MELISSALAND

It’s been over four months since I last wrote here. To tell the truth, it’s been four months since I wrote anything really (or so it seems). But as all new years do allow, I can start fresh, forgive my slow-moving hands and start writing and sharing again.

It isn’t that I simply had nothing to write about - in fact, quite the opposite. I have been overwhelmed with content. I needed time to process it all, turning it over like a new object, examining its textures, sounds.

Universe, you gave me such wonderful gifts these past few months. How do I ever thank you?

Came across this very nice bit of writing by Mary Louise-Parker in an issue of Esquire a few months back and thought it was lovely - Enjoy!

A Thank-You Note to Men

By Mary-Louise Parker

To you, whom it may concern:

Manly creature, who smells good even when you don’t, you wake up too slowly, with fuzzy, vertical hair and a slightly lost look on your face as though you are seven or seventy-five; you can fix my front door, my sink, and open most jars; you, who lose a cuff link and have to settle for a safety pin, you have promised to slay unfortunate interlopers and dragons with your Phillips head or Montblanc; to you, because you will notice a woman with a healthy chunk of years or pounds on her and let out a wolf whistle under your breath and mean it; because you think either rug will be fine, really it will; you seem to walk down the street a little taller than me, a little more aware but with a purpose still; to you who codifies, conjugates, slams a puck, baits a hook, builds a decent cabinet or the perfect sandwich; you who gives a twenty to the kids selling Hershey’s bars and waits at baggage claim for three hours in your flannel shirt; you, sir, you take my order, my pulse, my bullshit; you who soaps me in the shower, soaks with me in the tub; to you, boy grown-up, the gentleman, soldier, professor, or caveman, the fancy man with initials on your towels and salt on your chocolates, to you and to that guy at the concession stand; thank you for the tour of the vineyard, the fire station, the sound booth, thank you for the kaleidoscope, the Horsehead Nebula, the painting, the truth; to you who carries me across the parking lot, up the stairs, to the ER, to roll-away or rice mat; to you who shows up every so often only to confuse and torment, and you who stays in orbit, always, to my left and steady, you stood up for me, I won’t forget that; to you, the one who can’t figure it out and never will, and you who lost the remote, the dog, or your way altogether; to you, wizard, you sang in my ear and brought me back from the dead, you tell me things, make me shiver; to the ones who destroyed me, even if for a minute, and to the ones who grew me, consumed me, gave me my heart back times ten; to most everything that deserves to call itself a man: How I do love thee, with your skill to light fires that keep me warm, light me up.

Ah, I can’t believe this show is almost over. It’s been great fun these past few weeks - definitely one of my favorites. We have scheduled an artist talk for the closing weekend and both Robert Flynt and David Lebe will be joining us in person. Gary Schneider (and possibly Warren all the way from Greece) will be joining remotely via Skype (don’t you love technology!)

Anyway, if you would like to attend (yes!) come by the gallery this Saturday at 5 O’Clock. Promise it will be fun, these guys are great and I could listen to them talk all night long (they won’t though)

AND, if you can’t make it to the gallery, or you live far, far away….you can listen in online on WGXC, the new community-run (kick ass) radio project:

http://www.free103point9.org/communityradio/

So there. Now you have no excuse not to catch this

So, a few days ago I tweeted how I was about to spend an evening with a bag of fig newtons, one of my favorite cookies. The next day Jim Vasilow of Vasilow’s came by the gallery with the most delicious concoction for me:

CHOCOLATE COVERED FIG NEWTONS!

Heaven.

(I am very glad he only brought me two of these, because truthfully, I could have eaten many more)

Apparently, Jim’s creativity does not stop with fig newtons, you can also get chocolate-covered fortune cookies and twizzlers from his shop.

I love living in a small community where everyone not only WANTS to learn about each other, but goes out of their way to make you feel good. To me, Hudson is definitely home, and this is just one example why. I am proud to live in such a fantastic little city.

A photo of Vasilow’s back in 1923 when it first opened in Hudson

If you happen to be in Hudson, go visit Jim at Vasilow’s. Ask for the fig newtons

View Larger Map

White Shirt No.2 by Martin Rich, gelatin silver print

Funny how absence can have so much weight.

Play - Starlings.mp3 by Elbow

Fast forward to 1:35 and watch the entire interview.

We all decide how we want to see the world…….

“The fucking regret, and guilt. These things - Don’t let anyone ever say to you, ‘you shouldn’t regret anything’. Don’t do that, don’t. You regret what you fucking want. Use that regret, for anything, anything you want - you can use it, OK.”

Use it to wake up tomorrow and do things better.

I have this really great drawing by Roy Bautista I bought - it hangs across from my bed and when I fall asleep it is the last thing I see. It is a maniacal drawing of hands, faces, lines - a mess of graphite. You can just barely make out the lettering in the center of this gigantic drawing (it is over 5ft long):

“until the sun sets I reset sin”

I love it.

Every morning it reminds me - I have 24 hours. I have 24 beautiful hours to be human. To make mistakes, to learn from them and to, hopefully, get one more day…..to try it again.

“…Before our collective paradigm shift (the financial “crisis”, or “clusterfuck”, etc.) this is what the future looked like; rich black tarmac paved and waiting to be surrounded by a subdivision. The trees would have to go, of course, and a dozen more just like this would have to be built, clustered tightly inside whatever preplanned area fit best with the land purchase. The real gift, given to us by the meltdown, is that of a better future; even if that future is still purely hypothetical, as this empty cul-de-sac, above. Of course, we don’t know what this new future will look like, yet. There are thousands of ways to go from here and the evidence is still underdetermined as to which is the best. It’s fortunate, I guess, considering how badly we failed in our previous utopiuan dreams. Eventually, though, we’re going to have to settle down and figure out exactly what we want our bright-shiny-new future to look like and then set about constructing it.”

——–

Photo by: Stacy Arezou Mehrfar - Magnolia, Texas. April 2006 #1 — from the series American Palimpsests

Text by: William Ball

Awww, don’t they look pretty!

The new Hudson Gallery Guide I designed for the 14 Warren Street galleries arrived today. Everything was wonderful till I counted and realized there were only THIRTEEN listed. Somehow, in some daze, I forgot Tom Swope’s gallery. (I also have, like 18 versions of this on my computer, I know it was listed on at least one of them…)

I’m a moron. Please go visit Tom’s cool gallery so I don’t feel like such an ass.

I think, whenever something goes wrong like this, minor or major, I’m playing this video:

That dude makes any bad day, any mistake, any worry, just melt away…….

Talent is so damn attractive.

I hope to see this man perform in New York someday (soon hopefully) - Will happily invite him here to Hudson any day. I feel uplifted/excited/inspired just from watching this wonderful clip.

After viewing a few of the videos of Dub FX out on the streets beating his heart out, and watching those who stopped to listen, those who passed on by in the background, I was reminded of this Washington Post article about street musicians. It is a long read, but well worth it.  The article is about Joshua Bell, a well known classical violinist, who was asked to perform incognito in a metro station during rush hour, as a social experiment about perception and priorities: would passersby stop and recognize what they were hearing?

Sadly, the article points out that he was not recognized. No applause. A few people, out of thousands who poured in an out of the station during those 45 minutes, stopped to listen.

Now, I don’t really believe that most people would recognize Joshua Bell (I doubt that I would have), BUT, I don’t think that is the crux of the larger argument that article attempts to make, which is: Do we stop to enjoy ourselves and the sometimes amazingly beautiful things that surround us.

(and there are plenty of amazingly beautiful things)

I am an enthusiastic lover/supporter/producer of public art programs. live music. sculpture. multimedia projects, you name it - anything which surprises, engages, enriches and excites. Things that catch me off guard and leave me smiling.

May there be more street artists, more murals, more movies in the park, more outdoor events, more reasons to step outside, stay outside - more chances to listen, watch, learn and be inspired.

Pay attention folks - the world is outside playing just for you.

Visit and learn more: http://www.dubfx.net/