Support the Arts for Children in Haiti

A Hatian art dealer I used to work for turned me onto this fabulous organization helping children in Haiti. They teach the children how to make art, giving them a marketable skill, and also provide school, food, and medical care to kids who would otherwise go without. Located in Jacmel, just about 20 miles south of Port-au-Prince, they are in need of immediate assistance.

Donate and purchase art here: http://shop.artforhaitianchildren.org

See their full website here:
http://www.artforhaitianchildren.org

Donors Should Choose

Anyone go to Donorschoose.org? If not, you should (unless you are a student or starving artist in which case this guilt trip is not meant for you.... or me, for that matter). But I do look at Donors Choose to imagine all the good causes that I could be contributing to if I did not have loans and aspirations of further education and health insurance. Whilst perusing the art listings, where teachers post requests for materials and goods that will aid in the art education of their students, I received quite a shock. After post after post for markers, pencils, books, and paper for high poverty schools, I came upon a request for an LCD projector (an expensive one) for a moderate, socioeconomically situated elementary school... to assist the students in experiencing art.

Am I the only one who is just a little offended by that? I mean, yeah, a nice big picture would be great for looking at pictures, but when compared to the actual mundane deficiencies at other schools... it just seems horrifyingly superfluous and taking away resources that could have been better used. Not to mention that a LCD isn't going to help a little kid experience art much more than a poster on the wall or a pic on the computer. And if we start nit picking, you only could truly experience video art on that projector (somehow I doubt they will be viewing the Cremaster Cycle in Ms. Mcgillicutty's 2nd grade class).

Anyway, I am stepping back down off my soapbox.

Go spend your money here: http://www.donorschoose.org/homepage/main.html?zone=0

My Teachers Set Me Up for Failure: Kid Paints and Other Stuff

I am currently volunteer-teaching (ah, the great money-making options for artists) an art class for 9 year-olds where we are making Audubon-style bird watercolors. Things seem to be going well--let's just say that the Peeps are starting to look more and more anatomically correct--and we are now entering the coloring phase of the drawings where a we've come across a little snag. Unfortunately, it was not until now that I realized that watercolor sets for kids are like a cruel joke. Who came up with these colors?? I understand that kids are attracted to bright, primary colors, but how are you supposed to paint even kind of realistically with a basic set as a kid? Nothing in the world comes in these colors except for Grimace and Smurfs. And lets not start on the futility of the white watercolor... just to highlight the fact that you screwed up and can't fix it.

Unfortunate experience in hand, I am now proposing a new kids watercolor line up: venetian red, yellow ocher, naples yellow, alizarin crimson, ultramarine, cerulean, burnt umber, and cobalt violet. It might be harder to make fuchsia, but at least you (and/or your students) could botch your way through almost anything. I maintain that it would be better than the box pictured above.

Let me end this rant with a little story to tear at your heart strings: earlier this week, I watched a child get teary eyed realizing that she had to paint a song sparrow (made up of 6 or 7 different shades of pale but saturated brown) and there was no brown in her watercolor box. Yeah, I suppose that I could have sat there for twenty minutes to figure out all the nuances of the crummy little colors to come up with close to the necessary hues, but I am not getting paid to volunteer all day (insert diabolical laughter fading into crying jags).  All I am saying is, can't we do better? Think of the children.....(music swelling)

Your Mom Goes to Art School: Is deviantART the new BFA?

Do you suppose that there have always been so many artists out there making work and that the internet just allows us to see them? It seems to me that the last few years, particularly with the launch of websites like deviantART, that more people are making art without having studied it.  DeviantART in particular seems to be the place to be for young artists with little or no formal education. It's always a fun site to browse, full of teenage angst pictures and 'Twilight' paintings mixed in with more conventionally 'good' paintings. The piece above, "The Local" by Artistwilder, is a pretty "good" painting: nice colors, correct perspectives, successful composition, and good drawing--certainly the kind of painting that you'd see made by someone with some formal art education.

Spending time on deviantART always leaves me with mixed feelings. While it's a great option for young people to post their offerings to the art gods and get some feedback, it seems unfortunate that such sites may be replacing more formal and traditional art schooling. DeviantART is both democratizing and lowering standards; now everyone can display work in a global forum, but can one really get quality education, critique, and exposure online? Yeah, yeah, I get the irony here--I'm writing this on an art blog, blah blah blah. Regardless of where this whole internet-as-art-school thing takes us, I will be interested to see if in 20, 50, 100 years from now, artists of international fame will say that they got their education from sites like deviant.

For more art by Artistwilder scope this: http://artistwilder.deviantart.com/

So You Think You Might Like: Teaching Art

Melissa Harris is an artist and musician residing in Chicago. She holds a BFA in Art Education from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. Though previously known colloquially as “M. Fucking Harris,” “Puddin” and “the Predator,” she now goes by “Miss Harris” at a local middle school and is in charge of a few dozen human spawn.

F***ART: What made you decide to teach at the elementary level?

MH: Well, first of all, I do not teach elementary children. Although, they are probably much kinder than middle school children. Anyway, I never really decided to be a teacher, it kind of just decided itself for me. I remember being afraid and confused, long ago in my college days, and one day I found myself sitting in front of the head of the Art Education department lying about how much I loved children. I wasn't even accepted into the Art Education department during freshman portfolio week. I just marched myself blindly into the office and started talking. After that happened I just went to the classes that were required of me and eventually graduated. Having survived teaching on Saturday mornings at 8 a.m., I decided I might actually be able to make it through - one week at a time - the act of teaching a class. As the days go by, I sometimes really enjoy teaching and sometimes I can't stand certain students, and yes, I feel the guilt and the joy!

F***ART: How much creative control do you have over your lesson plans or learning objectives?

MH: I can pretty much do whatever I would like to do. I can say whatever I would like to say. I can teach the children in a biased and leftist manner, too.

F***ART: How would you rate the art education department at UIUC, as compared with other programs?

MH: Well, I thought it was alright. I couldn't stand a few professors...namely Lori Hardy. She used to choke on her spit and stutter. Also, she never had good advice and seemed like an old spinster. I did like Olga because she was Russian and said “comics” in a funny accent. Overall, I thought the program was alright, but it could have definitely been more focused on projects geared for middle to high school level students and classroom management techniques. I heard through the grapevine (UIUC professors) that UIC has a better Art Education program.

F***ART: What advice do you have for those aspiring to teach art?

MH: I'm not sure. I would advise those interested in teaching art to consider the state of the economy and the fact that many schools are cutting their art and music programs. On a more positive note, it is very rewarding when you teach something that the students really get and enjoy! Yay!

F***ART: What other kinds of jobs can be had by someone with your training?

MH: Someone with my scope of knowledge and experience can find many jobs! They can work at a Park District, in a children's museum gift store, in a grocery store, as a cashier, at a candy store (I did!), in a bowling alley, as a retail clerk or server, in a number of different offices as a temp or secretary, as a musician, or at a Michael's Arts and Crafts store!

F***ART: Please tell our avid readers (all three of them) about the kid who did a video project on manatees.

MH: It's hard to explain how one person can be so annoying, but I will try. Maybe I can just send you a link to the video! It is so bad that it might kill brain cells, though. Let me just say that this student thought manatees were overcrowding the oceans and that global warming was as real as evolution (if the Earth really did exist for only 6,000 years).

F***ART: Anything else to add?

MH: In all honesty, it can be the good life. Truly the good life.

So You Think You Might Like: Cooking

Who the fuck do you think you are? All you want to do is eat cupcakes and experiment with truffle oil all day, and you think you can get paid for it? Actually, you can. Katie Olson graduated from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana with a BA in Hospitality Management in 2008. She also has a black belt in bread making and a terminal degree in gorgeousness. You think I’m kidding? When Katie isn’t getting paid to cook in a five star hotel in Tokyo or an ashram in India, she’s getting paid to stand around auto conventions and warm people with her personal glow. So we interviewed her.

F***ART: What made you decide that food was your thing?

KO (also the abbreviation for Knock Out. Just sayin.): My endless interest in food and the desire to be able to make more than satisfying food for anyone and everyone! I also spent countless hours playing with simple ingredients and ending with different results. Food is a science and I love that aspect of it. I also love playing with the different elements of food such as color, texture, flavor, temperature and so on.

F***ART:Does the majority of your cooking skill come from training, or personal experimentation?

KO: Largely personal experimentation, though I must say a lot of my food knowledge has been either built or reinforced in professional kitchens.

F***ART: How much creative control does a chef have over her menu at a large enterprise, such as a hotel?

KO: Taking into consideration the target clientele, a chef can certainly be creative with their menu, within boundaries. For example, if I was working in a large kitchen that caters mostly to older generations it would be difficult to sell much outside of comfort foods of the past. However, if I was working in a new, trendy hotel there would be much more space for creativity with the menu. Unfortunately I find that very often the more creative I get with food, the more expensive it is, therefore potentially hindering my ability to write a menu that is out-of-this-world creative. Not to say that one cannot be creative and cheap. It happens, but to do so in a fine-dining atmosphere would be a challenge!

F***ART: Do you have a favorite ingredient or kitchen tool?

KO: I love black pepper and incorporate it into many foods because I find it often adds that little bit of extra flavor I’m looking for without stifling the natural flavors of the food I’m preparing. I love spices, however keeping it simple and natural is very important to me. If I had to pick two favorite kitchen tools it would be a knife and a food processor. There are so many ways to be creative with foods just using a knife! The food processor is just fantastic for cutting down the time it takes to prepare things such as creamy soups and sauces.

F***ART: How would you rate the hospitality department at UIUC, as compared with other programs?

KO: I have not witnessed the way many other schools have developed their hospitality program. I can say that the program at UIUC is small and intimate which can really help one develop relationships with peers and faculty. The program was very well-rounded, and being at a reputable university is another plus. There is not a whole lot of money given to the program, therefore as students we are responsible for working at fund-raisers and in the kitchens to raise money to keep our program alive. Thankfully some alumni from our program are successful and have donated a lot of money to provide a better working environment for the students. I think the department has a lot of room for development, though it is working hard and fast towards such goals.

F***ART: What advice do you have for those aspiring to cook professionally?

KO: Start from the bottom. If you have never washed dishes in a professional kitchen, do it now. You have to start somewhere and in this business, and that is the place. Work hard, be true to yourself and always remember that many chefs have very few social skills so don’t take them personally. Also, push to be well-rounded in the kitchen; mastering every position from dish pit to expo and sauté will greatly advance you as a person and a good chef.

F***ART: Anything else to add?

KO: Don’t be afraid to experiment. Also, you will learn much more in an uncomfortable environment than not. And Emily Stuart is my hero!

So You Think You Might Like: Glass Artistry

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The Young and the Debtless: Supporting yourself as an artist.

What's happening bishes. We're trying something new. Over the next week I'm going to publish several interviews with some fantastic young artists who are actually practicing their craft and making money. This is some really useful information for anyone, at any age, who finds themselves desirous of a stable artful lifestyle. By "artist" I mean anyone in the creative field, and we will be talking to everyone from costume designers to cooks. Listen to their wisdom, young jedis! Despite what people have led you to believe, there is in fact NO direct path between getting your degree and making those Damien Hirst figures. Perhaps I can find a prostitute to interview on that subject.

Comics, murder, and health insurance

Last night my boyfriend and I rented Mark Neveldine’s hopped-up, freaked-out action flick, Crank. It was almost completely awesome, but loses points for being nauseatingly sexist and stupid. That’s not my point.

There’s this scene where Jason Statham, a.k.a. “Chev Chelios,” is confessing his double life to his girlfriend, played by Amy Smart. Statham by the way looks like a sweaty, old, balding leprechaun, while Smart is blithe, young, and perhaps developmentally challenged. Sitting across from each other in a restaurant booth, you get the sense that Smart’s character would rather be home playing with her dolls and waiting to have her first period while Statham tries to explain to her that he is actually a hit man. It goes something like:

Statham: You don’t understand, sweetheart. I kill people.

Me: Ugh, what a loser! He’s a violent psychopath and he probably lied about having money, too. Dump that motherfucker, Amy.
Statham: I work as a gun for hire with a national crime syndicate.
Smart: Lalala, I love unicorns.
Me: Oh well, at least he does it professionally.

That is my point. Self-obsessed fine artists are like serial killers, and designers are like professional hitmen. Which one would you rather know, personally? Which one is more likely to pay rent and have basic social skills? Which one is more likely to have health insurance bennies? No, designers/hitmen don’t get to select their clientele or their tasks. Yes, they have sold their souls a little bit (perhaps more than a little bit, for hitmen). But have some degree of creative control in what they do, and guess what? THEY GET PAID, SON!

In my time at art school, the design students were universally regarded as lame-os by we fine fArtists because they (supposedly) didn’t possess the creativity to produce completely independent works. This was certainly true of some, but not nearly all. For really reals, there is no shame in using your talent to make a few bones. And unsurprisingly, those artists/designers who illustrate other people’s ideas all day often make their own nipple-shrinklingly awesome artwork in the off hours. Students take heed, I tell you, it’s totally legit to get paid to do what you do well. You can still be creative on your own time. Shit, even Dexter has a day job, and nobody calls him a sellout.

<"I work for the MPD, but that's just to support my work until I get my big break."

Here are some folks who are designers AND artists. Is it a coincidence that they are all comic artists as well? Probably not. The typically guileless and explicit visual language of comics jells well with design and advertisement, which have no use for obscure narratives. This is not to say that comics don't possess ambiguity, rather, the ambiguity of a comic is made manifest through strong and compelling sequential visuals. Basically, they "show" and don't "tell," which is good if you're trying to weave a deeply complex story or sell a wristwatch.

James Jean

http://www.jamesjean.com/

Danielle Corsetto

http://www.daniellecorsetto.com/index2.html

Adrian Tomine

http://www.adrian-tomine.com/

Gary Panter

http://www.garypanter.com/index.html

This list needs more diversity! I've only got one lady up there, and I think these folks are all American. Send your suggestions for ass-kicking designers.