Monday, April 16, 2012

Never Alone Tour

Hi everyone,

This is just a reminder about the upcoming speaking tour about people behind bars for direct action in support of the environment.

Think about it this way: we all know that corporations are destroying the ecological basis of life on this earth. And we all know they are doing it legally-- in part because they buy the laws, and in part because the law itself takes property rights of corporate persons as sacred.

We all know that, but what do we do about it? Well, the people who are the subject of the presentation on Wednesday tried to do something about it. And maybe it was unwise, unsafe, could have been planned better... you'll come to your own conclusion about all that. But what is important is that these people are behind bars for trying to fight a system that is, everyday, fighting us.

Please try to make it to this event, and bring a friend!

Linkhttp://www.facebook.com/events/426723647341737/

http://neveralonetour.wordpress.com/

Also, there will be a potluck at the Gaia House at 5pm with the presenters!

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Crystal Eastman's speech "Now We Can Begin"

T.R.U.T.H Presents...


Cildo Mierles





also check out They Rule

Temp Services and the library project

the library project

Calling Cards

These were done by the artist and philosopher Adrian Piper in the 80s.





LINK TO MORE

Toosi: the only reason

The only reason you are a citizen today...

The Only Reason
offset lithograph business cards
2006

This edition of 1000 business cards was created to address the parallel between recent mobilizations by immigrant workers and the civil rights movement. The card is a direct re-versioning of a calling card created in the 1970s by the KKK that read: "The only reason you are WHITE Today Is Because Your Ancestors Believed & Practiced SEGREGATION." The card is available in issue 5 of artist journal LTTR, or you may print your own by downloading the PDF.



Read more about the concept in AREA magazine's im/migrations issue:

toosi's work

tactical media; Shop Dropping and other public tactical media projects

Here is a site that surveys a number of projects that use the strategy of inserting an item that inserts an alternative perspective into an official or institutional stream of communication. SHOPDROPPING.NET


Act up against Aids: Imitating an official sign and placing in public space.





Appropriation of Life Magazine



Fahlstrom; another appropriation

ANDREA FRASER
intervention in an event




Guerilla Art Action Group: founded 1969. Antiwar actions
LInk to the book produced by GAAG that documents their work:
PART 1 and PART 2


Creating a ticket or license that is appropriating authority as well as form

Diggers: (coined the term Guerilla theater): We present for you an Arrest


Pies as media






Tuesday, April 3, 2012

The Dove Commercial

OK.. so one more thing.  I am sure most of you have seen this before, but it just occurred to me that this is very applicable to what I am discussing on Thursday.  As a photographer who has done extensive work in the commercial and fashion world, I have participated in this type of activity, and I know it happens to EVERY photo you see.  I know, I've done it.  Something to keep in mind.  (Pst.  they also do this to men's photos, but I'm sure you already knew that... I just didn't want to drum on my feminism drum too much today).  Happy trails, see you Thursday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hibyAJOSW8U

Articles of Interest

Hello my fellow classmates.  Just in case any of you are really excited after tomorrow's presentation. I thought I would pass along a couple articles that I really enjoyed, and I think you might too.  Doesn't everyone want to spend their weekend reading feminist theory? lol.  I thought I would make it available if you so desire to consume the fruits of my labor.


http://www.bakeru.edu/faculty/adaugherty/wc/module5/artists.html

http://www.careylovelace.com/curator/bxmuseum/WomenCollaborativeArtCommunity.html

http://www.careylovelace.com/bxmuseum/MAKING-IT-TOGETHER-ESSAY

http://pages.uoregon.edu/jlesage/Juliafolder/womensRage.html

And... here are a few website.. I know I will not get to even a small portion of these in class, so I wanted to share them with you in an eco friendly fashion. (aka: no handouts) Take each website for what it is, a little media literacy can also go along way and finding out who made each site and what their particular biases are.  I do not propose that these are all fact and without flaws, but expanding knowledge is never a bad thing.... enjoy.

http://exquisiteacts.org/about.html

http://www.jofreeman.com/photos/MissAm1969.html

http://www.moca.org/wack/

http://www.moca.org/pc/viewArtTerm.php?id=14


and now... for a little giggle... This article is particularly entertaining (in all the worst ways) and troubling.  I see the points she was trying to make, but really has a tackless way of going about doing it, and she references an already controversial display as her one reference point of why "feminism is irrelevant".  I didn't want to be judged of only showing one side though! ;)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2002887/Slut-Walks-prove-feminism-irrelevant-womens-lives.html

and... for those of you more into watching.. pop a bag of your favorite vegan pop corn and prop up your feet:

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/6933222/ns/today/t/thirty-years-later-feminism-dead/#.T3t8pFHuc6o

http://artfem.tv/id;11/action;showpage/page_type;video/page_id;vital_statistics_of_a_citizen_simply_obtained_by_martha_rosler_flv/



All of us or none

A week of thinking about politics, political prisoners and prisons.

Yesterday i went to Ullin to hear the hearings about the proposed state closure of Tamms supermax prison. I wanted to show my support of prison closure by presence and also to help out Tamms Year Ten in their long campaign to have the prison closed due to human rights violations. One of the things that struck me was the lack of sympathy in the audience of mostly correctional officers for a few former inmates who testified; men who had done their time and were now out... and facing a whole bunch of new problems because of legalized discrimination. It reminded me of the ex prisoner activist group I met in Detroit a few years ago; All of us or none

From their blog, "All of Us Or None is a national organizing initiative of prisoners, former prisoners and felons, to combat the many forms of discrimination that we face as the result of felony convictions. After serving time in torturous conditions, we were met at the gate with prejudice and discrimination that made our re-entry into society difficult and in some cases impossible. Many of us recognize that our prison sentence never ends as long as the discrimination against us continues."

Monday, April 2, 2012

Interesting Article



Here was an interesting article I found, and wanted to share with the class in preparation for my presentation this week on feminism.  I look forward to it.

This particular article deals with the issues brought forth by the Pink Ribbon Breast Cancer movement, and how it can be a distraction from some of the other more pressing issues in women's health.  Also, this movement is supposed to potentially be hurting women... but read the article and decide for yourself.  As I find very interesting in feminism, no one can really decide what the best mode of action is to solve the problems at hand.  What do you think?

 http://www.cwluherstory.org/not-so-pretty-in-pink.html