uh, since you mine me for material...here...read this...Best of Tressie (a series) someone should be paying me for this...big time! Andy would be 81 now! ****************************************** 80 years old ! Oh My, what a jumpstart Tacoma woulda had waaaaay back in the early 80s if they'd chosen Andy Warhol..... That stupid ass decision to put triangles on the Dome delayed T Town's renaissance by decades, my friends.
I think it's sad/tragic that Tacoma rejected one of the most amazing artists of all time....
Sometimes you need someone who is coloring outside the lines. Whether you like it or not. I still can't believe I live in a town that hated Andy Warhol !! People woulda come from all over the world to see it! Instead the "leadership" of Tacoma had to wait..... and wait... and wait........ for The Glass Museum...... and expensive taxpayer subsidized Condos.....
semi-repeating a previous blog: This: Not This: So Tacoma if you want art, REAL ART, you are so on your own. Do not look to the City for anything that is real. The City of Tacoma and the phony arbiters of art (snicker) HATE YOU .
I've vowed to never do another outdoor show again..so I won't be vending there..... i really hated getting rained on... what a mess...(see Lulu's blog for a pictorial review.)
went to the Joel Dance and the Art show at the Merlino /IOOF bldg, (I helped dress the ever lovely Charlotte...) then on to drinks/pizza/Colin/Jenny at PSP........
All week, last week, Mark and I rearranged the shop, moved tons of new stuff in...(Pics later tonight)
And I guess we'll be open for short time during Sanford&Sons auction Monday evening......Read the NewsTribune for details!!!
What's new? Furniture...clothes, home design...vintage vinyl... and summer is being phased out over the next 3 or so weeks...and fall is moving in... Small furniture is being set out on the floor...later this week... smaller homes, dorm rooms and ...your camping camper or Bedouin Tent need Decor !
from my last post bemoaning the State of Destruction...I see many repeat faces in the shop and some...I've never seen in the shop...but surely out and about... I have been extremely critical of the harm the City has done to our district...because someone has to fill you in on the Whole Story, and the News Tribune has been harmful to us, slamming our district in a negative tone that borders on libel/slander...
and it was and is ONLY because a group of citizens protested loudly on what the Train People wanted to do to downtown Tacoma...that is, Build a Wall of Brutal Concrete, was the design changed to something much more uplifting... There is nothing that says Public Transit has to be Mind-Slammingly Ugly, but governcrats often go the way of Cheap and Ugly...why? They never ever went to Art School!!!
I worry that Tacoma only gets the "Happy, Happy, Everyone Is Happy" delusional side of the story....in Gentrification, Winners are picked and Losers are kicked...by Government...you need to know that those in power on the City Council and the City Manager...want Tacoma to become a white-bread sanitized UnCreative spot on the road between Portland and Seattle..... We'll never become a high-class Artful Community until we have at least one bona fide Art School, and a Law School......why? because without a body of energetic fresh weirdos (I love the creative weirdos we have but we don't have enough to make Tacoma fully satisfyingly amazing...)(Yes, I'm talking to you Folksingers In Hell, Colin and Lyn..et al...) And a Law School, with its yearly graduates of charged up Do-Gooders...will go after corruption and stupidity (Luzon Bldg.) so that it will not reign in Tacoma forever....... Museums house Art from outside Tacoma...which is why Tacoma made such a big f'n deal outta Dale Chihuly...there's no reason why we can't cultivate 10000 more talents like that.... I know we have SOTA (good start!) but an MBA school is the opposite of creativity....except for creative ways to get all your money, Bernie Madoff... **********Remember, you heard it here first....********** the lovely Sarah commented: I would hope that whenever the Elks deal goes thru and is actually refurbished, you would get a lot more foot traffic back on antique row. Trust me, I still go there. But when the Elks is shiny and new, tourists will like all the little shops and vintage wares (here's hoping).
I think some tourists don't always make it beyond the museum district and Pac Ave.
I loved Rampart from the Steve days, he was always so friendly, and love that you guys have kept it alive in your own way. Don't give up yet.
I responded: Thanks for taking the time to read and comment... I really do want more retail down here...it's so lonely! Ask my neighbors...I really do want us all to have a great success, and not just in the Capitalist way...($), but to be creative and to give Tacoma tons of fun and inspiring things to do!
So, I do hope the Elks project happens and I hope a million more businesses open up...
Sadly, our business has been decimated by the City of Tacoma. The Elks project, if it ever happens, will be at least 2 more years away. My lease is up in May 2010, and I'll go... Steve was able to keep Rampart going, with my/husband's help for part of the time, only because Steve had a very very cushy City of Tacoma job.....I find that extremely ironic.The new city manager Eric Anderson, only has one idea for Tacoma...and that is to turn Tacoma into the most condo-friendly retirement/bedroom community that exists to employ every single MBA that UWT can spit out.
Business is the enemy of Art (true fact), Art exists for its own sake. Business exists only to make money. We, are caught in the middle. I'm not rich, will never be, but I'm feeling pretty happy...and pretty creative...and that is a feeling that no amount of money can buy!! But bring some money downtown anyway, just in case...;-)
New in the shop this weekend... Vintage Overalls...Gingham Betsey Johnson Halter Dress... Hawaiian Shirts...Sundresses... Fun Kids clothes.... Big Crinolines...Motorcycle Jackets & Vintage T shirts...
in my life........I am so bored/mad/disappointed with Tacoma. But here's a bit of gossip. True, the city, I presume, cleaned my alley, clipped the berries, picked up the garbage, pulled 99% of the floaty plastic bags (lets' Ban Them !!!)........ Now the ParkingLotZamboni is cleaning and looking funny. Crews of JD's have cleaned the streets around my Hood. Now, I wonder.....Why. Because LeMay is..........voting on something..... What was it again???? oh yeah. Temple of Old Autos. And.....many of the Potholes on STW got filled. Hey, Jake !! If you had anything to do with all the activity in my Hood. Thanks !!! if not. Why Not !!!! Since I'll be in Portland, I'll tell Jan to tell Julie I said Hi !!! And the red barn door was slid open.....at the New Frontier....... come on get busy.
Oh yeah, the Rascal Flatt's people and fans were very nice. Quiet. Polite. and Clean. Yippie. Coming soon.......Wild to Mild !! -____-____-____-____- Mmmm. what's going on? Is it kinda like......the only reason South Tacoma/Lakewood (Lakewood??) got a train station from Sound Transit, is to hook up with visitors to Ladenburg's Glutton Golf Course????? you thought I didn't notice, didn't you.
~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_ On to me. It's my blog. Last time I was in Portland.....I had a cold. I had a runny nose. I sneezed and sneezed. I had flaky skin on my red nose. And my eyes were bloodshot. So, of course, I had to meet and re-meet Jan & Jon's friends. Great. this time I"m well. And Clean!! Hopefully I'll be more attractive. And I'm closed until April 17. At Noon till 6. Third Thursday. I'm installing new shelving, and I have new art. Art. Art.
Again up to Antique Sandwich for Tuesday night Open Mike......I'm a poet and you know it......The enigmatic David Fewster and Heidi Fosner, Folksingers in Hell, showed up because Mark asked them to go and sing....please.....and they did.
What Tacoma lacks is respect for "The Other Side Of Life". The vitality isn't really from Russell....yawn. The vitality is from people who LIVE LIFE ! (oh boy am I in trouble now...) People such as Steve....and not Bing Crosby..... Reluctantly, Dale.....only because , as Fewster said:
Today I took my daughter to the Bridge of Glass! Boy, was she disappointed. She thought the actual bridge would be made of glass/So we could see traffic going by our shoes.
David sang, on Tuesday night, The Ballad of the Blogger and he reminded us once again, that the archives of Exit 133 will live foreverrrrrrrrr........witness this:
ensie, there are several different layers of professional artist. there is the ‘fluff’ artist which is a favorite of Tacoma arts commission funding or who make pretty glass fruit bowls… and then there is the category of artists whom bring the inanimate into the realm of the living and or forge their will upon the world.
I am not trying to undermine the importance of the fluff artist since they provide a valuable service distracting/pacifying the civilian populations THEN provide a nice contrast when the serious artist reveals him or herself to the world.
Also, if you ever encounter a person claiming to be an artist and willing to ‘donate to the community’ beware, you are in the presence of a fifth columnist.
13 | Posted by RR Anderson | Apr 5, 02:32 PM
And then Claudia replied: Re: RR:“there is the ‘fluff’ artist…”David Fewster is as fluffy as it gets. A real Easter bunny…....“Real” and “non-real” – what an elitist idea. Let the artist speak for her or himself. Categories such as real and non real or good and evil should vanish for good (or for real). Celebrate complexity.14 | Posted by Claudia | Apr 5, 02:52 PM
That was not an attack against David at all, that was a response to RR calling Tacoma Art Grant Recipients FLUFF. My point was that David was NOT fluff – obviously stated clumsily. I do hope we all know David is NOT the Easter Bunny. Aapologies to all who took my comment in a fluffy way…19 | Posted by Claudia | Apr 5, 04:33 PM
David Fewster and Heidi Fosner recently produced a concert at Barefoot Studios. I was really pleased by the quality of the work and proud to be able to have them perform in our space. Tacoma benefits from having diverse and unique artists like David and Heidi active in the community.P.S. 10X10 this Friday at 7:3020 | Posted by paul | Apr 5, 04:38 PM
And that is what the Exit 133 archives will yield Up!
********************************************************************************* So the Beat goes on. I am suspicious of applying for Art Grants....How can I truly explain what it is I do? I almost can't even conceptualize it in my own mind..I just DO!
People used to ask me what kind of place is Rampart.....With its Irreverent Attitude...Its loud GAY Disco Music......What the hell does a 50s Pink & Gray Sewing Machine have to do with a 70s vintage Schwinn, vintage restaurant dishes and 60s hanging lamps, and a hand-embroidered Kitten Playing with Pink Yarn picture (damn you Steve)......All I can say, Then and Now, is it is Stuff For Living. It is not Sunset Magazine or Better Homes and Gardens. So, I got my ass soundly taken to task this week....on my Blog and from my neighbors. My crappy neighbor, not my nice neighbors. Since the day I got here, I've been cleaning the sidewalks and sweeping the parking lot and trying to weed and plant my Dirt Spot....It's not my job....but it is my responsibility. I've picked up buckets full of garbage left here by the folks who come to Dome Events....the city DOES NOT clean up after our "guests". The Streetsweeper comes by, 2 times in the last 8 months (I think) I'm OK with the City not picking up the garbage, but one of the reasons that Tacoma has languished, A JEWEL in a Broken Setting.....is because The City almost always does a half-ass job of everything.For instance.....They build a dome, sponsor events and don't clean up, don't enforce parking laws, and don't fix the streets.....But they do provide Police to do Traffic Guidance to channel "vistors" to the Pay For City Parking Lots.
If it will, rawly, make Money, the City will likely do it. If it doesn't put money in their pockets immediately, Fuggedabout it.....But what Tacoma's Arts Commission does do, is to TRY to get Art around town.....and they did give Fewster a Grant to write a book of Poetry.....and Art in Your Face, makes you a better person. It's like a WorM in Your BraiN. It goes to your happy thinking place in Your Head, and that makes you a better person. And tries to undo the damage done to you by that University you attended....and the Arts Commission does some other things like those goofy metal Palm Trees in my n'hood. Why palm trees? Why? I do love me some palm trees....but I wouldn't have chosen that. But it did get chosen, and that's the point I suppose.We get and need......Fewster and Metal Palm Trees.
ONe of the romances of Urban Living is finding art ....guerrilla art....left for your viewing pleasure......I am torn between gathering it and keeping it and letting it live outside......What should I do???? Here's what Mark found in our front yard..ie.....the sidewalks ....of the Dome District.... Thanks ......www.myspace.com/familyteeth
Been so busy with taking over the world ! I haven't taken any new pics ...oh well, later on that gator. But! I did have a visit from a virtual blog-pal.....yes, in the flesh .....Kevin!!
we chatted about all things Tacoma.....yeah Us! my pal Julie was here hanging around and she is old school Tacoma so we 3 were all excited about chatting about Tacoma and all the doings, the bars, the restaurants, the rants, the SoDo, my neighbors, Freighthouse Sq., LeMay You-See-Um...will it come or not? And all manner, like I said, of Tacoma !!!! And Kenny popped in .....used to have Yung's Teriyaki next door.... and folks from Seattle here to see Girl Trouble..... I told them my daughter Jan was a Go-Go dancer for GT along with Neko Case back in the day (yes that Neko Case!) And many more visited funkoma (I directed folks to eateries...The Chamber of Commerce should pay ME !! big time !!)
Here's what I have now for a garden.....good start...needs a big weedin' and some color ! hurrrrry up spring !
At the Home & Garden show.............
I really wanna see the flowers, the dahlias, the Tagro display (my gal pal Amber works for the County in the um, Tagro department ..she has a shitty job.....no joke)
Here's the 411, homies (I love using old outdated hip urban language since I must mock myself before you do) Have I told you I had an organic farm, sold at GigHarbor Farmers Mkt, and had a landscaping business for a while? No. Consider yerself told, then.
;-) Paris in Tacoma: A team of sand sculptors will create a 40-foot-high Parisian scene, including the Eiffel Tower, with 400 tons of sand. Landscape dreams: Win a $25,000 Extreme Front Yard makeover. For entry info, visit www.kmps.com or stop by the entry booth at the show. Display gardens: A classic garden with stepping stones, water features and protected patio seating. DIY: Tools for sale for the do-it-yourself set come from Makita, DeWalt and other manufacturers; tough-and-ready clothing from Carhartt, Helly Hansen and more. Garden greats: Area experts like Ed Hume, Marianne Binetti, Ciscoe Morris and others share their knowledge. Tommy Hill talks about garden ponds and keeping koi fish happy. More expert talk: Pierce County Solid Waste Division educators teach you to turn kitchen scraps and yard waste to compost. Show times: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday and Feb. 2; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Feb. 3. Tickets: $9 general, $7 seniors (62 and older) weekdays only; children age 12 and younger admitted free. Two-day passes are available for $14, or $10 for seniors. Discount coupons: Get $2 off adult and senior weekday admission; available at Puget Sound area KeyBank locations or at www.otshows.com. Call: 253-756-2121.
Am I the only person in Tacoma that knows Clear Channel is putting on the Monster Jam show at the T-Dome? The T-Dome that the City of Tacoma owns? The Clear Channel that the City of Tacoma is wrestling with over billboards? RR ? Word Up !
Ok, I know I live a block from the T-Dome. duh. But every time there's an event the monkeys schlup by and park all over.......and in my parking lot and pee in the lot and smoke pot and drink beer.......
This particular event is ultra-disturbing because: HELLO ! Did or Did Not Al Gore just win the Nobel Prize? Monster Jam uses up how much oil/gas/ pollution.....and the driving here of all the minivans and SUV's........ There is just no hope for the planet.........no, the planet will go on and on........but humanity and animals and stuff will decline and suffer......... Oh Well.
Let's begin here: Beautiful Angle: I sent out this:
Hello Art People,
I may be pre-freaking out abit, but, some of you may know I asked for Tacoma folks to come out and paint my walls...and they did ! I had a bonafide artist (as opposed to Folks!) do the upper wall. His name is Tam, and it looks like graffiti but it is not of course. It is Art. My question is: May I count on some support from the community if I get slapped with a citation for "gang graffiti"? Funny thing is ....in our spare time, we paint out real gang graffiti in the block, and we were gonna paint out Tam's work within a few days anyway......since it's not everyone's cuppa Tea...heck it's not even really my cuppa Tea....but I am an Art - Supporter !
Tressie
funkoma vintage
306 E. 26th
Tacoma
I got these:
I think it
should be ok though, since up on 6th Ave. Tower lanes bowling ally got a real graffiti artist to do a mural on the side of their building. It is definitely graffiti styling and it has been there for several months now, so I am assuming the police can't ticket legitimate art, or it would be gone by now. -------------and another ---------------------------------------------- If you commissioned the artwork, then it is not graffiti. I had this discussion with the authorities earlier this year when I spray painted some of my own *** ******** stencils on my garage. They cannot inhibit your freedom of speech or expression. If they did, you could easily take your case to the Civil Liberties Union and/or the media. It was interesting because graffiti had been on our garage for over a year; it wasn't gang related. We tired of it and decided *** would be a good addition. Shortly after *** went up, we received a graffiti needs to be removed notice. I discussed the complaint with someone in city hall, and, while it was okay to have the *** up, they would appreciate it if we removed the other graffiti, which we did. My conclusion was that someone found *** offensive and reported us because the other graffiti had been up for well over a year. That said, I'm thinking about putting up a big ** symbol on the garage to see if someone reports that.
Anyway, I appreciate people who support graffiti art. There are many talented graffiti artists out there, who have made places more beautiful, interesting, and challenging.
_______________ Well, there is a vast difference between Graffiti and Graffiti Art. One is vandalism and one is art. The one that is art has to be asked for or at least tolerated by the owner of the canvas. If a property owner does not remove the art, then it is art and is protected by the constitution. Also, then, the owner may remove it. There is no law yet on who owns the art once it is created on a wall,for instance. Could an artist bring a suit against an owner and win? Not likely, but maybe. Once art is bought or received as a gift it belongs to the new owner not the creator.
Our little controversy in Tacoma and the Broadway Art Garages is a Perfect Example of the stupidity of Tacoma. (not everyone in Tacoma is stupid, of course) Did Riley know he didn't have to paint out everything? Maybe he didn't want to bother with it. I do know Riley to be a fine person, and even tho he is as rich as Midas, he is a reasonable person (considering he is a landlord !!)<-- joke. I don't believe for one Minute that TPD suddenly got all art critic and filed a complaint with the City on a graffiti code violation. But it sure illustrates (get it) what is Wrong with Tacoma. This town now has no flippin' Clue what is art. No clue about was is an "Urban Experience". The condos and the yuppies want to live in Disneyland and is the City far too willing to recreate Tacoma in the mold of WaltDisney? Well,yes. I think those of us who think about art (what separates art from craft is the Strong Emotion that art makes you feel) is when the City decided NOT to choose Warhol to put a design on the Tacoma Dome.....and chose those insipid stupid diamond things. This: Not This: So Tacoma if you want art, REAL ART, you are so on your own. Do not look to the City for anything that is real. The City of Tacoma and the phony arbiters of art (snicker) HATE YOU .
Another point.......and an example. The London Times printed this today about biodiesel. When Mark and I were at Evergreen we became interested in biodiesel and so he made it and we drove biodiesel cars...you may remember my car especially......the brown Mercedes with the bowling lady hood ornament........Well.......as I pointed out a while back.....biodiesel is a stop-gap measure and should be abandoned as a fuel source.
While they have the potential to help reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that are driving climate change, biofuels will devastate forests and other habitats unless controlled, scientists said.
The Royal Society report of a 14-month inquiry was published as the European Union announced that its targets for biofuels are to be re-examined because of fears of their impact on the environment. Stavros Dimas, its Environment Commissioner, said that the environmental consequences of boosting biofuel production and the effects on poor communities were bigger than originally thought. from the London Times
The Example: Mark, John and I walked out of our penthouse on Sunday night, we said: Peeweh !! There was a stinky gray pall hanging over the neighborhood. Ghost of Old Tacoma? No. A train had just rumbled by, which is fine. But and it's a Big But, it was Diesel in the Air. That's what I'm saying. Now I know, boy do I know, that the Dome District is the unwanted red-headed stepchild of The Downtown Renaissance...... (do we get a Festival in our end.....No ! There is ZERO City of Tacoma promotion of our district...there are NO Fairs, Events or clean-ups comparable to um, First Night or Taste of Tacoma.....nothing.)
but, diesel is a dying technology. I'm sure the Light Rail Hobo Train laughs at the big trains as they stink by, while Light Rail skips lightly thru town.....(wow, that's poetry!) And diesel can't be replaced by biodiesel.....tho smelling like French Fries is cool, it is not sustainable.
Really now, if you truly want to reduce crime you have to treat the poor as if they were You......... Just ask ....If I was mentally challenged what would I like in my life to help me live a good life? and then Do it ! I've listed the tools you need in this post, now you need to make sure the people that you think are causing you problems are helped to solve their problems so that they don't cause you an unending array of problems. This is called " Being a Good Citizen" This is a good thing........ of course it was held in my neighborhood and on my birthday.... Coincidence....I think not!
Submits a proposal for a commission for the Tacoma Dome, the sports and convention centre in Tacoma, Washington. These prints, Flower for Tacoma Dome (IIIA.37), are based on a hybrid flower created by Warhol. Daisy (IIIA.38) is inspired by this proposal. from warhol's cv 1982. There maybe no bigger fan of Warhol than me ....so much of what we take for granted from art to film to who is and what is ART is because of Andy Warhol....
....Ok maybe there is a bigger fan......but I adore everything about Andy, The Factory, his mother-devotion, and of course, the Velvet Underground.
When I was young I had a girlfriend Lucy, who was several years older than me and she introduced me to The Mothers of Invention, The Velvet Underground and Andy Warhol.....all of this about 1965 -66. ...here's pics of the Tacoma Flower plates ..don't forget the matching tumblers! all from Amazon......Hoo Haw Here's a White Tacoma Flower poster....... And of course the BeautifulAngle poster (of a poster?)
.....and......an art controversy I made up in my head..coming soon to a town named Tacoma........ Long story short: I had an artist come and paint my bldg. My landlord freaked and my neighbors gave me the Poison Eye.....but I don't care. I am a brat....that is ..I do what I want if I ain't hurting nobody.......so I'm driving home the other day, and I see a Tacoma code enforcement officer taking pics of my Art and my bldg. Well, says I, no need to panic....But well here is the letter I sent out to the Art list........
Hello Art People,
I may be pre-freaking out abit, but, some of you may know I asked for Tacoma folks to come out and paint my walls...and they did ! I had a bonafide artist (as opposed to Folks!) do the upper wall. His name is Tam, and it looks like graffiti but it is not of course. It is Art. My question is: May I count on some support from the community if I get slapped with a citation for "gang graffiti"? Funny thing is ....in our spare time, we paint out real gang graffiti in the block, and we were gonna paint out Tam's work within a few days anyway......since it's not everyone's cuppa Tea...heck it's not even really my cuppa Tea....but I am an Art - Supporter !
Tressie
I am 100% in the right here........and we'll just see if the Code officer had anything to do with me.....as it turns out, I had planned to paint out the art since the agreement with Tam had run its course and we'll put something else up there. Why is this a big deal to me??
Because I like art, I am an artist, I don't like anyone telling me what to do if it ain't hurting nobody.....and I like a good argument once in a while...I feel some days I'm wasting my paralegal skills !
But maybe most important........I Am Still Bitter about the Hillbillies that run Tacoma that didn't choose WARHOL to decorate the Dome !! I see the Dome out my Kitchen window......This is a Big Deal to me !! Can you imagine what Tacoma could be like? I can and being a hillbilly is fine for hillbillies......... AARRRGGGG !!!!! We had Warhol in our hands.....and they let him go....... I am bitter..... wink
