Ex Postal Facto 2014 Lecture Participant

Jennie Hinchcliff has organized a three day celebration of correspondence art, letter writing, and faux philatelics. The “Ex Postal Facto” conference will be held February 14th to February 16th, 2014, in San Francisco at venues around the city.

Kicking off the conference February 14th, the San Francisco Center for the Book hosts an opening reception for their exhibition “Mail/Art/Book.” Showcasing pieces by contemporary artists working in the genre of correspondence art, the exhibition also provides a historical perspective of Networker/ postal culture in the bay area.

The following day (Feb. 15th), a vendor expo will be held at the historic downtown San Francisco Elks Lodge, featuring small press publishers and artists whose work highlights faux postage (a.k.a “artist stamps”), postal art, and/or letter writing.

Rounding out a weekend of events, the San Francisco Main Library hosts two different lectures in the Koret Auditorium.  I will be participating in the lecture titled "Artistamps and Their Makers: Seeing the World in Miniature" will feature artists working in the field of faux philatelics, also known as "artistamps". The work of James Cline (Founding Postmaster, Black Rock City Post Office), James Felter (Postes Mraur), Harley (Terra Candella), and me, Ginny Lloyd (Gina Lotta Post Artistamp Museum) will be highlighted. The lecture will be moderated by correspondence artist and Ex Postal Facto organizer Jennie Hinchcliff.

For more information on the Ex Postal Facto 2014 conference, please visit ex Postal Facto

Pop Art: A Contemporary Perspective

The Lighthouse Art Center located in Tequesta, Florida (next to Jupiter and Jupiter Island) founded in 1964, emerged along with the controversial Pop Art Movement. In keeping with a 50th anniversary celebration, an exhibit of a new perspective reminiscent of Pop Art with a contemporary twist was formed - a modern take on Pop and homage to the masters of the era! This curated exhibit includes two of my Pop influenced artistamp prints:

It's humble beginnings was located in the former Tequesta Post Office building. Today the gallery is known as Lighthouse ArtCenter Museum & Gallery. It hosts private and public receptions and a Museum Gift Shop and Art Supply Store.

Exhibition will be on display from February 20 through March 15, 2014.

For more info see lighthousearts.org.

Fluxjob Exhibit at Minnesota Center for Book Arts

It might be cold this winter but things are heating up at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts. Fluxjob is an exhibition of Fluxus art, a non-movement that expanded the definitions of what art can be. Fluxjob is an exploration of contemporary artists who continue to create interdisciplinary anti-art that is ephemeral, inexpensive, and interactive.

A couple of my early lettepress works and a score print are included in the exhibit.

February 7 - July 6, 2014
MCBA Star Tribune Foundation Gallery
Opening reception Friday, February 7; 6-9pm
Free and open to the public

For more info see MCBA.

1982 Budapest Visit Documented in Book

Edited by my friends György Galántai and Julia Klaniczay, Artpool uses authentic documents, numerous photographs and illustrations, Artpool’s chronological volume contains a brief presentation of events and exhibitions, a detailed bibliography and references follows the history of the Artpool art project. 536 pages, with approx 1500 illustratons, index of names, softcover, English, printed in 500 numbered copies. Free pdf version downloadable.

Since visiting Hungary in 1982, they have been long time collectors and supporters of my art and projects. I found looking through their Fluxus collection inspiring and had fun making a couple of collaborative artistamp sheets with Gyorgy.

Emergency Index Documents RELEASE Score

Emergency INDEX, Volume 2, includes contributions from artists, poets, scholars, activists, advertisers, computer scientists, theater ensembles and filmmakers presenting more than 300 performances made around the world in 2012.

Included is my score titled RELEASE Score performed by Allan Revich. See the score in my October 2012 posts.

This is a bible of performance art activity. And if you are, like I am, a believer in performance art and the value of this ephemeral art activity to change the hearts and minds and consciousness of people, then you need to have this bible in your life. The end. —Martha Wilson

We've been seeing performance art materialize around us, but without feeling that there was a context for such ideas. Artists have been doing such pieces  for a long time without much recognition that in fact their ideas are related. Now, with Emergency INDEX, we get the sense of a magical secret shared among many artists. Emergency INDEX is a profoundly important publication. It guides us to a new place. —Robert Ashley

Space Themed Art in Revolutions

Revolutions: The Inexorable Evolution of Art is a space art exhibition examining how space exploration and related technologies are being used to transform art and culture, and inspire a new generation of innovators. Representing the works of over 50 internationally acclaimed space artists, Revolutions features a variety of space artworks including art derived from space technologies, art designed for microgravity environments, orbital art, and art inspired by space developments.

Slated to tour nationally, the CSS debuted Revolutions on September 12th with a star studded benefit event at Endeavor Arts Gallery in Calgary - Canada.

Photo Selected for Book Cover

"The striking photo on the cover of Fairyland looks like it could have been taken one hundred years ago. It gives a sense of the otherworldly childhood that Abbott recounts in this memoir about growing up with her openly gay, single father in San Francisco in the nineteen-seventies and eighties."
- The New Yorker  June 2013

"The cover photo is perfect. Not since Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil has a photo so well captured the complex themes of a nonfiction book."  "I must also say that the book's cover is wonderful both before and after you read the memoir--the father and his brave daughter dressed up for a night out in fairyland." - Amazon UK reviews

A best seller written by my friend Steve Abbott's daughter Alysia, Fairyland is a beautiful, vibrant memoir about growing up motherless in 1970s and ’80s San Francisco with an openly gay father. I write about other collaborations with Steve and his SOUP Magazine and how he introduced me to poets, comics and comix artists in an earlier post (June 2010 post) on this blog. 

I took the cover photo in Golden Gate Park at the Portals of the Past on Lloyd Lake as one of several in a surrealism influenced series. I frequently used locations in the park to photograph, using friends as models in incongruous attire. Steve needed a cover photo for his poetry book Agape Bra and liked the other photos he'd seen. He invited me to take some photos in exchange for photo credit and exposure. In early morning light at a location I knew well, we arrived with Nikon and tripod, "costumes," and a sleepy 10 year old. Allowing for room for the title text and trying out different shots, this was the photo I chose. Steve agreed. In reality, with new agreements with Alysia and the book press it became the cover photo used on two different books. 

In the present, I look forward to seeing the promised photo credits when it is used in articles and publicity.

The book is available from W. W. Norton Company press at all major book outlets.

UPDATE from Deadline Hollywood on December 16, 2013: American Zoetrope has acquired screen rights to Alysia Abbott’s Fairyland: A Memoir of My Father, with Sofia Coppola set to adapt it with Andrew Durham. She will produce with Roman Coppola.

“I love the book Fairyland; it’s a sweet and unique love story of a girl and her dad, both growing up together in 1970′s San Francisco,” Coppola said. “I think it will make an engaging and touching movie on a subject I’ve never seen before.”

Said the author: “I’m delighted that Sofia Coppola and Zoetrope are going to create the film version of Fairyland. Sofia’s understanding of the feminine perspective and the artistic vision that she shares with Andrew Durham make them ideal partners to make this movie. I could not be happier.”