connecting*the*dots

(originally uploaded by xylonets)

Background on the entire series.

Ndesanjo Macha, the Central Unit Director for the Boys and Girls Club of Greensboro, pinged me about this earlier in the week:

Later today, The Central Unit is having a grand opening of the first recording studio for kids in Greensboro. The event will involve performances by club members, local artists, NC A&T university step team (Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity) and modeling group (Verge), etc.

The studio is for kids to learn news skills in digital technologies (sound engineering, recording, etc.). Their aim is to teach them how to be good producers of information and knowledge (since they are already very good consumers!)

(studio under construction)

Time: 6-8pm, February 23
Location: 840 Neal Street, Greensboro
Ticket: $3 (adults), $2 (kids - non-members of the B&G club).
Contact: 235-5236 (cell) or 274-1509 (o).

More photos of the studio in progress and their blog.

Slinkachu is having a lot of fun with this art project, as he leaves each of these scenes on the streets of London for people to stumble across, trample, steal, etc.

His work reminds me of my father’s mini-sculptures, but with the additional fun memories of playing with die-cast action figures as a child in the great expanses of my backyard.

So much fun.

Jackson Pollock is my all-time favorite American painter. Now, thanks to Miltos Manetas, both you and I can emulate his signature “splatter” painting technique… online.

Apparently, the Flash site has been up since 2003, but I just stumbled upon it today.

Sheer brilliance.

Thank you, Miltos.

Suggested context: The next time you’re in Long Island, consider driving out to East Hampton to visit Pollock’s home & studio. I toured the grounds in the summer of 2005 and the experience expanded and edified my respect for both Pollock and his wife, Lee Krasner.

Charlie Rose on the career of Jackson Pollock, below:

The Outline of a Skeleton, 2006
47,5×37x7 cm
Acid free A4 80 gms paper and glue in artist made frame

From Peter’s website:

[…] Most recent I have started to make white paper cuts/sculptures inspired by fairytales and romanticism exploring the relationship between two and three dimensionality, between image and reality. I find the materialization of a flat piece of paper into a 3D form as an almost magic process - or maybe one could call it obvious magic, because the process is obvious and the figures still stick to their origin, without the possibility of escaping. In that sense there is as well an aspect of something tragic in most of the cuts. […]

Cuban artist Arístides Esteban Hernández Guerrero (Ares) drops his point of view with these classic illustrations.

(originally uploaded by ’stpiduko’)

(Artist: HelloBard, Oslo, Norway)

If anyone deserves a coloring book that illustrates their colorful quotes, it’s Pat Robertson.

And if 56 artist’s perspectives of Pat Robertson’s most discusting utterances isn’t enough for you, be sure to pick up David Kuo’s Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Seduction — a well reviewed read about the Bush administration’s attempt to use Christianity for purely political ends.

Kuo’s two-part 60 Minutes interview can be found here and here.

(coloring book via Neatorama)

(originally uploaded by BombDog)

Lisa Scheer and I spent a few hours over at M’Coul’s Pub yesterday, melding minds over how to best use the web to expose her amazing eye to a larger audience and start a conversation about her passion.

Enter tagging.

After a few hours of exchanging philosophical approaches and dissecting interfaces, Lisa left with laptop in tow to start exploring her new sandbox.

Her castle is going to be dope.

(originally uploaded by JerryDoughnut)

(listen to Melissa tell her story)

Head First Slide

Goals of this project include:

• exposing the greater community to the faces, voices and personalities of individuals experiencing homelessness and drug addiction–to increase awareness and understanding;
• building a supportive community both from and for the two groups of people who have collaborated on this project;
• providing encouragement for individual, long-term goals created by the participants;
• enabling the greater community to invest in the lives of project participants; and finally
• establishing a more permanent audience for the participants through this website and individual email addresses

Once we get The People, Yes off its training wheels, I’m looking forward to teaming up with people like the good folk at Ink Tank.

What a creative way to both humanize and enable people, simultaneously.

We’re meeting our first prospective writer sometime this week (right, CM?). If we can turn out a platform half as interesting as this project, Greensboro’s underprivileged will no doubt be heard, and hopefully, become accepted contributors to this town’s vibrant conversations — both online and off.

(found via Neatorama)