Vote Transit!

I'm super pissed that the price of the monthly is being raised, yet again. The MTA is fining the people that use it the most, their most loyal customers. And with noticeable service cuts (hello ten minutes late to work today), they are charging more for a worsening product. Not only does this personally affect me, and many of you, but more importantly it makes the fares prohibitively expensive to our fellow new yorkers who are not as fortunate as us to have a salary as high as mine. On a personal level the 17% (!) raise stretches my already stretched pay, and even paying back student loans and medical bills I can still afford it, I just won't go out to dinner, or see a movie. Consider the single parents, the perpetually unemployed, those who work several jobs, the disabled, etc and need the public transit to make their lives work, and also need the extra dollars to make ends meet.

I rarely support organized rallies, but this is my community, my city and my problem. This is our public transit. I'm going to this rally, for you, for me, and for those who cannot go to advocate for themselves and I hope that you will join me!

Details below- and info on the raise at this link-

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/07/m-t-a-meets-to-increase-transit-fares/?partner=rss&emc=rss

And from the Transportation Alternatives site:

VOTE TRANSIT! A rally to stop the fare hike and future service cuts.

Vote Transit! A rally to end fare hikes and service cuts

On October 27th, Transportation Alternatives' Rider Rebellion campaign is hosting a rally to stop the fare hike and future service cuts, "VOTE TRANSIT!"

Just days before the election, transit riders from all five boroughs will come together with a single message: if you want transit riders to stand up in NYC and vote for you on November 2nd, then stand up in Albany and vote for transit!

New York City's transit riders are tired of fare hikes, tired of service cuts, tired of dirty stations and tired of elected officials that won't do what's necessary to end New York City's public transit crisis. To fight the fare hike and future service cuts, the New York State Legislature must take bold action in 2011.

Be there!

Music and performances
Special guest speaker: TBA
Representatives from all of the major political parties

Start: October 27, 2010 - 5:30pm

End: October 27, 2010 - 7:00pm

Location:

Union Square, south side

East 14th St and Union Square East
Manhattan

Parson's BFA: Outside the studios

Sometimes the most interesting things were not the art in the studios but hanging out on the walls surrounding the studios.






Taken at Parsons.

Parson's BFA

Most of the time BFA work impresses me less than MFA work. This was not the case in one of the BFA studios at Parson's.
Maybe it was the quality of the illustrations, the technique. Maybe its because I love using butcher paper for final work, the paper's quality I find sultry, alluring and non conformist. It whispers sweet nothings in my ear. Plus it always manipulates the medium in really interesting and textural ways.
Maybe its because the artist took something that isn't really that interesting (his/her friends) and tweaked it so I, too, care. Maybe that tweaking also made the fact that the work appears in a series not bother me.
Bad-da-da-da-da I'm lovin' it.

Photos of photos

I really enjoyed these photos from the Parson's MFA open studios. A hint of humor, a second glance is required.
I hate mounting anything with push pins- I'll let it slide because its only an open studio...

Art-o-rama: Parson's take one

So- this is what happens after art school ends. The floor falls out and this entire fantasy land that is a community where everyone talks about art just no longer exists. If one moves to NYC then one no longer has any sort of real studio space, and their poor roommate has to suffer a cluttered living room full of art making stuffs. There is no critical discourse, no exhibition, no fostering of the creative from one's peers.
This is why I LOVE going to the MFA open studios in New York. Last week Parson's, Hunter, and Columbia had their kiddies open up their studios and let me in. And anyone who wanted free wine. And I got to tell them art kids what I thought or their work, which I'm sure they really wanted to hear all about it.
Here is a small selection from Parson's. I have so many photos and not enough time to process them all, or edit them down. But this is a start.
Charley was my accomplice. He was a way good sport about me geeking out and talking to everyone who interested me.
Here he is, after we filled out a scantron. This work was from the great Chris Mansour who went to undergrad with me.

Not that I found these particularly interesting, but they reminded me of little Eames birds, on really big poops. I hope someone brought that up during crit.
This work was done by my former boss when I was working in Chicago. It was so crazy to walk in and be all like- HEY! I know you! And you're MARRIED?
My brian exploded a bit, and then Charley and I admired his landscape which only came to its truest form when viewed through the binoculars.
Charley said he had this book as a child. Weird. It's all MILF-y and Jesus-ey at the same time.
This makes Charley important.
The Importance of Being Charley.

Beauty Bar got soul

My ol' college buddy, Brett met us and we totally did that thing where we mixed some vodka into a bottle of something else (juice, seltzer, etc) and drank in Union Square. You know, that slick high school style.
But it's summer! And it was wonderful. There was live music because there were some people jammin' to our left, and some tall guy who was carrying a sign that one side claimed he was a reki shamin and the other side said he was a jewish rapper. I kinda heart Union Square and its character.
But when we had enough of that, we traipsed over to Beauty Bar, kinda on a whim.
I've never been to Beauty Bar on a Thursday, but that is changing right quick. The most amazing music was being played, an amazing combination of soul, motown, and oldies, both popular and kinda obscure. They were all hits and I was kinda sorry to leave. We must thank DJ Johnathan Toubin for the jamz.
And Katie was tragically spilled on.

Guggenheim: Cai Guo-Qiang

The Guggenheim is one of the best places to really see art. It feels like they just give the artist free reign to do as the please in the space. What you get is from the horses mouth art. Just the way it was intended to be viewed. My first Gugg visit was a Claus Oldenburg exhibit. I've also seen Mathew Barney. This time it was Cai Guo-Qiang. Amazing, it was all explosions, objects hanging from the ceiling, a river with a boat you could travel in, and a shit ton of stuffed animal wolves. Photography was not really allowed so I snuck a few in.


Later we went to Union Square and introduced our lovely Aussie artist in our residence to the exhibitionists in the space. We made her take photos with all of them.

WTF is with Forever 21 Mannequins?

These photos are from the Union Square Forever 21. I don't get it. Not only are they really poorly styled, but the poses? Look at them getting all dirty in the back of the line.
Zebra print underwear with a orange coat and knee highs! Fashion!
I mean... It is Forever 21.