Thoughts for the week....This week in 1958..

 I've always found it so curious and disturbing that Britain has never had any problem putting their dirty hands in the affairs of other countries -- especially India, China, so many nations in Africa and beyond.  But when it came down to the concept of allowing their black, brown and yellow citizens of the Empire to emigrate, fleeing the unrest that was so often brought about by Britain's manipulation of their home countries??  It wasn't quite the compassionate 2-way-street it should've been. 

The racist riots of Notting Hill London in 1958 are a not only a powerful chapter in British history, but also the history of race relations in the world.  If you've never heard of them, you owe it to yourself to become more aware.  We're all in this together. There are so many dots connecting the history of racism in the US, Britain and many other countries and regions of the world with the current state of our economic and cultural affairs.  And some people are STILL scratching their heads about the recent riots in London and other parts of Britain??  The more things change...the more things stay the same.  We all have a lot of work to do.

** Click for some extra historical perspective on race issues in Britain:  http://youtu.be/ptJHO5oJfH4

Help Save The Sea Turtles...Turn down your lights

Check out this special report from IndianCountryTV.com:

A quick interview with Chris Drew

Chris is still fighting some big battles standing up for Chicago artists to have the right to sell their art in public spaces AND the right for anyone to tape record the police. In light of the troubling issues of police brutality that keep bubbling to the surface around the country and the disputes over the rights of witnesses to photograph/record the abuse and misdeeds, it's critical to keep an eye on Chris' case and all others like it. It's not just about his rights...this is about all of us.

For more info on Chris' case and ways you may be able to help please contact him directly at:

umcac@art-teez.org or cdrew@c-drew.com

Also check out his Uptown Multi-Cultural Art Center's page on iContact.com -- there are numerous posts detailing the progress with his case and his tireless efforts on the issue of the rights of Chicago artists to sell their art in public spaces: http://community.icontact.com/p/community1112?page=1,1

Just having one of those days.....

You know the kind of day...when you close your eyes and get lost in a great Tom Waits song? The ones that really speak to you and reach the dark depths of how you're feeling? How nice would it be to lay your head on his shoulder while he sang this song? My eyes are closed...and I'm there.

Little Niizhoo in the Hand Drum Contest at the Honor the Earth Pow-wow this past July 2011

You can do it, kiddo. Somewhere I know my ishki is loving this song.

A little Beethoven to stir the soul....

Beethoven is one of my favorite composers and Symphony No. 7 is one of my absolute favorites. So much passion. I love closing my eyes and getting lost in the textures of his music...but missing the great, beloved expressions in Leonard Bernstein's conducting is too much to miss. This is a beautiful performance.

Beethoven at 13

A little Measha Brueggergosman to stir the heart and start the week....

Been sooooo beyond frustrated with the way the economic crises in this country are being tossed around like hot potatoes.  The hands of the have-nots, working poor and impoverished are constantly being burned, while the wealthy and wall street thieves are sliding by with golden passes and no foreseeable chance of being taxed properly or finally being held accountable for the corruption that helped feed the desperation we're trudging through .  And, as usual, the rich are being painted as somehow being the sad victims who are being bullied and deserve a break....and the rest of us are whiny kids and parasites trying to exploit the system. 

Watching the back-and-forth in Washington has been like a Punch and Judy show that just won't end -- and the same goes for the divisive mainstream media coverage.  I'm so sick and tired of all of it.  I'm just a simple, working-class kind of gal.....no trustfunds or sugardaddies.....just struggling as hard as anyone making much less than $40,000 per year.  I have my share of debts to be paid and budget frustrations, but a quiet part of me really has been imagining what it might be like to relocate permanently to Canada or Europe (particularly Amsterdam).  Is it too crazy to want to live in a civil society that truly gives a shit about its non-wealthy citizens??  Stable healthcare, education and social programs.  Even deep respect for artists and the arts??

I remembered this video today by Measha and it has such a serenity and truth.  If you put aside the tones of dogma and see the story of a woman in-need, seeking strength and relief, it really hits a mark.  There aren't enough words to express how much I adore her voice and spirit. She's truly a stellar treasure of this modern era of opera. Turn up the volume and enjoy this vid.

Creative thoughts for the week....

Creativity takes courage ~ Henri Matisse

Matisse -- Woman Reading, 1894
Musée National d'Arte Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris

 

Matisse -- Woman with a hat (Madame Matisse), 1905 - Private Collection

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Matisse -- Self-Portrait, 1900 - Private Collection

 

Matisse -- Madame Matisse, 1907 - Foundation Maerion
Philadelphia, U.S.A

 

Creative thoughts for the weekend...

If I could say it in words there would be no reason to paint  ~Edward Hopper

Hopper's Nighthawks, 1942

Diane Arbus -- Lady on a bus, N.Y.C. 1956 copyright 1986 The Estate of Diane Arbus, LLC

Charles Cordier -- African Venus, 1851

One of my own works -- Hot and Cold, 2004

One of my own works -- The Storm - part 2: Full-Force Catastrophic Thought, 2005

Have some respect....

Have you been watching what's happening with the unrest in Britain?? Through which media's eye?? 

Darcus Howe is a gifted writer and a wise elder. This brief bit of truth needs to be heard and seen -- loudly. There are endless chapters to many neglected stories. The riots are only scraping the surface.

Um...............Well????

 It does kinda say it all.

Just a few things about the ever-so compassionate, open-minded folks stirring up major objections to the idea of a biracial Spiderman

Hmmm...Where the hell to begin with this...

#1...RIGHT-ON -- scores some serious points on adding more diversity to an artform that sorely needs a more equal balance of lead characters of color.  SORELY.

#2....YAY, for us mixed race, biracial, tri-racial and multi-racial kids and adults seeing more characters out there who actually reflect the realities and experiences of who we are.

#3.....[especially directed towards those making the stinkiest stinks about this issue and truly showing their racist underpants in the process]...Um....you do realize that this story is a work of fiction and takes place in an alternate universe aside from your dear, old white Peter Parker's reality???  This young Afro/Latino Spiderman  isn't going to swing into your house and abduct your blonde daughters or whatever else strange musings circulate through your head when you lay eyes on a person you perceive as being black or Latino (or both, for that matter). 

and #4....Now.....where were we??  Oh, yes...the desperate debt and budget troubles....the ongoing wars...equal civil rights for all.....the brutal gaps between the haves, have-mores, working poor and impoverished....the struggle over unions and labor rights...political, media and corporate corruption and so much other more serious, pressing shit to worry about and bicker over.  Any ideas?????

Happy Birthday, Elliott x0x

It's hard to believe that he's really been gone for all of these years, but the love for his work will always endure. If you've never heard of him, try checking out his music and listen to what flowed out of his creative gift. Truly one of the great singer/songwriters of this modern era of music. No auto-tune. No over-production and empty lyrics. No flashy tabloid attitude. No back-up dancers and wardrobe changes. Just his voice...sweet guitar work....beautiful piano. This world is a little darker without him.

 

 

A lament for Makh...

Last year on this day, a brilliant young singer named Makh Daniels was killed in a car crash. He was traveling with his band, Early Graves, on their way from one show traveling to another.  There were so many great things happening for them -- they were working hard on the tour and their second album was being released.  So many great possibilities and well-deserved praise.  It's hard to believe a whole year has gone by.  It's still so hard to accept.  You are sorely missed, kiddo, but we'll see you again  x0x0x   

  



 

*Click for the vid of one of their last interviews  and part of a live performance:

http://youtu.be/SyXoY4-05aM

This poem has been running through my mind lately

For all the inquisitive, passionate minds out there.  Young and old.  Keep expressing, creating and reaching.  There is much work to be done.

Langston Hughes and a bunch of bright, young minds

Genius Child by Langston Hughes

This is a song for the genius child.
Sing it softly, for the song is wild.
Sing it softly as ever you can ---
Lest the song get out of hand.

Nobody loves a genius child.

Can you love an eagle,
Tame or wild?

Wild or tame,
Can you love a monster
Of frightening name?

Nobody loves a genius child.

 

Kill him - and let his soul run wild