meredith cutler :: arts marketing :: artist

An exciting exhibition opens tonight at Brown University's David Winton Bell Gallery. Artist Elizabeth King pushes the boundaries of the mechanics and emotion of human movement through her evocative, cross-media works.

In a groundbreaking mid-career survey, "The Sizes of Things in the Mind's Eye" represents a wide selection of the artist's meticulous automaton sculptures and their accompanying film studies. King's otherworldly human portraits in fine porcelain, glass and wood bridge the time-honored practice of sculpture with the science of human movement and the illusion of film.

Image: Elizabeth King, "Animation Study: Pose 7", 1997-2005, Chromogenic prints on Kodak Endura paper, 20 x 20 in. Collection of the artist.

To preview tonight's opening reception, Elizabeth King will give a free lecture at 5:30pm today in the List Art Center Auditorium.

"The Sizes of Things in the Mind's Eye" is on view from November 7th through December 21st, 2008 at Brown University's David Winton Bell Gallery. You can read my full review of the exhibition in the November/December issue of artscope magazine.

The David Winton Bell Gallery is located on the first floor of Brown University's List Art Center: 64 College Street, Providence, RI 02906.

As we've seen before, all campaign promises are made to be tested, but I thought I'd share this fact sheet from Obama's campaign website stating his plan for nourishing the arts. In the face of the mountain of work that needs to be done in the wake of our financial tsunami, I'd take the impressive hit list with a grain of salt. However, Obama and Biden have laid it on the table, so feel comfortable holding this new administration to task. We voted, but it doesn't end at the polls.

Image: "Yes We Did - Victory" poster by Shephard Fairey for moveon.org

Imagine...a United States with fair IRS tax law for artists, the arts a funded and revitalized pivotal force in our public schools and health care for all...

Thanks to my pal Heather for sharing the link to the Obama / Biden Platform for the Arts.

The day we've all been waiting for is finally here. No matter what side of the fence you sit on, or how many electoral votes your state boasts, (mine: 4 big, fat whoppers) it's high time we squeezed this vote out and moved on with our lives.

There was a white powder scare over in East Providence that shook things up for a little while, but the poll scene over on my side of town is very quiet, except for an unseen catcaller who yelled to me from a row house window to "Vote Obama, Honey!" I waved congenially in his general direction. Then an art car full of hipsters wearing cat masks drove by waving signs reading "Cats for Obama"...ahh, Providence.

Hopefully by tomorrow we will have a better hint as to the fate of our disturbed nation. Until then, I'll be gathering with friends and neighbors to break bread and turn water into wine, waiting for our miracle.

Until then, here are a few amusing objects d'art I found on Etsy that will probably be sold while we bite nails and watch exit polls. Enjoy!

Images: (clockwise, from top left) "Van-Go-Bama" by orangyred, "Tofu for Obama Plush" by ChrisCreatures, "Election Fraud T-Shirt" by fatamerican, "Excited Voter Squid" by cleodee, "American Vice President Wrestling Middle-Weight Championship Poster" by yeehaw, "The Voodoo Sarah Doll" by Chellboy, "Vote for Peace" by alexandernash1, "I Voted Art Button" by a4ds.

It's Halloween, and I'm not at all dressed to impress this year, I must admit. This old, New England house is drafty, and my costume chest is full of flimsy fare, so I'm just rattling my bones this all-hallows eve. If suffering the unseasonable chill in the great outdoors is more to your liking, The Steelyard is hosting its annual, Live Molten Metal Iron Pour tonight - with pre-pour, all-ages festivities to start at 6pm.

The denizens of the Iron Guild are promising to dump red hot, molten iron on various seasonally appropriate icons (like zombies!). I can see the sparks flying now! Hot cider and snacks will be available by donation, and live music by local rockers Animal Hospital will follow the pour, which is scheduled to run from 7-8pm. If you arrive early, be sure to peruse the ceramics sale - all proceeds from the sale go to benefit the ceramics department and resident artists.

The Steelyard is located 27 Sims Ave. Providence, RI 02909

I’m already uncharacteristically pumped for this year’s holiday season, which is completely at odds with what the doomsaying news outlets are prosthelytizing. One of the reasons for my early and enthusiastic push is that I will be creating most of our holiday gifts with my own two paws (with the balance representing items and works by artists & indie designers whose work I truly admire). If you are on my list, don’t you already feel special?

It’s no secret that I’m a huge proponent of Buy Handmade (or, make it yourself), which is where the following UK-based artist fits in. I fell in love with tinctory’s unique textile jewelry on Etsy last winter, and gifted her beautiful autumn leaf necklace to a very picky Italian lady who loved it!

2008 has seen an increased creative intensity in tinctory’s jewelry line, with the addition of smocked silk necklaces, like the example pictured below. I don’t normally feature jewelry on Studio Debris, but this work is unique to my interests in that it incorporates hand-dyed or recycled textiles, with intensive pleating and stitching handwork. Using painstaking shibori and smocking techniques, Eva has invented some amazing sculptural forms that stand as works of art on their own.

In addition to the joy of receiving a truly unique piece of jewelry all the way from Birmingham, Eva from tinctory packages each piece in an elegant, handmade gift box. Mine arrived from the U.K. in no time. If you are interested in shibori or the other techniques used in tinctory jewelry, check out Eva’s flickr site for some interesting photos of works in progress.