"Nature Needs Art"

This is the subtext of the Journal of Arts and Environment, Lake, coming out of the University of British Columbia, Okanagan. My work is being featured in their Fall 2009 issue. I am honored to be involved with such an intellectual and inspirational publication.

Foko Madagascar!

After being inspired by David Sasaki's (of Global Voices) presentation at the Soul of the New Machine Conferece at UC Berkeley, I decided to send an email to him. I wanted to link up with the blogging group that Global Voices was supporting in Madagascar. Luckily for me, he answered my note and my friend Christi was able to coordinate a meeting with Stephane of Foko Madagascar. After deciding on a date, time and place the Photography workshop was ready to go.
The workshop was wonderful. We had about 25 people attend, some old and new Foko members, a few journalists, and a film maker. I structured the workshop in two main parts. The first half we discussed and look at examples from the history of photojournalism, the contemporary issues of digital alteration and manipulation, and what it means to be a citizen photojournalist. We collectively came up with guidelines for the members to abide by when using photography on their blogs. The list we came up with is as follows:
1. Pure Images-no digital alteration of images-simple changes are ok, like cropping, color balancing, etc.
2. Ask! -When appropriate ask permission from your subject, to take their picture, to publish it (online, in print) etc.
3.Safety! -No pornography or other compromising images.
4. Permission-Use images you have taken or ask permission to use another's (and give proper credit)
5. Context-Provide caption information and context for your images

Even though the above guidelines seem like they don't belong in an intro to photography workshop, they do! These five steps seperate leisure photographers from photojournalists. By adding an element of conciousness to the photographs that people create I am hoping to infuse a little more thought behind the actions of taking pictures and sharing them online. These ideas help to protect not only the creator of the image, but the subject as well.

The second half of the workshop we discussed how to create stronger images by paying attention to framing, the subject, the lighting, and the elements in the image. I also went over the technical aspects of photography, specifically for the cameras that everyone was using (mainly point and shoot digital). We discussed how to control the flash, the exposure, the ISO, and the other features on their cameras. Many of the participants had been shooting only in automatic mode. Hery said " This is a whole new camera now! I feel like a kid at christmas time!"

To read the blogs of Madagascar and what they thought about the workshop (or what they think about in general) please check out these:
Tahina
Rising Voices
MadaFan
Hery

Paparazzi

I love when artists can use their friends/enemies or frenimies as their muse. Lady Gaga has done just that in her new music video "Paparazzi" (to watch the video epic click HERE). Finally someone other than R.Kelly has embraced this video format. The colors, costumes, dance moves hair styles, and locations make it a pop-art-film/music video/essay on the dangers of paparazzi, various uses of photography, and how it has driven celebrities mad. I often think about the photographic relationship between privacy, public figures, and making money. Constantly public figures are hounded by people trying to take a picture and then sell it to a magzine, newspaper, website to feed the thirst of the masses. And so goes the to-and-fro politics of marketing and news.With the printed press aging out, the online world of celebritydom is endless.
Just mereley the act of taking a photograph can be an invasion of privacy. Imagine talking your dog for a walk, and you run into a crowd of clicks, flashes, and lenses. In the future, how will the act of photography be treated when almost anyone, everywhere is armed with a camera?

oh yeah, I want the film strip leotard.

Intersection for the Arts Workshop

INTERSECTION FOR THE ARTS presents Kids and Cameras: Creating a Time Journal in association with SF Camerawork Sundays, April 26 - May 31 (no class on May 10 or 24) 11am-1pm $150 / $140 Intersection Members + materials fee Register for this workshop here

Inspired by the photographs and collections housed in artist, Migdalia Valdes' daily journals, this four session workshop will be a space for youth (ages 5-8 years old) to document their own lives. Using photography, writing, and collage participants will have the opportunity to be active recorders of their own story, thus documenting their own childhood memories.

Parents are encouraged to accompany their child and participate too!

Tibora Bea Girczyc-Blum was raised in Northern California where her interest in photography and education began. Upon graduating from the Visual Arts program at the University of California, San Diego, where she studied under Barbara Kruger, Tibora photographed her way through Eastern and Western Europe, the Middle East and parts of Asia. Arriving back in the U.S., she embarked on a photographic project, which involved living and working in the post-Hurricane Katrina environment. Tibora's photographic work has been exhibited throughout the West Coast, from Tijuana, MX to Arcata, Ca. She has authored original educational material and taught workshops for the Museum of Photographic Arts, Outside the Lens (of which she is a founder), SF Camerawork and Southern Exposure. Tibora is an artist, freelance arts education consultant and educator living in California.

Intersection's Open Process Series Workshops emphasize the infinite possibilities that exist within any creative process. Register for this workshop here. For more information, contact rebeka@theintersection.org or call (415) 626-2787 x.108. Members, please call us for your member discount code!

Southern Exposure Workshop

I have been teaching a class with artist, Kamau Patton for Southern Exposure's Youth Advisory Board.

January 14, 2009 - June 5, 2009

SoEx's Youth Advisory Board (YAB)

Lead Teaching Artist: Kamau Pattan
Assistant Teaching Artist: Tibora Bea Girczyc-Blum
Program Intern: Gloria Reyes
AIE Program Manager: Tara Foley
Community Partners: Columbia Park Boys & Girls Club, Jewish Vocational Services (JVS), and Making Waves.
Youth Advisory Board Members: Essence Alexander, Constance Castillo, Betsy Espinoza, Nathaniel Francis, Nathaniel Galipeau, Kate Gamble, Javier Gutierrez , Daniel Lemus, Isabel Leonard, Diego Luna, Bryan Marciano John Micheal, Alejandro Mis-Caviah, James Orellana, Byron Ramos, Olivia Sheehan, and Lucy Thurpp.

This semester, SoEx teaching artists, Youth Advisory Board (YAB) members and Community Partners work in SoEx’s 14th Street back gallery classroom. YAB delves into the cultural identity of the individual student and how identity can be expressed through different multimedia art practices. YAB asks the question: how can art, within the parameters of collaborative arts practice, documentation, digital communications, video, sound, photography, self exploration, painting and drawing, help sustain the viability and presence of ones cultural background? Essential to this is an investigation of the tools and theories relating to immigration and anthropology. YAB explores a variety of media that inform and contradict conversations about cultural backgrounds, traditions and identities by looking at the development of digital communications, such as, blogs, myspace, youtube, advertisements and television.

While simultaneously looking into the future and the past, the studio project for the semester consists of executing a multimedia conversation regarding young identities and futuristic projects within a cultural context. YAB presents their final project in conjunction with SoEx’s exciting inaugural exhibition at our new location on 20th Street. "

Valentine's Date

The SF Chronicle held a Valentine's themed photo contest. And I am the Winner !
The object was to create a date out of the multiple heads created by aritst Jon Adams. Since my Valentine was out of town, I ended up chillin' with my good pal Rob. Rob and I ended up spending Valentine's day in Costa Rica together, two years ago. As we settled in to a lovely meal, while being serenaded by talented musicians we couldn't help notice two couples being seated near us. These couples consisted of two elderly gringo men and their two youthful (probably around the age of their granddaughters) Costa Rican Prostitutes. Both men couldn't speak a lick of english and were chatting it up about what they would usually do on Valentine's day with their wives who were spending a freezing Valentine's Day back in Ohio.....alone. After spending this "holiday of love" observing what "love" meant to these two old geezers, we left the restaurant a bit disgusted and jaded and of course laughing about this crazy thing called "love."

Enjoy our submission!

internet stew

112 year-old artist
This article is one of many my beloved brother emails me during the day. These words followed this link "inspiration". Even Van Gogh was institutionalized.....thanks Cor. This article reminded me of the universal role art can play in people's lives. I also want to give a shout out to SF's Creativity Explored for showcasing and inspiring artists everywhere.

a sampling of other fine internet gobbledygook for your viewing pleasure:
Croc vs. Cheetah
Gimmicky, sure! but i love his slide bar in Virginia
Pizza Band
oh, creepy and funny.
Octupy
reminds me of a Godzilla battle.
Hockey Organ
(this is for the eastcoasters)
Garbage Animals
Love it! Reusing plastic bags and everyday street vents to make art!
Sims
haha
Amazing!
I like the music....and he is hypnotic