Tag Archives: art

S: Street Art & Support

2020 A to Z Challenge, , , , , , ,

A to Z Challenge: My theme this year is NYC before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

STREET ART: Street art can consists of several types of art including installations and performance, but for this post, I’m focusing on murals and artwork (some commissioned; others not). I don’t have enough room here (or knowledge) to offer even the basic history of street art; you can find an insane amount of articles online about it. NYC is plastered with amazing street art, from amateurs to the well known, like this Banksy, entitled “Hammer Boy” on 79th St. between Broadway & Amsterdam Ave.

There are also several by Brazilian artist, Eduardo Kobra whose recognizable style involves bright colors and bold lines within a kaleidoscope style. His work is incredible.

Coming across street art makes me happy, whether it’s a tiny little heart, or a massive mural. I may not always understand the artist’s message, but I appreciate it’s there.

SUPPORT: This is something I feel we ought to be doing all the time, but if there’s any time to offer support, it’s now. You might feel your reserves are running low because you’re needing assistance, too, but there are various ways to lend a germ-free hand.

Emotional support can go a long way, so reach out to friends and family through text, email, and video chat. Allowing someone to air their sorrows and fears can be a gift; just letting it all out can make room for optimism and positivity to settle in.

Check on neighbors, especially ones living alone, by slipping a note under their door with your phone number. If they don’t have anyone to talk to, can you imagine their loneliness? Rack your brain for all those people in your life who live alone and by all mean, give ’em a holler. Set up Zoom game nights, happy hours, and other fun activities, like trivia night. It gives you all something to look forward to after the monotonous day-to-day.

If you are able to offer monetary support, I gave several options in my J-post, but here are some other things you can do:

  • Chip in to support your building staff (if you live in an apartment building). Someone in our building posted in our online resident portal (that no one ever reads) that she’d like to start a fund for our building staff. Only myself and a couple of others replied, so she printed off little slips of paper explaining what we’d like to do and divvied them up so we could distribute them under everyone’s doors–a great way to start a project and keep our distance.
  • Shop small business . So many folks who make a living as artists are really having a rough time. Get on Etsy and do some shopping (you can find some very cool masks right now). I just bought some earrings from a local artist I met last Christmas. She’s thrilled to have the support and I’m thrilled to have unique, one-of-a-kind pieces of art. Think about these folks and consider doing your birthday and holiday shopping now. This is also the perfect time to get used to the practice of shopping local and supporting the little guys, because even when this quarantine is over, we ought to make some serious changes about where our money goes. Authors are also artists, so buy books from a local bookseller, or even the author’s website. (Bonus: they may even sign it for you.) One author friend, is donating 35% of proceeds to Direct Relief, so boom! You support both the author and a good cause.
  • Order from local restaurants still offering take out. If you want to continue enjoying [insert your favorite restaurant meal] when this is all “over,” then hang up your pots and pans and let the pros cook. So many restaurants have already closed up for good here and it feels like it’s only the beginning.
  • Make a list of all the local places you love that are in danger of closing their doors for good and rally the troops. So many businesses, from hair dressers to bakeries, to health care providers, are changing up the way they do business so they can still service their customers; keep tabs on what they’re up to and continue your patronage. Look, even if despite all efforts these businesses have to close, at least you tried. That’s so much better than making Jeff Bezos even richer.

What are some ways you’re offering your support? The more we share these things, the more we can help!

M: Museums & Missing Magnolias

2020 A to Z Challenge, , , , , , , ,

A to Z Challenge: My theme this year is NYC before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

MUSEUMS: How can I not mention museums for M? (You saw my arts calendar; they’re a big deal.) The Husband and I have always loved museums and no matter where we travel, museums top our list of activities. After all, I majored in art and minored in art history (which seems like a long ago era in itself). With museums constantly adding exhibits throughout the year, becoming members to several made sense (I had to include the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens because, hey, the gardens are designed to be more than just a bunch of plants).

Did you know the first museum dates back to the Babylonian era, 2,500 years ago? Neither did I (reiterating my college days probably need to be carbon dated too). During an excavation of a Babylonian palace in 1925, British archaeologist Leonard Woolley discovered a collection of neatly organized and labeled artifacts. This early museum belonged to Princess Ennigaldi and contained items as ancient to her, as the fall of the Roman Empire is to us. Crazy to think about. The idea that the science of archaeology existed in 530 BCE, blew Woolley’s mind. Coming across artifacts spanning a couple of thousands of years, all jumbled together, would be like an ancient jigsaw puzzle. Items included inscriptions from the Kassite period around 1,400 BCE; a 2,058 BCE statue of a Babylonian king; another statue dating to 1,700 BC; and a large votive stone mace-head believed to date back 2,200 BCE. All of this is so fascinating to me. I have to wonder, considering so much of our current world is digital, what tangible discoveries would future civilizations unearth when our society disappears? Would they find evidence of our technological advancements? It’d be a shame if they thought we only got as far as floppy disks and Blockbuster.

My actual Blockbuster card (circa 1998) unearthed last year from an ancient handbag stuffed in a closet.

MISSING MAGNOLIAS: Mourning, mopey, melancholy, marooned, are a few of the other M-words I could easily monologue right now. We’re halfway through this A to Z Challenge and I admit, my momentum is waning, but at least there’s an end in sight after “Z.” The virus, however, lacks a clear end date. With so many other things to be missing right now, like my family, it rings a bit petty to bemoan missing this spring’s magnolia blooms, but y’all don’t need to see a meltdown. So here we go.

One of the few things I can appreciate humidity for (including sunsets), are the plants that thrive in this muggy environment. Coming from the dry Colorado climate, magnolias were simply never a thing in my world until I moved here. Last year it was Magnolia Mania.

This year, we’ve only been able to catch a few blooms since we don’t venture out too often these days. We did manage to see a beauty earlier in March.

For your viewing pleasure, here’s a video I took of a magnolia tree with some early blooms:

K: Kahlo & Know Thyself

2020 A to Z Challenge, , , , , , ,

A to Z Challenge: My theme this year is NYC before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

KAHLO: It is near impossible to sum up in a short blog post, everything Mexican painter, Frida Kahlo was. She accomplished so much in her forty-seven years and I have great admiration for this unapologetic revolutionary. She began her painting career in 1925 after a bus accident left her bed-ridden for three months. Using a specially rigged easel and mirror, she painted many self-portraits while on her back. She found inspiration through native folk art, popular Mexican culture, and post-colonialism, exploring questions of race, gender, class, and identity. A political activist, Kahlo used her work to express statements against colonialism, sexism, and racism. Married to famous muralist, Diego Rivera, she often lived and worked in his shadow, remaining relatively unknown until the 1970s after art historians and political activists discovered her work.

Last year, we had the opportunity to see Frida Kahlo: Appearances Can Be Deceiving, at the Brooklyn Museum, the largest U.S. exhibition of her work in ten years, and the first in the United States to display a collection of her personal belongings. (I wish I could have taken pictures, but we weren’t allowed!)

Her clothing, jewelry, hand-painted corsets and prosthetics (all incredible!), and many artifacts from her home in Mexico City, were on display–discovered and inventoried in 2004, after being locked away since her death in 1954. Kahlo and Rivera stipulated that their possessions not be disclosed until 15 years after Rivera’s death.

We were also lucky enough to catch the Viva Americana exhibit at the Whitney Museum last month. Last year, it seemed Frida popped up everywhere and it thrills me to see that she remains a symbol of resistance and justice.

KNOW THYSELF: I touched on this in both the H and I posts. Do we really know ourselves? Is it even important? The term, “know thyself” has been attributed to about a dozen Greek sages (hard to find an exact paper trail on this one) and according to the 2nd-century Greek traveler, Pausanias, the term was inscribed on the forecourt of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi.

Thales

Ancient Greek philosopher, Thales said knowing oneself is difficillima factu (roughly translated as this shit’s hard). Conversely, what’s easiest? “To give advice.” Yes, that’s true, as you will see from my post. Self-knowledge is considered the highest form of knowledge and is a concept that essentially went viral, traveling the globe through races, cultures, traditions, religions, teachings, and more, including art and literature.

Achieving self-knowledge is a tall order, even for the most devout seekers. And would it be worth a lifetime of dedication or a letdown like Men in Black International? (Hmm . . . my second MIB reference of the challenge . . . ) Those much smarter than me have determined the value of self-reflection: enriched emotional intelligence and greater empathy and listening skills; improved critical-thinking skills and decision making; strengthened communication and relationships; and enhanced leadership capabilities and capacity.

The average person will never attain this enlightenment, but there are ways to cultivate the benefits in our day to day lives, and what better time to try than now? First of all, start small. Find a quiet place to sit alone and do what you need to do to make yourself comfortable–basically, set the mood to relax mode.

A starting point could be identifying a situation or relationship in your life that might benefit from some self reflection, such as a meeting at work or an argument you had with someone. Oftentimes, we (including myself) do not want to ask ourselves these questions, because they force us to take a look at our behavior and we may not like what we see. However, it’s better than avoiding it as you’re more likely to make better decisions later. So take some cleansing breaths and ask . . .
How are you helping others in their goals?
How are you not helping, or even hindering someone’s goals or perspectives?
How could you have been more effective?
What are you avoiding?
What did you learn?
What are you still unclear about?

Try just ten minutes a day and see what happens and whatever you do, don’t beat yourself up about anything. Use the reflection as a way to expand your capacity for empathy and compassion–two things I feel are the basis for a good human.

Check out 87 Self-Reflection Questions for Introspection to get the self interview started.

C is for Collaboration

2015 A to Z Challenge, , , ,

C is for Collaboration -- April J. Moore

If you ask my mom, she’d probably tell you that collaboration wasn’t mine and my sister’s forte. We had our moments, though. My bedroom closet had this giant step in it; a carpeted platform on one side, on which we could climb. It had a shelf along one wall and a little desk on the far end. It’s where I conjured up all kinds of trouble. And It. Was. Awesome. My sister and I made up this game called “Connie & Connie” . . . two quirky office gals who apparently did . . . office work. Using my tape recorder, we’d record ourselves pretend-typing and once, recorded me falling out of the closet. Funniest thing ever. Wish I still had that tape.

Anyway, Amy and I didn’t always collaborate well, and we differed more than just with appearances. (I’m on the left.) But we still made a go of it and had a helluva good time. Usually.

Sometimes, it’s peoples’ differences that can make a project exciting; what we bring to the table as individuals, can also make it a successful project.

I’ve collaborated with other authors on books and it’s been great fun. I’m also hoping to have a children’s book out later this year, that I’m working on with the amazing Kerrie Flanagan. I urge you to connect with other writers and artists and come together for a common goal. You don’t have to be alike; in fact, I encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and take a risk by working with someone you may otherwise shy away from—it could be the start of a beautiful collaboration.

How have you collaborated with others on  projects? Any advice/tips?

A to Z Challenge 2015