Something To Do Tonight

If you are in the Carrboro, NC area (which I now am), there is something that looks like it will be fun and toy/art related going on tonight. Tonight is the re-opening of Wootini at their new gallery space (not in Carr Mill Mall anymore) along with the opening of the Wootini Gallery Roadshow, featuring works of art by the likes of Steff Bomb, Fish McGill, CHema Skandal (apparently the "H" is capitalized, this is not a typo), Mike Ski, Evoker, Shawnimals, and other people with equally ridiculous names. There will probably be music, possibly by Family, and maybe even some beer or wine or other drinkies for the folkies. And of course, they got toys! Anne is going to a wine tasting, but I prefer an art opening, so this is where I will be. Maybe not from 7-11pm, but at some point.

Coupla' Things

I know, blah blah blah, it's been too long, etc. I've been doing this for five years now people, cut me some slack.


This weekend, those folks close by should head on down to Culver City Saturday night, April 18th, from 6-9 pm for a gallery opening at the Cerasoli Gallery for an exhibit featuring new work by John Grande, Franziska Klotz and Nick Potter. According to Freddi, their fine art work invokes various photographic genres through the use of paint.

"In Gallery One, contemporary painter John Grande’s oil on canvas portraits often resemble archival budoir photographs cleverly interwoven with archetypal gender narratives. German-born artist Franziska Klotz collects, tags, and archives snapshots, which she then reconfigures as paintings that are often contradictory and dreamily abstract. Influenced by the banality of everyday spaces in his native England, Nick Potter’s current works use architectural spaces and images of desire to explore the implicit interrelations between class, materialism, isolation and anxiety."

The exhibit will be running through May 13th. Also going on this weekend, for my friends back in the C'Boro, Wootini will be hosting a Mini Munny Mobile Decorating Party on Sunday, April 19th.

Here's the scoop, according to my man Mike,

"All you have to do is show up, and express interest in decorating a Munny - then we simply give you a Munny Mobile while supplies last. We'll have some tables and chairs, as well as some materials to use to decorate your Munny. Local artist Amy 'LizzPhizz' Richards [will be] on hand to help give you ideas and assist in creating your Munny. Pictures will be taken and submitted to Kid Robot."

I will see if I can hit up the Kidrobot here in LA, but I figure it will probably be some crazy shit going on that day. And I can't miss the farmers' market this week. This economy is stupid. Everybody, recycle your old stuff so you can go out and buy some new stuff to stimulate this shit.

Yep

I have been inundated with e-mail from various retailers hocking their holiday wares and after wading through it I have a few things to share. First of all, my old haunt Wootini is having a gallery opening this Friday featuring the work of Phil Blank, an established Carrboro artist [artwork pictured above]. Here's what he has to say about his work:

This show = triracial Carolina legends, cornstalks, postethnic Jewish indy rockers, conjure herbs, astral keyboard magician, universal brothel tunes, ancient Mediterranean female mead dance, Chapel Hill bus segregation history, and other INTP ramblings and bookish hi-jinx.

Anyway, those words aside, the opening starts at 7pm East Coast time, is sponsored by SCION and features the music of Uzi and Family.

Also this Friday, 7pm West Coast style, is an opening at the Cerasoli : LeBasse Gallery in Culver City. In Gallery I is an exhibit of new work from Evan B. Harris entitled 'Maritime and Mythology'. Harris's artwork "plays with nostalgia for his sailor grandfather's fantastical yarns, which have haunted the artist's dreams since childhood. Each of Harris's large-scale paintings is, in its own way, a vessel for the subconscious, lent with the eerie power of phantoms and filled with treasures straight out of the artist's youthful fantasies of foreign ports and being lost at sea."

In Gallery II is a group show entitled 'Gifted' featuring small works from over thirty different including Blaine Fontana, Yoskay Yamamoto, Eric Fortune, Hellovon, Jennifer Davis, Scott Belcastro, Justin Gibbens, Meggs, Melissa Haslam, Tessar Lo, Tofer Chin, Jack Long, Edwin Ushiro and more... Jeremiah Kentner's painting "Simple Thought" is pictured above.

Lastly, at Munky King this Thursday night from 7-11pm is the release of Yoskay Yamamoto's new gocco print [pictured above] and "Koibito" vinyl toy. Apparently, it should be pretty insane as his vinyl sold out at ComicCon this summer.

So that's what I will be doing this weekend. Y'all folks in Cackalacka should head over to Wootini for their show. And don't forget, Ryan DeBord's birthday is this Sunday, so if you see him, wish him a happy, scrappy, dappy-do birthday!

A Face Only A Mother Could Love

Wootini has a new exhibit opening tonight featuring the work of Brendan Danielsson [pictured above], Jason Murphy, Katie Ridley, and Meagan Ridley of the Art Dorks Collective. The show will begin at 7 pm this evening and will run through August 5th. There will be snacks and drinks at the opening reception and "Family" is expected to bring the music. Here's what Michael had to say about the show:

So who are the Art Dorks? Brendan Danielsson originally started it as a web community which grew into the young artist collective it is today. If they fit into a genre, it would be something between Pop Surrealism, Low Brow, and a 1980's hightop sneaker. Being young artists, they've been collectively bombarded with media since the day they were born and it's bound to influence their work.

Let's talk a little about the contributing artists for this show. The Ridley sisters, Jason Murphy and Brendan Danielsson all attended the Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida. Like one big giant artist family, Brendan and Meagan have been married for 2 years, and Jason and Katie will wed later this year making them all 'kin'. They all currently live in Atlanta and work (or have worked) for CNN. Katie is a part time designer for CNN and a freelance illustrator while Meagan is a designer for CNN Headline News. Brendan works as a compositor for CNN. Jason is a designer for Mind's Eye, but at one time worked for CNN. But don't judge them with media bias, or confuse them with the "fair and balanced" fox news people. It's just that they need to pay the bills somehow.

If I get out of work early enough, maybe I will head over for the opening. If Anne lets me out of the apartment. She likes to keep me tied up in the laundry room. We'll see!

Yo Left, Yo Left, Yo Left, Right, Left!

After much anticipation, Wootini is thrilled to finally announce the 2008 Left Field Project “Right to Left” tour. They’ve been working on this show for over a year now and have spent many sleepless nights putting together the perfect roster:

• Andy Howell


• Brian Flynn


• Andy Mueller


• Morning Breath


• Ethan Anderson


• Dustin Koop


• Andrew Pommier


• Duane Fernandez

Along with the show, Left Field Project will be designing a zine and screen printed posters. If you want one, you best make your way to the Grand Opening at each venue.

The tour will kick off in North Carolina, May 9th at Wootini [Carrboro, near Chapel Hill]. The tour will then make its way 1122 miles over to Tulsa – Oklahoma. Following the Tulsa show, they will then jump on the I-40 and make the 1738 mile trip to San Francisco. More details:

North Carolina: [May 2008]
Wootini
200 North
Carrboro, NC 27510
http://wootini.com
*Opening show will be Friday May 9th

Oklahoma: [June 2008]
Artifacts
819 E. 3rd Street
Tulsa, OK 74114

California: [July 2008]

Super7
1628 Post Street
San Francisco, CA 94115
super7store.com

Merry Baby Jew Birthday!

Wootini is presenting their final exhibit of the year, the Super Awesome Holiday Family Show, beginning tonight at 7pm and running through January 12th. The show will be bringing together local artists David K. Rose, Casey Porn, Paul Friedrich, Bloo Empire, and Casey Robertson.

Special for this event, Wootini will be unveiling a new project consisting of "Mysterious" blind-boxed 6" x 6" stretched canvas prints created by each of the artists. That means, much like the mini-figures we have all grown to know and love – each is a mystery, until you purchase and open it. Buy more than one, trade with friends, give them as presents! Here are all the images that ‘could’ be in your mystery box:



Family will be bringing the tunes, as usual, and there will be Christmasy snacks and drinks. It should be a lot of fun. I will try to make it out, depending on whether I can pull myself away from my new iPod touch Hanukkah present. Soooo shiny.