Time for a newsletter

So much is happening at Art Lovers gallery: plans to make it a cooperative; plans to expand our internet and print sales . . . it's time for a new newsletter.

It's also a time for a fitting tribute to Victor DeGraff, the gallery's best-selling artist, who died last month, after his car went off the road just past Dead Man's curve in Cobden. Victor would appreciate the irony. His Sands of Time Studio website has been recently updated, so his legacy will continue.

You can sign up for the newsletter on the Art Lovers home page.

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Juno in July

Visiting artist to offer lectures, workshops in July: "Visiting artist Violet Juno will be on campus July 2-27 with a series of 25 events, including lectures, performances and workshops. The series, called 'Campo Truth Charmer: An Interdisciplinary Performance Expedition,' is meant primarily for artists of all types, from musicians to writers to painters to dancers, and for the 'art-curious' in any discipline.

Juno is an arts learning activist for the Alameda County, Calif., Office of Education. She is also a performance artist, having participated in exhibitions in more than 30 cities over the past 17 years, including a premier performance at SIUC's Kleinau Theater of "Swallowed Whole: Stories from Inside the Painting," an exploration of her work in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Juno was born in Germany, but raised in Normal, Ill., where, according to her biography, she learned to recognize the "absurd masquerading as the mundane." She earned a bachelor of fine arts degree at Washington University and a master of fine arts at the University of California-San Diego.

Juno's visit here is funded in part by the Student Fine Arts Activity Fee. All of her events are open and free of charge. Each week has a theme. The schedule is given in the press release."

Aftermath 2002, and other Plochmanns on display

The Southern Illinois Art Gallery at Rend Lake will be displaying the paintings of Carolyn Plochmann's Gift, a selection of paintings and drawings from the 1940s through 2005. The highly distinguished Carbondale artist, Plochmann, gifted the work to the Illinois State Museum in 2006, many of which are being shown for the first time.

May 20 - September 9, 2007.

Six miles north of Benton, Illinois, just west on Exit 77.

Can you Duhigg it?

Artdaily.org - The First Art Newspaper on the Net: "ST. LOUIS - The annual Kranzberg Exhibition Series opens June 8, 2007 with an exhibition featuring the work of Thad Duhigg titled, Assumptions Mediated and will run through September 2, 2007.

Currently professor of sculpture and the Chair of the Art and Design department at Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville, Duhigg will fill the indoor galleries at Laumeier with his bold, probing and provocative work. The exhibition includes sculpture, installations, prints and drawings. Duhigg’s most recent work questions and provokes as it focus on issues of identity, race and current events. . . .

Duhigg received his B.F.A. from Southern Illinois University – Carbondale "

Healing art

Healing through art: "Twice a month teens and adults meet at The Women's Center in Carbondale for a unique form of art therapy called 'The Art of Survival: Women, Healing and the Arts.' The program is the only one of its type in Illinois and it has highlighted the work of about 25 people since it started in 2004.

'We let each individual decide what they want to do in their art. Through the artwork and various steps, an individual is able to reconnect with their feelings that they may not be aware of,' volunteer program manager Elka Kazmierczak said."

Picasso works stolen from granddaughter - Yahoo! News

Picasso works stolen from granddaughter - Yahoo! News:

"The paintings, 'Maya and the Doll' and 'Portrait of Jacqueline' by Picasso -- worth a total of nearly $66 million -- were stolen from the artist's granddaughter's house in Paris overnight Monday to Tuesday.

The Art Loss Register, which maintains the world's largest database on stolen, missing and looted art, currently lists 444 missing Picasso pieces, including paintings, lithographs, drawings and ceramics. Among recent missing Picassos reported to the register was the theft of an abstract watercolor stolen in Mexico."

The Russians are Coming

Russian musicians to visit SIUC School of Music, March 6 & 7, to perform Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6 with the Southern Illinois Symphony Orchestra at two venues: Shryock and The First United Methodist Church.

Lucky 13 in Mt. Vernon

Reported in FLIPSIDE Online: Thirteen Carbondale artists will display their work in the Mitchell Museum's main gallery at Cedarhurst Center for the Arts in Mt. Vernon, beginning this Saturday, Feb. 24 through May 6, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free.

The exhibit features the art of Andrea Buckvold, Luca Cruzat, Harris Deller, Ann Dodge, Cheonae Kim, L. Brent Kington, Jiyong Lee, Alex Lopez, Michael Onken, De Sande R, Rick Smith, Jason Urban and Chris Wildrick. Their works include photography, acrylic, ceramics and oil paint.

Juried student art exhibition on display this week

Juried student art exhibition on display this week:

"The Graduate Sculpture Student Organization at Southern Illinois University Carbondale presents the first SIUC Juried Student Art Exhibition. The exhibit will be in the Surplus Gallery in the Glove Factory, on the corner of East College and South Washington streets in Carbondale. First, second and third place winners will receive $100, $50 and $25, respectively.

The exhibit will be open Thursday, Feb. 22, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday, Feb. 23, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. The reception and awards presentation are set for Friday, Feb. 23, from 6 to 9 p.m. The events are free and open to the public.

Mel Watkin, the director of the photography gallery at the Public Policy Research Center of University of Missouri, St. Louis, will jury this inaugural exhibition."

Strange statues around the world

One of Art Lovers favorite artists and dear friend, Christa Barnell, has moved to colder, but greener, pastures in Michigan, from where she sends this link to strange statues around the world posted on haha.nu - a lifestyle blogzine.

Which gives Art Lovers an idea..... How about an imaginative statue in Town Square?

One man's urinal, is another man's art

Yahoo! News reports in France: Court upholds urinal attack conviction:

"The self-proclaimed performance artist who attacked a urinal symbolic of the anarchic Dada movement with a hammer had his three-month suspended sentence upheld by a French court Friday.

Known as 'Fountain' and first exhibited by surrealist artist Marcel Duchamp in 1917, the ceramic urinal was slightly cracked by Pierre Pinoncelli's attack in January 2006.

'It was a nod to Dadaism, I wanted to pay homage to the spirit of Dada,' said Pinoncelli, 78, who complained about the 'non-recognition of his artistic act.'"

Sand Painting DVD

The long-awaited documentary on the Art and History of Sand Painting with Victor DeGraff can be ordered through the Sands of Time web site.

The Sound of Sand

The sand painting documentary Art Lovers is co-producing with Victor DeGraff is nearly completed, now that he and editor Dylan D. (.jpg) have completed the section of American Indian sand painting. Running approximately 40 minutes long, with the addition of original music and sound by Shadi Frick (pictured here with Victor), the next step is for Art Lovers' own Dan Johnson to finalize the DVD's and burn a few for the premiere on February 2, the First Friday of the month.

High School art high quality

Students art in Marion:

"The artwork presently on display in the Little Egypt Arts Centre in downtown Marion is a mix of prints, drawings, paintings, photographs and sculptures. And although all of the pieces were created by high school students, the art is anything but juvenile."

Art shows art at Wal Mart

Yahoo! News: Painting of Jolie draws notice: "A North Carolina artist intrigued by the public obsession with celebrity has found herself feeding that obsession with a painting of actress Angelina Jolie as the Virgin Mary hovering over a Wal-Mart check-out line.

Kate Kretz has painted for 20 years but none of her previous work has garnered the attention given 'Blessed Art Thou,' showing ... at Art Miami, an annual exposition of modern and contemporary art."

The painting — acrylic and oil on linen — depicts an angelic Jolie in the clouds, holding her newborn daughter, Shiloh, with children Maddox and Zahara at her legs. Below them is a Wal-Mart checkout line. The painting is for sale for $50,000 through Chelsea Galleria in Miami, which represents Kretz.

On her blog, Kretz, 43, said the painting addresses "the celebrity worship cycle." She said she chose Jolie for the subject "because of her unavoidable presence in the media, the worldwide anticipation of her child, her 'unattainable' beauty and the good that she is doing in the world through her example, which adds another layer to the already complicated questions surrounding her status."

Art for Mart's sake

Beginning Jan. 2 Art Lovers will selling its fine art online exclusively through Boundless Gallery a Carbondale-based virtual art gallery that attracts thousands of online shoppers monthly, with convenient search features like choosing by color, and seeing how a painting will look in a room.

The Art Lovers gallery looks great. More paintings by local artists Kathleen Shaffner, Christa Barnell, Victor DeGraff, Deborah Brees, Steve Fessler and others weekly.

Associated Artists Gallery closing, New ones opening

Photographer Bob Hageman and Dick Lawson try to explain why Associated Artists Gallery is closing in January: as the Southern Illinoisan reports: "[It] voted itself out of existence at its December meeting. . . .The gallery was formed in 1983 as the Carbondale Artists Cooperative . . . located on South Illinois Avenue next to the Kaleidoscope gift shop. . . ," but never recovered from the move to The Island, where it became more of gift shop.

". . . [A]rtists . . . intend to go on with their work and find new venues - maybe even a new association and new gallery -- including a symbiotic relationship . . . between Southern Illinois wineries and Southern Illinois artists."

Newly-found Rockwell sets record

Yahoo! News: Rockwell found behind wall sets record: "One of Norman Rockwell's most famous paintings, discovered hidden behind a fake wall in its owner's Vermont home, has sold for $15.4 million.

'Breaking Home Ties,' which 'Henry' comic strip illustrator Donald Trachte Sr. purchased from Rockwell when the two were neighbors in Arlington, Vt., was sold to an anonymous telephone bidder, Sotheby's auction house said Thursday."

Art Over Easy

Premiere Art Auction & Gala
Dec. 1, 2006
7-9:30 p.m.
Surplus Gallery @ The Glove Factory

Damaged Picasso repair

Wynn's damaged Picasso being repaired - Yahoo! News: "Casino mogul Steve Wynn lost $139 million, but got to keep one of his favorite paintings when he poked a hole in a Picasso last month. . . . Now it will cost Wynn $85,000 to repair the damage to the art work, if not his pride.

Honored ceramist to show works at SIUC

Honored ceramist to show works at SIUC: "A celebrated ceramist will showcase his work at Southern Illinois University Carbondale next week as part of the Visiting Artists program at the University's School of Art and Design, part of the College of Liberal Arts.

David Furman, professor of ceramics at Pitzer College in Claremont, Calif., will present a slide lecture and a demonstration on Thursday, Nov. 2 at 5 p.m. in room 161 of Lawson Hall. The event is free and open to the public. The fine arts activity fee funds the Visiting Artists program.

'Furman's visit will give SIUC students and faculty a unique opportunity to learn from this great artist,' said Jiyong Lee, assistant professor of glass and chair of the Visiting Artists committee."

Exhibit showcases young artists' creations

Exhibit showcases young artists' creations: "Creations by young artists will be on display at Southern Illinois University Carbondale's School of Art and Design from 10 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28, in room 102 of the Allyn Building. This event is free and open to the public.

The exhibit will showcase artwork produced during the 'Saturday Young Artists Workshop,' an eight-week series offered by the School of Art and Design's art education department. The school is part of the College of Liberal Arts."

Pokes Picasso Painting

U.S. casino magnate gives Picasso's dream the elbow: "Picasso's famed 'Dream' painting turned into a nightmare for Las Vegas casino magnate Steve Wynn when he accidentally gave the multimillion dollar canvas an elbow.

Wynn had just finalized a $139 million sale to another collector of his painting, called 'Le Reve' (The Dream), when he poked a finger-sized hole in the artwork while showing it to friends at his Las Vegas office a couple of weeks ago.

Director and screenwriter Nora Ephron, who witnessed and related the incident in her blog on the Huffington Post Web site (www.huffingtonpost.com), said Wynn had raised his hand to show the group something about Picasso's 1932 portrait of his mistress Marie-Therese Walter."

Fess Up

Making preparations for artist Steve Fessler's show The Shape of Things, at Art Lovers Trading Company gallery tonight. There was a nice photo/write-up in Flipside, the best online entertainment weekly in the region.

Art Biz Blog: Well Done Artist's Blog

Art Biz Blog: Well Done Artist's Blog

Fine Art Photography Organization's Innovative Marketing Makes Them a Top Google Find

Press Release: Fine Art Photography Organization's Innovative Marketing Makes Them a Top Google Find:

The Center for Fine Art Photography, occupying the third floor of the Museum of Contemporary Art in historic Old Town, Fort Collins, Colorado, this unique international organization and its gallery is best known on the world wide web than around its own state. According to Google statistics, with 61,000,000 returns, the Center’s website is ranked in the top fifteen for "fine art photography" searches. An incredible accomplishment in just over two years.

Art Blog

Local art mogul starts Art Blog

SIUC artist's work on display at St. Louis gallery: "A celebrated African-American artist from Southern Illinois University Carbondale is showcasing his paintings during the 'Show Me St. Louis Artists' festival at the Portfolio Gallery and Education Center in St. Louis.

Najjar Abdul-Musawwir, SIUC assistant professor of art, is among an elite group of artists selected to display their work at the Portfolio Gallery, a venue that is a haven for African-American artistic expression.

'I'm really honored to be showing my work at this gallery,' Abdul-Musawwir said. 'It has hosted some major events. This year the National Association of African American Museums will visit the facility. My work will seen by art enthusiasts from across the country!'

The seven Musawwir paintings in the exhibition are part of his 'Fatiha and Door of Return' series. In Arabic, 'Fatiha' means opening or door."

Paintings reveal pollution clues: "Paintings by Claude Monet could shed light on pollution in London at the turn of the 20th Century, experts say.

University of Birmingham researchers have pinpointed the dates and times of depicted scenes by analysing the position of the Sun in the sky.

The research also revealed the French painter's vantage point: a second floor terrace at St Thomas's Hospital."

Young and In Charge

Career Moves - All Business - Yahoo! Finance: "Being young and in charge isn't a typical scenario for the top brass of publicly traded companies. Of the companies on Wall Street's Russell 2000 Index, there are just eight chiefs age 35 or under."

CEO'ers visit Art Lovers

The group from SIUC's "Camp CEO" visited the Art Lovers gallery yesterday... and they got an eyeful of art, as well as a brief demo of the gallery's computer systems for inventory sales and management. 

Guggenheim in UAE with no Nudes?

Art News Blog: Guggenheim in UAE with no Nudes?: "The United Arab Emirates will soon have the largest Guggenheim museum to be built. The New York based Guggenheim Foundation currently has museums in New York, Bilbao, Venice, Berlin, and Las Vegas.
The American architect Frank Gehry will build Guggenheim Abu Dhabi (GAD) which will be located on a Gulf island (Saadiyat) near the United Arab Emirates capital. It is expected to be 30,000 square meters or 322,800 square feet and will be completed within five years.

The interesting thing about such a grand museum for contemporary art is that there will be no nudes or works that are confrontational in any way, which includes works of a religious nature."

Artwork by young students

Artwork by students on display at SIUC: "Local middle and high school students are showcasing their artwork at Southern Illinois University Carbondale's University Museum as a part of the 'Art Fusion' exhibit, which opened July 5 and runs through Aug. 8."

Sand Painter Victor DeGraff and Carbondale Community Arts assistant Teresa Fix have put up 20 of Victor's finest paintings on display at Carbondale Civic Center for the month of July.

Next First Friday

The gallery at Art Lovers Trading Co. will be taking the summer off from First Friday events until September, when the nudes of Larry Bernstein will be featured.