Zoe Strauss

Remember the biggest scare of the last century? No, not the "war of the worlds" radio broadcast. No, not the cold war or the hot WWI and WWII. The metric scare!

I'm going to guess it was 1979 when it happened. "Metrics" suddenly appeared in the school curriculum out of thin air because we were all going to start using metrics within the next few months. Oh my GOD, how were we going to measure? It was terrifying. It was like "you have to learn Esperanto today because starting next week that's the only language that will be spoken IN THE WORLD."

I'm just bringing this up because I'm so happy about the online English System to Metric conversion sites.

OK, I have written before about how dissapointed I am in the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program... here and here. But I will never be done talking about it because I want Philadelphia to have quality art, not half-assed art.


I've painted murals before I-95 and I am not a painter by any stretch. Here's one I painted a while ago. It's been down for more than 10 years, but I wish it would go back up.

Woody Guthrie Mural

And here's an rough outline for a mural that I wish would go up.


Heroin Flow Chart Mural

And here's an rough outline for one that should go up.


Utilities Flow Chart Mural

I am a big proponent of murals that explain our household utilities.

And here's a new one...


After all, we are at war.

What about the idea of having murals that inform, as opposed to interepretations of what's considered "inspirational"? What about a mural of an accurate world map?




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This mural at Broad and Spring Garden is fucking ridiculous. This is a response to youth violence in Philadelphia? I seriously hate this piece so much I can barely look at it. Mural Arts, I BEG you, please stop producing work like this.



There are some murals that I think are fine and I absolutely don't have to love, or even like, the majority of them. But I can't believe that so many of them look like the one above.

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Now, can't we get some of these people to produce murals here?


Steve Powers is an amazing muralist


Image by Steve Powers. His new work in Ireland is killing me. He's from Philadelphia, so why don't we have several THOUSAND of his murals?

What about a mural by Kehinde Wiley?


Kehinde Wiley, Portrait of Andries Stilte II

That mural of the kid reading a Jiffy Lube text book on South Philly High isn't cutting it.

or something by Angela Dufresne?




Look at how great these paintings by Angela Dufresne are! Why can't we have these instead of the majority of crap murals we have?

or something by Mark Bradford?


Mark Bradford, Kryptonite

or Astrid Bowlby?


Astrid Bowlby, Installation view

or one of the hundreds of tremendous Philadelphia artists who would produce work that's more challenging and responsive than what we have going on right now? You know, mural wise.

The above artists produce beautiful and evocative work; and you'll note that none produce images of a "kid graduating" run through a photoshop filter.


Also, David Kessler once told me that he'd paint a mural of a giant rat battling a giant robot rat and I would love to see that.

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Look at these 2 paintings that Philadelphia Museum of Art has inside the main building....



Marc Chagall, A Wheatfield on a Summer's Afternoon

and



Diego Rivera, Zapata

Why can't we demand the same kind of quality art for the public view? Come on!

I-95.08 photo by Stephen Millner



Photo by C. H. Paquette (thanks Chris!)



Photo by Okaypro



Photo by jaw0


Photo by Albert Yee... I love this one, Yee.

Well, thanks to everyone who came.


The show was a tremendous success. One special part of the show was that Charday kept calling my new intern, Laura, "intern" as in "Hey, intern, could you get that?" and Laura had to keep saying, "My name is Laura." Oh, the trial by fire that's the Philadelphia Public Art Project!

I'm pretty close to the completion of the show... I felt that there were only a few weak links in this show and that I'll be able to successfully complete the installation by 2010. Thank GOD, because how much would it blow if I was like, "well I tried my hardest but just didn't quite get there." That would really bite a high hard one.

I am looking forward to a productive summer, with editing the book and producing photos and going to France for a show and a lot of stuff. Jesus Christ, a lot of stuff.

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Here's photos of the show.

Stephen Millner's Photos of I-95.08

I-95.08 flickr group photos

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Thanks to my family who came, and a special shout out to Buddy and Rita Baker who brought a lawn chair to sit in.

Thanks to all the Philadelphia press who let folks know about the show... I am very appreciative for your support.

Thanks to Citizens Alliance.

And thanks to the City Projects crew who came from LA to make a short video.

http://www.cityprojects.net/

Director/Producer Phillip Rodriguez (Also a USA Broad Fellow, 2007)
Cinematographer: Claudio Rocha
Audio: Jon Oh
PA: Jeremy Defalco

I'll be putting it up as soon as it's done.

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Here's the new photo I'm sending out anytime someone needs a bio photo of me.



Photo by Brad Maule

Thanks, Brad!

Philadelphia Style on Lombard St.

Here's a product that needs to be invented, underwear that's MADE for your period and has a pad BUILT IN! I was doing a little research on cloth pads and I have yet to find someone making what I really want... not a cloth pad, but underwear with a cloth pad SEWN IN and then you just drop the whole thing in the washer. I'm bringing back the literal use of "on the rag." This product makes the most sense for overnight bleeding, you really shouldn't sleep in a tampon and no matter what pads don't really stay fully in place.

Here's some diagrams from a place that makes cloth pads, Party in My Pants.


Diagram 1

Diagram 2

While I enjoy these above, I would like the pad to be a part of the underwear. I don't trust that the snap won't slide. Combine the two diagrams above and there's a great product! Also, I'm really about a dark fabric, cotton fabric. I don't need fancy patterns because I'm just going to bleed on it.

I have been taking a hiatus from posting because I've been sick and because my computer was in the shop, but now I'm on the mend and my computer is mended, so back to revealing the minutia of my daily life!

I do need to take a break, with the strongest case in point that I turned my computer on in my sleep last night. I woke up in bed with my computer on my stomach and the whole desktop appearing on the monitor.

Unrelated to the computer sleeping issue, I also dreamed that someone had written "Ozzy and Randy '95" in cement at 22nd and Chestnut.

The link above is to the very first post I put up... I still have no idea why I have this blog.

I am super sick right now... I think I was just super tired out and my immune system was dragging, because I haven't been this sick in a long time.

Also, I'm having problems with my BRAND NEW COMPUTER and have to bring it into the shop tomorrow. This leads me to a question that has arisen after the huge number of computer problems I've had this last year; are macs actually pieces of shit? I am most comfortable with a Mac, and can't imagine using a pc operating system, but the number of problems I've had is ridiculous.

1PM
I-95.08
Photo by the great Albert Yee

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Albert Yee's Flickr set on I-95.08

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and his blog post on the show.

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I am so grateful for Yee's support and his thoughtful documentation of my events. Thanks, Albert Yee! I think you're super!

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...also Flickr group of I-95.08

Thanks for your help over the course of this year

Lynn Bloom

Savannah Roberts
Ilene Baker
Charday Laverty
Christine Settino
Manny Dominguez

And Thanks to a Superb New Crew

Laura Raynor
Masha Badinter
Ashley
Matt "One Hitter at a Led Zeppelin Cover Band Concert" Maraldo

And thanks to Stephen Millner for last minute cleanup help
and thanks to Bob for his continued graciousness in allowing me to exhibit in his personal space- 73. Philadelphia, PA (Yellow Flea Market Curtain)

Thanks to all who attended the show yesterday. I regarded it as a tremendous success.

I will be putting up more later, including a long list of thanks. I have slept most of today except for meeting Charday at Greyhound and getting chicken soup at the Reading Terminal.

I would love to know what folks thought of the show. Please comment or send me pictures if you took them. I would especially like to know what photos people took at 4.

With Love,
ZS

New for 2008 Aisle VI


196. Las Vegas, NV (Ken and Don)*


202. Ocean Springs, MS (We Love Having You Here)*


211. Philadelphia, PA (I Love You Billy)*



216. Denver, CO (Home Pride)*


217. Auburn, WA (Drive In)*


225. Philadelphia, PA (New Years Blazer)*

New for 2008 Aisle V


146. Muckleshoot Reservation (Johnny Moses)


147. Philadelphia, PA (South Philly Fireworks Reed and Juniper)*


151. Biloxi, MS (Vincent)*


156. Chicago, IL (Bobby Brown Record Store)*



162. Philadelphia, PA (Merry Christmas House)*


163. Scranton, PA (Hillary Supporter)*


167. New Orleans, LA (Judy Family Photo)*


169. Las Vegas, NV (Casino Walkby)*


171. Las Vegas, NV (Satisfaction Guaranteed)*


181. Philadelphia, PA (Party’s Over)*


182. Las Vegas, NV (Bed With Pillows)*


184. Gulfport, MS (Refrigerators)*


186. Philadelphia, PA (Shark Bite)*


187. Philadelphia, PA (Swastika Tattoos)*


191. Camden County, NJ (Stay Alive)*

New for 2008 Aisle IV


116. Las Vegas, NV (Father and Son Greyhound)*


120. New Orleans, LA (Red, White and Blue Gas Station)*



121. El Paso, TX (Woman at US/Mexico Border)*


122. Camden County, NJ (This Is Your Warning)*


126. Philadelphia, PA (Car Lot Tinsel at Night)*


127. New Orleans, LA (Vacancy New Orleans)*



131. Denver, CO (Judy Padilla)*


132. Las Vegas, NV (Circus Circus from Parking Lot)*


136. Philadelphia, PA (Keep the Fuck Out)*


138. Limerick, PA (Virginia)*


141. El Paso, TX (Carlos Dress Blues on Bed)*


142. Las Vegas, NV (No Trespassing with Man Walking)*


144. El Paso, TX (Power/Ower)*

New for 2008 Aisle III


75. Philadelphia, PA (Crutches)*


79. Philadelphia, PA (Rosemarie’s Bed)*


81. Terre Haute, IN (Trampoline)*


82. Camden, NJ (Thin Woman with Cherry Water Ice)*


84. Truth or Consequences, NM (Truth or Consequences Couple)*


93. Las Vegas, NV (Kelley)*


97. Camden, NJ (Salt Pile)*


100. Philadelphia, PA (Prada Bag)*


101. Tacoma, WA (Drugs)*


104. Philadelphia, PA (Gunshot in Leg on Gurney)*


107. Philadelphia, PA (Showing Sternum Scar)*

New for 2008 Aisle II


29. Las Vegas, NV (Stardust 2007)*

33. Hazelton, PA ( Stage at Leah’s Recital)*

36. Philadelphia, PA (Mummer in Front of Gas Station Convenience Store)*


48. Scranton, PA (Woman Behind Balloon)*

51. Seattle, WA (Bear on TV)*

60. El Paso, TX (Woman in Front of Hair Color)*

62. Chicago, IL (Mexican Football Fans with Man Sitting)*

63. Philadelphia, PA (Tattooed Penises)*

64. Greencastle, IN (Scratches)*

69. Las Vegas, NV (Hotel Room Mirror)*

70. Chicago, IL (Cinderblocks)*

72. Philadelphia, PA (How Do I Look?)*

New for 2008 Aisle I

2. Camden. NJ (Woman in Salmon Shirt)*

7. Philadelphia, PA (2 Pregnant Women)*

10. Muckleshoot Reservation, WA (Sage Jumping)*

12. Chicago, IL (Tanya)*

13. Philadelphia, PA (Don’t Drink or Sit Deleted)*

14. Atlantic City, NJ (Blue and Red Motel)*

15. Muckleshoot Reservation, WA (Kaia)*

21. PA Turnpike (Econolodge)*

22. Biloxi. MS (MLK Parade)*

24. Terre Haute, IN (Together We Make Dreams Come True)*

Of all the photos coming in this year, I think this one is the most important in the body of my 2007/2008 work.

OK, working at the table tomorrow are

Savannah Roberts
Charday Laverty
Laura Raynor

and they have requested these rules of ordering be followed...


1. Please ask for your photo by number. At the base of each photo is a number chalked on the ground, that's the number of the photo. There are maps with a brief description of the photo available at the table along with golf pencils... and someone will be passing them out during the show. Pick up a map and pencil if you think you might want to buy a photo (or if you're interested in where the photo was made, which is also on the sheet)

2. There are 3 of each photo for sale, so some might sell out. If you want one that's sold out, please write your email down at the table and I'll get back to you when new photos are made. Just a heads up... it could be up to 6 months.

3. Do NOT aggravate the ladies sitting at the table. Holy shit, JUST DO AS THEY SAY! I was told that I was banned from being behind the table today and I know that the wrath of Khan awaits me if I don't obey. Savannah and Charday are very frightening. Please, please order by number.

Dear Friends,

Here are directions to the show... Front and Mifflin

Here is the list of photos in the show... Photos for I-95.08

The show begins at 1 and ends at 4.

Please don't take any of the photos down until 4.

Lynn Bloom
Savannah Roberts
Charday Laverty
Christine Settino
Manny Dominguez
Laura Raynor
Masha Badinter
Ashley
Matt "One Hitter at a Led Zeppelin Cover Band Concert" Maraldo
and sick but she still gets thanks, Ilene Baker

The amount of work put in by my friends and family today was unparalleled. Thank you is not sufficient.

In finally finishing the cutting of the photos that will go up on the pillars, it seems like 67 new photos isn't really that many. But I was noticing that in the new ones I do have a good mix of the sublime and the ridiculous, both beautiful.






Now is the point where I am reaching exhaustion, I am waiting for my pizza the studio and it's taking everything to not fall asleep on the chairs downstairs.

Thanks to

Daniel McQuade at the Weekly

Aly Semigran at City Paper

for the writeups!

Yesterday there was a fight on the street behind my studio. It culminated in an arrest and threats of shootings and murder, which as far as I could tell was based around nothing to even warrant a punch in the face. I have thought long and hard about why there’s an escalation from argument to murder in about 5 minutes here and don’t have a good answer. Although I have to say that looking at the instigator of the fight yesterday, I thought that he seemed like he was 50% idiot and 50% asshole, so where do you start with that? And I have to be honest, I don't know if the person who I perceived as the instigator didn't come into this melee after it began.



Hang tight, Ivy. You’ll be ok.

Many places I've photographed have changed dramatically in last 7 years, and while I like to include some landscapes that have been razed, I am vigilant in trying to keep nostalgia out of the equation. Memory, recognition and connection, yes… but I ain’t about maudlin. Although I do have to say I included two tender photos this year, neither of which were my favorite in the series of photos that were made in those moments.

This is always one of the more difficult, and painful, parts of putting the edit together; including work that I know isn’t my strongest in order to tell the story best.

Here’s what happens on Sunday, May 4 2008 at Front and Mifflin Sts. in Philadelphia, PA. There’s 231 photographs under I-95 from 1PM to 4PM. All of the photos will be up at 1PM.

There’s photos for sale at the table, and maps and photo lists, golf pencils, water and pretzels. Color copies are 5 dollars each, please ask for them by number. Every photo in the show has a number written on the ground in front of the image. If you want to buy a copy, tell the people at the table the number and they’ll get it for you. Working at the table will be Laura, Masha, Charday and Savannah.

Savannah: #1 Sister of all time!
Charday: play niece
Laura: intern from Uarts
Masha: intern from Moore

At 4 when the show is over people are welcome to take the photos from the pilasters. There’s adhesive backing on the photos, so if you think you want to take one bring saran wrap or paper to put on the back. And bring some for other people, too.

For folks who are just wandering in who or don’t know about the maps and photos for sale at the table, please tell them how the show works.

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After the I-95 show two years ago, right after I was in the Whitney biennial, I felt that some people didn’t understand that the show wasn’t a “give away,” but rather it’s just that when the show is done the photos are left to the elements and people can take them if they want. I had some consternation regarding how I saw the taking of the photos after the show was done. I did want people to take them if they wanted them… but I wanted someone to take them on the basis of their engagement with the show, not on the promise of a piece of the show having monetary value. However, after that first year when the perceived worth of my photos shifted, I found that when I stepped back I really didn’t care what happened to the photos when it was done, just like from the start. If someone takes a photo it implies engagement, regardless of reason. And of course money is a valid reason… what the hell was I thinking? When it’s over, it’s over, and anything can happen with the images.

There have been very few changes since the project began and most of them were a result of rehashing how the show went the year before and then making minor shifts… like an addition of an hour, it use to be 1pm to 3pm, now it’s 1pm to 4pm. But when I started to sell ink-jet prints, I knew right away that I wanted to make higher quality prints for 95 if I could afford it and decided to make the same archival prints that I sell in the gallery to be laminated for 95. So the photos in the show this year are all archival ink-jet prints, which sell for 750 bucks at my NY gallery. And all but 3 of the 231 images are printed identically to the archival ink-jets that I sell. (I had to settle for a lower res with 3 because I didn’t have the time to rescan) Except, of course, the I-95 photos are laminated with an adhesive backing. When I began this project the images didn’t have monetary value in the art market, now it’s 173,250.00 dollars worth of photos that people can take. But there's no true shift in the worth… it’s the same as it was in the beginning and will be the same at the end; color copies or ink-jets, it’s the complete installation that’s the work and I’m happy to have the pieces of it off in the world, the prints and the copies and the web images and the vinyl and the slide shows.

In some ways, the putting up the images and then letting go of them is how it is with the weather for the day of the show… I can prepare all year for this show but it’s possible that it could rain. And while the installation goes up unless there’s a nuclear holocaust, rain makes putting up the show more difficult and means that a few images would be unable to adhere to the pillars. Too bad, but that’s what this show is. I could work all year and have a fourth of that year’s work slide to the ground, and while I can’t pretend that I wouldn’t be pissed off, I’d start working toward the next year knowing full well that it could happen again.

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There’s a lot of reflection in this year’s show, and a lot of mirroring. This year I’m still hashing out some of the sub-themes that have slipped in over the last 7 years; next year should be a much different edit because it will the last edit before the completion of the project.



93. Las Vegas, NV (Kelley)


60. El Paso, TX (Woman in Front of Hair Color)


123. Philadelphia, PA (Linda Sunoco)

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146. Muckleshoot Reservation (Johnny Moses)


36. Philadelphia, PA (Mummer in Front of Gas Station Convenience Store)

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27. Philadelphia, PA (Mummers Kissing)


211. Philadelphia, PA (I Love You Billy)

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12. Chicago, IL (Tanya)


206. Chicago, IL (Woman at Cabrini Green)


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13. Philadelphia, PA (Don’t Drink or Sit Deleted)


Not in the show

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69. Las Vegas, NV (Hotel Room Mirror)


47. Las Vegas, NV (Adam and Eve Room)


72. Philadelphia, PA (How Do I Look?)


14. Atlantic City, NJ (Blue and Red Motel)

Check out two of my favorite Philadelphia artists in a group show, Inbetween, at Wexler gallery.

Inbetween will run from May 2nd through June 28th, 2008. *An Opening Reception will take place on First Friday, May 2nd from 5-8pm.

Randall Sellers and Joe Boruchow are in this show, which means its a good show.

This is true.

Edna Andrade
Untitled, 1980
acrylic on canvas
42 x 42 inches

While it's absolutely fine if it's showers on the day of, there are adhesion problems with the center aisle if it's wet, which means I have to move my schedule around. And I need to know about rain non stop for sweeping up and chalking the numbers.

Click above.

Photo Credit BONNIE WELLER / Inquirer Staff Photographer

Ideal Clothing is closing in a few weeks. The store, containing racks and racks of marked-down designer clothing, was a regular stop for many on their way to the Jersey Shore.

After I-95 in 2010, I don't know what's happening. I want to revisit some of the ideas that I was interested in exploring before the tsunami of I-95 took over. I want to work more with language, I was looking at the forms of diagrammed sentences and using them in my work. And I definitely want to look at creating the car crash sculpture which I've wanted to produce since my early 20s.

As part of a larger project I want to work on this "portals" idea I had... a live projection of places with the same address. For example 10th and Chestnut here in Philadelphia would have a camera that projected to a monitor at 10th and Chestnut in Topeka, Kansas and the Kansas cam would project here... a constant running look at the same named place thousands miles away.

In a different project, I kind of want to make a map and set up the cameras not just in places with the exact same name, but using an algorithm based on longitude and latitude to figure out corresponding spots around the world, but I don't even know how to convert fractions to decimal points, so I think you know that's going to take a looong time for me to figure out.


I'd also like to revisit Collision at Sea. This photo is from before the boats were pushed together in collision and the "red velvet" rope went up around them.

Here's some other of my work from my mid to late 20s



I painted this across the street from where I lived at 8th and Wharton.



This was a companion piece to "Whirlforce Medical Research Lab" an installation that was in our house at 8th and Wharton. Not to say nothing, but Whirlforce might be my best work to date.

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Still true today, folks!

DRIVING

From Points South via I-95


I-95 N to the Columbus Blvd- Exit 20 towards Washington Ave (0.2 mile)
Take the ramp toward Snyder Ave / Oregon Ave (0.1 mile)
Turn slight right onto S. Columbus Blvd (0.2 mile)
Turn right onto Tasker St (0.1 mile)
Turn left onto S. Front St (0.2 mile)
End at S. Front & Mifflin


From Points North via I-95


I-95 N to the Columbus Blvd- Exit 20 (on the left) towards Washington Ave (0.2 mile)
Turn right onto S. Columbus Blvd (0.7 mile)
Turn right onto Tasker St (0.1 mile)
Turn left onto S. Front St (0.2 mile)
End at S. Front & Mifflin



From New Jersey Turnpike and Points East:


Jersey Turnpike to Exit 4.
Follow Route 73 to Route 38 West.
Follow Route 38 West to US 30 West over the Ben Franklin Bridge.
When you exit the bridge, immediately merge right onto I-95 S toward Chester / Philadelphia International Airport.
I-95 N to the Columbus Blvd- Exit 20 (on the left) towards Washington Ave (0.2 mile)
Turn right onto S. Columbus Blvd (0.7 mile)
Turn right onto Tasker St (0.1 mile)
Turn left onto S. Front St (0.2 mile)
End at S. Front & Mifflin



From PA Turnpike and Points West:


Take I-76 E toward Philadelphia
Merge onto Vine Street Expressway / I-676 E / US 30 E via Exit 344 on the left toward Chester /
Philadelphia / International Airport
Take the Columbus Blvd- Exit 20 (on the left) towards Washington Ave (0.2 mile)
Turn right onto S. Columbus Blvd (0.7 mile)
Turn right onto Tasker St (0.1 mile)
Turn left onto S. Front St (0.2 mile)
End at S. Front & Mifflin


ON SEPTA

From City Hall, take the Broad St. Line SOUTHBOUND to SNYDER and exit. Then take the 79 bus on Snyder Ave. EASTBOUND to Front and Snyder. Walk NORTHBOUND toward Target. It's a 4 minute walk to Front and Mifflin.

In February, Peter from artonpaper magazine invited me to submit a "diary" entry for an upcoming publication, "Diaries of a Young Artist."

"DIARIES is inspired, in part, by another project: artonpaper’s LETTERS TO A YOUNG ARTIST, which was first published in artonpaper in 2005 and consisted of letters from established artists to a fictional young artist (“Dear Young Artist,” they all began) offering advice, guidance, admonishment, and inspiration."

While it was possible to submit an entry that spoke more about the art world and recreate a moment for the book, I chose to write in the moment as if I was actually writing a diary entry. No dates are included in the book, but I kind of wrote this like "Captain's Log, Stardate 2008."

Here's an excerpt and I'll let you know when the book comes out.

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April 21, 2008

I’m at Methodist Hospital waiting for my bi-lateral breast ultrasound follow up and can’t believe that I had to schedule it so close to this year’s I-95. I haven’t finished the printing for lamination and am losing it. Right this minute I’m working on the final order for I-95 with a fist full of papers, my laptop and a 3rd cup of coffee, while wearing a paper robe.

However, if I wasn’t so out of my fucking mind with the ordering of the photos, I could have had this done a month ago and could be relaxing and enjoying what’s on waiting room TV… Walker: Texas Ranger. Or maybe my anxiety could be the normal anxiety that women have when waiting to have a mass in their breast checked out, as opposed to the tremendous anxiety that I’m having right now about where to place “Death to the KKK” in relation to “Mattress Flip.” .....

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Results were fine, breast healthy, and now I’m at my studio drinking a 4th cup of coffee and printing nonstop.

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Look for the rest of the entry when "Letters to a Young Artist" is published.




Worth noting is that if I stopped drinking so much coffee, I probably wouldn't have to have a constant breast checkup. It's pretty direct... "coffee is a major contributor to benign cysts." Whatever.

and Steve Powers is now at the top of my list of reasons.



Steve Powers

from Steve...
"heres some more of what I've been up to in Dublin. The
phone number is my Irish cell phone number, I got
about 30 calls in 12 hours before I left town for my
son's birthday/christening. my outgoing message says
'Where are you?, I've been looking all over, leave a
message'"


Steve Powers



Steve Powers

Out for 2008



or



New for 2008

The top shot is way stronger than the bottom 2, but it was important to include the demoliton of the Stardust in the show this year.