See Saw

NEEDLE BOOKS FROM J. MEGAN MAYS

2009-07-10T10:57:13-05:00

J. Megan Mays is one of my favorite customers at Pine Street Art Works. She gets what I'm doing - and shares my passion for ephemera. Last week she brought in a disc of scans from her collection of vintage needle books so I could share them with you. Yay Megan, thanks so much for spreading the love of mid century needle book graphics.

The first three are just graphically stunning and simple. They are unusual for the genre because they do not feature people. I've never seen another one like this homage to sewing accessories.

Needle book. Collection of J. Megan Mays

Needle book -Ideal Laundry. Collection of J. Megan Mays

Woolworth Needle Book - Collection of J. Megan Mays

Typical for needle books is the travel theme because a needle and thread can be so handy on a journey. Railway, airplane, ships, even rockets are common themes for travel in needle land. This family seems on a mythical trip through the Alps.

The Silvertown, needle case. Collection of J. Megan Mays

Here is the same family in a different, probably earlier guise. You often see the same graphic worked and reworked by different artists and factories.

Maple Brand Needle Book. Collection of J. Megan Mays

This family of four is traveling by air. Or maybe they are welcoming Daddy home after an arduous journey by propeller plane. Gone are the days when we dressed up to travel.

Reliance Needle Book. Collection of J. Megan Mays

This couple is off to the stars on their own private rocket.

Atomic Gold Eye Needle Book. Collection of J. Megan Mays

Meanwhile, back home, we revisit the theme of women and children sewing. Or, in this case, Mom is sewing and the kids are fighting.

My Own needle book, Collection of J. Megan Mays

And here we are back to one of the endless variations of a group of women sewing and embroidering.

Lovely Lady Needle Book, Collection of J. Megan Mays

So, thanks to Megan for letting me use her collection and I hope you enjoyed it.

LAKE CHAMPLAIN VINTAGE POSTCARDS

2009-06-23T12:00:42-05:00

This summer marks the 400th Anniversary of Samuel Champlain discovering invading the body of water known by the Abenaki as Biawbagok - the waters in between, and by the Iroquois as Caniadari Guarunti, the door to the country. The hoopla over the quadricentennial of Lake Champlain now begins.

Ephemera fans can rejoice not in Native American images but in a bounty of European-American images produced over the last hundred or so years. Here are but a few I've collected:

Postcard back.

"This is a picture of the first Steamboat on Lake Champlain. (and the second in the World) It was built and launched at Burlington Vermont, in 1808, just 200 years after Champlain had entered its waters in a birch bark canoe.

The owners and builders were two brothers, John and James Winans; it was called the "Vermont;" and it was 120 feet long, 20 feet beam, 167 tons measurement; with an engine of 20 horse power, and commanded by Capt. John Winans"

Postcard. Steamer Ticonderoga. Ephemera Collections PSAW.

The Ticonderoga is now at the Shelburne Museum, Shelburne VT.

"Built in Shelburne in 1906, it operated as a day boat on Lake Champlain serving ports along the New York and Vermont shores until 1953. In 1955, the Ticonderoga was moved two miles overland from the lake to Shelburne Museum in a remarkable engineering effort that stands as one of the great feats of maritime preservation."

Rock Point, Lake Champlain. Postcard. PSAW ephemera collections

Lake Champlain from Red Rocks. Postcard PSAW ephemera collections.

Red Rocks is about a mile from Pine Street Art Works.

Wells, Richardson & Co, Diamond Dyes Trade card. PSAW ephemera collections

Wells, Richardson & Co was a huge business in Burlington during the late 1800's up to the 1930's. I've always imagined that this image takes place at Red Rocks. See the Lake in the background?

HAPPY JUNETEENTH

2009-06-19T10:14:15-05:00

From Wikipedia:

Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, commemorates the announcement of the abolition of slavery in the U.S. State of Texas in 1865. Celebrated on June 19, the term is a portmanteau of June and nineteenth, and is recognized as a state holiday in 31 of the United States.

The holiday originated in Galveston, Texas; for more than a century, the state of Texas was the primary home of Juneteenth celebrations. However, one small community in Arkansas (Wilmar) boasts that its celebration, called “June Dinner” has been consistently observed and celebrated, except for one year, since approximately 1870.[citation needed] Since 1980, Juneteenth has been an official state holiday in Texas. It is considered a “partial staffing holiday” meaning that state offices do not close but some employees will be using a floating holiday to take the day off.

Though the Emancipation Proclamation had been issued on September 22, 1862, with an effective date of January 1, 1863, it had minimal immediate effect on most slaves’ day-to-day lives, particularly in Texas, which was almost entirely under Confederate control. Texas was the most resistant state to the Emancipation Proclamation, as the entire state was heavily poor and reliant on slave labor. Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, the day Union General Gordon Granger and 2,000 federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to take possession of the state and enforce the emancipation of its slaves. Legend has it while standing on the balcony of Galveston’s Ashton Villa, Granger read the contents of “General Order No. 3”:

The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.

That day has since become known as Juneteenth, a name derived from a portmanteau of the words June and nineteenth.

Former slaves in Galveston rejoiced in the streets with jubilant celebrations. Juneteenth celebrations began in Texas the following year.Across many parts of Texas, freed people pooled their funds to purchase land specifically for their communities’ increasingly large Juneteenth gatherings — including Houston’s Emancipation Park, Mexia’s Booker T. Washington Park, and Emancipation Park in Austin.Juneteenth celebrations include a wide range of festivities, such as parades, street fairs, cookouts, or park parties and include such things as music and dancing or even contests of physical strength and intellect. Baseball and other popular American games may also be played.

The Emancipation Proclamation:1863. The Granger Collection.

From Juneteenth.com:

Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States.

From its Galveston, Texas origin in 1865, the observance of June 19^th as the African American Emancipation Day has spread across the United States and beyond.

Today Juneteenth commemorates African American freedom and emphasizes education and achievement. It is a day, a week, and in some areas a month marked with celebrations, guest speakers, picnics and family gatherings. It is a time for reflection and rejoicing. It is a time for assessment, self-improvement and for planning the future. Its growing popularity signifies a level of maturity and dignity in America long over due. In cities across the country, people of all races, nationalities and religions are joining hands to truthfully acknowledge a period in our history that shaped and continues to influence our society today. Sensitized to the conditions and experiences of others, only then can we make significant and lasting improvements in our society.

64 CIRCUS

2009-06-16T15:36:50-05:00

I took this photo in Greenport, NY in 2000. A misty early morning at the circus. For some reason, I feel like posting it today.

Circus. Greenport, NY. 2000. Photo by Liza Cowan.

INTERVIEW WITH LIZA AT THE BLOG "EPHEMERA"

2009-06-11T10:24:58-05:00

Ephemera is one of my favorite blogs. The impressario (host/blogster) Marty Weil interviewed me recently and the post went up today. Check it out, and keep it bookmarked because there's always something fascinating going on there for all of you ephemera lovers.
Here's a snippet:
"One of the ways I use ephemera differently than many people is that I work a lot with details. I love to see what happens when a small portion of the item is isolated and enlarged, so you will often see details on my blog and in the reprints. My photography is often about small abstracted details of larger objects, so it's not a big stretch to see how I come to love the abstracted details of printed images. "

W. David Powell

2009-06-04T09:20:38-05:00

One of my favorite artists, W. David Powell, is now showing at Pine Street Art Works. David and I share a love of vernacular images, scientific and advertising ephemera, and new ways to look at and incorporate cultural detritus in new art.

W. David Powell, Hail To The Hybrid, used by permission of the artist.

W. David Powell. Machine For Manufacturing Beauty. Used by permission of the artist
Most of the pieces in the show "were constructed in Photoshop from diverse source materials that range from Anton Mesmer's noteboooks, Maxwell's electrical diagrams to phrenological, physiological and geological texts. Numerous other books as well as images from contemporary medical imagers technology provide further material for creating combinations that invite new interpretation and analysis. The use of digital montage has become my primary medium for art making, though I sometimes use old cut-and-paste methodology along with traditional drawing and painting tools. The beauty of the digital medium for me is that it can become just another tool in my art kit. It does not necessarily replace traditional media, it just augments them." W. David Powell.

W. David Powell, Broadcasting Democracy. Used by permission of the artist.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME

2009-05-27T14:16:56-05:00

JELLO, the Birthday Party. Rose O'Neill.
Just thought you'd like to know.

PSAW ON DESIGN*SPONGE

2009-05-20T22:12:36-05:00

Paige Russell, maker of the wonderful vessels we have for sale at Pine Street Art Works, is doing a guest blog at Design*Sponge this week. Today she wrote about Burlington VT shops and artists, and featured some stores in Burlington's South End, including us!
Design*Sponge is one of the top design blogs in the country, and it's really rather thrilling to be mentioned on it. And it originates in Brooklyn, my former home. Yay Brooklyn.
Paige used to work next door at The Lamp Shop, and had a studio further down Pine Street, but, alas, she moved back to Canada.

Paige Russel Vessels. Photo Liza Cowan.

So hats off to Paige for writing about our little city (especially the South End, which is often treated like the Siberia of Burlington,) and to Design*Sponge for having the good taste to invite Paige to guest blog.
Check out Paige's blog, it's always worth a read.

REA IRVIN

2009-05-16T14:53:55-05:00

I was showing a customer the two Rea Irvin magazine covers that I have in the shop and it dawned on me that you might be interested in seeing them too. Irvin was an American artist and art director, best know as the first art director of The New Yorker. He also worked as an illustrator at the original Life magazine (not the later version).
Rea Irvin, Life, August 10, 1922. The Japanese American Number

Rea Irvin, The New Yorker, Oct 15, 1938.
The cover is too big for my scanner so a bit got cut off. Hope you enjoyed these.
Update: Thanks to Pollux for sending a link to Emily Gordon's article about Rea Irvin. Emdashes,- The New Yorker Between The Lines is Emily's blog where Pollux is a writer and cartoonist. The blog is a great read and a must for all things New Yorker.

NEW: BOXED 6-PACK GREETING CARDS

2009-05-16T10:55:47-05:00

New boxed sets of 5x7 greeting cards from Pine Street Art Works. The images are from our ephemera collections, printed right here in the shop. Insides are blank. Six to a box, the price is $21 plus $5 shipping. The cards are available singly in the store.

PSAW Boxed Set - SEW

Boxed set of Greeting Cards -BLOOM

Coming soon: JELL-O, KITCHEN, MATCHBOX,PAINR BY NUMBER, and more.

VERNACULAR ART: MATCHBOX LABELS

2009-05-09T10:35:53-05:00

For your viewing pleasure, some images from my matchbox label collection.

Matchbox Label, Calcutta. PSAW ephemera collections

Matchbox label. Kali, detail.

matchbox label. Kali. Detail.

La Petite Safety Matches. Made in Sweden. PSAW ephemera collections.
I bought a slew of Swedish matchbox labels for Tove, of AO! Glass and Atelier Tove because she is Swedish and I thought she and her kids would get a kick out of them.

Countryside Safety Match. Made in Sweden. PSAW & Atelier Tove collections.

Cockfight Safety Matches. Made in Sweden. PSAW & Atelier Tove Collections.

Swedish Matchbox Label, Cockfight, detail
And then there are the Japanese Matchbox Labels. Here are a few from my collection:

Made in Japan. Matchbox label. PSAW collections.

Matchbox label, Japan. Detail

Matchbox Label. Made in Japan. PSAW ephemera collection.

Matchbox Label, Japan. Detail

Matchbox Label. Japan. PSAW ephemera collections.

Matchbox Label, Swans, Japan. Detail

BIRD SEEDS - TMNK

2009-04-24T19:27:25-05:00

Lucky me. I just bought this painting by one of my favorite artists, TMNK - The Me Nobody Knows.

Bird Seeds. Copyright 2009 TMNK (The Me Nobody Knows) (mixed media on masonite 12" x 12" approx.) Used with permission of the artist
"Notice the happy sounds they make as they flutter about munching on their tiny morsels. It’s the bird seeds. The little things in life they enjoy. I’ve decided to learn from them, as I too rise early each morning, feeding my mind positive little thoughts. And reminding myself to be grateful for the small things in life that we sometime overlook. And though many say I inspire, this painting was inspired by a tiny little bird chirping in my ear. Not the one outside my door, the little bird I’m referring to is my youngest daughter. She’s made many attempts at goals, sometimes not achieving her desired result. Yet, I’m amazed as I speak with her, she’s like the birds outside my door, happily chirping away despite what some might call disappointing results, continuing to try, determined to fly. Hungry for something different? Allow me to suggest some bird seeds." - TMNK
Nobody will be here at Pine Street Art Works with his wonderful work on Sept 11th and 12th for Art Hop.
Check his blog for more wonderful images, inspiration and buying opportunities.

HEPPER- MODERN PET FURNITURE THAT WILL MAKE YOU JEALOUS

2009-04-23T18:40:39-05:00

If Charles and Raye Eames had designed for pets this is what they'd have made.

Dog bed by Hepper.
I had the pleasure of spending some time recently with industrial designer and fellow Burlingtonian Jed Crystal who I met through Paige Russell when she and he had a show at PSAW a few years ago . Now Jed's up to something new: modern pet furniture. His company is called Hepper. They sell online and in select locations around the country.
My own pug, Saki, has a habit of chewing the furniture - she's already destroyed a couch - so there's no way I'm buying her this gorgeous ensemble. But if I could, you know I would.

ADVENTURES IN VERNACULAR ART - SEED PACKS

2009-04-22T13:39:38-05:00

Pine Street Art Works has been specializing in vernacular art since we opened. The May exhibit, BLOOM, focuses on seed packets from the beginning of the 20th Century. These gorgeous lithographs are beautiful enough in their original size. Enlarged, they become even more interesting and monumental, as the dots of the lithographs become more obvious.

Burt's Seed, Watermelon seed packet. 1915 Modern Litho & Ptg. Buffalo NY,
Genessee Vally lithographers Rochester, NY PSAW ephemera collections.

Detail, Burt's Seed, Watermelon.

Burt's Seed, Antirrhinum Snapdragon. 1916 Genessee Valley Lithograph Co,
Rochester, NY. PSAW ephemera collections.

Burt's Seed Packet. Antirrhinum. Detail. PSAW ephemera collections.

Gailardia Seed Pack. Genessee Valley Litho Co. Rochester NY
PSAW ephemera collections.

Gailardia. Detail.Genessee Valley Litho co. Rochester, NY. PSAW ephemera collections

BLOOM

2009-04-19T14:35:36-05:00

Our next fabulous exhibit - BLOOM. Featuring glass flowers by AO! Glass, and amazing large format reproductions of vintage botanical prints. Perfect for mothers day, and year-round inspiration.

THE LATE AGE OF PRINT

2009-04-13T15:40:22-05:00

Houston photographer Cara Barer has scored again, with a stunning cover photograph on the new book, The Late Age Of Print, by Scott Esposito. Published by Columbia University Press - kudos to them as well, for having the great taste and style to publish one of Cara's
photos.

cover image Whirligig, by Cara Barer.

Cara has had two solo shows at PSAW and we always carry an assortment of her prints.

ALINE SMITHSON F-STOP

2009-04-09T12:35:22-05:00

Aline Smithson
Aline Smithson will be showing her photographs here in August. Meanwhile, mazel tov on being on the cover of the online photography magazine, F-Stop Magazine.

ZINA RACHEVSKY'S FRIEND WRITES ABOUT HER

2009-04-08T11:32:46-05:00

This is written by Ronald Petrou. Ronald and I first spoke on the phone about a year ago, after he had read my posts on Zina. He sent this yesterday as a response to one of my Zina posts, and he gave me permission to reprint it here as a blog entry.

I knew Zina and Conrad Rooks in Athens in 1962-63. She was my living example of a "White Goddess." I had been reading Robert Graves and found Zina to be the embodiment of a woman with the gifts of beauty, generosity of spirit, and inclination whose task was to inspire men. One day she gave me as a gift, Ziddhartha, by Hermann Hesse. She was the only woman I have ever known who in conversation looked directly at me with her wonderful, large blue eyes, and asked me, "Ron, what do you think?" with such sincerity that awakened a new sense within me of who I was and what I could do.
I became friends with her husband and was for 6 months involved with him in New York in 1964-65 while he was making Chappaqua. I met Zina for the last time during that period and went for a walk with her from her midtown hotel to the hip restaurant, PJ Clarks. She took my hand and we walked along the electrically charged New York City streets as if we were two children or two lovers. Her nature was sexual and innocent at the same time. After I dropped her off at her hotel a few hours later, I accidentally put my hand to my face and discovered the scent of Zina’s perfume. I smiled and her presence remained with me for several hours. I can recall in detail that walk and that scent even now.
The poem by Robert Graves, “The White Goddess,” captures some of Zina's magic.
All saints revile her and all sober men
Ruled by the God Apollo's golden mean --
In scorn of which I sailed to find her
In distant regions likeliest to hold her
Whom I desired above all things to know
Sister of the mirage and echo.
It was a virtue not to stay,
To go my headstrong and heroic way
Seeking her out at the volcano's head
Among pack ice, or where the track had faded
Beyond the cavern of the seven sleepers:
Whose broad high brow was white as any leper's
Whose eyes were blue, with rowan-berry lips,
With hair curled honey-colored to white hips.
Green sap of Spring in the young wood a-stir
Will celebrate the Mountain Mother,
And every song-bird shout awhile for her;
But I am gifted, even in November
Rawest of seasons, with so huge a sense
Of her nakedly worn magnificence
I forget cruelty and past betrayal,
Careless of where the next bright bolt may fall.

Zina is a living presence for me even now, 47 years after I met her.
However, although she once invited me to go with her to Katmandu when she was having difficulties with Conrad, who was then known as Russell, not as her lover but as her friend and the teacher for her young son, Alexander, I recognize now that I was wise to go my own way.
I am sure that in the spiritual world or here in our world if she has reincarnated, she carries with her gift-giving capacities few human beings possess.
Ronald Petrou

NEW WAYS TO ENJOY JELL-O EPHEMERA

2009-02-17T17:40:12-05:00

Also, check out my ONLINE STORE for more goodies.
If you know me, or follow this blog, you know I'm a bit over the top about my Jell-O ephemera. I have almost every Jello recipe book ever made, starting at the turn of the last century. And I know that many of you come to SeeSaw for my Jello images. One of the top google searches that brings people here is "Jell-O and condensed milk", as well as searches for Jell-0 ephemera, Jello images, and the like.
Now I have some Jell-O images from my collections available as handmade handbags by Flashbags, and reproductions which are fine- art laminated by Silver Maple Editions, here in Burlington.

Image from Jell-O recipe book, circa 1906. PSAW ephemera collections.
This is a reproduction, a scan, actually, from a recipe book in my collection. It is fine art laminated and ready for hanging. Dimension is aprox 7 1/2" square.
JELL-O Ice Cream Powder: $45 including shipping. In store price is $39 plus tax.

Image from Jell-O recipe book, circa 1906. PSAW ephemera collections.

Same image made into an 8" square Flashbag. Too cute for words.
This sells for $55 (including shipping) In store price is $44 plus tax.

Image from Jell-O recipe book, circa 1906. PSAW ephemera collections.
When this recipe booklet was published, telephones were the latest, most innovated technology. JELL-O was high tech as well, one of the very first convenience foods ever made.
HELLO JELLO, The Dainty Dessert. (dainty meant yummy in those days)
Fine art laminated, 8"x8". $45 including shipping.

Image from Jell-O recipe book, circa 1906. PSAW ephemera collections.

HELLO, That's It, Orange Jell-o. Fine art laminated 8"x8". $45 including shipping.


Card=Jello, large orange, happy birthday

Jello Girl 1924 (detail) blank card

STAY TUNED FOR THESE GREAT NEW EXHIBITS

2009-01-31T12:23:39-05:00

Some of these artists I've already posted about, some not. I'm so excited about the lineup of shows at PSAW. Even though times are tough, and businesses are tumbling like dominoes in an earthquake, we here at Pine Street Art Works (and Atelier Tove) are determined to keep going and thriving.
APRIL - TIM MATSON/ PILOBOLUS

Tim Matson photo of Pilobolus. Dance called Untitled.copyright 1978. Used by permission of the artist.

The dance troupe Pilobolous began in 1970 at Dartmouth College. Tim Matson began photographing them early in their career, and, in conjunction with a Pilobolus April 11th performance at Burlington's Flynn Theater, PSAW will exhibit a dozen or so of Matson's original prints. Matson's book of Photographs, Pilobolus, was published by Random House in1978 and is still available through used book dealers.
MAY OR JUNE - DAVID POWELL
Plattsburgh NY/ Burlington VT artist/educator David Powell will show his collages and prints at a date to be announced. I've been a fan of David's for a few years. He had a show last year at Burlington's Fleming Museum which was super.

Into the Future. David Powell. Copyright 2000. Digital print mounted on Wood Panel. Used by permission
AUGUST - ALIINE SMITHSON
Aline has been winning awards and grants left and right, and I'm happy to say I knew her when. She will be exhibiting here in August.

Aline Smithson. Arrangement in Green and Black. Portrait Of The Photographer's Mother. Copyright Aline Smithson. Used by Permission
SEPTEMBER - TMNK - THE ME NOBODY KNOWS
I've blogged a lot about TMNK, but here's another image and a reminder that this amazing NYC street artist will be here on Sept 11th for the Burlington South End Art Hop.

TMNK-The Me Nobody Knows. Copyright 2009. Used by Permission.
OCTOBER -CAROL GOLOMBOSKI

How To Read The Hand. Copyright Carol Golomboski. Used by Permission
"Psychometry is a series of black and white photographs exploring issues relating to anxiety, loss, and existential doubt. The term refers to the pseudo-science of "object reading," the purported psychic ability to divine the history of objects through physical contact. Like amateur psychometrists, viewers are invited to interpret arrangements of tarnished and weathered objects, relying on the talismanic powers inherent in the vestiges of human presence. These images suggest a world in which ordinary belongings transcend their material nature to evoke the elusive presence of the past.

Copyright Carol Golomboski. Used by Permission
Through an examination of fortune-telling and clairvoyance, many of the images confront the desperate human desire to know the unknowable, historically referencing the Victorian interest in spiritualism as well as the look of the nineteenth century photographic image. Illegible text and arcane symbols in pictures with themes like palm reading, tea leaf reading, and numerology force the viewer to consider man's insatiable need to anticipate his own fate.

The concept behind each picture dictates its darkroom manipulation, sometimes requiring research and revisions that last weeks or months. Combining photography with drawing, seamlessly incorporating photograms, integrating appropriated text, and scratching the emulsion of the negative create images where horror, history, and psychology occupy the same imaginative locale." Carol Golomboski from Photo Eye Gallery

DR. DOROTHY I HEIGHT, POLLY COWAN, AND THE INAUGURATION

2009-01-20T14:02:38-05:00

My mother, Polly Spiegel Cowan, civil rights activist, died in 1976. As I watched the inauguration of Barack Hussein Obama I held in my heart the image of my mother and her dear friend and colleague Dr. Dorothy Height.
Cheers to you, Mom, watching from wherever you are now. And cheers to you, Dr. Height. I'm glad you got a great seat at the inauguration. You more than deserve it.
From the NY Times, Sept 17, 2009
One of Mr. Obama’s guests, Dorothy Height, 96, will have a place of honor on the platform — in her wheelchair. Ms. Height, a longtime social activist, was accepted at Barnard College in 1929 but was turned away when she arrived because the school had met its quota of two black women.
“I never thought I would live to see this,” she said of the inauguration of a black president. “This is real recognition that civil rights was not just what Dr. King dreamed. But it took a lot of people a lot of work to make this happen, and they feel part of it.”
From NewsChanne8 in Washington, DC, January 19, 2009
At 96 years old, Height has seen many firsts, but when Barack Obama is sworn-in as the nation's first African-American president, it will be an experience for her unlike any other. "I'll be glad I lived long enough to see it and I think it's the answer to so many prayers- something that people have worked on for a long time."

Born in Richmond, Height first started working in New York City. By the late 1930's, she had established herself as a civil rights activist and joined the National Council of Negro Women.
American leaders regularly met with her. Height encouraged President Eisenhower to desegregate schools and President Lyndon Johnson to appoint African-American women to positions in government. "She has been the glue that has held our civil rights and human rights movement together for the last 40 years and one of the things I'm so happy about is that she lived to see the day," said Rev. Walter Fauntroy, civil rights activist.

In 1957, Height was named president of the National Council of Negro Women. It was a position she held throughout the height of the civil rights movement of the 1960's. It was a time when the idea of an African-American becoming president seemed impossible. "You know, I had thoughts that often were disturbing, but you can't work at something if you don't believe in it. And I believed that someday this would happen," said Height.

Now that it is happening, the National Council of Negro Women is gearing up for a huge celebration on Inauguration Day. Height will be at the swearing in and then as the parade comes down Pennsylvania Avenue, there will be a celebration at their headquarters along the route.

"We are the only African-Americans who own a building within this quarter of Pennsylvania Avenue and for the first time we'll be ushering in an African-American president," said Christine Toney, National Council of Negro Women

But while the crowds along Pennsylvania Avenue celebrate a new president, Height will also use the day to reflect. It's been a long road to get here and she knows there is still work to be done. "I think that many opportunities have opened up. The country's come along way and I would say to young people to keep up the spirit that we have now and keep your eyes open and your heart open and see how you can take us to the next step," said Height.

So at 96 years old, Height marks another first on Tuesday - one that's stirring up feelings like none other. "It's not just a feeling of joy. It's a feeling of achievement and a feeling of greater confidence in a society in which we live. I think the possibilities of America are unlimited."

Links to Wednesdays In Mississippi, the Civil Rights organization founded by my mother and Dr. Dorothy I. Height.
http://www2.vcdh.virginia.edu/WIMS/
http://www.wimsfilmproject.com/
http://lauraflanders.firedoglake.com/2008/11/07/got-docs-wednesdays-in-mississippi/

OBAMABELIA - FLASHBAGS

2009-01-15T08:53:27-05:00

With the Inauguration only days away (YAY!!!) I want to remind you about the Obama handbags by Flashbags. These make great Obama inaugural gifts,Obama inaugural commemoratives, and of course, are a piece of inaugural history. They are bound to become valuable and valued Obama collectibles.
Flashbags, the wonderful woman-owned, independently operated micro business in Burlington Vermont has been making Obama bags since early in the campaign days.
These beautiful bags are made of laminated paper, with images inside as well as outside, hand stitched and sewn with swoops and swirls that complement the composition of each image. Each bag features a cellphone pocket, and handles made of beverage tubing. The main edges are bound with clear plastic to keep your bag durable. Very sturdy and comfortable to carry.
Flashbags has been making handbags and accessories for over three years, I've sold them since we both went into business, and I stand behind their amazing product.

Obama Inaugral Flashbag
Large = $88 including shipping US Priority Mail
Medium= $78 including shipping

Obama Inaugural Flashbag

Also, we still have the fabulous Election Obama Limited Edition handbag by Flashbags.

Limited edition Election 2008 Obama Flashbag
Large = $100 (with shipping)

ALMOST OBSOLETE OBJECTS - ALINE SMITHSON

2009-01-10T12:14:01-05:00

I found these photos and text over at Aline Smithson's blog, Lenscratch,
"We live in a world full of technical distractions. I see my children gathered around their computers as though it’s a summer campfire, faces aglow, as they peer into a world of friends and fantasy, participating in a new forms of entertainment that further remove them from the childhood that I experienced."   A. Smithson

Aline Smithson. Copyright 2008

"Today’s generation has lost touch with the activities that previous generations have enjoyed—reading a good book in a comfortable chair, playing board games on a rainy day, flipping through Life magazines, or sprawling out on the living room rug while listening to records and reading the backs of album covers." A. Smithson

Aline Smithson, copyright 2008

"And it’s because of this that I have been looking at bookshelves and untouched childhood pursuits with a new eye. With great sadness, I realize that these objects will someday be obsolete, at least in their current incarnations. And like a curator of antiquities, I see them now as beautiful objects to be admired and preserved, if only on film.
I can only hope for rain, a heavy rain and maybe a power outage." A.Smithson
Aline Smithson will have a solo show at Pine Street Art Works in August 2009.

CLOSE TO NOBODY

2009-01-09T16:32:07-05:00

TMNK/Nobody and Glenn Close at the Outsider Art Fair. 2009. Used by Permission.
TMNK, The Me Nobody Knows, presented his paintings at the Outsider Art Fair in NYC recently. Being Nobody as only Nobody knows how, he presented his outsider art outside the fair. Brilliant.
So there was Glenn Close at the Outsider Art Fair. She's a New Yorker and from what I hear, a fabulous person. We had a mutual friend who used to rave about her. And I once had a really horrible boss who picked a nasty fight with Close on the sidewalk in Soho in NYC.
Something about their dogs. I've loved Glenn Close ever since I heard that story. And of course, Cruella De Vil = Pure Genius.
Somebody really needs to get Glenn a Flashbag handmade handbag, I think. That purple satchel she's got rocks but how much better would she look with a Flashie on her arm?
Anyway, I don't know the full story of the Nobody/Close encounter, but here's what Nobody said on his blog:
"Okay, so she posed with me for a picture. Big deal, thats what celebrities do, right?. But that she “WANTED” to get down like a NOBODY and mask up! WOW, thats big ma! Now we got “Nobody’s” in HOLLYWOOD. Damn NOBODY’s Listening, I’ve been trying to tell yall - 2009 NOBODY’S EVERYWHERE! - (wink) - TMNK"

TMNK- Happy New Year 2009. Used by permission

Remember, Nobody will be here at Pine Street Art Works next September for Art Hop. September 11th and 12th.

I KNOW WHAT GIRLS LIKE, APPARENTLY

2008-12-19T11:59:20-05:00

I swear to the stars above that when I started Pine Street Art Works three years ago I thought it would be a gender neutral retail operation. I've never been particularly girly. I dig abstract thought and tough decisive action. I hate processing my emotions. I loathe and abhor the word "journaling." My preferred artists are the Modernists, I like old tools and worn out industrial equipment. I only wear jeans and sensible shoes. Not that I call myself butch, but I'm no femme either. I've always thought of myself as androgynous. Hah! Apparently not, at least in retailing.

Truck At Sunset. Copyright Liza Cowan, 2002.

This is me, yesterday. I made this self portrait for MoveOn.Org for their top priorities campaign. I mean, come on. Am I a girly girl? PS: My picture didn't make it into their final selection of images, which just goes to show that a great grassroots organizing movement doesn't always know how to pick the best images.
Update (later the same day as I posted this on the blog): I just got this sweet note from Justin at MoveOn.Org "Hi Liza, Saw your blog post courtesy of google blog alerts. Thanks for your photo. Not sure how it got overlooked, but I added it to the photo set that's showing on the page that we put up today dedicated to the 'green economy' goal. Thanks for adding your creativity to the process.
Hope your winter is more snow than mud.
Best, Justin"
MoveOn.Org is just sooo excellent! OK, back to the original post....

By actual count, 50% of the artists I've shown have been male, 50% have been female.
Then comes my love of all things ephemera. You know, the Jell-o booklets, the needle packs, trade cards, and that kind of thing.
There are men who love ephemera and old illustrations. You can follow the links to some great ones. But they aren't shopping here.
So what happens when men come shopping here, or women looking to buy things for men? Once in a while a man walks in and buys art, sometimes they buy a book or an old print. Certainly they buy presents for the women in their lives. Flashbags are a huge hit as presents for women. But the rest of my inventory? Apparently it's too girly.
So my question to you is: what should I stock that would appeal to guys? Because despite my best intentions and what I thought was my gender neutral approach to art and life I've still got the feminine eye. Who'da thunk?

Steven P Goodman, Lake at the Intervale. Copyright SP Goodman.