June 2012

"None of us can ever retrieve that innocence before all theory when art knew no need to justify itself, when one did not ask of a work of art what it said because one knew (or thought one knew) what it did. From now to the end of consciousness, we are stuck with the task of defending art. We can only quarrel with one or another means of defense." - Susan Sontag, Against Interpretation “...writing can't be a way of life - the important part of writing is living. You have to live in such a way that your writing emerges from it.” ― Doris Lessing

[caption id="attachment_1288" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Portrait by Annie Powers"][/caption] WHO: Legacy Russell Legacy asks of her work, "Who killed the pork chops? What price bananas? Are you my Angel?" She creates "tangible constructions inspired by the often intangible landscapes of memory and identity, the objects that rise to the surface have escaped their original owners and serve the function of participating in wayward ceremonies of remembrance, iconography, and idolatry."  And we are thankful that she does. Legacy's critical, playful, artful examinations are the work of a committed woman whose production across a range of mediums is at once is intimate and universal, searing and comforting, ephemeral and concrete. Here is someone who has continuously engaged in the public sphere, creating and enabling community and connection, questioning and interrupting our visual and verbal culture -- yet who never ceases to turn the lens on herself, writing fiction and poetry with the deft quietude of the best hermits. Every inch the model of the AWESOME CREATOR, Legacy is tireless in her efforts, and has been very rightly been recognized as a force to be reckoned with (but also well loved and appreciated) by her peers -- one comes quickly to realize the great humility, kindness, and generosity of spirit in this young artist, one that is rare in someone on whom such accolades have been showered. Just this year she was recognized as one of the "10 Most Inspiring Young Artists in NYC Right Now" by Refinery 29, who had previously profiled her site specific, interactive piece, OPEN CEREMONY, begun in association with Trust Art in 2011.

Baby's all grown up! From its humble, DIY origins six years ago, Bushwick Open Studios [BOS] has blossomed into a behemoth of truly staggering proportions. This year, the festival -- highlighting arts and culture born and bred in this vibrant, buzzing, quarter of the Brooklyn creative map -- hosts an almost unbelievable 545 Events.  It's a veritable smorgasbord, and like all festivals of this type is sure to include the good, bad, and the ugly. But the ugly could in fact be simply challenging, and you might just stumble onto the private studio of someone you'll later be able to say, "oh wow, I went to their show back in Bushwick in 2012!" -- but of course Bushwick itself has grown both as a real estate alternative and a refuge for artists fleeing rising rents in other parts of the city, and the weekend now hosts many artists already quite well known, represented, and collected internationally. 

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