MURKETING

To Do in Portland, OR: Soldier Portraits opening

This coming Thursday night, July 3, is the opening of (extra-special adviser to Murketing) Ellen Susan‘s Soldier Portraits show, at the Blue Sky Gallery in Portland. Plus: Lecture Saturday July 5. Time and location details below.

More about the project at American Photo‘s State of the Art blog; in the June 2008 issue of Photo District News; and in the June/July 2008 issue of The South. And of course at SoldierPortraits.com. Here’s a brief extract from the latter:

The project consists of portrait photographs of soldiers of the United States Army, primarily of the 3rd Infantry Division. The goal of the project is to look at a person in military uniform and to see that person as a unique individual…

The photographs are made using the 150 year old collodion wet plate process — the same process that was used to document much of the period (and many of the soldiers) of the Civil War.

SOLDIER PORTRAITS
July 3 – August 2, 2008
Blue Sky Gallery
122 NW 8th Avenue
Portland, Oregon
Open Tuesday through Sunday, 12 – 5 pm

Opening Reception July 3, 6pm

Lecture July 5, 3pm

(Also showing: Some guy named Rauschenberg. From Texas, I think.)

–> More Soldier Portraits images are also included in group shows at Rayko Photo Center, San Francisco, July 18 – August 24 and at The Photographic Resource Center, Boston, through July 2, 2008, as well as at the Jepson Center for the Arts at the Telfair Museum, Savannah, GA, through July 8, 2008.

To Do: Boston (area) Buying In event tonight

So … If you’re in the Boston area, and you took advantage of my earlier open call to join me at an invitation-only party for Buying In, then I’ll see you tonight. And maybe you’ll even pick up an outstanding limited edition (of 50) poster by none other than Amy Jo, pictured above. (More on Amy Jo later.)

And if you’re in Boston and you simply ignored my open invitation … well … what can I tell you?

UPDATE: Huge thanks to the folks at Continuum, and to all the friends, old and new, who made it out. A very fun evening for me, and I hope for you all, too.

Tonight’s event

Friday night July 13 is the New York event for Buying In. It’s at the Art Directors Club, 106 W 29th St. (Doors 6:30, activity starts at 7.) Free and open to the public.

I’ll be in conversation with Danielle Sacks of Fast Company, and then taking audience questions. Books will be sold and signed, a limited number of beautiful letterpress posters will be given away for free, Barking Irons will be screenprinting (and selling) T’s on the spot, Fast Company will be giving out free magazines. Plus catering, booze, and mingling, all put together by PSFK.

Now I mentioned all this a while ago, and maybe you clicked through and RSVPed, or maybe you clicked through and learned that it was “sold out.” Several people have asked: How can a free event be “sold out”? The anwer is that the number of RSVPs exceeded the amount of space available — but of course we have no way of knowing how many of the RSVP-ers will actually show up. Or for that matter how many people who did not RSVP will show up anyway.

So that’s what’s going on; just trying to be as open about it as possible. If you did RSVP, I recommend that you show up — and in fact I recommend that you do so closer to 6:30 to 7. I think it’ll be a fun evening. Hope to see you there.

To Do in Richmond, VA: “Buying In” signing

This Thursday evening, June 5, I’ll be stopping by The Fountain Bookstore, in Richmond, VA, to sign copies of Buying In.

While this is an informal enough occurrence that I’m not even sure I can call it an “event,” I am informed by a spy in Richmond that they’ve got a picture of me on the door of the bookstore advertising the fact that I’ll be there. So I may as well tell you.

If you’re in Richmond, please stop by and say hello.

If you know anybody in Richmond, please tell them to stop by and say hello.

Details:

Thursday June 5 //  6 p.m.

Fountain Bookstore, Inc.
Historic Shockoe Slip
1312 E. Cary St.
Richmond, VA 23219

To Do In Chicago: ‘Buying In’ at Printers Row Book Fair

I’ve never been to Printers Row, but it appears to be a big event.

This time around — even I’ll be there! So if you’re in Chicago, come by. I may have some more on details & incentive on this front soon. Here is what I presently know:

Mark Bauerlein and Rob Walker

In conversation with Chicago Tribune columnist Eric Zorn

University Center /Lake Room: 525 S. State Street

Presented by McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum

Saturday, June 7th- 11 a.m.

Here is Mark Bauerlein’s site. Here is Eric Zorn’s blog. Here is the site of the book fair.

And now: You now know everything that I know. More later … perhaps.

To Do in NYC: Leif Parsons show

Leif Parsons, who had a wonderful run as the illustrator of Consumed, has a show coming up (with his friend Duane Burton) — in fact the opening is Thursday night. Details:

Invisible NYC
148 Orchard Street NYC
May 29th through June 28th
[Tuesday through Saturday from 12-8)

Opening Thursday May 29th 7-10

Check it out!

Save

To Do in NYC: “Buying In” event June 13

As I assume most of you know, since I can’t shut up about it, Buying In comes out June 3. On Friday the 13th of June, I’ll be in New York doing an event to promote that book.

It’s at the Art Directors Club, 106 W 29th St. I will speak and read briefly, be interviewed by Fast Company‘s Danielle Sacks, take questions, then mingle and sign books or whatever.

Barking Irons, who are in the book, will be on hand doing a live screen printing session and will sell you a T-shirt made on the spot. I’ll also be giving away some letterpress posters featuring the above design, created by F-2 Design. Also we’re working a special guest DJ set. Not only that: “Drinks and canapes will be served.” Everyone will have a wonderful time.

I hope you’ll come. Additional details (and RSVP) is here

This event would not be possible without PSFK, to who whom I say: Thank you.

Also thank you to sponsor Fast Company. That’s another thing: You can pick up the June issue of Fast Company — which just so happens to include an excerpt from Buying In — while you’re there .

Other news: Q&A with Eyecube here. Thoughtful writeups in Weatherpattern and Core77 and Lifefilter. Kind mention in Slate. Many pictures of people at Likemind events pretending to enjoy the book here. Other recent Buying In stuff here.

To Do in Portland: “Overstock”

Opening tomorrow night at Jáce Gáce, 2045 SE Belmont, Portland, OR: Overstock. To create this installation, the artist maxed a number of credit cards. He plans on returning everything for a refund after the show comes down.

Selected details:

In the installation, Overstock, Chris Held unites the messages of product marketing and religious practice by creating a monolithic shrine to the modern commodity. Masses of stacked goods ascend skyward towards a peak….

Behind the scenes, Overstock is powered by credit cards and box-store return policies. By taking advantage of offerings such as 0%APR on purchases to obtain goods he’s intent on returning, Held preys on a system of consumer seduction….

Through April 25. Reception April 4, 6 p.m.-Midnight.

Garbage thinking and trash talk

A surprisingly interesting piece in the Times today mulls the meaning of garbage. Snippet:

There is also much to understand about the odd place garbage now holds in middle-class life. At least in part the impulse to redeem garbage and its handlers is found not only in these windows. Spurred by environmental concerns, attitudes have been shifting.

Instead of wanting to excommunicate our trash, we often treat it as if it were not refuse at all. We classify our waste, create different containers for it and carefully label it, the way we would collections of cherished objects. We are even instructed to rinse some garbage.

Coincidentally I just learned that the next installment of Adult Ed, a really cool-sounding series of events in Brooklyn that almost makes me wish I still lived up yonder, is also trash-related. “Trash and The City” features guest lecturers Benjamin Miller (author of Fat of the Land), Robin Nagle (anthropologist in residence at NYC Dept of Sanitation), Michael Mandiberg (Eyebeam research fellow), and Gertrude Berg (artist “who takes care of her own trash.”)

April 8 at Union Hall in Park Slope. Details here.

To Do in Los Angeles: Poketo First Editions Print Show

The folks at Poketo (subject of August 20, 2006 Consumed) have moved into a new studio space in downtown L.A., and are ringing it in with a show, “First Editions,” featuring limited edition prints by an impressive roster that includes Little Friends of Printmaking, Kate Bingaman-Burt (Consumed November 19, 2006), and none other than former Consumed illustrator Leif Parsons. Details here.

March 22, 6-10 p.m.
Poketo Studio
510 Hewitt Street No. 506
LA

To Do in NYC: Design & The Elastic Mind

Core77.com has a good interview with Paola Antonelli about the Design and the Elastic Mind show that she curated for MoMA. Between that and the rave review by by Nicolai Ouroussoff in the NYT, among other reasons, I certainly hope to get up there to see the show.

Actually the review was such a rave it made me a little queasy; I don’t share “an unwavering faith in the transformative powers of technology,” and I’m more than a little tired of uncritical celebrations of capital-d Design. Even so, I recommend checking out the review as especially the Antonelli interview from Core77 . She’s so smart and articulate and passionate about what she’s doing, it’s a real pleasure to hear her talk about it.

And if any of you make it to the show anytime soon, I’d love to hear your take.

To Do in NYC: “Behind the Seen”

This sounds interesting: Michael De Feo has curated a show called “Behind The Seen”:

Assembling a group of well known street artists from around the world, De Feo invited the participants to showcase work they’re not typically recognized for. Behind the Seen includes personal projects, works in different mediums or styles and pieces not necessarily intended for view on the streets. The mediums include paintings, drawings, photographs and sculptures by over 30 artists from around the world.

The show runs December 13 through January 20th at Ad Hoc Art in Brooklyn. Opening reception December 13, from 7 to 9 pm.

To Do in New Orleans: PhotoNOLA / Soldier Portraits

PhotoNOLA is “a monthlong celebration of photography in New Orleans.” Many interesting exhibitions at many venues, with events from November 30 through December 15.

I direct your attention in particular to:

“Ellen Susan: Soldier Portraits”

December 1, 2007 – February 7, 2008.
New Orleans Photo Alliance
1111 St. Mary Street, New Orleans, LA.
Opening Reception Dec 1st, 6 – 9 pm.
Gallery Talk Dec 2nd, 6 pm.

Ellen Susan is the person occasionally referred to on this site, as well as in Letters From New Orleans, as E; that is to say: my wife. The images in “Soldier Portraits” were made using 19th-century process called wet-plate collodion, and for this project has made images of soldiers mostly from the 3rd Infantry Division of the Army, which is partly based near where we now live, in Savannah. A number of these soldiers have since deployed to Iraq, in some cases for the second or third time.

Obviously we’ll be in New Orleans for this. You or your N.O. friends should stop by the show.

To Do in Houston: Amy Evans’ “The History of Objects”

“The History of Objects: New Paintings By Amy Evans,” November 29 through December 29, 2007. Opening reception November 29, 6-9 pm. Koelsch Gallery, 703 Yale Street in the Space City.

To Do in Georgia: two craft fairs to choose from

Here in Savannah — in fact, here in my neighborhood — it’s the Mutations fair. Gallery exhibition/opening Friday night, the fair itself Saturday and Sunday, all at Starland. More info here.

And in Atlanta, it’s the latest iteration of the ever-more-popular Indie Craft Experience. Saturday at the B Complex. (ICE is co-run by friend of Murketing Christy Petterson, a/k/a a bardis.) The timing never quite works out for me to go to this, but I’ll make it at some point. . .