Wasn't Aware of a Problem!

I saw this on the 6:00 news tonight, then went to the NYTimes for confirmation. Seems that Barbie and Ken broke up a couple of years ago. She dumped him for an Austrailian srufer named Blaine. The picture on the right near is of the interloper. And they wonder why the sales of the dolls are going down: Barbie and BLAINE? Please. It's Barbie andKEN. Always has been, always will be.

Unless it was all an excuse to give Ken a makeover. As dolls go, he hasn't really moved with the times. But still. BLAINE?

Anyway, there is to be a new Ken and I wasn't even aware that there was a problem with the old one. And I don't care what the new Ken looks like, either. Although I am glad they've updated him a bit. By the way, I'm not posting a pic of the new Ken. If you want to see it, click on the article link. They've got a picture and a description of Ken's lifestyle changes. Seems he's no longer a surfer, but a cutting-edge guy who looks cool, cooks, and is in touch with his feelings. Personally, I think that's a lot to expect from a doll.

When I was a kid I had a Malibu Ken. He came with a bathing suit and towel, so he was ready for fun on the beach. And my extra outfit for Ken, because sometimes he and Barbie would go out, was a pale blue leisure suit. It was the '70's and Ken was very stylish. Or as stylish as you can get with plastic hair. That's him up there on the right. I couldn't find any pictures of the leisure suit.

Anyway, I'm glad Barbie and Ken have decided to work things out.

UPDATE: The layout I originally set didn't quite publish properly. Anyway, the 1970's Malibu Ken is the one with the bitchin tan. The one with the bad rug is that Blaine.

The Science of Art, or the Art of Science

Seems as though Einstein saw parallels, at least according to this article in last Tuesday's NY Times. The article discusses Einstein's love of the music of Mozart, and how it impacted his research.

This really isn't new. I'm not going to dig out my grad school reading as to creative process, or creative personality, but suffice it to say that there is a lot on the common personality traits of innovative creative geniuses, such as Einstein and Mozart. Ironically,while there is a lot of research about personality and process, art tends to get taken for granted in a lot of the creativity literature.. and film really isn't there at all. Interesting, that. (And I'm going to say now that I'm aware that this is a bit of a rambling brain dump.. I woke up at an ungodly hour of the "morning" and felt the need to blog anyway.)

Anyway, the article got me thinking about my experiences in undergrad as a painting major. What that meant was I spent an enormous amount of time in the studio and not really participating in campus events unless they were specific to art. It tends to be isolating because students in the other majors simply don't get the time commitment and you get percieved as being anti-social or whatever. Except for the science majors. They weren't seen a lot on campus either, but the science building was the only one besides the art building where there were ALWAYS students working and the science students were the only ones besides the art students who would get upset when you couldn't get into the building at 3am to work.

One of the coolest thing in my grad work was seeing that I was percieving something that turns out to be pretty true in the research: artists (all kinds) and scientists have a lot in common. Actually any "creative" person is going to be like that with the dedication and occaisional tunnel-vision when you're "on to something". (Read "Flow" by Csikszentmihalyi, he discusses this really well and he actually "get's" the artists in a way a lot of other creativity researchers don't.) But I've always gotten along with scientists.. the researchers anyway.

This is the end of my rambling essay on I'm not really sure what... Except that the article is really interesting and it's getting me thinking about getting a doctorate again...

An Interesting Observation

This afternoon I was Googleing images of the NYC skyline for a collage I'm making. Basically what I was looking for was the typical view from Jersey that everyone thinks of when they think of the NYC skyline. You know the one, it has most of Manhattan included.

So I was looking at the thumbnails and there were some really great images there.. Including the one taken from under the Brooklyn Bridge that is in the intro to "Friends". (I didn't want to use that one because the angle of the bridge would get in the way of what I'm trying to accomplish in the collage.) But I noticed something that I thought was irritating at the time, but I now find kind of interesting. Nearly all inclusive skyline images include the World Trade Center. There were more than a few of those horrible images from 9/11 (I still refuse to look at those by the way.. I'd prefer to either look at the crater or remember them as they were.)

I suppose it's kind of normal, I mean, those skyline shots with the Towers are awesome. But there's not a lot of the new skyline. Maybe it's still too recent. Or maybe people are waiting for the new building to come. I have to admit that I still expect to see the Towers when I'm in the area.. Not seeing anything there is kind of disturbing.

But as I work on the collage tomorrow I'm going to have to really think about weather or not I'm going to use any of the NYC images that I did download. It's not that they are bad images.. the one I've got up here is a darned good one and it's making me wish I remembered the source besides Google. If I don't include images of NYC it's because it dosen't look the way it's supposed to yet.

ACA National Conference, 2006

A note from Barry Silverberg of the ACA

American Creativity Association International Conference 2006

Wednesday, March 22 - Saturday, March 25

Pre-Conference Institutes on Monday, March 20 & Tuesday, March 21

At Hilton Austin Airport in Austin, Texas

Our Annual International Conference is all fleshed out. Aside from the inevitable last minute changes, what you see on our Conference site at www.amcreativityassoc.org/2006Conf.htm is what you will get – and the pickings are plentiful, as are the opportunities to share information, meet new people, and find collaborators for your ideas and ventures.

For the full force of what the 50+ person strong Conference planning team has put together, you need to visit the web site. And if you have not yet registered, or registered and not yet made your hotel arrangements, we urge you to do that AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Making your travel arrangements now will allow you to get far better rates than if you wait until the last minute.

CREATIVE PEOPLE OF ACA REGISTER NOW .. ALL YOU HAVE TO LOSE IS PAYING HIGHER FEES LATER!

So what do we have in store for you?

• More than 70 top-notch keynote and Conference sessions over 3.5 days;
• Pre-Conference Institutes on TRIZ, Creative Utilization of Technology, and a significantly discounted two-day DeBono Creativity Course;
• A focus throughout on creative use of technology starting with the “thumb drives” we hope to provide every participant – containing presenter biographical and presentation information and other “stuff”; that will also allow you to upload and download information at the Conference at one of the public PCs that will be available for participants’ use – not quite, but close to, a paperless conference;
• Podcasts of keynotes and selected sessions;
• Opportunities for Conference participants to have hands-on time to discover the creative joy and value of setting up your own websites and other communication channels;
• Specially designated Conference time set-aside to allow for and foster individual and group collaborations/ networking/ sharing of ideas and enthusiasm;
• And of course there is all the usual stuff of a Conference … and much more that you’ll read about on the Conference website ….

We are offering a Special Discounted Team Registration for three employees from the same entity for $1500 (A $2685 value - $1185 savings). The details and additional discounted options are at www.amcreativityassoc.org/2006Conf-team.htm . CHECK IT OUT!

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas!

Call for CPSI Leaders/Presenters

To the Worldwide Creativity Community ... You are invited to submit a proposal to serve as a leader/presenter for the Creative Education Foundation's 52nd International Creative Problem Solving Institute (CPSI) 2006, June 25-30, 2006, in Chicago, Illinois.
http://www.cpsiconference.com

Please review the following guidelines and then go to the link below to submit your proposal(s) online via our Web site.

The DEADLINE IS DECEMBER 30, 2005, for Immersion program and pre-conference workshop proposals; JANUARY 6, 2006, for all other proposals.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR CPSI LEADERSHIP AND PRESENTING:
o As CPSI leaders/presenters, we recognize that leadership is more than planning, organizing and facilitating. It's the ability to inspire others and to create experiences that enable them to grow and learn on their wayto achieving objectives.

o As CPSI leaders/presenters, we understand the power of Creative Problem Solving, Applied Imagination, and creative thinking. We know that CPSI is more than the Osborn-Parnes Creative Problem Solving process. Yet this process continues to evolve and provides a sound, ongoing foundation for - and a link between - all our programs and other creativity concepts.

o As CPSI leaders/presenters, we are primarily customer-oriented, keeping in mind the needs, desires and concerns of our participants. This includes having a global perspective and appreciating and addressing the requirements of a multi-cultural community.

o As CPSI leaders/presenters, we stay current on the trends and developments in creativity, innovation and imagination, demonstrating a continuing ability to improve, enhance, innovate and re-invent.

o As leaders/presenters, we "walk the talk," modeling creativity values in words and actions.o As CPSI leaders/presenters, we work effectively in teams.

o As CPSI leaders/presenters, we believe in CPSI and spread the word, inviting new participants to benefit from the CPSI experience.

o As CPSI leaders/presenters, we're willing and able to go the extra mile to contribute to the health and growth of the Creative Education Foundation.

If you are invited and willing to lead/present in the spirit of these guidelines, please complete our online form for proposals and program leadership at:
http://www.cpsiconference.com/proposal.cfm

If you have further questions about presenting, leadership and CPSI, please visit the "CPSI Leader/Presenter Frequently Asked Questions" online:
http://www.cpsiconference.com/faq_speaker.cfm

Thank you for your interest! CPSI Program TeamCreative Education Foundation289 Bay RoadHadley, MA 01035
http://www.cpsiconference.com/
http://www.CreativeEducationFoundation.org

P.S. Please help spread the word about CPSI 2006 by printing out and distributing the online PDF flyer to your colleagues, friends and associations:
http://www.creativeeducationfoundation.org/cpsi/CSPI2006_card.pdf

Then, keep the conversation about global creativity and innovation alive by commenting on stories from around the world in CEF's Applied Imagination blog:
http://appliedimagination.blogspot.com/

Hmmmmm...

Is it me or does this blog look funny? I mean, it's all cock-eyed..

Maybe it's because I'm using a different computer?

Graffiti

Now this is the sort of project I'd love to do. It gets the kids involved, and it gives them a voice. Not to mention an outlet.

Not that I think all graffiti artists deep down really just want a hug. Maybe some do, and hey, hugs are nice, but a lot of the time there is something that needs to be said and the best fourm and means of communication are the side of a subway car and a can of spray paint. Or it's a question of a lack of means to other artistic media and places to use them.

But it's nice to see teachers doing things like this with their students. And I also have to say it's good to see graffiti getting positive attention. Some of it is just beautiful and a LOT more interesting to look at than plain grey subway cars and the ads plastered all over them and the platforms.

This is the sort of art I like to teach too.. kinda makes me want to get some supplies and interested students and go nuts...

Just an FYI... The picture I posted is not from the show in the article. This image is one of the ones that came up when I Googled "graffiti, New York City". And I like it because it's a good example of what's out there, even though it's on a building and not a subway car.

The Nutcracker

I came across this review in the NY Times of the 2005 season of "The Nutcracker". When I was a kid, my Mom or Grandma, or both, would take me to see this every year after Thanksgiving. In fact, I think that's why I enjoyed Thanksgiving so much because it ALWAYS meant an afternoon in Lincoln Center to see the New York City Ballet perform at the New York State Theater. And that ALSO meant we got to go on the subway and have giant pretzels and see Santa on the street corners and look in the store windows. Then we would go to meet my Dad at work and all ride home on the Railroad together. (The fact that my brothers were never included in this was nice too. Sometimes it's nice to do things with just the girls, especially things like this as small boys tend to not be interested in ballerinas and make retching noises at the romantic parts.)

It's nice to think back sometime about the things that made me tick as a kid. I loved this ballet, and still do. I took ballet lessons and dreamed about being a ballerina and dancing with the Nutcracker Prince and fighting the Mouse King. And every year I looked forward to going to a performance and every year had a wonderful time.

Since then, I've seen other companies dance The Nutcracker, but it's never the same. Some of the European companies don't use the Ballanchine choreography. (Gasp!) Sometimes the girl's name is Clara, and the sets and costumes are different. Not that the dancers are bad and the choreography second-rate, it's just not the same. Of course, watching on TV isn't the same either and not to pooh-pooh Buffalo, but Shea's is NOT the State Theater, and downtown is NOT Lincoln Center.

Maybe it's because it's Thanksgiving weekend and I'm not going to the ballet that's got me all nostalgic. But this is the time of year to be in NYC. I'm here now, but I'll be making my way back upstate tomorrow and it's just not the same. And I have to be careful; I'm in the process of a job hunt that will most likely bring me away from Buffalo and I don't want fond memories of Manhattan at Christmastime and The Nutcracker to color my choices too much.

Sorry if this was rambling... Just that time of year I suppose.

Harry Potter

The above link is to a NY Times review of "Goblet of Fire". If you haven't read the book and don't want the movie spoiled, don't read it. Stuff is given away in the first paragraph.

The newest Harry Potter movie comes out this weekend.. Think it opened today actually. I have to say that I really do enjoy this entire frachise. And I was skeptical about the movies because the books are just so rich. But I think what has happened is that the creative process here has been helped by directors who recognize that there is a big difference between a movie and a book, and that has made all the difference. The movie version of "Azkaban" worked because they adapted the essence of the narrative to a different medium. There were times when I nearly forgot that there was an element that wasn't in the book or presented in a new way.

As the film version of the series continues, that is going to have to be a crucial factor. These kids are getting older and the situations and dangers they are facing are getting more intense. In fact, this poor kid is facing things no kid should have to deal with. No grownup either for that matter.

Does anyone else feel really sorry for Harry? I mean, the kid's an orphan and gets dumped on abusive relatives, at school he's got the bully thing, which isn't so much about the Malfoy thing as it is about Snape. Then he's off dealing with the evilest wizard EVER and his main back up are Ron and Hermione. I don't know.... They're good books though and I hope this new movie is as good in it's own way.

Personally, I'm looking forward to Mad-eye Moody and how the film deals with Harry's expanded experiences with girls and the wider Wizarding world. The Quiddich World Cup look really cool too.

ELVIS

ELVIS
Originally uploaded by refinnej.

Nothing much to say, really.... There's just something about Elvis, so I made the icon..

Actually what I'm REALLY trying to do is use this as my Avatar, but Blogger won't let me post it from my picture files.. They now will allow me to do that within the body of a post, but for some reason I need a URL to put a picture in my profile, which is what I'm trying to do here. The problem with that is that my pictures are online at Flickr, which is awesome.. But when you click on the picture, rather than seeing a page with just the image on it, you are directed to my Flickr page. I think this is a Mac thing. I'm using Flickr because it seems to work the best with OSX. Plus I like it and I can blog from there, so all is well in the universe EXCEPT in the matter of putting up an avatar. Which would be the Elvis! icon I made, and is now posted here.

See, it's the little things that will get you every time...

Helpful Illusions

Now this is really cool. There is an art therapy program that takes Alzheimer's patients into museums, like the Museum of Modern Art, and it seems to have beneficial effects. The NY Times article is here.

The phenomenon has not been researched in the same way that music has, but it appears that the part of the brain that deals with the abstract is not as effected by Alzheimer's as the parts that deal with things like brushing teeth.

I read articles like this and I wonder why I'm not pursuing a PhD or a degree in Art Therapy.

Well, I'm not as interested in being an art therapist as I am in studying why it seems to work. Why do we respond to visual art, in all it's forms, the way we do? And is there a correlation to attitudes of creativity? Would research into this area explain better why methods such as Image Streaming seem to work so well? And can this research ensure that the visual arts get as much attention and funding in the schools as math and science? I'm pretty sure there is research into art education and SAT scores, and I'm not just talking about the Mozart Effect.. I'm talking about the specific act of making, interpreting, and studying the visual arts.

I suppose I can do all this eventually.... There's time.

The painting, by the way, is "The Guitar Player" by Picasso and was downloaded from Artchive.

More Space

I seem to be working on a theme here...

Anyway, I came across this review of a show at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles called: "Ecstasy: In and About Altered States," organized by Paul Schimmel with Gloria Sutton. It's an exhibit consisting of installation pieces, and the title is self explanitory.

The beauty of an installation piece is the kind of space it, and the viewer, occupy. Sculpture exists in the same 3D space we do.. It almost dosen't matter if it is on a pedestal, or of a different scale.. it's beside us. Painting is a 2D illusion of 3D space, but that illusion can be extremely compelling, and can take us into our minds in weird ways. I suppose that to some viewers in some circumstances, that illusion can seem more real than "reality". But an installation piece invites us inside... We can get into it's space and it can get into ours. It can make us question reality in ways that painting and sculpture can't because it can interact with us directly.

This is one show I wish I could see. I'm someone who lived in her own head for many years, and sometimes still do... Shows like this one help me question what I see. (That's possibly a side effect of being alone for many years. If the time ever comes that I'm no longer alone, I may have a different perspective.)

But generally, I tend to be drawn to art that can join me inside my head.

Giant Eggs

Speaking of sculpture, I found this picture and caption on Yahoo this evening: A woman approaches an artwork called 'Big Chook', made of fibreglass and high gloss epoxy marine paint, on Tamarama Beach in Sydney November 2, 2005. Australian artist Jeremy Parnell says people frying themselves on the beach for a suntan inspired his piece which joins 100 artworks contributed by international and Australian artists at the annual outdoor Sculpture by the Sea exhibition which is in its ninth year. REUTERS/Will Burgess


Now this is another example of the kind of space that a painting just can't occupy...

Space

About a year and a half ago the Albright-Knox Art Gallery here in Buffalo had a show of sculpture. It was interesting because for the first few months they had two parallel exhibits: one was masterpieces by Rodin, and the other was of modern pieces. That in itself was really interesting to see.. the juxtaposition of old and new. (On the left is "The Thinker", which is the piece most folks think of when they think of Rodin.) And each took up an entire wing too.. so you could get a really good feel for what the pieces had to offer.

The thing that gets me about sculpture is the physical space it occupies. It's something that's unique to the medium. I don't care how big or powerful a painting is, they are made to be seen head on, usually. But sculpture can just kind of leap out at you in a way that paintings can't. You can also get that sense of movement, which is the thing I like best about sculpture. "Striding Man", also by Rodin, is a good example of what I'm talking about. It doesn't matter that he has no arms, you can see him moving as if he were trying to walk off the pedestal. Paintings can get this across as well, but there is something about sculpture that you can't really get away from and that is because it occupies the same space that we do. Chances are that when you're looking at a painting, it's on a wall, floor, ceiling, or whatever. But it's not really standing next to you.. It can FEEL like it is moving, or about to leap out and grab you or something, which is really cool, but it's more of an illusion.

Anyway, the modern pieces across the hall from the Rodins were something to see and it's one of those shows that will always stay with me. And it's because of that sense of space. Almost an invasion of space with some of them. And some were quite confrontational. The pieces in this exhibit seemed to follow you around.. Like you were in a crowd of people who aren't sure what to make of you, so they follow to make sure you aren't up to something sneaky. But there was one that stuck with me in particular... It just... SAT there.. Not moving and taking up all this space. And you HAD to deal with it because it's that huge and therefore must be confronted. There is no way to NOT look at this piece.

But then the show ended and the pieces moved on to other things. Imagine my surprise when I'm checking out Yahoo and come across this:It's called "Big Man" by Ron Mueck, and it's currently on display at the Grand Palais in Paris.

Up close, it's kind of creepy... He is just so sad.. And so lifelike.. Except for the size.. And that just adds to the emotion. He's really hitting us over the head with it. And it does, for all it's size and pose, have this sense of movement... Like he's going to get up and scream, or punch the wall, or stomp around. Even in the photo, I feel that. I almost want to tell those people to back away and not disturb him.... Or maybe that's because I got to see him up close and that's what I remember.

And it's such an emotional space that he occupies... It's hard to get away from.

But isn't that the way of it though?

Franz Ferdinand

Before I write anything about my topic, I have to say that I'm noticing that I cannot change the font and color from the dashboard anymore.... Most disconcerting and I hope it's not a permanent thing. There are times when a change of font and color are just what you need....

Anyhooooooo... Franz Ferdinand. Usually this blog is about art and creativity because that is my area of expertise. Besides, there are other blogs that write about music... PowerPop is my fave, and not just because I like the author. But the NY Times had a review of a recent show at Madison Square Garden today and it inspired me to write.

I really like this band. Seriously. I don't have the new CD yet, but I plan to buy it. The other one, not sure if it's their first or not, is one of my favorites. I put it on and I can't stop dancing. Always cheers me up too. Which is a very good thing.

But that actually does speak to creativity. It's the circumstances in which the creation takes place. Personally, when I'm feeling low I don't accomplish very much. It's an issue I've had for most of my life and over the years I've come up with strategies to cope with this. So when something comes along that makes me feel good, and I enjoy it, and it's a healthy thing, I'm all over it. Music is one of those things.. It also helps me paint and concentrate. Yes, even music like that of Franz Ferdinand. (One would think that it's too peppy, but nope!) sometimes it's cool to listen to the music and paint the images it makes. Fun too. FF is orange and kind of jumpy to me....

Not sure what my point is except that I wanted to share something that I really enjoy... Really like this band and hope they stick around for awhile.

(As I write I'm noticing that the links thingy is a bit funky.. If this doesn't publish correctly, I'll try again.... Weird...)

UPDATE: Friends in New Orleans

This update is courtesy of Sue!

Just a quick update to those of you who specifically asked me to keep them updated. Things have been quite busy and the generosity of our community is incredible. We were able to send Deborah and her Son Gian in Baton Rouge clothing (and give some to local relief efforts as well) and a little money for their immediate needs. Annette also has received some as well. We have a few EBay items to sell that will provide enough support for them both to move the remains of their homes to where they are now living (or end up living). They were both extremely touched and reluctant to accept any gifts but I explained to them that people really feel the need to help and they each could use a little help in these tough times. They both benefited greatly in spirit as well as the security of being able to pay the bills from people's generosity. The both say thank you from the bottom of their hearts. Annette is here in Buffalo and increasingly, it's looking like Deborah and Gian will be here soon as well. Annette was able to go back into her apartment in Metairie and retrieve some items last week. Her second floor apartment only had one broken window. A neighbor of Deborah also managed to get a pass to get back into her neighborhood last week so she gave him her key to look at her place. After wading through water all around the neighborhood, unbelievably her house was also dry. They are both some of the few lucky ones and sometime in the future will be able to get their belongings.

I've heard from all kinds of people who are doing wonderful things to assist people of the gulf area- Sandra Fink, a graduate of Creative Studies is working with her local church in Rochester to bring some families to that area and her and her trained therapy dog are planning to travel to the area to assist rescue workers. She has family in Hattiesburg where Katrina made a direct hit. I'll continue to keep in touch with her to see what the needs are from her end but at this time she says the generosity of the people of Rochester has been overwhelming. Another friend of mine, Debbie Chesna from Alden anticipates traveling down with an environmental company to work in the area so I've asked her to keep me updated as well. My former principal in New Orleans is now a councilwomen in New Orleans so I will write to her and tell her to let me know if there's anything we might do for the children of New Orleans in the future. We're still waiting to get word from our friend the US Marshall to see what he knows about rebuilding efforts and ways to help. Thanks again and I'll let you know when the complete set (1967 to 1995) of the Journal of Creative Behavior's goes on EBay through the generosity of Marci Segal!
Sue

Friends in New Orleans

September 5, 2005 7PM EST
TO; My friends, colleagues and the good people of WNY
FROM: Sue Keller-Mathers kellersm@buffalostate.edu
RE: Help for My New Orleans Friends

My dear friends Deborah and Annette in my former home of New Orleans are still in shock and I feel a great need to do what I can. The tragedy of Katrina has affected us all greatly and there are many ways so many people have reached out to help through the Red Cross and other mechanisms for giving and volunteering on a larger scale- those are the most important ways to help. All of the people of the region will need our continued support. In addition, I'm emailing you with one small way you can help three people through me if you wish to. I am going to sell items on EBay to buy supplies for and raise just a little bit of money for immediate needs of three WNY natives who lived in New Orleans. A very close friend, Deborah Misso and her son Gian, who I consider part of my family and Annette German, a former student of mine and friend (recently finished her Master's in Creativity work at BSC) are both teachers in the New Orleans Schools (and didn't get their first check of the school year when Katrina hit). They are all safe but most likely have lost everything. Deborah and her 15 year old
son are staying with friends of mine in Baton Rouge and Annette is staying with a Creative Studies graduate Valerie LaMatina here in WNY. Both Deb and her son Gian and Annette left New Orleans with not much more than the clothes on their back. Although friends and families are assisting them greatly, I'd like to reach out to all of you to take a little of the immediate burden off them if you are willing and able. I've never asked people for anything like this before so I apologize ahead of time if you take offense to requests like that but this is what I felt I needed to do. Read on if you're interested.
Thanks.
Sue Keller-Mathers
885.7445 874 Lafayette Avenue Buffalo NY 14209 kellersm@buffalostate.edu

WHAT I'M DOING AND HOW YOU CAN HELP:

EBay- My friend Brian Brennan, an EBay veteran has agreed to help me sell items on EBay. I'm looking for things that can eventually be mailed to the buyer (so they can't be really big). Good items for EBay include things like recently published books, especially textbooks, collectables/figurines/limited edition stuff, old electronics and computers, old records and record players, anything pre1985 culture related, vintage stuff, etc) If you have items, they can be dropped off at my house (or I'll pick them up if you need me to). If you're not sure if it's a good item for EBay, but want to donate, go ahead and give it to me. I can always do a garage sale later or try to figure out what to do with it to continue to do some good in this time of need.

Clothing: I've sent a large container of clothes to my friend Deborah but I didn't have any to send to her son. Her son Gian, in Baton Rouge is in need of clothing. He's a tall (5'7” or 5'8”) skinny 15 year old who takes men's small shirts to give you an idea and somewhere between a 28 and 32 waist. Any clothing (or national store gift certificates) would be greatly appreciated. Annette is on her way to New Orleans as this is written to see what is left so I'm hoping her second floor apartment outside the city will at least be dry enough to retrieve her personal items. I can update anyone who wants to keep in touch to future needs if you want me to- just let me know. Drop off any clothing at my house (874 Lafayette) and I'll mail them out to Gian (and his friend from New Orleans staying down the block).


A bit more about our WNY friends in New Orleans:

I hope Annette will find her apartment intack when she gets to Louisiana but I will keep in touch with her and find out. Annette began the long drive down to Metairie in Jefferson Parish (right outside of the city of New Orleans) tonight with a friend to see what she has left. She'll go in, take what she can and get out. Then she'll drive back here to WNY, a 22+ hour trip each way.

I was just in New Orleans three weeks ago staying at Deborah's house in the Mid City part of New Orleans near City Park. I've seen the photos of her area on TV and it's unlikely she will have anything left when she gets to go back in a month or two to see her house. Chances are they all will be staying with friends and family for quite a while and begin the long process of rebuilding their lives. Deborah and Gian may come up here eventually but for now, they are safe in the good hands of my friends Jerome and Lynn Lohmann and their three children and I try to talk to her nightly. Just to give you an idea of what's
happening in the area not more than 60 miles from New Orleans, I'm told Baton Rouge is in crisis as well, with the constant sound of helicopters over head and a small city that has many people in need come to this good city for help. There are many, many houses in the Lohmann's middle class neighborhood filled with family and friends from New Orleans. The first night Gian was there he went out in the neighborhood and found a friend from his school in New Orleans who was also staying in the neighborhood. That friend spends 90% of his time at the Lohmann's house (as the house he is staying at has 30 people from New Orleans also staying in the same house). These stories of the good people who take in others are many and are a glimmer of hope in a horrible situation.

For those of you who know that I taught in New Orleans both in the 9th ward and in the French quarter (and my husband Gordon lived there for more than two decades), you know we have many close friends in New Orleans and many memories
of the fine people of New Orleans. We've heard from some of them and will continue to track what has happened to the people of New Orleans. My husband and friends throughout the country want to go down as soon as possible to do what
ever they can when the rebuilding process starts. His close friend, a retired US Marshall in New Orleans has been in touch and will get back to Gordon with ways to help as soon as the initial crisis has passed.

If you wish, I can keep you updated on what is happening- and ways to help the region- our hearts sink when we think of the people and place we love and all the very poor people, many of whom had no way out. Just send me an email if you want to continue to know whatever I find out about ways to help and let me know if you are going to bring something to my house.
Sue

MY CONTACT INFO:
874 Lafayette Avenue Buffalo (between Delaware Avenue/Gates Circle and Linwood Ave) I'm across from the side of Millard Fillmore Gate Circle Hospital. It's the brown house with the purple sheer material on the porch. Items can even be
left under the table on the porch if you're comfortable with that as we're inand out all day or we can set up a time and make sure we're home.
My phone is: 716.885.7445 email: kellersm@buffalostate.edu

Housing Help for Katrina Victims

Hi! I'm passing this along.. this organization came to my attention from jameslovin1 of Jossing Around Maybe there is someone out there who can participate in this.

Dear MoveOn member,
Hurricane Katrina's toll on communities, homes and lives has devastated the nation. Now victims must face the daunting question of where to go next—and we can help.
Tens of thousands of newly homeless families are being bused to a stadium in Houston, where they may wait for weeks or months. At least 80,000 are competing for area shelters, and countless more are in motels, cars, or wherever they can stay out of the elements. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Red Cross are scrambling to find shelter for the displaced.
This morning, we've launched an emergency national housing drive to connect your empty beds with hurricane victims who desperately need a place to wait out the storm. You can post your offer of housing (a spare room, extra bed, even a decent couch) and search for available housing online at:
http://www.hurricanehousing.org
Housing is most urgently needed within reasonable driving distance (about 300 miles) of the affected areas in the Southeast, especially New Orleans.
Please forward this message to anyone you know in the region who might be able to help.
But no matter where you live, your housing could still make a world of difference to a person or family in need, so please offer what you can.
The process is simple:
You can sign up to become a host by posting a description of whatever housing you have available, along with contact information. You can change or remove your offer at any time.
Hurricane victims, local and national relief organizations, friends and relatives can search the site for housing. We'll do everything we can to get your offers where they are needed most. Many shelters actually already have Internet access, but folks without 'net access can still make use of the site through case workers and family members.
Hurricane victims or relief agencies will contact hosts and together decide if it's a good match and make the necessary travel arrangements. The host's address is not released until a particular match is agreed on.
If hosting doesn't work for you, please consider donating to the Red Cross to help with the enormous tasks of rescue and recovery. You can give online at:
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=859
As progressives, we share a core belief that we are all in this together, and today is an important chance to put that idea to work. There are thousands of families who have just lost everything and need a place to stay dry. Let's do what we can to help.
http://www.hurricanehousing.org
Thanks for being there when it matters most.
—Noah Winer and the whole MoveOn.org Civic Action Team Thursday, September 1st, 2005

Now This I Like

This article is a review of the work of Joan Snyder which is currently on display at the Jewish Museum.

I have not had a great deal of experience with her work, but I've got to say that this is the kind that I like. On many levels too.

I like that it means something. That each stroke, color, texture is placed mindfully... For me, her reasons are her own. It is enough for me that she has them. According to the article she tends to give a lot of personal information. Personally, I don't need that.. as a viewer what I like to do is look and experience.. the background information isn't really necessary. But good for her for sharing! Seriously. I HATE when people know my business. I'd rather have the meaning and put it in, but keep my story to myself and let others take, or not, as they see fit. As far as I'm concerned no one needs to know my tooth story to enjoy my work. But she does and that's awesome.

I also like the sensuality of this genre of work. I can look at paintings like this for HOURS... Just getting lost in the paint and color. There is just so much to look at. Maybe that's why the story isn't so important to me. And I like to paint this way as well.. I can still remember the day when I was shown how to do it without using lots of fresh paint. It's one of those memories up there with the other life moments like graduation and births.

So everyone go to NYC and see this. Hopefully I will when I'm there this month. But if you can't make it, go to an art museum anyway. You owe it to yourself.