DIDiva & The Mad Machines
Dr. Schirmer’s* Playpen, Galvanzied steel, mixed media, 2010
*Not a real doctor
DIDiva & The Mad Machines
Featuring: Dr. Lilly’s Tank, Dr. Wada’s Method,
Dr. Reicher’s Box, Dr. Schirmer’s* Playpen
& More!
New sculpture by Lynn Schirmer
March 4-27, 2010
Reception: First Thursday, March 4, 5-9pm
Corridor Gallery
306 S. Washington St.
Seattle, WA 98104
Sponsored by: DIDiva.com
I have 3 upcoming exhibits…
Opens February 27th
1022 First Ave. S.
Seattle, WA 98134
March 6- April 18
651 W. Main St.
Riverhead, NY
and…
A solo show at Corridor Gallery (I’m no longer the curator, so I can show there now) opening March 4. I can’t give away the name yet, as it’s going to be part of an Internet launch that I hope makes some big waves. Stay tuned!
Detail: Madonna of The Electro-shock Belt
I’ve added new work and I’ve optimized the site for the now ubiquitous larger resolution monitors. It’s about time I caught up I suppose.
Public acknowledgment of my own cause, case, or history, whichever you prefer, is impacted by the effects of Mr. Bryant’s incredible book. As a result, I get too emotional and have difficulty writing a coherent description of it.
The Franklin Scandal by Nick Bryant
The Franklin Scandal refers to a child trafficking ring discovered during the course of the Nebraska State Senate’s investigation of the so-named failed Savings and Loan during the 1980’s. Journalist Nick Bryant spent 7 years investigating the scandal, parsing out its legitimate aspects through multiple witness corroboration and extensive documentation from private and public records. His resulting work firmly moves Franklin from the realm of theory into a provable account of elite political use of children for sexual and blackmail purposes. It is no wonder he is facing great difficulty bringing it to the general public’s attention.
That’s the best I can do for a synopsis.
I’m editing this post from this point on to substitute a rather basic appeal. Please consider ordering Nick’s book. Here are 3 sources:
Barnes & Noble
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Franklin-Scandal/Nick-Bryant/e/9780977795352/?itm=1&USRI=franklin+scandal
Here’s the appeal from Sander Hicks:
You can do something, right now, to help rip the lid off the cover-up of one of the biggest child sex abuse scandals, EVER.
It’s a huge, creepy story, and people died in the cover up.
My friend Nick Bryant just pulled off the impossible, and published an authoritative book on this, called “The Franklin Scandal.” (Trine Day, 2009 http://franklinscandal.com). He took a lot of heat to get this book out. Now he needs your help.The GOP’s Lawrence King was never prosecuted for sex abuse. Nick and I just found out that King’s still active in the DC Suburbs, publicly speaking at after school programs at the Granville Academy! We were apoplectic!
Yet, progressive media leaders tell Nick they lack “the fortitude” to publish about this in their magazines.
Nancy Grace has a show on CNN, and she focuses on child sex abuse. Perfect. Let’s get Nick and the Franklin Scandal story on her show.
YOU CAN JOIN THE DISCUSSION, and vote against the cover up. Please post a word of support for coverage of this important new book, The Franklin Scandal. Please put it into your own words, speak from the heart, and be positive.
http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form5.html?81
Then, please spread the message far and wide to friends and associates through email, social networks, and word of mouth.
Alternately, please consider contacting Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! and encourage her to have Nick on her show.
http://www.democracynow.org/about/contact
Thank you.
Here are some shots of my show at Form/Space Atelier.
Form/Space is essentially a made-over giant entryway complete with grand staircase. I’m glad Paul has some mountain goat proclivities because hanging work here is not to be attempted by the height phobic.
Gallery View
The only way to hang The Frenchman (on the right) on concrete was with bindery clips. I’ve seen many hanging systems for paper over the years. I especially like using magnets, but they would not hold this time. Framing the massive piece would have blown my art show budget for the year, it is 54 by 116 inches. The painting to the left is not a small work either.
Gallery View
"The 4 Corners (Corrupted Over Time)" Pastel on drafting film, embroidery thread, 2009
This is my favorite piece, though the subtle grey is difficult to capture in a photograph. In studio I had drawn the dark black lines behind the film overlay directly on the wall. In the gallery, I used a beautiful black embroidery thread to create the lines.
Detail: The 4 Corners (Corrupted Over Time) Pastel on drafting film, colored paper, embroidery thread.
"And Then He Asked" oil on linen, canvas, board, embroidery thread, 2009
Earlier this summer I had the idea of creating multiple “help” messages in multiple mediums, some quick and temporary, some permanent, as if I had casually drawn or written the word help in many instances over many years. The idea did not last through a production phase and so I ended up with this one being incorporated into a grouping of other small works.
"Black Thumb", oil on canvas, embroidery thread, 2009
The rest of the small works on various support materials refer to memories and impacts associated with certain body parts, my own and my friend Su’s, as well as her death.
"Program the Artist"
In a small exercise, I invited viewers to recite a series of words or string of characters to me, or as I termed it, to “program me” on opening night. I moved around a lot as a child, and my friends and I would send each other letters. I have an entire box full of them. I collected about 30 envelopes from these letters, selected a dozen or so from different time periods, and wrote on the back of each a “code phrase” that had particular associations for me. Once the viewer read the code phrase, I would speak as required or evidence a change in outward behavior. Regardless of the personal associations for me, which I was not overt about, I hoped to broach the idea of quantifying the effect of a powerful mnemonic.
"Tween" oil on canvas, 2009
This is a new piece I created for the show.
Detail: "Tween", oil on canvas, 2009
"Headless" oil on canvas, 89" x 68", 2009
I began this painting on the back wall of my studio in the summer of ’08. I was resolved to finally finish and frame it after all of that time.
"Little Handmaiden", Pastel on drafting film, 2009
For more about this piece, see this post: First Thursday May: Parts
There is a thread of meaning running through all of these seemingly disparate works. The show title hints at it, but otherwise I chose this time not to be overly explicit. It’s a bit of a relief.
“Program” remains up through October 4, please come and sign the guest book.