Tatiana Supports the Arts

Category Archives: 1990s

The Dream of the 90s is alive in… the sweater I’m wearing today

January 13, 2012

It’s the truth. Sorry I’m not providing photo evidence, but you’re better off just using your imagination. My former boss once reacted to it by calling it “very Golden Girls.” I took that as a compliment, naturally.

So, here I sit at SFO waiting patiently to board my flight to Portland. I’m using my shiny new Macbook Air which has improved my quality of life exponentially, but I unfortunately haven’t had time to upload any photos from my iMac, hence the Portlandia image up top, which is relevant yet impersonal, but whatever. It’s all good.

I know it’s tacky to talk about how one has been avoiding the blogosphere for an extended period time, but I’m going to do just that and outline what have been huge (but productive) and/or great time sucks for me:

My Sister Got Married! – That’s right, kids. And with a wedding comes lots of events, lots of time with family (which was really great, my family is a lot of fun), and of course dancing, good food, and laughs.
San Francisco Holiday Renegade Craft Fair – which involved crocheting and planning every day. EVERY DAY. EVERY WEEKEND. It’s fun and was totally worth all of the work, but it didn’t really allow for much else… the exact reason why I am happy to not be a full time crafterprenuer. Yes, I made that word up. It probably exists.
Sewing – Once Renegade was over, my wrists rejoiced and I dove right into my “to sew” pile which currently consists of 4 dresses and 1 top. Fabric has been cut, everything is slowly being assembled. And I’m still very much in love with my serger.
Reading – I reached my goal of reading 30 books in 2011! Yes. Thank you for the applause. You can take a look at what I read here.
Reuniting with Friends – Well, not really reuniting. I see my SF friends on either a weekly or bi-weekly basis, but due to craft fair stuff I became somewhat of a hermit, actually announcing my ‘hermit weeks’ in various social media, as a way of warning my friends to not ask me to hang out. I’m kind of a jerk, no? I try not to be. Also, my friends are the coolest people on Earth.
Freelance & Pro-Bono Projects – I just finished my 3rd commissioned logo last week, and this week got the great news that I’ve been chosen to be on an amaaaazing Taproot project that I’ll be starting work on soon. 2012 is going to be a great year for my professional life. I can feel it. (At least I hope so!)

Anyway, I’m going to do another post that goes over my 2012 Resolutions, as well as my 2011 Year in Review. All of these things are written and in my ‘drafts’, so stay tuned.

But, back to vacation mode…

This is my first time ever traveling to Oregon, and although I hear it’s going to be quite chilly, I’ve been looking forward to this all month. I’m especially excited to see my Seattleite friends whom I have not seen for over a year. OVER A YEAR. That is just unacceptable. I’m happy to be remedying this this weekend. I have my Instax Mini, emergency granola bars in my purse, and my trusty Hello Kitty umbrella handy. Will post more about the trip when I get back!

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Sometimes Size Does Not Matter

November 7, 2007

I’ve been wanting to see this show ever since I found out it was going to be at San Diego State. I missed that boat, but luckily for me, the show was also traveling to good ole’ Cal State Los Angeles. I’ve never been to Cal State LA, and I must say, their Luckman Arts complex is gorgeous. Me gusta mucho. I love how accessible it is from the parking structure, and how easy it is to find from the freeway. Two thumbs up from a tourist’s perspective. (Everytime I go to LA I feel like a tourist). So anyway, going on as we speak…

The Graphic Imperative: International Posters for Peace, Social Justice & the Environment, 1965-2005

Where?
Cal State Los Angeles
Luckman Gallery
5151 State University Dr.
Los Angeles, CA 90032-8116
(323) 343-6604

When?
October 27-December 15, 2007
Gallery Hours: Mon-Thurs. and Sat. 12-5pm

How much?
FREE, except for the dollar that you’ll pay for parking… which is a bargain for parking in LA.

I STILL don’t get it.
What initially drew me to this exhibit? Two words: Guerilla Girls! I love seeing their pieces at different exhibits. They’re so inspiring, I would never pass up an opportunity to experience their work up close. The aura of powerful women is always palpable. I know their pieces are posters, and it’s not exactly the same as viewing a painting, because it’s not one of a kind… but I think that’s what’s so great about this exhibit, and about the graphic arts in general. Graphic art, for me, has so much cultural influence and resonates loudly irregardless of which form it takes; whether it’s a billboard, graffiti, a sticker, or in this case, a poster. It’s a piece of art that is utilized in the mainstream of everyday and in turn may be discussed outside of the political arena, making these issues everyone’s problem instead of just the government’s. It’s kind of sneaky if you think about it. We are advertising a social movement like we’re advertising a consumer good. If you capture someone’s attention, the product becomes more popular, and then more people will jump on the bandwagon. Well, that’s in the utopia for social movements in my mind, but I guess in the real world it’s a little more difficult.

The Graphic Imperative exhibits 111 posters that have served to create awareness of social issues or injustices that existed, and in turn created a discourse to try to make change happen. The exhibit includes posters from the past 40 years; four decades that were critical to many issues such as unfair labor, racism, violence against women, AIDS, the environment, and many more.

The Luckman Art Gallery at CSLA is pretty small space, but an average size for a University art gallery. Although the exhibit is small its message is anything but.