STORM KING

So somehow you seem to have missed my brother getting married in Hudson, NY  last weekend. What's up with that? What's worse, I didn't see you at the STORM KING ART CENTER, either. Both were beautiful. But if you prefer outdoor sculpture to hanging out with my family, you really missed out on the latter. Widely celebrated as one of the world’s leading sculpture parks,  Storm King Art Center has welcomed visitors from across the globe for fifty years.  It is located only one hour north of New York City, in the lower Hudson Valley,  where its pristine 500-acre landscape of fields, hills,  and woodlands provides the setting for a collection of more than  100 carefully sited sculptures created by  some of the most acclaimed artists of our time.
And this had to be the sooper most perfect time to visit. The Autumn leaves were INSANE!

Big sculptures,

little sculptures,

metal,

wood,

stone.

They're everywhere

and perfectly placed within

the environment.

We especially loved this kinetic sculpture called

SEA CHANGE:

My brother doesn't plan on getting married again, so you missed out on that. But Storm King isn't going anywhere. So get over there before all the leaves are gone!

THE VISITORS by RAGNAR KJARTANSSON

As I mentioned in my previous post  about visiting LA's new  contemporary art museum The Broad, there was one piece  that totally blew me away. THE VISITORS  by  RAGNAR KJARTANSSON

It's

an hour long,

one take film

of nine musicians,

each on their own enormous screen,

performing the same haunting

and ethereal song.

The performers gathered in a moldering 

mansion in upstate New York,

each in a separate room,

each with their own story,

each playing their piece of 

the hypnotic and ever-changing song.

I could have stayed there for hours,

watching, listening and wondering!

Here's a bit of it I found online:

Wherever you are, I hope you get a chance to see this piece in person!

KIDS NEXT DOOR ON YOUR WALL!

While 

Codename: Kids Next Door

was in production

there were assorted attempts

to get the kids of

Sector V

up on your wall.

For example,

this hand-painted limited edition cel

that was created by 

Acme Archives:

We worked on the drawing with them for a couple months and

then they sent me all 300 cels to sign.

I tried to sign 20 a day

while I was on the phone,

usually with 

sooper powerful 

Cartoon Network

executive

Khaki Jones.

Rarer still was this 

cel of the KND shooting hoops.

I think this was created

as a gift for those who worked at 

Turner Sports.

I'm not even sure I have one of these anymore:

And I 

KNOW

I don't have one of these:

This was a print on canvas

and I can't remember what it was for.

Maybe the premiere of the show?

I know I had one hanging up at

Curious Pictures.

But it was too big to lug with me to

Los Angeles.

Not many were made so they're pretty rare.

You can find all these in various 

outlets online.

They're not cheap...

but they're around.

THE ARTLESSNESS OF MIDDLE SCHOOL

So my oldest son is going into middle school.

And like his weirdo parents,

he's less of a math/science kid

and more of an artsy creative kid.

So we've been looking for a school that'll

embrace his creative side.

Problem is...

there are very few schools that 

push the arts.

Sure, there are schools that stress

PERFORMING ARTS...

but not

VISUAL ARTS!

Every school has a 

band

and a

chorus

and 

school plays.

But barely any art classes.

Maybe an

'art on a cart'

teacher might come in once a week.

But even that's disappearing.

WHY?

While playing an instrument 

or acting in a play is a wonderful thing...

how many of those students go on to a career

in music or acting?

I'd like to argue that more careers might come out of 

visual arts training.

Stuff like:

Illustration

Fashion Design

Editorial

Graphic Design

Advertising

Filmmaking

Game Design

Industrial Design

and let's not forget the 

poor saps who get into

Animation

Perhaps teaching visual art

is more subjective than

teaching music or acting?

Perhaps a play or a concert is 

considered more of a big ticket school event

 than an art show?

Everybody likes when their kids make art when they're young

So why are we chasing them away 

from it so early?

Anyway...

one of the schools in our area has some amazing

performing arts magnet programs and 

is just starting a visual arts program.

To apply,

kids need to present a portfolio

of their work.

There's even a place on the application

to include the URL for their online

portfolio if they have one!

LOL

I don't even have an online portfolio!

So we've been compiling some of my son's work

and having him work with an art tutor to help him 

create some new pieces to show.

And he's kinda kickin' butt.

Check it out:

Sooper proud dad over here!

TOM OTTERNESS

I got to visit my old

NYC stomping grounds over the holidays.

We ate and drank good:

We went ice skating:

Wandered the 

High Line:

And got to see the 

natural sculpture of NYC:

Speaking of sculpture,

I was reminded how much I love the work of

Tom Otterness

when we made our way through the 

14th street subway station.

His work literally

litters the place:

His pudgy little 

characters are tucked into 

all manner of crack and crevice:

I wish I had time to track them all down,

but here are some other pieces he's done for assorted 

other places:

And while I love the work of Mr. Otterness,

he's not without controversy.

When he was young he made an

"art film"

(sic)

where he adopted a dog and then shot it.

He has apologized profusely for doing 

something so heinous in his youth,

but that didn't stop

someone from adding their own

unauthorized fake

Tom Otterness

sculpture to the subway.

Another reason I love

NYC!