The Cowboy and the Pegasus, an exhibition for Queer Fest Midwest

I was recently invited to take part in an exhibition entitled "The Cowboy and the Pegasus" which was held on the 25th of August at the Pulaski Field House here in Chicago, Illinois. I installed two works from a project I began in January entitled, Deep Fry Your Soul. Deep Fry Your Soul is a piece consisting of two stuffed animals which have been dipped in layers of batter made of egg, flour and cornmeal and then fried in great vats of corn oil. The pieces were installed in two large glass vitrines which stood in the center of one of the rooms.



Deep Fry Your Soul, 2006 artwork by Samia Mirza on display at the Pulaski Field House, Chicago, Illinois


A variety of artists participated in the show including Sadie Benning, Bruce La Bruce, Kean O’Brian, Terence Koh, and many others.

Study for Purple Wolf, 2005 artwork by Terrence Koh on display at the Pulaski Field House, Chicago, Illinois.



Still from a video by artist, Bruce la Bruce, installed for the Cowboy and the Pegasus exhibition in Chicago, Illinois.


Some recent SAIC graduates were invited as well, including Matthew Hilshorst a 2006 MFA recipient who installed a self-portrait made of six layers of picnic tablecloths. Ryan Tacata, a 2007 BFA recipient displayed a garment entitled "Potato Anus" used for a performance last semester. Amber Hawk Swanson who received her MFA in 2006 from SAIC, exhibited her film entitled To Have, To Hold, To Violate: The Making of Amberdoll, a 17 min. film documenting the making of a life size doll replica of herself. Sean Fader, another recent graduate, installed his photo series entitled, I Want to Put You On.



Above are works by Ryan Tacata (left) and Sean Fader (right).


The show was curated by Justin Polera and Gonia Rejnowska of the curatorial team R&P (Rejnowska & Polera). A portion of the curatorial statement is attached below:


"Queer does not have gender, age, skin color or sex. As we see it, sex as a subject of many artworks is the product of a stuffy puritan approach to sexuality and physiology in the American culture in general. We take the word queer very liberally and envision an encompassing queer community, a rainbow coalition of diverse voices.


We believe gender and sexuality are temporal and shift throughout our lives. With the exhibition for Queer Fest Midwest we hope to challenge any easy interpretation of sexuality.


The artwork presented in the show “The Cowboy and The Pegasus" does not resolve any contradictions for us but rather pushes us to examine the contradictions and sort them out. "


For more information about The Cowboy and the Pegasus, an exhibition for Queer Fest Midwest or the curatorial team, R&P, please visit http://www.artinthepresent.blogspot.com/

Mustache

On the same evening of Jacques goodbye dinner we were also invited to a show located in the East Pilsen area of Chicago at the Mustache Gallery.


"The Mustache Gallery is an art show/party that occurs about every two months in the Pilsen art district on Halsted. It is run by two Columbia College students, Pete Skvara and Don O'Brien, who plan the shows, pick the artists and provide the space. It began last summer as a way to showcase talent in an atmosphere that would bring people out." -http://cms.colum.edu/reservoir/people/welcome_to_the_mustache_galler.phpQ



The show was entitled "A Fashion Show" with work by several local designers. The first show was at 8:30 and the second was at 10:30 with garments made by innovative designers in the city.


The designers included were as follows:
Chase Bracamontes
Genevieve Clifford
Inventors Clothiers
Tommy Gardner
Kelly Kroener
Martin Morse
Summer Romero


The gallery also requested that some local artists come in to install their work for the show. The whole place was blooming with Art, Fashion and Energy that night. Once the fashion show was over people filled the loft-style gallery with dancing on the runway and smiles on the faces. It was a fun-filled night with an after party that carried on till 3am.



Students from SAIC, Analisa Teachworth, Matias Arganaraz, Teo Vega, and Michael Quattlebaum, enjoy the eveninng while looking at a drawing that was installed at The Mustache Gallery.



Esteban and recent graduate Lynn Bathke laughing



People gathered around an installation by _____________



Esteban was in the show that evening. He installed a painting and a mysteriously tanned towel which hung beside an old photograph of a pony. We see him here speaking with the photographer.


For more information about the Mustache Gallery please visit http://www.themustachegallery.com/

Congratulations/Happy Birthday/Farewell Jacques

On Saturday night we gathered at the home of Miss Maude Standish in celebration of her beloved, Jacques Vidal, and his departure to Yale University School of Art. Jacques will begin the grad program this coming fall and we are all excited. Both he and Maude have celebrated their wonderful achievements this year with Maude's acceptance into Northwestern University located here in Illinois and Jacques upcoming years at Yale. Both their achievements are not only admirable but extremely inspirational to many of us who have either just graduated, or are on our way to graduating this coming year. Congratulations Jacques and Maude!!!



Jacques was serenaded with the famous "Happy Birthday Song" in 7 different languages that night, he stopped in the middle of the German version to take a chunk out of the yummy cake. (from left to right) Esteban Schimpf, Maude Standish, and Jacques Vidal



Jacques thinking about something important



Jessica Moreno, Tamia Anaya and myself smiling for the camera as the night went on.

Seattle

I recently returned from a one week visit to Seattle. Ever since moving so far away from my home in Honolulu, Hawaii I very rarely get to visit. Aside from taking a 9 hour plane ride across the West Coast (not to mention the Pacific Ocean as well) I also need the ridiculous amount of money to pay for a roundtrip ticket to paradise! What does home have to do with Seattle you ask? A part of home flew to ME this time or rather we flew to each other and met half way!


My Mom was scheduled to attend two business meetings in Seattle last week so I decided to join her. Leaving Chicago's 90 degree summer day and arriving in Seattle's 60 degree day was refreshing I must say. The city greeted us kindly with it's beautiful coastal views which can be appreciated from almost anywhere you stand downtown. I had been to Seattle before as a young girl and we did just about everything you could do in the city. Those familiar landmarks were still there, of course my favorite of all which will never move is the sight of Mt. Rainier.


I will admit we did some tourist things such as visiting Pike's Market and the Seattle Center. But everything was very exciting and pleasant. At Pike's Market one can get lost in the herds of people all enjoying the fresh smell of the world's finest seafood as well as getting splashed by fish being thrown up in the air! We listened to a very talented group of street performers just in front of the world's very first Starbucks Cafe, and of course people we drooling over the site of that. I was most impressed by the architecture of the Science Fiction Museum & the Experience Music Project Museum designed by Frank Gehry. Everywhere I went I couldn't help but notice the Chicago equivalent of the things I would see. I compared Millenium Park and Navy Pier to the Seattle Center, Chicago's Frank Gehry to their Frank Gehry, the Sears Tower to the Space Needle, the observations could go on and on...



Pike Place Market, Seattle, Washington



Seafood being sold at Pike Place Market



The first Starbucks, notice the crowd...



Frank Gehry's Experience Music Project Building, Seattle, Washington



Detail of the building by Frank Gehry



Riding the tram in Seattle



Tram tracks at Seattle Center


Aside from rampaging through the city with my mom those first few days we finally checked out of our downtown hotel and into the home of a close family friend whom we all call "Uncle Delbert". My mom first met Uncle Delbert back in the 80's (pre-me) when she was working on fishing boats traveling from Seattle to Alaska. He generously turned his home into a boarding house for people such as students. Uncle Delbert's generosity to my family has been endless. Our time with Uncle Delbert was fun, waking up to waffles at 8 am, watching baseball every evening, dinner at 5 pm, and off to bed at 9 pm.


Much of the latter part of our trip was spent relaxing and listening to stories from looong ago. Uncle Delbert taught us how to make fresh fruit jam, how to prepare the canning of fruit as well as how to make the best dill pickles. So life in Seattle was pretty relaxing. One evening we dined at one of Seattle's most renowned restaurants, Ivar's. We faced Lake Union and enjoyed a delightful meal.



Uncle Delbert walking towards Ivar's Restaurant, Seattle, Washington



Contemplating what to do with all this food...



Lake Union, Seattle, Washington


Our final day in Seattle was beautiful because the sun had finally peeked out from behind the gray sky and we just lingered around the house and said our final goodbyes. My mom and I both flew out at the same time which was nice for us to finally spend those last hours together. I have been missing Hawaii significantly and it was so great to have seen my Mom.



Our final day in Seattle: Uncle Delbert, my Mom, and I



Up in the sky back to where I came from...Goodbye!

An Evening with Dan and Matthew

Last night we were once again invited to the lovely home of Dr. Daniel Berger and Matthew Piechowski. Everyone had a wonderful time chatting and enjoying the delicious barbecued food that they had prepared.


It was a night filled with laughter for all of us as one of the guests Mr. Paul Sanasardo shared some of the best stories from his childhood. Mr. Sanasardo is universally recognized as one of the leading teachers and exponents of modern dance and shared his wisdom with us all that night.



Paul Sanasardo, Esteban Schimpf, and Justin Polera laughing the night away. In the upper left corner notice Self Portrait as Jack Johnson, 2006 by artist Rashid Johnson, a piece owned by Dr. Berger.




Lovely desserts arranged by Matthew



Esteban Schimpf and Matthew Piechowski enjoying the evening


Of course the night could not continue without the appreciation of Dan's fine collection of work. The collection never fails to amaze me as I discover more and more surprises throughout Dan's home.



Dan takes a moment to stand by his newly acquired painting by artist Kerry James Marshall entitled Scipio Moorhead Portrait of Himself 1776 as well as the the large photo Self-portrait in homage to Barkley Hendricks, a photo by Rashid Johnson in which the artist’s gigantic body stands nude before one’s face.



The night concluded at around one in the morning we all needed to get a good night's rest. Thank you Dan and Matty!