estherka projekt - sharing, creating, and building an artistic community

Entry #130115 Rambles

2013-01-15T20:43:00.002+01:00

Greetings readers,

This year I'd like to get into the habit of writing more about my studio practice, the process of creativity, and my current inspirations. This blog can be more of a virtual working sketchbook documentation rather than a polished completed work of art. So bear with me with all my ramblings and non sequitur remarks.

Before I went to the MacDowell Colony I had gotten rid of my studio space in Berlin-Buchholz for a lot of different reasons, and I have been working at home for the month and a half. I just secured a new studio for the beginning of February in southeast Berlin - in the Neuköln-Treptow area - and am looking forward to moving through the city and propelling myself a bit through new energies.

Working at home has been really great for me the last few weeks, although I've been distracted by laundry, dirty dishes, and the like - but I'm also happy to have my afternoon naps in my own bed and hanging out in my cozy apartment when the winter weather has been like it usual Berlin: wet, rainy, cold and snowy. Yesterday I rode my bike through the neighborhood and it was nearly unbearable, but refreshing. My earlier hope that I could ride by bike all the way from Pankow to Treptow in this weather is now in question. My hands just get too doggone cold!

So since I have been back in Berlin, I have been trying to learn a bit of computer programming. It's not easy at all, especially learning alone, but I'm still optimistic. Here is my first little animation with a program called Scratch. It's apparently developed for children to start programming early and after I found it difficult, I was completely humbled. My Scratch project, called Stammtisch, is a comical animation whose player can learn some simple German words and reminisce about SNL's Sprockets, while enjoying contemporary pop Korean music Gangnam Style. One uses the the arrow keys on the keyboard to move the main character around to "touch the monkey" and then make the strange dancers move inside the house. You can play it here!

Anyone else out there learning computer programming? Any good resources and tips for a newbie?

16 Jan 2013: The Emdash Award

2013-01-07T23:43:00.002+01:00

The Emdash Award for emerging artists living outside the UK is a major initiative by Frieze Foundation in collaboration with Gasworks and supported by the Emdash Foundation.

Artists are invited to propose a new work to be realised at Frieze London, the work will be produced under the auspices of Frieze Projects. Projects may take the form of site-specific installation; performance; film; video or print work.

Applications to the Emdash Award can be submitted online only. The closing date is 16 January 2013.

Entry # 130103: Stammtisch: the regular's table

2013-01-03T13:58:00.000+01:00

As I start to re-do my website, I am perusing through older works from my portfolio - this one is owned by artist friend and colleague, Serok Park, who I miss very much since she emigrated from Germany to Chile last year.

When we were roommates, we were always cooking together and having dinner parties in Kreuzberg - our spacious kitchen and dining table became a stammtisch of sorts. Friends came over often to share in cooking, eating and socializing.

This year I'd like to start a new interactive work called Integration Stammtisch, where non-German native speakers and native speakers come together to share food, stories, and language. It's a work in progress but please email me if you want to get on the guest list - rheefoodlab@estherka.com with "Stammtisch" in the subject line. There may be a small admission fee to pay for the food and it's preparation. More information to come....

31 Jan 2013 Submit to Anonymous Drawings, Berlin

2013-01-02T17:59:00.001+01:00

for the English version please scroll down.

Anonyme Zeichner 2013

Im Rahmen einer Ausstellung in den Uferhallen Berlin im März 2013 werden internationale Zeichnungen gezeigt, deren Autoren anonym bleiben. Vor der Ausstellung wird ein offener Aufruf zur Teilnahme im Internet geschaltet. Aus allen eingesendeten Zeichnungen werden rund 800 Stück für die Ausstellung ausgewählt. Es werden keine inhaltlichen Vorgaben gemacht – die einzige formale Regel: Ausgestellt werden ausschließlich Arbeiten bis zu einem Format von maximal A3. Herkunft, Alter oder Geschlecht der Teilnehmer werden nicht erfragt und spielen bei der Auswahl keine Rolle. Alle Zeichnungen werden zu einem symbolischen Einheitspreis von jeweils 150 Euro verkauft. Die Künstler erhalten pro verkaufter Arbeit 100 Euro die restlichen 50 Euro werden zur Teilfinanzierung des Projektes verwendet. Der festgesetzte Einheitspreis versteht sich nicht als realer Marktpreis sondern fungiert als konzeptueller Platzhalter für jede auf dem Kunstmarkt erdenkliche Verkaufssumme. Unverkaufte Zeichnungen werden an die Künstler zurückgesendet oder auf Wunsch archiviert. Die Anonymität der ZeichnerInnen kann nur durch einen Verkauf aufgehoben werden: Verkaufte Zeichnungen werden direkt von der Wand genommen und der Name sowie der Herkunftsort des jeweiligen Künstlers wird an die entstehende Leerstelle auf die Wand geschrieben.

Aufruf zur Teilnahme

Der neue Aufruf zum Einsenden von Zeichnungen ist jetzt online! Mehr Informationen und die Teilnahmeunterlagen zum download hier: http://www.anonyme-zeichner.de/aufruf-zur-teilnahme/

Einsendeschluß: 31. Januar (Poststempel) / keine Teilnahmegebühren.

Wir freuen uns auf Ihre/Eure Einsendungen!

Anke Becker + das Anonyme Zeichner-Team

Anonymous Drawings 2013

Drawings of international artists will be presented anonymously in an exhibition at the Uferhallen Berlin in March 2013. The exhibition is preceded by an open call for participation on the Internet. 800 works will be selected for the exhibition. There are no specifications regarding the content of the drawings. The age, biography or gender of the participants will not be requested and do not play any role in the selection. The only formal rule: the maximum size of the exhibited drawings is 29,70 - 42,00 cm (A3). All the drawings are available for a symbolic unit sales-price of 150 Euro each. For each drawing sold, the artists receive 100 € – the rest will be used for the partial financing of the project. The given unit sales-price should not be seen as a real market price, but as a place-holder for any conceivable amount of money. Unsold drawings will be archived or returned to the artists. The artist's anonymity can only be revealed by a sale: the buyer takes the drawing right off the wall and the empty space left behind will be marked with the artist‘s full name and point of origin.

Call for submissions

The new call for entries is online now! More information and the application guidelines for download here: http://www.anonyme-zeichner.de/1/call-for-entries/

Deadline for submissions: January 31 (postmark) / no application fees.

We are very much looking forward to your drawings!

Anke Becker + the Anonymous Drawings-Team

Entry #130101 Happy New Year!

2013-01-01T16:29:00.003+01:00

Wishing you dreams of chickens and high heels in 2013!

14 Jan 2013: Call for applications: PUSHYOURART

2013-01-01T16:26:00.000+01:00

Orange and Palais de Tokyo are teaming up to encourage artistic creation through new technologies and are rewarding the best projects of creations in 3D. PUSHYOURART 2013 is an opportunity for young artists to practice or learn about an innovative and emerging creative technique, and to show their artistic work during a unique exhibition at Palais de Tokyo. By taking part in the PUSHYOURART adventure, the 10 best participants will attend a Master Class, where they will meet professionals from the world of art and 3D creation.

The competition is open to all young artists under 35 years of age at the time of application, and who are European residents. No specific knowledge(s) about 3D is required; projects will be selected for their artistic qualities. The Master Class and professionals will help you with the production of your artwork and teach you everything you need. Now join the contest!

The Jury is responsible for selecting the ten participants of the Master Class, as well as the winner and three runners up of the competition. It is made up of prestigious personalities from the world of art and 3D creation: Jean de Loisy, President of Palais de Tokyo; and Christine Albanel, former French Minister for Culture and current Executive Director in charge of events, cultural partnerships and solidarity at Orange; Mathieu Mercier, artistic patronage; Jean Blaise, Artistic Director; Ghislaine Le Rhun-Gautier, 3D Specialist at Orange; Jean-Hubert Martin, General Curator for Heritage and exhibition curator; Karen Archey, American art critic; Samuel Bianchini, artist and professor at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Paris; Fabrice Bousteau, Managing Editor of Beaux Arts magazine.

A three-day Master Class from March 21 to 23, 2013 at Palais de Tokyo in Paris
The ten selected artists will be able to develop their projects during the Master Class thanks to the artistic and technical training of a program of conferences and workshops led by professionals.

At the end of the three days, the participants will present their projects to the Jury by showing their preliminary works (sketches, models, prototypes, etc.) that they have produced during the Master Class. The final production of the work will take place later.

Once the artists have presented their works, the Jury will name the winner and three runners-up of the contest.

Four awards
The first prize: the production of their work fully financed by Orange (with a maximum budget of 30,000 EUR) and an exhibition at Palais de Tokyo alongside Mathieu Mercier, the artist sponsoring the competition, who will also produce a 3D piece in the same conditions as the young winning artist. For the three runners-up: presentation of their sketches and preliminary works during this same exhibition.

Three major stages of the competition
Stage 1: Starting from October 25, 2012 up until January 14, 2013: imagine a piece of art and describe your project in the application papers.
Stage 2: Start of March: the Jury will announce the ten participants who will have the chance to develop their project by attending an exceptional three-day Master Class at Palais de Tokyo at the end of March 2013.
Stage 3: End of March, on completion of the Master Class, the Jury will vote for the winner, whose work will be produced then exhibited at Palais de Tokyo. Three other shortlisted artists will see their preliminary works presented during the same exhibition.

You have until midnight (Paris time) January 14, 2013 to send your projects to registration@pushyourart.com. Please find the elements needed on the web site.

www.pushyourart.com

7 Jan 2013 LECTURER/LAB MANAGER - DIGITAL MEDIA, Chapel Hill, NC

2012-12-30T10:56:00.000+01:00

The Art Department at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) seeks candidates for a Lecturer/ Lab manager in Digital Photography. This is a three-year fixed term appointment with teaching responsibilities of four courses per year as well as administrative responsibilities including maintenance and management of digital printing, two computer labs, and photography and video equipment. Starting date July 1, 2013.

Duties include teaching 4 courses per year in photography and digital imaging. The successful candidate will also be responsible for the maintenance of two computer labs, digital printing maintenance, managing the photography and video equipment, as well as supervising work-study students and graduate assistants. A commitment to excellence in undergraduate teaching and active participation in departmental and university service is expected.

Qualifications include an MFA degree and teaching experience. The ideal candidate will have expertise in the following: Macintosh computer lab maintenance, audiovisual equipment maintenance, digital printing and scanning equipment, color management and rendering software, Adobe software, and video production and editing. The successful candidate must be fluent with the history and contemporary theory of lens-based media.

Faculty openings in the UNC Art department are listed and can be applied for via the UNC Faculty Recruitment System. Simply select “Art” in the Department field to see this open position. The quick link URL ishttp://unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/9761.

Candidates must complete an online application and will be asked to submit the following: a letter of application, a one page artist’s statement, CV (including exhibitions, reviews, published articles, panels/papers, courses taught, etc.), the names of three (3) references, 10 examples of student work, and a portfolio of artwork. Documentation of student work and Portfolio of candidate’s artwork should be submitted on DVD or CD and mailed to the department.

Candidate’s Portfolio: Up to 20 still images and/or 4 videos will be considered.
Student work: Up to 15 still images will be considered.

Please mail the CD/DVD to:

Digital Search
Art Department, UNC – CH
CB 3405
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3405

Deadline for online Application:
11:59 pm Monday, January 7, 2013

Deadline for receipt of materials:
Postmarked by Monday, January 7th, 2013

LINK:

https://unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/10276

ADDRESS:

The Art Department at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

CB 3405

Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3405

United States of America

15 Feb 2013 Unsolicited Proposal program, NYC

2012-12-30T10:49:00.000+01:00

The Unsolicited Proposal program is an open call for anyone, from anywhere, to submit an exhibition proposal to apexart. For one month beginning January 15, 2013, the Unsolicited Proposal Program will accept 500-word submissions for group shows that examine an idea or theme. Exhibitions can be about anything that the organizer finds compelling—successful shows have been mounted about everything from television to mapping to literature. No prior curatorial experience is required and we invite submissions from people of all backgrounds. Proposals are evaluated by an international jury and the three winners receive funding and administrative support to mount their exhibition in apexart's Manhattan gallery space.

Applications accepted online only from January 15- February 15, 2013. More information, including frequently asked questions and details on how to apply, is available here: http://www.apexart.org/unsolicited.php.

Entry 121229: Secret Goals!

2012-12-29T17:21:00.002+01:00

Found this tip fascinating - I always thought people said to share goals with trusted friends so it would make oneself accountable for pushing through. I guess not. Perhaps this is why we sometimes feel shy to talk about something we're currently working on in order not to jinx ourselves. So keep your resolutions secret for 2013 and you'll have a better chance of success!

Happy Holidays from Berlin!

2012-12-21T19:29:00.001+01:00

Frohe Feiertag! Merry Xmas! Happy Chanukah! Happy Islamic Winter Festival! Happy Kwanza!

And Happy that it wasn't the end of the world Mayan Apocalypse!

Wishing you all very happy holidays from dreary and cold Berlin!
Und einen guten Rutsch!

kate hers

Entry# 121206 Behördendschungel: Tax Advice for the Visual Artist!

2012-12-06T16:05:00.000+01:00

"Death and taxes and childbirth. There's never any convenient time for any of them." -- Margaret Mitchell

Dreading Taxes as a Self-Employed US American Artist?

All independents have to file if you make over $400 USD in net earnings (even if you don't have to pay income tax)!

If you're a US American living abroad, its especially bothersome because you then you usually have to file twice, once in the country of residence and in the United States.

Beware, even if you pass the bonafide residence test or physical presence test and make less than $91,500USD (2010), you might still have to pay self-employment tax. You are entitled to the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion but, according to the IRS, if you're filing as an independent and your net earnings are $400 or more (even if your gross income is less than $9,500), you are still required to file a return but you don't have to pay income tax. However one important caveat - if you're not paying into the social security system in your foreign residence country, you DO have to pay self-employment tax in the USA.

See Publication 54 from the irs.gov website

Self-employed individuals. If your net earnings from self-employment are $400 or more, you must file a return even if your gross income is below the amount listed for your filing status in the table shown earlier. Net earnings from self-employment are defined in Publication 334, Tax Guide for Small Business.

So which means, as an independent, you only are permitted NOT to file if you make less than $400 USD in net earnings, unlike the individual rate $9,500 USD for those who are employed by someone else.

10 Tips for Self-Employed Artists (and some specific if you live in Germany)

If you need more time, file for an six month extension.
Other good news! Americans living and working abroad receive an automatic extension of two months.

Act like a small business person. You have to prove you're in business to make money if you want to be considered a freelancer by the IRS.
Get into the habit of good documentation of your livelihood. Have a business plan, save receipts, generate invoices, and take yourself seriously.

Try to define your business intention as broad as possible.
A visual artist who works in many mediums or genres has more deduction benefits than a freelance photographer who only specializes in weddings and graduation parties.

Know what you can legitimately deduct and organize your categories based on your business intention.
Advertising, Research, Art Supplies, Office Supplies, Gifts, Meals and Entertainment, Memberships, Insurance, Equipment, Hired Labor, Repairs, Rent, Internet, Phone, etc.

You can still file as a self-employed artist even while working as an employee for another company.
This means deduction from your expenses may help you save money that you would otherwise have to be paying in taxes as an employee at your other job.

Don't open a business bank account. Use your personal account for everything.
Business accounts cost money and they make your finances confusing especially if you have to keep transferring money into your personal account. If you get audited, just because you have a business account doesn't mean that Uncle Sam won't want to see your personal account, as well. Just make sure you have legitimate documentation to prove what pertains to your business.

Try to use a credit card or debit card for all of your business expenses.
This way if you lose that business receipt, you still have a paper trail - your credit card or bank statement. But I highly recommend getting a receipt for everything - even personal finance stuff. Clearly, you should keep track of what you are spending your money on as a small business owner - personal or business.

Pay into the German (or your foreign country of residence's) social security system.
If you are paying into the Deutsche Rentenversicherung then you are exempt from paying Self-Employment tax in the US.

Hire a professional CPA, accountant or tax advisor.
Taxes are complex. Tax laws change often. Using a professional is also a legitimate expense to your business. If you're serious about your livelihood, then don't skimp on professional financial and legal advice. However, just because you have an accountant, doesn't mean you don't have to do any work. Any organization that you do in the beginning will save you and your accountant time - which will affect how much fee he or she will charge you!

So what else can you do?
Educate yourself. The more you know, the easier it is to file. Don't expect your CPA or accountant to know everything, especially if you are an artist. What you can deduct is different than that non-artist self-employed person. Take a tax workshop with me or hire me as a tax consultant.

Officially on paper, I have been an independent visual artist, tax wise for 10 years. Through trial and error, tremendous self-study and with the never-ending patience and sometimes grueling interrogations of many tax advisors both American and German, I have a solid straightforward system to organize my taxes every year. Thanks to the frequent prompting of fellow artists and freelance friends and colleagues, I offer tax workshops and tax consulting to artists and creative cultural producers, in person and online! I can teach you to be organized, smart, and savvy so that you retain as much income as you can. You'll know how to be clever with your deductions and know what's acceptable and what will get you in trouble. And if you get audited, your papers will be in order.

Please email me to find out about my affordable rates or sign up for my newsletter to find out when and where I give workshops!

Representation in the Arts: The Role of the Agent in Literature, Music, Acting, and Visual Art A USArtBerlin Panel Discussion (in English)

2012-12-01T13:21:00.000+01:00

Representation in the Arts: The Role of the Agent in Literature, Music, Acting, and Visual Art
USArtBerlin Panel Discussion (in English)

Tuesday, 4. December 2012, 7:30 pm

Humboldt University

Dorotheenstraße 24 (entrance in Hegelplatz)

Lecture Hall 5.101

The Humboldt University American Studies Department hosts this USArtBerlin special event, as part of the W.E.B. DuBois Lecture Series. This program is open to USArtBerlin members, their guests, and the public. Please RSVP to rsvp@usartberlin.org to notify us of your attendance (this helps our planning tremendously).

In the field of arts management/ arts representation, parallels, contrasts, misconceptions, and divisions exist between the disciplines of literature, music, acting, and visual arts and their respective economies. How might these differences and similarities ultimately affect the content, scope, and form of the art that artists produce and audiences experience? What are the differences in how contemporary writers, musicians and composers, and visual artists are represented and presented? What are some of the current practices of commercial representation of the arts, that is, what is the effect of The Agent on the artistic process, the expressive voice, and the creative life the of the artist?

This discussion will bring together one manager/agent from each of the above mentioned fields to explore these issues. With this event we seek to inaugurate a conversation, and learning opportunity, between the diverse artistic fields of literature, music, acting, and visual arts – for creators, facilitators, and multiple audiences supporting today's vibrant cultural environment.

Speakers:

Volker Diehl, Gallerist

Volker Diehl is the founder of DIEHL, a gallery that concentrates on contemporary art with international significance, located in Berlin - Charlottenburg. http://galerievolkerdiehl.com/

Isabelle Münch, Acting Agent

Isabelle Münch owns and directs Friends Connection, an acting agency that specializes in representing English speaking actors living in Germany. http://www.friendsconnectionberlin.de/

Alexander Simon, Literary Agent

Alexander Simon founded the Simon Literary Agency in Berlin in 1999. http://www.agentursimon.com/

Sonia Simmenauer, Music Agent

Sonia Simmenauer is the Director of Impresariat Simmenauer, founded in Hamburg in 1989 with the goal of creating an agency exclusively for classical music string quartets. http://www.impresariat-simmenauer.de/Home/home-en.html

Moderated by: Rose-Anne Clermont

Rose-Anne Clermont is an editor, journalist and author of a memoir entitled, "Buschgirl: Wie ich unter die Deutschen geriet" or "Bushgirl: How I Got Stuck with the Germans," published in 2010 http://buschgirl.de/roseanneclermont.html

Entry #121130 Couple more New York yummy eats

2012-11-30T13:40:00.000+01:00

Brooklyn Ice House

Despite being a little hipster, too smoky, and hard to get to, Brooklyn Ice House has delicious and affordable pulled pork sandwiches! I'll go back again!

Hangawi

And for the non-meat eater - check out Buddhist vegetarian restaurant in Koreatown at 12 east 32nd street btwn 5th and madison ave. Delicious! The lunch specials are very affordable for the budget minded tourist!

Entry #121113 MacDowell Colony Review Part 2

2012-11-13T18:49:00.000+01:00

MacDowell Colony Review Part 2

Deers like installation art too!

Community

Being with other visionary people in such an intense space can be overwhelming and strange but MacDowell offers an appropriate balance between stark isolation and communal living. The majority of colonists at MacDowell are very accomplished and each night's presentation rocks my world. I learn something new everyday. The multi-inter-disciplinary nature of the residency is very special. There are sculptors, conceptual artists, nonfiction writers, documentary filmmakers, traditional screenwriters, experimental playwrights, and classical and folk composers.

Vadim Neselovskyi tears it up in the Savidge Library

The evening presentations and performances begin usually around 7:30 PM and range from readings of works of progress, film screenings, musical improvisation and collaboration, open studios, and academic lectures. People socialize after presentations more often than not, but we always have the option to return to our studios to continue working. I have spend a lot of time in the evenings in the Savidge library reading or watching films. In addition, I've been reflecting on my practice, contrasting it to other's creative procedures and operations. The diversity is unbelievable - I feel extremely lucky to have met such a dynamic bunch of ambitious and driven folks. I am learning through emulation.

A Studio for Everyone’s Creative Needs

There are 32 different studios, some tucked away deep in the woods, others on the edge of a sunny meadow - like mine. In fact, I believe my studio to be the sunniest of them all. A few of the studios are live-in, which means the artist/writer/composer has a full bathroom with shower, but all of the studios have a bed for napping or sleeping there at night after an evening hard at work. I am also given a sleeping room in one of the three dormitories, though I spend about two nights a week sleeping in my studio. Marian MacDowell built each studio with the individual needs of artists in mind - some are small and cozy, others lofty and spacious. Each has running water, electricity, toilet and sink, and most have a fireplace. Are you working big? Do you need a lot of wall space? Do you want to be completely isolated in the woods?

Chapman

new jersey

Schelling

Nef

Putnam's sunny porch

My Studio Production

Putnam Interior

MacDowell provides generous time and space to daydream, read, walk through the woods, and make work. I have found strangely enough the time flew by so incredibly fast and there is not enough time in my day to get the things done I have aspired to accomplish. Just like in my real life, I have found myself having to prioritize tasks.

In fact, I kept finding a minor part of what I set out to accomplish here an bothersome distraction therefore critically affecting the main part of my work, I knew I had to take action. The actual making of the German Speaking Project videos became a chore and I realized I was dreading making them and I changed gears. The proposed drawings could wait. The MacDowell Colony experience exudes a kind of flexibility to take a step back and find another solution. I didn't sign a contract that my work would be produced exactly how I proposed in my application. I had a very specific goal in mind, but when the work intruded on the task in progress, I decided to put some of the work on the back burner. It will still be there when I return to Berlin.

This epiphany came during the musical presentation of composer Adrienne Elisha's work, performed by James VanDemark, who just happened to be passing by MacDowell Colony on his way back to Rochester, NY. The performance was controlled yet unconfined, serious yet playful. My mind wandered to many free form associations and I began to consider the work of Yvonne Rainer, my former Professor at University of California, Irvine. I realized I had not commanded the intent of my videos successfully. I needed to be more deliberate and communicate my objection to the many serendipitous players who took part in the making of my work. Too many times had I found my videos being taken over by overzealous actors instead of following my too feeble instructions. I thought I was being spontaneous and the work would be stronger as improvisational. But I was losing my voice. The way I thought about the videos changed once again. It was a pivotal moment in my practice. I credit the supportive and experimental nature of MacDowell Colony for this reflective opportunity.

Give it up for Korean Female Artists!

“There seems to be a lot of Korean women here.”

I heard this more than once.

By the end of my residency, there were four of us in residence at the same time, all working in image. Here I’m hamming it up with Christina Choe, Korean-American filmmaker from New York, Sojung Kwon, Korean visual artist from Los Angeles, and Jinnie Seo, Korean-American visual artist from Seoul. Ironically, I remotely know them all already through the Corean Connection. Sam Kim, Korean-American choreographer from New York had sadly just left before we had all congregated in a fierce mass of female powered Korean Hallyu.

Fighting!

This was a pretty incredible coincidence, given we were all working in image and there were no other fellows of Asian descent at that time. I hope that the numbers of minorities keep increasing at MacDowell Colony. Promoting diversity and multiculturalism as a priority is important in any residency, especially as we experience a dynamic population change in the United States. The overall result of the fall election is one such reflection of our modern values.

Entry# 121112 MacDowell Colony Review Part 1

2012-11-11T18:16:00.000+01:00

MacDowell Colony Review Part 1

Log cabin, Edward MacDowell's original studio on the grounds

The Power of Practice

MacDowell Colony is an incredible place to live and breath art. All at once I feel inspired and exuberant, and deeply disturbed and unworthy. The legacy of this place leaves me dumbfounded. The MacDowell property stretches a sprawling 400 acres with dense woods, clear meadows, walking trails, two ponds, a spiritual ancient boulder, an Oracle, and 32 lovely remote studios. The best way to understand the history and mission of MacDowell Colony is to watch Lady in the Wings, an amusing and informative short film about founders Edward and Marian MacDowell.

painting of Edward and Marian MacDowell inside Bond Hall

It was both Edward and Marian MacDowell’s idea to build an artist colony, but it was ultimately the extraordinary tenacity and energy of Marian MacDowell which made it possible. After Edward’s death in 1908, she became the driving force. Marian MacDowell’s innovative vision and dedication to the arts provides artists with time and space to not only practice their craft, but to re-fuel, be sheltered and to be nurtured. She was a fierce, stubborn and independent woman. I can only imagine how strange her behavior must have been perceived back at the turn of the century.

Ampitheater on MacDowell Colony grounds

Almost eight glorious weeks of walking through the woods, spending time with fellow visual artists, writers, and composers has revealed to me how much alike we are and yet how so different. I'm both delighted and unsettled by the ways art-making and creative practice fill the lives of my colleagues. I am jolted out of my carefree daydreaming by the sense of entitlement that some of the colonists have. The obvious privilege of some firmly reminds me I come from a very different background, where high art, literature and music was not a part of my family's life. Sometimes I feel very alienated by my inability to add to the scholarly talk about the famous writers of the Western canon. No, I have not read Proust. Intimidated but fascinated by those who have had artist, musician or academic parentage, I am envious of those whose furious commitment to their craft came early and with intellectual and emotional advocacy. Despite my initial apprehension, most everyone is friendly, open, and supportive. They seethe with the knowledge and imagination I would like to possess. I decide that I do belong here.

Lawn Furniture Parade?

Runs Like Clockwork

We assemble for communal breakfast from 7:30-8:30 AM and again at 6:30 PM for dinner. The kitchen staff is amazing. Their delicious food has turned me to wearing elastic banded pants and baggy shirts. Only my daily yoga practice and long walks in the woods have saved me. After breakfast I bike out to my cabin beyond MacDowell Road, close to Hillcrest, what used to be the residence house of the MacDowells. My studio is Putnam, quiet and cozy, with a wonderful view of the forest in the distance. On sunny days I sit on my porch and read. The only drawback is that I don’t have a fireplace, like most of the other studios. However, the weather for the most part (besides during the Hurricane Sandy storm) has been warm and I have not suffered so badly for lack of a fire.

Lunch is delivered to my studio between 12:30-1pm in a quaint picnic basket, placed lovingly at the door by long-time MacDowell staff Blake. Blake knows everything there is to know about MacDowell Colony and I highly recommend his famous two and a half hour tour of the grounds, complete with historical references, amusing anecdotes of the MacDowells, rumors of former colonists, and more. In the MacDowell tradition, when he delivers the daily grub he doesn't knock and sets the basket quietly on the porch, not to disturb the creative flow. I usually take a 30 minute nap after lunch and work several more hours in my studio before going back to a delicious dinner in the evening. What more could an artist ask for?

Don't miss the next application deadline for the summer: 15 Jan 2013!

To be continued - check back for more!

Entry #121020 Halloween at MacDowell

2012-10-20T23:30:00.000+02:00

Give it up for Resident Robert Schenkkan! He threw us surprise Jack-o-Lantern making party at his studio at MacDowell!

Cheese! from kate hers on Vimeo.

5 Oct 2012 published: Seeking Gallery Director - Tanya Leighton Gallery, Berlin

2012-10-09T15:35:00.002+02:00

Tanya Leighton Gallery is seeking to appoint a creative and highly motivated Director to develop, manage
and promote the gallery's artists and exhibitions. The successful candidate will have a degree in a relevant
subject, proven experience working in a commercial gallery or museum, and demonstrable history of sales.
They will be highly organized with strong administrative, communicative and networking skills.
Experience of managing gallery staff and volunteers would be advantageous.
Salary commensurate with experience.

The post is full-time, 5 days a week, with some evening and weekend work as required,
to meet the business needs of the Gallery. Travel to install and oversee a minimum of 4-5 art fairs a year.

Please send your CV with "Gallery Director" in subject header to: info@tanyaleighton.com

TANYA LEIGHTON
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at Kurfürstenstraße 156
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10785 Berlin
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49(0)30 221607770
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http://www.tanyaleighton.com
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Open Tuesday - Saturday
11am - 6pm and by appointment

Entry #121002 Sex Education for Finding Face in the 21st Century

2012-10-03T00:09:00.002+02:00

So in my attempt to write a better artist statement, I've started re-visiting older work as I reflect on my practice. This work, Sex Education for Finding Face in the 21st Century is now over 10 years old. It's been shown at relatively few places, so I'd like to highlight it again on my blog - have a look if you like online.

Synopsis: In Korean traditional culture there is a general tendency for people to desire to blend in, and individuality is considered unfavorable. hers investigates the notion of “losing face” by publicly exposing herself as a pregnant high school student. In an effort to push the boundaries of physical exertion, she persists in a maniacal laugh for one hour on a crowded Seoul street. Disrupted by the Seoul police who deem she is crazy, drag her away while curious spectators look on.

Screening History:

pkm gallery, Volatile Boundaries, Seoul, 2002

International Communication Associations Conference, Seoul, 2002

Corcoran Gallery of Art: Asian Pacific American Film Festival, Washington DC, 2003

Visual Studies Workshop Gallery: Positions 38 degrees, Korean American Crossings, Rochester, NY, 2003

International Adoptee Gathering: Art Exhibition, Seoul/Korea, 2004

School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Master of Fine Arts Juried Exhibition, Boston, MA, 2004

Independent Public Television, Chamber of Secrets, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2005

Echo Park Film Center, S/KINDEEP Film/Video Screening, Los Angeles, CA, 2005

Ocularis, S/KINDEEP Film/Video Screening, Brooklyn, NY, 2005
Korea/Mexico Diaspora, Korean Cultual Center, Los Angeles, CA, 2005

Wellesley College, S/KINDEEP Film/Video Screening, MA, 2006

SF1 Gallery, Longest Day of Summer. One Lucky Day., Los Angeles, CA, 2009

Art Laboratory-Berlin, Transmigration in Artistic Practice, Germany 2012

Wanna a postcard of the project? Sign up for my newsletter with your snail mail address and I'll send you one!

A few brief estherka tips for writing a better artist statement, that I am trying to keep in mind as I am writing:

Write in the 1st person.

KISS - keep it short and sweet.

Leave the accolades for your resume/CV.

Look at it as a guide/manifesto not only for your viewers but for yourself too

(the artist statement can be your mantra when work in the studio gets difficult).

Customize your statement for each project (an artist statement that you turn in for a grant application might be very different from one that you write for your site specific solo exhibition).

Btw, I keep trucking along with the German Project - here's a funny entry from early September with lovely ladies dressed up like cats!

Entry #120927 I wanna be "Mine that Bird!"

2012-09-27T21:39:00.001+02:00

I wanna be Mine that Bird!

"Mine That Bird now comes out to take the lead as they come down to the finish. And it's spectacular! Spectacular upset! Mine That Bird has won the Kentucky Derby, that impossible result here!"

The racing horse, Mine that Bird, at 50 to 1 odds, was the winner of the Kentucky Derby in 2009. You have to see this extraordinary video here which shows Mine that Bird coming out of nowhere to overcome eight lengths behind the other competitors and win the race by six lengths. It is an incredible story which is inspiring and encouraging - on the NPR This American Life in 2010, the jockey Calvin Borel is quoted, "I rode him like a good horse."

So what does this have anything to do with being an artist?

Everything to do with self-confidence and rising to one's highest potential.

Mine that Bird succeeded not just because he desired to race, but because Calvin Borel believed he could win and thus treated him so. We, artists and cultural producers, should also treat our art practice and work as important and valuable and expect to win!

I like this story because Mine that Bird was the underdog. He was underestimated and considered so unimportant, that the Kentucky Derby announcer didn't even bother to know his name.

It is not easy continuing to create work in a competitive, cruel and cold art world, but if we can just believe in ourselves and continue to treat ourselves as already deserving and successful individuals - we have a better chance of making our dreams come true.

I want to be Mine that Bird! Fighting!

Entry #120922 Food is the way to an artist's heart part 2

2012-09-22T17:44:00.000+02:00

My first breakfast at MacDowell Colony - after this kind of fuel, I can work like a horse!

A lovely lunch delivered to my studio in a basket - Inspiring!

Never disappointed - the cooking is the bomb! I feel the creativity increasing!

Entry# 120920 Food is the way to an artist's heart part 1

2012-09-20T16:39:00.001+02:00

I'm sharing a few fabulous Chinese food discoveries (thanks to friends) in NYC on my way to New Hampshire. Inspiring, delicious, and definitely cannot be found (yet, I hope) in Berlin.

Xian Foods

I had the Curry Lamb Noodles (left) and the Liang Pi Cold Noodles (right). This place is amazing - specializing in Western Chinese dishes - there are several NY locations, but I ate at the casual (no seats, counter only) location.

88 East Broadway #106
New York, NY 10002
(outside of building, on Forsyth side of bridge)
Everyday 11:00AM-8:00PM

Sheng Wang

Seafood fried noodles (left) and Potato Dumpling with Beef filling (right). Both were yummy, but the Dumplings were very special!

Sheng Wang

27 Eldridge St.
New York NY 10002

Happy eating - I find my creativity rising!

15 Jan 2013 Terra Foundation, Doctoral and Postdoctoral Research Travel Grants

2012-08-23T22:17:00.004+02:00

Doctoral & Postdoctoral Research Travel Grants to the United States

The Terra Foundation offers Doctoral and Postdoctoral Research Travel Grants to enable scholars outside the United States to consult research resources that are only available within the United States. These grants provide support for doctoral students and postdoctoral scholars to travel for research on topics concerning American art and visual culture prior to 1980. Applications are judged competitively on an annual basis.

Deadline Applications are due January 15, 2013, and awards will be announced in May 2013.

Eligibility

The foundation only accepts proposals from doctoral students and postdoctoral scholars (those who received their degree within ten years of the application deadline) outside the United States.

Grant funding is available for:

Short-term travel that gives scholars an opportunity to discover new source material;
Experiencing works of art first-hand in museums and private collections;
Making contact with artists, curators, and art dealers;
Consulting local archives and library collections; and
Establishing professional networks for future research.

Funds can be used for related transportation, lodging, meals, and research fees and expenses.

Awarded grants and distribution of funds

Six to nine grants are awarded annually: up to $6,000 per grant for doctoral students and up to $9,000 per grant for postdoctoral scholars. Grant funds will be disbursed in two installments. The first installment (80% of the total grant) will be paid before the recipient’s departure to the United States. The second installment (up to 20% of the total grant) will be paid to the recipient after receipt of the required final report. The travel should be undertaken within one calendar year after the announcement of the selection results. The final report must be submitted within three months of completion of travel. The report should include a description of the travel undertaken as a result of the grant, an assessment of the research accomplished, and a financial report detailing grant expenditures. The recipients must acknowledge the support of TFAA in any publication that results from the research conducted during the grant.

Submit video - apexart Franchise project apexart Franchise Exhibition in Uganda

2012-08-20T22:47:00.002+02:00

Seeking 3 minute videos or shorter by African-Diaspora artists for Video

Slink Uganda, a 2012-2013 apexart Franchise project

apexart Franchise Exhibition in Uganda: Feb 6th - March 6th, 2013

Artistic Directors: Paul Falzone and Marisa Jahn (REV-)

Project Description Ugandan video halls (or "bibanda") are often no more

than small huts where viewers pay a few cents to watch pirated DVDs on

television screens. Located in the majority of villages and towns

throughout Uganda, they are the only form of popular visual entertainment

and have a wider audience than television and newspapers combined. Numbering

in the thousands, these bibanda reach millions of Ugandans each month.

So-called 'fine art' never broached their corrugated walls. Until now.

'Video Slink Uganda' is a curatorial project that involves burning five

short-form experimental videos by contemporary African diaspora video

artists onto pirated DVDs that will be viewed by millions of viewers in

individual homes and bibanda.

A "VJ" is a local performer/pirate who translates Western films into the

primary local language of Luganda, acting as both translator and

commentator-making jokes, providing context, and acting as a central node of

distribution to the bibanda. In keeping with this tradition of viewership,

we will involve several VJs in translating these works of contemporary art

for Ugandan audiences.

'Video Slink Uganda's gesture of detournement recalls contemporary works

such as Chris Burden's on-camera hijacking of a television news anchor,

Negativeland's re-mix of a U2 album shopdropped into music stores in the

late 1980s, The Yes Men's subversive self-insertion into the mainstream

media, embedded art practices by artists such as Artist Placement Group in

the late 1960s, electoral guerrilla politics such as Mr. Peanut, the

life-sized tap dancing peanut who won 7% of the vote in his mayoral run in

Vancouver, and countless undocumented interventionist projects. 'Video Slink

Uganda' similarly reaches out towards new audiences in Africa and frames

their viewership not as passive and silent but as active participants in the

performative production of 'art.' By embedding experimental film into

Uganda's existing black market cinema and culture of re-translation, 'Video

Slink Uganda' raises larger questions about origination, authorship,

translation, and the complexity of colonialism.

'Video Slink Uganda' draws upon the artistic directors' experience as

organizers of media screenings in Ugandan bibanda with existing relations to

local audiences and VJs. The project will be documented with specific focus

on the audience's reception of the works and the VJs' involvement. 'Video

Slink Uganda' also draws upon the artistic directors' decade of curatorial

experiences curating, producing, and writing about experimental forms of

curation-shopdropping, embedded art practices, and media hijacks. Through a

series of cinematographic and installational translations, 'Video Slink

Uganda' operates on a syncretic economy whose currency is the slippage that

occurs between and through transposition.

Submission Deadline and Instructions

Submissions due Sept 15, 2012 (early submissions greatly appreciated)

Videos should be no longer than 3 minutes.

Either (a) Email your video (attachment should be no more than 10 Mbs) OR

(b) Upload your video to YouTube/Vimeo/etc. Then email the link to hello at

rev-it.org along with the following attachments: curriculum vitae/resume (2

pages max) and statement about the work (1 page max).

Email the link to your video to hello@rev-it.org along with the following

attachments: curriculum vitae/resume (2 pages max) and statement about the

work (1 page max).

Be sure to include contact info (name, email, phone number) on the top of

each page

Please include the words "Submission: Video Slink Uganda" in the subject

line of the email.

Due to limited funds we are unfortunately only able to offer the artists a

modest stipend of $100 for their video contribution. Stipends for future

exhibition opportunities will be determined at a future point in time when

venues are secured. We believe in compensating artists and will seek to

provide stipends through future exhibition opportunities.

You will be notified in early October about the status of your proposal

Contact: Marisa Jahn: 917-902-5396 * hello [at] rev-it.org

About the Organizers

Marisa Jahn is an artist/writer/curator/activist and and the co-founder of

REV-, a New York City-based non-profit organization that furthers

socially-engaged art, design, and pedagogy. She was a 2007-9

artist-in-residence at MIT's Media Lab and the editor of three books about

culture and politics-("Pro+agonist: The Art of Opposition" (2012),

"Byproduct: on the Excess of Embedded Art Practices" (2011), and "Recipes

for an Encounter" (2010).

Paul Falzone is an activist, media scholar, and filmmaker whose work has

appeared in a wide variety of conferences, publications and film festivals.

He earned his PhD from the Annenberg School for Communication at the

University of Pennsylvania and is currently Director of Peripheral Vision

International, a nonprofit organization that produces and distributes

advocacy media in East Africa.

The apexart Franchise is an open call for curatorial proposals for projects

from anywhere in the world other than New York City. Three winning projects

are selected by a jury each year and are presented by apexart.

Marisa Jahn

Artist, Writer, Creative Director

marisa@rev-it.org • (917) 902-5396 • rev-it.org

22 Aug 2012 Letters from the Field, a curated group exhibition from Node Center for Curatorial Studies

2012-08-19T11:37:00.001+02:00

Ah, Du helige Scheiße!, dada-poem from das deutschsprachliche Projekt Teil 2

Letters from the Field

22–26 August 2012

Vernissage: Wednesday 22 August, 7–10pm

Visiting Hours: Thursday – Sunday, 2–8pm

Atelierhof Kreuzberg

Schleiermacherstraße 31–37

Berlin 10961

U-Bahn U7 at Gneisenaustr.

Directions: http://goo.gl/maps/HfM9D

Letters from the Field is a group exhibition and publication curated by the nine residents of the Node Center for Curatorial Studies 2012 summer program. Letters from the Field features work by twenty artists currently working in Berlin. The resident curators have invited artists to respond to six topics that address histories, futures, and fictions. The form of the artists’ responses range from text to video, painting, sculpture and performance.

Functioning as a conceptual framework to the exhibition, the publication contains artists’ contributions and essays by curators in a series of eight chapters. The book is presented in a malleable format that can be edited by the viewer, with a chapter left partially blank for additional responses.

These assembled elements attempt to reveal the process of the production of ideas and critical methodologies. Through collaboration and correspondence, Letters from the Field is an experiment in exposing what our present is.

There will be performances by Lynda Amer Meziane and Nicolas Puyjalon at the vernissage.

The participating artists are Heba Amin, Stephan Backes, Megan Cotts, Regina De Miguel, kate hers, Sharon Houkema, Klaas Hübner, Michiel Huijben, Stine Marie Jacobsen, Lindsay Lawson, Ruth Le Gear, François Martig, Alex Martinis Roe, Lynda Amer Meziane, Nicolas Puyjalon, Annika Rixen, Rebecca Smith, Aiko Tezuka, Ciarán Walsh, and Ylva Westerlund.

Letters from the Field is curated by Lee Foley, Catherine Gomersall, Gladys-Katherina Hernando, Sinejan Kılıç, Maeve Mulrennan, Iohanna Nicenboim, Marília Pasculli, Dunja Rmandić, and Tanya Toft.

The exhibition is produced by the Node Center for Curatorial Studies, Berlin.

www.nodecenter.org

Entry #120809 Debbie Downer is Miesepieter in German

2012-08-09T14:16:00.002+02:00

Debbie Downer is Miesepieter in German

I'm turning German.

I find myself complaining all the time. Even my German partner mentioned it while we were watching the Olympics opening ceremony - I couldn't stop moaning about the awful color choice of the German athletes' outfits. C'mon, could they not choose colors which didn't clash with the national flag? Gender specific pink and blue? "are these athletes or newborn babies?"

When I first moved here, I thought Germans were just being highly intellectually critical of everything. I admired the space in which people could debate issues, voice their opinion, and perhaps learn a new perspective. However, after living here for almost three years - I see it somewhat differently. I have started to complain about everything. Here are my top 10 whines, not in any order.

A lot of people don't wash themselves enough or use enough deodorant - it's pretty obvious in the subway car with no air conditioning.

Restaurant service sucks - every time I have to chase down my unfriendly server to just get the bill.

Germans like to follow the rules and yell at you when you don't. I don't know how many times I have been reproached while jaywalking by strangers, when there is absolutely no traffic. I like to say in response (and then I run away quickly), "Hitler had also lots of rules."

The constant staring. I notice people don't look away when you return their gaze. Is staring not considered rude in Berlin, or generally in Germany?

Many Germans go on vacation and don't have an auto reply on their email to let you know that. This is especially exasperating when it's business related and urgent. Isn't that common business courtesy to have a vacation notification?

The lack of good and authentic Asian food in this city - can I get something without being eingedeutscht and without MSG, please? Can I get something not so sweet and at least a little bit spicy?

The awful hard water in Berlin. My skin hates it. It's hard to get the water kalk stains off of everything.

The grocery stores are closed on Sunday - I hate shopping on Saturdays when the queue is hella long.

I cannot shop for clothes in Germany because of the lack of smaller sized shoes and clothes. Can you believe the smallest size shoe available is the equivalent to an American 6? The smallest women's clothing size is an American 4, which is also considered a XS. In my book an XS is a 0 or a 2. Perhaps it's like the US and it makes people feel better to have smaller number sized clothes, but at least even with the clothing downsize changes I can still find a 00 or a XXS in the US.

The prying personal questions about where I am really from asked by strangers, after I say I'm from the US. Where are you from? What generation American are you? Where are your parents from? Where are you grandparents from? If the questions aggressively continue after I politely say I'm not interested in such a conversation (which has happened frequently), then I boldly ask, "Why do you want to know, were your grandparents Nazis?"

When a German points out my excessive bitching and moaning, I really must be a bonafide Miesepeter! What's happened to me? Is complaining a German cultural trait?

What do you find yourself complaining about? Did you complain as much before you came to Germany? What's your theory on it?

And to end on a positive note, some more opportunities! Attagurl- go get'em!

25 Aug 2012: Provincetown 10 Days of Art 2012 Festival presents: 10 Days That Shook the World: the Centennial Decade

3 Sept 2012: The Bradford Fellowship in Photography

14 Sept 2012: Open Call for a Creative Time Summit Presenter

28 Sept 2012: