I stepped in to White Box to see the Goldsmiths MFA 2007 Survey show last night but did not have a minute to write it up till now (and I only have one minute to write it up). It was a better show than some of the other events I have attended at White Box and I liked the portrait paintings of Erin Crowe, including those of Buffet 1 and Castro 1 - sorta reminded me of Alex Katz portrait paintings. There was a lot of people at this show - it was packed and it was hot at White Box.  There were also two performances I attended - one a singer, another with 4 woman on stage making controlled computer noise. Then I left and went to the Podcast Meetup and then home.  Will publish more later, when I have a chance to write it all down.

I'll be at the opening of Goldsmiths: MFA 2007 Survey   and will report on it after I attend:

"Goldsmiths has one of the most competitive Visual Arts programs in the world; numerous past graduates have won the illustrious Turner Prize. The artists in the show include Jeanine Woollard, winner of the Beck's Futures 2006 Student Bursary award, Ryan O'Connor, co-founder of the artist collective Madagascar Institute, and Gudni Gunnarsson, who exhibited at the Pompidou Centre in Paris as a member of the artist collective Poni. Additional participants include: Emanuel Almborg, Richard Clements, Erin Crowe, Sarah Gilder, Robb Jamieson, Yuko Kamei, Maria-Brigita Karantzi, Sonia Morange, Christopher Paquet and Raymond Taudin-Chabot. The show is being curated by Jennifer Thatcher, a London-based independent curator and critic, and will include works by 13 artists from the first year class working in painting, sculpture, photography, installation, and video. An essay by Jennifer Thatcher will accompany the exhibition, exploring some of the themes of the show that range from the myth of British chivalry to existentialist studies of businessmen and why rock music might be better than contemporary art."

Also covering the next meeting of the NYC Podcasting Association Meetup on Wednesday, at the Skylight Diner on W34th Street, after I go to the Goldsmith's opening at White Box. Amy Crehore also told me about one more show to cover about Josephine Baker at the Lincoln Center Library - if I don't make it over on Wednesday - I'll cover it later this week.

"This exhibit of images documents Josephine Baker's great Paris triumph, 'Le Revue Negre,' the show that established her international reputation as a performer. The exhibit, developed by Jean-Claude Baker, has been augmented by reproductions of rarely seen White Studio photographs from her earlier 1920s appearances in Broadway revues. "

There should be a lot of good news about all three; tune in later!

Interesting article on how some artists, which can include Visual Artists, are using Cyberspace to touch their audiences.  Suzanne Vega recently performed in SecondLife to an audience of 100 fans according to the Washington Post.  The Aug. 3 event, organized by a public radio program, was one of the first attempts by a major artist to interact with fans in a completely computer-fabricated world.

"With the help of some programmers, Vega created a 3D animated image of herself, called an avatar, and she recently performed inside a world accessible only through a Web site, where other people represented by avatars attended the concert, streamed live to computers all over the globe. As Vega strummed her guitar inside a real studio, about 100 lucky fans sat at their computers and guided their avatars into the online scene of an outdoor amphitheater, where Vega's avatar -- youthful-looking with short hair and bangs -- appeared on stage. When the real-world artist played and sang, her online alter ego did the same -- though the avatar's lips did not move. Fans heard the concert on their computer speakers and commanded their avatars to smile or move to the music."

The performance appears to have been very effective......

"The response was terrific!! I am still hearing from people who were in the 'room,' friends of friends and people all over the world who were 'there,' " Vega said in an e-mail, noting that she took an active role in picking out the maroon blouse, black cardigan and white tennis shoes her avatar wore.

Maybe we'll be doing virtual paintings in NYC in Second Life too..... Seems more and more like The Matrix to me.

I decided to go to GRNY (Giant Robot NY) tonight to the opening of a group show called "Smitten".  I spoke to a couple of artists, including the one I liked the most, Jack Long.  Here's some pictures I took at the opening.  I was not familar with Giant Robot, but when I got to the shop, I ended up buying a hooded sweat shirt of the latest style.

Giant Robot New York, approaching store (left) and Gallery (right - in Red).

Inside of the GRNY Gallery - it's small and narrow - found some interesting art there tonight.

Jack Long Painting - I liked his work.

I don't know who did this drawing but - looked interesting so I took a picture of it - it's clearly Jolie and child.

Don't know who did this Tribble Garbage Can art - but it was worth taking a picture. At first I thought the Tribbles were for sale - then I realized I should not touch the art.

And here's me, just before getting a haircut.  As soon as I walked out of GRNY I got a haircut next door, then went back in again.  I'm wondering if the cute lady who hosted the show got confused because my hair was different.

I can't say a whole lot about the GRNY show, it was OK, gave me an excuse to roam the East Village tonight, have a bite at Dojo's (a resturant I used to eat at a lot when I lived in the East Village many years ago) and also go into PS 132 and see the last night of Project Iris Havana in NYC - a group exhibition of photographs of Cuba.  It was nice, there was a musician playing and plenty of wine and rum.

I finished up the evening by passing by Fobbidden Planet, a store that has a lot of comic book art and looking for illustrations of people I have come to learn about recently.  Saw what I needed to see, then spent a while reading Dr. Strange, Volume I - from Marvel Comics  - the old Steve Ditko issues - that was great.  And then I went home.