Bill Radawec
June 30, 2008
Chris Burden's Skyscraper Sculpture Unveiled in Manhattan
At Rockefeller Center
Presented by Public Art Fund
Hosted by Tishman Speyer
June 11 Ð July 19, 2008
"I have always wanted to build a model skyscraper using Erector parts. The model skyscraper, built from a toy and 65 feet in height, takes on the dimensions of a full sized building. The circle of actual buildings inspiring a toy in 1909, which is then used to build a model skyscraper the size of an actual building in 2008, is a beautiful metamorphosis."
ÑChris Burden
This summer, internationally renowned artist Chris Burden will exhibit a new sculpture at Rockefeller Center in New York Ñ WHAT MY DAD GAVE ME, a dramatic, 65-foot-tall skyscraper made entirely of toy construction parts. Standing more than six stories tall at the Fifth Avenue entrance to the Channel Gardens, WHAT MY DAD GAVE ME will pay homage to the historic skyscrapers that populate New York and give the city its iconic architectural presence. WHAT MY DAD GAVE ME will be on view, free and open to the public, from June through July 2008. The exhibition is presented by the Public Art Fund and hosted by Tishman Speyer, co-owners of Rockefeller Center.
WHAT MY DAD GAVE ME will be by far the most complex artwork that Chris Burden has ever made, comprised of approximately one million stainless steel parts that are replicas of Erector set pieces, the popular 20th-century children's building toy. Over the past decade, the artist has been using these specially stamped stainless steel metal parts based precisely upon those of the original Erector set to create complex and elegant sculptures of bridges. Intricately engineered to support and bear enormous weight, Burden's colossal toy constructions showcase the versatility, simplicity, and strength of their unassuming parts, combining technical sophistication with a child-like enthusiasm: building for building's sake.
In 1912, an inventor named A.C. Gilbert created the first Erector set, inspired by the steel framework of skyscrapers that he saw under construction in New York City, then at the height of a building boom. The Erector Mysto Type IÑthe first set Gilbert madeÑwas a collection of small metal girders, which could be assembled with miniature nuts and bolts. Burden's fascination with this originalÑand now rareÑbuilding kit led him to create his own replica parts, fashioned in stainless steel and electro-plated to produce a polished nickel finish in order to make them weatherÑand rustÑresistant.
Despite being constructed with toys, WHAT MY DAD GAVE ME will take on the dimensions of a full-scale building. Burden anticipates that its construction will require approximately one million parts total, and that the sculpture will weigh over seven tons when complete. Models and collectibles have long been important in Burden's work, reflecting his fascination with humankind's industrial ingenuity and creativity, investigating relationships between power and technology, nature and society, and enlightenment and destruction.
About the Artist
Chris Burden was born in 1946 in Boston, and currently lives and works in Los Angeles. He attended Pomona College, Claremont, California (BA, 1969) and University of California, Irvine (MA, 1971). In addition to his sculptures and installations, Burden is well-known for his live endurance works of the early 1970s, including Shoot (1971), the legendary performance in which he had a friend shoot him in the arm, and Five Day Locker Piece (1971), where he spent five days and nights in a school locker. In the late 1970s and 1980s, Burden moved away from body works to create a series of monumental kinetic sculptures involving engines and hydraulics, reflecting a fascination with engineering, invention, and technology that continues to influence his work today. Recently, Burden permanently installed 202 vintage streetlights outside the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in a piece titled, Urban Light (2008) to inaugurate its new Broad Contemporary Art Museum (BCAM).
Burden has held recent solo exhibitions at South London Gallery (2006); Gagosian Gallery, New York and Beverly Hills (2007 and 2004); BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead, England (2002); Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig, Vienna (2002); Gagosian Gallery, London (2002); Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach, California (2000); and Tate Gallery, London (1999).
Sponsorship
Organized by Public Art Fund and Hosted by Tishman Speyer. Public Art Fund and Tishman Speyer would like to thank Gagosian Gallery, Beverly Hills.
Location
Chris Burden's WHAT MY DAD GAVE ME will be exhibited at Fifth Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets, at the end of Rockefeller Center's Channel Gardens. Other Public Art Fund projects at Rockefeller Center: Anish Kapoor and Jonathan Borofsky.
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June 29, 2008
Rob Reiner - Director, Co-Star of "This Is Spinal Tap"
Rob Reiner
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Robert ÒRobÓ Reiner[1] (born March 6, 1947)[2] is an American actor, director, producer, writer and political activist. As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence as Archie and Edith Bunker's (played by Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton respectively) son-in-law, Michael "Meathead" Stivic, on All in the Family. That role earned him two Emmy Awards during the 1970s. As a director, Reiner was recognized by the Directors Guild of America (DGA) with nominations for Stand by Me, When Harry Met Sally..., and A Few Good Men. He was trained at the UCLA Film School.
Reiner was born in The Bronx, New York, the son of Estella (nŽe Lebost), an actress, and Carl Reiner, a comedian, actor, writer, producer, and director.[3] As a child, Reiner lived in New Rochelle, New York, where his family resided at 48 Bonnie Meadow Road. This is similar to 148 Bonnie Meadow Road, the fictional address of the Petries on The Dick Van Dyke Show, the 1960s CBS sitcom created by his father.
At the age of 13 Rob relocated with his family to the Los Angeles area, where he attended Beverly Hills High School with Richard Dreyfuss and Albert Brooks. He went on to enroll at the University of California, Los Angeles. He also has a sister, Sylvia Anne (Annie) Reiner (b. 1947), who is a poet, playwright and author; and a brother, Lucas Reiner (b. 1960), a painter, actor, and director.
Career
Reiner became famous playing Michael "Meathead" Stivic, Archie Bunker's liberal son-in-law, on Norman Lear's 1970s sitcom All in the Family, which was the most-watched television program for five years in the United States (1971Ð1978). The term "Meathead", referring to Reiner's character Mike Stivic in All in the Family, became a pop culture reference. Indeed, Reiner has stated that "I could win the Nobel Prize and theyÕd write 'Meathead wins the Nobel Prize.'"[4] In a 2004 interview on A&E Biography, Reiner said that he often enjoyed working with O'Connor on-screen, as well as becoming best friends and for having a second father-in-law, off-screen, too. Reiner continued being loyal to him until his death on June 21, 2001, at the time, he, alongside Sally Struthers and Danielle Brisebois attended O'Connor's funeral.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Reiner was best known as a director of successful Hollywood films. Some of these filmsÑsuch as The Princess Bride, Stand By Me and This Is Spinal TapÑ have achieved cult status. He has stated that the film which will go down as his masterpiece is Stand by Me. The film is also his favorite film of his own work.
Reiner went on to direct other critically and commercially successful films with his own company, Castle Rock, such as Misery, A Few Good Men, and his most commercially successful work - When Harry Met Sally..., which has become a classic romantic comedy.
Films
* Halls Of Anger - actor (1969)
* Fire Sale - actor (1977)
* The Jerk - Truck Driver (uncredited) (1979)
* This Is Spinal Tap - Director, co-star (1984)
* The Sure Thing - Director (1985)
* Stand By Me - Director (1986)
* The Princess Bride - Director (1987)
* When Harry Met Sally... - Director (1989)
* Misery - Director (1990)
* A Few Good Men - Director (1992)
* Sleepless in Seattle - Jay (1993)
* North - Director (1994)
* Bullets over Broadway - Actor (1994)
* The American President - Director (1995)
* Ghosts of Mississippi - Director (1996)
* The Story of Us - Director, actor (playing "Stan") (1999)
* EdTV - actor (playing "Whitaker") (1999)
* Alex & Emma - Director with a role as book publisher (2003)
* Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star - cameo as Himself (2003)
* Rumor Has It - Director (2005)
* Everyone's Hero - Voice of Screwie (2006)
* The Bucket List - Director (2007)
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June 28, 2008
Xiao Lei's (xiaozongyao) work from the series called
"The Lass who stole the Ring"
Xiao Lei (xiaozongyao)
Silver-bird
2008
80 x 100 cm
June 26, 2008
See more of Timothy Nolan's work at www.timothynolan.com
His work will be a part of the domestic setting exhibition called Tree Service.
domestic setting TREE SERVICE
Opening reception 5-8
Saturday July 12
July 12 thru August 9, 2008
June 25, 2008
Simulacra
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June 24, 2008
George Carlin on Death - RIP
George Carlin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12, 1937 Ð June 22, 2008)[17][18] was an American stand-up comedian, actor and author who won four Grammy Awards for his comedy albums.
Carlin was especially noted for his political and black humor and his observations on language, psychology, and religion along with many taboo subjects. Carlin and his "Seven Dirty Words" comedy routine were central to the 1978 U.S. Supreme Court case F.C.C. v. Pacifica Foundation, in which a narrow 5-4 decision by the justices affirmed the government's right to regulate Carlin's act on the public airwaves.
In the 2000s, Carlin's stand-up routines focused on the flaws in modern-day America. He often took on contemporary political issues in the United States and satirized the excesses of American culture.
He placed second on the Comedy Central cable television network list of the 10 greatest stand-up comedians, ahead of Lenny Bruce and behind Richard Pryor.[19] He was a frequent performer and guest host on The Tonight Show during the three-decade Johnny Carson era, and was also the first person to host Saturday Night Live.
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June 23, 2008
RIP Harriet (1830 - June 23, 2006)
A Darwin Believer (a real one)
Harriet (tortoise)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Harriet (c. 1830 Ð June 23, 2006) was a Gal‡pagos tortoise (Geochelone elephantopus porteri) who had an estimated age of 175 years at the time of her death in Australia. Harriet is the second oldest tortoise ever authenticated, the oldest being Tu'i Malila, who died in 1965 at the age of 188.
She was reportedly collected by Charles Darwin during his 1835 visit to the Gal‡pagos Islands as part of his round-the-world survey expedition, transported to England, and then brought to her final home, Australia, by a retiring captain of the Beagle. However, some doubt was cast on this story by the fact that Darwin had never visited the island that Harriet originally came from.
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June 22, 2008
Upcoming Group Exhibition at domestic setting in Los Angeles
June 21, 2008
Bill Radawec's Walking Sticks, the sequel series
are part of the Tree Service exhibition at domestic setting in Los Angels
See more images at www.billradawec.com
Walking Stick, the Sequel #24
1998 - 2008
Colored pencil, wood on paper
30 1/8 x 3 inches
Detail
See more images at www.billradawec.com
domestic setting
TREE SERVICE
Opening reception 5-8
Saturday July 12
July 12 thru August 9
Email your comments to Bill Radawec at bill@billradawec.com
Bill Radawec's Walking Sticks, the sequel series
are part of the Tree Service exhibition at domestic setting in Los Angels
See more images at www.billradawec.com
Walking Stick, the Sequel #23
2002 - 2008
Colored pencil, wood on paper
30 1/8 x 3 inches
Detail
See more images at www.billradawec.com
domestic setting
TREE SERVICE
Opening reception 5-8
Saturday July 12
July 12 thru August 9, 2008
June 19, 2008
David Cronenberg is Canada's David Lynch
Renee interviews for Eastern Promises
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June 18, 2008
10 Reasons I stopped eating Dinosaurs
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June 16, 2008
H.K. Zamani: Shelter from the Storm at Solway Jones
This exhibition continues through July 19, 2008
H.K. Zamani: Shelter from the Storm opens Saturday, June 14, 2008
This exhibition continues through July 19, 2008
H.K. (Habib Kheradyar) ZamaniÕs new paintings, sculpture and video continue the artistÕs investigations of material, substance, form and function that began with his Fabric and Armature paintings and objects from 1993 through 2003. Shelter from the Storm will include several new paintings that use as their subject a geodesic dome surrounded by planetary eclipses, densely painted with a mirror-like silver chrome surface.
Starting with the installation/performance from 2003, EDIFICE/OPEDIPUS (fabric covered dome), ZamaniÕs long personal interest with Buckminster FullerÕs signature architectural invention becomes a metaphor for tent-like references for private space and pays homage to the 1960s when alternative life styles sought out alternative means for shelter. These forms were first used for performative interactions, and in late 2004 became the subject matter for contemplations in a variety of traditional media. With the new works in Shelter from the Storm, H.K. Zamani instigates the necessity of returning to Buckminster Fuller's visionary concept of Spaceship Earth, questioning humanityÕs progress so far and initiating FullerÕs futurist ideas once again in a world filled with conflict.
Shelter from the Storm brings together works that explore the artistÕs return to traditional painting utilizing two and three-dimensional forms to convey both the exterior and interior space that occupy the need and desire for relief and transcendence. This is the artistÕs first solo exhibition with SolwayJones.
H.K. Zamani has exhibited at Kulturzentrum bei den Minoriten, Austria, Hohenthal und Bergen, Germany, Pierogi Gallery, New York, Kampa Museum, Czech Republic, and LINC, San Francisco. He was awarded a C.O.L.A. grant in 2004 and a California Foundation Grant in 2005.
H.K. (Habib Kheradyar) Zamani was born in Tehran, Iran. He currently lives and works in Los Angeles.
For more information go to www.artnet.com
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June 15, 2008
LA - Edgar Arceneax's Watts House Project
ABOUT WATTS HOUSE PROJECT
Watts House Project (WHP) is an artist-driven urban revitalization project centered around the historic Watts Towers in Watts, California. Directed by preeminent Los Angeles artist Edgar Arceneaux, WHP is a large-scale artwork-as-urban-development engaging art and architecture as a catalyst for expanding and enhancing community.
The neighborhood surrounding the Watts Towers presents a stark contrast to the well-maintained aesthetics of this national monument, and currently the residents have limited means to capitalize socially or economically on this cultural currency.
WHP operates with the understanding that social and economic challenges are tied to basic ecological problems and aims to develop an incremental, nuanced and sustainable model that marries ecological concerns and practice with social and cultural remedies. By creating a physical and social infrastructure for creativity, WHP will catalyze artistic production and community pride of place, forming partnerships that can lead to real solutions, hope, and change.
Already, the hope and change has formed into coalitions of supporters from a wide range of educational and cultural institutions in Los Angeles. In collaboration with the artist, architect Peter Zellner and his class at the USC School of Architecture proposed three distinct, over-arching master plans for the Watts Towers Cultural Crescent. The plans include green architectural projects for the location of an artist-in-residency program, exhibition spaces, a cafZÿ, communal house, daycare, educational programming, WHP offices and residential housing.
In order to move towards these rigorous goals, the WHP needs to secure a foreclosed property on 107th street. This house will function to legitimize the WHP as a stakeholder in the neighborhood, ground it as a physical presence in the region, and serve as a community hub and base of operations for the future of the organization. In partnerships with Creative Capital, ForYourArt, the Hammer Museum and LAXART, the next phase of WHP is the renovation and fa?ade improvement of the entire 107th street residential block facing the Watts Towers.
ABOUT EDGAR ARCENEAUX
Edgar Arceneaux is an American artist living and working in Los Angeles. His multivalent practice includes exquisite drawings, collaborative installations, community-based social sculpture initiatives and large-scale film projects. His recent solo shows include The Agitation of Expansion at the Contemporary Art Center of Virginia (2008), Snake River at the REDCAT Gallery in Los Angeles, CA (2006), and The Alchemy of Comedy...Stupid at ArtPace in San Antonio, Texas and Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects in (2006). He's participated in various group exhibitions at the Studio Museum in New York, the San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art, and MOCA in Los Angeles, CA. He is currently in the 2008 Whitney Biennial, and will be included in the upcoming 2008 California Biennial. Edgar Arceneaux received his MFA from California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA in 2001, his BFA from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena in 1996, and also studied at Skowhegan School in Maine and the Fachholchschule Aachen, in Aachen in Germany.
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June 14, 2008
Out of the Blue, the Turn Around
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Bill Radawec
Out of the Blue, the Turn Around
2008
Colored Pencil on Paper
14" x 11"
Photo by Derek Jensen (Tysto), 2004-September-11
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Two beams of light represent the former Twin Towers of the World Trade Center
during the 2004 memorial of the September 11, 2001 attacks.
June 13, 2008
Robert Raczka's Installations at the "Biennial 2008," Pittsburgh Center for the Arts
and Pittsburgh Filmmakers through August 24, 2008
Robert Raczka's installation view of "Meadville, Pennsylvania, March 11, 2007, " sequence of
33 color photographs, at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts
Robert Raczka installation view of "Pittsburgh, November 21,2007, "sequence of
33 color photographs, at Pittsburgh Filmmakers
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June 12, 2008
Fake Security Camera
Fake security camera
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fake security cameras, or dummy cameras, are non-functional surveillance cameras designed to fool intruders, or anyone who it is supposedly watching. Those cameras are intentionally placed in a noticeable place, so passing people notice them and believe the area to be monitored by CCTV.
The cheapest fake security cameras can be recognized by not having real lenses (the "lenses" are just an opaque piece of plastic), and just one cable, whereas the real cameras have one image cable and one power cable. Other fake cameras include broken real cameras, motion sensors disguised as cameras, or empty camera housings. They may have flashing lights, or a motor to simulate pan-tilt motion.
Since dummy cameras are non-functional, they are generally used in environments where the only need for a security camera is to deter minor theft and vandalism, such as small businesses like restaurants and convenience stores. Professional thieves have the experience to recognize a dummy camera, so they do not stop these people from acting.
Dummy cameras are also used to augment real surveillance systems to increase the deterrent effect at a minimal additional cost. Many camera vendors offer dummy cameras that look identical to the real ones they sell. A typical camera kit may include four real cameras and four dummies. The subjects being monitored are likely to assume that all of the cameras are real.
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June 11, 2008
Hello Mr. Reiner how are you?
Carl Reiner on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on June 10, 2008
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June 10, 2008
Out of the Blue, the Turn Around
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Bill Radawec
Out of the Blue, the Turn Around
2008
Acrylic on Masonite
10" x 8"
We Never Landed On The Moon
The official story says that United Airlines Flight 93 went down in Shanksville, PA at approximately 10:06am on 9/11. At first, the "Let's Roll" story came out about passengers storming the cockpit to take control of the plane--causing the flight to crash. The Pentagon said the story wasn't true. Then speculation about whether or not it was shot down was raised, and that was dismissed right away. Interestingly, Rumsfeld later slipped while addressing the troops on Christmas, 2004 by saying "shot down the plane over Pennsylvania" in an apparent speech against terrorists.
Many eyewitness reports from that day include hearing two explosions. Some remember seeing a small white Leer-type of private jet that circled overhead for 1-2 minutes after the crash and then took off. Others recall a C130 flying overhead after the crash, as well as a fighter jet speeding by. The FBI at first denied that any other aircraft was in the area, but then came up with explanations for the white jet and the C130. They stated that the white jet remained in the area to help authorities know the location of the crash. The C130 had actually been dispatched to assist in identifying Flight 77 within minutes of it crashing into the Pentagon, and then was ordered to assist in locating Flight 93. Very odd...
The debris field of the crash of Flight 93 was spread over a 3-6 mile area. At Indian Lake, 3-miles away from the "official" crash site, witnesses spoke of a "rain of confetti" after a loud "boom". The official site of impact didn't look like your typical airliner crash. Witnesses at the crash site said that there were no pieces bigger than just a few feet, and that none of the debris was recognizable of a commercial jetliner. The Mayor of Shanksville, Ernie Stull, whose sister was first on the scene, even said "There was no plane". Reports did tell of body parts and clothing strewn about the 3-6 mile area, but the official crash site was basically a crater covered with aluminum flakes that looked more like an explosion had occurred there, rather than a typical crash, which consists of large pieces of aircraft wreckage including wings, engines, fuselage, & luggage.
So what really happened? Well, judging from the witnesses and information, it is OUR BELIEF here at GTC that the plane was shot down, which explains why the debris field was spread over such a large area. The blast crater that was photographed and inspected as the official crash site, we believe, was most probably made by a second round of artillery to give the appearance of a crash. How many lawsuits do you think would arise against the government if it was made public that they shot down a plane full of American citizens?
The morning of 9/11 a report came out from WCPO-TV that told of a plane being forced to land at Cleveland Hopkins Airport in Ohio at 10:45am. United Airlines had identified the plane as one of their own--Flight 93. The Mayor of Cleveland, Michael R. White, told reporters in a press conference that the emergency landing was due to concerns of a bomb on board, and that air traffic controllers heard screams as well. The flight held 200 passengers which remained on the plane after it landed, but were taken off by authorities a half-hour later. The airport and surrounding areas were subsequently evacuated. Later that day the original report was removed from the WCPO website. Luckily, local Ohioans were posting online reports of the news regarding this incident as they heard it that day on the radio and television.
Another plane, Delta 1989, was brought into the mix as well and was forced to land at Cleveland Hopkins at 10:20. The 69 passengers on that flight were evacuated after an hour and a half, only after the plane was surrounded then searched by the FBI. Passengers from Delta 1989 say that the plane was basically quarantined at the airport until 12:30pm when they were taken off the plane and brought to the FAA headquarters for questioning. According to witnesses, the 200 passengers from what was reported as Flight 93 were taken to the NASA Glenn Research Center next door.
Later in the day, Mayor White changed his tune, and all reports concerning Flight 93 had been shifted over to Delta Flight 1989 instead. The reports before this change stated that there were 69 passengers on Delta 1989, and 200 on United 93. By the end of the day United 93 was reported as crashing in Pennsylvania with only 45 people aboard, and Delta 1989 suddenly became full with 200 passengers. It should be known that according to the official story, United Flight 93 made a sharp nearly 110 degree turn right over Cleveland shortly before it allegedly "crashed" in Shanksville, PA.
More on the Pennsylvania Crash: READ AmericanFreePress: 9-11 Mysteries Remain
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June 9, 2008
Out of the Blue, the Turn Around
See more images at www.billradawec.com
Bill Radawec
Out of the Blue, the Turn Around
2008
Colored Pencil on Paper
10" x 8"
Barnett Newman "Zip Painting"
In the 1940s he first worked in a surrealist mode before developing his mature style. This is characterized by areas of color separated by thin vertical lines, or "zips" as Newman called them. In the first works featuring zips, the color fields are variegated, but later the colors are pure and flat. Newman himself thought that he reached his fully mature style with the Onement series (from 1948). The zips define the spatial structure of the painting, whilst simultaneously dividing and uniting the composition.
The zip remained a constant feature of Newman's work throughout his life. In some paintings of the 1950s, such as The Wild, which is eight feet tall by one and a half inches wide, the zip is all there is to the work. Newman also made a few sculptures which are essentially three-dimensional zips.
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June 8, 2008
Out of the Blue, the Turn Around
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Bill Radawec
Out of the Blue, the Turn Around
2008
Acrylic on Masonite
12" x 12"
Wikipedia
The B. F. Goodrich Company coined the name Zipper in 1923 for the line of rubber overshoes that it made using the fastener. The name slowly came to be associated with the fastener itself, and eventually acquired generic status.
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June 7, 2008
Out of the Blue, the Turn Around
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Bill Radawec
Out of the Blue, the Turn Around
2008
Acrylic on Masonite
11" x 14"
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Wikipedia
Chroma key is a technique for mixing two images or frames together, in which a color (or a small color range) from one image is removed (or made transparent), revealing another image behind it. This technique is also referred to as color keying, color-separation overlay, greenscreen, and bluescreen. It is commonly used for weather forecast broadcasts, wherein the presenter appears to be standing in front of a large map, but in the studio it is actually a large blue or green background.
The meteorologist stands in front of a bluescreen, and then different weather maps are added on those parts in the image where the color is blue. If the meteorologist himself wears blue clothes, his clothes will become replaced with the background video. This also works for greenscreens, since blue and green are considered the colors least like skin tone.
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June 6, 2008
Out of the Blue, the Turn Around
Bill Radawec
Out of the Blue, the Turn Around
2008
Acrylic on Masonite
12" x 12"
See more images at www.billradawec.com
Contrails or vapour trails are condensation trails and artificial cirrus clouds made by the exhaust of aircraft engines or
wingtip vortices which precipitate a stream of tiny ice crystals in moist, frigid upper air. Being composed of water, the visible
white streams are not air pollution. However, vapour trails or contrails generated by engine exhaust are inevitably linked
with typical fuel combustion pollutants.
June 5, 2008
Eli Broad
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June 4, 2008
Lincoln's summer home opens to public for first time
By BRETT ZONGKER
Associated Press
Published on: 01/31/08
WASHINGTON Ñ Until now, a summer cottage three miles from the White House where Abraham Lincoln paced the floors, contemplating the end of slavery, was largely unknown to the public. Few locals knew it was still standing on the grounds of the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Washington, and tourists searching for Lincoln sites in the nation's capital were far more likely to stop by the Lincoln Memorial or Ford's Theatre, where the 16th president was assassinated.
Few locals knew the Abraham Lincoln's summer cottage was still standing on the grounds of the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Washington.
www.ajc.com
A room inside the newly renovated Lincoln's Cottage is seen in Washington in January. The cottage opens formally to the public on Presidents Day.
"This is one of those places that is kind of hidden in plain sight, and yet it's one of the most significant historic sites," said Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Like other Lincoln enthusiasts, Moe had heard of the president's summer wartime retreat Ñ the Camp David of its day, mentioned in a few history books Ñ but thought it was long gone. Then a friend showed him the home in 1998. It was structurally sound and had housed administrative offices for the veterans' home.
Lincoln's cottage had been located on a sprawling property landscaped with trees from around the world and surrounded by farms. It was a modest, four-bedroom, two-story home, made of brick, covered with stucco. Historians say the Lincoln family used the summer home for several years of the presidency, including during the Civil War. But until recently, little was known about what took place inside the home due to sparse information in government records. Instead, much of the available history has been pieced together from diaries, letters and newspaper accounts. Many of these details have been compiled in a 2003 book, "Lincoln's Sanctuary: Abraham Lincoln and the Soldiers' Home," by historian Matthew Pinsker.
Also missing were actual furnishings from the home Ñ or even interior pictures that would have helped curators recreate most of the 1860s decor for visitors. So curators had to make do with the few details they had, which allowed them to recreate curtains, carpet and other items. They secured some furnishings from the Civil War era and a replica of Lincoln's desk, based on the original kept at the White House. "This is a different kind of historic house," said Frank Milligan, director of the new museum. "Don't go in there looking for the bed that Lincoln slept in. "Instead, visitors will get to know who he was as a person, Milligan said. Audio and video of actors portraying the president, first lady Mary Lincoln and their associates will recreate stories from the cottage.
The decision to emancipate the slaves is the most prominent theme at Lincoln's retreat. Some historians believe Lincoln may have written the Emancipation Proclamation here, though there's still debate. "Our position is that he may well have written it here, but he surely thought it through here," Milligan said. "He paced these floors thinking about the right direction to go." Lincoln's cabinet was divided on emancipation. Some advisers thought courts would decide it was unconstitutional. They debated back and forth, and political opponents met with Lincoln in private at the cottage, Milligan said. The president ultimately pursued emancipation as a military strategy to help end the war, but he was fully aware of its significance. "If my name ever goes into history, it will be for this act, and my whole soul is in it," Lincoln said at the document signing.
A signed copy of the document, from a private collection in New York, will be on view at the museum's opening through April. Students and other visitors can play the roles of rival cabinet secretaries and debate emancipation through the museum's unique multimedia room. Individual computer screens show the diaries, pictures, letters and arguments of individual secretaries to help spur the discussion, and a moderator can work with teachers to link the debate to classroom studies."They're getting multiple perspectives because the cabinet members really did represent all views," said Jill Sanderson, curator of education.
Lincoln lived at the cottage with his wife, Mary, and son, Tad, from summer through fall from 1862 to 1864. Lincoln's older son, Robert, was away at college much of the time. Other presidents used the retreat, which was built in 1842, but usually only for a few weeks at a time. In part, the Lincolns were seeking privacy to grieve after the death of 12-year-old son Willie, who probably had suffered from typhoid fever, Pinsker writes. It also was an escape from the hot, swampy humidity of the National Mall. The cottage, on one of the highest points in Washington, received cool breezes and provided the family with a view of the city and the Capitol dome under construction.
"I'm convinced personally that he would have stayed here year-round if he could have," Milligan said. "He didn't like the White House. We do know that. He called it the damned old house at one point." According to Pinsker, Lincoln preferred to conduct his business at the White House Ñ and leave it there. Unfortunately for Lincoln, the visitors found him at the cottage retreat. The president, who was under enormous stress, lost his temper with one visitor who intruded on his personal space. True to his nature, he apologized the next day.
Other exhibits on the hour-long guided tour at the cottage will recount the family life of the home and Lincoln's hiring of an ex-slave, Mary Dines, as a "domestic" Ñ or servant Ñ as well as Lincoln's daily commute on horseback to the White House, tipping his hat to poet and city resident Walt Whitman regularly as he passed by. The commute was a risky proposition. At first Lincoln insisted on riding alone through Washington's streets and up present-day Georgia Avenue into the country to the privacy of the cottage. "It's amazing to think that a wartime president would take the same commute route every day. In retrospect, it's mind-boggling," Milligan said.
Later, Lincoln's advisers insisted on sending a guard regiment with him, according to Pinsker. About 180 troops also were assigned to guard the cottage grounds as well. The president often wandered over to the soldiers' camp on the property for long chats. Milligan says some believe he preferred their coffee to his wife's. Despite the added security, someone shot at the president during his commute in 1864, and aides found a bullet hole through his top hat, according to Pinsker. Private John Nicholas recalled that the president wanted the incident "kept quiet," the author wrote. Confederate leaders knew of Lincoln's route. And Lincoln's eventual assassin, John Wilkes Booth, had planned an abduction, but it was never carried out.
Curators are expecting plenty of Lincoln enthusiasts to make their way to the home, and they're hoping more documents and details about the home will be uncovered as more people hear about the site. The museum is budgeting for 45,000 visitors in its first year. Tour guides will be trained for all age levels and will be prepared to discuss the sometimes conflicting views of the Civil War. "What we've learned to do in this business is to tell history as it happened," Moe said. "It's not always pleasant." Prominent Lincoln historians, including Allen Guelzo, Doris Kearns Goodwin and Douglas Wilson have consulted on the project.
The goal is to eventually create a Center for the Study of the Lincoln Presidency at the site to support further research and scholarship in conjunction with sites like Ford's Theatre and the Lincoln Presidential Library in Illinois. Their first challenge, though, is to draw people to the cottage, nestled on the grounds of the veterans home in a northwest Washington neighborhood. It's a hike from the city's popular museums and memorials. "It is off the beaten path, but I think that's one of the real values to it," Moe said. "It gets people off the National Mall ... and that's what Lincoln did. I think it will be a real destination."
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June 3, 2008
Bill Radawec, (Fake) Inkjet Photograph
By IM Toth
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June 2, 2008
Which Face is Real?
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June 1, 2008
Mask (I Can not See You) from the Novella Series
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New element, the mask is added to the future Novella installation.
The new works from the Novella series consist of drawings and paintings using the language as it's subject. Words like smile, laugh, sing/sing, are placed on the surface of paper or canvas.
A fake camera is located on the same wall as the drawings and paintings. The camera is just looking and blinking at the audience. Similar to a taping of a TV show the signs dictating the audience's emotions like applauding on cue. When you look at the word laugh are you supposed to laugh when you have a blinking camera projected on you? These kinds of methodologies are so common in every fiber of our society. For example, is big brother forcing you to act on sight?
Does a "friendly" blinking camera change the perspective of looking at artworks? We have cameras everywhere even in art shows. With a mask covering the eyes can the viewer (s) see the camera or the artwork?
Details of the exhibition will be announced in the near future.