Monday, February 28, 2022

Ukrainian National Anthem in the Metro Station (Bomb Shelter)


#SlavaUkraini 
🇺🇦🌻

 

Saturday, February 26, 2022

Prayer for Ukraine - SNL


 

Friday, February 25, 2022

Ukrainian Born Poet Ilya Kaminsky reads “We Lived Happily During the War"


Ilya Kaminsky was born in Odessa, Ukraine in 1977, and arrived to the United States in 1993, when his family was granted asylum by the American government.

He is the author of Deaf Republic (Graywolf Press) and Dancing In Odessa (Tupelo Press) and co-editor and co-translated many other books, including Ecco Anthology of International Poetry (Harper Collins) and Dark Elderberry Branch: Poems of Marina Tsvetaeva (Alice James Books).

His work won The Los Angeles Times Book Award, The Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, The National Jewish Book Award, the Guggenheim Fellowship, The Whiting Award, the American Academy of Arts and Letters' Metcalf Award, Lannan Fellowship, Academy of American Poets’ Fellowship, NEA Fellowship, Poetry magazine's Levinson Prize, and was also shortlisted for the National Book Award, National Book Critics Circle Award, Neustadt International Literature Prize, and T.S. Eliot Prize (UK).

Deaf Republic was The New York Times’ Notable Book for 2019, and was also named Best Book of 2019 by dozens of other publications, including Washington Post, Times Literary Supplement, The Telegraph, Publishers Weekly, The Guardian, Irish Times, Vanity Fair, Lithub, Library Journal, and New Statesman.

His poems have been translated into over twenty languages, and his books are published in many countries, including Turkey, Netherlands, Germany, Russia, France, Mexico, Macedonia, Romania, Spain and China, where his poetry was awarded the Yinchuan International Poetry Prize. In 2019, Kaminsky was selected by BBC as “one of the 12 artists that changed the world.”

Ilya Kaminsky has worked as a law clerk for San Francisco Legal Aid and the National Immigration Law Center. More recently, he worked pro-bono as the Court Appointed Special Advocate for Orphaned Children in Southern California. Currently, he holds the Bourne Chair in Poetry at Georgia Institute of Technology and lives in Atlanta.



Brought to you by Complexly, The Poetry Foundation, and poet Paige Lewis. Learn more: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/ Ilya Kaminsky: https://www.ilyakaminsky.com/ https://twitter.com/ilya_poet


Stand With Ukraine



 

Friday, February 18, 2022

The Green Mill

 


Gregg Chadwick
Green Mill
30"x22" gouache on paper 2018

 I like to fly into Chicago and spend a few days exploring the city before we head into MKE. Chicago has proven to be a big inspiration for my paintings and I was able to exhibit and sell a number of my artworks at @theotherartfair in Chicago a few years back. My latest Chicago inspired painting to find a new home is my gouache on paper "Green Mill". It arrived safely this week and will be part of a private Chicago collection of artworks inspired by Chicago's answer to the Moulin Rouge in Paris - The Green Mill. The jazz infused nightclub used to cover a whole city block but was downsized quite a bit in its speakeasy days during Prohibition. Yes, one of Al Capone's crew was a part owner in that era and you can still sit in Al Capone's private booth. But for me, the most exciting part of the Green Mill's rich history is the musical echoes of all the greats who have played in the club. Billie Holiday, Tommy Dorsey, Sophie Tucker, Clifford Jordan, Benny Goodman, John Bany, Bernard “Pretty” Purdie, Michael Jones, Chris Foreman, and @kurtelling .
#art #contemporaryart #chicago #jazz #music #greenmill #saxophone

Thursday, February 17, 2022

Midnight Oil - We Resist (Official Video)


"We Resist" Jim Moginie: " The history of resistance should be taught at school. Without it, we wouldn't have made the progress we have. The Freedom Ride and Rosa Parks turned the spotlight onto racial issues, which then changed. John Lennon and Yoko Ono's 'War Is Over If You Want It' campaign, hand in hand with the fallout of the Kent State shootings and worldwide mass demonstrations ended the Vietnam War. Suffragettes marched for women's rights and undertook hunger strikes, which both Gandhi in India and Irish Nationalists undertook to achieve self-sovereignty. These people were brave enough to ignore the conventional orthodoxy of the time and speak out, often risking their lives in the process. The irony is that successful protesters never worked alone-they were part of strategic, highly connected networks."


 

‘We Resist’ (Written by Jim Moginie) Putting flowers into guns This is not the summer of love Throwing tea into the sea Indigenous apology Only if We resist It’s a storm without end Where’s the lighthouse? where’s a friend Come to think It can’t last Only if We resist Free market and labour rights Women’s vote and hunger strikes War is over in times square Please don’t say that nobody cares Standing up to those who sell fear With a polite insistence to hear Only if We resist It’s a storm without end Where’s the lighthouse? where’s a friend Come to think It can’t last Only if We resist #midnightoil #resist #weresist

Sunday, February 13, 2022

Woody Strode, Jackie Robinson and Kenny Washington






 

Erin Jackson Wins Gold!



 

Tuesday, February 08, 2022

A Ralph Heilemann 90th Birthday Fable: Operation Xmas in Japan

by Gregg Chadwick

My father in law Ralph Heilemann is in hospice care at home with my sister in law in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As Dad Heilemann gets ready to move on to another form, space, or place — I wanted to post this highly fictionalized tale of his US Navy days that I wrote for his 90th Birthday.

Fair winds and following seas, shipmate. We have the watch.

MarySue Heilemann with her dad Ralph Heilemann — August 2021

Mission Classified. Possibly originating from the harbor of Yokosuka, near Yokohama just outside of Tokyo, in post World War II Japan on Christmas Eve.

Official Mission Logs Redacted by order of Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (SCAP) General MacArthur, Acting Headquarters, Dai Ichi Life Insurance Building, Tokyo.

The United States occupation was in full swing and Ralph Heilemann was there. As an electrician onboard a United States Navy cruiser on a hush-hush mission to map the entirety of the Japanese coastline, Seaman Heilemann was deep into the electronic guts of his naval warship. Or was he already an Ensign — difficult to tell from the still hidden logs of his mission.

A long way from Milwaukee but close to Akihabara, Ralph Heilemann knew that he had to replenish his electronic stores before setting off for more remote harbors. Skilled at bartering from his days on the farm in Helenville, Wisconsin — Seaman Heilemann gathered his Naval rations and exchanged them for much more than a bag of beans. Dodging the white striped helmets of the United States Military Police and with Transistor Tubes in hand, Heilemann skulked his way back on board his ship rocking gently in the grey night. Close by, the giant Buddha of Kamakura stood watch as it had for hundreds of years.

Gregg Chadwick — Buddha of Kamakura, 36"x48" oil on linen 2010

Morale was low onboard ship and among the defeated Japanese populace. Rations were cut, food was scarce, water was hoarded. But a desire to keep living still beat in the hearts of all in this lackluster Christmas season. Somehow Heilemann knew that this Xmas was up to him. Tele-typed from high command perhaps? Or whispered along the docks at night? Or maybe Nat King Cole had slipped a recording to the ship’s crew before it set sail. (https://youtu.be/jcttnJQBzQ0) But that cold Japanese night much more than sweet potatoes would be roasting. Heilemann had chestnuts and musical notes in store.

With bartered electronic parts in hand, Heilemann slipped into the conning tower of his ship and relayed a hot wire to his newly acquired turntable. Levels were set on high. He barred the door to keep prying eyes away and set the needle on a spinning platter. With a hiss and a scratch, a voice burst forth across the bay. To this day some say it sounded like a choir of angels:

“Chestnuts roasting on an open fire,
Jack Frost nipping on your nose,
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir,
And folks dressed up like Eskimos.”

Before the second verse, the Lieutenant was banging on the door. But the music played on across the harbor. Many say it grew louder -

Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe,
Help to make the season bright.
Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow,
Will find it hard to sleep tonight.”

Before the third verse, the Commander was banging on the door. And the music played on across the harbor. Many say it grew even louder -

“They know that Santa’s on his way;
He’s loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh.
And every mother’s child is going to spy,
To see if reindeer really know how to fly.”

Before the fourth verse, the Captain was banging on the door. And the music played on across the harbor. Many say it grew even louder -

“And so I’m offering this simple phrase,
To kids from one to ninety-two,
Although it's been said many times, many ways,
A very Merry Christmas to you”

And after the final verse, the Admiral was on the horn. “Keep that music playing Heilemann”, he said. And many say it grew even louder as everyone on shore and onboard ship sang together.

All I know is that Ralph Heilemann needs to keep on singing. Keep playing that music Dad! Happy 90th Birthday!

Gregg Chadwick, I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold (Ralph Heilemann — Madison, Wisconsin) 18"x9"oil on linen 2008

Tuesday, February 01, 2022

Welcome to the Year of the Tiger

 Happy Lunar New Year!

새해 복 많이 받으세요!
虎年快乐
幸せな寅年





In an auspicious kick off to the lunar new year, @Singulart has included Year of the Tiger (Sumatran Tiger — CJ) in their new Year of the Tiger collection.
This oil on linen painting is the first in a series of artworks depicting the characters in the Chinese Zodiac using animals in the Los Angeles Zoo as models and inspiration. The model for Year of the Tiger is the Sumatran Tiger named CJ. Sumatran Tigers are severely endangered in the wild and need our help so they do not become extinct.

I first became aware of the fragile nature of our planet as an elementary school student. For Christmas one year, I asked my parents for the book “Wildlife in Danger” published by the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) They are still an important organization providing information, plans, and hope for our endangered earth. Worried about the environment as a kid, I drew pictures of animals constantly. Now, I am creating paintings that shed light on climate change, the beauty of the natural world, and our place with other species.
Year of the Tiger was first exhibited at The Other Art Fair in Los Angeles at Barker Hangar in September 2021 and continues to uphold the spirit of those born under the tiger’s sign as we move into 2022.

Pictured:
Gregg Chadwick
Year of the Tiger (Sumatran Tiger — CJ)
40" x 40 oil on linen 2021


#lunarnewyear #happynewyear2022 #yearofthetiger #Tiger #lazoo #sumatra @singulartofficial @lazoo @18thstreetarts