Prophecies of Our Grandparents

One night last week I picked up a book titled The Zunis, Self Portrayals, written by the Zuni people. The book is a collection of oral literature ranging from history, myths, and legends. The following is the first story in the section of "society," which also happens to be the first chapter. 

"Many years ago when our grandparents foresaw what our future would be like, they spoke their profecies among themselves and passed them on to the children before them.

"Cities will progress and then decay to the ways of the lowest beings. Drinkers of dark liquids will come upon the land, speaking nonsense and filth. Then the end shall be nearer.

"Population will increase until the land can hold no more. The tribes of men will mix. The dark liquids they drink will cause the people to fight among themselves. Families will break up: father against children and the children against one another.

"Maybe when the people have outdone themselves, then maybe, the stars will fall upon the land, or drops of hot water will rain upon the earth. Or the land will turn under. Or our father, the sun, will not rise to start the day. Then our possessions will turn into beasts and devour us whole.

"If not, there will be an odor from gases, which will fill the air we breathe, and the end for us shall come.

"But the people themselves will bring upon themselves what they receive. From what has resulted, time alone will tell what the future holds for us."

Season of Change

The Beauty of Patagonia

I have never been to the real Patagonia, but every few months it shows up on my doorstep in the form of a catalog. You know the drill. When you pick up the mail there are no less than half a dozen catalogs from various companies, many you have never heard of. While most of these go unnoticed and end up in the recycle bin the next day, one has continually struck me as being more interesting than the rest. Not only is this catalog well designed with clean layouts and gorgeous, artistic photography, but it goes beyond the mission of selling clothing by incorporating stories about some extreme outdoor excursion and the inevitable test of the human condition; the sort of exhilarating idea everyone is searching for when they embark on such a journey. The care and thought put into producing such a seemingly ordinary object makes me more enthusiastic about their products, that is if I had enough money to even consider making a purchase. For the time being, I'll enjoy the catalog.

Street Arts: A Celebration of Hip Hop Culture and Free Expression

"While graffiti is often dismissed as simple vandalism, it is useful to look more deeply into the communities which expressed themselves this way and try to discover lessons to be learned from the writing on the wall." ~Andrew Connors, Guest Curator, Art From the Coasts

"Street Art is synonymous with experimentation and it's inherent dissidence asks us to question our materials, the 'truth' of art history and the role art plays in society and human interaction." ~Francesca Searer, Exhibit Curator, The Populist Phenomenon

*Note that street art is public art and meant to be understood: "I am a person, I am thinking about something and I want you to think about it too." While graffiti is considered a closed code, one which only a certain group of people are meant to understand the message.

On Saturday I worked at the opening of Street Text: Art From the Coasts and The Populist Phenomenon at the 516 Arts gallery downtown. The exhibition is part of a series of events in October and November celebrating art in the urban environment, freedom of speech, and collaboration. Street Text features work from a handful of local and international artists including Shepard Fairey, Chaz Bojorquez, Lady Pink, and Thomas Christopher Haag (one of my favorite local artists).