art! see?

Time flies.

So much has been happening since I last posted. Let’s see…briefly…

I finished the Five Buckets painting (more on that in another post). I’ve started some new pieces which are coming along…slowly.

I’ve made a couple of trips up to the farm to enjoy some peace and quiet and get away from all the chaos.

I am still on the organizing committee for Works of Heart. This year has been a bit of a challenge due to various staff and organizational changes at the Alliance. The 2010 Kick Off Party is this evening at Flanders Gallery in downtown Raleigh. Should be a good time.

And finally… there is artsee.

Way back in the distant past of December 2009, Dan Early, Van Early, Mark Westphal and I met in the conference room at Early Design Group to talk about an idea I had for a new niche magazine for the art community. Over the next few months, Dan designed the awesome name and logo. We contacted Bob Doster about doing sales for the magazine. We had more meetings. Brainstorming sessions. And finally, sometime in the spring (…was it April? May? it’s all a blur) we formed DWEEB Inc. (Doster, Westphal, Early, Early, Byrne), publisher of artsee, a bimonthly, regional magazine for people who create, support and love art.

Artsee Launch Party at 18 Seaboard in Raleigh, August 4, 2010

This past Wednesday evening, the good folks at 18 Seaboard in Raleigh hosted a Launch Party for us (check out the  photo album here). It was a blast. It was from 6:00 to 9:00 and those three hours flew by like three minutes. Because of limited space (and the complimentary wine bar… artsee is a startup with limited funds) we had to keep the guest list manageable and couldn’t do an open invitation, but we had an incredible turnout regardless. The food was great. The wine was flowing. The cash bar did pretty well, too (I can attest to this… I was drinking mojitos). As Pam Gutlon of Outsiders Art said, “It was a magical night.”

Our first issue came out a month ago (hard to believe). We are well into the second issue. Response has been very enthusiastic. You can check the magazine out on the website, www.artseemagazine.com (a more robust website is in the works). You may also download and print a subscription card off the site, www.artseemagazine.com/subscribe.html.

It’s been exciting, crazy, fun. The most common responses have been, “This is excellent!” and “Are you nuts?!?!” The answers to which are yes and yes. But ultimately, the mission of artsee remains its driving force: to create a publication of value for all the various art communities throughout the Carolinas; in essence, to help us think of ourselves as one big art community. Likewise, we want to shine a spotlight on the valuable contribution that art makes to our greater communities every day.

We are a culture that stresses math and science. Art, more often than not, is shoved to the periphery. It’s treated as an “elective.” Why the imbalance? Math and science are important, yes, but no more important than art… which is a direct expression of the very thing that makes us human. The imbalance is unhealthy, not to mention disturbing.

To geek out for a minute, I’m going reference one of my favorite movies. Yes, those of you who know me: The Matrix. We need an Architect and an Oracle. Wake up, Neo.