Archive for category art
1982 Atlanta: T.V. Dinner
So Atlanta history never fails to surprise me. I remember hearing about the Agora Ballroom, the Stein Club was actually still in existence when I started going to bars, I think I set foot in the Cotton Club at least once. But back in 1982, I was either graduating from grade school or starting high school (depending on what part of the year it was). So I knew nothing about T.V. Dinner, a little club [located at 1028 Peachtree Street in Midtown Atlanta], founded by Finnean Jones and Rosa Phillips (as noted by this 1982 GSU Signal article by Glen Thrasher at a Facebook T.V. Dinner fan page) in 1982.
What recently garnered my interest about this seemingly obscure club of the early 1980s? Well I stumbled across a YouTube video of Allen Ginsberg appearing at the club. I am hoping to find out more about the club in the coming weeks (looking at the folks on the fan page, it appears that many of the folks are friends with many of my Atlanta art scene fans–so I am hoping to mine their collective knowledge). But for today, I offer the video (plus a link to the second part). Enjoy.
What really surprises me about my ignorance of this club? Less than 10 years later in the early 1990s, my then girlfriend and I rented an apartment less than a mile from the club’s former location.
Congrats to AdHouse on Nine Great Years … So Far
Today the great AdHouse publisher, Chris Pitzer, observed the ninth year of being in business. Congrats to one of the good folks and I look forward to celebrating its 10th anniversary next year.
In observing the nine-year mark, Pitzer also noted it is the publisher’s “MOST productive year to date”.
Sara Hickman on The Best of Times
Article first published as Musician Sara Hickman on The Best of Times on Technorati.
During 2010, in the wake of the Texas Legislature’s budgetary cuts for arts funding, Sara Hickman, the Texas State Musician of the Year, decided to use her position to raise funds and awareness for the importance of arts education (and the funding of it) for children. More exactly, she spearheaded a collaborative effort–with a variety of Texas artists including Shawn Colvin, Willie Nelson, Rhett Miller, Robert Earl Keen as well as many more–to record a collection of Hickman’s own songs. The project, The Best of Times, was recently released as a two-CD, 38-cut collection by Waterloo Records. All proceeds from the sale of the CD set go directly to the Theatre Action Project, a non-profit that supports unique arts programs for more than 16,000 young people. To fully grasp the drive behind her charitable efforts, I recently email interviewed Hickman.
How did you go about getting all of the many fellow talented people who contributed their musical talents to Best of Times?
I knew I had, at least, a year to start lining up musicians to record for The Best of Times because Willie Nelson, who also recorded for the album, was the State Musician before my position took place. So, I immediately made a “wish list” and began calling/emailing/asking in person. I kept a giant chart on the wall with the names of artists/bands I had contacted, the titles of songs I had sent, if they had responded, if they were in the studio, if they had finished recording, if I had the recording.
Painter Brendan O’Connell Interviewed by Alec Baldwin
In what seems like a lifetime ago, in the mid-1980s, painter Brendan O’Connell and I went to high school together. The other day he dropped me a note to let me know he had upgraded his website. Imagine my surprise when I strolled over to find he was interviewed by actor Alec Baldwin.
I have been trying to interview O’Connell for years, but now that I understand he’s got Baldwin wanting to interview him, well hey, it makes sense why I am still waiting.
Go read the interview. I am always impressed at what O’Connell has done since our high school days, and I look forward to seeing what lies ahead for him and his ever-evolving pursuit of art.
Places I Need to Visit Someday: Center for Creative Photography
Posted by admin in art, photography on August 20, 2011
I was recently reading the Ansel Adams in the National Parks book (released in 2010), and got curious to know who hosts his collection. It turns out that it is the University of Arizona’s Center for Creative Photography. I have never had an interest in visiting Arizona, but this knowledge might change my mind.
Apparently the center was co-founded by Adams, as noted by the site: “Famed American photographer Ansel Adams (1902–1984) co-founded the Center for Creative Photography in 1975. His was one of five inaugural archives, and it remains a cornerstone of the Center’s fine art and archival collections. Adams’s career spans seven decades and a wide range of subject matter, including portraits, still lifes, architecture, and the landscapes for which he is most famous. Viewers often associate his lifelong environmentalism and advocacy for America’s wilderness places with his dramatic, panoramic photographs that celebrate the redemptive potential of the natural world. Many of his best-known images were made in the American West, including a large group of works made in Yosemite Valley.”
Yippie: You Too Can Own Chris Schweizer’s Sketchbook
Posted by admin in art, streaming video, Uncategorized on June 7, 2011
This weekend (at HeroesCon) I was able to snag a copy of (friend of the blog) Chris Schweizer’s Sketchbook. (Full disclosure: Schweizer gave the copy to me).
Want to buy it yourself? Go here.
Want to see what the book looks like? See this video in which the author literally flips through it for others to see.
No New Interview This Week (My Apologies)
As fate would have it, interviews that I had hoped to finalize earlier this week did not occur. Hopefully we can resume normal interview schedule by next week. My apologies.
But there is a bonus Talking Comics with Tim, a blast of a discussion with witty and insightful artist Stuart Immonen over at Robot 6.
Go Look: Ben Towle’s John Irving Portrait
Every week Ben Towle draws a portrait of someone of ranging level of fame. Last week I suggested he draw either Peter Gabriel or John Irving. After a few Gabriel attempts, he found he had more success with the Irving piece. Here was the original he worked from.
And below is one part of the final sketch.
My thanks to Towle for taking my suggestion. And I was enthused to find out from a Tweet tonight he will likely tackle the Peter Gabriel piece again sometime down the road.







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