Speed of Life

Gregg Chadwick In the Gion Rain 20"x20" oil on linen 2009

Moby 'One Time We Lived' by Mark Pellington

President Barack Obama's Thanksgiving Day proclamation, as released by the White House: What began as a harvest celebration between European settlers and indigenous communities nearly four centuries ago has become our cherished tradition of Thanksgiving. This day's roots are intertwined with those of our nation, and its history traces the American narrative. Today, we recall President George Washington, who proclaimed our first national day of public thanksgiving to be observed "by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God," and President Abraham Lincoln, who established our annual Thanksgiving Day to help mend a fractured nation in the midst of civil war. We also recognize the contributions of Native Americans, who helped the early colonists survive their first harsh winter and continue to strengthen our nation. From our earliest days of independence, and in times of tragedy and triumph, Americans have come together to celebrate Th...

California Lawyers for the Arts will be presenting a free workshop on Health Insurance geared to self-employed artists and their families on Wednesday, December 2, 2009, 7:00-8:30 p.m. at the Ken Edwards Center, 1527 4th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401. Michael Grodsky will be leading the evening. REGISTRATION: Call CLA at (310) 998-5590, or email Angela (please include your contact info and specify the workshop date(s)) at: clasocaled@aol.com More info at: Aquarius Financial GYST Workshops are made possible, in part, by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, the Department of Cultural Affairs, and the California Community Foundation. Addition support provided by the California Arts Council.

The Muppets Perform Bohemian Rhapsody Thanks to David Silverman for pointing this out!

Pearl Jam's "The Fixer" Time Lapse Video From Austin Created by JH Jackson

"Ragged, jagged melody."

Gregg Chadwick The River Dreams 16"x11" oil on linen 2009 I am reading WS Merwin's recent book of poems - The Shadow of Sirius - and thinking deeply about the mystery of our place in the universe. I had a chance to chat briefly with WS Merwin after his wonderful reading at the Hammer Museum on October 29th. We spoke of elephants and mystery and nature. Inspiring stuff. Professor Stephen Yenser is doing an amazing job with this series of poetry readings at the Hammer. And Mona Simpson's favorite writers series is also top notch. Tonight, YiyunLi, author of A Thousand Years of Good Prayers , will be reading. More on WS Merwin: WS Merwin Profile More on the Hammer Museum: Watch and Listen More on elephants and why we must protect them: Elephant Reflections - new from UC Press Photographs by Karl Ammann and Text by Dale Peterson

Helden: November 9, 1989 TwitPaint 20 years ago today as images of the fall of the Berlin Wall streamed across televisions around the world, I played Little Steven's poignant song Checkpoint Charlie . Little Steven's 1984 song openly dreamed of a free and united Berlin. On November 9, 1989 that dream began to come true. Today as we celebrate the fall of the Berlin Wall, I also dream of Freedom in Iran and the fall of the Iran Curtain. The Berliner Zeitung has a nice series of images and articles about the history and fall of the Berlin Wall: 20. Jahre Mauerfall John F Kennedy in Berlin: "Ich bin ein Berliner." "This film shows video footage taken in April 1990 plus still image photographs taken in December 1989 and July 2005. There is footage on both sides of the wall, although for reasons of personal security the footage of the Eastern side of the crossing point is somewhat minimal. Nevertheless it is possible to see the arrangement of frosted glass screens whic...

An amazing version of one of my favorite songs.

DreamScape , curated by Jerri Levi and Brent Turner, opens at the LOOK Gallery on Thursday evening. The exhibit is described as: "A conceptual design exhibition that explores the symbolic references of our personal spaces through the interplay of fine art and high design. Seven top Los Angeles design firms will collaborate with a roster of LOOK Gallery artists to realize a series of installations within the gallery, incorporating various art media of surrealistic expression woven together with an array of choice home furnishings and accessory products available through LAMDC showrooms. Provocative and aspirational, the dream-like spaces serve to engage the spectator in the design experience, offering a glimpse to the unfettered vision of superior design talent and the artistry of fashioning interiors as interpretive expressions of our inner selves." The opening reception is Thursday, November 5th from 6-9pm. RSVP at 213.763.5813 or ltsironis@lamart.com DreamScape is open to ...

Van Gogh's Meeting Across the River? Tip from the Van Gogh museum