From Art News Blog:

Here’s an interesting video that combines graffiti and animation. They don’t sound like two art forms that would easily go together but BLU proves that they do happily mix. He has some more graffiti on his blog here too.. very impressive stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuGaqLT-gO4

Caption: Representatives of the Johnston County Arts Council and the Public Library of Johnston County and Smithfield attended The Big Read National Orientation on June 8-9, 2008 in Minneapolis, MN. From left to right, Ruby Smith, Public Library of Johnston County and Smithfield, National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Dana Gioia, and Jessica Meadows, Executive Director of the Johnston County Arts Council.

The Johnston County Arts Council and the Public Library of Johnston County and Smithfield today announced that they have received a $6,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to host The Big Read in Johnston County.

Johnston County is one of 208 communities nationwide to receive a grant to host The Big Read from September 2008-June 2009. The Big Read gives communities the opportunity to come together to read, discuss, and celebrate one of 23 selections from American and world literature. The Big Read in Johnston County will focus on To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Activities will take place from January 31-February 28, 2009.

The latest Big Read grantees represent 46 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. To date, the NEA has given more than 500 grants to support local Big Read projects.

“As The Big Read grant is the first time Johnston County has received direct funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, we are both honored and excited to embark on what will become the Arts Council’s most ambitious and extensive program in the organization’s 36 year history, with the goal of reaching every Johnston County resident,” stated Jessica Meadows, Executive Director of the Johnston County Arts Council.

Read the rest of this entry »

From the Art News Blog:

This article was interesting to me because of its controversial subject matter.  The Chapman brothers have done this before, essentially what others would call defacement, by adding smiley faces to Goya etchings.  I guess I’m ok with them doing this to Hitler’s paintings; I can see the point they are making.  However, its not cool with me that they messed with the Goya etchings - what’s next?  Putting a unicorn into Van Gogh’s Starry Night?  Let me know what you think.

Brothers Jake and Dinos Chapman have added some psychodelic rainbows and and hearts to their Adolf Hitler paintings that they bought at auction for £115,000 and are now selling them for £685,000. The paintings which will be sold as one work is called “If Hitler had been a Hippy How Happy Would We Be”

He hoped the defacement of Hitler’s work, which includes landscapes, vistas of Roman ruins and still life, which the dictator painted when he was young, would have him “spinning”. The changes they had added meant it was no longer Hitler’s work, he added.

“If hell exists and Hitler exists in it, he would be spinning if he saw these. It’s not his work any more. It’s our work,” he said. Independent

The Chapman brothers’ exhibition can be seen at the White Cube Gallery in London.

 The next performance scheduled for the Music for the Lunch Bunch series is Thursday, July 17th at 12:15pm at First Presbyterian Church in Smithfield. Camille Boone will present several vocal selections and Greta Hanks will perform on piano.

Camille H. Boone graduated from Atlantic Christian College with a B.S. in Music and received a Master of Music from Meredith College. After teaching in the Johnston County Schools for 28 years, Camille is now retired, although she remains the Choir Director at First Presbyterian Church in Smithfield. Camille enjoys volunteering with the Johnston County Master Gardner Program and singing for residents at Smithfield Manor. Her hobbies include reading, knitting, rug hooking, and raising chickens, dogs and cats. She resides in Smithfield with her husband Tommy.

Greta Hanks is the 14 year old daughter of Jim and Lisa Hanks of Garner, NC. She is a rising 9th grader who has been homeschooled since kindergarten. Greta has been playing piano for 8 years, starting in the first grade. She is now the primary keyboardist at New Life Wesleyan Church in Garner, NC. This summer she will be attending the intensive piano camp at Meredith College for advanced young piano students. Greta is considering a college major in music. Her other interests include knitting, crocheting, and reading.

The Music for the Lunch Bunch is a series of summer concerts held every Thursday, at 12:15 pm, featuring local artists performing a variety of music, with particular emphasis on classical music.  The concert series is grassroots funded by the Johnston County Arts Council and the North Carolina Arts Council. There is no admission charge but donations are accepted. 

Through the North Carolina Arts Council’s Regional Artist Project Grant Program, artists from Franklin, Johnston, Vance, Wake and Warren can receive grant awards for projects that will further their professional development. Previously funded projects have included attendance at professional development workshops and conferences, purchase of art equipment to aid in the production of artwork, production of new works and production of promotional materials, such as a portfolio or demo tape. Grants are intended for emerging and professional artists in all disciplines.

Application forms are now available. Contact the Johnston County Arts Council at 919/553-1930 to request an application. Completed applications are due Friday, September 19, 2008. Grants are available for up to $1,500 and are awarded on a competitive basis.

To be eligible, an artist must be at least 18 years of age, have lived in the five county region for at least one year and not be currently enrolled in a degree program. Additional requirements and stipulations are explained in the application guidelines. Since Regional Artist Project Grants are competitive, a workshop will be held Wednesday, July 23, 2008 at 6:00 pm in the conference room of the Johnston County Arts Council, 231 East Second St., Clayton to assist artists in preparing for the grant application process. Applicants are strongly encouraged to seek assistance with their applications.

The Regional Artist Project Grant Program receives major funding from United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County and the North Carolina Arts Council, an agency funded by the State of North Carolina and the National Endowment for the Arts with additional support provided by Franklin County Arts Council, Johnston County Arts Council, Vance County Arts Council, and Warren County Arts Council.

Regional Artist Grant Application 

One of my guiltiest pleasures is entertainment gossip and celebrity news.  I DVR Best Week Ever and The Soup and subscribe to MSN’s Entertainment blog.  So mixing my two faves (Celebrities and Art) is a dream come true.  You REALLY have to go and check out all of these entries-HILARIOUS! 

From Art News Blog:

The Worth1000 website is always an interesting waste of time for me. It’s a site of Photoshop contests, where artists try and out manipulate, blur, cut, transform, and paste each other. It’s people using computer software to change pictures for those that don’t know what Photoshop is.

One of their regular contests is called “Modern Renaissance” which asks contestants to put the celebrities of today into old paintings.

See all the entries over at Worth1000’s Modern Renaissance 9 contest.

Here’s some previous posts with Nicole Kidman & David Beckham, Jennifer Lopez and Nicole Kidman, and an Alien Mona Lisa.

From The Revolution: A Manifesto:

Some Americans appear to believe that there would be no arts in America were it not for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), an institution created in 1965. They cannot imagine things being done any other way, even though they were done another way throughout our country’s existence, and throughout most of mankind’s history. While the government requested $121 million for the NEA in 2006, private donations to the arts totaled $2.5 billion that year, dwarfing the NEA budget. The NEA represents a tiny fraction of all arts funding, a fact few Americans realize. Freedom works afer all. And that money is almost certainly better spent than government money: NEA funds go not necessarily to the best artists, but to people who happen to be good at filling out government grant applications. I have my doubts that the same people populate both categories.

I knew that the NEA made a minority contribution to the arts, but I didn’t realize that it was only 5% of the size of the private sector’s. One would think that the private sector could take up the slack created by the NEA’s elimination, particularly if it were timed to coincide with a decrease of taxation, made possible by the immediate end to our pathetic misadventures in empire-building abroad.

I’ve said it before: I’d like to know what distinguishes the collection or exhibition of a living artist’s work by a publicly funded museum and any other kind of corporate welfare.

Oh, and the last sentence of that excerpt? Hard to argue.

Check out the following events for things to do right here in Johnston County!  Save Gas, Stay Home! 

Tell me about any events you attend and how they were!

Clayton Visual Arts Exhibit, The Clayton Center , Clayton, July 1-31. Call 919-553-1737 for more details. The artists for the July Exhibit will be David Crews (water media), Phil Pyle (drawing), and Juliann Butcher (photgraphy). The reception will be July 10 from 6:00-7:30 PM. The public is invited.

Country Tonight! July 4, Corner of Webb & Waddell Streets, Selma, NC. Call 252-237-6199 for more information. Come for a family night of Country music, old and new, with Bobby Lynn and the Country Tonight Band! Bobby previously played on the Mel Tillis Show. Al Cotter brings his character “Cousin Brossy” to the stage with lots of good humor and fun. Doors open at 7pm, Show starts at 7:45pm.

2008 Music for the Lunch Bunch; July 10, First Presbyterian Church, Smithfield, NC. Call 919-553-1920 for more information. Vocalist Genevieve Berge Woodall and Flutist Brandon Allen will perform. The Music for the Lunch Bunch is a series of summer concerts held every Thursday, at 12:15 pm, featuring local artists performing a variety of music, with particular emphasis on classical music.

Country Tonight!; July 11, Corner of Webb & Waddell Streets, Selma, NC. Call 252-237-6199 for more information. Enjoy a country music show with comedy. Featured this week is the Malpass Brothers with comedian “Tater Roads”. Chris Malpass opens for Merle Haggard concerts and some Ray Price concerts. This is a family show with lots of good humor and great country music! Doors open at 7pm, Show starts at 7:45pm.

All About Ballroom Sizzling Summer Showcase, July 12, The Clayton Center, Downtown Clayton.  Call 771-0708 for more details. This event will showcase the talent of the All About Ballroom students performing Rhythm and Ballroom dances.  VIP tickets ($20) get you into the show and access to refreshments; $12 General Admission gets into the show only.  Tickets are available at the studio (919-771-0108) or online at the Clayton Center box office.

Read the rest of this entry »

The next performance scheduled for the Music for the Lunch Bunch series is Thursday, July 10th at 12:15pm at First Presbyterian Church in Smithfield. Genevieve Woodall will present several vocal selections and Brandon Allen will perform on flute. Genevieve Medlin Berge Woodall is a native of Smithfield and a familiar face in the Johnston music community. A soprano, Genevieve is a frequent soloist and past conductor of the Johnston County Chorale. She is an honor graduate of The Julliard School and received a Master of Music degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She also served on the voice faculty of St. Mary’s College of Maryland for five years. Genevieve has directed choirs, taught voice and diction, and has performed leading roles in opera, oratorio, musical comedy and drama in various parts of the United States.

Brandon Allen is a rising junior at West Johnston High School and is currently principal flute in West Johnston Wind Ensemble under the direction of Mr. M. Lance Britt. Brandon will be leading the West Johnston Marching Band as a drum major this fall in national competitions and in the 2008 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. He has received tutoring under Ms. Clare Hawes of Fort Mill, South Carolina and also performs regularly at First Baptist Church of Smithfield under the direction of Mrs. Kelley Garris. Brandon is a member of the First Baptist Church Youth Group and also enjoys tennis, traveling, and mission service through various church ministries. Brandon will be accompanied by Kelley Garris on piano.

The Music for the Lunch Bunch is a series of summer concerts held every Thursday, at 12:15 pm, featuring local artists performing a variety of music, with particular emphasis on classical music.  The concert series is grassroots funded by the Johnston County Arts Council and the North Carolina Arts Council. There is no admission charge but donations are accepted.

Another post from Art News Blog (I might as well stop writing my own blog posts and just send you directly there)

Google has celebrated the birthday of Marc Chagall with a new logo on their homepage. If I didn’t know it was supposed to say “Google” I wouldn’t know there was a word there, but I think it’s one of their better logos. It represents the artist more than the Google logo.

Marc Chagall born 7 July 1887 - died 28 March 1985.

“Only love interests me, and I am only in contact with things I love.”
Marc Chagall

“If a symbol should be discovered in a painting of mine, it was not my intention. It is a result I did not seek. It is something that may be found afterwards, and which can be interpreted according to taste.”
Marc Chagall

“But perhaps my art is the art of a lunatic, I thought, mere glittering quicksilver, a blue soul breaking in upon my pictures.”
Marc Chagall