Maybe Lyons Wier Ortt will start a trend. They are moving to Seventh Avenue at 20th Street. It would be lovely to have galleries near places to eat/drink/have a coffee, more like what the burgeoning Lower East Side scene has.

I’m glad the weather is so great today, as there are plenty of group show openings in Chelsea worth a visit:

• Unfathom at Max Protetch
• Solar Set at Foxy Production
• Late Liberties at John Connelly Presents
• Laying Bricks at Wallspace

… plus others at Mixed Greens, D’Amelio Terras, and Frederieke Taylor. Hit ArtCal for all the details.

James and I, however, will be on Ludlow Street for the re-opening of 31 Grand. How could we possibly miss a Barnaby Whitfield painting that has Nicole Eisenman and Tom Sanford (source of image) in it? [Barnaby informs me this won’t be in the show, but it’s too great not to leave in the post.]

Barnaby Whitfield, Gold Lion’s Gonna Tell Me Where The Light Is, 2007, pastel on paper, 30 × 40 inches

The title of the show, No New Tale to Tell, comes from a Love and Rockets song, so to get in the mood hit the last.fm page for the band and listen to some tunes, or just use the widget below.

I will admit I haven’t seen this work in person yet, but from what I’ve seen online, Exit Art and the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts are not the only art spaces worth visiting in the West 30s these days. Despite its name, the Lower East Side Printshop is now located on West 37th Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues. Here is an installation view and three details by Matthew Day Jackson from the current show (up through August 31).

Matthew Day Jackson, Metamorphosis, 2007, aquatint, etching, screenprint, archival inkjet, gold leaf, and hand additions, 73″ × 154″ overall installation. ed: 16

Matthew Day Jackson, Metamorphosis C, 2007, screenprint on found poster, 18″ × 24″ image and sheet

Matthew Day Jackson, Metamorphosis E, 2007, intaglio on found map, 19.625″ × 27.625″ image and sheet

Matthew Day Jackson, Metamorphosis G, 2007, intaglio, archival inkjet, and Flavor-Aid on paper, 28.812″ × 21.875″ image and sheet

© Matthew Day Jackson, published by the Lower East Side Printshop; Photos: Hiro Ihara

The Printshop also has a cool logo:

• GOP Florida State Rep. Allen Charged in Gay Oral Sex Solicitation
  More fun news from the "family values" crowd. I love the fact that there was a "reuters caeers" ad on the right side of the page when I read it.
  tags: gay sex publicsex hypocrisy gop florida
• SUMMERCAMP! – Documentary Film – Bradley Beesley and Sarah Price
  Opens at IFC Film Center July 18 for one week; Sarah also co-produced the "Yes Men"
  tags: movie summercamp documentary
• TheHill.com – Flynt is tracking 20 congressional sex scandal leads
  Larry Flynt, the porn-industry magnate who first linked Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) to the escort service of the "D.C. Madam," said Wednesday that his investigators are tracking more than 20 leads on alleged congressional sex scandals.
  tags: sex politics congress hypocrisy

Nicole Eisenman, Little Boy Walking Big Dog, 2007, Oil paint and mixed media on wood, 17 × 18.5 inches

I loved this sculpture/painting we saw at Smith-Stewart’s show titled She was born to be my unicorn. The curator Amy Kellner describes it as the flipside of the Bob Nickas “cute boy energy” show at Team in 2003, my people were fair and had cum in their hair (but now they’re content to spray stars from your boughs). I also really liked the papillon ink and watercolor piece by J Penry, who is in a 3-person show opening Friday at V&A on the Lower East Side.

Sorry for the lack of posting. It’s been too hot to think, and I’m working on some new things for ArtCat and ArtCal.

Related links:

• bloggy
• james wagner

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  Reverend Billy was arrested for "Harassment of a Public Official" for reciting the First Amendment to the NYPD gathered to harass Critical Mass.
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• Infoshop News – Exxon Hacks the Yes Men
  One day after the Yes Men made a joke announcement that ExxonMobil plans to turn billions of climate-change victims into a brand-new fuel called Vivoleum, the Yes Men’s upstream internet service provider shut down Vivoleum.com, the Yes Men’s spoof website
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• Silas H. Rhodes Dies at 91; Built School of Visual Arts – New York Times
  Silas H. Rhodes, co-founder of a trade school for cartoonists and illustrators in Manhattan that he built into the School of Visual Arts
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• New media powerhouse Eyebeam now a decade old
  Article in Chelsea Now on Eyebeam
  tags: eyebeam art newmedia gallery nonprofit chelsea

• Infoshop News – Exxon Hacks the Yes Men
  One day after the Yes Men made a joke announcement that ExxonMobil plans to turn billions of climate-change victims into a brand-new fuel called Vivoleum, the Yes Men’s upstream internet service provider shut down Vivoleum.com, the Yes Men’s spoof website
  tags: exxonmobil yesmen parody isp oil
• Silas H. Rhodes Dies at 91; Built School of Visual Arts – New York Times
  Silas H. Rhodes, co-founder of a trade school for cartoonists and illustrators in Manhattan that he built into the School of Visual Arts
  tags: art school sva nyc
• New media powerhouse Eyebeam now a decade old
  Article in Chelsea Now on Eyebeam
  tags: eyebeam art newmedia gallery nonprofit chelsea

This bit of street art seems to be a trend in Chelsea. See also: this photo from Michael Mandiberg.

• onNYTurf: More Mass Bike Clippings By NYPD – This Time in Williamsburg
  On June 28, without any warning, officers at the 94th precinct in Williamsburg confiscated bicycles that were parked and locked to street fixtures. Legally, bicycles may lock to sign posts and other street furniture.
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• Heather’s Blog
  Heather Stephens of 31GRAND joins the art blogosphere
  tags: art blog gallery 31grand
• Gothamist: City Proposes Limits on Public Photography, Filming
  The Mayor’s Office of Theater, Film, and Broadcasting, which coordinates film and television production and issues permits around the five boroughs, is considering rules that could potentially severely restrict the ability of even amateur photographers an
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