my mom, and even myself. Eventually I spose I grew out of that phase.

Art With No Walls

The first thing I thought about when we got to the park was, "The only problem with art with no walls is the fact that there is nothing shielding me from the rain." I will be honest and say that I was wishing for the sun a lot of the time we were at the park but the more I think about it, the more I realize something. I realize that the weather is part of the art. It is part of the concept, "Art With No Walls."

Art within a museum doesn't really change. It is not meant to. It is meant to stay exactly as it was installed. Most of the time, the environment in which it is viewed will never change. The environment that we are in has a huge effect on us. So, with the ever-changing art of weather, we will never see these sculptures in the exact same environment. I think that's pretty amazing. It's almost like the art changes with the environment around it...completing a circle where the art is displayed exactly as it was meant to on that particular day.

As we leave the park, we can imagine the sculptures asking us to come back and see another side of who they are.

The park

I loved the park... it was my favorite field trip of this year, and may be even of last, although I loved Seattle Rep....

I come from Oregon, and I've grown up surrounded by trees. Now I'm in Seattle, and I'm surrounded by art. And at the OSP, I found both, in a way I was not expecting. The walk through the trees, discovering giant scupltures that look klike they'd grown there, rather than been placed, the sounds of the cars and train, the smell... there's no place like it.

It's hard to pick my favorite one... I could talk about anyone of them passionately. However, I choose the Wave for this current post.

There was something safe feeling about it -- like it was protecting me from the world, but not enclosing me. I look up and it pierces the sky, I look to either side and it surrounds me, keeping the sky from falling down on me. I walk to the end, but then I turn and it's there again! Everywhere I look, it's there... I walk around in circles, around it and beyond it, longing to touch it but the signs beg me not to, so I don't... I let it touch me instead.

And I loved the cocouns(sp)! Super fun -- I hope that everyone got a chance to sit in them, cuz they were awesome --- fun art :) I want one for my bedroom :)

Too Bad

I don't know if blogger.com just doesn't like my mac, or vice-versa, but uploading pictures has proven to be extremely time consuming and generally unsuccessful. This reminds me of the Olympic Sculpture Park. I imagine that they opened it when they did to prompt the public to donate enough money so that they could finish it, however I think this was a poor decision. For the amount of hype that the park received, showing up at the park only to find that there were chain link fences, excavators, and large expanses of dirt covering the area, I found it difficult to appreciate the sculptures in their bleak surroundings. I found it depressing to know that this is the best they could do. Typical of Seattle to talk something up solely for the purpose of attaining funding and press.

This was my favorite sculpture in the park. I like the positive and negative space it creates from this angle. The only angle I enjoyed taking pictures of the sculptures from was pointing towards the sky, so you couldn't see all of the construction that surrounded these otherwise fantastic pieces of artwork.

GAP Grants -- Time to Apply

Do you need support for an upcoming artistic project? If so, take a look at Artist Trust's "Grants for Artists Projects" (GAP) program which provides project grants of up to $1500 to develop, create, or present new work. The awards are selected by a multi-disciplinary peer review panel of artists and arts professionals, and selection is based foremost on artistic excellence. Artists in the performing, visual, literary, media, and emerging/cross-disciplinary arts are eligible.

The deadline for the 2007 GAP application is February 23, 2007. Download an application at www.artisttrust.org.

Also, Artist Trust offers free workshops on how to build a strong application. For details, go to www.artisttrust.org/events/artist_workshops.

another quote for another day

"they started to know more and more about less and less
until they knew everything about nothing" -do you know where this quote is from?

Disappointing

From pictures: seeing a massive park filled with endless sculptures on pedestals and hidden in woods; from other people: hearing about being "enveloped in the art" and being in the "most amazing setting". I went to the Seattle Art Museum's Sculpture Park with the highest expectations, but only left with disappointment. I'm not saying the art was bad, nor was the park. Maybe I had psyched myself up too much or expected too much. Regardless, the park is too small and the sculptures too few. Every sculpture was already photographed, so that you went there to verify its installation rather than going there to find more. They advertised it too well. When I heard it was being built I was honestly fascinated, filled with wonder and ideas with pictures to preview my anxiously awaiting experience, but only to be let down. And i know there is more that's being opened up eventually, but for right now I was left thinking "was that it?”

Something Useless

Well. I am going to share my feelings with the whole select few who read this trash.

Yesterday was a waste of a completely good day I believe. My interview for class has been botch-fest 2007. I can't get a hold of this guy and it's irritating me beyond belief. And of course I felt like shit. Projects, homework riding up my butt, tromboning, and the endless struggle of being a human in the material world...

...That's my life

Valentine's day is a holiday that was invented to make the singles feel even more shitty about being single. Or maybe it was invented to make single people do stupid things like try and win somebody's heart. Whatever reason it was created... i think you might now know how i feel about it. I hate it. Of course! But that's only because i am single and bitter towards anyone that actually spent this silly holiday with the person they are in love with. See... i didn't spend it with anyone except a box of NyQuil...

Something inside of me told me to feel more like crap. A kind of crap I can only feel on Valentine's Day.

MY quote of the day

"We turn not older with years, but newer every day." -Emily Dickinson

true and sincere friends

Well, everyone, I am loving my organization more and more as I go. Vera Project is so tight. It almost doesn't feel like I am researching for a class because I am so interested in what I am learning. For instance, did you know that Vera was started in response to a Teen Dance Ordinance that was passed in 1985 that outlawed all underage dance clubs? This sounds kind of ridiculous but they outlawed them because of all of the trouble with drugs, alcohol, and sexual abuse in relation to the dance clubs. This movement seeped into the underage music scene as well, hence Vera is the first all ages music venue in a LOOOONG time. Reminds you of Footloose, starring Kevin Bacon, yea??? I know. Only they were in a small town in like the early 80's and we are talking about the city of Seattle in the late 90's (when they finally abolished the TDO)

I would also like to thank Chris for giving us Friday to work on our projects. It was MUCHO helpful. Ashley and I are planning on being at Vera for their grand opening concert to take pictures and volunteer! That's right, first hand experience in the volunteer dept.!

Last thing...Vera is actually and acronym for Veri Et Recti Amici which translates to "true and sincere friends"

All The Angles

It's 08.00 am and I am sitting here, outside, trying to wake up. My eyelids are stuck to my eyeballs and my vision is blurred from being asleep since 6 o'clock the previous night. I can taste my breath and my stomach is moaning with hunger. This seems to be the routine I experience every Monday morning.

In the back of my mind I have the stuff I need to do eating at me and making me nervous. And yet... all i can think about is writing a stupid blog for my trip to the library.

The Seattle Public Library is perhaps the most interesting building I have been inside of.
I didn't realize that they utilized every possible section of the huge building. And yet when you go inside it seems even larger than looking at it from out on the street.

It is pretty different from the library in Boston. But just in a design sense. It seems to have more of a euro-flare. It also has less homeless, transient, types than the Boston library. The lighting and the design keep people more awake and interested in books rather than free lounging.

Our group headed back to grab some info for our project on our "super study time Friday". I must say the people that make this library run smoothly are also very informative and pleasantly ready to address you when you need help.

All in all. This library is very good and does not piss me off. So that's enough of this annoying blog.

Very successful Friday!

I hope that everyone had as much success on Friday as our group did! Thanks so much, Chris, for letting us have that day to visit our sites! We ended up going to the Hugo House and talking to Lyall Bush, the Ex. Director for a half an hour -- it was awesome! I'm super excited about our report... I'm also heartily addicted to ZAPP and I think I'll head down there right now to read some more zines... :)

Comic book artists/authors, Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez are going to appear at Fantagraphics

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/artsentertainment/2003561564_fantagraphics08.html

we could all use a little more library in our lives...

The new library is very big...it made me feel very small. I do like it though. Except for those scary escalators with the neon colors and the faces staring at you. Those I do not like so much. But like Shaun said, "Atleast this library has something for you to turn away from." I have to agree.

I really love how the new library is so tied to the community, especially the arts community. I appreciate all of the artwork that is incorporated into the structure of the building. One of my favorites art pieces was the foreign languages section which featured the floor with writing in all different languages. This really gave the building and the section a feeling of being bigger than ourselves. It reminds us that there is always more than what we understand and always more to reach for and more to learn about.

I was very impressed with the staff of the library as well. They all seemed extremely knowledgable, not just on the layout of the library but on life in general. They all seemed to genuinely care about the library and even more importantly, care about the people that walked in the door. I'm sure we've all been to those libraries and museums before where the people working there seemed to be more concerned about the scuff your shoe made on the floor than the knowledge you were taking from the organization. I did not feel that way at all at this library.

YAY for seattle public library.

Seattle Public Library-ness

I loved the library trip! I'd never been in there before, but Ive walked by it many times... it was so big! "I've never seen so many books in all my life!" (hint, it's a disney classic, and the only animated film to be nominated for best picture) I'm a book freak, as many of you know, and the only thing I wish is that I'd gotten to browse more! I just wanted to take off from the rest of the group and see what treasures were waiting in the stacks...

As a last note, I HATE the Dewy Decimal system... it's so outdated... but I know that it would take crazy long time to re-catalogue all those books... so I won't complain. Too much.

I still love my library back home the best though -- it was a little tiny thing in Alsea, Oregon. The building used to be a bank, and then it was the phone operator's office-y thing, and in my day it was a library. I knew every book in there, and I'd go in there and just chat with Mary, the librarian... that was where my first library job was, I was 7. Good times.

That was a little off topic... but yeah, I love libraries.

The Library

The library was pretty cool actually. I haven't been to that library yet, so it was surprising to see that it was actually that big. I love the way that they incorporated so much art into the architecture and interior design. The scary red hallway, the cool little spinning carved sculpture piece, the different languages carved into the wooden floor, the awesome glass windows, and just the way that the library was set up to operate were all really cool things that made this library different from most I've been to. It was very colorful and seemed like it was designed to keep you awake ...rather than to put you to sleep. lol, even the benches were designed so that you "Couldn't sleep on them". Really cool. Good thoughts.