I think it’s funny that Patricia Albers’s recent and authoritative biography on Joan Mitchell was given the subtitle “Lady Painter.” It’s my only guess that Mitchell’s lifestyle and her painting were so out of character for the time that the term becomes ironic. The artist was known for her camaraderie with Cedar Tavern macho dudes like de Kooning and Pollock, her hangout sessions with beatnik poets, her ability to party, and her tendency to drink and sleep around with bravado. At the time these activities and attitudes were thought to be reserved for men. Mitchell gradually carved out a space for her paintings to be given the same treatment.
Brooke Moyse
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Who Do Benefit Auctions Really Benefit?
America has finally woken up to discover that the free life they thought they were living is really governed by a system. A system designed at first glance to be “for the people, by the people.” But in recent years we’ve all realized that this is furthest from the truth. Facets of the system are under scrutiny. So in light of the Occupy Wall Street movement, perhaps it’s time for artists to rewrite the rules of the game.
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Bushwick’s Northern Neighbor Is Getting Art-ified
Even if your bohemian dolce vita in Bushwick is all you ever wanted, sometimes it’s necessary to (temporarily) leave this blooming neighborhood, and visit Ridgewood, another neighborhood emerging as part of the city’s art geography.
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First Look at the Surrealism Show at Factory Fresh
Yesterday, I convinced curators Ali Ha and Jason Andrew to give me a peak at the Surrealism show that opens tonight at Factory Fresh as part of the 2011 Bushwick Open Studios.
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45 Artists are So Happy Together
Artist Julie Torres hosted two months of collaborative drawing nights at Hyperallergic HQ in February and March of this year. The project generated 100 drawings that are currently on display at Norte Maar in Bushwick, Brooklyn. The resulting show, titled So Happy Together: Forty-five Artists and Their One Hundred Collaborative Drawings, opened last night during the first night of the 2011 Bushwick Open Studios.
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Dancing to the Beat of the Bushwick Nite
The Bushwick art community celebrated Beat Nite last Friday, and the all-night event was a great way to showcase all the good things going on in this burgeoning region of Brooklyn. Ten art spaces, ranging from more formal gallery spaces to converted living rooms, all stayed open late to welcome the roving bands of art fans interested in seeing a variety of visuals with a healthy mix of music, food and surprisingly mild weather.
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Apartment Shows, A Trend I Hope Keeps Growing
Artists have been having informal apartment shows as long as anyone can remember but in the last few years there has been a growing trend in New York (particularly Brooklyn) of quirky apartment art exhibits that I hope continues to grow.
Last night, I stopped by Julie Torres’s apartment, you’ll remember her as the watercolor “street” artist, for a birthday celebration that included a lovely small show of all her artist friends. Torres not only curated the salon style display but carefully prepared a checklist, which made the experience of looking fun and enjoyable.
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Tomorrow Night: “One Image, One Minute: Significant People Present Significant Images”
Join us tomorrow night (Tuesday, June 22, 7pm) at Hyperallergic HQ for a special fundraising event, “One Image, One Minute: Significant People Present Significant Images,” which will benefit Camp Pocket U. Help support art education for youth! Space is limited so RSVP and purchase tickets now.
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“One Image, One Minute: Significant People Present Significant Images” Event on June 22
Join us at Hyperallergic HQ on Tuesday, June 22 at 7pm for a special fundraising event “One Image, One Minute: Significant People Present Significant Images,” which will benefit Camp Pocket U. “One Image, One Minute … ” invites you to look and listen to various people in and outside the art world respond to images that made a major impact on their lives.
