[Baren]: The mailing list / discussion forum for woodblock printmaking.

Baren Digest               Saturday, 8 April 2000       Volume 11 : Number 964

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From: Gregory Robison <grobison@swiftuganda.com>
Date: Fri, 07 Apr 2000 22:32:06 +0300
Subject: [Baren 9193] Re: debate on content and form/Kampala 

Studio Dalwood wrote:

PS  Gregory, thanks for your Kampala update. I keep hearing snippets on

> our news that actually mention Kampala. SOmething about a massacre? Did
> the picture framer give you a hard time? (joke). No seriously, what
> happened?

Dear Josephine:  Oh dear.  How to begin?  I don't have a television either,
and my idea of news is when an unexpected letter of Jane Austen turns up at
auction or when a large migratory bird is sighted in an unlikely
location...but occasionally something like the Kanungu mass suicide/murder
impinges.  It's now estimated that there are more than a thousand dead.
Every day for the last three weeks, it's been front page news here, as new
mass graves are uncovered, etc.  And this has only pushed to the back pages
what has been going on for years: the guerrilla movement in the north of the
country that kidnaps entire schools of children for recruits and for sexual
slavery, the arbitrary and gratuitous killing and maiming (people's pictures
appear in the papers with, for example, their lips cut off)...and there are
other calamities and violence and official corruption and deception that
would be intolerable in our countries.  These reflections don't really
belong here on Baren, but I can say in that in the fledgling national
gallery that we are trying to strengthen with the Junin Toiro show, there is
a modest outlet for some observations and relections by local artists on
their own society.  Perhaps, by raising consciousness, this will contribute
in a small way to change and progress.   I saw at the gallery recently some
artwork by children from "up country," obviously the result of a project
promoted by an international organization concerned with human rights.  The
"work" was a simple sketch book with drawings by children, listing the
"rights" they held dear.  And the first one was not the right to education,
or to health care, or to a safe home, or to a family... Oh all these were
there, later, depicted in pictures.  The first one, though, was simply this:
"the right to a name."   Next to this phrase, a child had rendered himself,
with a happy face, next to his hut.  It was difficult for me to read this,
and see this image, without emotion. In part because I realized that no
international organization or missionary group or government program could
possibly have invented this as the first wish on the list.  It was the
spontaneous and authentic expression of a child in the bush.   And this is
why it is important to have an art gallery here, even before the guerrillas
are defeated or the government is reformed.  There are names behind all
these figures of man-made calamities.  These events don't just pile up
number, they extinguish names.

Gregory Robison

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From: ArtfulCarol@aol.com
Date: Fri, 7 Apr 2000 17:13:57 EDT
Subject: [Baren 9194] Re: Skokie Show 

Sharen,

Wonderful letter you wrote about the Skokie show, Julio, all his helpers and 
the printers.!
I am thrilled to be part of it and wish I could be there
Carol .     . Irvington, NY

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From: Julio.Rodriguez@walgreens.com
Date: Fri, 7 Apr 2000 18:50:54 -0500
Subject: [Baren 9195] Skokie Exhibit - Opening 

I think I will just surface here for a quick second to thank Sharen Linder for
her wonderful report on last nights event
at the Skokie Library.

When I first set out to do this exhibit my goal was to promote the Baren group
and woodblock printmaking in general.
Now that many people are getting a chance to look at our works, this is a
reality. Following on the footsteps of KIWA in Kyoto and the Manhattan Graphics
Center in New York, I hope the Skokie exhibit is just one more Baren exhibit
with
many more to come.

As Sharen mentioned, the library has lots of glass. Not only are many of the
outside walls built of glass, but also the
room in the main lobby where we held the ceremony has also glass walls that
allow you to see in/out.  We setup a
few tables on the near side for refreshments and on the opposite side of the
room tables that displayed the Exchange folios (empty of course!), catalogs from
Graphic Chemical & Aikos, a couple of barens, another beautiful print and block
by Sharen and all the artist's bios that you guys sent me (these will go on a
book and on display near the computer station).  I also displayed all the
precious little thank you prints/cards that you sent along. On the main table
upfront we had David's two Surimono albums, Sharen's print "Bait Shop" and a
beautifully illustrated copy of an accordion-book that Sharen also put together
illustrating step-by-step the process of making an Ukiyo-e print. Next to the
table a  TV/VCR played a video of David's documentary on his ten-year
project.....and next to that another small table with some additional prints and
printing paper samples for people to touch.

After a general welcome and introduction by Carolyn Anthony (Library Director),
Sharen and I spoke for a few minutes about the group and the wonderful
interchange of ideas that Baren provides.  It was a very special evening for me
and certainly sharing it with family, friends and another fellow Baren member
was the highlight of several months of planning. Wish you all could have been
there!

Again thank you all for your wonderful prints, your support and your
participation in Baren. Photos soon!

Julio

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From: Wanda <robertson@canby.com>
Date: Fri, 07 Apr 2000 22:40:40 -0700
Subject: [Baren 9196] Exchange #6-silly stuff 

Well, for those of you members vying for that last 8 positions in the
most coveted exchange sign-up so far - wasn't that fun?

For those interested, here are the scores:

Some of us started kind of early. Perhaps, the clocks in their house are
at all different times (like mine) so you really didn't know *what* time
it was. :-)

Julio Rodriquez is the big winner - he pushed that submit button a total
of 12 times! With added comments begging for favors from on high.

Gayle Wohlken comes in at 2nd place with 11 punches.

Arye Saar is 3rd with 7 button pushes.

Yours truly is 4th with  5 pushes.

Bobbie Mandell pushed the little button only 4 times.

Brad Schwartz & Jeanne Norman Chase pushed twice each.

And John Amoss & Maria Arango were masters of restraint (or actually
knew what time it really was) and only pushed their submit button once.

That's just about the most fun I've ever had at 8 o'clock in the
morning!

LOL!

Wanda

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From: Studio Dalwood <severn@acay.com.au>
Date: Sat, 08 Apr 2000 18:03:16 +1000
Subject: [Baren 9197] Print Australia Update 

Hi All

Just to let you know that after what feels likes days of uploading and
testing I have finally updated the Print Australia site. This is the one
I have been working on in the background for weeks and it has new
sections for you to look at. Well, at least I have the framework up for
most of it, now. Phew! I have been here all day.

I would be grateful if you would have a look and let me know what you
think of the new-look site, especially in testing for broken links or
logical inconsistencies.

There is a lot more to go on yet as you will see.

Now all I have to do is figure out why the counter has stopped...

Josephine Severn
Waving from a small poky spare room huddled over the PC somewhere in the
antipodes. (who said I'm a computer nerd?)

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End of Baren Digest V11 #964
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