The Paint Swatch

Star Growers !

2011-04-19T12:53:00.000-07:00

In Honor of my family the Star Growers (ca.1930) who still farm cabbage to this day, handmade raw kraut for sale or swap!

ILU LOGO By Ramzy Masri

2011-04-04T13:20:00.000-07:00

Our Identity is finalized, we are ready to enter the workforce !

THE ILU ACTION

2011-03-29T08:26:00.000-07:00

Baker's Jacket Designed By Max Crutcher !

Surplus Labor !

Personal Autonomy Project

2011-02-12T18:08:00.001-08:00

Personal Autonomy Projects: #12. Wine Brew and #3.Self Issued Haircut

new ideas/new presentations

2010-12-29T09:07:00.001-08:00

Possible visual identities for The Imaginative Labor Union logo or seal. more info to come soon.

YARD SALE, open studios, 12/10/10

2010-12-12T19:46:00.000-08:00

Yard Sale banked $5 dollars and 2 Hours in the TIME/BANK SYSTEM.

Office Works

2010-12-11T11:04:00.000-08:00

Drawing Again

2010-12-06T09:16:00.000-08:00

New Drawings/Sketches!

Yard Sale! UCP Open Studios !

2010-12-06T08:40:00.001-08:00

6-9 PM in the Office Cubicle!

hustling, sweat pants and keystone light !

Cubicle Works (Products)

2010-12-06T08:26:00.000-08:00

New Project (OfficeWorks) debuting at Open Studios on December 10th. 6-9 PM

Wheat Penny or Barter Token

2010-10-24T18:45:00.000-07:00

I am currently doing a Residency(self initiated/Mark Friend setup) at a local Bakery in KC . Mark the Master Baker are attempting to make wheat pennies for a project....

The Office Exercise/Products

2010-10-24T18:36:00.001-07:00

products

artist grade graph paper $1.00

Crush cup by artist $1.85 dependent on coffee cup size

Watched Robocop in a cubicle, the film explores privitazation and corporate appeal in the peak of the 80's. copy and paste link to read a wonderful essay about Robocop. http://www.criterion.com/current/posts/4-robocop

self portrait while watching

CO-WORKERS SHOW

2010-10-24T18:30:00.000-07:00

Matthew Hufft

Theresa Joy Hitchcock

Eric Cloud

Wil Burnip and Chris Ray

John Anderson

Mason Sisco

My first attempts at curating(decorating really)!

Co-Workers, Bosses & Supervisors : a design show

Co-Workers, Bosses & Supervisors

2010-09-30T20:31:00.001-07:00

A curated design show themed around individuals that artist Sean M. Starowitz has worked professionally over the past 5 years. Starowitz has supported himself through a variety of jobs, from working at a woodshop, house painting crews, and fabrication for an architecture firm. For Co-workers, Bosses & Supervisors, Starowitz seeks to tie a common thread between the individuals he has worked with or for through the avenues of design. Featuring work and designs by John Anderson, Eric Cloud, Kurt Flecksing, Theresa Joy Hitchcock, Matthew Hufft/Hufft Projects, John Jackson, Chris Ray, Mason Sisco, and Jon Wilson.

: The Office, 5^th Floor, City Center Square. 1100 Main St. Kansas City MO. 64105

Opening Reception: October 15^th, 6-8 Pm. By appointment after that.

Contact: Sean M. Starowitz, Director, Curator, artist in residence, The Office.

theofficeprojects@gmail.com or seanstarowitz@gmail.com

The Office !

2010-09-22T19:15:00.000-07:00

Residency Seeks Residents!

2010-09-08T18:16:00.000-07:00

Anywhere, Anyhow Residency

Anyhow- http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Anyhow 08/19/10

–adverb

1. in any way whatever.

2.in any case; at all events.

The anywhere, anyhow residency is a predetermined residency that allows for relationship building through further development of an creative practice with artist Sean M. Starowitz. Anyhow is not defined by any spatial or geographic restrictions, in the same spirit that holds the name, it can happen anywhere, at any time. The residency involves Sean M. Starowitz and the participating resident(s) pre-determining a creative action, These can be, but are not limited too cooking a meal that neither of the parties have cooked before, building a tree fort, skill trade or collaborative artistic effort or traveling together via road trip, bike or on foot. Anyhow can be arranged by Sean M. Starowitz or anyone interested in the residency. The residents have no pre determined time frame as well, residency’ can last as short as two minutes or as long as three weeks.

BREAD!

2010-08-30T20:44:00.001-07:00

BREAD! is a public dinner designed to use community-driven financial support to democratically fund new and emerging artmakers.

At each BREAD! participants will pay an entrance fee of $10 for which they will receive supper and a ballot. Diners will vote on a variety of proposed artist projects through a menu and presentations. At the end of dinner, the artist whose proposal receives the most votes will be awarded funds collected through the entrance fee to produce the project. The work will then be presented during the next BREAD!

idea/help from Incubate's Sunday Soup and other cities renditions of FEAST & STOCK

email me your interests in partaking.... I need help!

The Compost Post

2010-08-21T17:01:00.000-07:00

First Batch 001

New Large Bin!

visit us on facebook!

The Compost Post

2010-08-20T11:57:00.000-07:00

Have you always wanted to compost but not had the space!

Well have no fear the Compost Post is here!!!!

pick service available!

fill a 5 gallon bucket with your compost, then call me, time & turning will do the rest!

The Compost Post is a free service and space to compost, the compost will be shared back to participating individuals, local gardens, and who ever wants artist grade compost !

any questions feel free to call or email

(502) 235 9828

seanstarowitz@gmail.com

Don't know what to compost?

http://www.composting101.com/what-to-use.html

copy and paste this link !

Hey, We are All Beginners Here ! Residency/Event

2010-08-18T09:54:00.000-07:00

All photos taken by Tempestt Hazel

Speak! hits Chicago!!!!!!!

more to come soon...

SPEAK! Project, 06/10

2010-08-09T21:23:00.000-07:00

SPEAK ! Project hits Lexington, Kentucky during the

Governor's School for the Arts Faculty and Staff Show

Emma shares her insights to the positive aspects of Recession Specials

Hilton stands forth to share what it means and takes to be an artist !

Sean Lair sings Hard Times Come Again No More written by Stephen Foster

Johnny presents his resume on cardboard and sings for money !

I combined multiple state of the union addresses and the work of the great poet Charles Olson.

Proposal For the Park

2010-08-05T08:58:00.001-07:00

Proposal for a public art project in Roeland Park, KS.

In *Podiums for the Park is in conjunction with the ongoing SPEAK! project. This site-specific project explores the importance of sharing ideas, thoughts & opinions in public context. As an artist, I have become interested in why people are afraid of sharing their opinions, as well as speech patterns and techniques. The specific prompts on the podiums are invitations to complete with your own words or a space for you to start your own speech. The speech could be as simple as how beautiful the day is, why you felt the need to speak, or perhaps city council passed something you didn’t necessarily agree with? Three podiums will be placed around Roeland Park with the call to gather your friends, families, neighbors and give them a speech!

Protest/Activist

2010-08-01T10:58:00.000-07:00

Ongoing collaboration with Stephen C. Proski. Stephen and I, intervene in public spaces as a protestor would normally, but we use altered commercial logos to promote a dialogue about particular issues that we are interested in.

REVIEW ARTICLE - Trade Show!

2010-07-15T07:46:00.001-07:00

ART: FOR LOVE OR MONEY — OR?

By Rebecca M. Blocksome May 14, 2010

Print Share Comments (0)

A review of Trade Show

Aly Parrott staffs the "Trade Show" exchange table at the show's opening reception May 7. Photo: Emily Henson, courtesy of the artists

KCAI Crossroads Gallery
Kansas City, Missouri
May 7, 14, 21, 2010

Given my background in Central and South Eastern Europe, I was expecting something quite different fromTrade Show, a collective undertaking by four graduating seniors from the Interdisciplinary Arts program at the Kansas City Art Institute that promises “new ways of looking at consuming, functionality, craft, and monetary exchange.” In post-socialist countries still reeling from the rapid transition to American-style capitalism, such a show typically would involve a scathing indictment of the art market and its sinister encroachment on creative freedom, alongside a call for citizens to rise up and resist this imperialist economic world order.

But blood and revolution were nowhere in the air at the KCAI Crossroads Gallery on opening night — the atmosphere was much more like a friendly neighborhood swap meet, where no reasonable offer will be refused. The artists — Sara Cramer, John Hilger, Aly Parrott, and Sean Starowitz — welcomed visitors and patiently explained time and again the show's ground rules: everything in the gallery is potentially up for trade. Smaller items can be traded on the spot after a suitable dialogue with the artist, while larger numbered items are being traded through a kind of silent auction. Anyone interested in a particular item can submit a bid; these will be reviewed and awarded by all four artists jointly at the show’s closing on May 21.

The works in the show are united by their roots in craft and the DIY aesthetic. Furniture predominates, especially tables, chairs, and bookshelves, almost all of which involve repurposed parts with the addition of paint, glue, and fabric. The centerpiece of the gallery is a glass-topped dining room table with four chairs, each painted a different color; this is where the artists will sit and discuss the bids on the closing night. The cleverly named "Cheshire table" stands in a nearby corner, and several other chairs, including a hybrid dining room-office chair, offer an inviting place to sit and watch the spectacle. The bookshelves created by removing desk drawers from their usual confines and hanging them vertically on the walls were an especially nice touch. Many of these pieces were created by Sean Starowitz, who also made the thoughtful ceramic tags hanging around the gallery, inscribed with such words as “cash,” “harvest,” and “economy.”

Along with furniture, the other predominant theme in the show is books. Sara Cramer’s sculptures, consisting of books altered by cutting, folding pages, or sewing through the covers, rest on nearly every tabletop. The shelves are filled with a slightly different type of book work: hundreds of surplus books found in dumpsters or donated by libraries and estate sales are displayed on the bookshelves with their spines turned towards the wall. Cramer explains she is making a statement about the devaluation of knowledge: without the titles showing, the books exist merely as forms, not as bearers of intellectual content. The endless stacks of anonymous books do indeed lend an unsettling air to the gallery. Interestingly enough, although many visitors rummaged through the books to trade for titles they were interested in, the careful piles with unseen titles were maintained throughout the evening.

Gallery visitors browse through the salvaged books collected by Cramer and others. Cramer lined an entire room with books (including a book-door and book-furniture) for an earlier departmental exhibition in the INDA department; her book towers are featured in the BFA exhibition at H&R Block Artspace as well. Photo: Emily Henson, courtesy of the artists

In one corner of the gallery, the book arts take a slightly different form under the guidance of Aly Parrott. With the instructions “Make a zine — take a zine,” the nook features a handful of small-format, handmade magazines with titles including “Crocheting 4 everyone” and “Easy-breezy plastic yarn bag.” An adjacent table offers a stack of white paper and writing utensils; visitors are encouraged to sit down and create their own 'zines, which are then posted above on a clothespin-board. Parrott explains that she wanted to work not only with the exchange of things, but also with the exchange of ideas and the sharing of knowledge. This approach proved especially successful with the younger generation of visitors, who enthusiastically shared drawings and stories.

John Hilger files away the "Trade Show" bids for furniture and larger items, which will be assigned to "winners" during the closing on May 21. Photo: Emily Henson, courtesy of the artists

John Hilger created the silent video that plays on a wall of the gallery, documenting the production of the works in fast-forward motion. He was also responsible for curating the stacks of surplus materials that fill a rack just inside the door, as well as popping up in other unexpected places. “I find this stuff on the side of the road and just perpetuate it,” he said. The genesis of Trade Show can be traced to Hilger, who originally envisioned a show where, he says, “I take all my stuff and give it away.” From there the idea evolved to trading off unused surplus material to people who could find a use for it, in keeping with Hilger’s focus on utilizing “unnatural resources,” where material availability drives the direction of the work. His eclectic collection made for some of the evening’s most interesting trades: a jar of gold and silver dental caps rescued from a dumpster was snatched up by a visitor in exchange for a very realistic plaster log, which Hilger was thrilled to acquire.

And ultimately, it was the trading rather than the objects being traded that really mattered. The key issue at stake is valuation, and the artists argue that intangible things like community, interaction, and dialogue have a value not recognized in monetary systems. Starowitz said the goal was to provide a different model of a studio, as a social space for collaborative practice, a space of work, value, and empowerment. In this view, the artist is also a facilitator and designer, an active social agent. This is a model of art and artist being explored in KCAI’s Interdisciplinary Arts program (often simply called INDA) — or rather, it is the model that has been explored, since after six years the department will close its doors with this year’s graduating class — ironically enough, due to financial reasons, according to its students. The school's leadership has decided to focus more on applied arts and design and even has added a new Digital Media major to begin in fall 2010. Are these areas more worthy than INDA? If so, this is an act of valuation at a much larger scale, where institutional visions and priorities are clearly privileging more traditional notions of art as artifact over the interdisciplinary notion of art as experience. I am surprised, and a little saddened, that the artists did not choose to address this highly relevant issue anywhere within the context of the show.

But though there were some missed opportunities, the show was clearly a success at actively engaging the public. The gallery was full to nearly overflowing almost all evening, and there was usually a crowd of 10 to 15 people outside as well, drawn by the bluegrass harmonies of Deadman Flats, a Lawrence, Kansas-based band that traded its musical talent on opening and closing nights in exchange for the artists’ redecoration of the band’s tour bus interior. There seemed to be a good mix of people coming to the show, both those who had read about it in advance and had come prepared to trade, and those who had just wandered in off the street. One of the latter approached the wheeling-and-dealing table at the front with a hand-bound book and, clearly enchanted with it, asked how much it cost. After Starowitz explained to her that she had to trade something for it, she rummaged in her purse frantically trying to find something; failing that, she fingered her necklace before deciding, “No, it was my grandmother’s.” In the end she left empty-handed, with a promise to return the next Friday with something to trade.

Coptic book-binding kits were popular items that other aritsts and gallery visitors made trade promises to receive. Photo: Emily Henson, courtesy of the artists

Those who did successfully negotiate an exchange were given a “Receipt of Trade” hand-lettered on paperboard box pieces with a gold seal; the items traded were itemized on it, and one copy was given to the trader while the other remained as an inventory slip for the artists. A few receipts were posted around the gallery for items the artists wished to keep on display, along with the items traded for them — a pair of silver earrings here, an envelope of photographs there. Artwork was a popular item for trade, given the high incidence of other artists in the crowd, but there were also several unusual and creative bids. Meals, studio access, and the use of trucks were all put forth. One person offered a shirtless cleaning service, which the artists were seriously considering as an option for the gallery tear-down. One woman was slightly bewildered when told she could bid $500 for a pine table, since no cash would be accepted outright, but that bid would not necessarily outweigh a Thanksgiving dinner for four. Unlike most silent auctions, the bids are secret, so no one knows what anyone else has offered; this helps prevent people from having preconceived notions of value.*

Despite the serious philosophical undertones, a spirit of easy camaraderie prevailed all evening. The words “neoliberal capitalism” did not cross anyone’s lips, nor did Karl Marx make an appearance (although I have a sneaking suspicion he was hiding between the covers of Communism in Eastern Europe, which left under the arm of a beaming book trader). While this undoubtedly increased greatly the number and enthusiasm of the participants, I think the approach might have been a bit too low-key, with the message getting lost in the bustle of activity. Aside from the ceramic tags on the wall, there is little to indicate the alternative economic theories that provide the underlying framework for the show. I think many people left the gallery without ever realizing the significant cultural issues the artists were trying to address; this is a pity, because their ideas are worth being heard.

Overall, though, Cramer, Hilger, Parrott, and Starowitz were clearly successful in pushing the boundaries of the traditional gallery exhibition and actively engaging the public. But history has shown us it is wise to withhold judgment on the success of grand social experiments until their implications are fully realized, so it will be interesting to see how the Trade Show plays out over the next two weeks. If you want to see for yourself, grab something you can live without and head down to KCAI at the Crossroads on Friday. But be prepared to get a little more than you bargained for.

Note:

*I debated for some time about whether or not I myself should engage in trading at the gallery. On the one hand, I was there in a professional capacity, and I should theoretically maintain journalistic objectivity; on the other hand, “journalistic objectivity” (if such a thing can be said to exist) is precisely the detached, passive attitude towards art this show is trying to counter, and I could not fully enter into the spirit of the thing without participating. In the end I didn’t offer anything for trade, but I decided for the sake of provocation to ask the artists what they would trade me for a good review. Starowitz pre-empted this by offering me (unsolicited) a ceramic tag of my choice in appreciation for writing the review―but being the fine upstanding journalist that I am, I turned him down. Journalistic objectivity might be a myth, but journalistic integrity is not.

-re-

Job Hunting and No luck! So I made my own!

2010-05-20T17:49:00.000-07:00

http://kansascity.craigslist.org/sks/1751418807.html

BFA CLOSING

2010-05-20T17:24:00.000-07:00

Taps... (INDA JAZZ FUNERAL)

2010-05-12T22:52:00.000-07:00

Art Interdisciplinary tragically lost its rigorous battle with political and administrative cancer today. Born in 2004, under the guidance of Julia Cole and the Kansas City Art Institute, its short lived but prosperous and inspiring life will be survived through its 40 Alumni. Art Interdisciplinary strived for excellence, freshness, and honesty in its work. Interdisciplinary believed that excellence is achieved by only hard work, freshness occurs by a knowledge of history and by exhaustive experimentation, and honesty, by an artist’s rigorous pursuit of self understanding. These tributes will continue to be passed on by all surviving members. Interdisciplinary’s final graduating class includes Brie Blakeman, Terry Campbell, Katherine O’ Hara, John Hilger, Aly Parrot, Justin Rulo-Sabe, Sara Cramer, Sean M. Starowitz, and countless honorary members. (Obit. The KC Star refused to print).

(Music Performed by Mark Southerland, and Gang: Josh, Rich, Zach, and Ashley)

Speak! Project, BFA opening, April 16th, 2010

2010-04-18T09:31:00.000-07:00

I designed 4 soapboxes for the BFA show. Three of which are designed specifically for artists and poets in the Kansas City area. These individuals are David Ford, Anne Boyer, and Jordan Stempleman. These three artists shared different viewpoints on the Recession. Anne Boyer's personal manifesto of what it takes to be Avant-Garde was shared. David Ford walks in, spray paints over his name, faces the corner of the room and reads William Burroughs until he couldn't read it anymore. Jordan Stempleman read two of his wonderful poems. The long poem states, "Jeff Koons finally gets wispy headed, whiter still, and what he stole from this generation finally gets to return home to our hometown." The 4th soapbox is the last you encounter in the exhibition and it's your soapbox to stand on and SPEAK!

KNOW SHOW-APRIL 15th

2010-04-18T09:16:00.001-07:00

Hugh Merrill's Community Arts Class not giving a lecture!

Theresa showing us The Pursuit of Happiness

(with the assistance of Candy and James Brown ! )

Get up off of that thing!!!!!!!!!!

Paul Shortt teaching Modern Greetings!

Art of Playmaking: The Training Room

2010-03-20T18:25:00.000-07:00

Individuals showing off their own NFL plays...

Slip Casted porcelain footballs.

The Targets of the Footballs

Shattering the football!!!

One day workshop on the strategy of Playmaking in football. This intensive crash course involved offense formations, porcelain footballs, the N64 blitz game, and the Disney film Little Giants. Part of the Training Room programing at the UCP Project Space.

Engagement Park (Dan S. Wang, Printmaking and INDA workshop)

2010-03-07T09:44:00.000-08:00

A conversation about Kansas City

The one and only text from Power and Light

My contribution to the one night event.

Where do you go to meet new people?

Where do you go with your friends?

Engagement Park (Written by chicago artist Dan S. Wang)

How to bring art out of its social insularity and into ordinary life? The problem is an old one, and has vexed artists easily for more than a hundred years. In our time the question is saddled with specific anxieties and discontents having to do with social divisions, class stratifications, and the limits of democracy as they relate to the delivery systems of art. In this place—Kansas City, but in many other North American urban areas, besides—the question becomes highly localized, having to do with spaces identified as art venues and their relationship to their neighboring areas. Problems of urban planning, economic trends, and the unimaginative values that drive city development come to the fore.

Behind this whole endeavour lies the question of the specific role of art and artists in urban economies, a society riven by social divisions, and a political system that seems only to respond to monied interests. Do artists have certain roles to play in making various social dynamics or fissures visible? Can artists offer something particular in bringing different populations into contact? Yes, no, maybe, and under what circumstances?

We started with a set of people with limited or no collaborative history, a limited amount of time, access to Paragraph, a space located in an area of town that signifies different things to different people, and our skills and experiences as artists and art students. Within those tight constraints, we’ve put forward several small experiments in directly engaging site specific publics: 1) people in the restaurants and plazas of the Power & Light district, and 2) people waiting for the buses outside Paragraph, and on the buses themselves.

After having been processed quickly through our skills as art makers and exhibitors, the information and documentation gathered will be presented at Paragraph on Friday night, over food, drink, and a discussion about the experiment, beginning at 7 PM.

Contributors:

Jenna Stanton, Sean M. Starowitz, Lindsey Rife, Kelsey Pike, Sami Freese, Matthew Gladson, Martin Rico, Keegan Rogers, John Hilger, Terry Campbell, Sara Cramer, Aly Parrott, Christopher Bostwick, Will Burnip, Justin Rulo-Sabé, Katherine O’Hara, Jesse McAfee, Jessica Brackett,Theresa Hitchcock, Sarah Hazelwood, Kathleen Rivera, Joseph Sprenke, Dan S. Wang, Julia Cole, Miguel Rivera, Hugh Merrill, Seth Johnson, Kate Hackman

KNOW SHOW THURSDAYS 2/18/10

2010-02-18T20:22:00.000-08:00

Sammy Person showing us insight to GEODESIC Architecture!

Stephen Proski and Jaclyn Senne showing us how to be a # 1 fan!!!!!!!

Dirt Brothers showing and teaching us about the WEECADE!!!!!

SPEAK!

2010-02-17T09:55:00.001-08:00

A Curation of "Hard Times" in the Recession

2010-02-13T20:21:00.000-08:00

All videos were curated through YouTube.

Studio Production....

2010-01-31T14:15:00.000-08:00

This is my studio for my last semester under my BFA. I know it will be a productive one.

Idea Harvest

2010-01-28T20:18:00.000-08:00

http://www.artandwork.us/ Please VISIT!!!!

The S'MORES CART

2010-01-25T16:59:00.000-08:00

The S’mores Grant Project

The S’mores Grant is a funding program, made by artists through the S'Mores Cart. The grant is awarded to individuals who work in non-traditional practices, which can include (but is not limited to) community projects, public practice, or socially-engaging work. The S’Mores Cart is a vehicle for raising funds while promoting work made locally. The individuals who receive the grant are chosen by a jury who have observed them within the community. These individuals have made efforts to invent new strategies for enriching their surroundings in some way.

KNOW SHOW, Dec. 17th, UCP pARTnership place studios

2010-01-16T17:43:00.000-08:00

Sneaky Creeps showing us how to look good in a band

Kurt Flecksing teaching how to self rescue

15 Minutes, 15 Snacks, 15 bucks!!!

Max looking good!

INDA-Everything: Where anything goes but nothing stays

2009-12-06T11:51:00.001-08:00

Wheels for Meals Installation

Dec. 4th -7th 2009

ReHAB Furniture Items

2009-11-22T13:36:00.000-08:00

Herman Miller/Nelson Table ReHAB

Made from collected scrap wood.

Eat Your Heart Mies Chair

Ford to Food....

2009-11-15T11:46:00.001-08:00

Wheels for Meals

2009-11-03T21:08:00.001-08:00

Wheels For Meals is where an individual gets the use of my truck, my help moving and my company in exchange for a home cooked meal.

Orignal Concept/Sketch for Wheels For Meals

somewhere around August 1st

Know Show Thursdays 10/15/09

2009-10-16T15:11:00.000-07:00

Ramzy teaches us the skill on how to decipher Arabic stereotypes.

Terry asked a volunteer to write down ways to be rich.

Terry showing us the ways in which to act, look, and be rich.

Sam Macdonald showing all how easy it is to vermicompost.

Objective/Subjective

2009-10-15T12:17:00.000-07:00

Bucket Seat

MWC Weekly Special

Gifts

2009-10-06T09:01:00.000-07:00

Boxes made for studio mates

Scrap wood, no hardware.

Making Without Consuming: Special of the Week #2

2009-09-30T09:44:00.001-07:00

Discarded milk crate and found spray paint.

KNOW SHOW THURSDAYS

2009-09-19T12:01:00.001-07:00

Cramer The Clown teaching Balloon Animals

Balloon Animals

John Hilger teaching us how sound propagates underwater

Discussing what Know Show is

Ryan lafereny discussing the educational value of youtube

Know Show Thursdays is a series of talks/lectures/performances that take place every third Thursday in Epperson Underground (INDA Studio’s). Know Show consist of three 15-minute presentations in which peers teach skills that are not necessarily taught in institutional settings. The presentations are taught by individuals who have experience within specific skill that they teach and enjoy sharing it with others. Know Show is completely open to anyone both in presenting and in participation. On every third Thursday at 8:30 p.m. at the Epperson Underground come, take part and play a part in Know Show Thursdays.

Progress

2009-09-11T10:31:00.000-07:00

Chalkboard Talks

Know Show Thursday Space/Stage/Epperson Underground Venue

Making Without Consuming: Special of the Week

2009-09-07T19:38:00.001-07:00

Chalk Tray

Scrap 2 x 4 and particle board bench

INDA 6 and Final

2009-08-30T05:52:00.000-07:00

I will be apart of the last class of Interdisciplinary Arts at Kansas City Art Institute. Also known as INDA, it has been a tour de force of a department under the direction of artist Julia Cole. The program is rooted in self direction, critical practice and collaborative efforts. There are currently 9 Seniors who will be apart of INDA's 6th and final graduating class.

Image of my studio during the first week of the semester.

Edible Campus: Brighton, England

2009-08-16T07:39:00.000-07:00

Showing them dirty hands!!!

Edible Campus is a collaborative project with students of the University of Brighton, a local Community Center and the staff of the Campus Culinary Service. It is a rooftop garden directly above the campus cafeteria and is a completely self sustaining rooftop garden.

Artist Goals

2009-05-01T10:01:00.000-07:00

List of Goals to be completed in my time here at the University of Brighton.

December 29th, 2008 - June 9th, 2009

Towers of Babel

2009-04-22T16:41:00.000-07:00

Side By Side: 18 Brits and a Yank

2009-04-21T08:20:00.001-07:00

The Man With No Name

Bindle Stick plays 10 tracks selected from The Legendary Italian Westerns by Ennio Morricone

Side By Side Show, University of Brighton, 2nd year Sculpture Show

2009-04-21T03:01:00.000-07:00

Untitled #2/Idea

2009-04-19T09:13:00.000-07:00

Self Portrait Blocking the Duomo by Accident

work in progress 20/4/09

Florence, Italy.

Grand Tour

2009-04-16T09:55:00.000-07:00

In 1670 the phrase "Grand Tour" first appeared in the preface of Richard Lassels's The Voyage of Italy. By The eighteenth century the Grand Tour, which often lasted from a few months to several years, had become a part of the expected education of every European nobleman, and then every student of architecture. The primary destination of this tour was Italy, with its heritage of ancient Roman monuments and picturesque landscapes. "The man who has not been to Italy," wrote Samuel Johnson, "is always conscious of an inferiority from his not having seen what is expected of a man should see"

Taken From The Necessity For Seeing, Brian M. Ambroziak, Michael Graves, Images of a Grand Tour, Princeton Architectural Press, New York 2005

Rembrandt's Semblance

2009-04-16T00:39:00.000-07:00

The Digital Self portrait

images collected from Facebook.

Horizon Series

2009-04-14T10:02:00.001-07:00

Horizon Lines

Collaboration with Artist Lauren Bowen

Water collected from Brighton Beach and placed at our individual eye height.

Horizon Series

Drawing the Horizon

Collaboration with Artist Lauren Bowen.

Untitled No.1, For My Mother

2009-03-06T10:37:00.000-08:00

untitled (#1) For My Mother

My Mom grew up believing the Wizard of Oz was a black and white, until the family bought their first color TV in 1972. She was 17 at the time. Currently, I am extracting the color from the first iconic shots where the film transitions from black and white to color.

On the Edge of Civilisation

2009-03-05T11:34:00.000-08:00

The Independent, A Year In Wild Britain

2009-02-28T11:14:00.000-08:00

Gulliver in Lilliput

2009-02-25T13:46:00.000-08:00

Coincidences in Studio Practice

2009-02-23T12:22:00.000-08:00

Found Gulliver's Travels Film Reel

February 2009

Found Band aid in my house

February 2009

Since I have been in Brighton I feel like a constant drifter or nomad. I feel rooted as much as indoor house plant can be. My work has been utilizing these emotions to create a body of work while here. The first book I bought in Brighton was Gulliver's Travels, a month later, I find a micro film of illustrations of it in a slide projector. The American West is a metaphor that I have been working with a lot through my sculpture and drawings; tents, stagecoaches, also sound pieces using Ennio Morricone musical compositions(spaghetti westerns). In the medicine cabinet in my house I was looking for a band aid and found this one.

Left Eye, Right Eye Landscape

2009-02-19T14:45:00.001-08:00

Left Eye Right Eye Landscape

Cafe Direct Cups, two nails

February 2009

Two Cafe direct disposable cups are place next to each other on the wall, the cups are cut open and the bottoms are removed. There appears to be a tea stain in both of the cups. The Viewer invited to place their face in between the two cups. At the approximate distance of the eyes to the cups, the images merge and make a continuous peripheral landscape.

Studio Practice

2009-02-19T14:10:00.000-08:00

Paint it as Natural as can be

Paint swatch of Georgian DH Green Grass and Sky Blue

Found Print Out of the United States in Brighton, England

February 18th, 2009. 3:30 pm.

The Tourist Gaze

2009-02-17T13:11:00.000-08:00

The Tourist Gaze in Brussells and Bruges.

What does the United States of America look like?

2009-02-04T13:28:00.000-08:00

I asked a group of students and teachers at the University of Brighton to draw what they think the U.S. looks like.

Fill in the Blank

2009-02-04T11:50:00.000-08:00

I decided to do a couple of social experiments today in a talk about my work. I wanted to see how images are more difficult to understand without text and quiz Brits on American geography. What I have learned about the educational system in the UK is that language i.e. literature/spoken are put first, visual is low on the totem pole. In a talk I handed out a map of the U.S. and had them mark where they thought Kansas City, Missouri and Louisville, Kentucky were. These are some of the results

Traveler's Log 3/2/09

2009-02-03T11:17:00.000-08:00

A Duvet Cover on the Seafront

2009-02-02T12:41:00.000-08:00

Today was history in Brighton. Largest amount of snow to accumulate in 18 years. The Seafront had a clean white blanket of virgin snow on it. It looked like clean duvet cover on a fresh made bed. It was like nothing I had ever seen or think I would ever see. Since I have been living in Brighton, I have really become accustomed to the seafront. I find myself taking long walks or just sitting there watching the tide come in and then slowly recede back. The horizon line never ceases to amaze me. The divide of color that it creates is a spectacle that a painting, photograph or words will never express.

When I was walking to the seafront today, I passed a group of young boys who were packing snowballs near the curb of a major street. As the cars would approach slowly, the boys would rear back as if they were going to throw then pause; until a confirmation came from the driver, the boys would hold back, arms steady, then with all their might release the snowballs. I don't know what excited them more, the anticipation, the action of throwing or just the sheer sound it made. It was a sight that brought a smile to my face.

Facebook Art: Beer Pong

2009-02-01T15:32:00.001-08:00

Facebook Images Collected from "friends" photo

albums and "tags" of individual "friends".

2/1/09

Since I have been in Brighton, the one thing I have constantly been doing is checking my Facebook account. Making sure I am not missing out on anything in the States. It's such huge "social" network, I have over 400 friends and almost 300 photos of myself. It's kind of embarrassing when you really starting to analyze the situation. I didn't even know, I knew over 400 people. I have been collecting certain data off Facebook to make some work. I am trying out a studio practice of making without consuming. One of the things that is social and that I seem to find a lot of is Beer Pong.

Postcard Displays

2009-01-31T11:23:00.000-08:00

Taking photos of all postcard displays I encounter.

Reflections of Urbanization between Europe and America

2009-01-28T01:37:00.000-08:00

The difference between European cities and the ones of America are boiled down to a simple metaphor of a fried egg compared to a waffle.

Skype Portraits

2009-01-26T14:50:00.000-08:00

Images of portraits taken during a Skype conversation.

25/1/09

Traveler's Log 25/1/09

2009-01-25T04:10:00.000-08:00

Found Toy at the trail leading into the Grand Canyon

May 2008

Currently spending a semester abroad in the UK at the University of Brighton.

Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Tour

Panoramic's Of Portland Bill

2009-01-17T11:03:00.000-08:00

The Tout Quarry of Portland Bill, A 250 year old stone quarry. It is an unnatural landscape, altered by second nature.

The Roeland Parks Houses Live on!

2009-01-03T08:29:00.000-08:00

Pine, latex paint, class change interactive

November 2008

Carolyn Loeb and her 7th grade sculpture class appropriated my Art in R Park public project, "Plywood Palaces" as an experimental interactive piece between the Middle and High School of Pembroke Hill in Kansas City. I was fortunate to have a discussion with these very young individuals and it was wonderful. At the age of 12 they are dealing with some of the same questions I asked myself about "Plywood Palaces".

Architectural Landscapes

2009-01-01T08:32:00.000-08:00

Yours, Mine, And Ours

2008-12-21T22:06:00.000-08:00

Natural/Unnatural Landscapes

2008-11-10T23:03:00.000-08:00

Proper Interactions with Nature

2008-11-07T19:25:00.000-08:00

There Is A Great Future In Plastics

2008-11-01T11:16:00.000-07:00

Benevolent Forces/Planned Obsolescence

2008-10-30T23:35:00.000-07:00

Benevolent Forces/Planned Obsolescence

October 2008.

Architectural Landscapes

2008-10-25T23:29:00.000-07:00

Architectural Landscape #1

October 2008

Thrift Store painting, Arches

22 x 30

Architectural Landscape #2

October 2008

Thrift Store Landscape Painting, Scrap plywood and poplar.

8'' x 8''

Architectural Landscape# 3

October 2008

Thrift Store painting, scrap plywood

7''x 52''

Our landscape is that of urbanscape. Since 1996 people have shifted from a rural to an urban landscape. We perceive the landscape as we experience it and try to find our place in it. We deny our actual landscape at times. How do we experience our landscape when it becomes commonplace? Do we deny it, or present it as something else? We falsify a perception of the landscape as "natural". Do we perceive it as such because its conserved, controlled or presented to us in this domineer? More importantly, how do we find our place in the landscape?

Ideal Sweet Ideal

2008-10-21T19:37:00.001-07:00

Ideal Sweet Ideal

October 2008

My American Ideal

2008-09-03T15:26:00.000-07:00

The home is such an inherent American Ideal. It is something that I never truly had a choice in. The house on the far left is the house I grew up and still live in. The other images are components of houses that my parents have lived in. I have a personal connection to these other homes since I have physically been to them.

Louisville KY, Louisville KY, Batavia NY, Louisville KY

September 2008.

No One Home

2008-09-02T21:32:00.000-07:00

Mapping American Architecture, Mother, Part 2

2008-08-31T10:28:00.001-07:00

6849 Green Meadow Circle

Louisville KY

2176 Grindstead Dr.

Louisville KY

Stongate Ct.

Orlando FL

2176 Grindstead Dr.

Louisville KY

8509 Saberdee Dr.

Louisville KY

Mapping American Architecture, Mother, Part 1

2008-08-26T19:16:00.000-07:00

191 Rosemont Ave.

Kenmore NY

1425 Lurzerne Street Ext.

Johnstown PA

22 Prospect

Frewsburg NY

Main St.

Batavia NY

54 Vine St.

Batavia NY

Mapping American Architecture, Father, Part 2

2008-08-24T20:58:00.000-07:00

Green Meadow Cir. Louisville, KY

Grinstead Dr. Louisville, KY

Stonegate Ct. Orlando, FL

Mapping American Architecture, Father, Part 1

2008-08-24T20:52:00.000-07:00

Reed Rd. Batavia, NY

Roosevelt Ave. Batavia, NY

Starowitz Rd. Batavia, NY

All the houses my Father lived in.

American Front Porches

2008-07-27T20:27:00.001-07:00

"Nobody thought much about the front porch when most Americans had them and used them. The great American front porch was just there, open and sociable, an unassigned part of the house that belonged to everyone and no one, a place for family and friends to pass time."

Rochlin, The Front Porch, in Home, Sweet Home

quote from http://xroads.virginia.edu/~CLASS/AM483_97/projects/cook/first.htm

Mapping the Red, White and Blue-40508

2008-07-10T22:03:00.000-07:00

40508

Lexington KY

Bicycle Mapping

These series of images were collected by mapping out a random bicycle route in the City of Lexington KY. Reds, Whites and Blues.

American Composition Series-Clay City KY.

2008-07-03T19:21:00.000-07:00

Clay City, Ky

40312

The Paint Swatch

Star Growers !

ILU LOGO By Ramzy Masri

THE ILU ACTION

Personal Autonomy Project

new ideas/new presentations

YARD SALE, open studios, 12/10/10

Office Works

Drawing Again

Yard Sale! UCP Open Studios !

Cubicle Works (Products)

Wheat Penny or Barter Token

The Office Exercise/Products

CO-WORKERS SHOW

Co-Workers, Bosses & Supervisors

The Office !

Residency Seeks Residents!

BREAD!

The Compost Post

The Compost Post

Hey, We are All Beginners Here ! Residency/Event

SPEAK! Project, 06/10

Proposal For the Park

Protest/Activist

REVIEW ARTICLE - Trade Show!

ART: FOR LOVE OR MONEY — OR?

A review of Trade Show

KCAI Crossroads GalleryKansas City, MissouriMay 7, 14, 21, 2010

Job Hunting and No luck! So I made my own!

BFA CLOSING

Taps... (INDA JAZZ FUNERAL)

Speak! Project, BFA opening, April 16th, 2010

KNOW SHOW-APRIL 15th

Art of Playmaking: The Training Room

Engagement Park (Dan S. Wang, Printmaking and INDA workshop)

KNOW SHOW THURSDAYS 2/18/10

SPEAK!

A Curation of "Hard Times" in the Recession

Studio Production....

Idea Harvest

The S'MORES CART

KNOW SHOW, Dec. 17th, UCP pARTnership place studios

INDA-Everything: Where anything goes but nothing stays

ReHAB Furniture Items

Ford to Food....

Wheels for Meals

Know Show Thursdays 10/15/09

Objective/Subjective

Gifts

Making Without Consuming: Special of the Week #2

KNOW SHOW THURSDAYS

Progress

Making Without Consuming: Special of the Week

INDA 6 and Final

Edible Campus: Brighton, England

Artist Goals

Towers of Babel

Side By Side: 18 Brits and a Yank

Side By Side Show, University of Brighton, 2nd year Sculpture Show

Untitled #2/Idea

Grand Tour

Rembrandt's Semblance

Horizon Series

Untitled No.1, For My Mother

On the Edge of Civilisation

The Independent, A Year In Wild Britain

Gulliver in Lilliput

Coincidences in Studio Practice

Left Eye, Right Eye Landscape

Studio Practice

The Tourist Gaze

What does the United States of America look like?

Fill in the Blank

Traveler's Log 3/2/09

A Duvet Cover on the Seafront

Facebook Art: Beer Pong

Postcard Displays

Reflections of Urbanization between Europe and America

Skype Portraits

Traveler's Log 25/1/09

KCAI Crossroads Gallery
Kansas City, Missouri
May 7, 14, 21, 2010