FIFTY and FIFTY – THE STATE MOTTOS PROJECT
A CURATED PROJECT BY DAN CASSARO
DEC 18, 2012 – FEB 1, 2013
ACE HOTEL – 20 W. 29th ST – NYC
PIX FROM THE OPENING – DEC 18, 2012:

DAN CASSARO – ORIGINATOR, PRODUCER & CURATOR: FIFTY and FIFTY – THE STATE MOTTOS PROJECT.
see: 50 and 50
see: YOUNG JERKS – THE STUDIO of DAN CASSARO

DAN CASSARO – EVER UPWARD – NEW YORK

MIKE – MICHAEL TABIE of TWO ARMS, BROOKLYN
see: TWO ARMS, BROOKLYN

TWO ARMS – IN GOD WE TRUST – FLORIDA

detail, TWO ARMS – IN GOD WE TRUST – FLORIDA

FIFTY and FIFTY INSTALLATION VIEW . . .

SETH NEILSON – EQUAL RIGHTS – WYOMING

KEN BARBER – LIBERTY and INDEPENDENCE – DELAWARE

JON ASHCROFT – IT GROWS AS IT GOES – NEW MEXICO

MATT LEHMEN – AGRICULTURE and COMMERCE – TENNESSEE

KATIE LEE – No. 00036 / ALL FOR OUR COUNTRY / RECEIVED OCT 31, 1864 – NEVADA

FUZZCO – WHILE I BREATHE I HOPE – SOUTH CAROLINA

OPENING NIGHT . . .

OPENING NIGHT . . .

RICHARD PEREZ – I HAVE FOUND IT – CALIFORNIA

BRYAN MINNICH – MOUNTAINEERS ARE ALWAYS FREE – WEST VIRGINIA

detail, BRYAN MINNICH – MOUNTAINEERS ARE ALWAYS FREE – WEST VIRGINIA
PHOTOS & EDIT: NANCY SMITH
INITIAL REPORTING: KATE CERIGO
~50 and 50 – PIX FROM THE OPENING |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | January 11th, 2013, 9:37am
FIFTY and FIFTY – THE STATE MOTTOS PROJECT
A CURATED PROJECT BY DAN CASSARO
DEC 18, 2012 – FEB 1, 2013
ACE HOTEL, NYC
see: 50 and 50

CURTIS JINKINS – FRIENDSHIP – TEXAS

TAD CARPENTER – THE WELFARE of THE PEOPLE SHALL BE THE SUPREME LAW – MISSOURI

JUSTIN FULLER – NOTHING WITHOUT PROVIDENCE – COLORADO

JOSH BRILL – I LEAD – MAINE

MEG HUNT – HE WHO TRANSPLANTED SUSTAINS – CONNECTICUT

ZACH GRAHAM – THE PEOPLE RULE – ARKANSAS

detail, ZACH GRAHAM – THE PEOPLE RULE – ARKANSAS

detail, ZACH GRAHAM – THE PEOPLE RULE – ARKANSAS

LUKE BOLT – TO THE STARS THROUGH DIFFICULTY – KANSAS

detail, LUKE BOLT – TO THE STARS THROUGH DIFFICULTY – KANSAS
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~50 and 50 . . . SOME MORE PIX |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | January 10th, 2013, 8:49am

FIFTY and FIFTY – THE STATE MOTTOS PROJECT
A CURATED PROJECT BY DAN CASSARO, OPENED DEC 18, 2012 and is still up !! . . . YES !!
the show runs thru FRI FEB 1, 2013
ACE HOTEL – 20 W. 29th ST, NYC.
just walk into the lobby . . . and look for the small art gallery.
for more background, see: 50 and 50 – the official website
PIX FROM THE OPENING – COMING UP – SHORTLY.
~50 and 50 . . . |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | January 9th, 2013, 10:19am
THE DANCE of the FONTS . . .
leaving the RICHARD MEHL curated ‘untitled type 5’ – ‘sNice show, and moving onto the FIFTY AND FIFTY GROUP SHOW – a project conceived and curated by DAN CASSARO . . . there are some differences, the biggest being that the ‘sNice show was a casual presentation, with a diverse range of design aspirations and themes, mostly in that it was – a pretty much wide open . . . graphics forum.
‘FIFTY AND FIFTY – THE STATE MOTTOS PROJECT’ on the other hand is a very focused project with a mission: 50 designers were asked to create their state’s motto – in graphic form.
how they took they off on that journey – was up to them . . .
but both shows brought to the table the important role that graphic design plays in today’s world, and the big cross-over into serious art world contention. I guess you could say, when graphics ‘dance’ with such originality, life force, and … outright ‘play’ !!
red rover red rover, fine artists … move over !!
designers are here – to stay !!
overall composition, bold design dynamics, and of course, often hand-drawn fonts . . . all imbued with personal expression and serious ambition – are a big part of the game, and so . . . let the DANCE BEGIN !!

PENNSYLVANIA – by JESSICA HISCHE
where the ‘painterly’ letters of the state motto – VIRTUE, LIBERTY, INDEPENDENCE – dance out among the deer antlers emanating from deer heads, poised at either side.
FIFTY AND FIFTY – THE STATE MOTTO PROJECT

DETAIL – ‘It’s Grisly End’ – by PABLO DELKAN
a ‘painterly’ and emotion-loaded, dance of the hand-crafted letters, and most passionate ‘artistic’ font, here as well.
‘untitled type 5’
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~50-50 / ‘sNice |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | January 9th, 2013, 10:04am
MORE PIX . . . from the opening of ‘untitled type 5’ – curated by RICHARD MEHL
‘sNice, West Village, NYC
the show opened Dec 1, 2012 and ran thru Dec 30, 2012

KATE CERIGO, ‘STRAYED STAYED’.

close-up, KATE CERIGO, ‘STRAYED, STAYED’ . . .
guess sometimes the biggest questions . . . need the softest .. touch.

DARREN WILL and KRISTEN ABATE join KATE CERIGO at the opening of ‘untitled type 5’. NYC, DEC 2012.
KRISTEN ABATE is an aspiring actress.
DARREN WILL plays bass for the Brooklyn band . . . LUKE RATHBORNE.
their next gig is at SHEA STADIUM in BROOKLYN this upcoming . . SAT JAN 12th.
as in . . . Live@Shea Stadium BK, 20 Meadow St. in . . Bushwick !!
go BROOKLYN !!

DANIELLE LEE – ‘LEGS ARE SEXY’ – seems to feel the same way . . .
that’s what’s so cool about graphics – they speak for themselves !!

DANIELLE LEE.

friends of DANIELLE LEE, and current students in the undergrad program at SVA, from left: BRANDON ELIVAN JOHNSON and ALEX CRUZ.
Brandon is in the Fine Arts studio program at SVA, while Alex is in the Graphic Design program.

TRISH RAE WONG – ‘AMPERSAND’. . . bridging minimalist to exotic, bringing the personal .. to the generic, flat-out font/symbol . . .
check out: TRISHA RAE WONG

we’re going to give the last word to PABLO DELKAN, and his chalk artwork/poster/design: ‘It’s Grisly End’ . . .

detail, PABLO DELKAN, ‘It’s Grisly End’ . . .
somehow, though grisly it may be, whatever … whoever, the graphics say: but, maybe not too . . . tragic.

detail, PABLO DELKAN.
when you can break it down . . . to a dance .. on paper.
check out: PABLO DELKAN
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
~MINIMALIST . . . to GRISLY !! ‘sNice !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | January 7th, 2013, 5:21pm
MORE PIX . . . from the opening of ‘untitled type 5’ – curated by RICHARD MEHL
at ‘sNice, a vegetarian cafe in the West Village, NYC.
the show opened Dec 11, 2012 and ran thru Dec 30, 2012.

‘B’ is for … be here, now !!
this exuberant and, well – ‘kingly’ !! … ‘B’ is by … KENTON POWELL.

KENTON POWELL.

Don’t you .. ‘j’ me !!
a most wonderful, painterly . . . ‘J’ by – HAENARA IM.

HAENARA IM – with her ‘J’ . . . .

AERIAL CHEN, her contribution was more of a . . . conceptual/design/3D project.

AERIAL CHEN, at left, with her project .. of many books, which were arrayed along the middle bookshelf, and which were deeply cut into, so that the covers, now read as … numerals.
the piece is titled, ‘Pure Love Triangle’, 2012.
Found books, textured paper and foam board.

detail, AERIAL CHEN .. ‘Pure Love Triangle’.
“. . . while a love triangle is typically a socially unfavorable form of relationship, it is not the case here. ‘Pure Love Triangle’ explores the connections between the uprising of Vegetarianism, Veganism, along with ‘sNice, and expressing it through the combination of typography, form, and the environment.” ~ project statement, Aerial Chen.

detail, AERIAL CHEN, ‘Pure Love Triangle.’

detail, AERIAL CHEN, ‘Pure Love Triangle.’

close-up detail, AERIAL CHEN, ‘Pure Love Triangle’.

Designer/artists: RICHARD MEHL, the show’s curator, with AERIAL CHEN . . . at the opening of ‘untitled type 5’, ‘sNice, NYC, Dec 11, 2012.
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH
note: more pix from the opening to follow . . .
~B, J … and, V is for VEGAN. ‘sNice !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | January 4th, 2013, 10:07am
GOING INTO THE NEW YEAR, 2013 – GRAPHICS SEEM TO BE . . . THE NAME of the GAME.
Graphics. graphic images, whether abstract or representational, purely font or image-based … in ads or art, used as informational tools; random or patterned; popping up in the big universal questions, and in smaller screen state-of-the-art digital code-programs, not to forget, website design per se . . . and, even as . . . compressed expressionistic flourishes in big paintings on old-fashioned canvas, seem to be – the really – big deal right now.
it’s no wonder the cutting edge graphic design artists in this city are simply referring to themselves as … designers !!
and that includes the latest crop of (way happening) fashion, as in clothing … designers, too.
you could slowly see it creeping in over the past year, in the new crop of abstract artists, the new wave of photographic site-specific artists, and even in that big Brooklyn-dominated Zine show, ‘Diamond Leaves’ … in China. even the recent CARROLl DUNHAM show – really popped forward – in this way.
same with the iconic Americana images of TAYLOR McKIMENS, for that matter. Comic art, also big – and only getting bigger, of course has always had very strong graphic design elements, both in the panel compositions and, font use.
and, street art ? ditto. big time !!
so it was fitting that the end of last year featured 2 design shows, both full of fresh talent and ideas, both in off-the-mainstream venues, or: plain straight … outta-the-white-box !!
there was ‘untitled type 5’ at a sweet and cozy vegetarian West Village cafe .. by the name of .. ‘sNice (!!) – curated by RICHARD MEHL, graphic designer and instructor at SVA, which presented a casual and diverse show of works by SVA students and alumni, and then opening just a week or so later, at the Ace Hotel – a more structured group show, ‘FIFTY-FIFTY’ – produced and curated by DAN CASSARO, who also happens to be a fairly recent SVA Graphic Design graduate.

RICHARD MEHL at the opening of ‘untitled type 5’ at s’Nice. Dec 11, 2012.
behind him work by PABLO DELKAN, left and, by LAUREN HOM, on the right.

‘These Heels Don’t Hurt’ . . . by LAUREN HOM.
the fun thing about this show – was the use of very ‘outright’ fonts to really try and say something: well, personal !!
looks like trippin’ over a lot of rude people – is a never-ending part of the reality battleground.
urban dictionary has some even more colorful uses, just … don’t get me started, or I’ll be a-naming names !!

‘I’ll Be There in 5 Minutes’ – by LAUREN HOM.
see: LAUREN HOM – HOM SWEET HOM (!!)
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH. NYC DEC 11, 2012.
NOTE: MORE PIX – FROM BOTH SHOWS – TO KEEP POSTING . . . GOING FORWARD !!
~GRAPHICS .. seem to be the name of the game . . . ‘sNice !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | January 3rd, 2013, 2:31pm
HAPPY HOLIDAYS – ANIMATED !! – 2012 – FROM . . . LUKE MURPHY !!
see: h@ppy hOL1d@y5 at LUKE LAB – and watch the tree glitter and shimmer … its digital dance !!
not to mention – throw snow – up, backwards !!
or, are those … sparks of .. light ?
shooting stars ?


see: more of Luke’s digital/program projects, here . . . LUKE LAB
LUKE MURPHY – designed & runs that mighty elegant ‘banner’ animation, that appears at the top of this homepage.
it’s infinitely random & it’s also infinitely ‘pinpoint’ capable – of being engaged by any individual user, and that means: YOU !! just shimmy your mouse over it & click.
and you wonder why I’m into … astronomy/astrology, and the infinite … design / pattern vs random – of the universe/skies.
~HAPPY NEW YEAR . . . PRESENT !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | January 2nd, 2013, 12:02pm
from our archives !!
TAYLOR McKIMENS . . . GREETINGS 2010 – !!

TAYLOR McKIMENS – HAPPY NEW YEAR – 2010 !!
~HAPPY NEW YEAR . . . PAST !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | January 2nd, 2013, 11:55am
TAYLOR McKIMENS – PARTY ON !!
MIKE KELLEY – R.I.P.
TAYLOR McKIMENS will be showing a new painting, a portrait of artist MIKE KELLEY, which he made especially for this show, a solo show of work by TOM SANFORD, which contains a group show curated by Tom Sanford, as well.
the group show is an assortment of artists … “making portraits of important figures that have died during 2012.”
TOM SANFORD – ‘100 LITTLE DEATHS’ – OPENING NEW YEARS EVE MON DEC 31 / 6-9 PM
the show runs DEC 31, 2012 – FEB 9, 2013.
BRAVINLEE PROGRAMS – 526 W 26th ST #211 – CHELSEA, NYC
more info on the show: TOM SANFORD – ‘100 LITTLE DEATHS’
remember TOM SANFORD ?
he’s the guy who did that eerie ‘dead-on’ painting of . . . WHITNEY HOUSTON in her last bath … for that way crazy … FREIGHT+VOLUME SUMMER SHOW: ‘THE DOUBLE DIRTY DOZEN’ – rated XXXXX !!
see: THE DOUBLE DIRTY DOZEN

PORTRAIT OF RECENTLY DECEASED (2012) MIKE KELLEY – BY TAYLOR McKIMENS. IMAGE COURTESY of the artist.
~TAYLOR McKIMENS . . . PARTY ON !! OPENING NEW YEARS EVE !! |
Posted in The Bomb | By Nancy Smith | December 30th, 2012, 4:46pm