Linda Gass Open Studio May 2 & 3, 2009

Linda Gass, one of the Black Rock Arts Foundation Advisory Board Members and a fabulous artist (her work is exquisite) sent me a note about the Open Studios she is going to participate in this weekend. Stop by and tell her hello, I am sure she would love to see you!

Saturday and Sunday, May 2 & 3, 11 am - 5 pm: I'm participating in the Silicon Valley Open Studios at my studio in the Cubberley Community Center. I'll be unveiling my newest work exploring land use issues around San Francisco Bay. Here's the teaser: the subject of this work is personal and dirty - come see for yourself what that means! 20 of the artists at Cubberley will have their studios open so there's lots to see (sculpture, painting, photography, printmaking, mixed media, installation art and more) and some of us will be demonstrating our artmaking processes.

Here's a map to the location and the artist studios are in wings E, F and U (my studio is F-2); parking is plentiful in the large parking lots. http://www.lindagass.com/Cubberley.html

If you'd like to familiarize yourself with the other artists at Cubberley, you can view the Cubberley Studios website. http://www.cubberleystudios.com/

I'll have a few map guides available at my studio for all of the other open studios in Silicon Valley.

Open Studios can be a fun way to spend some time with family and friends. And if you need some sustenance, there's good food and the best ice cream right next to Cubberley: have lunch at the tasty Burmese/Chinese Restaurant, Green Elephant Gourmet or Mountain Mike's Pizza. Bring the kids and be a kid yourself and have ice cream at Rick's Rather Rich Ice Cream? Really...there's something for everyone ;-).

Linda Gass

Celebrate Art in Reno - June 5th

PLEASE RSVP

Aeolian Ride

photo by: Jill Nussbaum Capetown South Africa 2005

photo by: Carine Zaayman

photo: Megan Anton

photo: Jessica Findley (Across the beloved Brooklyn Bridge, that's her Dad bringing up the rear)

photo: Jessica Findley THE RIDE BEGINS!@ 84th + Riverside 50 suited bikers hit the Greenway.

photo: Jessica Findley

You are now entering the Wayback Machine. Time to tell you once again about one of our early grant recipients, and what she is doing now.

In 2004, as part of our Grants-to-Artists Program, the Black Rock Arts Foundation gave Jessica Findley $1,000 to support her first Aeolian Ride in New York, New York.

AEOLIAN: Relating to or caused by wind + RIDE: To be carried or conveyed or travel over a surface.

Jessica Findley's Aeolian Ride is a Public Happening of kinetic art involving 50 costumed bicycle riders. This Happening is intentionally silly, intended to inspire laughter from both participants and onlookers alike.

The Aeolian Ride gets its inspiration, quite literally, from the greek god of the wind. Each participant wears a suit that puffs up when they ride looking like creatures from children's fairy tales, the softness of clouds, or the ethereal quality of a sail catching wind. The ride also fosters interaction between the individual and his or her environment, supporting the animated experience of riding a bicycle in an urban area in a way that invites union of the excitement and playful energy of both riders and spectators.

The Aeolian Ride packs down into 50 easily transported suits which made their debut in New York and then were invited to make their international debut in Capetown, South Africa in November of 2005. The suits are made of rip-stop nylon, designed to be safe and to allow riders to wear their helmets. Patterns for three suits are available online!

Check it out, watch the video of the first Aeolian Ride!

THE FIRST AEOLIAN RIDE NEW YORK from sonicribbon on Vimeo.

There have been several Aeolian Rides:

NYC0 6.05.04,

SAN FRANCISCO 10.10.04

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA 01.15.0

LOS ANGELES 09.10.05

MELBOURNE AUSTRALIA 03.11.06

HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA 09.10.06

NEW YORK 09.08.07
MILANO, ITALY 11.27.08, and coming up in a few weeks,
TOKYO, JAPAN 05.16.09

BRAF's Volunteer Coordinators

So I have been thinking that y'all need to get to know us a little better over here at the Black Rock Arts Foundation, or as we like to call it, "BRAF". I understand that a lot of the information that I am going to tell you is in fact on the BRAF website but I am hoping it will be fun and easy to learn new things about us in our new blog series "Moment of BRAF."

So pull up a chair and here we go...Moment of BRAF.

We have not had a "volunteer coordinator" position at BRAF previously, and now we have decided we need two, Isabel Santis and Kai Wilson. Our Volunteer Coordinators will help us find new volunteers, improve our volunteer in-take process, help us make sure that our volunteers are the right fit, and help train our volunteers as we need them.

So just in case you have been thinking you might want to volunteer for BRAF Isabel and Kai are at the ready to respond to your email about the kind of volunteers that BRAF is looking for, and to read more about our volunteer needs, check them our right here:

Volunteer

Support Interactive Art!!

2008 Grants-to-Artists Recipients - Primal Source and Language of the Birds

Last month the Black Rock Arts Foundation received 267 requests for grants from our annual "Grants to Artists" Program. The program assists artists in creating interactive art and civic participation in their communities and we want to support as many of these brilliant "art instigators" as possible.

How can you help?

We want to raise $5,000 this week! We are celebrating our 1,000 member on our Facebook Causes page, check it out! http://www.causes.com/blackrockarts

Please consider donating $10 or more now, and yes, it is tax deductible.

Our "Grants to Artists" Committee has been working non-stop, pouring through the applications, and will make their final selection by May 15th!

More money, more art in the world!

DONATE

photos: Andrew Rollinger, Steve Rhodes

USPS Issues "Simpsons" stamps

Kudos to Black Rock Arts Foundation Advisory Board Member, David Silverman!!
The US Postal Service issues Simpsons Postal Stamps

Open House

Come on by to see us!

Been thinking about volunteering with BRAF, just like to slide by and meet us, well it is open house at the Black Rock Arts Foundation tomorrow and we would love to see you!

WHAT: Surviving Dust Storms & Downturns

Burning Man’s Annual Open House & Potluck Bbq

WHEN: SATURDAY APRIL 4th, 2009

Time: 11am to 3:30 pm

WHERE: BMHQ, 1900 Third Street, SF, CA

www.burningman.com/office.directions

Conveniently located along SF Muni's T-line

Bring something for the grill and something to share and stop by our offices on the first floor, near the front door!

* * * GIANTS BALLPARK ALERT! * * *

Avoid the ballgame crowds on third street north of 16th street! Rideyour bike, take the Muni T-line, or if you must drive, stay south on16th street or use Highway 280, Mariposa exit.