Panopticon

Exciting news from Google today - Google Images is now hosting over 2 million photos and etchings from the archives of LIFE magazine, reaching back to the 1750s. Many of these images have never been seen before. Over the next few months, Google hopes to add even more, for a total of about 10 million (!) images.

If you've got some free time (or are looking for ways to procrastinate in the coming weeks), take a peek around the site here. Of course, if you've taken Martha's photo archives class, I'm sure you've already started playing around with this. Or work with the Google Image Labeler to add tags to these (and other) photos to make them more accessible!

Original announcement here.

Posted by Pam Aghababian at 11:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you find yourself in New York in the next few months you might want to check out this exhibit at the Proteus Gowanus gallery.

The theme of the installation is "Mend" - they had a previous show called "Library" - and it explores many aspects of mending: mending objects, mending the planet, mending the body, etc. There's obviously a preservation/conservation connection to be made here. Also, they have a reading room with tons of interesting material.

They don't seem to have posted this on the website yet but I got an email about the following events - in case you happen to be in Brooklyn...

Sunday, November 23, 3:30–5 p.m., $8 per person
Mending Books and Broken Hearts
Artists Chris Piazza and Joy Doyle will mend broken hearts through poetry. Dressed in period clothing, they will also read love letters written during the Great Depression and WWII.

James Walsh will demonstrate his unique technique for repairing broken book spines and covers. Walsh mends books for his personal use not to restore them but to make them usable again in a way that is structurally sound and aesthetically pleasing.

Sunday, December 7, 3–5 p.m., $25 per person (materials included)
Spinning Workshop
Pam Peterson, spinner and knitter extraordinaire, will teach how to make a spindle from a CD and how to use it to spin yarn.

Posted by Sarah Burke at 01:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I recently learned about this show at the Honan-Allston branch library of the BPL:
Beyond the Book Exhibit -- Nov. 15 through Jan. 3, during library hours. An exhibit of book art and collage. A reception is planned for Wednesday, Nov. 19 from 5 to 7 p.m.
Here is a review of last year's show.
This event looks especially interesting:
Coming Monday, December 1st -- our first "Open Book Night," when several of the artists in this year's show will be discussing their work. The evening is an opportunity to see the books outside of the cases. The event will be from 5 till 7 p.m. at the Honan-Allston Library.

This may be worth a group expedition.

Posted by Sarah Burke at 01:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We recently went on two field trips to open studios in Boston. Here are a few more good opportunities to get some art in your life on a budget.

1. Museums: we can get into the MFA & the Gardner for free with our student id cards. Why don't I do this all the time? The Gardner, for example, is a great place to read.
1b. Plus the Gardner has parties and the MFA is free Wednesday nights, so you can go with friends who don't have student id cards.
1c. PLUS you can get free passes to the MFA (and many more) at the BPL.

2. Don't forget the ICA! Which is free on Thursday nights.

3. Rush tickets at the Boston Ballet are $20. This is not exactly cheap, but it is reasonable compared to their normal rates. You show up 2 hours before the show, shell over $20 cash, and then have 2 hours (dinner in Chinatown?) to kill before the show. An excellent excuse to wear that thrift-store fur stole.

4. The A.R.T. over in Cambridge also offers student rush tickets and sometimes offers student tickets in advance; prices range from $15-$25.

5. A one-time fee of $25 buys a student card that gets you into many Boston Symphony Orchestra performances for free throughout the season (Tickets - special offerings - BSO College Card).

6. What else? Let us know what your know about - great galleries, cheap but wonderful performances, etc. We'll post it here and credit you. Email panopticon@simmons.edu.

Posted by Sarah Burke at 09:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)