HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SISTER IN SEATTLE WA. ADRIENNE BAILEY

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU... HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU.. ok, that's enough... I can't type the whole song out this late at night. I want everyone around the world to wish my sister ADRIENNE BAILEY A HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

I'm Officially extending your birthday to last how ever long you want to celebrate it. Enjoy your special day. I'll be in touch.

Peace

Me

RENE MCLEAN: JAZZ MUSICIAN, MULTI REED INSTRUMENTALIST, COMPOSER OF SOUNDSCAPE FOR EXHIBIT (RE)POSSESSED @ THE JERSEY CITY MUSEUM 3/20/08 - 8/24/08

Slowly but surely the components for the exhibit (RE)POSSESSED that opens March 20th at the Jersey City Museum, is coming together.

Over they weekend Rene Mclean, jazz musician, multi reed instrumentalist and composer and I were working on the jazz soundscape for the gallery and the CD that will be available for purchase when the exhibit opens.

We are going to have two stages of CD’s, the working CD that will be playing at the opening, which will be a limited edition. And the composition that is digitally composed into a seamless 6 hr soundscape that wil be installed and played near the end of the exhibit, The new CD will be created the from the collection of original jazz pieces created by Rene Mclean.

Below is a website link, so that you can check out a little of the outstanding music & history of Rene Mclean.

http://www.renemclean.com/

This is a image of the CD, I designed the cover, Rene's son is doing the layout for the back of the CD. The photo was taken by the masterful photographer Barren Claiborne in his studio last week in Tribeca NYC, right behind where the World Trade Center used to be. He was in his studio when the World Trade Center went down, he had to leave his place for 3 month and if he needed to go to his studio, the military had to escort him.

Check out Barren Claiborne's photography work on his website.

http://www.barronclaiborne.com/barronclaiborne.html

I will be going to the museum tomorrow to finish installing works and hopefully hanging the lighting. The museum had to install parts of a new ceiling to hang Dorian Webbs Chandeliers. She said that they were really heavy, but they did not seem that heavy to me when I moved them.

Dorian and I are going to meet at the gallery to see the space since the museum hung the chandeliers…

I have not seen the chandeliers yet... But, Rocio Aranda, the curator said that they were beautiful.

TONI MORRISON'S OPERA: MARGARET GARNER NYC & (RE)POSSESSED EXHIBIT @ JERSEY CITY MUSEUM 3/20/08

I found these beautiful images from Toni Morrison Opera MARGARET GARNER on Sheree Renee Thomas's blog. Check out this HARD WORKIN UPTOWN SISTAH'S blog if you get a chance

http://blackpotmojo.blogspot.com/
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Today I had to slow down with the preparations for the exhibit at the Jersey City Museum. I was getting a little over whelmed with the details. Once this exhibit is up, I will be a lot less nervous about it.

Everything is coming together really well, One of the reasons I was moved to do this traveling exhibit on the development of a contemporary African American aesthetic, is because of the memorialization of the historic trauma that is laced into the African American Culture. This is the same reason that I retired from designing costume for Black Theater.

In the 1970’s when I was still living in Seattle, I belonged to a very unique African American community theater group named Black Arts West…

Copy-paste- and open the link below for a very interesting view of the history of this small but very special black repertory theater group that was started in the 1960’s, in the Pacific Northwest.

(Be sure to “Brows to Next Essay” to read all 5 pages of the essay, I was part of the scene of this theater group, so I can honestly say, it is very well documented)

http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=3921



…I was a costume designer for Black Arts West for a few plays from 1971-73. I was also a student of Ethnomusicology at the University of Washington.

I took a few theater costume design course because I thought it would be helpful for me with my work at the theater. That was the beginning of my culture shocks.

During this class is when I noticed that the costumes that I was designing for the productions of Black Theater, were all run-away slave costumes or used urban wear.

I was not able to beautifully design the dramatic costumes of my imagination that came from the pages of The African American Play writes, like the other students in the class were able to do that were designing costumes with European Play writers,

If I had designed the costumes that I envisioned it would have altered the mood of trauma that was being dramatized in the writing. The students that were working with plays by European Playwrights. Were able to buy wonderful satin brocades and decorative lace fabrics of wonderful colors & textures to aid their vision to take the characters they were working with into a magical experience.

I,… “On the other hand” was in the “salt mines” going to the Salvation Army or thrift store to find what ever I needed. I was ripping the clothes up, “on my hands and knee’s” rubbing the fabric on ruff edges to create worn holes, putting grass stains, perspiration stains and tea stains on the garments to look like blood stains… I could go on with this description, but, like the experience with designing costumes for black theater,… I had to leave,… I was tired working so hard to preserve the trauma of the culture, I had to move on to something that tells another part of our story, and I had to go to The High Road at The Cross Roads of my culture. Where I could express from my personal vision.

Now, this brings my story to a few months back when I saw Toni Morris’s Opera Margaret Garner at New York City Opera Sept 2007. It was an amazing production, I totally enjoyed it, and it was definitely a high point of my theatrical experience. I love Toni Morrison’s writings; I especially loved watching the film Beloved, which inspired an exhibit that I did at the Caribbean cultural Center in 2006 in New York City.

But… The costumes of the Opera Margaret Garner, we were still enslaved and running. This is one of the reasons that I am doing this exhibition project titled (RE)POSSESSED, that will open March 20th at the Jersey City Museum.

So… to help everyone get into the spirit of this exhibit, until it travels to a gallery near you, I have curated10 youtube video’s that are required viewing before visiting the exhibit (RE)POSSESSED.

Check them out and enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RH1wyH3WaI4&feature=related
Supremes: Some day we will be together


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dI03UJEbwqg&NR=1
Diana Ross: in Central Park Opening


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXIIR6vJa44&feature=related
Diana Ross: Central Park, Reach out and touch, aint no mountan high enough, home


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORSzfw8FE-o&feature=related
Nina Simone: I’ll put a Spell on you.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0abdSOlcsQ&feature=related
Supremes: Forever came today (bad ass black dresses


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUcXI2BIUOQ&feature=related
Nina Simone I ain’t got


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wioNRRrVA4s&feature=related
Nina Simone: Zungo


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAtMEsIVLVo&feature=related
Nina Simone: What you Gonna Do? (In a sexy crochet pant outfit, she is totally styled her as far as I’m concerned)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdg4xeK9F9Q&NR=1
Tina Turner

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koshAexeNpI&feature=related
Aretha Franklin Sings Opera - Nessun Dorma White house

THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKIN ABOUT FOLKS!!!!...
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XENOBIA BAILEY

EXHIBIT
(RE)POSSESSED

JERSEY CITY MUSEUM
OPENING MARCH 20 2008

http://www.jerseycitymuseum.org/

VISITING THE MAUSOLEUM OF JACOB LAWRENCE & GWEN KNIGHT LAWRENCE

Today was a nice sunny day, No big winds, just a calm blue ski, not nice enough to take all of my winter layers off, but it was nice enough to do a lot of out door walking around, and not be uncomfortable.

I started out early, The art handlers came to pick up my work for the exhibit in Jersey City, after they picked up my work they went downtown to pick up Dorian Webb’s Chandeliers, then they went to Chelsea to the Gallery that represents me, The Stux Gallery to pick up my tent.

I have to call the Jersey City Museum Friday to see if everything arrived all right. I e-mailed the Sistah Paradise folktale that I wrote to be edited by the Curator Dr. Rocio Aranda, it's going to be installed on the wall in the exhibit. I'm still working on the wall text. I will finish it tonight.

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A couple of day ago, I thought it would be a good idea for me to pay a visit to the mausoleum of the Artist Jacob Lawrence and his wife Gwen Knight Lawrence. They are interned together at the Cathedral of St John The Divine.

I go there every once in a while, I bring them a white 7 day candle, that I light in their memory and the memory of my parents Mommy & Daddy Bailey, and my best friend from high school, college and forever Joyce Sims Niles, who are interned in Seattle Washington.

(On an artist budget, they understand me sharing everyone’s memory on one and the same candle.)

Every time I visit The Lawrence's, I think back when I was a student at Pratt Institute in New York. I would go home to Seattle during my spring break, and I would go to the University of Washington and visit Mr. Lawrence in the art class he was teaching. He used to let me set in on his still life drawing classes, I really appreciated that, He used to use my charcoal drawings for examples for the class on how I used my lines, he was very encouraging to me. And after class he, his wife and I would go to his office and just talk, he used to teach at Pratt so he was asking about how thing were going for me on the campus.

I used to use examples of his oil paintings for my color exercises, in my light, color and design class in my freshmen year. The color and design compositions of his oil paintings were so well worked out, no space was wasted, or color unbalanced,

I remember talking to him about his painting classes and he told me that I would only be able to use five colors of paint in his class, he wanted his students to learn how to mix all of their colors from, red, yellow, blue, black and white.

When I left Seattle to come back to New York to finish at Pratt, He gave me his home phone number, I used to call him and his wife and tell them all about my dreams about being an artist in New York, and he was always so excited about what ever directions my dreams would take. I remember telling him when I first arrived in New York and I saw the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade live for the first time. I told him that I wanted to design floats for that parade. He really got a kick out of that.

So. I walk up the hill to St John the Divine Church, and visit them from time to time, with my one white candle for the both of them and my folks.

I remember after the memorial service when they both were intern at the church after Mrs Lawrence past, when we were leaving from the reception, these two white peacocks were just a prancing & parading around the church yard grounds together with there feathers all up in the air behind them... I had to smile at that.

VISITING THE STATUE OF JOAN OF ARK: MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS/HARLEM

When ever I visit Saint John the Divine Cathedral Church, I love to visit all the smaller chapel, one chapel that I find very moving is the Chapel dedicated to Joan of Ark.

The lighting in this chapel just a little afternoon is dramatic, The sun light beams through the stain glass windows, casting soft pastel colors around the top of the statue and lights up the full statue perfectly, but, this lighting only happens for a few minutes as the sun is setting (you can see that I arrived a few minutes late, because the sun light and the soft colored lighting is already moving off of the statue).

This is a very beautifully executed sculpture, The artist was very successful in rendering a very peaceful/calm into the full body of the sculpture.

What adds a final touch of grace to this sculptural installation, is that one of the stones from the prison that she was held in before she was burned at the stake, is at the feet of her statue.... VERY SPECIAL EXPERIENCE.

LILLY SMUUL'S MAGICAL IRISH CROCHET

Today was a nice sunny mild weathered day, mild enough to take my gloves off, but nothing else.

I had an appointment today with the photographer Barron-The-Magnificent, to take my portrait for the publicity shots for the Exhibit (RE)POSSESSED, that is going to be at the Jersey City Museum, opening March 20, 2008. I wore the Sistah Paradise Regalia and a black glittery mask. I hope the shots turn out alright, Barron is a brilliant photographer, and so, I should not worry.
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I belong to a International Freeform Crochet Yahoo Group, there are over 14,000 members in this group, The members are from all around the world, I can be in contact with someone from this group any 24 hrs in a day, I believe just about any form of crochet or needle arts that has ever been created, someone in this group knows something about it. For example, I was trying to find out how to make the stitch that is used to make a baseball, I call it the baseball stitch, a stitch that is used to pull two side together, I like the embroidered look of that stitch, and it's not just decorative, it's functional. evidently, someone else in the group was interested in sharing that stitch, and they posted instructions to that stitch and about four other stitches.

Every question that I have had, about a stitches, or yarns, was answered before I could ask it, either someone asking the same question, or the question was answered in a previous post. This yahoo group is amazing. When I went to London this past October; to attend the Knitting and Stitching Show, I met up with a couple of the members, very creative group.
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I have always admired and wanted to learn Irish Crochet, to me, this is the most magical of all crochet stitching. Finding someone that knows how to Irish Crochet had turned into a major mission for me, I really thought the art form was dying out, but, through this amazing crochet yahoo group, I found an amazing Irish Crocheter named Lilly Smuul, who lives in Kenmare, Ireland. I have never met Ms Smuul, but I was introduced to her work through the Yahoo Freeform Crochet Group.

I have posted one of her Irish Crochet Neck Pieces, To share the beauty of this decorative style of this crochet, This work is unbelievably beautiful, the quality of the stitch the choice of the yarn, the composition, in one word…. MASTERFUL/

The Irish Crochet below Lilly Smuuls Irish Crochet is an antique piece, created by a Nun in Ireland; there is no specific date to this piece.

Any time I see work like this,... IT HUMBLES ME.

THE FREELON GROUP: ARCHITECTS BUILD THREE AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTERS

Philip G. Freelon
Principal
The Freelon Group Architects
Research Triangle
Park, N.C.

A native of Philadelphia and a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Philip G. Freelon founded his own practice in 1990. The Freelon Group has grown to a staff of 50 with a portfolio that includes corporate, institutional and cultural commissions. Among them are three African American cultural centers. The Freelon group has also honed its collective skills in construction documentation, project management, and construction administration.

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Click link to download and hear Podcast interview with Principal Architect Philip G. Freelon. The volume is kind of low on Philip G. Freelon, so you will have to turn the volume up.

http://enr.construction.com/people/multimedia/podcasts/2007/070503.asp

AFRO-AMERICAN QUILT INSPIRES ARCHITECTURE IN CHARLOTTE NC.

I found a really inspiring story on African American Quilts that inspired Architect Phil Freelon in The Charlotte Observer by Richard Marchal. You can read the full story in the link below.

http://www.charlotte.com/local/story/519576.html

NEW HOME, NEW NAME

Begun at a 1974 festival on African American culture and history, the Afro-American Cultural Center since 1986 has been in the former Little Rock AME Zion Church on North Myers Street, near McDowell and East Trade streets.

The new building at South Tryon and Stonewall streets will have 46,490 square feet, more than four times the current space.

When the building opens next year, the center will become the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts and Culture, in honor of the former Charlotte mayor and civic leader.

It will house the Hewitt Collection, 58 works by 20 African American artists, including Charlotte native Romare Bearden, purchased for the center in 1998 by Bank of America.

Both the current home and the new one are in Brooklyn, a predominantly black neighborhood that filled Second Ward, which extends southeast from Trade and Tryon streets.

Beginning in the '60s urban renewal flattened a neighborhood now home to government buildings and Marshall Park.

THE HARVEY B. GANT CENTER FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN ARTS + CULTURE

BUILDING IN CHARLOTTE NORTH CAROLINA 

 FRONT VIEW

NOTES: THIS IS ONE OF THE FUNKY-EST  ARCHITECTURAL STRUCTURE THAT I HAVE EVER SEEN. YOU CAN HEAR THE LATE ANTHROPOLOGIST ZORA NEAKE HURSTIONS WRITING ALL THROUGH THE ANGLES OF THIS BUILDING.

 RIGHT SIDE VIEW

NOTES: A TRUE CONTINUUM OF AN AFRICAN AMERICAN AESTHETIC. INSPIRED BY THE COMPOSITION OF AN AFRICAN AMERICAN QUILT.

 BACK RIGHT SIDE VIEW

(((SERIOUS NOTES))): I HAVE PLANS TO CONTACT THE ARCHITECT AND THE STRUCTURAL ENGINEER WHO DESIGNED THIS BUILDING.

 MURAL:

 BACK LEFT SIDE VIEW

NOTES: THERE ARE A GREAT DEAL OF BREAK THROWS WITH THIS FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MATERIAL CULTURE. 

 FRONT LEFT SIDE VIEW

NOTES: THIS BUILDING IS PURE AFRICAN AMERICAN, DISPLAYING A SUBTLE MEMORY OF A EVOLVING AESTHETIC OF THE AFRICAN LIVING IN NORTH AMERICA.

 FRONT LEFT SIDE VIEW

NOTES: A COMPOSITION THAT IS TOTALLY OFF THE GRID...!!!

 FRONT VIEW

NOTES: INTERIOR PHOTOS COMING SOON...!!!

OCTAVIA E. BUTLER: SCHOLARSHIPS

OCTAVIA E. BUTLER MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP: ELLIOTT BAY BOOK COMPANY SEATTLE WA. DONATION
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Unfortunately, I was not able to post this information at the correct time so that folks could support this wonderful writers project. I thought it would be inspiring to post it anyway, it could serve as food for thought for other scholarship drives or community fund raisers.
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In June, 2006, the Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle donated 20% of their proceeds from the sales of certain books to the Octavia E. Butler Memorial Scholarship Fund of the Carl Brandon Society. Books had to be purchased in person or over the phone, during the month of June. Online purchases did not qualify.

The donations were of Elliott Bay's "Books for a Change" program. Titles for June included Dark Matter II, edited by Sheree Renee Thomas; Fledgling and Kindred by Octavia E. Butler; The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan; Cinnamon Kiss, The Wave, and Fear Itself by Walter Mosley; Zorro and City of Beasts by Isabelle Allende; and many, many more.

For a complete list of the books that where part of the June donation program, please call the store at (206) 624-6600 or (toll free) 1-800-962-5311, or check the online list. Then, you could either have placed an order for any of these books over the phone, or you could have bought any of them at the store to make your selection count towards our total.

The Octavia E. Butler Memorial Scholarship Fund will support writers of color attending the Clarion and Clarion West Writing Workshops, beginning in 2007. It is administered by the Carl Brandon Society, a nonprofit organization focusing on the presence and representation of people of color in the fantastic literary genres. For more information about the Carl Brandon Society and the scholarship fund, please visit our website.


Elliott Bay Book Company: "Books for a Change" — Toll free orders: 1-800-962-5311

Octavia E. Butler's Website

Carl Brandon Society

Octavia E. Butler Memorial Scholarship Fund

HANK WILLIS THOMAS: SPELL-BREAKER

Beautiful Sunny day,... but still Winter in America,... very chilly day,... young blood spilt on college campus…

I made it to the Black Fine Art Show at the Puck Building downtown Manhattan last night 30 minutes before it closed. I ran through the first part of the show real quick. The Art work was beautifully hug. The crowd looked like a serious buying crowd even though it was a very thin crowd, it apeared people were consulting with the dealers and buying ART (I saw art being wrapped up and carried out the door).

My friend Diane had told me that the director of HEARNE FINE ART GALLERY, Garbo Hearne from Little Rock, Arkansas wanted to meet me. I introduced myself to Ms Hearne and we had a very exciting New York–half-a-Minute-Meeting with her and Dealer Yolanda. Really wonderful and warm folks. Our meeting is still open, we exchanged info.

While at this years Fine Art Show, I did not see the “Heavy-Hittin” Art Work like works by the strong & brilliant artist Hank Aaron… Oop’s, excuse me,… I mean Hank Willis Thomas. This artist pounds out classic icons each and every heart felt time he swings. Check out and read about his Fine Works of Art on his website.

http://hankwillisthomas.com/splash.html


His Spell-Breaking, clean & precise images gets “all-up-in” (y)our face, in (y)our mind, in (y)our spirits, in (y)our past & present, in (y)our pockets & purses and into Corporate Business. He really knows how to “Call-it” as he see’s it,... You got a real Fine Eye Brother-Man!!.

His work brings to mind one night I accompanied a friend to Harlems, St. Luke Hospital Emergency Room. We had to stay in the emergency room through the night, I will never forget the activity that was going on in the early morning of the ER.

Around 3:00am, a multitude of New York City Police Officers rushed into the hospital, escorting 3 gurney’s with African-American Male Youths, unconscious and handcuffed to the side poles of each gurney,

I had my digital camera with me and I was trying to find the right time to capture a photograph, if I was seen taking photographs I would have been put out of the ER, I was unable to find that moment. But, I will never forget the impact of that too common scene as the gurney’s were rolled closer to where my friend and I were waiting, the MULTITUDE of POLICE OFFICERS, the HANDCUFFED, UNCONSCIOUS AFRICAN-AMERICAN MALE YOUTH’S and the NIKE SNEAKERS.

“THIS IS MADNESS”

The Last Poets

In one word, this lean, mean, art making machine Hank Willis Thomas is "SLAMMIN" and should be a household name. (ok, that's more than one word, but,... can you blame?... I got over taken by the art work,... This work is right-on-the-Money!!... Ok,... I'm going to stop now.)

CROCHET DIVA DENIZE ROBIN

Happy Valentines Day... Bright sunny day today, but don’t let it fool you, it's as cold as... ice is standing up on the ground, cold. But I'm not complaining, it could be worst.

I got a call from Diane Smith this morning, she said she had a extra ticket to the Black Fine Arts Show at the Puck Building Downtown, she asked me if I wanted to go, even though I have tons of work, especially getting ready for my exhibit that opens next month at the Jersey City Museum, I said yes, I need to go, there will be a lot of local and out of town dealers that I need to network with.

I got a e-mail from Michelle Bishop last night, the founder of Harlem Needle Arts, she sent me this wonderful myspace link,

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=163311847

that belongs to this exceptionally talented and stylish, Crochet Designer from Riverdale Georgia, I think her name is DENIZE ROBIN, I tried to send her a contact e-mail or a response in her myspace, but I'm still learning this cyberspace jungle.

I just love DENIZE ROBIN style, She looks like she is really having a good time, creating these wonderful garments and adorning herself by her own creative hands, I am not sure if she designs her own patterns, but even if she does not, the execution of the garments, The way she drapes her body with the crochet, the choice of yarn colors that accent her golden complexion is masterful. The weight of the yarn, I think it is 4 ply, really works great with the eye catching large lacy double crochet stitch. Oh yeah, and I must say again, the lady knows and expresses her own original style that makes me want to speak in a unknown lanquage, and she really, truly knows how to "work-out" with her crochet hook, “I’m scared of you!!!…”,

“Aaaaah Sookie Sookie Now!!!”

THE YOUNG DREAM CATCHER

"PLEASE BE MINDFUL OF THE 7th GENERATION WHEN WE VOTE, GIVE THE FUTURE A CHANCE.!!!"