Check Out the Art Lesson Videos Tab

Somethings NEW on the Bohemian Art Buffet.  See that tab in the header that says Video Art Lessons?

Click on that link.  You'll find our very first YouTube video art lesson.

I've been teaching art for more than 10 years now.  So, it was time.  I'm learning fast about the video editing process so our next video will be a little cleaner than the first one.  Still, we hope you enjoy learning new techniques.

I won't just be focusing on art journaling.  Every once in a while I may throw in some other tidbit or tip or other medium or craft.

Plans are to get one video on YouTube (and here) every single week.  If I'm having a really good week, there may be more than one video.  Please enjoy, share our YouTube and Blog site with your friends and subscribe so you won't miss any of the new shows.  Hey, if you like it, please let me know and give me the thumbs up on YouTube.

CrowdSourcing to Share Art

I think I may have mentioned at some time in past blogs that I wish we (the world at large) could transcend our current consciousness and expand into a StarTrekian consciousness where everyone gets to do work they enjoy and are suited for, machines do the dirty work no one wants to do, and everyone has more than enough of everything they need to live a full and completely expressive life.  Unfortunately, we aren't there.

We all know that arts funding was one of the first casualties and has continued to be bled dry over the past 40 years and especially within the past 10.  Educational monies disappeared and art class and band got canceled.  Then art museums and other public art venues began to struggle to stay relevant--the least of which is the Corcoran (one of my favorite places to visit when I lived in Washington D.C.) which is currently being sold out to the highest bidder.  Top the fact that our funding dollars both at a national level and at an individual level are being shelled out to other agendas with the fact that our disposable income shrinks in what seems to be daily doses. Have you gone grocery shopping lately?  It's not quite to the point where I need the wheel barrow full of useless paper money to buy a loaf of bread, but figuratively it seems to be getting quite shockingly similar.  The already rich, of course, have hidden their dollars well and lined their mattresses apparently with their gold coin because while the world struggles to get by, art sales at auction are skyrocketing with the prices that pieces are fetching.

Okay, so I try not to get too political or to spend too much time on these bleak details.  I merely wish to point out that the opportunities that the average American has to experience art and be a part of art production seems to be shrinking.  Perhaps that is just one perspective and in fact the opportunities are richer than ever before.  It is certainly my contention that artists are clever folk and being creative, tend to find ways to express and exhibit their works whether the funds exist or not.  I cite here the many yarn bombings and astounding street art exhibits that, should one look close enough, can be found in many cities across the nation.

All that being said, we at Bohemian Art Cafe have pledged ourselves to our partner in art life, Artify Projects, to assist in a very specific way to bring "more art to more cities and more venues" where the public can experience, view and participate in art. We think this is a highly worthy goal.  We personally have taken on the task of trying to crowd source the funding for a new "food trailer" style travel trailer for a mobile art gallery for Artify Projects.  Their rather old, rather unsuited traveling art gallery (a very time-worn cargo trailer that will not allow a man over 5'10" to stand comfortably without the fear of whacking his head) has been fine for the needs up until now.  However, with the growth of the organization and the expanded number of projects for the year as well as the increase in the number of art show exhibition dates, cities and venues, they really need a traveling art gallery that is more suitable.

A worthy goal at any time!http://www.artifyprojects.com

While Artify Projects will show at venues that are decidedly artful such as community and university art galleries, they also have a goal of making art available to "Every One" (in pre-Politically Correct times that might have been Every Man).  That means they need a mobile gallery that can be pulled up into the parking lots of partnering grocery stores, libraries, city park parking lots, restaurants, and pretty much anywhere that people gather so that more they can reach their stated goal of "more projects in the hands of more people, seen in more cities, in more venues, over more dates."

The cost of a brand new, fully loaded "food truck" style trailer can run upwards of $25,000.  We know that may not be reasonable or practical at this time.  But we also know that a gently-used, in need of a little TLC mobile trailer that requires minor renovations can be had and renovated for about $10,000.  In some instances less (do you have a lovely food truck sitting in a garage that you aren't using and want to sell for a song as a patron of the arts?).  We have a talented team of individual sponsors who are capable and want to renovate such a gently used trailer.  If you have a little disposable income (any amount moves us closer to our goal) then we would be so grateful for your contribution to our crowd sourced funding project.  Go to Go Fund Me and donate what you can.  For every donor who contributes at least $25, if you want your name included in our Thank You to our Donors panel, it will be.  This is one of my personal goals--to assist them in bringing more art to the world.

I know this won't feed any starving children nor give a home to a desperately needy animal, but it will help to stir the imaginations and creative hearts of those whose lives the mobile art gallery touches.  Won't you please help me meet my goal at http://www.gofundme.com/6pn6rg ?

Concept for "food truck" style mobile art gallery, including Thank You Patron panel.
Probably something different will be the overall end result of the paint job but similar.

How much was that $1 Million Vase worth?

I've been pondering the irony of the fact that Ai Weiwei's art show in Miami was vandalized by local Miami Florida artist Maximo Caminero.  Caminero took one of the ancient, priceless Han Dynasty Chinese vases (apparently owned by Ai WeiWei, not China or its people) that Ai Weiwei's art team, under Weiwei's direction, vandalized by painting bright colored paint and he (Caminero) smashed the vases on the ground into smithereens.  

One could possibly call this performance art.  Or art imitating art.  

If you know nothing about Ai WeiWei, you might be surprised to learn that Ai and his team of artisan assistants smashed priceless antique vases as a part of a performance art statement that was filmed by Ai's team.  

I was surprised that so few of the reporting agencies that carried the story forgot to mention that this mirrored Ai's own work.  One of the few who actually got this ironic bit was the LA Times. 

Caminero says he did it because he was upset that the Perez Art Museum in Miami.  They apparently have neglected and passed over the local talents of artists who are available for the picking like the ripe fruit Florida is known for, choosing instead to seek out the art of those who are half a world away.

Having viewed Ai WeiWei's film Never Sorry, a 2012 documentary about his works and life, I value his contribution to the world, but I also see Caminero's point.  If more galleries would make more effort to show the works of local artists, the world would be even richer.  

And wouldn't it be delightful if a local gallery in China wanted to showcase a local artist from Miami and it caused a worldwide stir so that that artist's works would sell and become worth millions more than it was before the show.  Maybe, if they were really lucky, someone would come in and slash up the work.  It would make the news and the art prices for that artist would skyrocket.  Additionally, the artist would immediately gain the attention of the Art World as a Very Important Artist.  I'm just saying here that the ironies abound in this situation.

For some reason, Ai Weiwei, who some say is a better activist than artist, inspires other artists to springboard off of him.  For example, in 2011, the television show The Next Great Artist runner up Young Sun Han  used Ai WeiWei to catapult himself into a strong contender position to win the show.   Was his stack of tied up newspapers with the words 

Where is Ai Wei Wei and redaction truly art?  To me, it was. And perhaps the Art World only takes artworks seriously if they either focus on human rights issues or artists that do a figurative nose thumbing to the rules of the Art World.

Here is a very interesting report about Ai WeiWei's reaction to the destruction of the vase. The actions truly raises some serious questions for the Art World.  I particularly liked this quote "However, Mr Ai, 56, also believes that something positive may come out of the incident, namely more publicity for the art show in Miami, which so far has attracted little attention.   Now the show will be noticed," he said.  So practical of Ai.  I'm sure his show will now garner far more than the $1 Million that the broken vase was worth.

I have only one other question.  The artwork that Caminero smashed is reportedly worth $1 Million.  Is this what it was worth before Ai vandalized it by painting it?  Just curious.