Whatever you decide to do (donate or not donate), that’s completely up to you. But, really, we all know this is going to be a kick ass documentary. Just do it. <–

“All social change comes from the passion of individuals.” – Margaret Mead (1901-1978), Cultural Anthropologist, Revolutionary Lady

A few weekends ago I ventured out to one of my favorite streets in San Francisco (Valencia St) to visit this amazing zine show that I read about in SF Weekly at Goteblud, You Are Her: Riot Grrrl and Underground Female Zines of the 1990s. I was way too excited about this show. I know I say that a lot, but this time I mean it times 20. To be able to be surrounded by the zines and writings and manifestos that created a small yet extremely significant movement in the world and in my life… I was beside myself. Seriously out of body HOLY SHIT I CAN MAKE COPIES! AND TOUCH EVERYTHING?! experience.

Ramona Quimby, Age ANGRY! Haha. I love this zine. Nerd Girl. Goteblud was a tiny space. There were around 6 people in the room including me. When I first arrived I screamed on the inside because I didn’t want to lose my cool and disturb those who were reading, but was delighted when two girls arrived shortly after me and FREAKED OUT when they saw the wall and boxes of zines. Instantly brought a smile to my face. Made my year.

And because I like you guys, I decided to share my findings with you. Here’s what I was able to copy and take away from the show. A little sampler of some of what Goteblud had to offer. Seriously, those guys are awesome and so so generous.

Click to view the Riot Grrrl pack. Print it, read it, tell your friends! Haha.

So, if you can, try to pop in and check out this show before it’s long gone! It’ll be around until mid-January. For more information and to see the list of over 550 zines they have on site, check out Goteblud’s livejournal page: http://goteblud.livejournal.com/ OR, if you have zines that you’d like to get rid of, they will buy them from you: http://ibuyzines.com/

What are some of your favorite zines? With the popularization of blogs and online communities, zines seem to have disappeared. I see one every now and then after a concert or at a vintage shop, but even that is rare. Shout out to Mrs. Guava – I know you have many zine ideas a-brewin’ and I can’t wait to see what you come up with! (If you need any help, let me know!!!)

“I wonder what your personal take is. Why do you think adolescent girls, in particular, but women, in general, resort to competition, body snark, and passive aggressive manipulation? And most importantly, how can we stop it?”

This is something I have ALWAYS questioned, particularly recently.  Why is it that girls who already, more often than we would like, find themselves in oppressive situations, feel the need to oppress and degrade other girls? My 17-year-old self contemplated this a lot my last year in high school. It was that year that I decided that drama with other girls for the sake of being dramatic was never ever worth it. I was never really competitive in that way in the first place. Who would think it was worth it anyway? Perhaps girls who don’t have enough self confidence to not care? I have no clue. I think those types of behaviors really reveal the core of one’s character, to go out of one’s way to intentionally afflict mental harm on another person for means of personal gain or gratification. But, I guess this is how the world works? Ay ay ay.

But I was really happy to see this brought up on the Feministing blog yesterday. It makes me feel like my attitude regarding these catty and often immature behaviors has been validated. ) That makes me happy. I totally want to pick up the book they talk about in their post, Rachel Simmon’s Odd Girl Out.

I’ll end this post with a great excerpt from Kathleen Hanna’s Riot Grrl Manifesto:

“BECAUSE we are unwilling to let our real and valid anger be diffused and/or turned against us via the internalization of sexism as witnessed in girl/girl jealousism and self defeating girltype behaviors.”

Of course, I cannot talk about the OC Fair without mentioning that my roommate, the amazing KENDRA, won 1st place in the memorabilia contest! You go girl! I’m such a proud roomie. As the description says (photo to be added later), she has collected over 100 Vivien Leigh items. That’s a lot of old stuff… and a lot of hard earned cash spent on that old stuff. Homegirl is going to be able to fill a museum soon. We should start charging when people come over to visit.

In other news, in addition to my ongoing attempts to finish reading the legendary Harry Potter series (I’m still on book 5), I am reading Tiny Ladies in Shiny Pants by Jill Soloway

At first, when reading through her 3 introductions, I got kind of annoyed with her cocky tone. A friend of mine got me this book for my birthday via my amazon wish list. I think I added it to my wish list because at the time I was really into reading as much feminist-y stuff as possible. I think the beginning of the book frustrated me because I felt like Jill was one of those feminists who give feminists a bad name, in my opinion. They think they know everything, and they think everyone who disagrees with them are inferior. Which, you know, is kind of lame. BUT. I continued reading and soon realized that I am actually really liking this book. It reminds me of Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris. So if you liked that book, you’d most likely enjoy this one. Anyway, I have about 50 pages to go. Oh, I’m on Goodreads, and highly recommend it if you like to keep track of what you’ve read, and/or like to see what your friends are reading.

So says the critic Brian Sewell, and the art market seems to agree, with men’s work commanding millions more at auction. By Andrew Johnson

I think Sarah Thronton made the best point in this article when she explained, “You cannot equate the monetary value of art with the aesthetic worth of the artist. One would expect the art world to be more egalitarian. It was only in 2004 that a living woman, Marlene Dumas, broke through the $1m barrier. At the top end of the market, the people who can afford to spend a lot are entrepreneurial men. And they buy entrepreneurial artists – Warhol, Hirst, Koons – artists they perhaps identify with. Second, it’s about volume. Women don’t tend to have factories of assistants churning out work. If you want to boost an artist’s price you need to bring their work to auction again and again. Women don’t usually work in that way.”

If I were a multi-millionaire, I would probably buy pieces from artists I identify with as well, but I wouldn’t exclusively purchase art by women. Interesting article. Interesting to see that there remain to be ignorant people in the art world.

So, 2 weekends ago I saw the Spice Girls at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas with Cathy, Kendra and my sister. It was one of the best concerts I’ve ever experienced in my life. The venue was full of girls and women and really hot gay boys. It was a dance-a-thon that I wish had never ended. The happiness and love in the air was palpable.

Today Cathy found this article written by a supposed “feminist”. I think this woman is full of shit. She’s not a feminist, she’s a prude.

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,22890676-5007191,00.html

I don’t think the Spice Girls are anti-feminist just because they have had makeovers, or because they like to be sexy. I think women should be able to do whatever they want, regardless of their age. The author of this piece implies way too much about the young Spice Girls following. If she was an adult in the 1970s, which she mentions at the end of the article, then she has no right to assume the position of a “kid” who listened to the spice girls 10 years ago. Am I bulimic? Do I spend money that I don’t have on designer clothing? Do I throw away my inhibitions and have skanky Saturday nights? No, absolutely not.

I think ultimately the Spice Girls have taught us all (boys and girls) to respect ourselves, and not care about what people say; know how to have a good time, and always believe in the good of mankind. How is that harmful?

Anyway, here’s a cute video of Les Spice Girls from the Victoria’s Secret fashion show. Enjoy!

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.

I feel these days that my neighborhood not only consists of the families who live in my apartment complex, or the shopping center across the street, but also (oddly enough) my bookmarked favorites in my internet browser (Firefox, of course). I have come to know these sites so well I feel like we have become very good acquaintances. Actually I know the content of these sites better than I know my actual neighbors (I don’t even know their names. But I do know that they need to keep their cats inside so they can stop pooping everywhere.) Let me introduce you to some of my favorite “neighbors”:

The Feminist Art Project: A site that helps encourage everyone to learn more about feminist art and become more aware of openings and exhibits across the country. Also, I REALLY REALLY love the Timeline.

Guerilla Girls: I think of the Guerilla Girls as kind of the super heroines in the art world. Their posters and other media efforts have helped the position of women and people of color gain more attention and the respect that they deserve in the art world. They’re so effing amazing I can’t even stand it. I’ll be posting an entry dedicated to them coming soon.

A Soviet Poster A Day: – If I could leap atop buildings and scream out loud how much I love Soviet posters I would. But 1.) I am afraid of heights, and 2.) I would probably be 51-50’d to the local mental institution. So, I’ll scream it here. I LOVE SOVIET POSTERS. Why? Well, I’m half Russian, and I feel an affinity towards anything Rooski. Also I love anything constructivist/dada/avant garde. Russians are great graphic designers. So check out this guy’s blog and learn why.

A Public Space: I first came across this publication this past April at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at UCLA. They were an exhibitor, and their mission definitely is something I support. It’s always fun coming across new writers who can challenge literature, fiction and poetry lovers to embrace something new. New styles. New ideas. New stories.

Lastly I want to share my favorite graffiti/street art sites. I got into graffiti by way of researching logos. I don’t have the balls to actually graffiti on walls, but I like looking at it. It’s amazing comparing the different styles from artist to artist and from country to country. If you’re sick of your sterile environment, here are some sites to make your world feel a little more colorful… and badass:

Taiwan: http://taichung-graffiti.blogspot.com/
Lebanon: http://lebgraffiti.blogspot.com/
Everywhere: http://www.streetsy.com/