312 posts from 2007 (page 2)

yesterday i was driving  on the east side and saw this group of old school chairs all lined up against the wall of victory grill. it reminded of the days of my preschool childhood when the teachers at the nursery school my grandmother ran for years would take all of the chairs outside to wash and let dry in the hot florida sun.
historicvictorygrill.org, austin, tx 

beverly's (biker) bar, waaaaay south congress, austin, tx

saturday morning at "el calentano." corner of lynn and césar chavez, austin, tx.

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Now playing: Prince - I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man
via FoxyTunes   

progress coffee is my fave cafe in austin. been here since 9 a.m. working after taking photos of piñata shops on césar chavez this morning even after a wee hours of the morning drive from san antonio for an event [here] which was around the corner from the lovely neon sign in the photo below at the downtown greyhound bus terminal. weird fact: stevie nicks’ father was once the president of greyhound. time to bounce outta here and enjoy the great outdoors. it is supposed to get up to 84 degrees fahrenheit today!

the soundtrack for the rest of the weekend, groove armada’s remix of fatboy slim’s “i see you baby (shakin’ that ass)"

www.pinkshollywood.com, 711 n. la brea ave., weho

federico's virgen on the east side and three windows
side wall of el milagro tortilleria, 6th and san marcos, austin, tx.

alley near corner of melrose and sierra bonita, west hollywood, ca.

graffiti in an alley behind the corner of melrose ave. & sierra bonita, west hollywood, ca.

yesterday morning, in the rain and cold, i moseyed down melrose ave. to the pacific design center branch of MOCA to see an amazing exhibit of the art of emory douglas, who was the minister of culture for the black panther party. the images were breathtaking. i caught myself gasping more than a few times at the potency of the posters as they pack a wallop to the senses. my only critique/concern was that the images of women, specifically their faces, were not as developed as those of men for several of the earlier years in douglas' time with the panthers. sometimes their faces are completely blank or turned away so you can't see them. i found that deeply disturbing. in the later years, more of the women have faces with fully developed expressions on par with the men. i wonder if that change coincided with the transition of the group's leadership to a woman, elaine brown, in its later years. who knows. neverthelesss, if you're in los angeles or will be there at some point in the next few months , go see the exhibit. it is truly amazing. and, it's free!

Black Panther: The Revolutionary Art of Emory Douglas

OCT 21, 2007–FEB 24, 2008
MOCA Pacific Design Center
"Black Panther: The Revolutionary Art of Emory Douglas traces the graphic art made by Emory Douglas while he worked as minister of culture for the Black Panther Party from 1967 until its discontinuation in the early 1980s. Douglas's powerful visuals helped define the trademark visual style of the group's newspapers, posters, and pamphlets. Douglas's substantial body of work exists as a powerful graphic record of the Black Panthers' legacy, reflecting their development and evolving mission to improve the lives of African Americans by calling for resistance and change, as well providing social services to their communities. With a firm understanding of the need to disseminate information and communicate the party's agenda visually, Douglas's bold illustrations and striking images spoke forcefully to a community ravaged by poverty, police brutality, and poor living conditions. With unmistakable humanism, Douglas portrayed a populace that was emerging from segregation and proudly fighting to assert their rights to equality. Organized by MOCA Ahmanson Curatorial Fellow Sam Durant, the exhibition includes approximately 150 of Douglas's most influential works, which serve as a testament to the efficacy of visual art to communicate a political position."