New Contemporary Art Installtions for SD County Buildings.

We should all acknowledging the artists whose work is included in the new County Operations Center collection.in the newly constructed Office Buildings and Campus Center. (5510-5550 Overland Drive - Farnham at Ruffin Rd) You can park for free at 5520 when you go to see these  fabulous large commission sculptures in the lobbies of the five building. On each of the four floors when you leave the elevator are the constructed displays by Jay Johnson (SD Art Prize recipient). We congratulate the county for embracing these large scale works and the wonderful interiors of the modern new buildings of the complex.  This is a world class display. We have included a special video by Sean Ward about the installation by Anne Mudge.

Zadok Ben-David 

Anne Mudge  with Doug Simay  who says" The County has shown more moxie and insight than any other local governmental body when it comes to real art for real times."

Joyce Cutler-Shaw

Jay Johnson

Ball-Nogues Studio

Jay Johnson

John Rogers (not the SD John Rogers!)

Jay Johnson

  Gail Roberts (SD Art Prize recipient)

Marie Najera

Chris Puzio

Jay Johnson

Jay Johnson

Also works by Ellen Salk, Italo Scanga, Philipp Scholz Rittermann, Manny Farber, Glen Crooks
For more information, please contact
Gail Goldman of Gail M. Goldman Associates
(858) 490-9270 or gail@gmgassoc.com

Read Lonnie Hewitt's article in the La Jolla Light: Someplace special 

Michael Kenna at Joseph Bellow Gallery

Michael Kenna: New andClassic Images is a special exhibition of work from Japan  showing until - September 8, 2012 at Joseph Bellow Gallery  (7661 Girard Avenue , La Jolla, 92037) More info:858.456.5620 info@josephbellows.com

Written by Cathy Breslaw

Michael Kenna’s New and Classic Images exhibition at Joseph Bellows Gallery comprise a selection of  black and white ethereal and contemplative photographs. These fifty images span twenty years and thirteen countries..Kenna has been photographing for forty years and still relies on Kodak film in spite of the growing digital marketplace. He makes his own sepia toned silver gelatin prints in a traditional darkroom, creating precisely7 ¾” square images, which are dry mounted on 16” x 20” museum board. He doesn’t deviate from his methods and there seems to be no reason he should. His remarkably atmospheric and surreal architectural and landscape scenes are uninhabited but hint at human intervention.

Kenna has traveled the world taking photographs and has spent countless nights outdoors using sometimes ten to twelve hour exposure times to create his vision of the locations he is capturing on film. Some images possess the stark contrast of darkness against the drama of focused light like a Rembrandt painting while others portray a dreaminess - a misting and blurring of objects against a distant cloudless sky.  One group of images in the show closely resembles delicate line drawings or detailed paintings rather than photographs.  Many of Kenna’s images were photographed in Southeast Asia and directly reference Chinese or Japanese brush painting.

Michael Kenna’s work possesses a universal classic style with a unique personal vision – seemingly a travelogue marking places he has been and places we would all like to visit.

La Jolla Film Festival, selection by Patricia Frischer

La Jolla Fashion Film Festival  is three days only Thurs/Fri/Sat. July 26 & 28 th, 8 - 10 pm at the Museum of Contemporary Art ( 700 Prospect Street, La Jolla 92037) La Jolla Fashion Film Festival Tickets range from $32-$112.50. There are lots of events connected with this during the day as well as after parites.  See all events. More info: Fred Sweet

Some but not all of the films in the La Jolla Film Festival are commercials for designer houses like Chanel or Dior. Glamorous models, fabulous locations and big budgets generally give glossy results. Some of the directors however, choose this venue to show their more arty videos. More than half of the directors were present on the opening night to introduce their films and that was one of the most charming parts of the evening. Although the theater was not packed, the participants party and network together for the whole festival and this support, validation and chance to make new contacts seems to make this a very worthwhile experience for them.We take our hats off to Fred Sweet for organizing this impressive festival now an established date on our art calendars.

There was only one film that I found questionable: Marie Schuller, Visiting Hour.  It was billed as a homage  but I found it exploitive of an older women so I am not giving a link to it here. The festival has a total of about 60 videos in all. Here is my selection from the opening night.  

Justin Anderson, Fleurs du Mal – the most shocking of the films because of the Hitchcock beginning

.

Stephaniedi Gusto, Miracle and Moonlight – lovely floating figures and a powdered paint fight.

Yoshimichi Tamura, Planktoon Reflection - humorous animation of a mirror image fighting it’s owner

Miguel Font Bisier, Aeterna – most imaginative use of special techniques and potent images of a man burning with love

Charlie Wan, Bloom – head and neck completely covered with diamonds and then reverse engineered

Kaelen Ohm, Heaven – charming story of ones dreams making one’s life larger.

SDVAN RAW for July 2012

Here is a sample of our RAW July 2012 which is posted every month on the SDVAN site. If you like this make sure you are signed up on our Mailing list to get a monthly reminder to check it out!

Gossip is what you say about the objects of flattery when they aren't present. P. J. O'Rourke

The Art of Sound in San Diego included interactive sonic sculpture and installations, stage performances and pop up gallery performances, listening stations and video installation. Presented by Open Arts Collective at Space 4 Art Sat. August 25, 6-9 pm. (325 15th St, SD 92101)More info: Cara Mia Ciasulli  619.309.8537

There will be a special presentation at the next SDVAN Monthly Meeting Tuesday, August 14, 10 am to noon: Putting on Successful Art Events by Patricia Frischer. If you want to put on better events: Learn the role of passion and charm and how to become inclusive not exclusive. Find out what your events should provide the artist, the community and you, the organizer. Learn how to identify trends, match make promotion ideas, negotiate with venues and in kind donors, work with volunteers and create time lines and standard operating procedures. To RSVP and for an agenda. patricia@sdvisualarts.net .  

We hope to see you at San Diego Art Prize 2012 at Art San Diego Contemporary Art FairBooth #C19 Sept 6-9, 2012 Arline Fischwith emerging artist Vincent Robles and Jeffery Laudenslagerwith emerging artist Deanne Sabeck (Balboa Park Activity Center, 2145 Park Boulevard, San Diego 92101) More info: Patricia Frischer 760.943.0148

Sat. August 25 from 6 to 9 we hope to see many of you at Luminous Passage: Works in Glass and Light exhibition featuring Deanne Sabeckand Michelle Kurtis Cole at the L Street Gallery at the Omni ( 628 L Street, SD 92101) More info: Kay Colvin 760.492.2876

Remember to reserve you seats on the free bus on Oct 5 to Entijuanarte 2012at Cecut, Tijuana. There is a limit of 50. The event runs October 5 th-7 th, 2012.   For more info: administrativo@fundacionentijuanarte.org RSVP for the bus to Patricia Frischer 760.943.0148 

Thanks go Naomi Nussbaum and the SD Botanic Gardens for hosting us at the opening of the Sculpture in the Garden reception in memory of Dennis Paul Batt. It was a glorious day and a stellar group of local sculptors including Alber and Luna de Mattius, Matt Devine, Dan Peragine, Jeffery Laudenslager, Aoma Robinson, Madelynne Engle, Cheryl Tall, Charles Bronson, Ben Lavendar, Fritzie Urquhart and Becky Guttin…all friends of SDVAN. But there were many more to admire including two that sold that day by Victoria Johnson. This is a wonderful place to take children this summer. Don’t miss it.

We were also hosted by Vicki Leon at the Bernardo Winery for a performance at The Vine (Mojalet Dance Place for the Arts.) Vicki was showing the last of three Quilts of Life happenings before her exhibition in October at Noel Baza. We got to see the interaction of the dancers with her dichromatic etched glass discs. This work in progress is funded by the SD Foundation. Bernardo Winery (founded 1889!) has a whole collection of fun galleries and shops and holds an art walk once a month and Mojalet has a performance every weekend in the summer. We were so pleased to see such a wonderful resource hidden away in a neighborhood in Rancho Bernardo.

Brandie Maddalena is busy building CarouShellat Nottingham Center fro the Artsin San Marcos. The center houses outstanding artists from a variety of media, including glass, wood, and ceramics. Caroushell is a fabulous sculpture destined for the Burning Man Festival from the San Diego region.

Quint Contemporary Art (QCA) is announcing a summer series of short exhibitions. A large portion of the gallery will be under renovation and so they will be using a portion of the space to introduce new artists, and showcase artists of the gallery. On August 10 th and continuing through August 25 th works on paper by artist Kim MacConnel , (SD Art Prize) spanning ten years from 1973 to 1982. These gouaches on paper are studies of MacConnel's large-scale fabric paintings and large scale paintings and are stand-alone as exquisite examples of MacConnel's interest in pattern and design.

The SD Foundation has now published its Greater San Diego Vision which weaves together aspiration and inspiration and calls for innovation and collaboration. This is the 48 th vision exercise for the city in the last 100 years. What makes this vision different is that 30,000 people in the community contributed their ideas and preferences to the vision. The San Diego Foundation Malin Burnham Center for Civic Engagement will steward the Vision and help move the region forward by convening stakeholders, informing decisions, engaging people, and impacting our evolution. They are on their way to raising $5M for this endeavor asking $100,000 from 50 donors. The SD Foundation has current assets of $600M and had $55M in donation in 2011. Forty-two million dollars went out in grants last year. The Arts and Culture division of the Foundation has three main initiatives right now: Creativity in the Classroom , Creative Catalyst Fund: Individual Artist Fellowship Program, and the Business of the Arts Program . We were delighted to see that one of the seven goals of the Vision includes neighborhoods that are safe, vibrant and convenient centers of Community Life, Arts and Culture. Not only that but one of the Big Ideas is to create and integrate Arts Districts (like the I.D.E. A planned by David Malmuth.) We are grateful to Felicia Shaw and a large group of volunteers for making sure that Arts and Culture has a high priority in the vision.

 

Art & Science Collaborations Inc. (ASCI) serving the international art-sci-tech field for 24-years is featuring Kaz Maslanka in their November issue for his NYC installation project, A Spectrum of Jewels. Kaz is on the committee for the DNA of Creativity project and heads one of the teams, Poly Aesthetic Mapping.

John Eger helps us again to see the value of art spaces in cities in his latest article, Downtown Cultural Districts are the New Incubators of Creativity , published in the Huffington Post. Linda M. Sokol on behalf of Victoria Hamilton (City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture) is trying to arrange an ArtPlace Grant Prep Meeting in order to make a more successful application for funds in San Diego. Date July 30 place TBD.

It is changed it name, changed from first to second Friday and not always been every month, but now we understand from Perry Meyer Fine Art that Kettner Nights is now going to be the SECOND Friday of EVERY month.

Robin Przybysz has launched her new accessory line with a video made by Gerrit Greve at his studio in Cardiff by the Sea. This was a collection started with the support of the Art Meets Fashion project in 2011.

Larry and Debby Kline have launched a Kickstarter fund to finance a book about their art My Dinner with the Klines which describes art they have made while dining out together. We love the ketchup portrait and the straw and napkin sculptures. You might have seen some of these a few years ago at the California Center for the Arts in Escondido.

OPPORTUNITIES (click to see a list of all current opportunities listed on SDVAN)  

Girl Scouts San Diego seeks a muralist (female preferably) to lead approximately 15 Girl Scouts in grades 6-8 to create a 10’ x 5’ portable mural to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of Girl Scouting through a series of eight workshops. The Finished painting will be exhibited throughout San Diego County, including at the Chula Vista Public Library. . Honorarium of $4,000 upon project completion (Friday, October 5, 2012.) Applications due by Friday, July 27. See the full listing on SDVAN. For more info: Kathleen Stoughton 619.610.0813.

The Bonita Museum & Cultural Center is now taking submissions for our annual Juried Photography and Digital Arts Exhibition. Our theme is San Diego - show us how you see our city, what changes you've experienced, and what you love about it. Three awards will be given: 1st place $200; 2nd place $100; and 3rd place $50. Reception and awards given August 11, 2012, 5:30-7:00 p.m. Submissions accepted through July 27, 2012. For more info: Julie Gaybonitamuseum@sbcglobal.net. 

Stephen Burns is keeping the San Diego Photoshop User up to date wit the new Adobe Connect for those who cannot make it in person to the meetings and demonstrations. Attendance & membership is free. For the directions page to get location/map details just click on the "Directions" link to the left of www.sdphotoshopusers.com.

ARTS seek two teachers.A Reason To Survive is seeking a teaching artist for the Fred and Finch Youth Center in Spring Valley to work Thursdays, 12:30 -- 2:30, plus 2 hours prep and post starting ASAP for a ten-week workshop for youth with intellectual disabilities and mental health diagnoses, ages 14 – 21 years old. They are also looking another experienced, energetic and talented artist to teach a four week workshop for youth, ages 7- 12, whose families are enlisted in the military. The sessions August 7, August 14, August 21 and August 28, are 3 hours per day will be held at the San Diego Armed Services YMCA and will be 2 hours each. .Submit resume and cover letter to Ashleigh Starke, Director of Programs 619.297.2787 

MUSEUMS

We love to see these sorts of collaboration to build the reputation of the visual arts in San Diego. From Sept 16, to February 10, 2013, MCASD will partner with the San Diego Museum of Art and the Timken Museum of Art to bring together the finest American works from their permanent collections presented in a groundbreaking collaborative exhibition entitled Behold, America!: Art of the United States from Three San Diego Museums. There are three main sections, Figures, Forms, and Frontiers, with each venue showing works from all three collections.

The San Diego Museum of Art Featuring artists such as Otto Dix, George Grosz, Emil Nolde, Gabrielle Münter, Egon Schiele, and Vasily Kandinsky, The Human Beast presents the key figures in the rise of German Expressionism. The exhibition highlights the recent bequest of 48 German Expressionist works from the estate of Vance E. Kondon and Elisabeth Giesberger and features 9 paintings on loan from the Museo Thyssen Bornemisza, in addition to many works long in the permanent collection. July 21 through November 11. T he Invention of Glory: Afonso V and the Pastrana Tapestries, is a major exhibition now showing at the museum and it depicts event for the first time contemporary to its time instead of allegories. It shows the battles and sieges of that time. We loved the Drone project which was part of the Summer Salon series featured every Friday night throughout the summer. This Salon projects is about conflict and its depiction in art, in this case a drone container was re-purposed as a room. It was originally displayed in front of the General Atomics (the producer of the drones in SD) and amusingly, as it was being hauled away was mistaken for the theft of an actual drone. The name of the Salon Series this month is Beyond the Banner which reveres not only to banner of war, but advertising banner like those at the top of our website pages. Agitprop is the Series Co-Curator.   

The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego Get ready to roll out the red carpet for Monte Carlo On Screen, the Museum's 36 th annual gala on Saturday, September 8 at 6:30 PM at the La Jolla location. Monte Carlo is one of San Diego's highly anticipated fundraisers. MCASD will be magically transformed into a cinematic wonderland. At the MCASD Downtown ( Jacobs Building) from August 9, January 20, 2013as part of MCASD’s ongoing Cerca series, this mixed media installation and performance by sound artist Margaret Noble charts a psychological path through San Diego’s City Heights neighborhood, where the artist grew up. Combining references to the neighborhood’s early Victorian years and motifs drawn from 1980s urban pop culture, 44th and Landis takes the form of an intricate sculptural environment made up of hundreds of cut paper dolls and other forms. 

Oceanside Museum of Art as part of their Artists@WORK will feature Anna Stump and Ted Meyer on Aug 9 6 -9 pm working to create an installation on the theme Exploring Tattoo. The Zen Brush Painting demonstration by Rosemary KimBal is Thurs. Sept 13, 6-9 pm 760.435.3720. While there catch the Facing West/Looking East exhibition that begins on Sat Aug 11 from 5 to 7 pm. ( 704 Pier View Way, Oceanside, 92054).More info: Danielle Susalla Deery 

Museum of Photographic Arts You can go see the The Jazz Loft Project: W. Eugene Smith in NYC, 1957-1965 exhibition and have a three course meal with a whole bottle of wine for only about $80 per couple at the Prado every Thursday night until Sept 27.

TRANSITIONS

 

We are sad to report the passing of Richard Seubert. He was always cheerful and so enthusiastic about his role in the Hats Off to Life project. He was one of the models and a hat was made for him depicting his life by Rosemary KimBal and an excellent photo taken of him in full glory by Erika Johnson. The photo is still on view at Fairwinds Ivey Ranch. Our condolences go to his family. May he rest in peace. 

TIDBITS

The food truck fever spreading across cities of the United States and beyond has infiltrated the contemporary art scene: One 25-foot-long rented truck in Boston is serving up culture instead of sandwiches through White Walls Boston, a mobile art initiative to make art accessible across the city.

As Sotheby's step out of it auction role into a selling role they are partnering with Josh Baer, art critic, private advisor and author of Baer Faxt, on a unique selling exhibition called "Not Californian" from 6 - 30 September 2012. The show will highlight important works by eight Californian artists from the 1970s and 1980s who gained immense international appeal: Mike Kelley, Chris Burden, Bruce Nauman, Paul McCarthy, Charles Ray, John Baldessari, Ed Ruscha and Raymond Pettibon. For more information or if you are interested in consigning, 212.606.7254 Miety.Heiden@sothebys.com

Just like the SDMA, there are now no artists left on the board of MOCA in Los Angeles. Jim Wilsterman forwarded this article from the Los Angles Times . John Baldessari, Catherine Opie and Barbara Kruger all resigned from the board of trustees and the last to go was Ed Ruscha. Like SDMA, the LA MOCA was started by artists and over the years, their role has been marginalized. The last straw was the firing of the firing of longtime chief curator Paul Schimmel by the life trustee Eli Broad who “rescued” the museum from financial troubles but now is seen to hold too much power.

Public Artists, Private Work, Cannon Gallery Carlsbad

Public Artists, Private Work Since the City of Carlsbad established the Cultural Arts Department in 1985, a number of artists have been featured in the City’s Art in Public Places Program. This show is a rare opportunity to see the private studio work of Carlsbad’s Public Art artists. Public artists include TJ Dixon and James Nelson, Kim Emerson, Raul Guerrero, Paul Hobson, James Hubbell, Ron Juncal, Christopher Lee, Anna O’Cain and Richard Keely, Alber de Matteis, Phillipp Sholtz Rittermann, Michael Stutz, Sylvia Tidwell, Jim Wilsterman and others. July 15 to Sept 16, Reception July 14 from 5 to 7 pm. Cannon Art Gallery Carlsbad City Library complex 1775 Dove Lane, Carlsbad, 92011. More info: Colleen Finnegan 760.434.2900

This show curated by Karen McGuire is well displayed and of so much interest to those who want a better look into the private work of public artists. 

The first thing you see when you enter this show is the stunning figure head by Michael Stutz. I am familiar with this work, but very taken with the additional drawing made by Stutz that were included below. The lines in these drawings seemed more personal and intimate and connected to his hand than the polished feeling I get from the sculptures.

Overview Update July 16, 2012 NUI & Summer Salon Series

NUI: Natural User Interface

NUI pronounced newie) is the way the user interacts with any machine application in the most natural way. We are all now used to tapping, swiping and talking into our smart phones. We heard a presentation with demonstrations by Rodney Guzman co-found and chief architect of the local  InterKnowlogy (founded in 1999 in Carlsbad) at Mintz Levin hosted by CommNexas.  They are working on hand free interface. Think about a surgeon who can’t touch anything during an operation or he will pass on germs;   a mechanic working on an oily car engine who doesn’t want his computer contaminated; or a window shopper who can move her hands outside the store and get more information about that glorious red dress she fancies.  The real challenge seems to be to make a hand recognition program so sensitive it can turn a dial by virtually gripping it.

Why is this important to all app producers? Today’s users don’t want to read instruction.  Intuition has to play a huge part in the process of the interface. Think about double clicking as an example. Clicking once gave one set of actions, clicking twice another set. But that is learned and actually counter-intuitive except to programmers. One click, one gesture, one voice is all that should be necessary.

 When designing the SD View Art Now (SDVAN) App as part of the DNA of Creativity, San Diego Visual Arts Network are certainly keeping this in mind. We want an app that allows you to enter with one tap and immediately get information about all the visual arts events around you at any given moment. We need simple options to change the date or change the view from map to street view. And in phase two of our project we want some element of augmented reality that might let you create a video review of the event. We want that experience to be easy and apparent with no long explanation needed. So we are spending the time to plan this carefully before we have the code developer even start the work.

This area of technology is changing so rapidly and it is heartening that one of the companies that is creating advancements in right here in San Diego.

The Invention of Glory: Afonso V and the Pastrana Tapestries, is a major exhibition now showing at the The San Diego Museum of Art and it depicts event for the first time contemporary to its time instead of allegories. It shows the battles and sieges of that time.  We loved the Drone project which was part of the Summer Salon series featured every Friday night throughout the summer. This Salon projects is about conflict and its depiction in art, in this case a drone container was re-purposed as a room. It was originally displayed in front of the General Atomics (the producer of the drones in SD) and amusingly, as it was being hauled away was mistaken for the theft of an actual drone. The name of the Salon Series this month is Beyond the Banner which reveres not only to banner of war, but advertising banner like those at the top of our website pages.  Agitprop is the Series Co-Curator.

TED Speak: Introducing SDVAN View Art Now App

By Patricia Frischer

The New Yorker Magazine printed an article Listen and Learn (July 9 &16, 2012) by Nathan Heller about TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) video presentations. If you are like me you have watched a number of these and they are almost always wonderfully produced. I often asked myself how these people from all walks of life were able to be so entertaining, dedicated and passionate about their subjects. I recommend you read the article for a full description, but one small paragraph gave me some good clues. I decided to try this formula out in introducing our new San Diego View Art Now (SDVAN) App.

1. Opening of Direct address: As part of the DNA of Creativity project, we are going forward with a new asset for the San Diego Visual Arts Network, which is a logical outgrowth of our service to over 2000 visual art resources for the SD community. Our events calendar has listed over 7000 events since our inception in 2003 and we are now planning to create a smart phone app that will give users who are pin pointed by GPS a view on their phone map of events occurring in a radius around them.
   
   
2. Narrative of personal stake: I arrived in SD in 1996 from London, went to the MoCASD and asked for the visual arts guide to the city. They laughed and shrugged at the same time. No guide existed. As I discovered the richness of the visual art scene in SD, I saw no reason not to share that information. Six years later we launched SDVAN with a resource directory and events calendar. Now, to take advantage of on the go needs, we are developing the smart phone app, which will access the data from our events calendar. We also wanted to have the fun and stay on the cutting edge by adding an AR (augmented reality) component to the app. AR is using the camera function of the phone to give an additional layer of information for the viewer.
   
   
3. Research Summary: We used technology specially commission as 10 years in the internet world is 50 years in other industries and there was no standard software existing at that time for the design we used. Now researching how to make an app means understanding our PHP data bases, commissioning software developers and graphic designers. Our research into AR is just beginning and you can read a past A+ Augmented Reality Summary. We will be creating a dedicated website for San Diego View Art Now (SD VAN) which will be compatible for smart phones and has the web application on the home page, plus more information about our team, history, how to list your events, lesson plans, and special launch events for the app.
   
   
4. Précis of potential application: Imagine you are out drinking with friends after work and you have the evening stretching before you. Call up SDVAN on your phone by clicking the icon and up pops all the events near you. Want to find something on the way home, click to view by location. Planning a future rendezvous, click to locate events by date. And in phase two of this app you may be able to see lost graffiti after it has been painted out, or locate a map to entire open studio event, maybe even see a secret layer of a painting not visible with the human eye alone.
   
   
5. Revelation to drive it home: The New Yorker is already supplying an app for all of its cultural events. I just did a Google search for Visual Arts Apps and SDVAN appeared on the first page right after the Wikipedia definition of fine art. Other cities will have this technology soon, but just as SD Visual Arts Network was cutting edge when it began, we can be on the fore front of this technology for our community, build audience for visual arts events and get one step closer to re-branding San Diego as one of the world’s most innovative regions.

Patricia's Exhibiton update for July

Thanks go Naomi Nussbaum and the SD Botanic Gardens for hosting us at the opening of the Sculpture in the Garden reception in memory of Dennis Paul Batt. It was a glorious day and a stellar group of local sculptors including Alber and Luna de Mattius, Matt Devine, Dan Peragine, Jeffery Laudenslager, Amos Robinson, Madelynne Engle, Cheryl Tall, Charles Bronson, Ben Lavender, Fritzie Urquhart and Becky Guttin…all friends of SDVAN. But there were many more to admire including two that sold that day by Victoria Johnson. This is a wonderful place to take children this summer. Don’t miss it.

We were also entertained by Vicki Leon at the Bernardo Winery for a performance at The Vine (Mojalet Dance Place for the Arts.)  Vicki was showing the last of three Quilts of Life happenings before her exhibition in October at Noel Baza. We got to see the interaction of the dancers with her dichromatic etched glass discs. This work in progress is funded by the SD Foundation.  Bernardo Winery (founded 1889!) has a whole collection of fun galleries and shops and holds an art walk once a month and Mojalet has a performance every weekend in the summer. We were so pleased to see such a wonderful resource hidden away in a neighborhood in Rancho Bernardo.

We are going to the Old Globe to see Divine Rivalry describes as a painting competition between Leonardo de Vinci and Michelangelo organized by Machiavelli.(until Aug 5)  If you can’t make that, check out Kettner Nights. And the in August we are going to RED which is about the life of Rothko at the Mark Taper Forum in LA.

Here is a special request that just came in:

Girl Scouts San Diego seeks a muralist (female preferably) to lead approximately 15 Girl Scouts in grades 6-8 to create a 10’ x 5’ portable mural to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of Girl Scouting through a series of eight workshops. The Finished painting will be exhibited throughout San Diego County, including at the Chula Vista Public Library. . Honorarium of $4,000 upon project completion (Friday, October 5, 2012.) Applications due by Friday, July 27. See the full listing on SDVAN. For more info: Kathleen Stoughton 619.610.0813.

Don’t forget:

 La Jolla Fashion Film Festival  Thurs/Fri/Sat. July 26 & 28th, 8 - 10 pm at the Museum of Contemporary Art (700 Prospect Street, La Jolla 92037) $32-$112.50 See all events. More info: Fred Sweet

The Art Of Photography 2012 Judged by Julian Cox, Curator of Photography at the de Young Museum, San Francisco. Deadline extended to July 16 More info: Steven Churchill: 619.825.5575

Faeries Afoot by Thomine Wilson

Annual Midsummer’s Night Dream Faerie Party   is afoot and the fun is set to begin on Saturday 23 June  from 8pm to midnight. It will be held at Fusionglass Co  (8872 La Mesa Boulevard  La Mesa, CA 91942) More info Debb Solan 619.461.4440 

Faeries afoot Saturday night as magic, beauty, and artistry were in full swing once again at Fusionglass Co in La Mesa. Owners Debbie Solan and Paul Fernandes hosted their annual Midsummer Night’s Dream Party complete with a decadent array of tasty nibbles, an outpouring of wine, ‘booty bag’ prizes filled with gorgeous jewelry, and exhibits by a select group of talented guest artists whose art was out of this world.

In true form, this Fusionglass party was a terrific success and the crowd tipped to over 200 people. There was a fascinating and creative selection of faerie flair of all colors and the evening was delightfully enchanting. Faerie costumes were plentiful made from recycled wedding and cocktail dresses spray painted and adorned with fluttering floral designs. Gowns were accessorized with faerie wings, an ethereal crown of flowers, and legendary pointy shoes with bells! Other guests were wrapped in a bounty of colorful hand painted silks that were truly a feast for the eyes. More daring faeries pranced in their frilly lace PJs complete with sequin bedroom slippers and a sprinkling of fairy dust to spread throughout the glorious night air. Included among the guests was a tribe of camouflaged warriors who provided just the right touch of forestry to protect the spirited crowd.

New this year was an appearance by a masked man from Mardi Gras who surprised the crowd and greeted each guest with sparkling beads and baubles from faraway lands. Also featured was a photo booth with a selection of feathered faerie wings to try on and fly if you dared.

Paul Fernandes, a natural behind the microphone, belted out the names of prizewinners every 15 minutes throughout the entire evening while the strumming guitars of Pound Dog played familiars from the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s.

Guest artists included Julie Arroyo whose watercolor and Chinese calligraphy on wood added a hint of serenity to the fairytale night. Leah ‘Nina’ Carter exhibited an exquisite line of organic and geometric jewelry inspired by nature and made of a mix of copper, brass, and silver. Kira Carrillo Corser’s painted photographs using pastels, inks, and oil pencils were inspirational and contained stunning and fantastic imagery. Peggy Hinaeken’s atmospheric and lyrical etchings and lithographs depicted historical and literary figures that made a lovely addition to the tales of the evening. Finally, Emily Vermillion’s black ink drawings of faerie lore and garden flowers provided a sensation of beauty and renewal among the mystical moments of this magical do.

As the clock struck midnight, there were lots of vixens vying for attention and a very beautiful faerie won the grand jewelry prize. There’s definitely a tale to tell of Fusionglass and all the faeries…but you will have to wait till next Mid Summer’s Night when the clock strikes 8 and there are faeries at your gate. Come ready for entertainment, beautiful art, generous prizes, and a night filled with fun and laughter! Keep your eyes open for more magical happenings at Fusionglass Co.

Thomine Wilson (pronounced Tom-in-e) is a San Diego artist who is working to promote the ‘Employee Art Program’, a training alliance composed of professional educators who help organizations accelerate business performance and foster sustainability through on site arts-based learning, culture change agents, and innovation experts.

New Contemporaries V

New Contemporaries V at Susan Street Fine Art Gallery exhibiting all the nominated emerging artists for the SD Art Prize from June 2 to July 3. Shawnee Barton, Lauren Carrera, Noah Doely, Rob Duarte, Alexander Jarman, Anna Chiaretta Lavatelli, Lee M. Lavy, Ingram Ober, Vincent Robles, Deanne Sabeck, David Leon Smith, Brian Zimmerman  Opening Reception: June 7 from 6 to 9 pm (200 North Cedros Avenue, Solana Beach, 92075) More info: Melissa Stager 858.793.4442

Now in its fifth year, this showcase for emerging artists in San Diego, never fails to entertain and enlighten us. The artists are chosen for the show by the 2011 SD Art Prize recipients and their champions who are art professionals. There is never duplication in the nominators, spreading the circle of influence ever wider with each show. Melissa Sager was the curator of this show for Susan Street Fine Art and she did a masterful job of choosing and setting the works in the gallery to honor each of them. Amazingly, nothing was out of balance and you could start anywhere in the relatively small space and begin your journey of discovery.

On arrival I noticed the collaged installation by Alexander Jarman immediately. It is rich with imagery mostly floral and body parts in fun warm colors. It was designed with a circle motif and then Jarman grew the work expanding and adding drips and even a shadow portrait. At first glance it seems like wall paper gone loony, but it has staying power.   

Shawnee Barton’s small pair of drawings juxtaposing a car crash and an ice cream cone was endearing and scary at the same time. I found it more potent than the very large circular work “honoring” her newborn.  Lee M. Lavygave us a very sellable rendition of some of his works from the Ice Gallery. He presented three canvases in greys that would fit into many architecturally modern homes. David Leon Smith,’s animals imbued with human foibles are strong and funny and make us look twice at his almost cartoon styling. Only one small work by Noah Doely rounded out the two dimensional work in the show.  Doely’s painstaking technique and calls from other galleries meant a less than dynamic showing of his work, but you would do well to look at his website for a further understanding of this faux historical documentations.

Anna Chiaretta Lavatelli,’s homage to Marne and Marilyn intrigued and satisfied. We understand that there is a mounted accident in her personal life reflected in the mixed media installation of horse and human hair, sound recording, photography. Marilyn’s diary pages are created but re-contextualized to highlight and sensitize the fragility of this tragic icon. They are pencil renderings of the diary with only the most potent of phrases included, one or none on a page.

Vincent Robles and Deanne Sabeck were chosen by Arline Fisch and Jeffery Laudenslager who will be mentoring them for the show at the Art SD Contemporary Fair in Balboa Park in Sept and the Athenaeum Art and Music Library in La Jolla next year. Vincent is showing his rough roller coast version of a step ladder and also a banister like circle of highly crafted wood. Ms. Fisch chose him as a fellow maker of things. Laudenslager and Sabeck have collaborated on past projects and might even attempt our first collaborative work for the SD Art Prize. Her 3-d wall works use dichromatic glass and a special light source to bring life to the geometric designs. It is the colored shadows that steal the show. 

Rob Duarte’s sound machine functions as a sculpture as well as speakers. Brian Zimmerman shows an older work of digital word art along with a recently deconstructed and very playful set of chairs. Lauren Carrera was my choice of artist for the show as the four members of the SD Art Prize are also allowed to make nomination. She made a strong installation of mini shelves each hosting a clear bag with fish lures or a miniature scene of tiny humans. This is a variation on her successful current show at the NTC Liberty Station called Museo de Profundo Mundo. Carrera is dealing with issues of over fishing and pollution as she creates a fictitious archeological exploration.  

I was most impressed with Ingram Ober. He gives us multiple variations on his Vantasy series. A photo sets the scene but it is a miniature van photographed to look like a full size one and reflected in the window of the van is the sculpture that resides in the back space of the gallery. This beautiful monolith with it superb finish is the cleaned up equivalent of those Cadillac Ranch graffiti cars in Texas. And the play continues, with the chocolate molded cars covered in shiny colored tin foil. Ober just looks like he is having such a good time and therefore, so do we.

Art meet technology and wins! by Keikichi Honna

If my memory is correct, it was several years after "talking" ATM machines instructing customers with automated voice, complete with crude animation of a female bank teller bowing and saying "thank you for your business" had became ubiquitous, when a camera company started marketing a new product - a talking camera.  I was young and still ignorant of the pain of wearing eyeglasses all the time, so I didn't see the point.  My only thought was why it's always same old automated female voice.  Since they were only a handful of simple instructions, it should've been easy to implement different voices which users could select - male or female celebrities, or deep soothing voice of a veteran anchorman from NHK telling "say cheese" when pressing the shutter would be nice.  (It's still not too late for camera/toy campanies to implement voice of Justin Bieber, or Elmo in cameras.  I think they can sell)

Fast forward to 21st century comes SIRI.  As long as TV ads go, it seems possessing rudimentary conversational skills.  Considering its accessibility to a vast database, it may even pass Turing test sometime soon.  I'm sure right now someone mesmerized by "her" quick wit and intelligence is in love with Siri, and within a few years there will be, though just symbolic, a first ever wedding ceremony between a human and an i-phone.  (married life of a man and i-phone will be strictly Platonic, unless considering some form of phone sex, if it's even possible.  On the other hand relationship between a female and i-phone can be...)

I'm not interested in wasting time with cellphone for now, however when Siri is no longer Siri, but called Emily, Audry, or Tracy,
and implement the voice of impossibly adorable Zooey Deschanel, then, I may switch to a smartphone.  And I may even profess my unconditional affection toward said handheld device.  (Or Siri being Mikey with deep soothing voice of Mike Rowe, and I'll have some philosophical conversation with "him."  Voice of Elmo on Siri would cause sirious violence)

That wont happen.  I can't bear the thought of repeated rejection of my advance, or more precisely constantly denied access.
"Sorry Keikichi, what did you say?"  Or "Sorry, I can't understand."

Augmented Reality summary

By Patricia Frischer

One of the four projects of the DNA of Creativity project (the Batt App) is going to have an augmented reality (AR) component. I had no idea what that meant this time last year, but bit by bit I am learning about this exciting new area of communication. I hope to give you a brief description of my discoveries and some links so you can see for yourself how exciting this technology really is that combines elements from the physical and the virtual world to create new experiences at home, in business, and by smart phone where ever you are connected to the internet.

Please note in my descriptions below, you must click on the links to really get an idea as no written explanation is adequate to describe these new technologies.  

I went to a presentation in May produced by Commnexus called Augmented Reality: Is It Real? hosted by the law firm Mintz Levin. The first presenter, Mike Gonzales, Creative Director and Brand Digital Manager of Wow Wee USA Inc is producing a line of AR toys under the brand AppGear which will sell for only $9.95. That is an incredible price when you realize that the child (or child at heart) will get a toy that acts as a marker to launch the technology similar to computer games purchases as dvds. The toys will be collectable and the AR component will lengthen the play time from the usual few hours to days and days of interaction.

This is the natural progression when the ipad, computer and smart phone become the playthings of our young people. The company started with a $100 robot which sold 6 million units and will probably come out with a $39.95 robot that will allow you to use your smart phone to see smoke trails when rockets are launched and do virtual repairs. But the first set of apps will include a small toy plane (Foam Fighters)  which attaches to your device and makes that device into a control panel for flying through the digital landscape. It has gaming capacity for multiple players and other games in this line can make your tabletop into a game board. Mike has produced toys in the Far East, but lives and has his head office in Carlsbad.

That brings me to our star local company Qualcomm which is no longer making actual phones but streaming ahead with software. Jay Wright, Senior Director, Business Development, Qualcomm is so confident of the augmented reality technology that the firm is offering free software to develop apps using it called  Vuforia.    Go to this link to see some incredible videos of what this software can do.  This, more than anything, has convinced me that AR is not a flash in the pan, but an alternate reality that will be here to stay. Retailers will use the AR apps and that will generate income and of course, apps will continue to be sold for $.99 in the millions.

Qualcomm sees AR in three distinct areas: 1. gaming and play (like WooWee), 2. Interactive media (like offering more information at point of sale, expanded advertising techniques and added value in use of products) and the last big area is 3. instructional (all those how to use, construct and repair manuals will be interactive). I loved the catsup bottle label that turns into a recipe book.

The goal is to treat your phone as much like your eye as possible. Not many of the applications that I have learned about have actually materialized yet, but they are really coming. They already have 26,000 software designers using the software which recognizes 400 phones and already 800 apps have been developed. There are challenges that the technology faces.  These programs are battery suckers and there is no unified viewer so you have to download each app. The idea of AR glasses or goggles is still in the future.  

We have no idea at this stage what aspects we will be incorporating into our upcoming smart phone application for SDVAN. Will we use it for promotion or will our resources be able to use it to add layers of information to their programs? We are only at the beginning of this research.  

Here are two more links that are already resident on the DNA of Creativity Blog. If you are not yet following this blog, it is great fun to see the variety of art and science collaboration that are out there.

Augmented Reality Pop Up Books - DNA Of Creativity

Mar 24, 2012

Augmented Reality Pop Up Books. Augmented Reality Pop Up... NokiaTattoo that vibrates

Augmented Reality Tshirts and business cards - DNA Of Creativity

Jan 08, 2012

In our sample DNA of Creativity application we give a link to Elipse augmented reality. You can use your phone to see added featured on images that are processed to be recognizable by the camera of your smart phone.