Mama Virtual

MAMA VIRTUAL from Jeny Amaya on Vimeo.

MAMA VIRTUAL, directed by 18th Street Arts Center's communications associate Jeny Amaya, materializes the virtual sphere that transnational mothers construct in order to maintain contact with their children and families back in their home countries. Separated from their children, these Central American mothers externalize this virtual realm through their performance of the “mother’s touch” through the touchscreen of a phone, digital images, phone cards, and other mediated technologies.

 Watch the other film part of this series here.

21st Century Pauper Fields

.@realDonaldTrump and @VP should bow their heads in shame. https://t.co/8t3RbXWSSz

— Gregg Chadwick (@greggchadwick) April 10, 2020

Patrick Stewart Reads Shakespeare's Sonnet #18

Sonnet 18. Perhaps the most well-known sonnet in the book. Speaking of the book, a little backstory on that too. #ASonnetADay pic.twitter.com/XjSDIntMos

— Patrick Stewart (@SirPatStew) April 6, 2020

Sonnet 18. Perhaps the most well-known sonnet in the book. Speaking of the book, a little backstory on that too. #ASonnetADay

Because His Music Lives - John Prine: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

From Ann Powers' remembrance of John Prine, who died yesterday at the age of 73: “He hadn’t been well, off and on, for many years, but he also seemed oddly indestructible. Everyone’s love and need for his presence wove protection around him. But we are living in a time when no concept of protection seems adequate. Acknowledging that, I turned to Prine’s music. This is how we honor our losses as music fans: by holding close the recordings that keep a voice resonant past mortality.” Click here to read the full remembrance: https://n.pr/34ixO20

Bruce Springsteen Assures Listeners "Better Times Are Coming"

Yo-Yo Ma Plays Dona Nobis Pacem

Dona Nobis Pacem (“grant us peace”) #songsofcomfort pic.twitter.com/bl2iDDdaYa

— Yo-Yo Ma (@YoYo_Ma) April 7, 2020

Yo-Yo Ma Plays Dona Nobis Pacem (“grant us peace”) #songsofcomfort

Linda Goes to Mars - John Prine and Bill Murray

Bill Murray explaining how Hunter S. Thompson told him to listen to the music of John Prine to get himself out of a deep lasting funk#RIPJohnPrine pic.twitter.com/AgABZusDSg

— Icculus The Brave (@FirenzeMike) April 8, 2020

Listen Now to Michael McDermott's New Song "What In the World"

Stop what you are doing right now! And turn on this fire breathing new single from my visionary friend Michael McDermott.  Michael writes: “Watching the norms of this country be deconstructed and the behavior of he who will not be named, I often just found myself saying aloud ‘What in the world?’ I was in a cab on Lincoln Avenue in Chicago shooting a video for my last record when the chorus of this came to me.  The next day, I immediately went to see if those rapid-fire lyrics would fit and lo and behold I had myself that downtrodden anthem I’d always dreamed of.”

Now listen to Bob Cesca's podcast with Michael McDermott:

Bob writes - "My guest ... is singer songwriter, Michael McDermott. The new album, What In The World, drops on June 5. In addition to chatting with Michael about his life and music, he performed three of his songs, live here on the show, and at least one will make you cry -- in a good way. We also talked about everything from drugs to Trump to Stephen King, and a lot more. I’m a total fanboy, so this was a rare privilege for me. You should be downloading his albums everywhere you get your digital music, and I assure you, you will absolutely fall in love with his work, as I have. Find him on Facebook and at Michael-McDermott.com. "

Thank You Healthcare Workers!

It’s World Health Day, and we owe a profound debt of gratitude to all our medical professionals. They’re still giving their all for us every day, at great risk to themselves, and we can’t thank them enough for their bravery and their service.

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) April 7, 2020

On this #WorldHealthDay, I want to thank all the healthcare workers on the frontlines who have been risking their lives for us. I hope you’ll join me in expressing gratitude to the healthcare workers in your life. Let's show them how appreciated they are! pic.twitter.com/ceTAzoWJIe

— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) April 7, 2020

Extubation Dance at UCLA!

Yes, patients do recover from #COVID19 #ARDS. And yes, my #ICU team does do an #extubation dance every time we liberate someone from a #Ventilator. #ARDSAvengers #coronavirus #bestteamever @uclaimchiefs @UCLAHealth @atscommunity @GiladJaffe @HungryDes @NoCoughEng pic.twitter.com/axgV7pOTXU

— Nida Qadir, MD (@NidaQadirMD) April 6, 2020

Inspiring post from UCLA physician

Nida Qadir, MD@NidaQadirMD

Yes, patients do recover from #COVID19 #ARDS. And yes, my #ICU team does do an #extubation dance every time we liberate someone from a #Ventilator. #ARDSAvengers #coronavirus #bestteamever @uclaimchiefs @UCLAHealth @atscommunity @GiladJaffe @HungryDes @NoCoughEng

Thoughts on Michelangelo in Our Time of Crisis

by Gregg Chadwick

Frequent readers know that I enjoy the wit and erudition of Tyler Green. His Modern Art Notes Podcast is always worth a listen. The latest episode, embedded above, features art historian William E. Wallace and curator Julian Brooks.

Wallace discusses his latest book - “Michelangelo, God’s Architect: The Story of His Final Years and Greatest Masterpiece.” Wallace's new book is available on Bookshop. 

 Tyler writes :"The book offers a rich and lively biographical examination of the last two decades of Michelangelo’s life, a period when he became the architect of St. Peter’s Basilica and other buildings, even as he continued to sculpt and draw." 

Michelangelo

The Florentine Pietà

 1547-55

Wallace's discussion of Michelangelo's late Pietàs is exceptionally interesting. These are two of my favorite sculptural works by Michelangelo because of their incomplete nature. 

Michelangelo 
Two Views of the Rondanini Pietà 
1564
Castello Sforzesco, Milano
photos by Gregg Chadwick

I have spent hours in the company of Michelangelo's two late pietàs in Florence and Milan. 

There is an intently spiritual nature to these sculptures. The marble seems to flicker like candlelight. Form seems to melt with time. My painting La Vita Trasparente (The Transparent Life) was inspired by my visits to the Castello Sforzesco which houses Michelangelo's Rondanini Pietà. Watching a couple stroll through the garden along the castle wall reminded me of the hope that new love brings. Life flickers with light and hope in these moments. Now, as the Covid-19 crisis rages through Northern Italy and the world, I am brought back to the time that I painted La Vita Trasparente. I think of my friends in Milan, Verona, and Trento. Many are health care workers on the front lines of the pandemic. Today, it seems that the curve may be breaking in Italy. I hope this is a positive shift. I send my thoughts to all of you caught up in this struggle. Take care my friends. 

Gregg Chadwick
La Vita Trasparente (The Transparent Life) 
48"x38" oil on linen 2014
Private Collection, New York

In the second half of this podcast Tyler Green chats with Julian Brooks who co-curated with Emily J. Peters, the exhibition “Michelangelo: Mind of the Master” at the J. Paul Getty Museum. Brooks explains to us how Michelangelo used his drawings. Brooks discusses Michelangelo's studies for his unfinished and now lost Battle of Cascina, with detail and excitement. I wrote about Michelangelo's drawings after viewing the monumental 2017 exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. My thoughts then - 

These drawings are sumptuously beautiful, and set the stage for the rest of Michelangelo's artistic life. Michelangelo's touch is all over these works. The use of chalk in many of the drawings, rather than pen and ink, opens up a sensuous physicality that feels more like flesh than stone.

A map of desire seems to be drawn across the back of many of Michelangelo's figures. In the gallery I think of the poetry and art to come - Cavafy, Isherwood, Bachardy, Bacon, and Hockney.

Sadly, the Getty is temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is scheduled to be at the Getty through June 7. The catalog is available on Bookshop. 

The Artist's Sketchbook: A Personal View by Charles Ritchie

Inspiring lecture by Charles Ritchie - artist, and former associate curator, department of modern prints and drawings,  at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC.

The National Gallery writes: "In this lecture held on October 27, 2019, in conjunction with the month-long Sketching is Seeing program at the National Gallery of Art, Charles Ritchie presents varied approaches to collecting ideas. For example, do artists fill a sketchbook from front to back or do they open it to an empty space and begin working? Does writing accompany the drawings and how might it relate to the images? Are the drawings and/or writings employed for developing skill, or are they compost for the creation of other works, or does the book document completed works? Using his experience as a keeper of a sketchbook/journal, Ritchie explores the creative practices of some of his favorite artists including Isabel Bishop, Paul Cézanne, Eugène Delacroix, Alberto Giacometti, and Edward Hopper, among others, and he touches on formative manuscripts by Emily Dickinson, Jack Kerouac, and Wallace Stevens. The presentation concludes with a meditation on some of the forces at the core of drawing and writing: the desire to remember, the spirit of play and improvisation, and the essential ingredient―curiosity."

Max Richter: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

Wow!

Nina Simone "Suzanne" (1969)

In 2018, I was in Montreal following the trail of Leonard Cohen. Two years later in the midst of our global pandemic, Nina Simone's version of Cohen's "Suzanne" strikes me deep in my soul.

#RIP Bill Withers

Words of Hope

Out of every crisis, America has always emerged stronger — and we will again. We will not be defeated. pic.twitter.com/HLR9WBZBhR

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) April 5, 2020

Her Majesty The Queen addresses the UK and the Commonwealth in a special broadcast recorded at Windsor Castle. pic.twitter.com/HjO1uiV1Tm

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) April 5, 2020

Take a virtual tour of the brilliant Raffaello exhibition at the Scuderie del Quirinale in Rome

The Soul of Our Nation

Throughout the campaign, I’ve talked a lot about the soul of our nation — we’re seeing that soul on full display. There’s so much good happening — people reaching out to one another, neighbors helping neighbors, caring for those in need. It makes me so proud to be an American. https://t.co/aVOCC4vBWb

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) April 4, 2020

Useful Project for Today: How To Make a Pleated Face Mask // Washable, Reusable, No-Sewing Required

The Airborne Toxic Event - Come On Out (Official Video)

Michelangelo: Mind of the Master

Patrick Stewart's Sonnet for Today - Sonnet 12

Sonnet 12. I hope you’re ready for this. #ASonnetADay pic.twitter.com/B4v1leZ2qi

— Patrick Stewart (@SirPatStew) March 31, 2020

Sonnet 12. I hope you’re ready for this. #ASonnetADay

Happy Transgender Day of Visibility!

In the Life: Isis King and Janet Mock on trans media portrayals

Joe Biden Brings the Truth to Extinguish Trump's Lies

Very powerful ad from Joe Biden. pic.twitter.com/wxkvyRBaqi

— Khive Queen B (@KHiveQueenB) March 31, 2020

Stay the Heck at Home (non-explicit)

Tune in: A Frontlines Round Table With Vice President Biden | Joe Biden ...

Patrick Stewart Sonnet Time

Sonnet 5 is too hard. Here’s number 6. #ASonnetADay pic.twitter.com/WfPppZxc8Z

— Patrick Stewart (@SirPatStew) March 26, 2020

New Online Source for Help During the Coronavirus Epidemic: #WhileAtHome

"#WhileAtHome is the portal to meet your many needs during the COVID-19 virus. Find hotlines. Check for medical help. Give to people in need. Take the census. Help with a job or benefits. Tips for parents. More added everyday. This is built for us by volunteers. In a time like this, access to high-quality information will be a game-changer."

Andy Slavitt
Founder, United States of Care; Former Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)

Access #WhileAtHome Portal Here - https://whileathome.org/

Today we launch #WhileAtHome, a resource hub for anyone impacted by COVID-19.

Get tested. Find grants & loans. Tools for teachers. Find job or apply for benefits. Organize. Tips for parents. Repair your small business. Volunteer. & much more.https://t.co/LuNXd5XxXv

— deray (@deray) March 26, 2020

Nurses Need Our Help

The best way to thank our nurses and health care workers is to listen to them.

Here’s one ICU nurse‘s plea to her fellow New Yorkers.#NewYorkTough pic.twitter.com/e8nHYGIvQQ

— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) March 26, 2020

The best way to thank our nurses and health care workers is to listen to them. Here’s one ICU nurse‘s plea to her fellow New Yorkers. #NewYorkTough

Gregg Chadwick
The Team (Nurse Anesthetist)
48"x36" oil on linen 2019

In honor of the brave nurses, doctors and health care workers fighting the Coronavirus pandemic, I am posting my painting “The Team” that I created for the UCLA School of Nursing. I was brought up in a USMC family and learned the phrase “Run to the guns” as a kid. This is what these dedicated nurses, doctors, and health workers do every day. Please stay home and let them fight Covid19 for all of us.
“The Team” is part of my series of artworks about the history of nursing on permanent display at the UCLA School of Nursing. It has been an honor to create these oil on linen paintings for my alma mater. Classic framing by @deboramemento . Install led by Debora, Dean Sarna and the @ucla facilities team. Deep thanks to all who supported the @uclaspark campaign.
@uclahealth @uclaarts @uclanursing #artistsoninstagram #nursingschool #nursing #Nursingsaveslives #art #meninnursing #nurseanesthetist

The Getty Manet: Is Beauty Transitory?

Manet and Modern Beauty

El Greco: Ambition and Defiance

Thank You Governor Newsom for Helping Us Recognize Our Common Humanity

A disease is not a reason to be racist. We simply will not tolerate any form of xenophobia. This is a time to come together. To recognize our common humanity.

We will get through this -- together. pic.twitter.com/fRJzYLmtGa

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) March 23, 2020

A disease is not a reason to be racist. We simply will not tolerate any form of xenophobia. This is a time to come together. To recognize our common humanity. We will get through this -- together.

Please Give to the Artist and Activist Relief Fund

Gregg Chadwick just put me to sleep. Thank you my brother. You are far too kind.

Save the artists.
Protect the activists.
We can do this together!!!

Keep giving.
Your generosity has no limit.https://t.co/AeqDBW1vSw

— Michael Skolnik (@MichaelSkolnik) March 23, 2020

Robert De Niro is watching you. Stay home. Save lives

Robert De Niro is watching you. Stay home. Save lives.#NewYorkStateStrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/WgAsBuIrKk

— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) March 23, 2020

Trump is going to get millions killed. That is not an exaggeration.

Here is Katie Porter's ER doc sister breaking down the numbers of how many Americans will die if we don't get enough hospital beds, ventilators, and PPE.

Trump refusing to invoke the DPA is going to be massively deadly: https://t.co/BHvzEbvALN

— Clara Jeffery (@ClaraJeffery) March 22, 2020

Some of Italian nurses & doctors after long hours of work in intensive care. ❤️🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/YAG9oVcgrq

— Travelito (@Travelito24) March 22, 2020

Ron Klain, former White House Ebola Response Coordinator, breaks it down for us

Everyone knows that we're facing a real crisis from the coronavirus. But do you know how we got here and what we need to do next? Ron Klain, former White House Ebola Response Coordinator, breaks it down for us: pic.twitter.com/XRkIw2EzM4

— Joe Biden (Text Join to 30330) (@JoeBiden) March 21, 2020

President Trump’s dithering on preparing us for this global pandemic and his lies about his response to this dangerous crisis is one of the most unjustifiable failures of presidential leadership in American history. https://t.co/pFIoZCJWmH

— Joe Biden (Text Join to 30330) (@JoeBiden) March 23, 2020

Protect Nurses

If nurses aren’t safe, we aren’t safe. #ProtectNurses

Gregg Chadwick
24/7
oil on linen 2019
In honor of the brave nurses, doctors and health care workers fighting the #Coronavirus pandemic, I am posting my painting “24/7” that I created for the UCLA School of Nursing. I was brought up in a @USMC family and learned the phrase “Run to the guns” as a kid. This is what these dedicated nurses, doctors, and health workers do every day. Please stay home and let them fight #Covid19 for all of us. “24/7” is part of my series of artworks about the history of nursing on permanent display at the UCLA School of Nursing. It has been an honor to create these oil on linen paintings for my alma mater. Classic framing by @deboramemento . Install led by Debora, Dean Sarna and the @ucla facilities team. Deep thanks to all who supported the @uclaspark campaign.

@uclahealth @uclaarts @uclanursing #artistsoninstagram #nursingschool #nursing 
#Nursingsaveslives #art #meninnursing

I know what it’s like to get sick suddenly, with no warning. And I rely on incredible health care givers to take care of me.

Nurses protect us every day. Now it’s our turn to protect them.

If nurses aren’t safe, we aren’t safe. #ProtectNursespic.twitter.com/mTj7mhFw9p

— Ady Barkan🔥🌹 (@AdyBarkan) March 22, 2020

Some of Italian nurses & doctors after long hours of work in intensive care. ❤️🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/YAG9oVcgrq

— Travelito (@Travelito24) March 22, 2020

#StayAtHome & #SocialDistancing protect us from #COVID19

“The healthy and optimistic among us will doom the vulnerable,” Landon said. She acknowledged that restrictions like a shelter-in-place may end up feeling “extreme” and “anticlimactic” — and that’s the point.

WATCH: Dr Emily Landon of @UChicagoMed on how #StayAtHome & #SocialDistancing protect us from #COVID19.

"It's hard to feel like you're saving the world while watching Netflix on your couch. But if we do this right—nothing happens—& nothing means nothing happened to your family." pic.twitter.com/i32a7Rq5FT

— Buffy Wicks (@BuffyWicks) March 21, 2020

Songs of Comfort

In these days of anxiety, I wanted to find a way to continue to share some of the music that gives me comfort. The first of my #SongsOfComfort: Dvořák – "Going Home”

Stay safe. pic.twitter.com/S28w6OlXiZ

— Yo-Yo Ma (@YoYo_Ma) March 13, 2020

Over the Rainbow

Bravo! ❤️👏🏾

This school district's annual Choral Festival was canceled, so the students all sang their individual a cappella portion of "Over the Rainbow" in their separate homes, and put them together to create this masterpiece.

pic.twitter.com/ch58d819uw

— FierceWarriorNStilettos (@InactionNever) March 20, 2020

Chino Valley Unified School District's annual Choral Festival was canceled, so the students all sang their individual a cappella portion of "Over the Rainbow" in their separate homes, and put them together to create this masterpiece.

Michael Stipe Reminds Us That We Are In This Together!

Underneath the bunker. We are going to get through it. pic.twitter.com/y65bsL7MsD

— R.E.M. HQ (@remhq) March 21, 2020

The Airborne Toxic Event - Sometime Around Midnight (Live at SXSW)

Mazzy Star - Fade Into You - 10/2/1994 - Shoreline Amphitheatre (Official)

"Thunder Road" - Toby Cohen, The Cutting Room, 3/1/20

Burr and Loeffler sitting in a tree, illegally selling stocks, and ripping off you and me!

Burr and Loeffler sitting in a tree, illegally selling stocks, and ripping off you and me!#SwampMonsters #marketcrash #COVID19 #coronavirus

— Gregg Chadwick (@greggchadwick) March 20, 2020

Burr and Loeffler sitting in a tree, illegally selling stocks, and ripping off you and me! #SwampMonsters #marketcrash #COVID19 #coronavirus

Honest Government Ad | Coronavirus: Flatten The Curve