His & Her Line in the Middle
Laura Kimpton and Jeff Schomberg

Opening Reception:
March 18th, 6pm
Project One Gallery
251 Rhode Island, San Francisco
March 18-April 18, 2009

“His & Her: Line in the Middle” represents the first time Laura Kimpton and Jeff Schomberg are exhibiting their own unique art, side by side, and not as a collaboration. Figuratively and metaphorically, they are drawing a line between their individual artistic styles. There is a strong contrast of visual style present in their artwork — Kimpton’s conceptual-based encaustic panels on one side, and Schomberg’s metallic steel sculptures on the other. The strength and power of the exhibition is the coming together two diverse artistic worlds in a separate context. The exhibition presents visually a logical evolution of their individual artistic style, talent, and philosophy. Artistically, they have grown together in creative collaboration, and now in this breakout exhibition, all that separates their art is a thin “Line in the Middle”.

Laura Kimpton has been widely exhibited in New York, Los Angeles, and the San Francisco Bay Area. The two artists have collaborated on several major art installations over the past five years. Kimpton/Schomberg collaborative sculptures have been featured in exhibitions for galleries, museums, benefits, and public spaces. Together they have received three prestigious Art Grants for site installations at Burning Man in Nevada. Their collaborative work is varied and includes welded steel and found object creations conceptualized by Kimpton and built by Schomberg. Their large sculptures were often part of colossal installations and included dramatic elements of fire and water. Many of these acclaimed sculptures are now in private collections.

Exhibit Curated by Brooke Waterhouse, Project One
Press Release Written by Jaz Fabry, Art Advisor

Freddy Hahne, President of the Black Rock Arts Foundation Board of Directors went to hear Linda Gass speak at the most recent Friday Nights at the De Young, where she spoke on “Radical Self-Expression: The Costumes of Burning Man,” and he made a video of a portion of her talk.

Check it out!

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=3646162&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1
Linda Gass lecture on Burning Man costumes at the DeYoung from Freddy Hahne on Vimeo.

photo: Veeyawn http://www.flickr.com/photos/vhannon/2038773/sizes/o/

Black Rock Arts Foundation Advisory Board Member, Linda Gass is speaking at the DeYoung Museum tonight. Linda spoke at our exciting Elemental Interactions Evening: WATER!, and we found her to be a passionate, entertaining speaker.

Friday Nights at the De Young
Koret Auditorium
7:00 p.m.

Lecture: “Radical Self-Expression: The Costumes of Burning Man,” by Linda Gass, who makes art informed by her activist passions. As an artist, she hopes to use the lure of beauty in her work to encourage people to look at the hard issues confronting us.

Thanks to Janet Scheuer and Melissa Alexander for this suggestion

photo: Rob Steiner

Serpent Mother at Opulent Temple’s “Massive” on Friday Night photo: poetrosakranse

Serpent Mother: photo by eeetthaannn

The Monkeys were on break but it was great to see them, we have missed you Homouroboros

It was great to see Serpent Mother and Homouroboros in their current home!

prior posts:

http://blackrockarts.blogspot.com/search/label/Serpent%20Mother

http://blackrockarts.blogspot.com/search/label/homouroboros

2008 Grantee Recipient – Primal Source

Our friends over at MAKE Magazine have included a shout out about our 2009 Grant Application Deadline, which is March 13, 2009.

So check it out and thanks so much from our blog to yours…

For more information about 2009 Grants to Artists Program: http://www.bmbraf.local/grants/2009-grant-cycle

Previous posts: http://blackrockarts.blogspot.com/2009/01/braf-2009-grant-cycle-opening-soon.html

Have you been missing the Monkeys, I know I have. It is almost spring and time for a visit from Homouroboros. So I hear they will be making a special appearance at Opulent Temple Massive this Friday Night at Treasure Island:

http://www.opulenttemple.org/archives/000138.php

Opulent Temple Massive
9pm-4am
200 California Ave
Treasure Island
San Francisco, CA

previous posts: http://blackrockarts.blogspot.com/search/label/homouroboros
photo: Cherry Lakey

The ‘Serpent Mother‘ is taking over Treasure Island. Serpent Mother is a 168-foot long metal sculpture of a skeletal snake coiled around her egg. Propane fed fire travels the length of her spine, erupting in 41 ‘poofers’ at the top of each hand-fabricated vertebrae. Her articulated head reaches a height f 30-foot and her hydraulically activated jaws open and close based on participant interaction. The space she creates with her coiled form can accommodate over 1,000 people.

Originally created for Burning Man 2006, in 2007 the Black Rock Arts Foundation provided a grant to help Serpent Mother travel for exhibition at both the Crucible’s ‘Fire Arts Festival’ in Oakland, CA July 11 – 14, 2007 and Amsterdam’s international art and technology festival, Robodock 2007. The grant from the Black Rock Arts Foundation was designed to help cover modification costs incurred to meet exhibition requirements. The ‘Serpent Mother,’ created by The Flaming Lotus Girls, an artist’s collective conceived to teach women metal arts, defines the cutting edge of fire and kinetic art and the Black Rock Arts Foundation was proud to be a part of the endeavor to share this spectacular sculpture with new audiences. And now….

Serpent Mother Takes Over Treasure Island!

What: Serpent Mother Art Opening

When: Friday march 6th all night and
Saturday, March 7th 2009 7pm-midnight

Where: 200 California Ave., Treasure Island, San Francisco, CA, 94130

Links: Flaming Lotus Girls

The Flaming Lotus Girls transform Treasure Island into a reptilian wilderness with their first ever public installation of their interactive, kinetic sculpture, a magnificent installation of a 168′ skeletal stainless steel snake. Serpent Mother will rear her giant head on the Island for the weekend of Friday and Saturday, March 6th and 7th 2009.

On Friday March 6th, the Serpent commands the floor at an all-night party hosted by Opulent Temple and featuring the world-famous DJ Carl Cox.

On Saturday March 7th, the Serpent will light up the Bay in a fun and free art exhibition from 7PM-midnight.

Come see for yourself: there has never been a sculpture like the Serpent Mother. Her 168′ long stainless steel spine coils around the massive space, while her 20′ long neck and massive head tower over her audience. The audience takes control, however, by directing her movement, raising her hydraulically-actuated neck and opening her fanged mouth. Full audience participation makes each installation a singular experience – come make it happen.

The Flaming Lotus Girls The Flaming Lotus Girls are a female-driven group of artists making kinetic, mechanical fire art. Their mission is to create monumental works of interactive art through a collaborative process. Their vision is to empower women to learn new skills and become experienced, talented and active artists in their own right. In the past they have premiered their work at Burning Man and then bring the pieces to a civic audience afterwards. Their work is a combination of sculptural arts, kinetics, robotics, electronics, and fire engineering – is designed collaboratively; made collaboratively. They create interactive large-scale fire installations that engages viewers and invite them to become part of the art. For over 9 years, the Flaming Lotus Girls have presented installations nationally and internationally. interactive fire sculptures inspired by the Pleiades constellation.

For more information, please visit their website at:
Flaming Lotus Girls

*Serpent Mother Art Opening*
Saturday March 7th 2009
7pm-midnight
200 California Ave
Treasure Island, San Francisco, CA,

Photo © Tristan Savatier – All Rights Reserved

Zach Rukstela, Harley Dubois, David Zetland, Linda Gass, Henry Kaiser and our very own BRAF Executive Director Tomas McCabe

In this, the last of our Elemental Interactions series, our guests spoke on the topic of ‘Water’. We brought together an eclectic mix of speakers, artists, scientists, social historians and others from our extended community and beyond. They speakers educated, entertained and enlightened us with facts, figures, history, economy, art and the rock and roll of water!
Our host, Harley Dubois, is a founding member of the Black Rock Arts Foundation and the Burning Man Board. Harley spoke of her personal attraction and experiences with water and then introduced our first speaker.

Our first speaker, a water economist, David Zetland, had lots of information to share with us about how water economics works now and changes that could be made to the water economics system to improve the sharing of water. He emphasized that if we went away with only one idea, it should be that water rationing doesn’t work. David proposes a flat cost of water at the very first level of water usage, flat across all users, and then a steep step up in price at various levels above that flat rate, or, if you want more water, YOU SHOULD PAY A LOT MORE FOR IT.

Abendigo Reebs of LeakBird made a podcast of David’s talk at BRAF, and if you want more information about David’s point of view checkout his aguanomics blog.

Zachary Rukstela artist and “dad” of the Kinetic Steam Works, spoke about his love of all things “steam”. Zach’s vision includes supporting art like The Steampunk Treehouse and Zach looks forward to supporting artists through the use of steam.

Linda Gass makes art informed by her activist passion. She spoke of her love of nature and backpacking and how it inspires her to create her meticulously create painted silk quilts of waterways. She spoke about the history and practice of water management and how she hopes to use the lure of beauty in her work to encourage people to look at the hard issues confronting us. I especially enjoyed her discussion of the process of creating her quilts.

And then we heard from Henry Kaiser, Diver, Musician, and Cinematographer. He screened Hi-definition footage of diving under ice in the Anartica and he accompanied the footage with incredible music on his guitar. It was a wonderful way to end the evening. If you are interested in seeing more of his underwater photography, Encounters at the end of the World, is coming to the Kabuki Theatre in San Francisco in February as part of an Oscar Documentary Film Festival. We will be there, come check it out. http://www.brownpapertickets.com/producerevent/55473?prod_id=12573

We had a large enthusiastic crowd to share this delightful evening, and although it was the end of the Elemental Interaction series we look forward to spending other evening sharing art and all of its impact with you.

Loren Carpenter, Will Roger, Laura Kimpton

Josie Shimke and “Jewel” Sue Bishop

Dana Ullman hanging out with newlyweds, Frillypants and TradeMark G.

To see a few more photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/affinity23/sets/72157613434303708/

For additional information:

http://www.bmbraf.local/events/elemental-interactions-water

Black Rock Arts Foundation Advisory Board Member, Leo Villareal, has an amazing light sculpture at the National Gallery, Multiverse.

Multiverse, the largest and most complex light sculpture created by American artist Leo Villareal, may be seen and experienced by visitors as they pass through the Concourse walkway between the East and West Buildings of the National Gallery of Art. Commissioned by the Gallery and on view until November 2009, the work features approximately 41,000 computer-programmed LED (light-emitting diode) nodes that run through channels along the entire 200-foot-long space. The development of this LED project began in 2005, and the installation created by Villareal specifically for this location began in September 2008.

Progress on The Giving Tree

Rendering of The Giving Tree

During the 2008, Black Rock Arts Foundation Grant Cycle, we gave artist Robin Banks $8,000 to complete his installation, The Giving Tree.

The Giving Tree Project is an interactive, part wind-powered, part human-powered sculpture of a 30 foot tree. It is designed to generate it’s own power by harnessing the movement of tree branches and leaves in the wind, a currently untapped source of mechanical wind energy. Participants will also be able to generate more energy in an interactive playground, by swinging on swings attached to the tree. As power is generated twofold, The Giving Tree comes alive with lights, pumping water and sound, and shows the circulatory system of the tree’s xylem and phloem system within.

Globally the aim of this project is to promote the prevention of de-forestation in places where illegal lumbering is a way of survival by teaching that trees can be a valuable asset of wind energy to us if just left standing, powering rural farms and villages off the grid.

http://archaiccustoms.com/

See the debut of The Giving Tree at The Do Lab’s Lucent L’Amour event, February 14, 2009 in downtown Los Angeles, Ca. http://lucentlamour.thedolab.com