From July 1-15 Play Ball 2009: A Visual Retrospective of Baseball will be at the downtown Crowne Plaza Hotel.  This exhibit is, in the simplest description, art for charities.  Live paintings, shows, and auctions will all be hosted over several days to raise money for charities such as the ALS Association, the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, the Garth Brooks Teammates for Kids Foundation and the Susan G. Komen Race For the Cure.

The entire event is based around the artist Malcolm Farley. He has been called “America’s Artist” and has a love for painting “America’s game.” He is the perfect artist for the baseball crazy city of St. Louis and the baseball-frenzied atmosphere that will be taking over with the arrival of the All Star game. [morelink]

The Play Ball exhibit will be open to the public from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. daily with extended hours during All Star week. 50 pieces created by Farley will grace the elegant lobby of the Crowne Plaza for public viewing. The public will also be able to purchase pieces from his collection, "America's Game".

Farely has a talent for “live,” in the moment painting. He was painted 6 Super Bowls from the sidelines, live onstage at the Grammies and at the Democratic National Convention as Barack Obama accepted his nomination. Farley will be putting this talent on display for St. Louis with live painting events during the Play Ball exhibit’s stay. Each evening Farley will be painting live on stage at 6:00 p.m. in Crowne Plaza’s Atrium Lounge. The finished piece will then be auctioned at 9:00 p.m. with proceeds benefiting that day’s charity. In addition, St. Louis greats such as Lou Brock, Bob Gibson and Ozzie Smith will be on hand to sign their "special piece" when Farley paints them.

Farley is known as a philanthropist and has raised over a million dollars in order to “give back to a world” that has given him “so much”

"I am very excited about PlayBall 2009 and the opportunity to support national and local charities,” Farley said.

Check out Play Ball's event calendar to choose a time to stop by and enjoy the exhibit.

Image courtesy of Malcolm Farley's website.

Whenever I choose to venture outdoors in the summer one of two things usually happens; one, the sun decides it's time to punish me with a severe sunburn and humidity that makes me feel like I am breathing underwater, or two, the sky opens up into a torrential downpour that will last only until I go back inside. So, in accordance with the rules of nature, the moment I stepped out of my car on Sunday to enjoy Webster Grove's sixth annual Art and Air festival, rain began to fall. Naturally, during the three-day festival period, I choose to explore it the moment the sky turned ominous.

Nonetheless, the rain didn't scare the vendors or patrons of the festival away, so I too forced myself to carry an umbrella through a field of trees while lightening struck overhead.

And I am so glad I did. [gallery5] [morelink]

Each year the Webster Groves Art and Air festival brings over 100 vendors together to display their work in different creative areas such as digital art, sculpture, ceramics, watercolor paint and jewelry. The fair also showcases musical performances and delectable food. The festival is hosted by the Webster Community Arts Foundation in their attempts to raise money to donate to different community-oriented organizations.

The beautiful grounds of Eden Theological Seminary held the festival this year. This perfect location was in the heart of historic Webster Groves and was suited well for the different types of high-class art that the fair brought together. For me, the quality art with the park-like setting and the live music combined together to create a great atmosphere that made Art and Air a truly enjoyable experience despite the rain.

So, as vendors shielded their works from the rain, visitors stuffed their faces with food from favorite local restaurants and applauded the Webster Groves High School Jazz band who braved the performance stage despite it's wet conditions.  Quite a successful afternoon for those who don't melt from a bucket of water.

Visit the fair's site for more information http://www.artandair.com/fair/index.html and look at the gallery the check out photos 

Excuse me for asking, but what would compel someone to depreciate the value of their car by painting clowns on it? Do they also realize by doing so they've basically put a target on their backs for law enforcement? They'll see you a mile away! 

As soon as I got home from my drive, I searched the web to see if this clown car guy had any local postings of his car up. Sadly, I couldn't find anything, but I had a great time checking out all sorts of different "art cars" around the world. 

Here are some really neat art cars that I compiled from my web searches: 

This car was spotted in Minnesota. Turtle Power! Photo by William Wesen.

[morelink]

This is a car with bend spoons glued all over it. Apparently this guy, Uri Gellar, claims to bend spoons with his mind or something and then glued them to his ride. Odd! 

This car uses the force and anti-lock breaks. Once for sale on e-Bay, it was painted by Greatlakes Airbrush. 

This is definitely not your mom's van. A shuttle van, hell yeah! 

Not a typical toy car! Kathleen Pearson has over 4000 objects on the outside, 800 on the inside and a lot of glue on her old station wagon. 

This pink tank shoots hot dogs instead of bullets. Created by Vin Marshall.

Kool-Aid car: "Ooooooh yeahhh!" 

My dear family has a truck that we call "The Flying Phlegm" because the VanGogh's at Dodge thought it would be a good idea to paint a puke green snot design down the side of the truck. I wonder if with a few more modifications I could consider it an art car? Time to order that bedazzler! 

To check out a blog completely devoted to art cars everywhere, click here. 

St. Louis clown car guy, if you are out there, Shout! some pics of your car for us! 

Some attribute the Munny's popularity to its ability to tie in various art forms without the risk of bastardizing the product. Sculptors, painters, clothing designers...whatever the craft may be, there's no "wrong" way to give a blank white action figure a little personality. With no lines to draw inside, Trujillo says when it comes to decorating the creatures, the uncommon is quite common. "I've enjoyed seeing Munnies made into fountains, iPod speakers, even submerged in tanks." As with any popular commercial product, the inevitable spin-off schwag has made its way into stores as well, with zipper pulls, Munny necklaces, and Mini Munny figures now sharing shelves with their older siblings. In fact, for those wanting to watch Munny making in action or take a stab at creating their own, Star Clipper is hosting a Mini Munny Mobile (Yes, Munnies have cars too.) decorating party on April 19, with free Munny Mobiles going to those brave enough to pick up a paint brush and give it a whirl. For details, head over to Star Clipper's site and for a look at a few Munny notables on display at the store, check out the photo gallery. Enjoy the Munny shots.[gallery]

In the middle of the burgeoning Cherokee arts district, between Jefferson and Nebraska, sits the new home of Cranky Yellow. After calling a small space in the middle of antique row home for a while, David Wolk and Angelo Stege (Cranky Yellow's main proprietors), packed up shop and moved down the street towards the center of what is quickly becoming the place in St. Louis for independent artists, music and food.

Cranky Yellow's new digs is at least three times as big as their first, humble spot, and with the expansion of space has come an explosion of inventory. What used to be a merely a rack of "zines" (independently published magazines, comics and books), a small collection of art for sale and a few pieces of handmade clothing has become a full-fledged store filled with hundreds of vintage books, racks of vintage and unique clothing and display cases filled with quirky antiques and crafts.

Unlike a typical retail store that purchases mass-produced products to mark-up and resell, the inventory at Cranky Yellow is sold direct from the artist. David and Angelo opened Cranky Yellow because they saw that there were so many people making great things and there weren't outlets in our city for them to get their stuff in the hands of folks who wanted it. They explained that a lot of artists, collectors and crafters dream of starting their own stores, but getting into retail is a daunting, and often difficult, thing to do. "We are just a venue and outlet for things people want to do," David said.

They opened up their doors at the perfect time, too. There has been a tidal wave of people looking for handcrafted and unique items, and the movement away from corporately produced items is growing. Angelo said, "It is good to put the money to people who need it, which are the artists and not the big, out of town corporations." The handmade trend is also growing because many artisian products are green, "It's something artists have been doing forever," David added.

The down economy and the handicraft movement have helped Cranky Yellow and Cherokee Street take of rapidly. David told us, "Cherokee Street, despite the economic nosedive, is just exploding." They explained that since the area was previously sparsely populated and abandoned, artists saw an opportunity to move in to renovate and reinvigorate. "This city is a fixer-upper's dream," Angelo said, "Everyone is inspiring each other." David added that the city is, "A blank palette to fill in and artists were the first to realize that potential."

The store and the district work very closely together to support each other's businesses and the street has a close-knit community feel that is often lacking in suburbs even. That community, cooperative feeling permeates even through the individual businesses. David said they are even working with businesses along the street for a "collaborative security effort." Cranky Yellow is one of many businesses along the vast stretch of the street that will be participating in the Cherokee Street Open House on April 4th that Firecracker Press organized to spotlight the individual businesses and vibrancy of the street.

They are all working together to bring the community back into locally owned businesses and help each other grow the district and their shops. Cranky Yellow is planning to continue to grow as well. David explained that they will eventually have the ability to have bands play in their store, and their unique merchandise will continue to constantly grow and change, just like the street it calls home.

Among the cool and unique items that fill the store sits a genuine Rainbow Brite Sprite, "It a real one, not like they are selling at Hot Topic," David beamed.

Cranky Yellow is located at 2847 Cherokee Street. They are open Tuesday through Friday from 12pm until 6pm.

Founded in 1959, Communication Arts is the premier source of inspiration for graphic designers, art directors, design firms, corporate design departments, advertising agencies, interactive designers, illustrators and photographers-everyone involved in visual communication. Whether in print or online, CA's editorials, feature articles and the annual competitions it sponsors provide new ideas and information, while promoting the highest professional standards for the field. Now in its 50th year, CA continues to showcase the current best—from industry veterans to tomorrow's innovators—in design, advertising, illustration, photography and interactive media.

Coyne will discuss the history and philosophy of the magazine, how CA's competitions work and how creatives are chosen for profiles in the magazine. He will also present a selection of award-winning design and advertising projects produced on limited budgets and discuss the future of creativity in the post-information age.

AIGA St. Louis
Wednesday, April 8, 2009, 6:30 p.m.
Steinberg Auditorium at Washington University
Skinker & Forsyth Boulevards
St. Louis, MO

Communication Arts is an excellent read every time I receive an issue. It is a great magazine to pick up and have for inspiration. If you are a student, reduced subscriptions make it easy to get your copies delivered at an unbeatable price. Why subscribe to a paper magazine? It is a sure fire way to hold onto the information and help the people who put their work into print.

You may notice when you arrive, that we feature articles and videos on the page...changing through graphics as you view. The images you see there are the best part of my day, as I try to give you creative mesh of graphics to look at. I would like to know what you think and which images you like and why. Below is a collage of features past and present, seen and unseen.

Titles from left to right:

Which graphic do you like the most? Why? I won't photoshop your head on something crazy...I promise!

We all have probably heard by now that Crestwood Mall Court ain't what she used to be. Many stores have closed up shop and now empty windows and doorways line the once busy halls. The empty mall was the perfect spot for a certain movie's extras auditions, and now it is becoming the perfect spot for actors, painters and crafty folks of all calibers to set up shop and sell their goods.

The wing in Crestwood Court that used to house Dillard's, and still is home to my favorite guilty pleasure/Mexican restaurant, is now home to ArtSpace, a collective of artist stores sponsored by the Regional Arts Commission. One of the first shops to take up residence in ArtSpace, ShowMe Handmade, opened only a few weeks ago to start selling handcrafted soaps, clothing and other one-of-a-kind artist goods. ShowMe Handmade is joined in ArtSpace by theater groups, a "green" teacher's craft supply store, photographers and even a space that will be opened soon by Laumeier Sculpture Park.

The ShowMe Handmade shop is run and supplied by a group of nine local artists who started retailing their handi-crafts on Etsy, a website featuring hand-made goods. These nine artsy ladies met and started a group through Etsy, and when the ArtSpace opportunity came up they banded together to open the retail space. Lauren Busiere, a tattoo artist at Cheap Trix and the creator of tattoo inspired art and clothing pieces, is one of the crafters that is part of the ShowMe Homemade collaborative. Click on [tab:trav_video] to see Lauren show us her art, give us the lowdown on the artists in her shop and to get an idea of what ArtSpace is all about.

ShowMe Handmade is located in 206 Crestwood Plaza, and they are open Thursday through Saturday from 12pm until 8pm and Sunday from 11am until 6pm. The store not only serves up crafty thing to buy, they also offer crafting classes at their store. This month they are hosting classes on calligraphy, wire wrapping and making resin bottle cap magnets. These one night classes cost between $35 and $40, and you can check out their class listing online and you can register at least two days before the session by calling 314-401-0771.

What: Mad March Show
Free Grand Opening: Tonight (March 6) from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Dates: March 6 through March 30
Where:The Mad Art Gallery

Jeff Brawn, an accomplished writer and artist based in St. Louis, is also being featured at the Mad March Show at the gallery. He uses everything from the pages of the novels he writes to watercolor to rusted metal on wood to create his somber pieces, and you can expect many of his pieces to feature this young girl.

It's like the scene from Gulliver's Travels when the little dudes tie giant Gulliver down with ropes, and it is coming to the metro-area. This fall a 100-foot aluminum giant will be taking up residence in Chesterfield Village when "The Awakening," a sculpture by American artist J. Seward Johnson, is installed. To give you an idea of the size of this behemoth, the statue's right arm stands 17 feet above the ground or almost two stacked, regulation height basketball hoops.

West News Magazine is reporting that St. Louisan Louis Sachs, of Sachs Development, is bringing the sculpture to the area and "donating a second casting of the sculpture to Chesterfield Arts." The sculpture was previously located in Haines Point in Washington, D.C. for 27 years and for some reason made for a very popular tourist attraction. The metallic giant that appears to be creepily clawing it's way out of the ground will coming our way and giving West County children nightmares soon.

Remember when the tiny Lilliputians tied down Gulliver? It's kind of like that, but creepier. (Photo: dcmemorials.com)

Last year, 25,000 people came out to interact with the 250 vendors who participated, and the festival is looking to host even more booths this year. But if you're interested in being one of those vendors in Eco-Art Village, you only have a month to get your green butt in gear. The fee for vendors differs depending on whether you're purely commercial, or if you have a hands-on, educational activity or craft for festival goers to participate in. If you're an artisan, artist or craftsman who features aspects of nature, re-use, recycling, sustainability and heritage in your work, or if you simply want to help educate STL about going green, head here to register by April 5.

When looking at Cole Scego's furniture, you might have to remind yourself that despite the fact that they look like they could be on display in a modern art museum, they're all still functional furnishings. His work is fun, incredibly creative and anything but normal. Best of all, he does it all from right here in "rural Missouri."

The thing that makes Cole's work so freaking cool is what he does to create them. He sandblasts the pieces, then uses a powder coating in an electro-statically dry form. The piece then receives a negative charge through the ground as the powder receives a positive charge from the application gun. The powder material basically adheres like a magnet until it is baked on. To achieve multi-color, multi-layer finishes and other desired characteristics, he explores and creates various masking, spraying and application techniques. In the world of powder coating, it's pretty groundbreaking, and he sometimes uses up to 10 colors and a clear coat on a single piece.

He was able to take a time out and answer a few questions that ToastedRav had about his crazy awesome designs. Behold, one of the most entertaining interviews I have even been a part of.

How does being based out of Beaufort, Missouri have an affect on your designs? It makes them mind-numbingly dull and undesirable. All bona fide artists live in L.A. or New York. In Missouri, you can just take a stab at scratch-off lottery tickets while fantasizing about being an avant-garde art genius.
How would you describe your designs to someone who has never seen them? Profound works of art that are almost as top shelf as that stuff from Italy.
What kinds of people usually buy your work? Most often they are Mexican drug traffickers or Bernie Madoff-like ponzi scheme developers. Honestly, my work is not that expensive, though it's not from Italy either, and that is where all the good stuff originates.
What are your plans for Cole Scego Designs in the upcoming future? I am hoping that Sean "Puffy" "Puff Daddy" "P. Diddy" Combs stumbles across this post on ToastedRav and cannot resist procuring a plethora of my work to fill his cribs and his homeboys' cribs. I've always dreamed about being part of a posse.

For some, Valentine's Day is all about the romance. But for others, this particular day in February is a little bit...naughtier. If you lean more towards the latter, you might be interested in St. Louis' second annual Naughti Gras, an erotic art show that will really spice up your night whether you have a date or not. There are several different "forms" of art that will be on display at the Koken Art Factory, which might be why you have to be at least 18 years old to walk through the door.

For the event's debut last year, more than 1,500 people enjoyed the artistic naughtiness, which should be the perfect way to prepare for the following weekend's celebration on Soulard. This weekend's Naughti Gras will feature more than 100 artists, which (if possible) could make it bigger and better than last year's show. And did I mention that there's free food?

When: Saturday, February 14 - Valentine's Day
Where: Koken Art Factory
Time: 7 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Admission: $5 at the door

I would post more photos of the artwork and from the event last year, but they're slightly too inappropriate for ToastedRav. You'll just have to use your imagination, or check out the show this Saturday to see for yourselves.

CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM NEW EXHIBIT

If you haven't checked out the latest exhibit at the Contemporary Art Museum it is worth setting aside some time to do so. I was fortunate enough to attend the opening celebration last Friday night. Hundreds of art lovers packed the new exhibit with great anticipation. The 2009 opening offering features American artists Bruce Nauman and Gedi Sibony. Showcasing these American contemporary artist coincides with our nation's "Go American" motto. I personally loved the Nauman's colorful and eye catching work. The Sibony art defiantly has merit in the art world, yet left me a bit perplexed. Then again, I have never proclaimed to be the foremost authority on contemporary art. 

BRUCE NAUMAN

Taking its title from a character in a Buster Keaton movie, Dead Shot Dan explores the element of humor embedded in the work of the highly influential artist Bruce Nauman. Nauman and shares a comic take on the tragic: they tell tales of violent acts tinged with Sisyphean traps, bodily contortions, linguistic slip-ups, and misunderstandings. Like Keaton, Nauman’s sense of humor comes with a sour after-taste, and this selection of neons, drawings, prints, photographs, and videos makes us laugh and cringe. While Nauman, who will represent the U.S. in the 2009 Venice Biennale, works with a wide range of themes, processes, and ideas, this exhibition underlines his sense of humor that is deadpan, painful, and relentlessly tongue-in-cheek.

Bruce Nauman (b. 1941, Fort Wayne, Indiana) studied mathematics, physics, and studio art at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and then pursued an MFA at the University of California, Davis. In 1966 Nauman had his first solo show at the Nicholas Wilder Gallery in Los Angeles and in 1973, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art co-organized his first museum survey. A large-scale retrospective exhibition in 1994 was organized by the Walker Art Center and the Hirschhorn Museum, and traveled to The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, and the Reina Sofia in Madrid. In the summer of 2009, Nauman will represent the United States in the Venice Biennale.

GEDI SIBONY 

Gedi Sibony is one of the most promising young artists working today, and his unconventional sculptures propose a new way of looking at the world and thinking about art. For his first-ever solo museum exhibition, this New York-based artist presents a site-specific installation of new and recent works. Using materials such as carpet, cardboard, hollow doors, and metal pipes, he playfully evokes the effortless magic of the mundane. Sibony’s sculptures achieve a nonchalant awkwardness, a proud nudity, and an overall implausibility that bring together space, weight, and materiality in ways that seem happily accidental. In the context of the near-collapse of our contemporary socio-political reality, these works quietly promote an economy of means, re-use, transparency, and the power and beauty of bare essentials.

A monographic catalogue published with JRP-Ringier accompanies the exhibition and includes an introduction by the curator, an essay by French curator François Quintin, and an interview with the artist by Dia Art Foundation Director Philippe Vergne. Over the past few years, Sibony’s work has become increasingly visible in prominent group exhibitions such as the 2006 Whitney Biennial, and the New Museum’s inaugural exhibitionUnmonumental, underlining the contemporary relevance of his practice. The Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis is the first to recognize Gedi Sibony in a significant one-person museum exhibition.

Leave it to St. Louis to discover and promote one of America's up and coming contemporary artist. If you currently find yourself too busy to swing by, fret none. The new exhibit will be in residence from January 23rd thru April 19th. You have plenty of time to check it out. For more information and or direction to the Contemporary Art Museum go to www.contemporarystl.org.

Style on,

DSly the Style Guy

PHOTO CREDIT:

NAUMAN

Double Poke in the Eye II, 1985. Neon tubing mounted on aluminum monolith, 24 x 36 x 9 ¼ inches, edition of 40. Collection of Lois and Steve Eisen. © 2008 Bruce Nauman / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

Failing to Levitate in My Studio, 1966. Black and white photograph,20 x 24 inches. Courtesy of the artist. © 2008 Bruce Nauman / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.


SIBONY

Its Origins Justify its Oranges, 2008
Wood, colored lights
85 x 64 x 11 inches
Courtesy of the artist and Greene Naftali Gallery, New York.

Before I tell you about Holga-Fest-STL, you might want to know what the heck it is. Holga is a minimal and inexpensive toy camera made in China. Seems simple enough, but to many who use the camera, it has become more than just an easy way to take cool photos. According to those who "Holga:"

"The Holga is a chunky camera made almost entirely of plastic has been put on this Earth to save us. It will reawaken your vision, fill you with joy, make you see beauty when you thought it had disappeared forever, and bring out sunshine on a cloudy day."

I don't know about this little camera "saving me," but the idea behind it seems really neat. (Guick Holga history lesson: It was designed to be a minimal and inexpensive camera using medium format 120mm film. It would contain only the bare necessities for photo mechanisms, and provide a cheap and accessible alternative for students and enthusiasts to dip their toes into the otherwise very expensive world of mediumformat photography. Reflecting the shining landscape around them, this new camera is named after the term "ho gwong," meaning "very bright.")

Back to this weekend. On Friday night, 42 artists from different disciplines will be unveiling their take on Holga at The Gallery at the Regional Arts Commission. From 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., you can check out unique photos like these while listening to the polka jives of Larry Hallar's Two Star Final. Plus, you can never rarely go wrong with free entertainment.