an art education community grows in brooklyn....

listening to observations about this "text object" created by students

An inspiring post by my dear conspirator and artist-friend Mermaid Hawley Hussey.  It happens to begin with a bit of gratitude for what i've learned and shared from my work with VTS (visual thinking strategies) -- make sure to read on, read on... BRIC spreads generosity and takes chances and here you can read about what that sows... (thanks HH!)

Flotsam Drawings

From the NY Times sunday paper... and viewed this morning with my coffee. I love how some of these are the same bits i found as a child beach scavenger myself (sea weed pods and purses and beautiful china fragments) and some are much different. No pink plastic tampon applicators, tho. I remember a lot of those.  See in lush detail here.

Fireplace Farm: Sowing the Seeds!

A busy weekend at the Barn, and specifically in the soil at Fireplace Farm, under the supervision of resident farmer, Steve Eaton.  In the morning we put in all manner of beets, and below, in the afternoon, everyone who enjoyed lunch in Sara's garden, got to work after clearing rows, making furrows and planting lots and lots of Kale.  We helped tackle maybe 3 or 4 rows this day.  Of 27 rows to plant, Farmer Steve reports that only 5 more remain to be sown.

Steve's Mom, Eva, Pete, Ramsay, Denise and Steve working this row

Becca and Oliver putting in seed and "closing up" the furrow.

Serratia Marcescens - "Blood of Christ"

A new bacterium to experiment with! Prof. Katayoun Chamanay of Eugene Lang Colleage had her summer students try their hands at painting with two strains of bacteria, each demanding a particular environment to cultivate and demonstrate their beauties. I made a brief visit to see their prints, hear their observations and questions about their work and share a some of my steps and foibles along the way to making E. coli pints with  Kristin. 

a print by one of Katayoun's students

I really like the "stochastic" nature of how and when this bacteria produces the deep red color.  And it's rumored history as having convinced religious skeptics of the possibility of transubstantiation makes it all the more interesting.  Read more on that story...

Climbing Rope Necklace!

Inspired by Orly Genger's work at Mass MoCA (and her jewerly in the gift shop) I took myself over to the EMS Soho and fingered and mixed and matched ropes in the climbing section and made one up myself last night. pretty easy, and am super delighted. many a compliment so far. See the inspiration below... 

summer riches in the berkshires

woke up with woodsmoke in my hair from hanging out with the talents and admirers of the Williamstown Theatre Festival's "The Last Goodbye" cast around out door fires on the grounds of Mezze.  Later, after a swim in Windsor Lake, a beautiful evening at Mass MoCA (w/ jonathan AND leonard nimoy) and my first pesto of the season, I dozed to Last Year in Marienbad... and Sunday brought my first visit to Jacob's Pillow! my my...

jonathan and i in the Material World show... see me below, all excited about my new dress, plus more!

WACS on the High Line

We all loved Susan's violet nails - and her watercolors!

Vicki showing us Susan's work (Yasmin on right)

Friday, July 30:  I get so many ideas seeing the WACS artists... and tho it was a glorious day on the Highline with lots of plants (and fashion photo shoots) to see and draw, we spent our first hours together looking at each others' work and thinking about installation possibilities for Vicki's and Susan's shows at 440 Gallery.  Thanks WACS.