Showtime: Tobias Allanson @ HLP
In parallel with this weekend's Brussels Art Days and as a part of Design September, Harlan Levey Projects will present Swedish artist/designer Tobias Allanson.
Trained as a graphic designer, Allanson's activities nevertheless reach much further than the mise-en-page within print or digital media. By using everyday objects, he creates witty installations which he calls 'pseudo-commercial' - ideally able to satisfy his creative drive as well as clients' more pragmatic points of view.
We really love the Computer vs Real series (image above) inspired by the classic "clip art layouting" (several non-matching, low-resolution images pasted together in cheap power point presentations). For this work Allanson created a pixelated cloud out of styrofoam, placed it on various locations and took photos. The photos exposed at HLP will show the cloud placed around the Swedish Archipelago.
Opening: Sep 10th; exhibition runs till Oct 15th
Showtime: Laurel Nakadate
Last minute: Tinkebell tonight @ Mediamatic
TINKEBELL.'s presentation of "Save The World – 69 Turtles in Shanghai" takes place today from 8 – 10 pm @ Mediamatic BANK, Amsterdam.
Save The World consists of twelve interventions worldwide, during which TINKEBELL. shows us what happens when we force our (Western) view of the world on other cultures. 69 Turtles is TINKEBELL.'s third intervention.
In July TINKEBELL. traveled to Shanghai where she was overcome with the need to save 69 turtles from their fatal destiny: soup. This was the third in a series of worldwide interventions. She'll present this enterprise alongside fellow world fixers the Yes Men. The Yes Men will also cook us up some world saving snacks. You can buy your tickets online.
The Talks: Gilbert & George
The Art of Motivation
"The Art of Motivation"
Join artists Leslie Saeta and Dreama Tolle Perry as they highlight ways to sell your art on-line. Every artist has experienced a lack of motivation and has struggled at some point in their careers. On today's show we'll continue to talk about what you can do when you need to "rekindle" your motivation to pursue what you love the most ... your art!
To listen to the show, click here. (Sorry for the audio problems at the beginning of the show ... we do fix them so hang in there!)
Illustration: Andrew Kolb's Space Oddity Book
Canadian illustrator Andrew Kolb has created a really neat children's book based on the story of Major Tom from David Bowie's classic hit "Space Oddity". Its full version in a PDF format was available for download on Andrew's website until recently, when the song’s copyright raised legal complaints based on copyright infringement. Let's hope the legalities will smooth out eventually and we'll soon be able to see Andrew's book also in printed form - our personal copy has already been pre-ordered :-).
In the meantime enjoy the online version with Bowie's original:
Anish Kapoor's illy Cups
Have you missed Anish Kapoor's much-spoken Ascension project during this year's Venice Biennale? Don't despair, as soon you might be able to experience your own mini-Ascension moment for mere $90. That's is the price of Kapoor's illy design collection, containing 2 espresso cups inspired by the above-mentioned art piece (which, btw was co-sponsored by illy...).
And how to assemble it together in order to create the desired effect? Simply place the saucer (with the hole in its middle) atop the cup. You should have what illy calls "an interactive, sensory experience meant to delight and surprise and touch on themes such as doubt, ambivalence, error, mystery, and the desire to understand." Whatever...
Banksy vs. King Robbo
Talk of the town: Banksy vs King Robbo (HT The Curious Brain). And if you feel like some more Banksy #firstworldproblem commotion, read this article in The Guardian.
Photography: Anton Kusters
Belgian photographer Anton Kusters has spent two years with one of Japan's notorious Yakuza gangs, known for their brutality, tattoos and strict code of honor. Taken into their confidence after months of tough negotiations, he was allowed to document their world and daily routine. This has resulted in a fascinating reportage, published in various magazine as well as in a book form, titled Odo Yakuza Tokyo (the entire edition of 500 copies has sold out in less than 2 months).
Showtime: Evan Gruzis @ The Hole
The Hole is an exciting young gallery run by Kathy Grayson (former director at Deitch Projects where she was responsible for relations with emerging artists) at the Lower East Side in New York. Next Saturday you can drop there to see the opening of "Exotic Beta", a solo show of American artist Evan Gruzis.
According to the press release, Exotic Beta fuses a sense of the exotic with the language of market research to explore the way meaning is made and the relativity of “taste”. It also refers to an alternative form of asset class in investment markets: like an art collector who starts buying baseball cards.
The centerpiece of the show will be a tryptic called Stratatos (pictured above), form contemporary Vanitas playing with themes of beauty and teenage culture, as well as a metronome showing us that time is inevitably ticking away.
Exotic Beta opens on September 10 from 7-10 pm and will be on view through October 22.
In parallel, another show of Evan Gruzis called "Shadow Work" will run at Nicole Klagsbrun Project.
Artist Residencies (Some with Stipends) for U.S. AND European Artists
p.s. sorry about the weird formatting....Blogger is having a headache today.
(ARTISTS) Residency & Stipend at the Bemis Center—
Few programs exist either on the national or international level where the sole mission is to support the creativity of artists. From the beginning, the art-making process has been the highest priority at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts in Omaha Nebraska, where both the atmosphere and environment offer ideal situations for creative growth and experimentation. Artists from around the world come to the Bemis Center to work in this supportive community and confront new challenges. The Bemis Center provides Artists-in-Residence with the gift of time, space and support.
TIME 3 months of uninterrupted, self-directed work time.
SPACE The Bemis Center is housed in two urban warehouses totaling 110,000 square feet in Omaha, NE. Each artist is provided with a generously sized live/work studio with a private bathroom and 24 hour access to facilities including a wood shop, installation spaces, dark room and a large sculpture fabrication facility.
SUPPORT each resident receives a $750 monthly stipend.
(ARTISTS & WRITERS) Can Serrat Stipends for Visual Artists, Spain—Can Serrat Residencies—Deadline: October 31st, 2011
Each year, Can Serrat offers a limited number of Support Stipends to visual artists and writers. The stipends cover 40% of the total cost (food, lodging and workspace) of stays lasting from 30-90 days(the stipend cannot be combined with discounts mentioned in the pricelist).
Visual Artists Support Stipend
Each recipient may choose a 30-90 day time slot within a year from the original notification (assuming space is available at that time).
Applications are accepted at the same time as the full-stipend calls. We accept materials from Visual Artists during April 1-30, and from October 1-31st. Applicants for the full stipend are automatically considered for a partial stipend. Applications are accepted solely by email.
For more info:Can Serrat International Art Center
Masia Can Serrat, 08294 El Bruc Spain
tel: (34) 937 710 037
stipend@canserrat.org
http://www.canserrat.org/
(ALL) Spark Box Studio Residency Program— is now accepting applications for their Winter 2012 Residency Program—Their Artist Residency Program provides live/work space to accommodate both emerging and professional printmakers, photographers, painters, illustrators and writers. Artists-in-residence have access to our professional studio and resources.
The Residency Program affords artists the space and time to support the advancement of their careers and to strengthen their practice. Artists-in-residence stay in a charming farm house located by the historic Prince Edward County, Ontario. Prince Edward County is the quintessential rural environment, filled with open fields, walking trails, fresh air and starry nights. It is also home to amazing food, beautiful beaches, dozens of wineries, art festivals and live music.
Interested artists may apply to live and work at Spark Box from a weekend to 2 months. To learn more please visit our website http://sparkboxstudio.com/
885 County Rd. 5., Picton, Ontario, K0K 2T0
t. 613.476.0337 / info@sparkboxstudio.co
(ARTISTS) The European Pépinières for Young Artists Residency—is currently calling for proposals within two frameworks: the map 2011-2012 programme and the M4m programme.
Austria – Belgium – Bulgaria – Cyprus – Czech Republic – Denmark – England – Estonia – Finland – France – Germany – Greece – Hungary – Iceland – Ireland – Italy – Latvia – Lithuania – Luxembourg – Malta – Netherlands – Poland – Portugal – Quebec, Canada – Romania – Serbia-Montenegro – Scotland – Slovakia – Slovenia – Spain – Sweden – Turkey.
This residency must be outside of their country of origin and/or residence.
In the framework of the map 2011-2012 programme, you can apply for the following residencies:
- Buitenwerkplaats, Starnmeer, Netherlands
- KIK, Nijeveen, Netherlands
- Plaatsmaken, Arnhem, Netherlands
- NP3, Groningen, Netherlands
- Transcultures, Belgium
In the framework of the M4m programme, you can apply for the following residencies:
- MU, Eindhoven, Netherlands
- EKWC, Den Bosch, Netherlands
- Heidenspass, Graz, Austria
- TAM Teatro Musica, Padua, Italy
- You will find full details and application guidelines on:http://www.art4eu.net/ and http://www.transartists.org
What does this residency provide?
-
A chashama studio space at Brooklyn Army Terminal, located at 140 58th Street, Brooklyn NY at a cost of $188 per month starting October 1st 2011 until May 31st 2011. The surface of the studio is approx. 200 sq ft. and is accessible 7 days a week.
From its headquarters based at 360 Court Street in Brooklyn, Residency Unlimited (RU) will provide the selected artist with customized support and access to its general programming.For detailed information please check http://www.residencyunlimited.
org/what-is-a-ru-residency/
What are the criteria for selection?
- Artist must be living in New York City and is in need of a working studio.
- Artist agrees to cover the monthly rent for the studio. ($188 per month for 8 months)
- Artist agrees to develop a body of new work
To apply, please submit the following by September 9, 2011
via email to nyc-opencall@
Update on the Jacob J. Javitz Fellowship for Graduate Students
I hate to be the bearer of bad news but....if anyone is applying for JACOB J. JAVITZ fellowship this year, an astute Mira's List fan just informed me that the program was closed by Congress this year and they don't know when it will reopen again. And for some reason, they are not posting about the closing on their site and apparently will not email you in writing about it. You have to call them to hear about it over the phone. This is unfortunate because this fellowship is a great one for those of you applying for MFA programs in the arts. But things do change year to year so check back on their website next season. In the meantime, you should know about this and maybe call their office to double check about the status of the fellowship or just not waste your time applying for the Sept. 30th deadline this fall.
Last Chance: Andra Ursuta's Vandal Lust
The young Romanian-born and NY-based artist presents an impressive sculpture loosely inspired by Ilya Kabakov’s 1984 installation "The Man Who Flew Into Space From His Apartment". Similar to Kabakov's escape from communism theme, the artist explores feelings such as self-invention and self-destruction which are still very present in the countries of the former Eastern Block.
Excerpt from the press release:
"Vandal Lust depicts the aftermath of the artist’s attempt to catapult herself into space using a large medieval siege engine – a trebuchet – built to the limits of space capacity and loosely based on reconstructions found online. Rather than a solid, monolithic structure, the part wood, part castplastic weapon includes a variety of materials ranging from cardboard to remnants of destroyed or abandoned projects to shards of tile from the recently removed gallery floor."
High Fashion in 8-bit
Inspired by the retro 8-bit graphic, Fashionary mixed the pixel with their own templates to create various pieces they love the most. Have a look at the individual pieces in detail, including the designers' names.
Top!!
Showtime: Borbay
Yo! One of the most creative New Yorkers, Borbay, will unveil his seven Kings of Hip Hop to the world on Thursday, September 15, 2011, from 7-10 pm at Publicis Modem. The series of seven New York Post and acrylic collage-paintings on canvas portray the likenesses of Jay-Z, Kanye West, Diddy, Lil Wayne, Dr. Dre, Eminem and Snoop Dogg. Better get yr assezzz over there, ganstas!!
Showtime: Gordon Holden
If by any chance you happen to be in Newport, Rhode Island, then you should definitely drop by Immediat-Tee on Saturday between 6-9 pm for opening of Break up Lines, an exhibit of Gordon Holden. All works of art will be for sale and available for print on any apparel at the shop.
In case Newport is slightly out of the way, have at least good look on Gordon's site and blog.
We love this guy!
Disco with David Lynch
Number 142 at rue de Montmartre is an address to note down. Here, six flights of stairs below the street's surface, is since this week the seat of Paris' first private members' club: Club Silencio.
Conceived and designed by David Lynch, according to a key setting from his 2001 film, Mullholland Drive, the place incorporates a concert hall, restaurant, library and cinema.
Lynch has apparently designed everything from the 1950s-inspired furniture, through the pitch black toilet bowls to the saltiness of the nuts on the bar. And he seems to be pretty pleased with the result too:
"I have the feeling that I have coaxed out some of the atmosphere and the characters from my films, and even from my music." Looking at what we have done, I feel myself almost immortal."
The membership is not cheap (rates span from €780 a year for regular membership to €1,500 for premium with some discount for the under-30s and non-French residents), but surely money won't be an issue for Lynch aficionados facing the prospect of sipping cocktails in the presence of the master himself...
Sources say that after midnight the doors are open to non-members as well, alas in a very restricted number. Take your chance!
(A review of the opening night is available in The Guardian and some photos of the interior can be found here)
Photo: Alexandre Guirkinger
Genis Carreras: Graphic Design at Its Best
Respect where it's due: young designer Genis Carreras's minimal representation of Western Philosophy is both beautiful & smart. You can see the entire series on his site & even buy a poster of your favorite philosophical stream(s) to hang above your bed (we went for Solipsism & Determinism).
In the same spirit, Genis also designed a book, Philographics, which has been produced by Gestalten.
(via Brainpickings)
The Art of Motivation to Air Next Week!
Painting by Dreama Tolle Perry |
This week's show on "The Art of Motivation" has been delayed due to scheduling conflicts.
Artists Helping Artists show will resume next week!
Have a wonderful and safe holiday!!
Showtime: Michael Portnoy @ Wilfried Lentz Gallery
Also in Rotterdam the new art season is approaching. Wilfried Lentz will open next Thursday with a solo show of American artist, musician, actor, and director of behavior - Michael Portnoy whose practice spans dance-theater, vocal power-tools, Relational Stalinism, reptangles, abstract gambling, the improvement of biennials and Icelandic cockroach porn. Pretty impressive stuff, if you ask us.
The show's title is Script Opposition in Late-Model Carrot Jokes, referring to a specific genre of jokes, which have been first proposed by cognitive linguists Chlopicki and Petray in early 80s to undermine then emerging computational models of humor analysis. These jokes, further developed by others in the field, depend on a preponderance of background incongruities, blunt omissions, faulty script switch-triggers, “gray” implicature, and missing links in inferencing.
During the opening there will be a presentation starting at 5:30 pm sharp with Michael Portnoy and humor theorists Olivier Brems and Tim De Mey. Reservations for the presentation are recommended since there is limited space to attend.
The show is running through October 8th - don't miss it!
Brussels Art Days IV
The 4th edition of Brussels Art Days will take place during the weekend of 10-11 September 2011, throughout which galleries will be open from noon to 7 pm and shuttle service will make sure that your eagerness to absorb as much visual stimuli as possible isn't diminished by any other physical or mental activity than the absolutely necessary one. If you still have any energy left at the end of the day - might be doubtful -, you can join the art crowd at The Egg for one hell of a party.
And what are the must-see shows?
You obviously should not miss any of the big names:
Almine Rech will present solo of Richard Prince's, called The Fug;
Jan Mot will be showing new works by the Mexican born and LA-based artist Mario Garcia Torres;
and Charles Riva Collection will have on display selected works by Paul McCarthy.
Artists - photographers will fill many of the other renowned galleries:
Xavier Hufkens will present the London-born and NY-based photographer Adam Fuss,
Rodolphe Janssen the young LA-based rising star Walead Beshty;
Baronian Francey shows landscape photographer Florian Maier-Aichen;
and Barbara Gladstone presents solo of French artist Jean-Luc Mylayne.
Amongst the other very promising shows are certainly:
I've got you under my skin, Carlos Aires' solo at Aeroplastics;
Kabul Time and Other Works by Jens Haaning (whose Turkish Mercedes is shown above) at D+T Project;
Little did they know by Antoine Bouillot at Alice;
and
Charlotte Beaudry at Aliceday,
Steven Baelen at Elaine Levy Project,
Michael Van den Abeele at Elisa Platteau & Cie,
Jonathan Callan at Hopstreet,
Gintaras Didziapetris at Tulips and Roses.
(For full list consult the Brussels Art Days website)
Art Nocturne in Antwerp
The holiday months are as good as over and the autumn art season is about to begin everywhere. In Antwerp, the galleries are getting ready to present some of their best race horses during Nocturne on Thursday 8 September from 6 to 9 pm.
We're looking forward to see "The Bermuda Triangle Is A Fraud" a project from Berlin-based artist Steve Schepens, on view at Galerie Van De Weghe.
Next door at Maes and Matthys, Lieven Segers' "iamleaving" triggers equal interest.
Couple of streets further Tim Van Laere presents the great Rinus Van De Velde (see image above), together with Peter Rogiers.
The American Kim Jones can be found at Zeno X.
And finally: don't miss Mark Luyten at Micheline Szwajcer.
For the more adventurous, willing the explore beyond the obvious territory of the Antwerp "south", there's Base Alpha in Borgerhout - showing Michèle Matyn - which should not be missed; and Fifty One Fine Art Photography with a solo of Saul Leiter.
Enjoy and get in the mood for the adjacent weekend event: the Brussels art parade!
(The complete program of all the galleries can be consulted via the Nocturne Calendar)
Thanks Everyone
I hope you all survived the terrible hurricane/tropical storm that hit the east coast of the US this weekend. We only lost power and had some nearby trees fall down but that was it. Friends in VT and NC were much more hard hit. :-(
Anyway, thanks to the few of you who donated to Mira's List after my last post. I really appreciate any donation, even if it is small, like $5. It all helps to keep this blog going.
I have some new things to tell you about but will save that for later this week or weekend....lots of deadlines coming up in September and October so if you are thinking about applying for a residency or grant, now is the time to get those applications out there.
More later....love y'all!
Mirabee
Showtime: V&B @ Galerie 10
"The Study, The Work, The Oeuvre and The Collection" is a show of artistic duo V&B, opening this Friday at Galerie 10 in Utrecht.
V&B is the shared working name of Alex Jacobs and Ellemieke Schoenmaker, who started their collaboration in 2007 in Los Angeles. Their work deals with the relationships between the artist, the gallery and the collector. Ideas are transformed into photoshop collages and then turned into paintings, sculptures and installations. Using themselves and their friends as models, V&B try and comment on the art world in the broadest sense of the word.
"All we wanted was to be able to try things and to make mistakes. And if it didn't work out or if people didn't like it, it wouldn't matter because V&B are already dead."
Photography: Carl Wooley
We came across some fantastic night photographs from Brooklyn-base photographer Carl Wooley. In 2008, Wooley was one of the 3 American photographers invited by the FOAM museum to explore and to capture the spirit of night Amsterdam, a project resulting in an exhibition called NY Perspective. You can see Wooley's Amsterdam pictures on his website, together with equally compelling night photos of his homeplace, Williamsburg, NY, plus another series called In the Rose Garden.
Ai Weiwei compares living in Beijing to Kafkaesque nightmare
Cities really are mental conditions. Beijing is a nightmare. A constant nightmare. - with these words Ai Weiwei concludes his commentary against the Chinese government in an online editorial for The Newsweek.
Weiwei describes the article simply as “a piece about the place I live in”. Yet for how much longer remains a question, he himself doesn't know the answer to:
They always tell me, “Leave the nation, please.” Or “Live longer and watch them die.” Either leave, or be patient and watch how they die. I really don’t know what I’m going to do.
Read the article on The Daily Beast and consider making a donation to support the production of the first feature-length film about the Chinese artist and dissident, titled Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry.
Ai Weiwei on Twitter
Photography: Anoek Steketee
"Dream City" is a common project of young Dutch photographer Anoek Steketee and writer Eefje Blankevoort. Together, they visited amusement parks in Iraq, Lebanon, Rwanda, China, some parts of the USA and other countries, with Steketee taking photographs of visitors, employees, the equipment and the surroundings . The fantasy world of the parks and the reality of the daily life within the places where they're located can be seen either as strongly contrasting or as sharing virtually the same absurdities, depending on how you look. Either way, you'll be amazed.
Must-see: Jake or Dinos Chapman @ White Cube
New bad-art-for-bad-people style solo show of the Chapman brothers, titled "Jake or Dinos Chapman", is on display in London till September 17th. It runs simultaneously @ Hoxton Square and Mason's Yard - the 2 locations of the White Cube gallery.
The "or" in the title is not a typo, but refers to the concept of the show, for which the otherwise inseparable brothers and partners-in-crime decided for the first time to work individually. The exhibited works are however presented without author's attribution, leaving the viewer guessing whether he might be facing a genuine Jake or genuine Dinos.
Han Hoogerbrugge joins forces with the Church (of the First Day)
You might have noticed that the regular Tarantino/Lynch chitchats & the portraits of Hoogerbrugge fans on Prostress have been infiltrated by the whereabouts of three mysterious brothers from "The Church of the First Day". Han Hoogerbrugge (alias CEO of Prostress) has teamed up with these Dutch rebels with a self-proclaimed cause and created their "crusade to save all our unspoiled hearts" in a fantastic comic version.
For those who want more, the Church will be doing live performances during the first half of September in Amsterdam. Go-see!
artists who blog in Vienna: Manuela Buxer
Manuela explained, "We want to stay small, in the spirit of DIY, and we make everything ourselves - from the labels and the tags to our photos and our homepage. We want to sell what is from our heart and not just do it for the money. Our design work should remain pure and not just be focused on the marketing."
She told me that they start the design process by making sketches and keep drawing and drawing until the finished design evolves. "We are starting to use ecological, organically produced fabrics, but it is sometimes hard to find good suppliers."
"Our color scheme is mostly monochromatic, but we are thinking about possibly adding a bit of color to some of our collections in the future."
"Our focus is on creating classic styles rather than trendy collections. Our collections are always works in progress, and the next things we'd like to do are make scarves and buttons."
She went on to share, "This year our big focus is to do more fashion and handmade shows and markets. We'll be participating at the design exhibition Blickfang in Vienna and at the hello handmade Markt in Hamburg this fall."
mustard and sage
calivintage
16 house
bookhou at home
hello handmade
rennes handmade
graceful lady
hpunktanna
I find good morning midnight's clothing collections so dreamy and beautiful - while preparing this post, I have been falling in love with their designs all over again. You can find all a large selection of their designs for women and men online in their Etsy shop. Enjoy gorgeous photos and Manuela's musings on the good morning midnight blog.
Thank you so much for your time and hospitality Manuela! I truly enjoyed meeting you and I adore your designs :)
xoxo
Stephanie
artists who blog in Vienna: Patricia Vincent
Patricia showed me around her lovely studio - well stocked with handmade, unique clothing and accessories for women that she makes individually using natural materials like silk, cotton, and leather. She told me that it is very important to her to use the very best quality materials in all of her designs.
Last chance to see "A Midsummer Night's Dream" @ Zic Zerp
Last weekend we had a pleasure to visit Zic Zerp gallery in Rotterdam. In a great space - adjacent to Frank Taal Gallery - Zic has put together an interesting group show featuring young Dutch and international artists. Next to several fantastic pieces from Jeroen Eisinga (don't miss his upcoming solo this fall), you can see work by Alle Jong, Bert Frings, Mark Outjers, Niels Smits van Burgst, Roza Stegeman, Tjalling Visser and Jak Beemsterboer. The last artist has a background in graphic and interior design and creates some pretty intriguing collages.
(Image: Jeroen Eisinga's "Die Menschen sind töricht, sie können nicht fliegen", 16mm-film transfer to SD video color, sound, 4'15)
Some Random Advice from Mirabee on Grants, Fellowships, Residencies and Contests
Lately I have been getting a lot of mail—actually, I always get a lot of mail—and much of it the last month has been about some of the same things so I thought I would just post a list of some FAQs that keep ending up in my inbox. It is almost September, after all, and Sept. 15th is a big date for application deadlines. October is the big month for Fulbright deadlines.
Before I go into that though, a reminder, if you write me at:
mirabartok@yahoo.com, please make sure you check ALL my FAQs before writing, okay?
Here is the FAQ link for applying for grants and Fellowships: http://miraslist.blogspot.com/2009/07/faqs-grants.html
Here's the link for residencies, art colonies and retreats: http://miraslist.blogspot.com/2009/09/faqs-residencies-artist-colonies.html
For Fulbright Awards: http://miraslist.blogspot.com/2009/04/fubright-grants-inside-scoop.html
Okay, on to those random questions of yours:
1. HELP ME PLEASE! I am desperate! I need a grant right now! Can I apply for a grant that would start next month?
No. For most grants or large fellowships you must apply nine months to a year in advance. However, if you need emergency funding, check my sidebar on the right hand side for some links to emergency funding organizations.
Also--PLEASE DO NOT SOUND DESPERATE in your application. No foundation wants to give money to people who sound like victims. It is better to present yourself as a resourceful person. Tell them how many other places you are applying to and what you are doing to get out of your unfortunate situation.
2. If I write a nice letter to you, asking you to help me find a grant or a special residency, will you help me?
Nope. PLEASE DO THE WORK. I do this for free. I know I am crazy. I get barely any donations. I think I make less than two cents an hour doing this. Actually—not even that much. Basically, I bring you to the water but you have to fish for yourself, okay? There are special circumstances where I do help individuals, like a couple people who have limited internet access because they are living in countries like Iran and China where important sites are censored and blocked from view. Otherwise—do the work yourself.
3. I run a residency (or a grant foundation) and want you to post my deadline announcement. What's the best way to send you info?
NOT in a pdf. NOT in a word doc. Please send a BRIEF announcement in the body of an email to mirabartok@yahoo.com and include deadline date, cost if there is on, stipend or award if there is one, location and something descriptive about the program. Also, which disciplines can apply. And please send me info way in advance. Thanks.
4. I am a poet who is nearly sixty years old (or an artist, composer, etc.) and have been rejected by every place I apply to. Can you help me figure out why?
Sorry—I can't. I just don't have time to critique people's work. I suggest you get involved with some kind of community—writing group, artist critique group, etc. and get feedback that way.
5. What is your opinion about writing contests that charge a fee to submit my piece?
I think some contests are good and some are bad. Here's my opinion, for what it's worth: Look to see what the big prize is. If the entry fee is, say, 10-25 dollars and the biggest prize is only 200 dollars, well, that's pretty bogus to me. That means they are just making money off you. And do they mention who the judge is? ONLY send work to contests if the judge is a reputable LITERARY writer, not some hack and if the contest is run by a literary magazine or a reputable literary online journal. The Council on Literary Magazines and Small Presses (CLMP) helps to set standards for good ethical practices among literary magazines. You can acquire a great list of presses and journals from their site: http://www.clmp.org/about/dir.html.
You can get a great listing of contests that are worth applying to on the Poets & Writers website: www.pw.org. And if you are a writer and don't subscribe to their inexpensive but invaluable magazine, I do believe you are a doody head.
By the way, you can apply this info to art and music and film contests. Just because someone is offering you money out there doesn't mean they are legit.
6. I'm a writer. Some of my friends say I should send my work to literary journals—ones like Ploughshares, Kenyon Review, Yale Review, etc. But I notice that most of those journals don't pay you a cent! They just give you two free copies and publish your work. So why bother?
Good question. Well, here's the long answer: Many great writers started out in those smaller circulation literary magazines. And many acclaimed authors (and I'm talking LITERARY authors here, not the Danielle Steele kind of commercial bestselling blockbuster author) still send pieces to these magazines because they believe in them and they also respect the audience who reads them. That audience really loves great literature and brilliant, exquisite prose. They read the harder books, the ones you actually have to use your brain to read, not your basic page turner. i.e. We are not talking The DaVinci Code, okay? Nothing wrong with that stuff for entertainment but let's face it folks—it's not great literature.
Case in point—an earlier version of one of my chapters from The Memory Palace (which just made the New York Times bestselling list in paperback for next week :-)) was first published in Kenyon Review. And from there, KR submitted it to be in the Best American Essay series where it was mentioned as a notable essay. That stuff means something to agents and editors at larger houses who are looking for literary writers. And it meant a lot to me. You can't put a price tag on that kind of thing. These journals barely limp along financially. It is a labor of love. I used to work at one as an intern and certainly didn't do it for the money. Okay....I'm done ranting now....
A couple last things:
To people who run international residencies and want me to post deadlines: PLEASE have someone check your grammar and spelling. I spend a lot of time rewriting posts that are too hard to understand. PLEASE tell me WHERE you are located exactly. You'd be surprised how many people ask me to post about a residency with no info on what country it is, even on their website.
And, last but not least.....a reminder: if you are looking for a residency in a specific country, please don't write me and ask. Please check out my residency links on my sidebar because the places I list are amazing and you can search for each individual country.
Thanks....and hey, I'm going to bug you guys for donations soon, just so you know. Although my book is doing really well, I haven't made my advance back yet (a long and mysterious process that even I don't completely understand). I will actually run out of money in November with nothing on the horizon. I do this for free. I do not charge you. People say I am insane because I do not ask for a yearly subscription. I don't want to because I believe in a Gift Economy at heart. So pay it forward—send a donation if you can (see my sidebar for information on how to do that) and if you can't, spread some helpful information to a friend.
Thanks...I love you guys.
Mirabee
p.s. I forgot to mention this one:
I DO NOT POST ABOUT CONTESTS, PUBLISHING OR EXHIBITION OPPORTUNTIES, etc. unless they also offer a residency or there is some fellowship involved. So to all you wonderful places asking me to post about your upcoming artist call for an exhibit or for your writing contest, please go to my facebook MIRASLIST page and post it there, okay? If you write a short announcement it will also be tweeted on twitter.
By the way—I really, really try to post residencies that either don't cost money or that offer a stipend or that are pretty inexpensive. So if you send me an announcement for a residency that costs a lot of money, don't be surprised if I don't post it, okay? Thanks.
artists who blog in Vienna: Valerie Tonus & Ally Michelle
Valerie brought along many of her beautiful, hand-coiled cloth bowls and even shared her process. She told me that her sister who quilts got her started using textiles to create art.
"Making the coils for the bowls is a lot like using clay," Valerie said. "Forming the shapes is an organic process. It is somewhat similar to gardening - the result is always different from what you expect."
Valerie has lived in Vienna for the past three years, and has especially enjoyed the beautiful Jugendstil architecture, museums, rich culture, and the public transportation that makes it so easy to get around.
She finds the ornamental, coiled designs in Klimt's work a particular inspiration for the designs on her bowls. "Did you ever notice the beautiful textures in the women's dresses in Klimt's paintings?"