Hans Haveron - an artful life

Earlier this year I sat down with Los Angeles artist Hans Haveron.  The goal was to educate myself and subsequently my readers about the man and his art.  What I learned was that this is someone who is deeply passionate, emotional and spiritual.  He is dedicated to his craft and sees all of its results as a Thank You note to the Divine Spirits for blessing him with his talents, family and friends.  

In our recent conversation, Hans reiterated all of this to me while sharing his latest endeavors and filling in some blanks since our talk back in May.  Haveron is pretty relentless for a man who is so chill and laid back.  Even in those rare moments that he disconnects and unwinds from day-to-day stress, he is still in an artistic state.  Hans Haveron creates no art without purpose or message.  From the body art that started with Lucent Dossier which has now progressed to gorgeous sugar skulls for a film feature in 2012 and alluring blue Shiva princesses for another potential film project to live painting exhibits, Haveron feels his way through each new project.  

After taking a few days of downtime at his eighth trip to the Playa this summer for a "burn" that Hans described as mellow, he was back at it, working on pieces for his solo show at C.A.V.E. and doing live installments with John Park.  If that wasn't enough Haveron jetted to Miami just a week before the gallery opening for Basel, touted as the most prestigious art show in the U.S..  Hans teamed up with Fish Tank, LLC to add his own style to the gondola midsection of the groups art car.  He adorned one side with a mermaid and the other with his signature Telescope Goldfish to add to the fish/water theme of the car.

As for his live works with Park, we discussed some of what late-comers miss in the creation process.  I had noticed in some of the time-lapse photo videos I've watched of these installments both Hans and John start out by sketching in Sharpie on the surface they will be painting.  Although much of what is sketched doesn't get painted into the final piece, Hans explained that due to the markers' oil base, some of the sketches will bleed through the paint.  I told him I saw that in the most recent project he had included the children that are the focal point of "Sepia's Secret".  In this drawing one child holds a dagger pointed at an eye on the garment of the other.  I asked if there was any significance, knowing that everything thing in Haveron's work has symbolism and meaning.  Hans said that, again it is the inner child at the root of the creative process.  The dagger symbolizes protection and the "All Seeing Eye" keeping spiritual watch.  

The "Shiva" make-up was used in the filming of the Kickstarter information video for Elijah Sound's "Jesus Christ Superstar" remake project.  Sound is a friend of Haveron's and owner of the 2013 Boutique in L.A. The Kickstarter is to fund a full-length trailer for the JCS project which portends to be a massive endeavor.  The sugar skulls made their first appearance at Insomniac's "Escape From Wonderland-Life After Dusk" Halloween installment in San Bernardino.  Hans says we will be seeing them again.  

There was a great moment of spontaneity in our conversation when I mentioned my complete inability to draw even a decent stick figure.  We followed one of my favorite arts tangents; "what art do you wish you could create in but pretty much suck at?"  Hans said he wishes he were better at electronic music creation.  He said that he has dabbled in it in the past and may not completely suck at it but just needs more time to work it out.  He would love to take a stab at music production some day.  For now though, drawing and painting consumes most of his time so he is fine with just listening to as much music as possible.  

As posted previously, the "Black Diamond" one-man show will have its gala opening this evening in Venice, CA.  Also mentioned in the promotion article, "Caducues" is the central piece of this show and Haveron is incredibly proud of it.  Based on his enthusiasm explaining learning about the early history of the Caduceus symbol that was revealed in Sumerian tablets discovered in 1912, this painting is inspired on every level.  Like myself, Hans is intrigued by the crossovers in most spiritual mythologies.  The Sumerians depict tales of winged creatures that would be identified as angels in Judeo-Christian myth and a human creation story with similarities to those found in the Bible and Torah.  It was not surprising that the Vatican and other religious leaders tried to squelch information regarding the tablets from being released to the public.  Haveron's rendition of this messenger of the gods is stunning in her serenity.  She is a woman of strength but with a countenance of peace and grace.  

Hans Haveron has worked hard to get to this point and is not likely to take a moment off until the bitter end of the afterparty in the wee hours of Saturday morning. Even then, he might allow himself a little downtime but assuredly will be back at it again soon with new projects and revisiting some of his favorite arts haunts.  It will be exciting to see what he comes up with next.

C.A.V.E. presents Hans Haveron "Black Diamond" 12/9/11

C.A.V.E. Gallery

Artists determined to make a living with their art depend on the gallery show, for the most part, to exhibit and sell their works.  However, those are not always the easiest thing to come by, especially a solo show.  The opportunity to have patrons focused on just their work is something no artist takes lightly.  Such an opportunity was recently extended to Hans Haveron by the L.A. gallery C.A.V.E.  Haveron has shown here before a couple of years ago and has been invited back for this show which will run thru Jan. 7th.

The gala opening for "Black Diamond" begins at 6 p.m. PST on Friday December 9th at C.A.V.E., 1108 Abott Kinney Blvd., Venice, Los Angeles, CA 90291.  Hans has created almost a dozen new pieces in a style he describes as Samurai-Victorian-Futura.  The event's title reflects the black and white/grayscale theme of all of these pieces.  

Haveron has created this show as an entire process.  He says only about 60% is the actual art work.  He then considered the framing, the music and other elements for the opening night event.  Hans has requested that all guests continue the the color theme in their apparel choices for the opening.  He, himself has planned his own attire to fit in.  Music will be provided by DJ Numberwonderful and DJ Bus Rider.  There will be a live music set performed by Nico Luminous. Max Neutra will do a live painting exhibition.  Models be will circulating through the gallery displaying body painting by Haveron.  

Hans loves drawing.  It is what led him to experiment more in painting in the grayscale pallette.  When he realized that all the works he has done in this scheme have sold, he decided to dedicate this show to these tones.  He will be showing and offering for sale two drawings and at least eight paintings at C.A.V.E.

Other things the artist includes in the  process are finishing, clearcoating all the pieces perfectly, insuring everything has dried properly before going through the steps of wrapping and packing each work for transportation from Hans' studio to the gallery, the transportation, then unpacking and setting up the works at the gallery.  He says that he attributes his understanding and appreciation of the entire progression from beginning to end to his artist parents.  He grew up watching art created then being moved to galleries and museums.  Hans has also learned, through his experiences, that a one-man show requires such high levels of creative, physical, emotional and spiritual energy that he only commits to one a year.  He usually will participate in three or four multi-artist shows annually along with his live painting events.   

Digging a little deeper into the process and his family, Haveron explained that he has no formal training.  In fact at one point his father told him that "art school will be the death of you".  This left him free to explore the art within himself.  He also attributes his grandfather's anatomy lessons for the improvement of his art.  Knowing the basic architecture was critical piece of the creation.  

Body architecture plays a key role in the star piece of this show, "Caduceus".  The acrylic on canvas painting is 76"x50" and is Haveron's take on the Caduceus story from the stone tablets of Sumer found in 1912.  It is highly recommended that one do some research into this discovery and the resulting mythology.  It is understandable that "the church" would have blocked the publishing of results of this find, in that there are many similarities to Judeo-Christian scriptures regarding creation, supernatural beings and the hierarchy of "heavenly beings" and humans.  Haveron's painting is an epic portrayal of the messenger and symbol of the god Enki.  For this work, Hans employed Ana Bliss as his model.  

For further information on "Black Diamond" please visit:

http://www.facebook.com/events/293141024029754/

and learn more about Hans Haveron at

http://www.haveronstudios.com/

http://www.facebook.com/events/293141024029754/

Creative Workshop of New Haven announces 43rd Annual Celebration of American Crafts

Celebration of American Crafts

Thru December 24  

21st Century Craft:
Chris Amundsen
Sunday, November 13, 2 pm

CT Artists Night
Thursday, November 17, 5pm

Shop for fine crafts and unique gifts at the 43rd Annual Celebration of American Crafts! Over 300 artists from across America will be featured, representing the finest in glass, ceramics, jewelry, wearable and decorative fiber, handcrafted furniture and much more.

Open daily: Mon-Sat 11 to 6, Thu 11 to 8, Sun 1 to 5 , December 24, 11 - 2

The Celebration of American Crafts is an annual juried exhibition and sale sponsored by CAW. The exhibition is held in CAW's handsome two-story Hilles Gallery.

A prestigious showcase for professional craft artists, the Celebration presents fine contemporary American crafts in every medium. To maintain the high quality of the Celebration, the acceptance process is very selective, with a limited number of exhibitors chosen to represent each medium. The Celebration attracts nearly 10,000 visitors from all over the Northeast, and media coverage is extensive. Work is sold on a consignment basis, and CAW retains 40% of each sale. These funds go toward the support of the community art school.

Call for Volunteers

CAW needs volunteers to help staff this event. Volunteer while surrounded by fine crafts from across America! Volunteers are needed to help clerk the exhibition and sale in November and December. If interested, please call (203) 562-4927 x12 or email celebration@creativeartsworkshop.org.

 

Creative Arts Workshop   80 Audubon Street   New Haven, Connecticut 06510   

http://www.creativeartsworkshop.org/

Last week of PERFORMA 11 New Visual Arts Performance Biennial

This festival began on November 1st and continues through November 21st in New York City.  It covers almost 100 venues that spread over the five boroughs.  Arts involved include visual art, music, dance, poetry, fashion, architecture, graphic design, and the culinary arts. it features over 100 of the most exciting artists working today, in an innovative program.

Carlos Amorales, Spider Galaxy, 2007. A Performa Commission.
Photo copyright Paula Court. Courtesy of Performa and
undación/Colección Jumex.

PEFORMA 11, the fourth edition of the internationally acclaimed biennial of new visual art performance presented by Performa.  Presented in collaboration with a consortium of more than 50 arts institutions and over 50 curators, as well as a network of public spaces and private venues.  Performa 11 will ignite New York City with energy and ideas, acting as a vital “think tank” linking minds throughout New York City and bringing audiences together for brilliant new performances in all disciplines.

Founded by RoseLee Goldberg in 2004, Performa is the leading organization dedicated to exploring the critical role of live performance in the history of twentieth-century art and to encouraging new directions in performance for the twenty-first century. Performa launched New York’s first performance biennial, Performa 05, in 2005, followed by Performa 07 (2007), and Performa 09 (2009). 

For more information, including venues, tickets and schedules please visit http://11.performa-arts.org/

Dumbo Arts Festival this weekend in BROOKLYN!!!

Each year the DUMBO Arts Festival seeks to highlight Brooklyn’s commitment to and presence in the arts community by presenting the best in local, national, and international art amid the breathtaking backdrop of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan skyline.

The DUMBO Arts Festival attracts 200,000 visitors over 3 days with the participation of over 500 artists from a variety of disciplines, 100 studios, 50 galleries and stages and 100 programming partners. This year, the Festival will take place on Friday, September 23rd, Saturday, September 24th and Sunday, September 25th. The official Festival hours are Friday 6pm to 9pm, Saturday 12pm to 8pm, Sunday 12pm to 6pm and 6pm to midnight all three nights for all outdoor projections.

Art revelers can enjoy: visiting artists in their studios or making murals on the street; musicians, dancers, poets, performance and circus artists throughout the neighborhood, on street corners, sidewalk stages and in the park; communing with instrument makers in workshops; hearing from tech gurus about the latest advances; and joining walking tours to hear city historians share little-known stories of the neighborhood.

Please join us at the festival that brings DUMBO’s creativity to the world and the world’s creativity to DUMBO every Fall.

The Dumbo Arts Festival is produced by Dalzell Productions and Two Trees Management.

See photos from DUMBO Arts Festival 2010

The festival has been getting a lot of attention from all types of media – print, online, social, sky-writing… we appreciate it!  If you are interested in media access to a specific artist, event, or have any questions, please contact our fantastic communications team at Rubenstein, c/o Barbara Wagner: bwagner@rubenstein.com

http://feeds.feedburner.com/dumboarts

https://www.facebook.com/dumboartsfestival

http://twitter.com/#!/dumboartsfest

http://www.flickr.com/photos/50915680@N04/

P.S....Make sure to check out the Brooklyn Art Project at the Dumbo Arts Festival

Stop! Look! Learn! Move forward - Cassidy Haley

Photo: Sunshine Rebel Records

 It’s been almost two years since I first interviewed Cassidy Haley.  Since then he and I have both come a long way and learned a lot.  For me it was doing verbal interviews instead of by email.  I now provide myself and my readers results that are more connected and offer a much wider range of motion.

As for Cassidy's life and career lessons?  The attention he initially received in the beginning, set off more of an explosion rather than just sparking his ambition and creativity.  With offers of management, promotion, etc. he immediately saw this huge picture of national tours, album releases and big productions.  However, he learned quickly that it wasn’t that easy.

My first question was, “what have you learned?”

CH: I learned to take my time. I don’t need to be where I want to be right now.  It is better to be me, where I am right now and take small steps.

I’ve learned that, basically, my grand vision of what I want to see happen is my best asset but it is also my worst enemy because sometimes I lose sight of where I am right now. I’m thinking about a huge stadium concert with fifteen back-up dancers and ten costume changes instead of about getting thirty people to my next show.  So now the 'grand vision' is kept more in check."

Cassidy went on and broke the explanation down further.  “To become a great artist you need that grand vision of where you want to go so it’s not a bad thing.  It’s just that you have to be really aware that it can put you in the fantasy of where you want to be which then distracts you from where you are”.  It was very clear already in our conversation that he has adjusted his focus to a sharper point.

From there I went back to our first interview where I was introducing people to the many facets of this incredibly creative person.  Does he still design clothes, draw, or do performance art?

CH:  Right now I’m really honing in on the musical craft.  I’ve set aside the clothing company, the graphic novel,  and am zeroing in on the music.  Of course I couldn’t be satisfied with one facet of music so I am creating three different live performances.  They include all the same songs but each is styled for a different audiences.  The rock & roll band of Cassidy Haley and The Sunshine Rebels remains.  Then there is the new ‘boy band’ The Mixtape Project which caters more to a queer audience with choreography and very pop orientation.  For the acoustic angle there are performances of either just myself solo on guitar or piano or may occasionally include other artists with acoustic instruments. “

Apparently there is a fourth performance option that Haley went on to explain. 

CH:    "There is a solo show with a more theatrical tinge that includes costumes for nightclubs and the underground scene." 

Cassidy doesn’t liked being boxed in by styles or genres.  For him, even though it may be the same story, there are many ways to tell it.  Sometimes it needs to be resculpted to speak a different audience.  Still a thru-line is there in that they are all his songs.

“Smart art” is risky though, especially in the music business’s current state as far as money goes.  Cassidy is yet another musician who has taken advantage of Kickstarter.  This program offers anyone from fan to investor the opportunity to work directly with artists. 

CH:  “It (Kickstarter) allows me to take my own risks and for my fans to take those risks with me." 

Over the last two years I’ve embraced my music career whole-heartedly.  There was so much to be learned and now I have experience to produce an album, promote an album and release an album in a way that will take me a lot farther.  The Fool was a great album but I want to reach a larger audience with The Lovers and I believe I have the tools to accomplish that now.

Good things that came from Round One of Haley’s venture into his music career were the recognition of his music videos by large media outlets such as Logo TV and AfterElton.  Logo had Whiskey In Churches in rotation for many months.  I asked, based on the insanely high quality of the production of those videos, if that notice got him any calls to work as a production designer, set artist, location scout or director.

CH:  Thankfully no.  Those were not areas I wanted to work in.  They did, however, help to grow my fanbase though.

Videos are a critical part of Cassidy’s concept for all of his music.

CH:  “Every video starts with my vision and then I’m fortunate to be able to bring in very talented people who work for practically nothing to produce videos that I’m extremely proud of and that can stand up to any major artists' videos and do it on a shoe-string budget.  I would make music videos all day long if time and money would allow.  Every song I’ve written I have a music video in my head for.  If I could I would make all those videos because I feel that the visual is integral to the story of the song.   The world is multi-media.  It’s not limited.  So I want to tell the story in every way possible and use every sense that I can.”

Based on the fact that Haley has been putting out a steady stream of songs over the past two years, I wanted to know if he thinks he’ll ever run out of inspirations or lose touch with his muses.

CH:  “No.  The biggest inspiration I have is the experience of life.  When I look deeper into smaller independent artists, there is so much going on and new artists coming out every day.  I’m so encouraged by what I am seeing and hearing, really interesting new things.  For me songwriting is a way I manage my emotional state.  I’m so crazy and such a dramatic person.  I’ll never run out of material.  I’ll spend my whole life processing and trying to evolve as a person and be writing songs the whole time.”

Cassidy did two performances over the Labor Day Weekend to promote his Kickstarter project for “The Lovers”.  On September 2, with The Sunshine Rebels, he performed at The Mint.  On September 5^th  he did a theatrical interpretation of the new single “Champagne or Suicide” in San Francisco.  September 12^th is an acoustic show at Bar Lubitsch.

You can learn more about Cassidy at www.cassidyhaley.com, keep track of his upcoming performances at http://cassidyhaley.com/events/event/listUpcoming, and contribute to his Kickstarter at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cassidyhaley/the-lovers .  Listen to the music at http://cassidyhaley1.bandcamp.com/ then buy it at http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/cassidy-haley/id323191139

Cassidy Haley is also connected on all your favorite social networking options:

http://www.facebook.com/cassidymusic

http://twitter.com/#!/cassidyhaley

http://www.youtube.com/user/cassidyhaley

I owe Cassidy a big apology for not getting this posted in time to promote the 9/2 and 9/5 shows.  Life got in the way and then came Irene who knocked out my power for two days.  I hope anyone in the Los Angeles area that is available can make it to the 9/12 performance.  

"What if there was a World without Art?"

This video features some members of one on my current favorite local bands.  I helped these kids into the winner's circle of the 2011 Battle of The Bands at The Space in Hamden.  Interstellar Elevators are from the tiny little town of Weston, CT and are in and of themselves a tribe.  Seven musicians and nine instruments, all under the age of 18 that are creating some of the most amazing musical art in our state.

This video was made to promote the Westport Arts Center, a facility I had no knowledge of until I was searching for material for another article on IE I was writing.  Of course, the next most obvious step was to visit the website and do some research.

Westport Arts Center is on the banks of the Saugatuck River.  It is about a mile and a half from the Westport train station and is easily accessible by train and city bus.  However, the venues the organization utilizes are scattered throughout Westport, Fairfield and Norwalk.  There are schools, churches, theaters and libraries.  WAC supports all arts; performing, fine and literary and offers not only opportunities for artists to share their creations with audiences but also educational programs for artists themselves.  WAC serves all age groups from toddlers to seniors.  There are workshops, birthday parties, summer camps, scout outings and programs for schools.

WAC seems to be really doing its part for building a tribe in lower Fairfield County.  For more information visit http://www.westportartscenter.org/

Loud light to drown out the dark

Last night, again, I was thinking about the lightbearers, the revolutionaries and the rebels.  For those who are not familiar with my feelings on the current socio-political situation in this country...I grow more fearful each day with how loud the darkness is getting.  People who claim to be "children of the light" and lovers of a benevolent Divine Being spew hate, fear and hypocrisy with greater regularity.  One of their battle cries is that socialism will overtake us and we will all become prisoners of the state.  However, they also preach a message of enslavement to their 'god'.

Then I looked at The Tribes, especially those that are not only creating art and encouraging new artists but using their art to send messages, build communities, build buildings, grow new businesses and preach a message of individuality within a communal group.  These are visionaries.  These are the hope to save the Republic.  These are the lightbearers.

So I call to the Tribes to turn up your light and shine it proud.  Make your voices and colors heard over the darkness.  Drown it out with beauty, conservation, fair trade, home-grown businesses, and a true concern for your fellow man.

This blog/zine is here to spread your voices.  To help you connect with each other and turn up the volume.  If you are aware of a story that needs to be told, a person or community that needs to be in the spotlight or a gathering that needs promotion, please email me.  I feel in my spirit that this is where I am supposed to focus most of my energy now.  In an effort to make this a place of real information and to aid the cause (along with self-discipline) I am making a set schedule:
Monday - coverage of the Northeastern US
Tuesday - Southeast
Wednesday - Midwest
Thursday - Southwest
Friday - West Coast
Weekends will be for special features and OpEd.
The site will be updated by 10 a.m. ET every day.

Deadline for submissions will be 5 business days prior to publish.  Example: if you have information pertinent to the West Coast, it must be to me by the previous Friday.  If you submit any actual art including photos, graphics, literary pieces, include credits and copyright information.  I will accept guest posts for the weekend additions.

I ask that you do what you can to promote this publication.  Subscribe and share as much as possible.  It is your voice as well as mine.

Light the fires
Beat the drums
Sing the song of a new revolution
Paint the walls
Sculpt the totems
We are the children of the Tribe

AYYA design youself - where fashion meets fine art and sustainability

AYYA

AYYA is what happens when a few designers with similar aesthetics and personalities come together in Bali and decide to create and sell their wares.  This particular group was very environmentally savvy so sustainability was high on the list of requirements for their project.  In a one room workshop with nothing more than a sewing machine their first products were their spin on ‘tabi’, those wicked cool split-toed shoes worn by ninjas.


But how did this blogger in a tiny town in New England find out about this company?  Google? Nope!  It was a tip from one of the latest designers to add their work to AYYA’s line - Hans Haveron.  Haveron has shared some of his drawings and paintings to be inked on the 100% cotton t-shirts AYYA sells and included a little bit of leatherwork he’s done.  The “Haveron Glove” may look a bit familiar to fans of a friend of his, Adam Lambert, who sported a similar design during the Glamnation Tour last year.  


The next question was, how did Haveron connect with a company so far from Los Angeles?  Hans met the owner in L.A. about three and a half years ago through a mutual friend.  He’d seen Haveron’s work and wanted to do a signature line.  Last year, Hans made the trip to Bali and spent two months creating the line.  


Reading company’s story stirred appreciation and anger.  Appreciation for their commitment to environmental impact and sustainability, anger that we are not seeing more collectives or cooperatives in the U.S. like this.  AYYA has sought out tanneries that only use non-toxic processes and dyes.  They hope to get to the point of using fabric woven of organically grown cotton.

Let us hope that environmentally conscious artists here will team up with manufacturers and suppliers of the same mind here in the near future.  But in the meantime, please visit AYYA.  Besides Hans’ work there are a number of very talented artists and designers’ included in this store.  AYYA has a warehouse in the U.S. they ship from and they accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover and PayPal.

Minnesota Festival of the Performing Arts - Aug. 4-14

Minnesota Fringe 2011

In my search for "tribal arts" events today, first I discovered Yahoo Directories.  Then I found the above link.  Reading the "About Us" section this event seemed to fit into the vibe of a community gathering.

The way this event works is that all interested parties or groups submit their applications to perform in February. There are no judges or "picking committees".  Each application gets assigned a number which is followed by having a ping-pong ball with the same number deposited into a mixing machine.  After the deadline date, the folks who run this event, fire up the machine and start picking out numbers at random.

The belief that all people are capable of creating art drives the confidence of the organizers that there will be sufficient levels of creativity to attract an audience and keep them interested enough to stay the day and experience multiple performances.  To me this seems like a great way to encourage artists and to help them grow.  It also provides an organic environment for community building both with the artists and audiences.

Tickets: $12 plus $4 admission button; kids’ tickets (12 and under) are $5 and don’t require a button; discounts and multi-show passes available. Tickets on sale July 1 from OvationTix at (866) 811-4111 or at fringefestival.org and at the box office 30 minutes before performance.  The event will include 168 performances on 18 stages.

So if you happen to be wandering through Minneapolis this week, check this out.  If you do go, please leave a comment with your experience.  Thanks.

LA Vs. WAR - September 9-11

Kickstarter project for L.A. vs War



It's been a long time since the U.S. has seen a good protest against the unnecessary violence of war.  The artists of Los Angeles are putting together a massive art exhibition to voice their protest and to call for peace.  Selecting the 10th Anniversary of 9-11 seemed to be timing for anti-war and political artists to assemble this multi-media event to voice their cry for peace throughout the world.

This event will not only consist of the display of fine art but will include music, teach-ins and sponsor the creation of peace murals around Los Angeles.  It is currated by Yo! Peace, Center for the Study of Political Graphics, Political Gridlock and Ad Hoc Art.  It is the hope of the developers to take this show on the road after 9-11 and share the message of peace with the rest of the U.S.


Of course a project such as this can not be done for free.  L.A. Vs War has set up a Kickstarter page.  Their minimum goal is $5000.  There are various award levels for giving that come with thank you gifts such as t-shirs, limited edition prints and "peace books".  Peace is probably the most righteous cause we can support today to please do what you can to help this venture.

Heaven Malone - Tribe Chicago Suicide Club

Kevin Malone, known by some in the Chicago scene as "Heaven" works in an ad agency by day and DJ's by night.  He is a long-time veteran of the arts communities in the windy city.  As a kid he did the "band thing".  Later on he worked in an advertising office with Alan Morgenstern, a School of The Art Institute of Chicago.  Morgenstern had been an SAIC classmate of Mat Devine.  Devine had also worked at the same agency as an art director and with Morgenstern began creating the Chicago Suicide Club.  Malone joined them as a founder.  The club's main purpose was to promote local arts shows and performances along with providing an outlet to graphics designers who kept the merch store stocked with their t-shirt creations.

CSC was mainly a Chicago thing until they decided to experiment with opening its membership through a website.  It was the early days of social networking before it even had a name.  The group grew, especially when Kill Hannah brought invite cards out with them on tour.  If one was lucky enough to get a card, they had the special log-in information for the site.  Once in, there was the opportunity to connect with all manner of creative people.

However, the Chicago scene has taken a down-turn.  It is now about appearances and who one is seen out with rather than the quality of the art.  Kevin and I mainly talked music as that is where he spends the majority of his time when not at his day-job.  Chicago scenesters are very like their Brooklyn counterparts, hipsters.  However, where they differ, is not looking for the indie music no one else is listening too.  Chicago rock has become very cookie cutter.  When asked, locals claim that it is the "Chicago sound" and they feel a need to stick to it.

There are some clubs around the city that do encourage new sounds.  "The Empty Bottle" has built a reputation of bringing in different artists who make good music in a number of genres.  They have an established crowd who have spread the word that if you're looking for something new you will find it there and you won't leave disappointed.  There is another club that has been around a long time that gives everyone a chance no matter how good or bad.  It is actually the club where the Smashing Pumpkins got their start.  Malone says if you look around you will find smaller venues that have good booking agents and/or are willing to give new artists a chance.

Kevin also says though that as for open mics, they seem to have gone the way of the dinosaur.  He remembers driving miles with this or that band he belonged to looking for open mics.  Each time they would find one, when they went back to try again, there either was not an open mic or the club had closed completely.

So for now, Chicago Suicide Club is on a hiatus.  Mat has moved to New York and Kill Hannah has been off the radar for a while.  Add the deteoration of the Chicago scene, people just lost interest.  Heaven does maintain a Facebook presence to promote shows, including his own DJ gigs.  He keeps an eye out for what other arts groups within the city are doing to keep creativity alive and encourages them in any way he can.  He hopes that there will be a revitalization and that people will get past settling for corporate, production line music along with all other arts.

Flash mobs - when the dance tribes come out to play

Jim Cantiello of MTV posted a link to a YouTube video this morning.  It was of Todrick Hall, American Idol 'almost was' from Season 9.  Mr. Hall rounded up some of his L.A. dance friends and put together a great number to Beyonce's "End Of Time".  It was a great video and a really good performance that included 'steppers', jazz moves and what appeared to be 'Miss Mary's dance class' from a local studio.

That got my brain pointed to that silly cell phone commercial where the guy shows up to "flash" at Grand Central Station but the group has changed the performance time.  I did a search for "flash mob Grand Central Station" just to see what people have posted of performances in my favorite mass transit hub.  I found a choreographed fashion show but not much else in the way of actual dance routines.  However, when I entered just "flash mob" into the search field...I found "Beat It" in Sweden, a Glee medley in Italy, the list went on and on.

Flash mobs are part of street performance art.  It is definitely tribal in its concept and roots.  It is people with a passion (and a bit of talent) for dance who come together, share their choreography and moves to bring to "the people".  You don't ever have to pay to see one of these shows.  However, you do have to be fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time.  You will participate in dance that comes from the heart and the soul.  No, it won't be the best routine you've ever seen, but it will be genuine and organic.  It will pull you in emotionally.  So if you're ever lucky enough to be an observer, appreciate every moment.  If you are a dancer, continue to seek out the tribes where you are and share your art with them and with the audience whoever they are and where ever you attract one.

Don't Give Up

Streetsy became my favorite (so far) site to learn about street art around the world.  I've always had an eye for graffiti.  What many people see as tags that deface public property, I find myself viewing as art and critiquing it as such.  Admittedly, some kids just need to put down the spray can.  They're creative talent does not lie in that form of fine art.  Maybe they need to try music, sculpting, dance, just not trying to make something beautiful esthetically and emotionally.

However there are some artists out there who can just make a name or monogram or series of numbers a gorgeous work of art.  Some of them paint entire murals on the sides of buildings or on bridge abutments that belong in a museum.  Other artists make social statements.  This was the type of artist I found in a Streetsy post today.

So enjoy Morely.  His message speaks to me.  We Love Street Art - Posters by Morley

Breaking Arts | Project Storefronts Wins $100K NEA Grant

Breaking Arts | Project Storefronts Wins $100K NEA Grant


Project Storefronts of New Haven was one of two Connecticut communities to receive a National Endowment for the Arts "Our Town" grant. This grant is to help build communities through art which helps to build and revitalize those communities. It is one of those elements that help tribes to form and grow. Project Storefronts received $100,000 for their program.