Free People

Free People is a really neat little line of clothes out of South Carolina (or at least that's their mailing address). Their stuff is carried at a handful of large retailers that fancy themselves exclusive, like Anthropologie (which I love but is too expensive and at the end of the day it's a chain!) Anyway, North Park has this great little store called Material on University Avenue right by 30th Street. It's to North Park what Need Supply is to Richmond. I've been eyeing this dress since I first went in there and now that it's on sale I am SO tempted to go try it on. Honestly I'm half hoping it will look terrible on me so I can stop obsessing over it, but the other half hopes that this will be the most awesome dress ever. For $64 I might be able to deal with it. If it slips away from me I would be one sad lady.

Watership Down

I've never read this book, and even though I think it's geared towards a younger crowd I'm pretty excited about it. Not only are children's books one of my favorite genres (entire sleeve tattoo dedicated to it coming up), but I love bunnies! So I have a feeling that this will be on my Top Books list. What number it is remains to be seen...

Tiny Showcase- Stephanie Specht

It's been awhile since I've looked at Tiny Showcase, but every once in awhile I manage to find my way through the crazy entanglement of the interweb to reach this exquisite site. I was looking through the past few weeks' work and loved this print from Stephanie Specht "Apple Tree". She selected OrcaLab for her donation, which is a research lab located in Canada dedicated to studying marine life without interfering with the natural habitats of these creatures. They also place an emphasis on stopping commercial whaling and rehabilitating the animals who are in need.

I love gray! When it's juxtaposed against bright vibrant colors it's truly a delight to my eyes. And lambs are awesome. The only thing that would make this better is if it were bunnies. But disregarding that (and my obvious insane bias), this is just one great print of many. I highly recommend visiting her site, where you can feast your design-hungry eyes on her really simple, clean line work. She runs the design studio Stipontwerpt in Belgium, so hop over there and give it a peek.

Ye Olde Series

Words cannot describe my excitement. Right now, at this VERY MOMENT, the BEST BOYFRIEND IN THE WHOLE WORLD is walking into KIDROBOT SAN FRANCISCO to add to our ever-growing Dunny collection!

Only this is no ordinary trip for Dunnys. Yesterday the latest in a long line of amazing series was released- the Ye Old English Dunny Series!





I DON'T GET THEM UNTIL SUNDAY BUT I AM ALREADY DROOLING WITH ANTICIPATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NOWHERE Skateboards

Barf is a Richmond art icon who has got his tentacles wrapped up in most aspects of Richmond life. His work includes Barf Comics, Nowhere Skateboards, Municipal Waste, and a plethora of other underground independent things. I'm happy to say that his print of a cat vomiting a stream of undesirable objects graces the wall in our kitchen next to the refrigerator. It pleases me to stumble in blindly before work, attempting to get some orange juice before facing the day to look up and constantly be startled by the intensity feline face.

Anyway, Barf's got some new jamz going on, with his new Nowhere "Stab Bat" decks, available here for $45.




My only encounter with Barf was at a Municipal Waste show at the Canal Club, where I proceeded to take shots of whiskey with him since I always forget Anica's inability to consume the deadly beverage and continued to buy unwanted shots. It was a good night.

I can't elaborate any better...

So I'm not even going to try. Everyone knows (or should know) who Shepard Fairey is, or at least recognize his work. I for one pee my pants when I see something new of his. It's become massively mainstream, but who is not stoked on his success?



THE INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ART / BOSTON

FIRST MUSEUM SURVEY OF INFLUENTIAL STREET ARTIST SHEPARD FAIREY OPENS AT THE INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ART/BOSTON

SHEPARD FAIREY: SUPPLY & DEMAND
FEB. 6 - AUG. 16, 2009


Boston, MA – On the 20th anniversary of the Obey Giant campaign, the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston opens the first museum survey of Shepard Fairey, the influential street artist who created the now iconic Obama poster. Stickers and posters of the artist’s work have appeared on street signs and buildings around the world as part of a guerrilla art campaign of global scale. Featuring over 80 works, Shepard Fairey: Supply & Demand traces the artist’s career over 20 years, from the Obey Giant stencil to screen prints of political revolutionaries and rock stars to recent mixed-media works and a new mural commissioned for the ICA show. In complement to the exhibition, Fairey will be creating public art works at sites around Boston. On view at the ICA from Feb. 6 to Aug. 16, 2009, Shepard Fairey: Supply & Demand is accompanied by an expanded, limited-edition box set of Supply & Demand, the retrospective publication of the artist’s work, in addition to exclusive limited-edition prints only available at the ICA Store.

Shepard Fairey: Supply and Demand features work in a wide variety of media – screen prints, stencils, stickers, rubylith illustrations, collages, and works on wood, metal and canvas. These works reflect the diversity of Fairey’s aesthetic, displaying a variety of influences and references such as Soviet propaganda, psychedelic rock posters, images of Americana, and the layering and weathering of street art. While his visually seductive imagery draws in his audience, Fairey uses his work as a platform to make statements on social issues important to him. The artist explains his driving motivation: "The real message behind most of my work is ‘question everything."

Initiated by former ICA assistant curator Emily Moore Brouillet and developed by guest curator Pedro H. Alonzo, the retrospective exhibition examines prevailing themes in Fairey’s work including Anti-War/Peace, Leaders of Change, Hierarchies of Power, Music, Excesses of Capitalism, and Activism.



Exhibition Related Programs

Artist Talk: Shepard Fairey
Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009, 6:30 pm
The subject of a new ICA survey exhibition, Shepard Fairey shares insights into his work which shifts easily between the realms of fine, commercial, and even political art. Tickets: $20 general admission; $14 members, students (with valid ID) and seniors. This program is made possible through the generosity of Vivien and Alan Hassenfeld.

OBEY Experiment
Friday, Feb. 6, 2009, 9 pm - midnight
On the opening night of his first museum survey, artist Shepard Fairey DJs at the ICA’s wildly popular Experiment party. Tickets: $25 general admission; $20 members and students with valid ID. 21 +

Lunchtime Gallery Talk
Shepard Fairey: Supply & Demand
Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009, noon
Exhibition curator Pedro Alonzo shares his perspective on working with Shepard Fairey in a program tailor-made for the lunch hour. Free with museum admission. Space is limited. Free tickets are available first-come, first-served one hour before the program. Ticket holders receive a 10% discount at the Water Café. May not be combined with any other offer.

ICA/AIGA Design Series: Design as Social Agent
Saturday, April 4, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Bringing together speakers from the fields of design, street art, music, and politics, this day-long event frames Shepard Fairey’s work within the context of grassroots civic action, punk rock, and 80s graffiti and skate culture. Featuring Steve Heller, Elliot Earls, Nicholas Blechman, Luba Lukova, Cliff Stolze, Caleb Neelon, PIXNIT, and Mirko Ilic. Ticketing information TBD.

Bike Tour: Shepard Fairey Off Site
Sunday, May 17, 10 am
Sunday, June 28, 10 am
Exhibition curator Pedro Alonzo leads a bike tour of Fairey’s public work in Boston and Cambridge. Stopping at six locations along the way, Alonzo will talk about the context, content, and culture of the artist’s work and the relationships between graffiti, public art, graphic design, and advertising. The tour will cover approximately 10 miles. Tickets: $20 general admission; $15 ICA members, students, and seniors

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT WWW.ICABOSTON.ORG

The Institute of Contemporary Art
100 Northern Avenue
Boston, MA 02210

www.icaboston.org

WWW.OBEYGIANT.COM

2009 Typography Calendar by Veer

Veer is a great resource for all things illustration, typographic, or most web-based art. They are constantly introducing cutting edge and incredibly sharp contemporary pieces into the world that even the most jaded art critic has to be impressed by. I love this calendar, which the 12 graphic design partners of the esteemed design group Pentagram nominated their favorite typefaces.





Typography is so awesome. I really needed a calendar for 2009 too, I wish I had seen this before we settled for whatever other not as cool one we got!

PUNK!

Sweet! Kidrobot is kicking it PUNK STYLE! 3 different figures from '77, '80, and '84 from your favorite toy designers, featuring your favorite albums of the year.

1977: Sex Pistols


1980: Dead Kennedys


1984: Black Flag


Big shoutouts to Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, and the Sex Pistols. Whoever's idea this was is awesome.

new blog to check

My friend Tim Skirven just started up a new blog Drunk at my own Party. Check it out!

photo of the day

Weird cactus bud things that look plastic. Click on it for a much bigger picture. Not super dynamic since it's a phone pic, but interesting.

Paul Urich - Gone But Not Forgotten

The last time I was in SF, I made it a point to go to Fecal Face Dot Gallery, traveling across town, up hills and down wind tunnels, to try and grasp the experience that seems so in touch the the contemporary art world today. Of course, when we finally reached our destination, over hill and dale, it was CLOSED! This major disappointment has not dampened my enthusiasm for all things Fecal, though. They still are coming up with some of the best shows in the country pretty consistently.

This show of Paul Ulrich's should be one of the more interesting ones, and a great kickoff for 2009. Contemporary, so relevant, yet hints towards the old drawing masters, with subtle lines, shades, and papers blended with washes and portraits. A stellar SF based artist who I had not personally heard of before. It's exciting to find new guys like this, and then to discover that they've actually been around for years!

He takes portraits of the dead and breathes color into them, taking their faces to a ghostly place that only a few brave viewers can venture to. Beyond the aesthetics of his work, there are many layers of meaning that are fascinating in their exploration of life and death and what happens after. He explores the decomposition of human existence both physically and mentally. This show seems to be a must-see for anyone in the area. Many a good conversation to be had. It's also nice to see someone "contemporary" explore meaning beyond the aesthetic. I confess, I've dabbled with the idea of "meaningless" art, or art for arts sake. It's another school of thought, and almost a requirement for any artist to experience at one stage or another. But it's when one moves beyond the obvious to the complex when the REAL conversation starts, and that's an exciting transition to make.





So go see the show.

granny smith apple

Tell me that isn't the most wonderful green in all the world. Because it is.