Sunday, October 29, 2006

brainless smiling puppet

all of this community building has reminded me of one crucial problem: i am intrinsically an introvert. the busy-ness of the past 2 months has been very rewarding, but has worn me down to a brainless smiling puppet. yeah, sometimes i just put on the happy face when i have to give a presentation or interact socially, just waiting for that wonderful moment when i can go home, put on my pajamas, and bury myself in a book. i finally had a full day yesterday to hide away, and i'm starting to feel rejuvinated, at least to the point where i can really ask myself how involved i want to be in a community and how much i'd rather withdraw into my own personal cave.

some days i feel that it's crucial for artists to work together as a community, as well as to interact with the larger community they live in, but on other days i'm jealous of artists who feel no remorse over disconnecting themselves.


working with other people can just be so damn tiring.

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

madzinefest

the madison zine fest this year was a blast. i was surprised at how many people were there - the room was full of zinester tables, and people were milling around all day. i wandered around some to meet people and look at their zines, and everytime i walked around the room i saw a table (or 2) i'd missed earlier. in fact, it was a bit overwhelming - i could stop at at even one table and not see everything, and of course not have time to read any zines. but i think i've picked up some pretty good ones, and i'm all set for reading material for a good long time.

i also got some good ideas for future zines - i'm thinking of the ones that really catch my eye and keep me engrossed, especially when they have a good mixture of text and images. in fact, i'm much more of a visual person so i'm more drawn to the art and comic zines than poetry and writings. i'm also struck by how important a good cover is - just to get someone to pick it up when they're staring at a table covered with zines, in a room full of zines. but then i feel like i have real treasure when i pick up an unassuming zine and discover how wonderful it is inside.

these are some news ones i had to share:
hisWorld/herWorld, a free zine that i make with my boyfriend scott
Art School Chronicles: Year 2, a comic about my 2nd year in art school









and Choose Your Own Moral Code!, a coloring book that lets you decide who's good and who's evil


if you didn't get one and want one now, send well concealed cash to PO Box 10022, Iowa City, IA 52245. They're all $2 except for the free one, which is... free.


here are more photos at the zine machine website.

thanks travelers

A big thanks to everyone who came out to the "Common Ground" grand opening and made it a grand success. I enjoyed hearing all the stories about first black squirrel experiences, tentacle theories, and turtle memories. I feel like we really accomplished what we set out to do: create a space where people cross paths, share stories, and create a souvenir book to remember it by. For my presentation in class the other day, I talked about: inviting viewers to participate as collaborators, the intimacy of physically touching the artwork, temporality of moving through a space, de-commodification of art, and the creation of a personal object/personal event. I'm glad I had a chance to share this experience with Cody and all of my fellow travelers.









For anyone who hasn't had a chance to see this show yet, we will be open one last time this Sunday, Oct. 29th, from 1-5pm.

Friday, October 06, 2006

continuing the journey


















more fellow travelers: Kangying Guo, Henry Darger, David Dunlap, anyone printing with a Gocco

Sunday, October 01, 2006

journeys

sorry, no time to blog these days... i've been painting a mural in a basement in preparation for gallery walk (october 13th). here's a sneek peek.



but in the meantime...


some of mine are: scott smith, cody gieselman, breanne hunter, edward gorey, max ernst, margaret kilgallen, jason white, and anonymous