Bonnie Crawford Kotula

Options 2013

2013-04-01T15:04:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends! I am very excited to be participating in this year's Options exhibition presented by Washington Project for the Arts.

I installed my work today and here's a sneak peek. Thank you to fellow participating artist, Selin Balci for the photo.

I hope you will join me at the opening on Saturday, April 13, from 6-9 pm at the Arlington Arts Center.

New Projects Just Starting...

2013-02-04T16:39:00.000-08:00

Here is a sneak peek of what is happening in my studio these days.

Magically Suspicious Opening Saturday, July 7

2012-07-04T08:01:00.001-07:00

Opening Reception: July 7, 2012, 3:00pm-6:00pm

Artists: John M. Adams, Amy Boone Mccreesh, Remmi Brant, Mei Mei Chang, Bobby Coleman, Bonnie Crawford Kotula, Jamin, Robert Kincheloe, Adam Lister, Greg Minah, Marilyn Minter, Stephanie Rivers, Phillip Scarpone and Willie Wayne Smith

The work selected for this exhibit revolves around concepts relating to material manipulation, visual trickery and alternate perceptions of reality. Magically Suspicious aims to draw connections between process based art, abstraction, and the desire to explore the curious and the unknown. The show features drawing, painting, photography, installation, and sculpture by 14 artists from Maryland, New York, Virginia and Washington D.C.

New Work on View at School 33

2012-06-09T06:46:00.002-07:00

I am so excited to be participating in a new exhibition at School 33 called Magically Suspicious. The show is curated by Adam Lister and will be on view from June 8 - August 18. An opening reception is planned for July 7 from 3-6pm.

You can read more information about the exhibit on School 33's website.

New Site! New Work! New PERSON!

2012-03-22T12:48:00.006-07:00

My website has a fresh new design!!

And here's something brand new:

Oh yeah, and this guy:

New Exhibition

2010-02-22T13:18:00.000-08:00

I am reading.

2010-01-17T14:36:00.000-08:00

Speaking of bears...

2009-11-06T07:32:00.000-08:00

So here it is! My Halloween costume in its entirety. Look how serious I am. Now that Halloween is over, maybe I will refocus my creative energy on actually making art!

In an effort to post more often, I am going to start featuring some of those items in the sidebar under "What I am reading". Because there is a lot of good information on the internet. Like... such as... for example...

..what bears look like with no fur:

Taken from clusterflock who took it from this site.

The bear's name is Delores. Poor Delores.

Wild Things

2009-10-19T06:59:00.000-07:00

Dear Internets*,

I am sorry I haven't been around much these past few months. You should know that I think of you well and often.

Since May, I have started a new job walking distance from my house (YAY!) - sometimes duties include wrapping coworkers in aluminum foil (YAY!) - and trying not to be too self aware as I work with a bunch of awesome, brilliant twenty-teen-year-olds (hmmmm...)

As Halloween is rapidly approaching, I have provided you with a sneak preview of my costume (pictured above). What is it, you ask? Here's a hint. I am not the best sew-maker, so I am super proud of myself for buying brown bear fur fabric and turning it into something that looks like a bear head hat! The fact that I look pasty and insane in the photo should not detract from my handiwork.

In related news, I saw Where the Wild Things Are yesterday, and I may be dragging Curt to see it again tonight. It was That Good. I don't care what anyone says about all the hand held cameras and running through the woods, and it not being for kids - it was great. Period.

Insert rant here about how children's stories too often provide glib postulates correlating suffering, dreams, expectations, happiness and love - see film version of Coraline. But Wild Dings don' do dat. There was some amazing line in the movie that I can't remember exactly but the gist was, "Happiness is not a good way to become happy." Which is true! Right? Hmmm.

After the movie, I went thriftin' with Nic S. We found lots of great stuff, thusly maintaining my habit of spending way too much time getting dressed in the morning. A habit which has worsened since my recent fascination with the coolest thirteen year old in the world.

Then, Nic and I have settled on a plan for some kind of strange collaborative creative whip cracking. Stay tuned for updates on this new project.

So that's that. I am not going to promise to write more often, or to be at all interesting or entertaining when I do write, because I know our tenuous relationship couldn't handle the disappointment. Just know that "I'll eat you up I love you so"

Love,

Bloppy Vernisabeth Crawtula

*By "internets" I mean all four of my readers: Nicole, Alicia, Curt, and that random person who left the hateful comment on the Teppei Kaneuji post (if we were still living in the nineties, I would make that cat sound that people used to make back then...)

Dorkbot Meeting Last Night

2009-05-20T09:31:00.000-07:00

Now that I have finished teaching my Tuesday night classes, I am able to return to my regularly scheduled Dorkbot meetings!

Last night was pretty interesting. You can read all about it on the Dorkbot Site.

In case you're too lazy to click the link above, I will repost my favorite part:

Aaron Oldenburg's Sucky Game

Oldenburg shared some new games he's been creating using UNITY. Aaron's latest game was created in under 48 Hours and was inspired by the verb 'to suck'. The game doesn't suck, except that it does. A lot. (huh?) I'm sure my description of the game will clear things up: You are a white blob that moves, floating through space, by pumping a bellows at your side. As you move, you encounter other white blobs with giant puckered, sucking lips. The goal is to allow the sucking lips to suck something (?) out of you without letting it suck you up entirely. Eventually, the lips either suck so much sparkling ephemera out of you that they explode, or they suck you up and you die. Still confused? Play the game!

Teppei Kaneuji

2009-05-20T06:37:00.000-07:00

I just came across this artist on Tokyo Art Beat.

Taken from a review of his exhibition at Yokohama Museum of Art which closes next week:

Kaneuji is known for his assemblages of commercially produced goods. Not exactly ‘found’ as in discarded refuse, but ‘found’ to have different possibilities of use. He states, “(t)hese objects originally existed with a different meaning. Using them was meaningful.” As we find out, beyond creating meaning simply through the act of ‘use,’ these works carry a strong ambiguity. These works dwell upon the interplay of relational forms rather than any nuance in the details.

The holy trinity: use, meaning and ambiguity.

Booksplosions! Art! Craft! and Musical Space Westerns!

2009-05-04T07:17:00.000-07:00

Summer is coming! In one week from today, I will be wrapping up the semester, which means a break from my job as Professor Bloppy Crawtula.*

Time to celebrate! Here are my plans for the weekend:

MAP CRITIC'S RESIDENCY PUBLIC FORUM (More info at MAP's Website)

I am excited to be a participating artist this year, and WYPR's Aaron Henkin is moderating so come listen to us all talk about why it's important to talk about art.

MD FILM FEST (Click for Schedule)

I already have tickets for Stingray Sam (a musical space western from Cory McAbee - who did American Astronaut). I am going to see it on Sunday with my book club after our meeting re: Barry Gifford's Wild at Heart.

I am gonna try to make it to SQUIDFIRE'S SPRING ART MART (Complete list of vendors)
Featuring some of my favorite local crafters including Red Prairie Press, Cotton Monster and Hampden's Puffs and Pastries

*Responsibilities include:
- Listening to the sound of clicking eyelids following my attempts at wit (mostly Brad Neely and Noah Baumbach rip offs).
- Convincing myself that said clicking is a round of applause.

Upcoming Exhibition at Maryland Art Place

2009-04-14T12:57:00.000-07:00

Here is the info for the next place you can check out my work:

23rd Annual Critics' Residency

April 28-June 20, 2009

Saturday, May 9: Public Forum 2pm / Reception 3:30pm

Maryland Art Place
Power Plant Live!
8 Market Place, Suite 100
Baltimore, Maryland 21202

Hooray!

2009-03-23T08:52:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to my pal, Kohli, who has just made her very first sale in her Etsy store!

In other news, Fly-post, the site I mentioned back in October is beginning to pick up speed, as more users post items. If you have an event coming up that has a beautiful flyer, please share it with us by posting it to fly-post.

Cecil County Public Library

2009-03-19T06:29:00.000-07:00

Cecil County Public Library launched it's brand new fancy website this week. (ahem, fastspot) It's nice to see libraries dive in and thrive in this digital age.

Sewing at AVAM and Upcoming Exhibition

2009-03-06T10:27:00.000-08:00

Thanks so much to everyone who helped make the workshop at AVAM such a success. So many great glowing things were made, especially this awesome rat. (Note the cheap plastic pink bead as nose. I love it!)

In other news, I am preparing now for an exhibition that will open April 1. If you are near Media, PA in the month of April, please take a moment to check out this show. I know many of the participating artists and I can guarantee that it will be worth the trip! The artists include Tiong Ang, Jeffrey Aronson, Steve Bradley, Bonnie Crawford, Carlo Ferraris, Eduardo Kac, Jaimes Mayhew, Aaron Oldenburg, Paul Rutkovsky, Hadieh M. Shafie, Kathryn Williamson

Upcoming Workshop at AVAM!

2009-02-09T11:08:00.001-08:00

I was a little sad to take down my exhibition at Greenbelt Community Center today. Every event that was associated with the show was so much fun, and the community center itself is a super cool place.

But, I am happy to announce that I have a workshop coming up at the end of this month at the American Visionary Art Museum. Feel free come out and make your clothes sparkle!

From the AVAM website:

Saturday • February 28 • 2PM-5PM: Electric Pickles, Electronic Sewing & LED Accessories with Bonnie Crawford Kotula
One of two separate workshops on a day full of Bright Ideas! Get ready for AVAM's AfterGlow Party on March 28th...or simply get ready to inspire awe and fascination on the streets of Baltimore after dark. Students will learn about simple electronic circuits, and how to make these circuits with alternative materials. The workshop will begin with demonstrations of the conductive or resistant properties of every day materials. Examples include electric pickles, potato batteries and testing the resistance of household items such as toothpaste, pasta, or glue. Each student will bring a personal garment or accessory to modify with tiny lights and safe low voltage “button” batteries. Some good examples of things that can be modified include hair wrap/ head bands, bracelets, or garments with a zipper. Each participant will use a basic electronic sewing kit provided by AVAM to stitch in miniature Light Emitting Diodes. Pre-registration is requested, please call 410.244.1900. Members $20, Non-Members $35 (Call to inquire about family discounts and special rates for those interested in also attending the "Illuminated Hats" workshop this same day.)

Happy New Year

2009-01-08T12:11:00.000-08:00

Phew! I can't believe 2008 is over. What a year! Highlights include five weddings (one of which was my own), finishing my master's thesis, my first summer swimming in fluid movement's water ballet, and trapeze lessons!Let's hope 2009 is just as adventure filled yet not quite as stressful.

To kick of this year right, I spent New Years Eve watching modern dancers interact with my sculpture on view at Greenbelt Community Center. This show will be up until February 6, and there's a workshop on Feb. 1. So stop by if you get the chance!

Tis the Season

2008-12-11T18:26:00.000-08:00

A very special and belated thank you to everyone that helped make my last workshop at School 33 a success! And thanks to workshop participant, Willy, who's electric snowman graces the top of this post. AND super special thanks to the gang at Aniomagic, who were the awesome suppliers of my essential electric sewing kits! They have a new very adorable addition to their inventory, the cutest battery holder ever.

I am showing my student's how to embed video

2008-11-21T11:47:00.001-08:00

So for your viewing pleasure, check out this rat I electrocuted in Grad School.

Thank You!

2008-10-23T14:20:00.000-07:00

Thanks so much to those of you who came to my test run electronic sewing workshop! It was HUGELY important for me to test this project out, and I got some great feedback!

Exhibition at School 33 Art Center!

2008-10-20T06:19:00.000-07:00

The opening event (complete with live music) is Saturday, Nov. 1 6-9 PM!

Beautiful Internets - Papercutting

2008-10-10T07:13:00.000-07:00

One blog I regularly check in on is Elsa Mora's. Elsa is a Cuban American artist, wife and mother who makes very nice things (see- up there). Elsita has created a nice new fancy blog for us to read all about the art of papercutting. The Pretty Blog about Papercutting

Fly-post is Here!

2008-10-08T08:32:00.000-07:00

Ok, Ok, I know I disappeared around the time that school started up, but I am returning to announce a new web site that should prove to be addictive and useful. (And I am not just saying that because my husband helped create it!) Fly-Post is dedicated to the art of the flyer. On fly-post, you can create an account to upload flyers for events you are planning. If you don't have flyers to post, you can also create an account, and browse the events coming up, as well as comment about them, and even rsvp! I just posted an announcement to an upcoming art opening I will be participating in. But others are posting anything from upcoming performances to flea markets, musicals to raven's football games.

Visit www.fly-post.com to create your account and start posting!

Trapeze School

2008-08-22T15:33:00.000-07:00

My grand career as college instructor begins on Monday, and thanks to the invitation of Nicole DeWald at Greenbelt Community Center, I am ending my summer with a rapid heartbeat, sweaty palms, and the sensation that I am flying.

See the video below to find out how much I learned in one class.