Showing posts with label art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label art. Show all posts

Saturday, February 2, 2008

Slideluck Potshow


In the heart of Mexicantown, Michigan I enjoyed one of the most interesting art shows ever: The Slideluck Potshow.

The idea behind the Slideluck Potshow combines an old-school slideshow gathering with a potluck dinner, but it's totally revamped for a twenty-something crowd. You get that nostalgic feeling of sharing your photos with friends mixed with cutting-edge artistic endeavors. The slideshow consists of several artists, where each power-point slideshow presentation is about five minutes long. One of the best things about the show is how each artist uses music to amplify their images and create a mood for their work.

The Slideluck Potshow is touring all over the U.S. so check out their website and submit your photos. And who knows, maybe someone could blog about how much fun they had viewing your stuff.

[Hat tip to Stephen McGee for helping to bring the show to Detroit and for the invite.]

Friday, December 1, 2006

Grocery Store Art


Sunsets amaze me. Sunrises too, but most of the time I'm too lazy to wake up and see them.

I'll never forget the first time I saw a sunset in Sedona, Arizona. The sky was so big, the colors so brilliant--pinks, purples, yellows and blues all swirled together for something utterly magnificient. If the sky were a milkshake, I wish I had a straw so I could drink it all in. It was too beautiful a moment to keep all to myself so I pulled my out cellphone and called a friend. Saying, "I wish you could see this" falls way too short in moments like these.

I wonder if God has a gallery of all the sunsets, sunrises and starry midnight skies He's created. And I wonder when I get to Heaven if He will let me see my favorite sunset moments over and over again.

Extraordinary displays like sunsets convince me that God is the master Artist and Creator. Something about art speaks to our souls, touches us at our core and inspires us beyond words. From the Greeks and their sculptures to the Hip-Hop generation and their memorial graffiti art murals. Art has followed us through the ages and that says something about how God designed His "image bearers".

NPR.org has this refreshingly original article called "Artistic Expression in the Produce Aisle" by Neda Ulaby. I have to give her kudos for being a good journalist and bringing something new to the table. Her writing resume makes me want to drool (I'll have to put her on my "one to watch" list). Anyhow, in the article Ulaby writes about how grocery stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's are employing artists to make their chalkboards more visually appealing. I find it interesting how art is always re-inventing itself and how it is so deeply ingrained in the human experience that it even surrounds us while we grab a carton of eggs for mom.

I've often wondered how Whole Foods got their chalkboards to look so stunningly neat and nifty. Now I know. Well, that beats my theory that once someone is hired they magically become skilled chalkboard artists. If only life was that cool.