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Crusty old curmudgeon vs Easy to please?

I have returned from the rain and the general pavement hardness of NYC with a little nugget to share after a long silence. The New Museum's current show "The Generational: Younger Than Jesus" peaked my interest in its showcase of 50 international artists under the age of 33. Not quite fitting into that category, myself, but damn close enough to care (me and Jesus, forever 33!), I found to my surprise that out of the show, the simplist gestures were the things that stuck.

...Like the gallery attendant wearing a long, red ponytail and a white Adidas tracksuit who troubleshot a cranky plasma display on Floor #4. Look closely to see the most delicate red paint stains on her clean, sporty duds. Or, the banana peel tossed on the gallery floor. Accident? Art? Pay attention...they are the purposeful gestures of Ryan Gander and Adriana Lara (in that order). In an age where Attention Deficit Disorder seems to be the M.O., I was glad that my focus allowed me to catch these small incongruities and appreciate them.

Ziad Antar "Wa" (2004), video, installation view

Above: Ziad Antar, "Wa", 2004, video (installation view from "Younger Than Jesus" show at the New Museum.)

Maybe this pegs me as over the hill...but my favorite piece, hands down, was Lebanese artist Ziad Antar's short film "Wa". Starring two solemn, pajama-clad children singing along to a synthesizer's demo tune, they pierce past their own cuteness in their mono-syllabic shorthand for a baby's cry. This little gem was so simple, yet stuck with me throughout the sensory overload of the rest of the show, and beyond. You can view it at the tank.tv moving image site (requires free registration and login, but it's worth it).

 

 

Weekend Preview: FH13

As the grinding ice floe of this week rapidly collides with Friday, I'm told that the mercury is going to cooperate; so, hopefully leaving the house without dying a little bit will be an option. I'm recommending the cozy goodness of Firehouse No. 13 as a venue for washing away those winter blues this weekend, as they've got a spate of programming in store:

The Low Anthem: performing at Firehouse No.13 on Friday, 2/6. Photo Credit: Willa Mamet Photography

Above: The Low Anthem. Photo by Willa Mamet.

Friday 2/6: If you are not yet stricken with the late winter ick, arrive early for the return of Providence's own Low Anthem at Firehouse No. 13 tonight. The band is having a special ticket pre-sale on their website, so early-birds get the worm. Word has it that Low Anthem heads to the jolly old stomping grounds of Austin for SXSW 2009...something tells me it won't be easy to catch them in a small venue after that, so be forwarned.

Roil and Flush: Exhibition of work by Will Machin and Anna Shapiro - FH13 Feb 4-28

Saturday 2/7: The long-awaited opening reception of Anna Shapiro and Will Machin's exhibition "Roil and Flush", featuring new work by both artists. The opening reception, from 6-9pm will be followed by live entertainment from Allysen Callery and the Land of Nod, Tallahassee, Brown Bird, Ben Pilgrim and The Free Union Band & Alec K. Redfearn. Look for a review in upcoming posts!

Sunday 2/8: Sleep in, you deserve it.

Firehouse No.13: 41 Central Street, Providence, RI 02907.

Visit Me at Open Studios This Weekend

Every time December comes around I feel like a piece of pulled taffy. There are so many things on my "to-do" list, and so many events and invitations piling up! I'm feeling the full plate pain a little extra this year, but that's not stopping me from piling it a little higher with a new job, projects and events.

Hyde Park Open Studios - December 6-7, 2008

Fill your plate and cross some holiday shopping items off of your to-do list THIS WEEKEND at Hyde Park Open Studios. Visit me at 65 Sprague Street, 2nd Floor, Studio #4 (rear window) and get an exclusive look at my magical workspace. After 8 long years of managing this multi-use studio, I'm moving it all down to Providence.

Meredith Cutler Studio Shots

To save myself some packing drama, I'm offering special pricing on all of my archived artwork, '07-'08 jewelry from Crostini, and a nice selection of unique studio supplies. Come meet me and Henry the ginormous stick plant (then tell me how I'm supposed to move him, he's 10 feet tall...)

With over 80 local artists participating, it's sure to be an exciting and enjoyable weekend. Please stop by and introduce yourself!

Elizabeth King: "The Sizes of Things in the Mind's Eye"

An exciting exhibition opens tonight at Brown University's David Winton Bell Gallery. Artist Elizabeth King pushes the boundaries of the mechanics and emotion of human movement through her evocative, cross-media works.

In a groundbreaking mid-career survey, "The Sizes of Things in the Mind's Eye" represents a wide selection of the artist's meticulous automaton sculptures and their accompanying film studies. King's otherworldly human portraits in fine porcelain, glass and wood bridge the time-honored practice of sculpture with the science of human movement and the illusion of film.

Elizabeth King, Animation Study: Pose 7, 1997-2005, Chromogenic prints on Kodak Endura paper, 20 x 20 in.  Collection of the artist.

Image: Elizabeth King, "Animation Study: Pose 7", 1997-2005, Chromogenic prints on Kodak Endura paper, 20 x 20 in. Collection of the artist.

To preview tonight's opening reception, Elizabeth King will give a free lecture at 5:30pm today in the List Art Center Auditorium.

"The Sizes of Things in the Mind's Eye" is on view from November 7th through December 21st, 2008 at Brown University's David Winton Bell Gallery. You can read my full review of the exhibition in the November/December issue of artscope magazine.

The David Winton Bell Gallery is located on the first floor of Brown University's List Art Center: 64 College Street, Providence, RI 02906.

Dye, Pleat, Stitch and Flaunt

I’m already uncharacteristically pumped for this year’s holiday season, which is completely at odds with what the doomsaying news outlets are prosthelytizing. One of the reasons for my early and enthusiastic push is that I will be creating most of our holiday gifts with my own two paws (with the balance representing items and works by artists & indie designers whose work I truly admire). If you are on my list, don’t you already feel special?

It’s no secret that I’m a huge proponent of Buy Handmade (or, make it yourself), which is where the following UK-based artist fits in. I fell in love with tinctory’s unique textile jewelry on Etsy last winter, and gifted her beautiful autumn leaf necklace to a very picky Italian lady who loved it!

Fall necklace by tinctory - http://tinctory.etsy.com

2008 has seen an increased creative intensity in tinctory’s jewelry line, with the addition of smocked silk necklaces, like the example pictured below. I don’t normally feature jewelry on Studio Debris, but this work is unique to my interests in that it incorporates hand-dyed or recycled textiles, with intensive pleating and stitching handwork. Using painstaking shibori and smocking techniques, Eva has invented some amazing sculptural forms that stand as works of art on their own.

"apples and ashes" smocked silk necklace by tinctory on Etsy - http://tinctory.etsy.com

In addition to the joy of receiving a truly unique piece of jewelry all the way from Birmingham, Eva from tinctory packages each piece in an elegant, handmade gift box. Mine arrived from the U.K. in no time. If you are interested in shibori or the other techniques used in tinctory jewelry, check out Eva’s flickr site for some interesting photos of works in progress.

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