Zoe Strauss

Alec Soth
"Soth" is pronounced like "Both"


Here are two books that I recommend everyone get.

Sleeping By the Mississippi by Alec Soth



Nicholas, 2005
Photo by Alec Soth
From Niagara. Photographs by Alec Soth. Essays by Richard Ford and Philip Brookman.

FUCK YOU BUSH. FUCK YOU AND CHENEY AND YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER AND YOUR ADMINISTRATION. FUCK YOU.

I don't know what the hell! Sorry, friends!

Much love to Astrid Bowlby.

Everyone knows that I think Danielle Jackson is very smart and enjoyable. So check out this interview I did with Ms. Jackson...
Zoe Strauss - Danielle Jackson in September/October NYArts Magazine

I haven't really been talking about the slide shows because it's possible that they can not be held at the usual spot due to renovation coming up. I will find out tomorrow and keep everyone posted.

My life is going so great right now I don't know what to do. I am very, very, very busy but I am phenomenally happy. Look at what's going on with my work. It's nuts!

Every single day I am shocked and thrilled at what's going on with my moving to a deluxe apt in the art world sky. Who the hell would have thought this was going to happen?
WHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

I AM SO DOWN WITH UNIFORM CITY!

From Savannah Roberts

But seriously, I WAS IN THE FUCKING WHITNEY BIENNIAL!?!?!

THAT IS INSANE!!!!

The title of this panel is great. "Art Talk with Artblog and Friends." I love it.

Saturday, October 7, 2006

6 pm, Fleisher Art Memorial, 719 Catharine Street, South Philadelphia, FREE

Artblog creators, Roberta Fallon and Libby Rosof, talk with other Philadelphia artists and independent organizations about the relationship between blogging and their projects. Also contemporary artists, Zoe Strauss and Mark Shetabi, discuss what it's like to be the subject of critical writing.

From the desk of Shelley Spector...


-All of my contact info (below) is the same except my mailing address which after October 1st is P.O. Box 63544, Philadelphia, PA 19147

-My websites will disappear for a short time around October 1st while I relocate, Artjaw.com's October story will post late.


Thanks for everything and hope to see you,

Shelley Spector


SPECTOR
510 Bainbridge Street
Philadelphia, PA 19147
215-238-0840
www.SPECTORSPECTOR.com
www.ArtJaw.com
After October 1st: P.O. Box 63544 Philadelphia, PA 19147

I was working at home when a guy put this in our mail box. He had included a dollar with this note. I ran out and made him take the dollar back...dude, you can use the water anytime.

Smart, savvy and super nice, Steven Stern is writing an article about the Philadelphia arts scene for the NY times. When it comes out in a few months I will post a link here. I am very much looking forward to reading it. Yes to Steven Stern!


I included this in a email I sent him and I really mean it....

Philadelphia is without a doubt the greatest city in the world and is a breeding ground for challenging and beautiful work.
Philadelphia is in the vanguard of contemporary art. Dude, we're cooking with nuclear fission, fuck the Manhattan project.

OK, right back to tragedy and issues. Read this-

"Aerospace and defense giant Boeing Co. has won a multibillion-dollar contract to revamp how the United States guards about 6,000 miles of border in an attempt to curb illegal immigration, congressional sources said yesterday.

Boeing's proposal relied heavily on a network of 1,800 towers, most of which would need to be erected along the borders with Mexico and Canada. Each tower would be equipped with a variety of sensors, including cameras and heat and motion detectors."


I have often though that we are moving towards closed borders and this is an ominous sign. Towers that electronically monitor the Canadian border? What?


And what the fuck is this meeting about?
You can read the whole article below or click on "meeting" above to read the article on the Toronto Star website.



-----------

Getting closer to Uncle Sam
Public kept in dark as business leads talks about North American integration, By Maude Barlow
Sep. 20, 2006. 01:00 AM





While the media were busy obsessing over rumours of a budding romance between Condoleezza Rice and Peter MacKay last week, a more significant relationship was developing behind closed doors.

Away from the spotlight, from Sept. 12 to 14, in Banff Springs, Minister of Public Safety Stockwell Day and Defense Minister Gordon O'Connor met with U.S. and Mexican government officials and business leaders to discuss North American integration at the second North American Forum.

According to leaked documents, the guest list included such prominent figures as U.S. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Mexican Secretary of Public Security Eduardo Medina Mora and Canadian Forces chief General Rick Hillier, although we have no final confirmation of attendees.

The event was chaired by former U.S. secretary of state George Schultz, former Alberta premier, Peter Lougheed and former Mexican finance minister Pedro Aspe.

Despite the involvement of senior North American politicians, organizers did not alert the media about the event. To make it worse, our government will not be issuing a public statement and refuses to release any information about the content of the discussions or the actors involved.

Day's office has been telling journalists that it cannot comment on the minister's private meeting and that journalists should understand this. So much for accountability.

The event was organized by the Canadian Council of Chief Executives— the elite club of Canada's richest CEOs— and the Canada West Foundation, an Alberta think-tank that promotes, among other things, closer economic integration with the United States.

The focus of the event was on North American security and prosperity. Not surprisingly, this included topics such as "A North American Energy Strategy," "Demographic and Social Dimensions of North American Integration" and "Opportunities for Security Co-operation" — all topics where the public interest is at odds with that of big business elites.

Unfortunately meetings like this are now commonplace.

Since Paul Martin, Vicente Fox and George W. Bush signed the Security and Prosperity Partnership in March 2005, discussions on continental integration have gone underground.

The media have paid little attention to this far-reaching agreement, so Canadians are unaware that a dozen working groups are currently "harmonizing" Canadian and U.S. regulations on everything from food to drugs to the environment and even more contentious issues like foreign policy.

Make no mistake, this process of harmonization is not about improving food, environmental and other norms; it is about priming North America for better business by weakening the impacts of such perceived obstacles as environmental standards and labour rights.

This is why the public has been kept in the dark while the business elite has played a leading role in designing the blueprint for this more integrated North America. In fact, they have been the driving force.

In June this year, their power was formalized when our governments created the North American Competitiveness Council (NACC), an advisory committee comprised of representatives from the largest corporations in North America including Wal-Mart, Chevron, General Motors, Lockheed Martin, Suncor and others.

Their goal is to make North America more competitive globally, which means weakening our government's ability to regulate industry, protect the environment or our social safety net.

Lockheed Martin's Ron Covais's statement to Maclean's magazine earlier this month about the role of the NACC was quite revealing: "The guidance from the ministers was, tell us what we need to do and we'll make it happen."
Sadly, we the public are not informed of what big businesses are telling our ministers to do.
The NACC met in Washington on Aug. 15 to discuss its priorities, but we have very little information about what was said as it was not reported anywhere in the press. For Canadians, developments on energy will be crucial.

The U.S. administration, anxious to keep up with its country's high energy demands, has shown great interest in this "secure" energy source located just north of its border. With corporations like Suncor involved, energy was an important item of discussion at the Banff meeting last week.

Given the detrimental impacts of oil sand extraction on our environment and given that Canada currently exports 66 per cent of its oil (primarily to the U.S.) while importing 55 per cent of what we use domestically from countries like Algeria, Venezuela and Norway, it is alarming that Ottawa would discuss a "North American Energy Strategy" with the U.S. and Mexico before establishing a Canadian strategy that would ensure our ability to protect the environment and ensure a secure energy supply for Canadians.
Though not as glamourous as the date between Peter and Condi, the media should pay better attention to this marriage between our governments and big corporations.
The Conservatives came to power on the promise to make government more accountable. They need to be reminded that our government should be accountable to the people of Canada— not just its business elite.

------
Maude Barlow is chairperson of the Council of Canadians and author of 15 books including Too Close for Comfort: Canada's Future within Fortress North America.

OK, enough tragedy and issues. Back to good times!

Let's take a look at my post Isaac makeover outfit, as I'm back to my usual style.

Here I am modeling my evening wear. Made by "Miami Nites" with an easy to read big tag in the back, this is best described as a canary "oversized t-shirt." Emblazoned with a axiom known to all, the night shirt cries out, "Not Before My Coffee."









Not pictured here- mint green version with "I don't do mornings."

PS. My lady was like "why do you have to put this up" and then I was like "because this is my real style and you know it" and then my lady was quiet probably because she had to mull over whether she was going to break up with me right then. Fortunately, we're still together more than an hour after this post.

I am sick watching George Bush, Sr. talking about the recovery of New Orleans pre Saints game tonight. Why doesn't someone run up and punch him in the fucking face?


Now, although I am thrilled for the people in New Orleans to have the Saints returning home to play, I don't think it's appropriate for the superdome to have been rebuilt. The superdome is a site emblematic of the greatest national disgrace in my lifetime and a site where many people died and many more suffered. I am for the rebuilding of New Orleans and I am for the Saints playing in the city and it is most certainly the residents and local governments understandable choice to reopen the superdome but it's a site of literal and figurative deaths.

I have been described many times as the first member of my immediate family to graduate from high school. While this is technically true, it's a very misleading description of my formative years.

First, I consider my immediate family to be my grandparents, Lee and Joe Baker, my mother, Ilene Baker and my siblings, Cosmo Baker, Walker Roberts and Savannah Roberts. My grandparents didn't graduate from high school, my grandmother went to Gratz and my grandfather went to Strawberry Mansion and both left school before 11 grade.

My mother went to Lincoln and also didn't receive a diploma. However, my mother is actually a brilliant and cultured woman. So what the fuck with the "high school" diploma shit? When things are being written about my work occasionally when the "working class" "high school diploma" blah blah blah comes up there is an undercurrent of classism that makes me uncomfortable.
There's the need to make me more "working class" in order to make me more "real" than I am, which is totally bullshit. And then there's the implication that unschooled = uncultured. What?

In addition, the father of my superb siblings, Walker and Savannah, did graduate from high school and went to college. And so did his entire family including my awesome Aunt Jane, who is a very important part of my family. Although I don't think of Walker and Savannah's father as member of my immediate family, there's some schooling in the mix. And certainly in my extended family there's a lot. Not that I give a fuck, but, apparently others do.


I'm not saying that the "first high school diploma" isn't an interesting aspect of my life in relation to my movin' on up in the art world. I do think it's interesting, especially because of the large number of artists who I've met that come from money and endless schooling, not to mention the sickness of the prestige that comes from money and education in the world of art. That being said, there's an undercurrent that smacks of shock and condescension when the discussion of class comes up.

Check out this article...except at the top there's one crazy thing that says "Zoe Strauss brings New York street photography to the neighborhoods of South Philly" which makes no sense whatsoever.

I would say "Zoe Strauss brings Philadelphia street photography to South Philadelphia and then to where ever else she can bring it."

Other than that, it's an awesome article.
Yes!

My sister Savannah Roberts has told me what to do after the Pew money runs out, which is to make a book.
Next to Lynn Bloom, Savannah always knows what to do best so now I will have to figure out how to make a book.

MY GOD!
COULD YOU PLEASE HURRY HOME FROM PRAGUE?!?!?
JESUS!

Many things have been happening in my life and there's really no slowing down in sight.


Here's a list of things that I am thinking about and that I have meant to post for some time.

1. Obviously, this blog is not a forum for intense reflection or rigorous academic writing about my work. It's only a relaxed online journal about shit that I feeling like writing about. And I suck as a writer. That's why I'm a visual artist and not a writer. But, whatever, I'm still putting it out there. Please keep that in mind when reading this.

2. This brings me to the transparency of the production of my work. It's very important to me to show the my process of working from the very beginnings of my editing process. This means that great, great majority of the photos I've put up on this blog and on flickr are not even being considered by me to be shown a part of my full body of work; they are mainly images that I have just begun to think about. It's usually several months before I decide if photo is strong enough to include in a slide show or in I-95 and it could be several years before I decide to show a photo as a part of the installations.

I believe that seeing the process lends to a greater understanding of the work even if it allows to me to be second guessed. It's difficult to leave ones self open and expose a very intimate part of their life, and for me something very intimate is my working process. But that's how it's got to be.

3. What the hell am I going to do for money when the Pew runs out? Someone tell me and tell me fast! I am DREADING having to sell the studio, which looks like it wiil have to happen next year when the Pew checks stop coming.

4. Just making sure everyone knows that Lynn Bloom is the greatest of anyone in the world.

I have been waiting for several years for the sign that advertised Dickies to come down from the exterior of Uniform City. Today was the the day. One of these will be a good photograph but I am just so relieved that I was able to make this photo. You can click on the title of this post to see how long I've been waiting for Uniform City.




YES
YES
YES, UNIFORM CITY!

OK, here's me in the Isaac dressing room awaiting my orders from Korey. I was sequestered pre transformation.



Now note this extra special bag sitting on the floor. I love this bag. My #1 lady got it for me as a Christmas present and she ordered it from a catalog called "Whales and Friends." Correct.



I wanted SO BAD to show it to Liz- you know her, my stylist- and fake that I thought it was a Stella McCartney bag. Is that so wrong? Unfortunately, I couldn't get it together to do it but I will try to go up to visit wearing this shirt and say, "I got this Stella McCartney at Nordstroms!"







Unrelated- the Isaac show that I'm on had Harriette Cole as a guest and she was very enjoyable.

An early version of the soon to be #1 dagger of all time, P. Cronan.



Dagger, you are the eye of the tiger.

Ok, I still have to finish digesting Zoe Strauss Night at the Whitney (AKA Whitney IPO series) but this week I was on the Isaac Mizrahi show and got a "style transformation" then I had a really good meeting at a gallery and I AM OUT OF MY FUCKING MIND.

Next week, I'm having dinner with Nelson Mandela and Yoko Ono at Martina Navratilova's house. OK, that is 100% a lie. But does it really seem that farfetched considering how insane my life has been? I don't think so!


Here's people coming in for the Isaac show.


Here's me post makeover with John Powell in the background. Oh, you best believe that John Powell has a starring roll in the show.

Thanks to Brent for the photos.

Again, Style Transformation = good times.

Greatly missed- Savannah Roberts.

Check out this great article on Philadelphia's #1 art's scene by none other than Philadelphia's own Roberta Fallon.



FYI, Philadelphia is the greatest city in the world. Good Night!


Here's what else is in the issue...

Miuccia Prada, PHILADELPHIA, Mariko Mori, Ralph Rugoff, Cerith Wyn Evans, Mark Grotjahn, Anish Kapoor, Joel Meyerowitz, Hans Bellmer, Clare Woods, Destricted, Douglas Gordon, Banks Violette, Dr Lakra, Flutter, Where the Wild Things Are; Agnès Varda, Dan Perjovschi, Osman Khan, Catherine Opie, Unknown Weegee

I was supposed to go with the #1 lady of all time to see friends in Brooklyn, friends who I love, but went back to the hotel and took a shower then took a nap so I could go out and then woke up at 8:30 am. Good one.

Sorry that I blow that bad!

Seriously, I wish I could get a "style transformation" on the Isaac show EVERY WEEK. I LOVED IT.
LOVED IT!

Much love to Korey aka "my producer"
and Elizabeth aka "my stylist"

LOVED IT.

It will air sometime around Thanksgiving.

Introducing Ms. Elyse Gonzales aka Assistant Curator at the ICA.
Ms. Gonzales is quite a curator and I am speaking from personal experience, as she was my curator for the ICA ramp project. Working with Elyse was very enjoyable...I mean, come on, she's Elyse Gonzales.

Elyse is beloved by my lady, my mom and Christine Settino.


So, at the Whitney thing Elyse focused on the goals of I-95 and why I show my stuff in museums. She talked a little bit about the Ramp Project but we didn't talk about the battle over the carpet. Which, P.S., I totally won!


And please note Ms. Gonzales's prescient answer from this interview she did a few years ago...


Q .But sometimes you work with difficult artists. How has that been?
A. (from EG) Sometime it's the most frustrating thing but the most rewarding because the reason we work with the artists we do is because they are so passionate and so committed to their work.

Little did she know that the most difficult artist would be coming up in the future, a future that would be filled with the demands of Zoe Strauss.


Read this about Elyse-
"Elyse Gonzales is the Assistant Curator at the Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania.
She received her undergraduate degree in Art History from the University of New Mexico and a Masters from
the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art. She has worked at the Williams College Museum
of Art and the Menil Collection in Houston, Texas. While at the ICA she has curated exhibitions of drawings by
Amy Cutler and an installation of photographs by Zoe Strauss."

I am encouraging Elyse to curate a show about contemporary artists visions and (re)interpretations of Renaissance Faires and include a project with a maypole.


(Also a shout out to Emilio)

Yesterday, I suddenly became obsessed with the song "Across the Universe," by the Beatles. I couldn't buy it online and we only have Let It Be on vinyl and I was so crazed that I had to go out and buy it at Tower Records on South St.

>Aside, I worked at that Tower Records almost 20 years ago and it's remarkably the same in there. Ah, Tower. A shout out to Dan Buskirk, who I saw earlier this week. We worked there at the same time and we dated the same woman...him after me, of course. Dan Buskirk is great. Please note that this is really quite sometime ago, considering that I have been with Ms. Bloom for about 18 years.

So I bought Let It Be and played "Across the Universe" on repeat and drove over to Camden to see what was happening and made these photos-










Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world













I don't care how trite or ridiculous this sounds: I am sometimes filled with such joy and love at being alive that I can barely stand it.

1. Homer Jackson (an amazing artist, a Philadelphian and an overall great guy) once told me about this brilliant idea that he had...why not put a combined "Rocky" and "History of Philadelphia Boxing" museum on the Parkway. I think that's an amazing idea and is appropriate for commemorating the importance of Rocky to Philadelphia culture. It would be a great asset to the city.


2. Prior to the Rocky statue movin' on up to the parkway again, the Rocky statue debate had unfortunately fallen into a "culture" vs. "real people" battle, which was ridiculous. Why were these people saying that the Rocky statue had to return? And, seriously, the idea that "Rocky" is a blue collar hero? Rocky is a fictional character and the sculpture blows. Sylvester Stalone isn't from Philadelphia, yeah, the writer and actor isn't from here...what the fuck!

The scene where he ran up the steps was amazing...but we need a movie prop to commemorate it? No, we dont. Christ! How literal do we need to be?


I am a huge Rocky fan. Dudes, my entrance song at the Whitney thing was "Eye of the Tiger!"
But come on!

Actually, I am hoping that they put a statue of Mark Wahlberg, who plays Vince Papale in Invincible, at the top of the steps.

Next up Kaaaaaaaatttttttte Ware: Ms. Katherine Ware is the Philadelphia Museum of Art's curator of photographs. Ms. Ware, besides just being an enjoyable lady, was the person who masterminded the purchase of 8 of my photos for the PMA permanent collection.

Kate Ware wrote a great book about Man Ray, a South Philadelphia born luminary. I suggest you check it out.
click here> Man Ray by Katherine Ware


Also check out this most recent book by Kate Ware and Peter Barberie...


Dreaming in Black and White: Photography at the Julien Levy Gallery
by Katherine Ware, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Peter Barberie

For my thing at the Whitney, Kate focused on portraiture-the encounter and my relation to subject of the photograph. Kate said something of great interest to me, that it seems as if people show me their wounds. In a way, I think that's true. They are almost always wounds that someone wants to show with pride, either to display their resilience and strength or to describe an personal injustice that they are living with. There is a sort of defiance present in the strongest portraits of this type, as well as an attempt at showing me what they want me to see the most. Often I come away with the feeling that what someone is getting at can't be shown on their body, but that's the best method for how someone can show themselves to me.


Kate Ware, thanks for your participation so, so much. I got a lot out of it, my friend, and I am very grateful for your participation.


Next Up...
Elyse Gonzales
Peter Barberie

Now Zoe Strauss Night at the Whitney wasn't just a fun filled romp with contemporary photography as the basis for the party. Oh no, Zoe Strauss Night at the Whitney was filled with hardcore academic discussion and an intense question and answer period.

There were 4 people on the panel and I have great respect for all of them.

here's who was up first...Danielle Jackson!

I had never met Danielle Jackson before but we did an interview for the current issue of NY Arts Magazine. I am a fan of Danielle's writing for sure and you can check out some of it here... culture culture.

Danielle's focus was on my use of text based images and she pretty much nailed it. She described a difference between "corporate" text and "handmade" text as seen within the body of my work. She also brought up "Public Chalkboard" from back in the day. Holy shit! Danielle digs deep!





Danielle also brought up the unusually large number of images that I put up on line for people to check out and said that it could be seen as a risky strategy considering the importance of sequencing the images. I was very happy for many reasons to hear this, the biggest one is because I most certainly do see it as a huge risk. It's a very difficult choice to put forth images that are being considered at the beginning of my editing process. I do however see it as a risk worth taking as part of the transparency of process that's so important to me.


DANIELLE JACKSON is a New York based critical thinker and photographer. She began writing criticism while studying cinematography as an undergraduate of New York University and has continued since completing her graduate degree in Africana Studies. She is presently completing her first book of critical essays.

Also, I love the tunnel photo at the top of the page on Danielle's site.

Also, I loved Danielle's mom.

Danielle Jackson=one smart cookie.

Thanks a million for being on the panel, Danielle!

Coming up next...
Kate Ware
Elyse Gonzales
Peter Barberie

But please keep checking back this week as I get my act together and write more about it. It was pretty amazing for me.

FYI Randall Sellers SOLO SHOW at Jonathan Levine Gallery in New York is happening on OCT. 14th!

l-e-mental

Artblog

Heart as Arena

check it out!

click the above to check out the article!

And I believe that this is my fault because I didn't get my info in fast enough, but photo credit is due to Roberta Fallon for the photo of me in the Review. Sorry, Roberta!

This is the first of at least 2 entries about Zoe Strauss Night aka IPO at the Whitney.

OK, first, my experience with the Whitney from start to finish has been nothing short of superb. I love the Whitney. This is actually a shock, considering my preconceived notions of the "art world." Crazy, right? I LOVE going to the Whitney. And not just that; I LOVE the people who work at the Whitney. It's nuts.


So here's how Zoe Strauss Night at the Whitney went...first, it was completely reserved out and standing room only. Hello, world wide takeover.


First, how bout that outfit I was rocking? My stylist via Isaac Mizrahi, Elizabeth Shein, sent my outfit over to the hotel and my lady had to bring in over in the pouring rain. By the time my lady got to the Whitney she was totally soaked, she couldn't get a cab to save her life. But my outfit got there, clean and dry, and I rocked that right the hell out. I really wanted to introduce Ms. Shein around as "my stylist" but I was too busy. Don't think I'm going to let it go that easy. I am referring to Liz Shein as my stylist for the rest of my life. Again, the amount of fun I had being styled was THROUGH THE ROOF. Yes, to Liz Shein and yes to the many Isaac gals, including Kate who wore the lucky necklace. Yes, this whole thing is completely surreal.


Onto my new intern...INTRODUCING MR. NICK FELDMAN! He manned the photo sales with panache and flair, as well as complete confidence. Congratulations Nick Feldman.


ONTO THE PROGRAM>>>
Traffic was apparently horrible, so the schedule was changed slightly to begin with the slide shows and then show the trailer for "If You Break the Skin." I was a little disappointed with how the slideshows were so dark, it was go with either too dark or too light due to the lighting in the room...but I think people got the gist of them. I will be showing the real deal here on Oct. 28th, so I wasn't super upset. This brings me to my man, Ron Burrell, king of IT at the Whitney. I think he's the best and I now owe him a box of butterscotch krimpets for his excellent work.

So I showed some slideshows and then I introduced the trailer for "If You Break the Skin" documentary about yours truly.
This movie will be amazing. I made prints for the kids and the folks who worked on the film who were there...

David Kessler, Director
Johanna Plummer, Executive Producer
Joanna Lee, Social worker

and the filmmakers:

Phylicia Allen
Tracy Renee Curtis
Misha Simms
Diane Woodlyn

I love those guys.
Here's the print they all got



The trailer played on a TV in the corner and people were able to watch it at any time. It was great.
you can check out the trailer here "If You Break the Skin." Go to Daliyl and click.

Now those guys can say that the trailer of a movie they made premiered at the Whitney. Correct.


Here were the giveaways...
Buttons





Balloons. OK they were really just decorations, but you could take them. Why someone would want a balloon with my face on it? I can't answer that.



Tastykakes- Butterscotch Krimpets and Peanut Butter Tandykakes



and, of course, 200 different photos signed specific for the night. They are signed on the back of the photo and it says, "Whitney IPO, Zoe Strauss, September 15, 2006."


Next Chapter- The Panel

Photo by Libby Rosof of Artblog fame



But I am resting today.

This article in the South Philly review is my greatest achievement to date. For real.

I'm not sure but I think if people don't show up by 7 others can sneak in in their place....



Thank you for your reservation(s) to our Initial Public Offerings (IPO): New Objects, New Audiences with Zoe Strauss this Friday, September 15 at 7pm at the Whitney Museum. Due to an overwhelming response, this program is sold-out and we expect a huge crowd. In order to process everyone more efficiently, we would like you to make a note of the following information:
1) Ticket-holders with a seat will be admitted at 6:30pm
2) Ticket-holders with Standing Room Only will be admitted at 6:45pm
3) The program will begin promptly at 7pm; any ticket not claimed by 7pm will be forfeited (this includes the free Zoe Strauss photograph that accompanies the ticket)

Thank you for your interest in public programs at the Whitney. We look forward to seeing you on Friday night.

why did I think 200 different photos was a good idea?

Thanks to David Kessler. Everything is running except for credits, which will be up soon.
Click on Daliyl aka "video" to check out the amazing trailer.

HOLY FUCK!

Actually, the Whitney is reserved out, since the tickets were free, so I think I'm going to go with

THE WHITNEY IS RESERVED OUT! WHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOO!

It's just about a guy who let people into his apartment to use the phone on 9/11. My brother was in Manhattan that day, he was in school at NYU, and even knowing that he probably wouldn't have been anywhere near the towers it was still a huge relief to hear from him. This seems like a small service, but in many ways I know it had to have made a huge impact on those waiting to hear from their people on that horrible day.

click on the link above

*92 victims not pictured here

Rest in Peace.

So, if you have not reserved a ticket DO SO NOW! DO SO NOOOOOOWWWWWWW!

The ticket will insure that you get a free photo and can get downstairs to the program! Click here to reserve.

Here's the schedule, so get ready!

7pm- The great Frank Smigiel introduces the program

7:05-7:15 Then I introduce the 1 minute documentary trailer and the participants in the documentary.

7:30--Q + A with the super panel aka, Peter Barberie, Kate Ware, Elyse Gonzales and Danielle Jackson

8:10--slide shows w/ music, does the phrase, "Hot to death," mean anything to you?

8:25--general mingling and outdoor photo shoots and frantic photo trading

8:45--guards clamor for our exit and shoot to kill at 9PM

I am now entering my second year of the Pew Fellowship and I have fallen into the trap of being completely dependent on it. I have no idea what I'm going to do at the end of this year. I have no viable skills that translate in "money making" so I think I might be a little fucked up at the end of the fellowship.

whatever, right now, whooooooo, Cristal all around! Ok, well maybe not Cristal...whooooooo, Bud all around!

Ok, Anumber1

I am looking for a photographer to take Polaroid photos for one hour during Zoe Strauss Night at the Whitney. I am planning to have a backdrop for people to pose in front of and am thinking that after the slideshows are shown, folks can get their photo taken. I have the camera and I have the film and I would like to trade a signed 11x17 print for this service. If you're interested in the trade, get with me at info@zoestrauss.com.

#2 Do NOT forget to reserve a ticket for Zoe Strauss Night at the Whitney.
Click here to reserve.

David Kessler.

Philagrafika Presents: Megawords at Landmarks Contemporary Projects
September 5- September 12, 2006
Exhibition hours: 12-6 Mon-Sat., 1-5 Sun.

Wednesday, September 6 - Panel Discussion at 6pm with Reception following from 7:30-9pm. Powel House Museum, 244 South 3rd Street, Philadelphia. Free and open to the public (Space is limited, reservations encouraged by September 2nd to rmott@philagrafika.org) In addition to the exhibition, Philagrafika will host a free public panel discussion which will examine the way the medium of print is ideally suited to communicate issues of history, social class and the urban environment to contemporary audiences. The discussion will include the artists Murphy and Smyrski and they will be joined by: Alex Baker, Ph.D., Curator of Contemporary Art at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts; Shelley Langdale, Associate Curator of Prints and Drawings, Philadelphia Museum of Art; Artist and author Steven Powers, aka Espo; Photographer and Whitney Biennial participant Zoe Strauss.

For more information about the Megawords project, contact Rebecca Mott at 215-701-8057, rmott@philagrafika.org, or Robert Wuilfe at 215-627-0364, rwuilfe@philalandmarks.org.

click above for aerial map of Crystal, NV.

I have searched for a population count of Crystal, NV, where I recently visited friends and found that it's too small to be counted as it's own town in the US census and that it is included in the Nye County, Pahrump metro area. It's a sovereign place though and more than one person in Crystal told me that they didn't like going into the city, meaning Pahrump because of the traffic. Obviously, Crystal residents don't see themselves as Pahrump residents.













Road toward Diane and Art's House

Road from Diane and Art's House

Well then, perhaps you don't know the story of Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, the Doobie Brother who became a consultant to the U.S. government on how to apply theoretically unrelated technologies to understanding terrorist thinking and planning.

There was shooting around the corner from my house. To sum it up quickly, during a block party a 19 year old man rode through the party on a bike aggressively, through people's BQ set ups and kids playing. He was stopped and an altercation happened with a man at the block party at the end of the block. The 19 year old pulled out a gun and started shooting. An off duty cop then pulled out a gun and shot the shooter on the bike.

There are many questions to be asked but it's important that we find the right questions to explore.

Children and teens don't understand the ramifications of their actions. They don't know grief the way that adults know grief. But how is it possible that people can't understand what it means to shoot someone, to murder someone? I don't know. I can't see how anyone, including teens, are so myopic that they can indiscriminately begin shooting at another person or a group of people.

There is a great sickness in our culture right now, an invasive disease of violence, particularly gun violence. Personally, it is deeply affecting my quality of life. There is real fear right now, fear of being accidentally shot and being injured or murdered, fear of purposely being shot and being injured or murdered, fear of loved one or neighbors being shot and being injured or murdered, fear of living with constant anxiety. These fears are realistic. At this point they are not hysterical. How can this spreading of a climate of fear be stopped? And how can the actual spread of violence be stopped?

There is an inhumanness to what's happening in Philadelphia right now. A real absence of human connection that when combined with hubris and stunted maturity creates many shootings and murders.

I will be working on this for the next few months, how can the violence be curbed and the byproducts of the violence; constant fear and anxiety, feelings of being held hostage in one's own home or neighborhood.

I'm going to be working from a model based on a study done at Harvard Medical School by Dr. Fulton "Tony" Earls and published in the May 27, 2005 issue of Science.


Here are 3 sections from the article.

"In a study designed to isolate the root causes of violent behavior, HAMS researchers found that young teens who witnessed gun violence were more than twice as likely as monotonously to commit violent crime themselves in the following two years."

"The team found that witnessing violence more than doubled the risk that teens would commit a violent offense. Nine percent of those not exposed went on to commit serious violent acts, while about 26 percent of the exposed group acted violently, suggesting a raw odds ratio of about Even adjusting for race, socioeconomic status, delinquency, and other known factors gave an adjusted odds ratio just below 2.5, so the exposure effect was still strong."

"To address violence effectively, the challenge for social medicine researchers is to define its fundamental nature. Is it a product of families, akin to a hereditary disorder? Or is it like an environmental contaminant, lurking in some communities and leaving others unscathed? Based on this study's results, showing the importance of personal contact with violence, Earls believes the best model may be that of a socially contagious disease."

The model will be structured around the idea that violence can be viewed as a "socially contagious disease."

Part of what's happening is that these shootings are not anomalies, they are part of our everyday life now. Shootings and murders shouldn't be part of our everyday lives. There are murderers living in the world, people who kill for pleasure, people who kill for gain but there is a intense problem now with people who kill because of perceived slights and people who kill because they have no idea what it means to kill, they see it as a reasonable response to conflict, real or perceived.


This brings me to the question of defining "respect" and "disrespect" within the context of this culture of violence. Right now our culture is defining respect as power. There's great immaturity found in someone who will shoot to elicit that narrow definition of respect.

respect

Pronunciation:Ri-spikedt
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Latinrespecteds, literally, act of looking back, from respicere to look back, regard, from re- + specere to look -- more at SPY
1 : a relation or reference to a particular thing or situation (remarks having respect to an earlier plan)
2 : an act of giving particular attention : CONSIDERATION
3 a : high or special regard : ESTEEM b : the quality or state of being esteemed c plural : expressions of respect or deference (paid our respects)
4 : PARTICULAR, DETAIL (a good plan in some respects)
- in respect of chiefly British : with respect to : CONCERNING
- in respect to : with respect to : CONCERNING
- with respect to : with reference to : in relation to




disrespect

Pronunciation: dis-ri-'spekt
noun
: lack of respect


disrespect

Pronunciation: dis-ri-'spekt
transitive verb
1 : to have disrespect for
2 : to show or express disrespect or contempt for : INSULT, DIS (disrespected the officer)


Will civics classes in schools, with the needed deemphasizing of standardized testing, help?
What do communities need to help prevent violence?
The failed war on drugs has caused a great rift between police and communities depending on the drug trade as a part of the local economy, "Stop Snitching," and the result is greater mistrust of the police. What can improve the quality of life for people without depending on the police? What can prevent the embedding of violence as a part of our everyday lives here?

If one sees gun violence as a socially contagious disease, can a structure like HIV and AIDS awareness programs that have helped slow the rates of infections be a good model for creating a framework to curb violence?
What role does media play, (local, regional, national and international) in the construct of our culture that's imbued with violence.

How are so many guns flooding into our community?
If, according to Dr. Fulton "Tony" Earls


my eyes are burning and I am sound asleep it's 2:35 AM

In Pahrump I saw a corpse by the side of the road. Two police officers were investigating the scene and I was tempted to take photos but didn't want to interrupt their work. The body was leathery, much like the photo below of the animal. He was wearing a baseball hat. I have no idea how long the body could have been laying there...a day or a month. It's hot and dry out there.


here's where the body laid


following seeing the body, I kept seeing things that reminded me of it.



I saw a lot related to grief and mortality on this trip with 2 things in particular that weighed on my mind; the quiet aftermath of a shooting and literal human remains.

I also saw a lot related to the joy of living and being in the world. When I was with Art and Diane, Art was telling me how he only shoots at targets and how they just shoo away the various animals that come up to their trailer. I said that was actually great for me because he could shoot me and who the hell who know what happened to me and we both laughed.

He said that if snakes make their way into their trailer they just take them and move them farther out into the desert and that killing a snake was like "killing a brother because we are all part of the same thing." I am not a spiritual woman: I am a true atheist, but in that moment "part of the same thing" made sense to me in terms of living in the world. This is not to say I wouldn't kill a snake that broke into my home, I'd fucking slaughter that bastard serpent. It's more that we're all part of a continuum that we can't avoid being in the midst of no matter how much we try to remove ourselves. And we are all open to catastrophe as well as serendipity. When I left Art and Diane's house we hugged and Diane said, "We sure love you" and I said "I love you guys, too." and I really do.


"Movie people, hoss wranglers, dead enders, stew bums; stealers, dealers, sidewalk spielers; con men, sly flies, flat foots, reefer riders; dopers, smokers, boiler stokers; sailors, whalers, bar flies, brass railers; spittoon tuners, fruit-tree pruners; cobbers, spiders, three-way riders; honest people, fakes, vamps and bleeders; saviors, saved and side-street singers; whore-house hunters, door-bell ringers; footloosers, rod riders, caboosers, outsiders; honky tonk and whiskey setters, tight-wads, spendthrifts, race-horse betters; blackmailers, gin soaks, comers, goers; good girls, bad girls, teasers, whores; buskers, corn huskers, dust bowlers, dust panners; waddlers, toddlers, dose packers, syph carriers; money men, honey men, sad men, funny men; ramblers, gamblers, highway anklers; cowards, brave guys, stools and snitches; nice people, bastards, sonsabitches; fair, square and honest folks; low, sneaking greedy people"
Bound for Glory
Woody Guthrie
pp 258

I am looking for an intern for the 06-07 school year.

I have one great intern for this year already...Mr. Nick Feldman but I am looking for another very special person, a very special intern.

One of my interns was the great Manny Dominguez, Jr., who continues to be a very important person in my life. I consider Manny to be one of the best photographers in Philadelphia right now. Personally and professionally, I love Manny and I believe that during his internship we both benefited from his commitment.


Intern duties are...
Helping in preparation for, and during the Oct 28th Works-in-Progress show and the 2007 I-95 exhibit.
Scanning Negatives
general help with organization of images
and maybe
website upkeep and maintenance


So, email me at info@zoestrauss.com if you are interested in interning.


OK, here's Manny's praises for the interning spot."what can i say about interning for the great zoe strauss? it was a great experience. a educational experience. a never ending experience. not only is she the greatest artist of our times, she is the most generous and loving person EVER. her heart is as big as philadelphia. maybe bigger. and if you intern for her be prepared to enter an exotic world of mystery and intrigue, million dollar dinner parties, jet setting in foreign lands, rubbbing elbows with the philadelphia elite, hollering at your boys, and cutting a lot of color copies. seriously if you want a great internship that will change your life and teach you things rather than bore you to death. intern for zoe strauss. one day she will take over the world so take this chance to say you knew her back when..."

I think this photo might be a contender...it's deceptively simple but actually has a lot going on in it. One thing I like about this shot is that the composition is strong and direct with a feeling of forced quiet. I'm also into the rugged plant that smacks of stunted growth, albeit a landscaped plant. The geometry is also strong in this photo.

So, I think this shot is strong, but there enough to have it move on to place in my work? I don't know.
I made this photo a few hours after a 6 year old kid was shot here. He was shot several times right in the courtyard of his apartment complex. It was a very, very difficult time.
There's something to this quiet, not abandoned but momentarily stilled, place where a great tragedy has just happened. It's a very difficult shot and one that I will think about even if it doesn't make the cut.

I went back the next day to this same spot and heard from the kid's step-mother that he was going to be OK. Thank god.

One of the details in this photo is very menacing and I think it reads to a viewer without knowing what it is.

Check out this awesome article about me...
Out From the Underpass:
The photos of Zoe Strauss
by Jean Dykstra

And do you think I was happy to see my name on the front of Art on Paper? Hold on, let me think...yes, yes I was.

Interested in what the film will be like? They call me "auteur," and I have no doubt that every scene I'm in I will be just like Orson Welles in these Paul Masson commercial outtakes. Except I'll be talking about photography and not Paul Masson wine. I'm pretty sure I sound exactly like Orson throughout the entire movie. Just watch the above and savor, Rosebud.

Check out The Rub Radio on brooklynradio.net. Starring none other than the incomprable Cosmo Baker. Good news for all involved in "If You Break The Skin Documentary" as Cosmo Baker has signed on to do the soundtrack.





And if you're in Europe check out the September European Rub tour.




Now, back to Brooklyn for September 9th...


Marah
&
The Shalitas





LOVE FROM

Check out "ifyoubreaktheskin" for updates on the film.