Manuscripts

 Pouring Down has re-posted a video (no embedding, click the link).  Franny and Zooey was my favorite.

"But the thing is, you raved and you bitched when you came home about the stupidity of audiences. The goddam 'unskilled laughter' coming from the fifth row. And that's right, that's right--God knows it's depressing. I'm not saying it isn't. But that's none of your business, Franny. An artist's only concern is to shoot for some kind of perfection, and on his own terms, not anyone else's. You have no right to think about those things, I swear to you. Not in any real sense, anyway. You know what I mean?"

                                                                                             j.d. salinger

Street Seen

Lisa Hostetler has put together another outstanding exhibit of photography at the Milwaukee Art Museum.  Street Seen: the Psychological Gesture in American Photography 1940-1959 opened last night to an overflow crowd in both the lecture hall and the overflow video feed venue (when the overflow is overflowing on a night when the temperature was around 4 degrees F you have a lot of interest).  Her talk once again was aesthetically and historically informative while never crossing into the arcane or hopelessly academic.  She invites people to see and consider more than lectures what to see or consider.  The exhibit remains through April 25th which gives ample time to examine the photographs, paintings and objects without the opening night crowds.  Take a look at the calendar of events for details on gallery talks, a symposium in early March and a talk by Phillip-Lorca diCorcia in April.

The beautiful catalog (New York Times review here) is available both through MAM and here.  I love that I was able to have mine signed last night by both Lisa and Saul Leiter.

The night ended with dinner with Kevin, Andy, and Sonja. Wine always helps when sorting out the contemporary photographic world. 

Curtis Mann, Lately

untitled, foldings (guided tour, Golan Heights)  [95" x 58]

Curtis Mann's blog has been quiet for a while.  He updated last week with new work, perhaps for the 2010 Whitney?.  Watch the video for insight into his process.  He has refreshing praise for digital photographs and the lack of editing in vernacular collections.

 

Curtis Mann // Photography from Alan Del Rio Ortiz on Vimeo.

Ctrl A

Did you know that hitting Ctrl A apologizes for everything?  Thanks Tommy!

Muscle Memory

It is the dog days of January.  Traditionally my most difficult of the year (if you don't include February, March and occasionally a chunk of April).  I haven't been shooting with my camera and find it increasingly difficult to shoot my mouth off here.  This video of the world record holder for blindfolded free throws reminds me that nothing succeeds like persistence.  To borrow what has become a cliche...just do it.

NOTE:  It seems either Blogger's new interface or You tube have made sizing wonky.  Apologies all around.

Wearing your heART

SFMOMA and Gap have teamed up to make t-shirts.  This one is a fitting tribute to Larry Sultan using an image from Evidence.  There are others represented including Kerry James and Ed Ruscha.  If you don't live in the San Francisco Bay area you can order one here.

Letters

from McSweeney's Open Letters;  Author, Jamie King

I'm having one of those weeks and this letter from McSweeney's provided relief.  The kind of relief that comes from finding you are not alone.  The kind of relief that comes from a good laugh. I plan to print it, insert the appropriate photographic terms in place of performance related content, read it aloud and finally burn it.  Then I'll make work.

Awesome

Douglas Wolk's Kant's Critique of Aesthetic Judgment:  Drastically Condensed Awesome Version is wonderful!  The audio is terrible!  Watch it at least 2 or 3 times!

Resolved

Thanks to inspiration from Jason Lazarus I hereby resolve to OWN 2010!  And also to clean up my desk....