A Week In TAcomA

Tuesday we went with Glen and Mustaffa up to Antique Sandwich to catch us some Open Mike.....and we were not disappointed.
After months of listening to TacoMan on the radio oh oh on the radio.....and an amazing 3 peep group of voice and guitars....stunningly ethereal.....and the last act....who had to perform for about a half hour.....because there can be no Dead Air.....
It was a cleansing moment....to be there with voices and low tech tech, and organic foodstuffs and Fair Trade...and a new couch, and the stairs.....
It was the calm before the Storm....

Then news of Steve's death.....and I have been in a daze......
What sustains is the human touch and only the human touch....
Which is what art is.....a human hand creates.

Some asked on Derek's blog for a place to meet where it is all human......
where it is not a bar..(no thanks to the Volcano)
Where it is not a church.......
and that place has been for about 25 years or more....
the Antique Sandwich Company...
no snotty hipster attitude, but an appreciation of home-grown
hair, home-grown food, home-grown down-home funky furniture.......
home-grown community the way it has been done since The Garden...

and there you have it.....
Dorothy.....it's been here right in your own backyard.

NOW.....on to business.....
I call on you to Light It On Fire.......Cause an ART RIOT !!!!!
and to illustrate....I give you a google-purloined Art Chantry

Thanks for Hume and Bender and all you artist types..
If I forget to remember some of you I blame grief and vodka and awe.

Thanks for coming to honor Steve and honor RampArt...
it did not pass my eye though that the windows upstairs were open.

Then up to the Silverstone, with Glen, My Beautiful Husband, My Beautiful Son, Shayne.
When Mark & I couldn't work our shift days at Rampart, we could count on Shayne to fill in for us. So, Shayne was one of the Lucky Chosen People to be a part of The Best Place in Tacoma For UnCommon Happenings.
I shudder to think what Tacoma would have been but for RampArt.
thanks to Steve, David, Eric, Patty, Kelly and those few others who had the distinct privilege to be a part of The Best Place.....
While there have been many on Antique Row, and all ran fine shops...
RampArt was a slice of City Life the very thing you are all trying to create...
kinda.
You are so afraid.
You are playing it safe.
In 25 years I've seen about 5 shows that stepped out.
One was at the gasp! Glass Museum. I loved the Penis X-Rayz.
Galleries.......you are doing a great job of Keeping Tradition Alive.
Yes, you belong.
But NOW is the TIME to step it UP.
Cut up your credit cards and Be Free.

I Dare You To Lower Your Commission to 5%. And therefore your "prices"
I Dare You to hand the reins over to artists you are not quite sure about
I Dare You to hand the reins over to artists you don't understand
I Dare You to put Art in Your Empty Bldgs
Empty Bldgs = Empty Mind
I Dare You to let go, let the love flow....
I Dare You to stop doing the same old thing.....
And if you are the 3 or 4 that are trying to meet the challenge.
Keep on Keeping on......and create space for what makes you uncomfortable

********************************************************************************************************
How do you know if you are creating space? You nodded your head in agreement.
If you got pissed off, you may need to wonder why.........all who wonder may not be lost after all.

Izenmania Asks a Question....More about Steve

The reason Steve was able to do what he did is because of his day job. I have not met anyone else in Tacoma, besides me & Mark, that would open their walls to almost any art that cared to be with us, no commission. They always are worried about Upsetting the Man In Dockers and as you can guess, If it doesn't offend someone , it ain't art!!

Now I have seen some gallery owners who have put on FABULOUS events...but, money was always a consideration, when IT doesn't have to be.....I call it the Russell Effect. Somehow, Tacoma now believes there has to be a profit motive.

Sure Steve coulda made Bank off the gallery.....(thanks to Kelly, Mark & Tressie..it got to happen) but he spent his money on it.....to have fun.....to draw people to that end of the street.......and to feed his art machine..........

A few friends of mine are always trying to put something together, we are always thwarted by money. But for Riley, no one, no other Landlord has done anything outta the goodness of their hearts.......

Don't hold your breath....will someone who has money step up as a service to the art community?
Mark and I our art-funky friends don't have money...but we have art hanging here for a no-commission.....and we do have folks come in for a look see....and buy.
And I closed the shop .....so I could concentrate on making art and collecting materials....a huge hit to my personal bank account...small anony art grant... not withstanding.

And remember ....avant garde and outsider art and guerrilla art and weird quirky art isn't understood in Tacoma....not much not yet. Look at how much crap di Nino got for the Heads Rolling.......And this is Tacoma.....I'm still pissed about the Dome committee rejecting Andy F'n Warhol......oh and now.....Steve is our Andy....yeah, Now...you claim him!

yes I will continue to talk about Steve for a long time...I have a lot to say.
and as I predicted, NOW, "friends" are coming out of the woodwork. I can count on one hand and half those people who befriended him....and it isn't who you might think it is. That is pissing me off. And I'm sure it is irritating some of the small voyeurs of this esteemed blog.

Especially one person in particular. And see, this is an ART Project right here, baby!! Did you get it? Don't worry, I often don't either. But I still show up, I still stare, I still think.....

Hey Aaron, thanks for jumping on the challenge....I called bs on bs....and I always will.
Because Art Saves Lives.....Art is Worth Dying For.

Here's Why I say "You Kids......"

I always say things like:
You kids.......
Hey kids....
The youngsters of today......
Somebodies kids......
And people look at me like I"m outta my mind.....
which I am.......
But here is why.......
Also, I tend to like almost everyone...
while being true to my opinions about things.....
Sly & the family stone......has always been one of my faves....
prolly from growing up in the BayArea......
So, Here's why I say.......You kids, etc....and my philosphy of life....
be kind, be ironic.......and dance you monkey..........

Steve

When we heard the news of Steve's death on Tuesday......we just went into a state of numbness.

Mark has known Steve longer than me. They have kids about the same age. Steve was good to us, and Steve was bad to us......but we never went around town bad-mouthing him like so many other people did.

When I opened funkoma vintage so many people came in a wanted to know "the dirt" on Steve. What dirt. He's a Jew. He works for the city. He's a loving father. He's GAY !! and so out of the closet.

Sure he sold my coyote and I'm still kinda pissed !! but he gave us more than he took.......he was good to us.
And that's all you need to know. The rest isn't your business.

We were together on New Years Eve 1999 turning into 2000...and the world didn't end.......we spent the night there and the next day we were so wrecked...........So this song will always be a Steve memory for us........And it is so Steve.....so out there. He was doing freaky when you kids were in Jr High popping zits.




And the "friends" will come out the woodwork.
Steve gave Tacoma it's first real fun spot to go....He brought The Big Shitty to Tacoma. He was the first in Tacoma, he and Dave Norton to do FUNK....to do Mid Century Modern while everyone else was doing Victorian Oak.

Everything else in Tacoma was earnest, naive and/or boring. Steve shook up Tacoma before any ART arrived here. He was the Uncle of Tacoma Art.......& not that boooooooooooring crap at the museums and straight white people galleries...............(now.....they're funky!!!)

Steve, Mark, and I commissioned John Clinton to do a Grafittistyle art piece at Rampart after Dave moved on. It's covered up now. That was waaaaay back in the day.....(yes, that john clinton)

Mark and I are just so sad.

Color .... Vintage .... Crafty ...Me Like You...

from tricia of bits and bobbins.....comes this blogosphere report....
I love this.......proof positive that We Are Alike But We Are Different From You........it's a uniform.....from the exactitudes project........
the last time I wore a uniform was working at Hickory Farms.....red polyester gingham, and blue denim poly blend wrap skirt, and YES, a triangular (hippie-style) kerchief bandana.....with Keds.
But subcultures wear uniforms.....which I why I wear whatever....altho I am a member of the subculture of Odd Clothes. So we all do it.....

(photo credit to ari versluis/exactitudes)

Then she posts this from The NewYorkMagazine.......Color !!!!!

(photo credit: tina tyrell/new york magazine)
------------------------------------------------------------

I get in moooods where I will wear only one color....only 2 colors....
or dress like a sky.....
or a sunset .....or a rainbow from head to toe. Also, I get the
Creeps every once in a while.....
and I purge all of one color from my life .....the last time was
brown.....that's kinda dumb...
so I've been re-adding brown, but only below the waist.
Red got purged after my divorce 13 yrs ago
....That Was Really Dumb! Red is back for me.
In the 70s, I dressed in peach and purples for a whole year......

I am a Canvas of my Desires.

Now onto my sewing area....to make some stuff today.......yeah!!

Hi ! this is a nicer title than the post below

Not much to say right now 'scept it's a lovely day !!!!
Did you know Andy Wappler is moving on from KIRO ??? Waaaaah.
I just got off the phone with the darling Niki.....at TPU......which is not so PU.........(stinky) for an agency that wants waaaaaaay too much of my money (my fault--I like to be warm and see in the dark) TPU, has always been nice to me in the 25 yrs that I"ve lived in Tacoma,,,,,,,,but for one time..........
I have no idea what this post means but I really just wanted to bury the Jane Fonda post....oy Yeah.......
Suicide rates for 45 - 54 yrs olds, went up 20% from 99-2004 !!!!!
I'll have to read the article today....and report back. Man I will say, that personally was a very very stressful time for all of us, and me personally. I lost most of my estrogen, my chin dropped into my neck, and my favorite dog died, as did my beloved mother who is memorialized in a tattoo on my left arm.

OH, going to Antique Sandwich Company tonight............
Just saying..........

Jane Fonda said CUNT and people are upset ???

global warming, obesity, war, torture, Hillary is running, Huckabee won't let go........Bhutto shot........and people are upset over this..........Well I had to remove the vid because it locked up my computer one 2 many times! you can google Jane fonda cunt........it's there...forever and ever and ever and ever.........