EVERYTHING IS LINING UP

[lights Snap on!]
Krista Walsh agreed to be my Director!  I spent an excellent hour with her today, talking about her work, my work so far, public art, performance art, the director role, and tons more.  We did have a good time together, which tells me all I need to know.  Krista is after excellence.  Henry is after excellence.  Julia is after excellence.   I feel that my intuition about these people has been spot on.

Of course, HA is moving to the East Coast at the beginning of August, but Welcome to the 21st century Children, we live in this fantastic world where we can transmit ourselves digitally and instantaneously across hundreds of miles.  Mahvelous!   “Skype” here I come!  This is part of the performance!   My last in person visit with Henry will be a nice relaxed social to wish him godspeed and give him a cd of traveling music for his drive out East.   I am hoping perhaps Krista can come along so that they might meet each other at least once, as Henry doesn’t know if he can be in town for the final performance…

Krista will be in town, but she is wonderfully busy as one of the Artists on the Verge http://northern.lights.mn/programs/aov/walsh/ and planning a public/performance piece for September http://gratitudeguerilla.webs.com/whatisit.htm among other things.  Check out the Northrop Plaza webcam piece she is putting together until late August http://www.vimeo.com/5453719 I will be making the Most of my Time with each of them.  In any case, they are both perfect(!) and I am pleased that I found them so quickly and they are interested in working with me.   They are both wonderfully fearless and honest.
[lights Snap off!]…

Naked Stages, 2009 – 2010

[Lights up to full flood…]  […Julia sitting on high stool center stage reading from a handful of papers.]
I applied for the Jerome Foundation/Intermedia Arts grant for emerging performance artists late last Fall [08] and heard that I had won in January [09].  Due to the Economy As a Hole, we were not able to begin work until June 6th, but I have jumped in with both feet at this point.  I have located, identified and had 2 meetings with my new Mentor, Henry Allen http://www.aatcmn.com/; and in a few days, I have an interview with Krista Kelley Walsh http://gratitudeguerilla.webs.com/ as my prospective director.
All of us Protégés have met as a group twice with Laurie Carlos, our Artistic Director, Assistant Artistic Director Molly Van Avery and the Pillsbury House Artistic Director, Noel Raymond; and this last meeting, introducing Kurt Mattsen, the Technical Director at Pillsbury House. We got a tour of the Pillsbury House ‘house’ and tech booth.  We will be able to get about 60 of you in there per night, and the stage is twice as wide as it is deep.  I have located all the outlets and found out that the wheelchair accessible area is behind the last row of built-in seats.
At the first meeting on June 6th, we learned that Pillsbury House http://www.pillsburyhousetheatre.org/ is way more than a theater where community groups put on plays.  PH is a Community center, providing health care, clothing exchange and several youth programs, as well as cultural and educational programs that benefit our neighbors and us.  (There’s a ton more, so Check em out.)  We had a tour that day of the upstairs facilities, which include studio space and a movement space.
I just want to extend my heartfelt appreciation for Intermedia Arts and Pillsbury House joining forces and secret powers to make this season’s Naked Stages Program possible.  Very flexible and creative thinking on the part of our arts community to keep art possible and indeed Probable.   Kudos where Kudos is due, y’all.  You RAWK!  (Lighting my lighter…)
Anyway, I am moving to a house within 12 blocks of the Pillsbury House, so I can take full advantage of the program.  Our next meeting is July 25th, and I will be filling you all in on that one.  Expect a few posts about my meetings with Henry and Krista in the meantime.  So far, meetings with HA have been extreeeemely fruitful.  Everything is lining up perfectly.  [lights dim to black…]

REDIRECT

So, now that I am firmly in the midst of the Naked Stages program, I have decided to turn “BaBblog” into an examination of this process from the artist’s (my) perspective.  All the preceding stuff was okay, but since I have this rather obvious involvement in something so worth talking about, I believe it is time to evolve.  I will probably delete all the previous postings as well as this one.  The links will remain and grow in number and in scope.  AND, since I don’t think this is an ideal spot to display my photographic work, I would encourage you to visit http://www.mnartists.org/Julia_E_Babb
Thank you.
[Lights dim to black…]

The Tuba and the German Shepherd

One summer, long long ago, my brother got to bring home a tuba to practice with.  Actually, it was a Sousaphone, since it wrapped around him like ammunition and its bell pointed straight outwards.  Anyway, first thing he did when he got home that last day of school was to go over to the German Shepherd’s backyard.  Or next door to it of course.  And wait.  But not too long, because, G.S. knew what was up and smelled you a halfablock before you got there.  Jeff waited to blow until right as the cursed beast was right across from him on the other side of the chain link fence.  But then, he blew!  And such a mighty blow (Concert A, as I remember) as blew that German Shepherd Whimpering! right back through his little doggie doorway….Dog was nice to all of us from henceforth.  Thank you Jeff.  And someday, maybe I will tell you the story of the goose.

Buskers on the Mall

Maybe you are thinking about backyard barbeques, or baseball, or well, whatever, But me, I cannot wait till the musicians are back on Nicollet Mall.  The Trumpet Player still gets out there if it is even semi-nice and let me tell you, I truly feel for his embouchure even still.  I miss my jazz Saxophone playing Rasta friend, Joseph, who is up from Mississippi and is one of the sweetest individuals you will ever meet.  And a sensitive sax man to boot.  Jazz from the Rasta.  Please look for him and tip him well. RAS tafari.

Then there is Mr. Patterson, who is an Architectural Artist of the Utmost.  He sketches well-known buildings in downtown Minneapolis and sells them to whoever will buy.   A very decent guy, Well worth sitting down and chatting with.  He will show you all he’s got.  Buy somethin’!  You got $20!

And last (for now) but not at all Least….Bri Dube.  An angel of a human being, with a voice that pours up the glass and metal canyon of Nicollet Mall, so that I can hear her from 2 blocks away…amazing and wonderful to hear–like some goddam river.  Like being called home.  Who else could make you miss the southeast and the southwest simultaneously?  Hmmm? Anyway, She is going to be at the Mapps Coffee shop on Riverside at Cedar (West Bank) for a fundraising event at 6pm on Friday the 13th, and then on Sunday, the 15th, She takes the stage at the 400 at 8pm.   I would not steer you wrong, my peoples.  Come see one or the other of these shows, eh?  You will Thank Me.  I Swear.
A link for the loveless:

http://www.myspace.com/theplanktonics

Kudos where kudos is due!…

Paulette Myers-Rich wins Minnesota Book Artist Award, 2009
http://www.mnbookarts.org/artistsprograms/bookartistaward.html
http://www.thefriends.org/mba_book_artist_award.html

It was a dark and icy night, and yet 50 people (give or take) ventured forth to celebrate the work and person of Paulette Myers-Rich.   Paulette’s dedication to enriching the world through the book arts has finally caught up with her, and I am proud to say I have worked with her.  I woulda been proud to say that regardless of the award, of course.  But I’m just sayin’…

• Paulette’s impeccable book birthing skills
• Paulette’s intense and heartfelt photographic works
• Paulette’s international literary bridge building with Irish artists
• Paulette’s understanding of, and connection with Joseph Beuys

And then of course, she’s funny.

On February 26th, at the Appointed time, after a Proper Amount of schmoozing and noshing—excellent food, by the way–we filed into the auditorium and as a community, were treated to some good natured, humorous rivalry from Last Year’s Book Artist of the Year (Jody Williams–who also is funny as all-get-out), some Audience Participation, and a very gracious delivery from Ms. Myers-Rich herself.  The two most memorable statements I caught that evening were: that Paulette considers herself to be of the “Malcolm X” school of art…i.e. “By any means necessary.”  (Which completely explains why we worked together so well.)
And then, a weirdly ingenious analogy between in vitro fertilization and the electronic “book”.  I can’t stop thinking about it!  Ack!  Give me ink and paper, leather and glue, or give me death!  Which is to say that I quite applaud PMR’s efforts to sustain this Humbly Grand art form.   And I am quite happy that she has been so recognized by those who know better than me.    The official ceremony and award giving: “Myers-Rich will receive special recognition and an award at the 21st annual Minnesota Book Awards gala on April 25, 2009 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel – Saint Paul Riverfront.”

Anyway, the show is only up for another couple of days—through Sunday 3/15, so gitchass over to the Open Book Building at 1101 Washington Avenue, go upstairs and dig Paulette Myer-Rich’s work.  You will thank me.

Betwixt

Besides being one of my favorite words, we in my art group challenged ourselves with coming up with a statement about the concept of Spaces Between.  Each of us interpreted this our own way.  Here’s my contribution:

How do we honorably inhabit this
space between yesterday and tomorrow?  How to
gracefully traverse this bridge
between where we’ve come from and where we are going
between what we know for certain and what we will never
figure out
as long as we live?  We are all being born
constantly, over and over every day,
and yet we die a little in every moment.
Very few of us are absolutely one thing
or the other
and yet we work hard at rejecting the gray areas
the middle ground.

How do we balance here then
within our left-rightness, our inward outerness, our upward downs
and our old newness?
Someone once said that it is
where two or more systems come together
that interesting and compelling things occur
Ah–new systems result!  How do we
integrate these paradoxes, reach
across these divides and unite these disparate
aspects of being human on earth?
How to embrace and honor the differences
while creating and welcoming new ones?

Ambassador Julia-the Beckoning…

Something lovely is afoot.  (and sometimes, a foot is something lovely.)  Last year on 08.08.08 at 8:08p.m., something quite wonderful happened.  Here is the back story:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3eZvEIdmq4
Watching this caused me to laugh and cry simultaneously.  Kari Maxwell deserves the credit for turning me on to this, by the way.  Anyway, I responded to Amy’s call and am now an Ambassador of Lovely.  Because after the 18th thing was created, a plan was hatched to create a full length film full of lovely things created by people from all over the world.  And so, the adventure continues, and I invite you to be a part of it as well.  You don’t even have to make anything.  Just being appreciative is lovely in itself.  As a humble Ambassador, I have no idea what the whole plan is yet, but I am waiting to hear from my Ambassador of Ambassadors as to what my next assignment will be.

So far, I received in the mail some small cards with the youtube address on it with the assignment that I give these to people to heighten awareness of the project.  I have had some real fun with this, going to art events and observing the other people there, and giving a card to whoever I realized was also fun, especially observant, curious, or otherwise clearly receptive to loveliness.  Another approach I used was to run up to people (which usually surprised them!), hand them a card, and then run away as fast as I could (I am guessing this further surprised them, but I really don’t know, because I didn’t look back).  I need to make some more cards–I only have a few left.  I am also inspired to make some cards of my own.  I have not decided what to put on them yet, but it will most likely be something simple but memorable that hopefully makes them smile or laugh or think…

Some additional links, because I love to link you…

http://whoisamy.wordpress.com/

and the newest…

http://thebeckoningoflovely.wordpress.com/

Did I say “Cool Astronomy Event”? January 24th, 2009

http://www.universetoday.com/2009/01/14/comet-lulin-is-on-the-way/

And please…if you are in an area unaffected by light pollution, for ‘heavens’ sakes, get out there with your video camera and then post it for us city folks, eh?

Longfellow 7 Rides Again

I am fortunate to belong to a great art collective, the Longfellow Seven, or “L7-Not the Band” as we are more fondly known.  There are of course, 7 of us and our geographical center  (and where most of us reside) is the Longfellow neighborhood of Minneapolis, thus the name.  We are a fairly diverse group artistically, ranging from painters and photographers (some of us are both!) to one lone ceramicist/printmaker, our Claudia.  We met as proteges in the Womens Art Registry of MN (WARM) Mentor program and clicked so well that even though our 2-year cycle ended in December of ’08, we are committed to remaining a force to be reckoned with.  We are pretty ambitious and are in the midst of planning shows for the next couple of years.  Watch for our “7×7″ and “Spaces Between” shows!  Never one to leave you link-less, I invite you to click here and check out what L7 is really all about.

http://l7artcollective.blogspot.com/