Jake Elliot and I tried to hack the CVS camera and extract the videos using instructions found on the internet, to no avail. Eventually retrieved the video through an overly complicated and expensive process. One would be better of spending the $200 on a flip, I know that is what I am going to do.

Check out some of Jake’s podcasts here http://singsweetsoftware.com/

  Ben Schaafsma, an independent curator and art activist, passed away Saturday, October 25. He was 26 years old.

Schaafsma was an exceptionally ambitious and motivated organizer of the arts community, establishing non-profit art institutions at almost every turn. Perhaps his best-known and longest-running effort was the Institute for Community Understanding Between Art and The Everyday (InCUBATE), founded with Abigail Satinsky and Roman Petruniak. The Logan Square storefront houses an artist residency and a grant program, among many other activities, that, at their core, serve to support artistic endeavors.

Help Out

DONATE We are raising money for his family and a memorial fund in his name. To donate click here  

 ART AUCTION We are also collecting work for an online art auction on ebay. To donate a piece, please email michelle.anne.harris@gmail.com, a quality image of the piece along with title, medium, size, and year of execution. Please keep in mind that it should be something easy to mail and that it will be your responsibility to do so. When the piece sells I will contact you with the buyer’s information so that you can mail it to them. 

ON THE WAY TO LOS ANGELES.

10.24.08

Mailed the Media Box to Cedar ByLard. I wrapped it up for its journey and decorated it a little. Special thanks to Mary for the tape. I left a slot so the suitcase handle may be utilized. Anxious to see further modifications. 

I made this video of my last night with the box. http://www.vimeo.com/2056620

Bon Voyage

Michelle Anne Harris

observations from an outpost

Casey Droege joins Michael Bauer and Michelle Harris for a little sing-along.

http://recordings.talkshoe.com/TC-19198/TS-151671.mp3

It’s Only Time

Magnetic Fields (The)

Why would I stop loving you a hundred years from now?

It’s only time.

It’s only time.

What could stop this beating heart once it made a vow?

It’s only time.

It’s only time.

If rain won’t change your mind, let it fall,

The rain won’t change my heart at all.

Lock this chain around my hand. Throw away the key.

It’s only time.

It’s only time.

Years, falling like grains of sand, mean nothing to me.

It’s only time.

It’s only time.

If snow won’t change your mind, let it fall.

The snow won’t change my heart, not at all.

(I’ll walk your lands,)

I’ll walk your lands,

(and swim your sea,)

And swim your sea.

Marry me.

Marry me.

(And in your hands,)

And in your hands,

(I will be free,)

I will be free.

Marry me.

Marry me.

Why would I stop loving you a hundred years from now?

Please send response any or all of the questions:  michaelgeraldbauer@yahoo.com

http://recordings.talkshoe.com/TC-19198/TS-151815.mp3

1.  what is your full name?  2.  where and when were you born?   3.  who are/were your parents? (name, occupation, personalities, location)  4.  do you have any siblings?  what are/were they like?   5.  where do you live now and with whom?  describe the place and the person.  6.  what is your occupation  7.  give us a full physical description of yourself, starting from the top of your head down to your toes.   8.  describe the social strata which you belong to?   9.  describe a physical weakness  10.  describe what your voice sounds like  11.  what words and phrases do you find yourself using frequently  12.  what do you have in your pockets at this moment?  13.  describe a quirk, strange mannerism, habit, or defining characteristic  14. describe an early instance of experimentation?  15. early fears?   16.  games you used to play?  17.  what is your earliest memory?  18.  where have you learned most of your skills and other abilities  19. while growing up who did you adore  20. who did you hate?   21.  while growing how well did you get along with other members of your family  22 .  as a child what did you want to be when you grew up?   23.  when and whom was your first kiss?  24.  when and with whom did you lose your virginity?   25.  describe an important event your life so far.  26.  what do you consider your greatest achievement?   27.  what is your greatest regret?   28.  what is the most evil thing you have ever do one?   29.  do you have a criminal record of any kind?   30.  when was the last time your were very frightened? 31.  describe a very embarrassing event. 32.  if you could change one thing from your past, what would it be?  33.  what is a positive memory you reflect on?   34.  what is your worst memory?   35.  are you basically optimistic or pessimistic?  36.  what is your greatest fear in life?   37. would you consider yourself politically minded? politically active?  38.  are you religious?  spiritual?   39.  how often do you think about sex?  40.  are you able to kill? under what circumstances do you find killing to be acceptable or unacceptable?  41. what is the most evil thing any human being could do?   42.  do you believe in the existence of soul mates and/or true love?   43.  how honest are you about your thoughts and feelings (i.e. do you hide your true self from others, and in what way?   44.  do you have any biases or prejudices toward specific people?   45.  is there anything you absolutely refuse to do under any circumstances?  what and why?  46.  who or what would you die for?  47.  how do you think you treat others?   48.  do you feel more inclined to give to strangers or people you know?   49.  who is the most important person in your life, and why?  50.  do you have a specific group of friends?  if so describe the dynamics of the group. 51.  do you have a significant other?  who is it?   52.  who are you?   53.  describe a hyper-version of yourself.  (exaggerated characteristics)  54.  have you lived past lives? 55.  who is  your historical soul-mate?  56.  have you had an out of body experience?  57.  do you believe in ghosts?   58.  do you find yourself living and thinking in the  here and now, past, or future?   59.  when have you lost yourself?   60.  Have you been in love? describe the person  and a significant event.    61.  what do you look for in a potential lover?  in a potential partner/   62.  how close are you to your family?   63.  have you started your own family?    64.  who have you turned to during desperate times?   65. if you died who would miss you?  who would you miss?   66.  do you tend to argue with specific people in your life, with whom?   67.  in desperate situations what type of role to you take on?   68.  do you like interacting with large groups of people?  why or why not?   69.  do you care what others think of you?   70.  do you waste time?  doing what?   71.  do you  have any favorite private hobbies or pastimes?   72.  what is your most treasured possession?   73.  what is your favorite food?  74.  what is the last book you read, cover to cover?  75.  what is your idea of good entertainment?   76.  do you smoke, drink or use drugs?   77.  how do you spend a typical saturday evening?   78.  what makes you laugh?  79.  who offends you?   80.  do you sleep well at night?   81.  how many hours on average do you sleep per night?   82.  how do you deal with stress?   83.  are you spontaneous, or are more inclined to plan?   84.  describe a pet peeve.   85.  describe a normal day for you from start to finish.    86.  describe one of your great character strengths  87.  describe one of your great character weaknesses  88.  if you could change one thing about yourself what would that be?   89.  are you introverted or extroverted?   90.  are you generally organized or messy?   91.  name three things you consider yourself to be very good at and three things that you are terrible.   92.  in general do you like yourself?   93.  what is one thing that you want to accomplish in your lifetime?   94.  where do you see your self in five years?  in twenty years? 95.  if you could choose, how would you want to die?   96.  if you were to die in 24 hours, name three things that you would do in the time you had time left.    97.  what is your relationship with nature?   98.  how well do you know yourself?  on a 1-10 scale?   99.  how often do you act impulsively  100.  how strong is your sense of direction?  your sense of smell?   101.  how trusting are you of strangers?   102.  what advice would you give to a thirteen year old?   103.  how many best friends do you have?   104.  sweet or savory?  105.  where do you feel most comfortable?  106.  do you think about the future?  how far into the future?   107.  do you have any specific regrets?  108.  are you concerned with having a legacy? 109.  do you have faith in the human condition?  110.  describe the future in two-hundred years.  111. do you have trouble controlling yourself?   112. time of day you are most creative?  113.  what is one thing you’d like to do before you die?   114.  who is your spirit animal?  (certain characteristics that align with certain animals)   115,  who is your spirit vegetable?   116.  tell us a fictional story about an email your received today.

tonight we will be raffling off the above media to friends through out the country.

Co-School—A collaborative and enduring alternative/supplement to institutionalized art education 

—in four parts—

please add comments and ideas as you see fit and send back to  mailto:coschool@gmail.com

coschool@gmail.com. the password for this account is coschoolart. please add your name and the date:

Adam Brody,  mailto:adamcbrody@yahoo.com adamcbrody@yahoo.com, 7/17/08

episode10coschool

—part one: a rough outline of what the school could be—

Co-school allows artists of all mediums (visual, performance, writers, musicians, interdisciplinary) to grow and learn from eachother, using a low-residency model of ongoing creation and education.  Co-school students are encouraged to be students for as many years as they desire.  Everyone involved in co-school is a student; the organization follows a cooperative & democratic model.

By paying a monthly due (income-based sliding scale of $10-$50) students are entitled to a one-month stay at the co-school home/studios.  For members that cannot commit to a whole month residency, shorter residencies will be accomidated.  During the rest of the year, students may visit the school for weekend workshops and annual gatherings. One room will be left open yearly and may be booked for 2-3 days periods as needed.

When not in residency, students use the co-school website to find peer mentors/create review groups/and seek collaborations.  There are no requirements for a student’s level of involvement with activities.  

Although primarily a place of art creation, each year an academic focus will be voted on by the students.  The focus could be ancient Chinese history, permaculture, or particle physics.  A scholar in that field will be invited to provide a reading list and lecture notes for said subject and, at year’s end, will visit the school for a weekend of lectures.

Co-School hopes to enrich the community where it is located.  Each month, residents will be asked to provide two free workshops—in total—to the community.  Residents may decide among themselves the nature of the workshops and who will participate in their creation/facilitation.

The facility will be accesible by public transportation from an eastern US city.  Whether or not the facility will be in the city will be determined by the members.  

Potential cities are: Baltimore Pittsburgh Philadelphia Cleveland ______________? But, if someone donated a warehouse in Boise, Idaho, we’d probably take it.

Dreams for the facility:

Library, Performance/Gallery space, Music room/Recording Studio, Sculpture/clay studio, Yurt

—part two:  how are we going to get started?—

Things we need:

Non-profit status, A facility, Grants/donations, Members

Phase One:

♥ We work on getting this proposal really spot on. We also create a press release/flyer.

♥ We investigate different towns/cities based on:

Cost of living , Accesibility, Environmental quality, Proximity to low-cost/free medical facility

♥ We research becoming a non-profit and how to purchase/own a facility as an organization.  We find an accountant/financial advisor.

♥ We find grants/foundations that might be interested in helping us

♥ We get a website

Phase Two:

♥ We send the proposal out to people that might be interested and post the flyer at appropriate venues.  We send the press release to all sorts of publications.

♥ We apply for grants and such.

♥ We try to find a city/individual that would gift us a property.

♥ We begin collecting dues.

Phase Three:

A team of students works on the house, gets it up to snuff, and…

We Begin!

A note: We can begin before we have a physical space—we could start today by buliding our community and starting to share our work & collaborate.

—part three: how the coschool functions—

In two parts: the site & the organization

The site:

Each year, a student will apply to be manager of the facility, in exchange for room, studio space, and a monthly stipend.  This position will include one month of paid vacation.  The site manager will be responsible for orienting residents each month, contacting appropriate maintenance persons when necessary, communicating with community members/officials, and contributing to the house log/blog.  The manager will also be responsible for facilitating any events/workshops that occur during their term.  Major workshops and events will come with their own team of facilitators. 

The organization:

The organization’s administration will be largely de-centralized.  In the beginning of each year, a gathering will take place on location during which objectives, goals, and details will be hashed out for the coming year.  Notes will be placed on the internet for students unable to attend.  From this meeting, groups will be formed to perform specific tasks.  There could be a ten person aquisitions team that works on getting materials & supplies, a two person academic enrichment group, etc.  Some positions will be held by one person.  These positions could include: financial coordinator, communications coordinator, a grants/donations coordinator, and a workshops coordinator. (a note on workshops: we potentially could host workshops as a means of fundraising.  A visiting artist would come and teach a weekend workshop and we would charge attendees.  Students would receive a discounted rate)  Whether or not these more involved positions would come with some kind of stipend could be determined by the group.

—part four: miscellanious ideas—

A travel program will be established that connects a group of students with an organization/facility in another city/country.  The group will collaborate with a group there, create a site-specific project, or perform a community service.  

The school will obtain a school bus that can be used for collaborative projects (music tours, performance tours, guerilla arts education)

The school will close during December, during which time it will be available for rental by artists & groups on a weekly basis.

Sarah Anderson, Michael G. Bauer, Adam Brody, Luke Fischbeck, Michelle Anne Harris, David Horvitz, Maura Thompson all on their own respective ‘little journey’ in CA, NY, and IL. Messages from the  journeys were collected, placed in a bottle, and hung from a tree in Chicago’s Humboldt Park.