Women in Art Acknowledged

FINALLY - in the 21st century, the art world is beginning to acknowledge the contributions women have made to the art world.  I've always been suspect about how famous male artists became throughout time and how few women ever received any recognition when it's obvious that many women deserve much more credit than they've received.


An exhibit in Philadelphia examines the lost legacy of women in Pop Art - "Seductive Subversion: Women Pop Artists 1958-1968" showing at the University of the Arts until March 15, focusing exclusively on the forgotten women of Pop Art and shows about 50 works - some not seen publicly in 40 years - of 20 female Pop artists from the United States and around the world.

Today I was privileged to attend "The Subject is Women: Impressionism and Post-Impressionism" at the Nassau County Museum of Art in Roslyn, NY where they were showing a lavish viewing of works by women and works depicting women.  And in their gift shop, noticed the first book I'd seen on the art of Lee Krasner - Jackson Pollock's wife.  I was happy to see that she's finally being given the respect she always deserved.

I hope this trend continues and art historians uncover the truth about women in art.  We're in for a real treat!

Miep Gies: Forgotten Hero

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands – Miep Gies, the office secretary who defied the Nazi occupiers to hide Anne Frank and her family for two years and saved the teenager's diary not, has died, the Anne Frank Museum said Tuesday. She was 100. [more...]

Let's all not forget what a wonderful hero she was. She was a great woman who helped to supply the necessities (food, shelter, etc.) to the Franks as they hid in the annex made famous in Anne Frank's diaries during WWII. Without Miep, we might not have had the privilege to have read the famous Anne Frank Diaries:

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl
Anne Frank's Tales from the Secret Annex
Anne Frank: The Book, The Life, The Afterlife

John Lennon Remembered - 29 years ago

It's so hard to believe 29 years has passed since that awful day in December when John Lennon was shot dead in front of his home, The Dakota, in Manhattan (the city he adopted and loved so much, the country he adored). I remember it like it was yesterday.

Dec. 8, 1980-- I was sitting in my apartment in Schaumburg, Illinois with my friends - my best friend, Moira and a few others... but one man was there who, I remember, my mother had counseled... and he was challenging me. He said, "What would happen if you lost someone you loved?" and I was very cocky in my youth. I don't remember how I replied, but I was so sure we'd all survive.

That evening they all left and I kept playing John Lennon's songs over and over. I'd taken my band into the recording studio that week and we were working on tunes, but were all looking forward to John Lennon's tour where we might be able to meet him and see him perform. His release of "Double Fantasy" was like a new beginning for us all.

So when the call came from my beloved brother, Johnny, that John Lennon had been murdered, I was caught completely off guard and in total disbelief. I said to the receiver, "I won't believe it until I hear it from Moira!" And so she grabbed the phone and Johnny told her the truth: "Turn on the TV, you'll see..." and she did. So we all sat around watching the horrible news. I heard Yoko's statement, "John loved and prayed for the human race... let's do the same for him..."

So I did what any artist would do: I sat down and wrote a song and then I and my band were in the studio the next night recording "Let's Save the Human Race" and on WIND Radio in Chicago, IL the next night talking to the masses about John Lennon's death. We STILL love and pray for the human race and IMAGINE all that he taught us to imagine. [more...]

FILM REVIEW: "Waiting for Hockney"

Pappas' story reminded me a little of the movie "Rudy" - only Billy seems to be more of a defeatist (i.e., puts all his eggs in one basket, betting his life on a single project and then when that doesn't thrill his so-called "idol" who couldn't be more unlike Billy, he resumes his life as a bartender and just gives up).

On the other hand, having had firsthand experience with the snobbish art world of today, I thought it was AWFUL the way Hockney's assistant spoke of Billy and his wonderful family (his parents, especially his mother, truly love him and were so supportive throughout). Hockney's people talked about Pappas, after their meeting, like he was a joke - a permanent outsider with no chance of ever breaking through to their big shot world. Why would Hockney grant him an audience, have him for lunch, spend 5 hours with him? So he could have a laugh at Pappas' expense? I would encourage Billy to work at his art, if that's what he wants to do with his life. But I don't think he's got what it takes to be a professional artist; he's too child-like, naïve and doesn't have the staying power. But it sure didn't help matters to have his "idol" turn his back on him. [artnet article] Waiting for Hockney Web

Does Anyone Watch Network TV Anymore?

Remember the days when TV meant ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS? I remember living in the Chicago area as a child and we had a nice TV set, but not much of a selection. The major channels (we didn't have a remote) were 2, 5, 7, 9 and 11 on VHF and Channel 32 and a couple others on UHF. "The Munsters" on Channel 32 was a real treat! And we'd stay up late at night to watch "Creature Feature" (Bela Lugosi and the like). We'd be dozing off as "The Star Spangled Banner" came on and the networks went off the air.

Oftentimes households used rabbit ears antennas on their TV sets with pieces of aluminum foil on each end to help reception. I'm not sure if that ever actually worked! And in order to stop interference, the most effective way to "fix" your TV was to bang on it! We were one of the first families, thanks to my Dad, to get cable, which required a strange box with a lever that flipped through the few channels that were available... I only remember having HBO.

Earlier this year analog TV sets became, for the most part, obsolete with the conversion to digital TV. Since I'd always had cable all my life, I couldn't believe anyone would actually be affected by the conversion. Those who wanted to continue using their old outdated sets were forced to buy a converter box and, at long last, subscribe to cable TV.

Since CNN went on the air, most everyone I know has been getting their news from cable news networks... though I still see Chuck & Sue in NYC are still going strong!

Eight decades after pioneering the concept of broadcasting, NBC is on the verge of a startling move that illustrates broadcast television's decline. Cable TV operator Comcast Corp. is expected to buy a controlling stake in NBC Universal, perhaps as early as this week, bringing the network of Johnny Carson, Jerry Seinfeld, Bob Hope, Milton Berle and Tom Brokaw under the corporate control of the company that owns the Golf Channel and E! Entertainment Television. Read More: Broadcast pioneer NBC prepares for cable takeover

John Lennon Remembered

John Lennon would have been 69 today... Happy Birthday, John! I wonder what he'd say about Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize on his birthday... maybe, "Give Peace a Chance?"

Here's a birthday art exhibition.

Remembering John Lennon.

Brilliant songbird - perhaps the greatest inspiration to me musically. I loved his and Yoko's idea of bagism and write about it in my own book, The Mystic Artist.

You'll truly enjoy One Day at a Time, a book which captures the mood and brilliance of John Lennon in the seventies.

· Plastic Ono Band
· Imagine
· Walls & Bridges
· Double Fantasy
· Shaved Fish
· The Beatles

Go HERE to see Sandy's portrait of John Lennon's Ghost.

Lady Gaga Has Talent

The music world has been devoid of imagination and colour for many years now... that's my opinion. But Lady Gaga has burst on the scene with a fresh new talent that isn't just sparkles, makeup, bangles and a great figure... she's got soul and character.

Saturday night she performed her hit, "Paparazzi," on SNL - and more... she wowed us on her piano interlude; she radiated talent in her singing and performance art. She reminds me of Hazel O'Connor and Kate Bush with her fresh, colorful videos.

Peter, Paul, Missing Mary

I was a very small child when I first heard Peter, Paul & Mary... but their songs were always a big part of the soundtrack of my life. How could they not be? With the passing of Mary Travers today, I had to stop and remember how much I loved their songs... and remember the beauty of her voice, her gorgeous long blonde hair, those perfect harmonies... "Lemon Tree," "If I Had a Hammer," "Puff the Magic Dragon," "Blowin' in the Wind"... and such a wonderful lifetime of songs. RIP, Mary!

Patrick Lives

I didn't know Patrick Swayze, but he seemed to be a rare bird in the Hollywood scene - a sweet man whose ego didn't get the best of him (he was supposedly quoted as saying, "Good-looking people turn me off. Myself included") who fought to the end with the desire to stay focused on his craft, even refusing pain killing drugs. His smiling eyes always reflected something indescribable and I believe he chose to LIVE to the end rather than to spend his last days dying. And, amazingly, he was married to the same woman since 1975!

He's quoted as saying, "I have a great deal of faith in faith; if you believe something strongly enough, it becomes true for you. I would like to believe that my father is right here with me in this room and that he's my guardian angel, that there's life after death - because if there isn't, why are we here?"

We all loved 'Dirty Dancing,' but his most memorable role was arguably the character he played in 'Ghost,' - Sam Wheat - a man probably not unlike himself - a good man who found true love in life and after death. In the words of Sam to Molly: 'It's amazing, Molly. The love inside, you take it with you.' He gave us a reason to believe in life after death. We love you, Patrick and you will be missed on earth!

"Ditto!"

More Great Foreign Films...

Jacques Tati films:

Les vacances de Monsieur Hulot (1953)

Mon oncle (1958)

The Spanish Apartment - L'auberge espagnole (2002)
The Russian Dolls - Les poupées russes (2005)

A Very Long Engagement - Un long dimanche de fiançailles (2004)

Poison Friends - Les amitiés maléfiques (2006)

I Served the King of England - Obsluhoval jsem anglického krále (2008)

Kidnap (2008)

My original blog on foreign films