#walker art center reading series

[garadinervi]

20 Broadsides, Edited by Allan Kornblum, Walker Art Center Reading Series 1980-1981, Bookslinger Editions, Saint Paul, MN, 1981, Edition of 53 unique copies numbered & signed by all authors on their individual fascicules, of which 32 further copies each were released separately [Walker Art Center, Chicago, IL. room 3o2 books, Ottawa]

Feat.: Margaret Atwood, Amiri Baraka, John Barth, Michael Dennis Brown, Alan Burns, Jim Carroll, Marisha Chamberlain, Paul Dutton, Robert Ferguson, Philip Gallo, Judy Grahn, Margaret Hasse, Deborah Keenan, Steve McCaffrey, Tom McGrath, bpNichol, Jayne Anne Phillips, Diane di Prima, Thomas Dillon Redshaw, Raphael Burreta Rivera, Diane Wakoski, Anna Wasecha

[urbaneturtle]

DCAU Rewatch: Batman the Animated Series 3: Nothing to Fear

NOTHING TO FEAR

Credits

Written by Henry T. Gilroy & Sean Catherine Derek

Directed by Boyd Kirkland

Music by Shirley Walker

Animation Services by Dong Yang Animation Co., LTD.

Someone is targeting Gotham University and tormenting the people of the city with horrifying visions. Batman is about to come face-to-face with a new villain who may be even more frightening than he is.

The episode opens on sunset in Gotham, a notable rarity for the series. The city is beautifully rendered with an orange sky casting a golden glow upon the art deco buildings. But with the backgrounds painted on dark paper, the vibrancy is muted, as if the darkness is always just behind the horizon, waiting and beckoning.

Bruce Wayne is visiting Gotham University, which has been beset by a string of robberies. He encounters a professor named Dr. Long, who was a classmate of Bruce’s father Thomas. Bruce tries to chat him up, but Long dismisses Bruce, bemoaning how he has run his family’s company and good name into the ground. The name Wayne once stood for great respect–Now all it stands for is a self-centered, jet-setting playboy. As Long leaves the elevator, the camera stops for a moment on a close-up of Bruce who looks uncomfortable and casts his gaze downward. The animation in this episode is not great but he clearly looks injured by the comments. The playboy act is necessary for Bruce to provide distance from Batman, but it requires certain sacrifices. Bruce knows his real legacy is Batman but the public perception hurts and causes him to doubt.

That legacy is the primary thematic concern of this episode. Bruce’s fear is letting down his parents. Dr. Long’s comments get under Bruce’s skin because he fears that his mission does not honor his parents in a way they would understand or accept. The idea that he may be torching their good name publicly for a fruitless mission haunts him. In his fear-toxin induced hallucinations, Batman constantly sees and hears his father shaming him as a disappointment.

When Bruce admits these images to Alfred, there is a brief moment where Alfred offers encouragement to Bruce. It’s a nice character moment that builds up the paternal relationship between the two, but perfunctory and quickly glossed over. A similar scene is handled better in Mask of the Phantasm. There’s also something lacking here in the way Clive Revill delivers his line. It is stern and assured but lacking the warmth that Efrem Zimbalist brings to the character.

Legacy also figures into the Scarecrow’s motivation. After his research into fear is condemned and he is removed from his professor role at Gotham University, he swears revenge to prove his supremacy as a scientist and cement that legacy….

Read the rest by backing for as little as $1 a month on the Turtle Club Patreon.

[aliciaphen]

this is a three-part illustration of a story seen in Humans of New York, which you can read here. done for an in-class assignment. the story is endearing, and I don't get the chance to draw food a lot, so this was a fun series of drawings. I also tried to have some fun with the text, using Sarita's daughter as the narrator and giving it, what I imagine as, a "new york-Esque" personality.

you can read Sarita's story below the cut ~

“This place was a big part of their lives as a couple. When Dad came home from art school, his bus would drop him off in front of the diner. Most of the time Mom would meet him for a meal. And in the ten years since he’s passed away, she’s continued to make the four-block trip. Her mode of transport has shifted over the years: from her legs, to a cane, to a walker. But unless it’s snowing or storming, she’s coming to the diner. Occasionally she’ll ask me to come with her. I tried to fight her in the beginning. I told her: ‘Mom, there are so many choices in New York. Why does it always have to be the diner?’ But she always insisted. So eventually I stopped fighting, and started paying attention. Mom’s always greeted by name when she walks in the door. And she almost always orders the same thing: a special grilled cheese sandwich with half-avocado and half-tomato. The entire staff knows her order. They call it the ‘Sarita Sandwich.’ There’s no frills or pretension here. She can just order a decaf and sit for an hour. She can get a table at 11, or 3, or 5. Everyone says ‘hello’, other customers, the waiter, even the owner. It’s the center of her social life. Mom’s a stoic, so she’d never complain. But she’s 92 now. Most of her friends have passed away. And it could be so easy for life to get narrow: waiting for people to visit, watching TV, reading the paper. She’s always been such an independent woman. She came from the Belgian Congo when she was eighteen. She’s made bold decisions her entire life. But when you’re 92, and you have arthritic knees, there are fewer decisions you can make for yourself. But every day she makes the decision to come to Cafe Eighty Two. And when she walks through that door, she’s greeted by name. With a smile. She’s been battling a tremor recently. It’s become difficult to hold utensils. Not to mention a full cup of coffee. But they’ve made it easy for her; they now bring her coffee 3/4th full. With a side of ice on the side, so she can cool it down, and drink with a straw. She still always gets the same Sarita Sandwich. Only now when they bring it out, it’s already cut into tiny little pieces, so she can eat it with one hand.”

You can find a bunch more exciting stories from Humans of New York here: https://www.humansofnewyork.com

[hastduetwaszeitfurhilary]

Musings on Museums, or How My Travel Blog is, for a Moment, an Art Blog

I’ve recently made trips to both Minneapolis/St. Paul and Atlanta, and I think I’m going to do another post to talk about my trip to the former as means of documenting the trip and processing my excellent evening at the Cowles Center for Dance and return to dear old Macalester. In the meantime, I’ve got some thoughts on museums to get off my chest.

What happens when you just don’t love an exhibition? I love the Walker Art Center. It does amazing work as an institution, and it would be an ultimate dream come true to get a job there. But I have to say, I wasn’t totally in love with most of the exhibitions up at the Walker during my trip. Granted, half of the galleries were shut down for installation, and the exhibition in honor of the museum’s 75th anniversary was pretty good. However, I’m trying to be more critical and less starry-eyed when going through exhibitions.

I really didn’t care for Ordinary Pictures, a conceptual exploration of the idea of the “stock photo.” I don’t think it’s a bad idea for an exhibition; rather, I was let down by its execution (the relationships between the stock photo and many of the objects selected for the exhibition seemed murky, as did the overall organization) and even more so, I struggled with the content of the labels. 

Which brings me to this article:

http://www.e-flux.com/journal/could-reading-be-looking/

(Fun fact: The same weekend of my Walker visit, I came across one of Thomas Struth’s photographs from the series mentioned in this article at the Minneapolis Institute of Art’s very enjoyable, straightforward, and simple exhibition of 100 photos for 100 years of Mia.)

The issues raised in the e-flux article - didactic labeling, living through our screens, spending so little time with an object, were all ones that pulled at me heavily during my time at the Walker. I especially struggled with labeling issues. I admit to allowing myself to regularly rely on labels for information. What can I say - I’m a liner notes kinda gal. In the case of Ordinary Objects, I found myself dissatisfied with the labels. Most of them never really made a convincing case for the how the objects related to overall concept, as if they were reaching to make things work.

This article brings up two things for me: a) wall labels are tricky, tricky things for many reasons, and b) I can be critical of labels (and should be), but I also need to be critical of my own reliance on them for understanding and interpreting a work. Furthermore, there is the question of how I supplement a piece by seeking out information from audio guides, museum websites, Wikipedia, etc. about it outside of what the object itself tells me. Unfortunately for me, this article just entered into my world, two weeks after my visit to the Walker. It’s one to bring forward though. 

“Labels should talk to the viewer and to the art simultaneously”; “language can be rigorous, or colloquial, as long as the overall tone is generous.” - Ingrid Schaffner

I also want to counter my experience at the Walker with a surprisingly satisfying trip to the High Museum of Art in Atlanta that fulfilled Ingride Schaffner’s suggestion above. The High offered not one, but two superbly curated and well-labeled exhibitions (though only one of them was actually organized by the High). I wanted to speak about the Iris van Herpen exhibition, jointly produced by the High and the Groniger Museum. 

The labels were straightforward: large panels on the wall, one for each collection represented in the exhibition. On each, a photograph of each of the three garments from the collection, standard didactic information for each object, and short description of the collection.

On the photographs: these images are works of art in their own right, and they are part the triad of methods the High presents each object - the garment as sculpture, as stylized and composed photograph, and as living object in runway video.

On the captions: though brief, the descriptive element of the label managed to explain each collection in a way that communicated the complex concepts

[a2lezread]

Feb LezRead: The Color Purple and Dread Nation

For February, we're reading Alice Walker's The Color Purple, and Dread Nation by Justina Ireland. We'll plan to to have this meeting virtually!

Official Event info: https://www.facebook.com/events/268623882778924

=== Book Description: The Color Purple, by Alice Walker

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award

A powerful cultural touchstone of modern American literature, The Color Purple depicts the lives of African American women in early twentieth-century rural Georgia. Separated as girls, sisters Celie and Nettie sustain their loyalty to and hope in each other across time, distance and silence. Through a series of letters spanning twenty years, first from Celie to God, then the sisters to each other despite the unknown, the novel draws readers into its rich and memorable portrayals of Celie, Nettie, Shug Avery and Sofia and their experience. The Color Purple broke the silence around domestic and sexual abuse, narrating the lives of women through their pain and struggle, companionship and growth, resilience and bravery. Deeply compassionate and beautifully imagined, Alice Walker's epic carries readers on a spirit-affirming journey towards redemption and love.

“Reading The Color Purple was the first time I had seen Southern, Black women’s literature as world literature. In writing us into the world—bravely, unapologetically, and honestly—Alice Walker has given us a gift we will never be able to repay.” —Tayari Jones

“The Color Purple was what church should have been, what honest familial reckoning could have been, and it is still the only art object in the world by which all three generations of Black artists in my family judge American art.” —Kiese Laymon === Source: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/52892857 ---- Book Description: Dread Nation, by Justina Ireland Jane McKeene was born two days before the dead began to walk the battlefields of Gettysburg and Chancellorsville—derailing the War Between the States and changing America forever. In this new nation, safety for all depends on the work of a few, and laws like the Native and Negro Reeducation Act require certain children attend combat schools to learn to put down the dead. But there are also opportunities—and Jane is studying to become an Attendant, trained in both weaponry and etiquette to protect the well-to-do. It’s a chance for a better life for Negro girls like Jane. After all, not even being the daughter of a wealthy white Southern woman could save her from society’s expectations.

But that’s not a life Jane wants. Almost finished with her education at Miss Preston’s School of Combat in Baltimore, Jane is set on returning to her Kentucky home and doesn’t pay much mind to the politics of the eastern cities, with their talk of returning America to the glory of its days before the dead rose. But when families around Baltimore County begin to go missing, Jane is caught in the middle of a conspiracy, one that finds her in a desperate fight for her life against some powerful enemies. And the restless dead, it would seem, are the least of her problems. === Source: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/30223025 ---- About LezRead: LezRead is Ann Arbor’s premier book club for queer women. We are informally organized through the Jim Toy Community Center and meet on the fourth Sunday of the month. We have both virtual and in-person meetings. Please review the description for any schedule changes. *To support JTCC and its work, please regularly donate at jimtoycenter.org. * New members welcome! Email kerene.moore@gmail.com to join the private Facebook group.

[raynedantzman]

Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker

For my TV program, I selected “Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker,” which just came out on Netflix in 2020. The show was inspired by a true story of a black woman who rose from poverty, becoming the very first female self-made millionaire. Madam C.J. Walker, also known as Sarah, started out as a washerwoman. She realized very quickly however, that she wanted more out of her life and that she wanted to make a difference, specifically for black women. For Sarah, this was by creating a hair product that was designed for African American hair, and eventually opening up her own salon, with a goal to make black women feel confident and beautiful. It did not come without challenges, though. Sarah had to confide in many people of whom had doubted her. There were men telling her that women should not be able to work and should not be able to achieve more than men. However, Sarah proved her courage and dedication by never giving up and facing every obstacle that came in her way. In the end, not only did she become the first female self made millionaire, but more importantly she made a mark on American history by winning the fight against systemic racism and gender oppression. This film very closely relates to our topics in this course, as it touches on the many struggles that colored people have had to face. One example is the lack of salons and hair products designed for African American hair. Thinking back on past discussions and readings, I can connect this to Peggy McIntosh’s white privilege checklist. On the checklist, one of the things she lists is “being able to walk into a hairdresser’s shop and find someone who can deal with my hair.” As a white person, we oftentimes take for granted how lucky we are to just be able to go wherever we want to get our hair done. For black people, it is much more difficult as their hair is naturally more coarse and not many people know how to work with this hair type. Sarah made a very positive and impactful change when she decided to open her salon and give black women the chance to feel empowered. Another topic that was talked about in both the course and the program was the city of Harlem. In our discussion (reading analysis 6), we talked about the impact of the Harlem Renaissance and how it was a new beginning for black people. Harlem was a city that became the center for black excellence. Black people were able to celebrate their culture by being immersed in art, music, and dance. In the show, Sarah and her daughter Lelia, who worked alongside her mother, traveled to Harlem and instantly fell in love with the city. Lelia later convinced Sarah to move out to New York and open a salon, which had a tremendous amount of success. When Sarah passed away, Lelia took over and continued her mother’s legacy by hosting many salon parties in Harlem. Lelia followed in her mother’s footsteps by offering a supportive and welcoming environment to black women. At the end of the series, there were a few facts about Madam C.J. Walker and her family. The one I thought most interesting was that Langston Hughes dubbed Lelia as “The Joy Goddess of Harlem’s 1920s.” He described Lelia as being one of the people that shaped the Harlem Renaissance. I thought this was cool because in this course we have read about and discussed Langston Hughes and how he was an important leader of the Harlem Renaissance. Before doing this project, I had no idea who Madam C.J. Walker was. I am so glad that I now do because she and her daughter truly did make such an impact on history and black owned businesses. I really enjoyed watching this show and am looking forward to doing even more research on Madam C.J. Walker and her legacy.

Attached is a photo of Madam C.J. Walker’s hair product and a short video from Madam C.J. Walker’s great great granddaughter, A’Lelia Bundles. 

Citations:

Takaki Chapter 13 “To the Land of Hope”

Peggy McIntosh “White Privilege Checklist” (On Canvas)

Gadsden, Ginger, and Brooke Savage. “Here's How Madam C.J. Walker Paved the Way for Black Businesses.” WKMG, WKMG News 6 & ClickOrlando, 30 Aug. 2022, https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2021/08/30/heres-how-madam-cj-walker-paved-the-way-for-black-businesses/.“About Madam C. J. Walker.” Madam C.J. Walker, https://madamcjwalker.com/about/.

[halcyon-hyacinth]

toh fanfics to keep you busy during hiatus, a thread.

A/N: If an author has a (*) by their name, PLEASE check out their other works!!! After combing through the toh archive, I now follow the skilled writers I've found rather than checking ao3 tags. This list could be longer but I really wanted to highlight these writers.

Finding Home Amongst the Infinite by DontDoHeroinKids * Multichapter, ongoing. Adventure/Action, Canon Divergence, Found Family, Friendship.

Mini Summary: Luz is a planes walker, and has spent years stumbling across the multitudes of realities, desperately searching for a way to return to her abandoned home with little success. She winds up in the Isles where she'll find answers and allies to help her on her journey.

One of the best multi chapter fics I've had the pleasure of reading. Luz's dynamic with all the characters is handled extremely well. Unlike other multi chap fics I've read, this is almost entirely done from Luz's POV.

Holding You Back by @FoolsSee *

Canon-Compliant Character Study, completed.

Recommendation in honor of Yesterday's Lie. Pre-season 1 one shot that captures Camila and Luz's relationship really well + strong characterization. Fools has written 27 other toh fics- PLEASE check out the authors other works!!!

Breaking Point by SquirrelWriter *

Canon-Divergence, Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, completed.

My favorite Luz and Amity oneshot. Not a lot of writers can effectively capture what makes their friendship work and this one knocks it out of the park.

Your Name by SunshineChildx

Multichapter, Slow burn, Friends to lovers, ongoing.

lumity fic based on the move of the same name. Not yet completed, but this is one of the most well written fics I've ever read. The prose and narration are beautiful and I've cried reading it.

Eda Clawthorne's Pro Skater by A_Big_Old_Skeleton

Series, Skateshop AU, Fluff, Angst, Humor, ongoing.

This is the only beta fic I support tbh. The characterization is off the charts and I adore how the author handles everyone's relationships. The comedy and storytelling are superb.

Postcards from a Place Named Threshold by incoherent_icarus_works *

Series, Character Study, ongoing.

A collection of standalone character study oneshots each centered around a different character from The Owl House (atm Luz, Willow, Boscha) . Luz one shot was inspired by @woozywonder art!

Curse Me Goodbye by Lumitations *

Canon Divergence, Comedy, Urban Fantasy, Action/Adventure, Romance. Multichapter, completed.

One of the most fun fics I've ever read. The mystery/intrigue is INCREDIBLE as are the kick-ass action scenes. Lumity centric.

Heir of the Jedi by @whatisurowlpolicy *

Multichapter. Ongoing. Action/Adventure, Star Wars AU, Angst, Fluff, Humor, Enemies to Lovers

I don't know shit about Star Wars and I am begging anyone who is dissuaded by the AU tag to READ THIS FIC! Green is extremely good at handling the ensemble cast of toh along with writing top tier development for every character. It's also lumity centric, and I think y'all will enjoy their take on them.

Our Stories Burn Bright, Hung Like Stars in the Sky by AtticusKaine*

Series, ongoing. Action/Adventure, Romance, Found Family, Humor.

What the hell are you doing with your life if you haven't read this series? Hands down my favorite toh canon divergence, it fleshes out every single character in ways you wouldn't believe.

make my heart your home by @tiredandjaded*

Ongoing series, found family, hurt/comfort.

Takes place in between s1/s2, I take it as canon. The relationships between Luz, Eda and Lilith post YBOS are handled beautifully-- the character dynamics and found family vibes are off the charts.

Hold Me Close by @the-lone-witch-and-secret-room

Oneshot. Completed. Jerbric Hurt/Comfort.

She writes the well-known Locked Out ALONG WITH several god-tier one shots y'all HAVE to read oh my god. This is one of my favorites. The characterization of Jerbo and Edric's relationship is super sweet.

learning how to be (with you by my side) by uniqeusernamegenerator*

Multichapter. Completed. College AU, Romance, Comedy

Atm you can only view it if you have an AO3 account and if you haven't read this masterpiece already YOU MUST! It's easy and free.

This is one of the best lumity fics of all time. The slice of life feel is otherworldly, as is the author's INCREDIBLE prose. Hits you right in the feels along with their skarscha fic windows up, walls down.

Transcendence by rhysanity

Oneshot. Soulmates AU. Completed.

This is what I like to call a ship conversion fic. If you've never considered skarscha before, read this fic. It will hit you in the feels and have you rereading over and over again for eternity.

Golden written by @whatisurowlpolicy / story by both of us *

Multichapter, ongoing. Golden Guard Amity AU. Action/Adventure, Found Family, Drama, Comedy, Hurt/Comfort

Shamless plug, this is one of my favorite ideas I've ever thought of and I am beyond hyped to be co-creating it with Green. We're doing a role reversal following a lot of the same beats of season 1 but putting our own spin on it. You'll see a lot more of the dynamics we haven't seen a lot in season 2 like Amity and Lilith along with Willow and Gus. Gonna go ahead and @anguigenus because Gus and Amity's relationship is one of the major focuses of the fic.

[bulletballet-arch]

REALLY LONG  CHARACTER  SURVEY. RULES. repost ,   don’t  reblog !    tag 10 ! good  luck ! TAGGED. I took this from Minnie’s archived Bioshock blog. I’ve been looking for this meme all this month. TAGGING. @hammurabicomplex. @bluuxriising. @ Me - for Sal on @bulletsoverbensonhurst​. @immaterialed (charlie) @soypeor (bella) @svmmercmance​. @mrflayed. and you!

BASICS. FULL  NAME :  Eve Delores Littlejohn NICKNAME : Evie, Little Evie (by her maternal side of the family), Delores, Didi NAME  MEANING / S  Eve is from the ancient Hebrew name  חַוָּה (Chawwah), which was derived from the Hebrew word חָוָה (chawah) meaning "to breathe" or the related word חָיָה (chayah) meaning "to live". Delores is a variant of Dolores, meaning "sorrows", taken from the Spanish title of the Virgin Mary María de los Dolores, meaning "Mary of Sorrows." Littlejohn is a surname that has historically been found in England and Scotland. With potential origins being either ‘to distinguish a beloved child that was not the eldest.’ Or, ‘a contradictory nickname for a large man.’ HISTORICAL  CONNECTION? : She’s named after her grandmother, Evelyn Hollins.

AGE : 42 BIRTHDAY :  June 2 ETHNIC  GROUP : Black-American. Meaning she’s mixed with a lot (Some of her relatives are respectively Creole and Italian) but uses Black as a catch-all term. NATIONALITY :  American LANGUAGE / S : English, Italian, Spanish, Latin, some French SEXUAL  ORIENTATION :   Bisexual ROMANTIC  ORIENTATION :  Biromantic RELATIONSHIP  STATUS : Verse dependent, usually married -or connected- to Salvatore Scozzari in some way. CLASS : Upper-Class HOME  TOWN / AREA :   Brooklyn. Spent time between Bedford-Stuyvesant - with her paternal grandfather and Park Slope - with her maternal grandparents.  CURRENT  HOME : In her childhood home in Bedford-Stuyvesant. PROFESSION : Ballet Instructor. Former Professional Ballerina. ( Other verses see her as a professional thief. )

PHYSICAL. HAIR : Black. In terms of her natural hair, Eve has springy, 3C hair she seldom shows off because she was raised in a family where straightened hair was deemed presentable and professional.  EYES : Thin almond eyes. Dark brown. NOSE : Straight and small. FACE :  She has a prominent, high forehead, that’s accented with high cheekbones and a pointy chin. LIPS :  Full. COMPLEXION : She has a light brown (tawny) complexion.  SCARS : None major. TATTOOS : None. HEIGHT : 5′4″ BUILD : Eve has a slender build. One of those people who have been small and petite since childhood. Despite this, she also stays skinny because she is obsessively conscious of the food she consumes. The older she gets the more she weighs, however. USUAL HAIR STYLE :  Her hair is cut short. Reaching her shoulders in a neat, even bob. She either curls it in a retro fashion or curls the tips. For work she wears it in a traditional, pinned bun. USUAL FACE LOOK : In public, she appears stoic for the most part. Any emotion shown (such as the length of a smile) is carefully calculated. She has to seem perfect.  USUAL  CLOTHING : Form fitting dresses. Incredibly chic and fashionable for the time. Shoes include heels - never open-toed, unless she has on stockings. Extravagant earrings. Jewelry that can include either necklaces, crosses, pearls, or dainty rings. Prone to wearing black sunglasses in public.

PSYCHOLOGY. FEAR / S : Thunderstorms, airplanes, creatures like weasels, snakes and ferrets, break-ins, men she doesn’t know, harm coming to her children ASPIRATION / S :  Formerly wanted to become a major [black] ballerina in the elite world of ballet, now she just wants to expose more [inner city children] to dance through her job. Personally, she wants her children to change the world in some form or fashion, too. Eve also has good ideas on improving the community, but at the moment has no idea how to go about these ideas. POSITIVE  TRAITS :  Generous, compassionate, patient, protective NEGATIVE  TRAITS : Strict, sullen, hard to read, represses her emotions, secretive MBTI :  Advocate - INFJ-T ZODIAC :  Cancer TEMPERAMENT :  Melancholic ANIMALS :  Lioness VICE / S :  Pride & Lust FAITH : Christian. Grew up Baptist, but Catholic influences have been around her since childhood. Attended a Catholic High School in Park Slope, her grandmother Evelyn was also a practicing Catholic.  GHOSTS ? : Yes and no. She feels that objects formerly owned by the deceased posses the essence of their previous owners and that they essentially live on through these pieces of property. AFTERLIFE ? : Yes. REINCARNATION ? :  No, but it’s a romantic concept. ALIENS ? : No. POLITICAL  ALIGNMENT :  Democratic ECONOMIC  PREFERENCE :  She likes being where she’s at now. But honestly, being upper class is all she’s ever known. SOCIOPOLITICAL  POSITION : Bourgeoisie, basically. The Littlejohn’s represent The Historical Black Elite.  EDUCATION  LEVEL : College level. FAMILY.

FATHER :  William ‘Bill’ Littlejohn MOTHER : Linda Littlejohn ( nee Hollins ) SIBLINGS : None EXTENDED  FAMILY : Amos Littlejohn (paternal grandfather) Liza Littlejohn (paternal grandmother) Evelyn Hollins (maternal grandmother) Giuseppe D’Aietti (maternal grandfather) and a wide host of cousins, aunts and uncles.

FAVOURITES. BOOK :  Night Song by Beverly Jenkins. The Color Purple by Alice Walker. Some sort of old, French erotic novel that was published before she was born. MOVIE : Eve watches films along the lines of...Waiting to Exhale, Beaches, The First Wives Club and Fatal Attraction. She loves Made-For-TV movies from the time period. In regards to plays, her favorite one is Sunday In The Park With George. 5  SONGS :  Meet Me On The Moon / Essence of Sapphire / No One In The World / People / The First Time I Saw Your Face  DEITY :  Persephone  HOLIDAY : New Years Eve, Christmas, Thanksgiving. Major holidays during the colder season. MONTH :  October SEASON :  Autumn PLACE :  The dance studio she works at. WEATHER : Sunny, but cool. SOUND : The voices of Anita Baker and Sarah Vaughn. A skilled hand running over piano keys. Soft trumpets. Running water. Cats making chipper little meows. SCENT / S :  Perfume, floral scented lotions, her partner’s cologne TASTE / S :  Caramel, the tang of dark chocolate, strawberries coated with either chocolate, or sprinkles of white sugar. Light Vinegar.  FEEL / S : Performing in front of an audience. Hot water engulfing your skin after a long day. Satin - whether it be the fabric of her clothes or sheets, your fingers tightly intertwined with another’s, feeling your significant other’s chest raise and lower against your skin with each breath they take. ANIMAL / S : Cocker Spaniels, Afghan Hounds, Cats, Birds - she loves all ( well, a majority ) of animals. NUMBER :  Doesn’t have one. COLOR :  White, Pink, Gold.

EXTRA. TALENTS :  Dance, Eve is trained in ballet when it comes to her main verse. She has attended ballet classes since the age of eight and ever since then she placed all of her focus into it. Similarly, Eve has always had the makings of a good artist - as a child she enjoyed drawing and had informal art lessons with a man who lived in the basement of her grandfather’s brownstone, but she never invested into that half of her. BAD AT : Singing, Being interviewed, Public Speaking (as in Speech Giving), Decision Making TURN  ONS :  Charisma, Leadership Skills, Temperature Play, Phone Sex, Heavy Kissing, Light Roleplay TURN  OFFS :  Public Sex, Tearing [ Her ] Clothes, Threesomes, Cruelty, Senseless Violence HOBBIES :  viewing plays & some musicals, reading romance novels, shopping, working out (she was into the whole celebrity VHS tape exercise trend), playing tennis, decorating AESTHETIC :  Vintage Black Glamour, Black Ballerinas, Champagne and Wine Glasses, Paintings by Melinda Byers and Edward 'Clay' Wright QUOTES :  "I'm bad with words, I hope you're good in reading eyes." / "There are truths I haven't even told God. And not even myself. I am a secret under the lock of seven keys."

FC INFO. MAIN  FC / S : Lynn Whitfield ( A Thin Line Between Love & Hate ) ALT  FC / S : Kylie Bunbury ( Twisted ) OLDER  FC / S :  Lynn Whitfield ( Greenleaf ) YOUNGER  FC / S : N/A VOICE  CLAIM / S : Lynn Whitfield

MUN QUESTIONS.

Q1 :   if  you  could  write  your  character  your  way  in  their  own  movie ,   what  would  it  be  called ,  what  style  would  it  be  filmed  in ,  and  what  would  it  be  about ?       A1 : Recently I decided that if/when I try to write anything serious about Eve again, it’ll center on her being a jewel thief because it presents me more fun, and emotionally diverse, opportunities. That and I have a very specific cover image in my mind. Ideally, her adventures would be a series of books. I have no title in mind, no idea about how ‘it would be filmed’ ( although a style replicating 90s films would be excellent, film grain and all. ) but, I do have a bunch of plots in mind that I really don’t feel like typing out here.  

Q2 :   what  would  their  soundtrack / score  sound  like ?         A2 :  Her score would have a vintage sound (or a jazzy Spike Lee sound, if you will) with instrumentals by Dorothy Ashby (a Jazz Harpist) the Ahmad Jamal Trio, Pharaoh Sanders, Yusef Lateef and Tarika Blue. For music with lyrics, the soundtrack would include the likes of Julie London, Sarah Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald, and Dionne Warwick.

Q3 :   why  did  you  start  writing  this  character ?   + Q4 :   what  first  attracted  you  to  this  character ? A3 :  Whenever I make NPCs for my character’s lives I actually can’t just let them just be NPCs. I start thinking about them too much. Developing them too much. And then I’m like, ‘wow! I really like this character!’ Eve was a different character when I began writing her, and likely wouldn’t be considered the same character as she was previously, if I told someone in real life who knows about my writing (like my grandma) about all the changes she has undergone. Originally Delores was a university professor, because I thought it could lead to interesting interactions with college-age muses. And her previous history with the mafia was also something interesting to tap in. But then I started thinking about what was realistic, what wasn’t realistic, what did I feel comfortable/interested writing? What didn’t I feel comfortable/interested in writing?  So as time went on, things would alter about this character. And the new things I came up with attracted me more. 

Q5 :   describe  the  biggest  thing  you  dislike  about  your  muse.         A5 :  I have a love/hate relationship with Eve’s quiet demeanor. On one hand, I think quieter characters need love and the ability to be fully dimensional but on the other hand, writing louder characters has always been more fun for me. But really, Eve’s guarded behavior makes writing her stressful in some cases with others because sometimes...if I’m going to be honest...people don’t know how to carry a thread and interact with someone of her demeanor effectively. 

Q6 :   what  do  you  have  in  common  with  your  muse ?       A6 : We’re both black, we’re both into art (although our exact interests and aesthetics with art differ)

Q7 :   how  does  your  muse  feel  about  you ?         A7 : Realistically she would think I need to take better care of myself.

Q8 :   what  characters  does  your  muse  have  interesting  interactions with ?   A8 :  We skippin’ this question.

Q9 :   what  gives  you  inspiration  to  write  your  muse ?       A9 : Films such as, “Waiting to Exhale,” “The Kitchen” and “Widows.” Books by Alice Walker, like “The Third Life of Grange Copeland” as well as her short story, “Roselily.” The historical mob figure Stephanie St. Clair.

Q10 :   how  long  did  this  take  you  to  complete ?       A10 : A few hours.

[aion-rsa]

The Walking Dead Season 11: Who Lives and Who Dies

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

This Walking Dead article contains major spoilers.

Many of us thought this day would never come, but as all of The Walking Dead‘s characters know very well, everything that has a beginning has an end. Season 11 of AMC’s flagship zombie drama will be the show’s final run of episodes, but fortunately it’s an expanded season. Fans will get 24 more episodes, broken up into three parts, before the show — and a few of its characters — meets its end.

And it wouldn’t be a season of The Walking Dead without a few big deaths along the way. As we have in past seasons, we’ve made some predictions regarding who will bite the bullet in season 11. For the final time, here are the characters we think are on the chopping block and the ones we believe will live on to remember them after the credits roll on the series finale.

Keep track of all The Walking Dead season 11 deaths below:

DEAD

Roy (C. Thomas Howell)

Prediction: Dies

Result: Dead

Roy took an arrow to the face during a Reaper ambush.

Gage (Jackson Pace)

Prediction: Dies

Result: Dead

Gage stabbed himself in the chest twice, attempting to kill himself before being devoured by walkers in a train car. Zombie Gage was then put down with a shot to the head by Gabriel.

ALIVE

Pope (Ritchie Coster)

Prediction: Dies

I’ve never seen a guy more likely to die in the first half of a Walking Dead season than Pope, the leader of the show’s newest villains, the Reapers, who themselves strike me as filler villains for Maggie and Daryl while the real story at the Commonwealth develops. I assume the Reapers will be out of the picture by the time Alexandria needs to turn its attention to the much larger settlement in the second part of season 11.

Pamela Milton (Laila Robins)

Prediction: Dies

The Governor of the Commonwealth is poised to be the final season’s big bad. A bureaucrat hellbent on preserving the way things were before the zombie outbreak, Milton even established a caste system within her settlement to propagate class inequality. She represents everything that was wrong with the world before the fall of society and the complete anti-thesis of how the Alexandrians do things.

If you’ve read the comics, you know how Pamela’s story ends in Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard’s story, but the TV series is known for taking sharp left turns when you least expect it. One thing we know for sure is that the Alexandrians will have to reckon with Pamela’s rule before the series finale.

Lance Hornsby (Josh Hamilton)

Prediction: Dies

A Commonwealth acolyte and bookkeeper of the community, Lance is one of Milton’s chief personnel, helping her run the settlement’s government. He’s also seems like cannon fodder to me as things heat up between the Commonwealth and Alexandria, an early death that could spark a conflict between the two factions.

Mercer (Michael James Shaw)

Prediction: Lives

Mercer is loyal to the Commonwealth but there are more sides to him than his distinct orange military armor lets on. He’s one of the most interesting characters of the comic’s final storyline, and it would be a shame to lose him before we can see his story through.

Elijah (Okea Eme-Akwari)

Prediction: Lives

Elijah made his debut in one of the most WTF moments of season 10 when he rescued Aaron and Alden from the Whisperers. For weeks after his reveal, people wondered who the man in the steal mask could be. When he returned in the final six episodes of season 10, the show just kind of moved on without fleshing him out, which is unfortunate since he looks so cool! I’m going to assume that the series is saving a big Elijah-focused episode for later in the season and that he’s too awesome to kill off. You don’t just introduce a blade expert in a steel mask for no reason!

Virgil (Kevin Carroll)

Prediction: Dies

Virgil has a lot to atone for after kidnapping and drugging Michonne in season 10. At the end of the season, we learn that he’s found a disoriented Connie in the woods. His redemption arc will likely include helping Connie survive on the walker-infested road back to Alexandria. Will that eventually involve a final sacrifice to save her?

Connie (Lauren Ridloff)

Prediction: Lives

Connie’s been through a hell of a lot in the past season. After surviving an explosion, a cave-in, and an entire walker horde, Connie’s made it out of Whisperer territory but is still a ways from home. Expect part of season 11’s story to be about Connie’s odyssey and ultimate reunion with her sister and Daryl.

Lydia (Cassady McClincy)

Prediction: Lives

Lydia was at the center of Alexandria’s conflict with the Whisperers for a season and a half. With Alpha and Beta defeated, and their faction all but obliterated, I have to wonder what Lydia has left to do on the show. That said, the writers have continued to find interesting ways to explore this character, and someone has to live on to lead the next generation of Alexandrians. I think Lydia is in it for the long haul.

Magna (Nadia Hilker)

Prediction: Dies

Magna was sidelined pretty quickly after her introduction. While a reunion with Yumiko seems like the logical direction for her story, The Walking Dead universe is a cruel one. She could be headed toward tragedy.

Yumiko (Eleanor Matsuura)

Prediction: Lives

In season 11, Yumiko is inheriting a major storyline from the comics that likely means she’ll survive the final 24 episodes of the series. Of course, the TV show could always alter that storyline to bring a tragic end to Yumiko’s story.

Luke (Dan Fogler)

Prediction: Dies

It’s pretty wild that Luke has survived as long as he has. A man of the arts hardly has a place in the cruel world of this show, but he has clumsily persevered thus far. But if the writers are planning an especially bloody final season, I’d put Luke on the short list.

Kelly (Angel Theory)

Prediction: Lives

Kelly has been one of the best late additions to the show. It would suck for her to finally reunite with her sister only to meet an unexpected end.

Alden (Callan McAuliffe)

Prediction: Dies

Another candidate for the chopping block. I’m surprised he’s even made it this long.

King Ezekiel (Khary Payton)

Prediction: Lives

Yes, Ezekiel has thyroid cancer, and were he in Alexandria, that would mean his inevitable death. But the Commonwealth is a different ballgame, an advanced settlement in the comics that will likely have the doctors and surgical resources needed to save him. That is, if Ezekiel isn’t caught up in Milton’s caste system.

Jerry (Cooper Andrews)

Prediction: Dies

I love Jerry and don’t want to see the tank with a heart of gold go. But if the season needs an early death that pulls at the heart strings, Jerry is a prime candidate for a midseason casualty.

Father Gabriel Stokes (Seth Gilliam)

Prediction: Lives

Gabriel has evolved so much since his debut in season 5, becoming one of Alexandria’s key leaders. He’s come so far and even survived longer than his comic book counterpart. I’d hate to see him go so close to the end. So I’m just going to say he lives.

Aaron (Ross Marquand)

Prediction: Lives

Aaron seemed destined to die seasons ago, too kind and trusting to survive this long. But here he is, still fighting and surviving. He’s lost the man he loves, his arm, and many friends — and it’s all hardened him into a war machine. It’d be a shame for him to die now.

Rosita Espinosa (Christian Serratos)

Prediction: Lives

In the comics, Rosita’s head ended up on a pike during the Whisperer war, but her TV counterpart has persevered. It’s difficult to predict where her story goes at this point, but since she survived her comic book death, I assume the show’s writers have something in mind for her in season 11.

Eugene Porter (Josh McDermitt)

Prediction: Lives

Eugene has become an unlikely protagonist going into season 11. From a mulleted coward hiding behind his intelligence so that others protect him to the Alexandrian leading his people to the Commonwealth, Eugene is central to the plot of the final season, and I think that means he’s safe. Plus, Eugene is hilarious, and The Walking Dead can always use a little comedic relief.

Judith Grimes (Cailey Fleming)

Prediction: Lives

Result: Lived

NO.

Rick Grimes Jr. (Antony Azor)

Prediction: Lives

Nah.

Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan)

Prediction: Lives

I think The Walking Dead is going to end with one last big death, one last sacrifice before the credits roll on the massive zombie drama. Like Rick in the comics, one of the major characters of the TV series will likely become the martyr who inspires change inside the Commonwealth’s walls. Negan would probably be on the short list for this big moment from the comics, a villain finally choosing to do the right thing for a cause bigger than himself, a fitting conclusion to his seasons-long redemption arc. But Jeffrey Dean Morgan recently teased that he was already having discussions with AMC about a potential Negan spinoff after The Walking Dead has concluded, which means the former Savior leader is safe…unless the Negan show is a prequel.

Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride)

Prediction: Lives

This one’s an easy one: Melissa McBride is getting her own spinoff that will follow her character after The Walking Dead series finale. That means she’s safe.

Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus)

Prediction: Lives

Norman Reedus is joining McBride for that spinoff, so he’s safe, too. The actor even told us what the Daryl and Carol show will be about.

Maggie Rhee (Lauren Cohan)

Prediction: Dies

That leaves The Walking Dead with one logical choice to pick up Rick’s final storyline from the comic. It’s Maggie. It also makes a bit of sense from a logistical standpoint. Lauren Cohan has already left The Walking Dead universe once before to pursue other small and big screen projects. She’s back for the final 24 episodes of the series as a welcome legacy character but that doesn’t mean Cohan wants to stick around for longer than that. I assume Cohan’s returned to bring closure to her character, not to prepare for a spinoff.

Let us know your predictions for The Walking Dead season 11 in the comments!

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[bookbabe92]

Graphic Novels, Not Just For Kids!

Do you enjoy reading graphic novels? Have you ever given them a chance? They are one of my favorite formats to read even though I don’t actually read that many of them. I tend to like very specific authors and illustrators of graphic novels, and even though some of these graphic novels are meant for kids and teens I see nothing wrong with adults enjoying them too. Art, and graphic novels are a form of art, is meant to be shared. Here are some of my favorite graphic novels.

French Milk by Lucy Knisley

An Age of License by Lucy Knisley

I pretty much love anything by Lucy Knisley, I’ve literally read all of her graphic novels but these 2 are my favorites. I relate to her the most in these two books as she struggles to find herself, travel, and learn what she wants out of life.

3. Giant Days by John Allison

Giant Days is a really fun series about 3 girls who meet and become best friends at University. They are all different, have different weaknesses and strengths, and are made stronger by being a team. Things get a little wacky, of course, as they only can by being in Uni but as a team, and with some help from outsiders they make it through, relatively unscathed. As I didn’t go away for college, reading this series did make me feel like I got to experience it vicariously through the characters.

4. Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks

I LOVE Halloween so I was instantly drawn to this graphic novel. It’s all about an ongoing Fall Festival where there are hay bale rides, bonfires, corn mazes, and more. It follows two of the employees who work there, it’s their last night there before they leave for college and they are determined to try everything they have missed out on by working there.

5. Go With the Flow by Karen Schneemann and Lily Williams

This graphic novel is not only really good, it’s also incredibly important. It starts off relatively simply, the middle school that the main characters attend never refills the pad and tampon dispensers in any of the girls' bathrooms. A small group of girls take issue with this and start lobbying the school and the school district to ensure that everyone has access to what they need. However, as the girls' awareness of inequality that people who menstruate face around the world it becomes a much bigger issue.

6. Sisters by Raina Telegeimer

7. Smile by Raina Telegeimer

8. Guts by Raina Telegeimer

9. Ghosts by Raina Telegeimer

10. Drama  by Raina Telegeimer

Raina Telegeimer is great, easily one of the most popular authors of graphic novels amongst kids. Not only does she have these great stories listed here she also does all of the Baby-Sitter’s Club graphic novels. I really enjoyed these 4, Sisters, Smile, and Guts are a series but can also be read as standalone stories. Drama is all about the highs and lows of middle school, and Ghosts is uniquely its own.

11. Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera

This is so beautifully drawn that it would be worth it just for that but it also centers around a young woman finding herself as she travels away from home for the first time, she struggles to reconcile her mother’s love for her with the fact that she can’t accept that her daughter isn’t straight. As if that wasn’t hard enough Juliet is also dumped by her girlfriend right after leaving home. Well worth a read!

12. The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner

13. One Year at Ellsmere by Faith Erin Hicks

14. Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu

15. Witches of Brooklyn by Sophie Escabasse

I really enjoyed all four of these graphic novels and you can see why if you read them, they all involve strong active female characters, magic, and the supernatural. However, they’re not exactly the same, there are underlying motivations and themes apparent in each one. They were so fun to read AND there will be a second book for both The Okay Witch and Witches of Brooklyn. The Okay Witch and the Hungry Shadow comes out July 6th, and Witches of Brooklyn: What the Hex?! Will be released August 31st! I’m already on the waiting list for both of them at my local library!

Are you a graphic novel fan? Do you have a favorite that I haven’t listed here and think that I absolutely have to read it? Send me some recommendations or suggestions and I will check them out!

[cricketnationrise]

January 2021 Reading Roundup

quarantine (2020) reads here

River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey: novella 2 of the River of Teeth duology in which in an alternate USA, hippos were introduced as an alternative to cows and then went feral along the mississippi river and also there was a queer heist gang that formed. anyway its great and everyone should read this series

Judge Dee and the Limits of the Law by Lavie Tidhar: tor.com short story featuring vampire politics and a loyal henchman

Black Powder War by Naomi Novik: book 3 in the temeraire series. talking dragons bond with their humans in this alternate history around the napoleonic wars. absolutely need to read these in order

The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2019: what it says on the tin. short story collection

From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death by Caitlin Doughty: snapshots of death/funeral customs around the world as told by a US based mortician. she has a couple other books as well. non-fiction.

The Duke and I by Julia Quinn: book 1 in the bridgerton series. romance, sex on the page. YES there is a problematic scene involving consent. YES this book is good anyway. also re: consent issues, they use their words to talk about it and forgive each other. don’t @ me. focuses on the oldest sister, Daphne.

The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn: book 2 in the bridgerton series. romance, sex on the page. sort of a riff on pride and prejudice/taming of the shrew. focuses on the oldest brother, Andrew.

An Offer From a Gentleman by Julia Quinn: book 2 in the bridgerton series. romance, sex on the page. cinderella as a reference point but diverges wildly after the “lost slipper” scene (its a glove in this case). focuses on the second oldest brother, Benedict.

#Selfcare by Annalee Newitz: tor.com short story, fantasy/faerie elements

Kindred by Octavia Butler: trigger/content warning for slavery, violence of all kinds, harm to children, murder, etc; a black woman time travels to multiple points in her own family’s history to save her white great great great? slave owner grandfather from dying. she flashes back and forth from the plantation to her own life, but 3 months on the plantation could be as little as 2 hours in her own life.

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman: a (failed) bank robber holds an open house’s worth of people in an apartment hostage, a father and son cop duo try to talk the hostage taker into letting them go and coming peacefully. changing POV. everyone’s preconceived notions get turned on their heads. content warning for suicide, anxiety. translated from swedish.

The High King’s Tomb by Kristen Britain: book 3 in the Green Rider series. high fantasy series that you absolutely have to read in order.

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson: in kentucky, there were a group of people known as Blue People due to a birth defect making their skin take on a blueish tint. during the New Deal “Book Women” would take books/magazines/etc to extremely rural houses/schools and serve as libraries on mules/horseback. the book woman of troublesome creek belongs to both groups. warnings for forced experimentation/medication, racism, violence against women, suicide, murder, assault, stalking

Thick as Thieves by Megan Whalen Turner: book 5 in the queen’s thief series, definitely need to read these in order. based LOOSELY on greek gods being present in the world, lots of political machinations

Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker: graphic novel, fantasy coexisting with the mundane world, an old shapeshifter friend shows back up in the town where the witch narrator lives with her witch moms (maybe aunts), the two reconnect and fall in love while trying to figure out who could be trying to attack the shapeshifter (look it was a while ago now and i was too lazy to look up their names), art is really cute and the story is wonderful. nonbinary/female relationship at the center. ~magic lesbians~ warning for kidnapping and harm to teenagers, magical violence/coersion

[readtheworld2021-blog]

United States

One of my goals in the pursuit of this reading project is to create a list of books I deeply appreciate from countries all over the world. Selecting books that were meaningful to me from US authors was an easy task and, if anything, it was difficult to limit myself to only a select few. The works I selected are books that are not only important to me personally but are also works that I think have cultural significance.

The Color Purple Alice Walker

Alice Walker's The Color Purple was so important to me as a young girl. This story was formative for me and I continue to reread it about once a year. This book taught me that I should always strive to better myself, to connect with the people I love, and to persist in the face of hardship. As a girl, no one taught me to pay any mind to ethnicity or race so it didn't occur to me that this tale of African-American women in the 1930s should be a strange story for a young white girl in the early 90s to so deeply cherish, an oddity that was later pointed out to me repeatedly. On a less personal note, this representation of African-American life in the Southern United States is a story about America's past and therefore an important novel about American culture.

East of Eden John Steinbeck

East of Eden was another important novel for me as a young reader. I cared little for the biblical parallels, it was the struggle of the characters that fascinated me, however the persistence of Christian thematic elements is not something one should ignore when talking about US culture. The elevation of the voice of a white male is also a popular trend in US culture and the tone of Steinbeck's writing always felt emblematic of white, male America to me, but I took strength from his novels when I was a girl. His characters fought to be respectable men who could shoulder their burdens without complaint. I wanted to emulate this behavior.

Dawn Octavia E. Butler

Dawn is part of a series that is one of my favorites by Butler, though the Patternmaster series comes in a very close second. Butler's novels always feature a strong female protagonist. This lead character is typically involved in some process of remodeling existing human hierarchies in a way that discourages violence, suffering, and intolerance. The new communities Butler creates in her novels are most often matriarchal with the value of social ties and the health of the community as a whole (without regard for lineage, ethnicity, or even species) being of the highest esteem. My favorite feature of these narratives is 1)that they never suggest such changes will be simple or comforting and 2)the center figure in this new community always seems to be a survivor who is unable to recognize her own strength or doesn't want the burden of leadership and is therefore reluctant to take the lead. From a cultural perspective, I think that Butler's stories are representative of an increasing minority of progressive US citizens who wish to dispense with intolerance and/or with aggressive forms of patriarchal leadership. I think her lead characters are also representative of US citizens who feel underqualified to take power and step up to leadership roles despite the benefits the entire nation would experience if more individuals could recognize and seize the power of their voice within the democratic political structure of the US which continues to be dominated by conservative, wealthy, power-thirsty, white, male voices.

The Complete Maus Art Spiegelman

Maus is the story of the author's parents' experiences during the Holocaust. The story also delves into Spiegelman's difficult relationship with his parents. The Holocaust makes up an important part of world history, and Jewish culture is a piece of the melting pot of US culture. On a more personal level, the survival of hardship and the lasting impact of it are always appealing literary themes to me. This graphic novel therefore has a special place in my heart. 

In addition, I later read a study about the affect of trauma (like the trauma experienced by Spiegelman's parents) on DNA: 

"...researchers taught male mice to fear the smell of cherry blossoms by associating the scent with mild foot shocks. Two weeks later, they bred with females. The resulting pups were raised to adulthood having never been exposed to the smell. Yet when the critters caught a whiff of it for the first time, they suddenly became anxious and fearful. They were even born with more cherry-blossom-detecting neurons in their noses and more brain space devoted to cherry-blossom-smelling.” (Kim)

How does this speak to the populations (not just in the US) descended from traumatic histories: slaves, World War veterans, attempted genocide survivors, Cold War survivors, Vietnam veterans, etc? What sort of unresolved or ignored traumas and anxieties are being passed on from one generation to the next, not just by culture but through possible epigenetic changes?

References

Kim, M. "Study finds that fear can travel quickly through generations of mice DNA." Washington Post. 7 Dec. 2013. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/study-finds-that-fear-can-travel-quickly-through-generations-of-mice-dna/2013/12/07/94dc97f2-5e8e-11e3-bc56-c6ca94801fac_story.html. Accessed 5 March 2021.

[cantfoolajoker]

the investigation team as dnd classes

after sees and the thieves, we’re here now for the final part of this dumb series. thank god the i-team has the smallest cast size so this isn’t as lengthy as the other two, but it’s still going under the read more for reading sake. enjoy!

lets start off with our main lad souji/yu who i vote is a knowledge domain cleric. alternatively, could also be a tempest cleric if you want more zappy zappy, but i’m focusing on his pursuit of knowledge here. as the name implies, these clerics worship gods of knowledge and their temples are typically libraries. they get things such as read thoughts (using their channel divinity to read the thoughts of creatures at a surface level if they fail a saving throw) and visions of the past, which lets them see what happened in the past to a specific item or area. their domain spell list also includes speak with the dead (yikes) and scrying (so he can talk to nanako whenever :) ).

yosuke is 100% a drunken master monk and here’s why: drunken master monks fighting style is entirely based around being agile and essentially moving as if you had the unsteady feet of someone drunk, making yourself light and able to effectively dodge moves while making your opponent undermine you. while yosuke isn’t That ahead of the game in terms of how he tries to portray himself, his actual fighting style of being very acrobatic and airy fits into drunken master nicely especially considering the hit and run tactic the class utilizes. also, since we all now know yosuke is the fastest character in the p4 arena games, here’s some extra tidbit info: monks get extra movement speed every few levels and if you were to make him a wood elf, he’d have the highest speed of anyone, including a certain warforged monk. have fun with that.

so this may be a bit of a controversial take but chie as way of long death monk because of how much she wants to protect other people. their fighting style focuses on understanding how death functions and essentially ensuring they are able to accurately take down opponents by examining the different aspects and fundamentals of death. they can expand ki points to avoid death with “mastery of death” and can frighten enemies with “hour of reaping” due to their skill set. also, they get the main staple of monks which is a normal hit die for using an unarmed strike, so chie can kick as much as she wants.

i feel like yukiko is an evocation wizard since she is both a magic user and also like does put in some dps, as well as it makes sense her highest stat would be intelligence. school of evocation as a subclass is basically the dps subclass for wizard that focuses on blasting spells of most elemental affiliations but it is very commonly associated with fire since that is the most explosive (and also fireball is a very fun spell). you also get the sculpt spells feature which allows you to redirect your spells mid casting them which no other wizard subclass can do, and potent cantrip, which basically forces the enemy to take half the damage of the cantrip even if it succeeded on the saving throw. also yukiko Would threaten to hit people with her giant magic tome she keeps her spells in, don’t lie to me.

kanji’s a paladin because he’s a tanky boy and i felt that giving him barbarian would be a cop out. oath of ancients paladin i feel is the best fit for him since they’re first and foremost considered one of the oldest subclasses as they date around to druids, their essential full class cousin, who are considered ancient divine magic, and this fits as a reminder that kanji comes from an equally traditional family. their tenets essentially stand for protecting the inherent light and creativity of the world rather than a sense of morality; they uphold art and song and the general beauty of life, meaning kanji’s sewing also takes a very important role as they typically don their armor with decorations relating to this concept as a reminder that they are protecting light and life. most of their attacks center around a nature theme, and they even get a new form at 20th level due to elder champion that is almost akin to an ancient force of nature. also, they get speak with animals as an oath spell, i feel like that’s the best selling point.

alright rise’s a bard. we all knew that one. i feel like she’s a valor bard especially given her ability to fight in p4au, since valor bards aren’t exactly melee like their swords cousins but they still can pack a punch and assist their dps in combat. they can provide inspiration mid fight and also use their music to heal some hit points. flavor wise, they’re known for singing about heroes to inspire other heroes and can be considered very classic bards, and since those are typically the most popular kinds of bards, it does parallel nicely to her idol status.

teddie’s an eladrin first and foremost, potentially one that’s sort of mixed between all of the seasons to match his primary color self as well as encapsulate on the fact he would essentially be an off color fey adjacent figure like his harmless-yet-potential-to-be-harmful shadow origins in source. because of this, i think leaning into that would be good and druid circle of dreams may be the best fit for him; these druids pull their power from the feywilds and specifically the dream like state it has since generally being in the feywilds feels unreal to most people not naturally originating from it. they invoke the power of both the summer and the gloaming courts in order to act as essentially a poster child for the hopefully peaceful relations between the feywilds and the material plain, and as such they get “walker in dreams” which allows them to plain hop much like teddie can do between the shadow world and the normal world. also, like all druids can do, he can shapeshift into animals, and he can keep being his beary best self.

okay so like, i know gunslingers are a thing, but also naoto strikes me as an inquisitive rogue because they’re basically the actual detective class and subclass combo of dnd. the big take away is they have a very keen eye and basically amp up their insight and perception skills to the max, with unerring eye even allowing them to see through illusions or other magic designed to deceive one’s senses. naoto can Also have a gun still while in this class regardless and even get bonus damage on it if they get sneak attack, which is pretty neat.

bonus: adachi is a gunslinger fighter bc he literally made a model gun have a functional barrel cause he wanted a gun that badly. alternatively, he could be a fiend warlock or even the artillerist artificer bc he almost definitely has the int stat for it.

[sjrresearch]

Why Not Wargame World War I or Vietnam?

Historical Wargaming, like many hobbies, has fads. One year, Ancients might be big, or it may be Colonials. The next, World War II. But two periods have not, at least in my own observation, gotten their day in the sun. At least not in US wargaming circles (and I will be speaking almost exclusively to that, as I am less familiar with, though still knowledgeable of, the British wargaming scene). 

These periods are the First World War and Vietnam. Both were major conflicts with plenty of research materials available (unlike, say, the Grand Chaco War). Both have libraries of rules and boardgames written for them, but neither, at least not at the cons I’ve attended, are quite the attention-getters that other conflicts do. Why is this? I have some theories as to why.

Just a disclaimer, this is mostly an opinion piece, and your mileage may vary. 

American and British Views of the First World War and Vietnam

Let’s face it. Most American wargamers are patriotic folks. We want to play wargames where “our boys” feature prominently. World War II more than fits that bill. World War I does not. By the time the American Expeditionary Force arrived in France in strength in early 1918, the German Army was on its last legs. The Americans arrived in theatre in time to push the Germans off the proverbial cliff when the last German offensive in the west failed. Our active participation in the First World War was barely six months. Our fleets fought no major battles, and by the time we were shuttling troops to Europe, the U-Boat and raider menace was a shadow of what it used to be. In the air, American heroes were made, such as Frank Luke and Eddy Rickenbacker, but they, too, missed the worst of the Allied fortunes of the previous year.

In short, while American forces improved the overall strategic position of the Western Allies, the US Army was poorly prepared for the modern battlefield. Many of the American offensives, in the beginning, used the same types of massed frontal assaults that the British and French had abandoned the previous year due to the horrific casualties involved. The US Army often had to buy equipment from the British and the French to supplement their own needs, as our own industry had not geared up for war by the time the war ended.

In short, our role in the First World War was a minor one, relatively speaking. And that carries through to American wargamers. British wargamers learned a quite different lesson about the First World War from their school classes and their families than we did. We had 4 million men in the military for the First World War, half of that went to France, and half of that saw any combat. Compare that with the Second World War, where you had 15 million Americans in the military. So, for many wargamers of a certain age, they were more likely to have a World War II veteran in the family at some point than a World War I veteran. 

In Britain, this was different. Over 5 million men in Great Britain enlisted, which was almost 25% of the male population at the time. Add in the fact that the British lost almost 750,000 men worldwide over four years and the United States lost 110,000 in the space of five or six months, a different image of World War I appears. In the US, it is a conflict we do not game much because nobody pays much attention to it (though, with recent movie releases such as 1917, this seems to be changing). In Britain, World War I is seen as a national tragedy. It is of boys being sent off to the slaughter at places like the Somme and Passandachele. And since Britain is in many ways the “mecca” of hobby wargaming, it is inevitable that a feeling of “No, that’s just not something we want to game out” took hold for an awfully long time.

Moreover, the Western Front was not a war of movement except at the very beginning and end. That is why most boardgames on World War I tend to concentrate either on other theatres (the East is extremely popular), 1914 or 1918. Miniatures games tend to center around the same, or game out the war in the air or at sea. 

Vietnam is the opposite in so very many ways. American participation in the conflict was massive from the beginning, and the conflict lasted ten years. Approximately 2.7 million Americans served in Vietnam, and the war showcased some advanced weapons systems on both sides. But it was an unpopular war at home that tore the social fabric of the time asunder. Wargaming in this country truly came of age in the 1970s, and Vietnam was still seen as a “dirty” war, again, one not worth gaming. In British wargaming circles, Vietnam has been big and never really stopped being big. I remember all my British “glossies” (slang for the British Wargaming magazines, named as such for their glossy covers) full of articles on Vietnam. 

There was a small uptick in gaming Vietnam in the mid-to-late 1980s in this country, as various movies came out from Hollywood, but the nature of the conflict is not easy to game. Vietnam epitomized the old saying about combat: “Long periods of boredom punctuated by short, sharp moments of sheer terror.” There were long periods of time where patrols would go out and find…nothing. Then a patrol would go out, and all hell would break loose. That is not easy to game. That is the larger truth at the tactical level about counterinsurgency. It’s not how many guerillas you kill, but it’s what you do to use “soft power” to undercut their support. That said, I have seen some good miniatures games on the subject, but most board games on Vietnam seem to be focused on the strategic and operational levels. 

Add in the popular beliefs about Vietnam and the men who fought there. None of them were true, but the media popularized them in the day, and popular opinion demonized the soldiers who fought there. Going back to fads, it was not hard to see why American wargamers to this day get a little queasy about gaming Vietnam.

Availability of Games and Miniatures

I am happy to say that times are a-changin’, as the old protest song from the Vietnam-era goes. Perhaps with World War I, there are no veterans in living memory, and there’s better history being done now (especially new history on the tactical innovations developed on the Western front putting an end to the pernicious myth of half-trained boys being slaughtered by uncaring commanders). And with Vietnam in this country, we are starting to see more Vietnam veterans opening up about their experiences and game designers and rules writers listening to them. 

So, here is an overview of what is out there both board gaming and miniatures-wise:

Board Games World War I

Ted Racier has written quite a few games on the First World War. It is not a period I game for the most part, but I played the 1918 game back when he published it in Command magazine. I personally think it was one of the three best games Command ever published, and I am glad to see GMT is bringing it back.

We all know what I think of this game, and I think it was a welcome window into the strategic realities of World War I. It is still one of the best Card Driven Games of all time.

I do not own this game, but the premise of doing a worldwide game of the First World War does intrigue me. It seems to put proper focus on economics and diplomacy, with the war of movement slowing down into an attritional model. All in all, it looks good, but if someone who has played it could let me know how it plays, that would be appreciated.

This game has been out for a while, and I had also heard a lot of buzz about it when it was released. Clash of Arms could have had a solid game in this, and I played it once. The rules needed a lot of work and probably could have used the “living rules” concept that other game companies used.  

Board Games Vietnam 

A note, this is not all-inclusive as there are a lot of Vietnam board games out there. I had to cherry-pick which ones would be of the widest possible interest. 

For a while, this game by Victory Games was the game on the Vietnam War. It was truly a monster game and covered every aspect of the war, from pacification to how dedicated the combatants were. It was well-designed and state of the art for its time. Sadly, it is out of print and not cheap to come by, but it is worth it if you can find a copy.

Downtown is probably one of the best games on what goes into planning and running an air campaign out there today. GMT still has the game in print (it is one of two games on Vietnam I own), and I have played it on VASSAL a few times. I really do like it. The designer, Lee Brinscombe-Wood, has gone on to write An Elusive Victory (The Arab-Israeli wars in the air) and The Burning Blue (The Battle of Britain), and Red Storm (A hypothetical Third World War in the skies over Germany) were also written all using the same rules system. The game details well the frustrations faced by the Americans over the skies of North Vietnam. You can purchase a copy here.

Mark H. Walker did some really neat work with his Lock ‘N Load series, and one of the first games in the series was about Vietnam. Lock N’ Load is a system that is at the same level as Squad Leader but is a bit simpler to play, but no less nuanced nor fun. I own the 1st Edition of Band of Heroes and will one of these days go out and get the new versions of the series. All of them play the same, with an emphasis on putting tactical decisions into the hands of the player, keeping the game moving and fun, with most scenarios taking no more than an hour or two. You get all the troop types: US Army, USMC, ARVN, NVA, VC, and yes, even Australians (for those wanting to game out the movie Danger Close). You can get a copy here. 

Meatgrinder is a game from the folks at Against the Odds magazine about the last stand of the ARVN at the town of Xuan Loc in 1975. The rules are beautifully written, and the articles that come with the game are incredible reading at times. It is games like this that remind us that there was still a war going on after the US pulled out in 1973, and the fall of South Vietnam had consequences. And it is just a great story of a hell of a stand. You can purchase a copy of the issue and the game here.

This was the game that was on everyone’s minds when it came out in 2014. The COIN series is an innovative set of games designed around a common rule set that games out insurgencies like Cuba in the 1950s, Columbia in the 1990s, and Afghanistan today, as well as Vietnam. I have yet to play any of the COIN games, but I want to. They are all highly recommended and address the problem of counterinsurgency quite well in a strategic context. You can purchase a copy here.

Miniatures Rules for World War I and Vietnam

Richard Clarke has a reputation with Too Fat Lardies for putting out good rules with card-driven mechanics. It is not everyone’s cup of tea, but it can produce a good game. I haven’t played Through the Mud and the Blood myself, but it has very good information on the various armies of the Western Front and the tactics they used, with the rules author making a fine argument that the tactical innovation opened up the stalemate of the Western Front in 1918 (it did). Too Fat Lardies’ products can be found all over the internet or in PDF or physical format on their website.

Peter Pig’s rules are meant for larger-scale fights, where each stand of troops is about a company in size, and the 6’x4’ board is sub-divided into squares and plays something like a board game. I will not say it is my cup of tea but may swear by it. You can buy digital copies via Peter Pig.

There are several rules for World War I also on Wargames Vault, and some, like Westfront, sound intriguing, but take a look for yourself.

Even though Force on Force is still sadly out of print, their Vietnam sourcebook and rules were probably one of the best rules sets out there for gaming the Vietnam war. Happily, PDF copies are still available for sale from the publisher for $20.00. You will need the base rules to play as well, but those are also available on PDF from the publisher.

Two Hour Wargames (THW) has been blurring the line between RPGs and Wargames for a while now and promising (and delivering) games in under two hours. Their Vietnam game is no different, as the game is centered around the idea of your “character” controlling a squad, and like most THW products, the game has very simple rules. There is also a campaign generator for scenarios you can play out on the tabletop. It is a great fun, pulpy take on Vietnam and is well worth the $20.00 price tag. The rules are for sale in PDF and can be found here.

Next week, we’ll discuss miniatures themselves, as that’s going to take an entire article in its own right!

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At SJR Research, we specialize in creating compelling narratives and provide research to give your game the kind of details that engage your players and create a resonant world they want to spend time in. If you are interested in learning more about our gaming research services, you can browse SJR Research’s service on our site at SJR Research.

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(This article is credited to Jason Weiser. Jason is a long-time wargamer with published works in the Journal of the Society of Twentieth Century Wargamers; Miniature Wargames Magazine; and Wargames, Strategy, and Soldier.)

[sciencespies]

Warm Up Your Winter With the National Portrait Gallery's Online Events

https://sciencespies.com/history/warm-up-your-winter-with-the-national-portrait-gallerys-online-events/

Warm Up Your Winter With the National Portrait Gallery's Online Events

Smithsonian Voices National Portrait Gallery

Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery Announces Virtual Programs for January and February

January 6th, 2021, 10:07AM / BY National Portrait Gallery

Credit: “Left Side Right Side” (still) by Joan Jonas, 1972. Single-channel video (black-and-white, sound), 8:50 min. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. © 2020 Joan Jonas / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy the artist and Gladstone Gallery, New York and Brussels (left). Alice Walker by Bernard Gotfryd, gelatin silver print, 1976. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. © The Bernard Gotfryd Revocable Living Trust (center). Louis Armstrong (detail) by Philippe Halsman, gelatin silver print, 1966 (printed 1998). National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift from the Trustees of the Corcoran Gallery of Art (Gift of Betsy Karel). The Corcoran Gallery of Art, one of the country’s first private museums, was established in 1869 to promote art and American genius. In 2014, the works from the Corcoran Collection were distributed to institutions in Washington, D.C. © Philippe Halsman Archive (right).

All events and programs are held virtually, due to COVID-19. For more information on the Portrait Gallery’s remote programs, explore the “Visit at Home” page of the museum’s website at npg.si.edu. The National Portrait Gallery remains temporarily closed at this time.

Special Programs

January

Antonius-Tín Bui and David Antonio Cruz in Conversation with Taína Caragol

Tuesday, Jan. 12, 5 p.m.

Online via Zoom

Join National Portrait Gallery curator Taína Caragol for a conversation with Antonius-Tín Bui and David Antonio Cruz about portraiture as a platform to represent and honor LGBTQ+ communities of color. Both artists use portraiture and performance to explore the connections between queerness, their personal diasporic stories and the communities that ground them. Bui and Cruz were finalists of the 2019 Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition, and their work is now on view in the traveling exhibition “The Outwin: American Portraiture Today” at the D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts of the Springfield Museums, Massachusetts. The competition and exhibition are made possible through generous support from the Virginia Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition Endowment. This conversation is a part of the Tommie L. Pegues and Donald A. Capoccia Conversation Series in LGBTQ+ Portraiture, which is hosted by PORTAL, the Portrait Gallery’s Scholarly Center. Free—Registration required.

In Dialogue: Smithsonian Objects and Social Justice

Thursday, Jan. 14, 5 p.m.

Online via Zoom

Heighten your civic awareness through conversations about art, history and material culture. Each month, educators from the National Portrait Gallery will partner with colleagues from across the Smithsonian to discuss how historical objects from their respective collections speak to today’s social justice issues. The topic for January is: How can we build a civically engaged society? Together with our co-hosts from the National Museum of American History, we will explore this key question in relationship to an 1898 voting machine and a portrait of civil rights activist Robert P. Moses. Free—Registration required.

Wind Down Wednesday: Hygge and Home

Wednesday, Jan. 27, 5 p.m.

Instagram Live @smithsoniannpg

During this long, cold winter, we invite you to wind down with a free virtual program that fosters creativity and mindfulness. In partnership with independent mixologists, crafters, artists and other experts, Wind Down Wednesday offers an optimistic approach to the middle of the week.

January is all about at-home comfort as we celebrate hygge and the serene portrait of author Marilynne Robinson from the exhibition “Her Story: A Century of Women Writers.” First, Megan Segarra of Meganda Kitchen will demonstrate her cocktail (or mocktail) recipe for infused spiked tea. Sip away while we discuss the portrait and read excerpts from Robinson’s beloved books. Then learn about candles and aromatherapy and center yourself through a meditative botanical watercolor workshop inspired by Robinson’s portrait.

February

Viewfinder: Women’s Film and Video from the Smithsonian, Joan Jonas: The Inner Worlds of Video

Thursday, Feb. 4, 5:30 p.m.

Online via Zoom

For more than half a century, Joan Jonas has created some of contemporary art’s most influential videos, performances and installations. Join us for a virtual screening of Jonas’s iconic videos “Left Side Right Side” (8:50 min., 1972) and “Vertical Roll” (19:38 min., 1972) from the respective collections of the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Afterward, a post-screening discussion with Jonas and curators Charlotte Ickes and Saisha Grayson will reveal how the artist explores interiority through the medium of video. Viewfinder: Women’s Film and Video from the Smithsonian is a monthly virtual screening and conversation series sponsored by the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative, “Because of Her Story.” The first six programs in the series reflect upon interiority, a timely theme now that the global pandemic has confined many to their homes. Free—Registration required.

Art AfterWords: A Book Discussion

Tuesday, Feb. 9, 5:30–7 p.m.

Online via Zoom

The National Portrait Gallery and the DC Public Library invite you to a virtual conversation about representation, kinship and storytelling. Join us as we analyze Bernard Gotfryd’s portrait of Alice Walker and discuss the related book “Training School for Negro Girls” by Camille Acker. DCPL cardholders can access the book online. For questions, or to request accommodations such as an ASL interpreter or captioning, please email jonesve@si.edu. Free—Registration required.

Exhibiting the First Ladies: A Curator’s Perspective

Tuesday, Feb. 16, 5 p.m.

Online via Zoom

Join Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw, the Class of 1940 Bicentennial Term Associate Professor of the History of Art at the University of Pennsylvania, as she presents her research and insights from curating “Every Eye Is Upon Me: First Ladies of the United States.” The presentation will be followed by a Q & A moderated by Portrait Gallery Acting Senior Historian Kate Clarke Lemay.

This program is part of the Greenberg Steinhauser Forum in American Portraiture Conversation Series and is hosted by PORTAL, the Portrait Gallery’s Scholarly Center. Closed captioning will be provided. Free—Registration Required.

Wind Down Wednesday: Good Trouble

Wednesday, Feb. 24, 5 p.m.

Instagram Live

During this long, cold winter, we invite you to wind down with a free virtual program that fosters creativity and mindfulness. In partnership with independent mixologists, crafters, artists, and other experts, Wind Down Wednesday offers an optimistic approach to the middle of the week.

In February, we celebrate African Americans’ contributions to U.S. culture and history – but this important recognition should not be limited to 28 days of the year. As the late congressman, leader and activist John Lewis would remark, the work we need to do often involves making “good trouble.” In honor of his activist spirit, we will discuss the museum’s newly acquired portrait of Lewis and pay homage to his quest for civil rights. Learn about Lewis’s organized efforts to lead the nation toward racial equality and the good trouble he made. This conversation about civic awareness, empowerment and community will help you discover how to activate your voice and increase your civic involvement – all year long. Invited guests include Mixin’ Mimi, who will craft a mocktail and cocktail to get us into the spirit.

Ongoing Programs: January–February

Writing Hour

Tuesdays, 5 p.m.

Online via Zoom

Join us weekly for a virtual creative writing hour. We’ve set up an online space where writers can create, connect and draw inspiration from the Portrait Gallery’s collection. Free—Registration required.

Introducing…

Wednesdays, 11 a.m.

YouTube @smithsoniannpg

Introducing… a new kind of story time! Each week, a Portrait Gallery educator will shine a light on some of this country’s lesser-known historymakers and their portraits. Children will learn more about art, hear the stories behind the portraits and even learn some new vocabulary. Select story times will be in Spanish. For children ages 3 and up and their families.

Jan. 6: Fred Rogers

Jan. 13: Abraham Lincoln

Jan. 20: Ruth Asawa

Jan. 27: Leah Chase

Feb. 3: Celia Cruz

Feb. 10: Barack Obama

Feb. 17: Mary Mills

Feb. 24: Stokely Carmichael and Adam Clayton Powell Jr.

Young Portrait Explorers

Wednesdays, 11–11:30 a.m. & 3–3:30 p.m.

Online via Zoom

Explore portraits of astronauts and activists, scientists and star athletes – and discover the stories behind them. Join the Portrait Gallery each week for a close look at a featured portrait. Then we’ll dig deeper with some discussion questions and get moving with fun activities on the day’s topic. Download PDF activity guides from the “Visit at Home” page of the Portrait Gallery’s website. For children ages 3 and up and their families. Free—Registration required.

Jan. 13: Louis Armstrong

Feb. 10: Celia Cruz

Drawn to Figures LIVE

Thursdays, 11:00 a.m.

Online via Zoom

Discover your inner artist in this live virtual drawing workshop. Facilitated by artist Jill Galloway, the workshop will include guided instruction on the techniques and challenges of figure drawing. Participants will be offered the chance to share their work at the end of the session. Each program will highlight a Portrait Gallery exhibition or portrait from the collection. Open to all skill levels, ages 18 and up. Required materials will be listed on the Eventbrite program page. Free—Registration required.

Jan. 7: Scaling portraits down to miniature size

Jan. 21: Working in gouache and watercolor

Feb. 4: Drawing hands in action

Feb. 25: Creating portraits from photographs

Drawn to Figures

Thursdays, Jan. 14 & 28, 11 a.m.

YouTube @smithsoniannpg

Discover your inner artist in this online workshop on sketching the human body. Artist Jill Galloway will highlight the techniques and challenges of figure drawing while providing guided instruction and helpful tips. Open to all skill levels, ages 13 and up.

Open Studio Workshops

Fridays, 11 a.m.

YouTube @smithsoniannpg

Enjoy weekly art workshops from the comfort of your own home. Each Friday, we will post a video with a new activity or technique. Grab a family member or your roommates, or make a virtual date with a friend, and get creative with artist Jill Galloway. Artists of all ages and skill levels will enjoy creating art inspired by the Portrait Gallery’s collection.

Online Docent Tours

Group Tours

By reservation

Online via Zoom

Since we can’t get together in person, let’s meet up remotely! In January 2021, the National Portrait Gallery will begin offering docent-led group tours for adults online. The following tours will be available by registration: America’s Presidents, Highlights of the National Portrait Gallery, Docent’s Choice, and Special Exhibitions. Reservations are required, and a three-week advance notice is appreciated. E-mail NPGAdultTours@si.edu to receive a tour request form. All tours are subject to availability; last-minute cancellations may occur.

#History

[tigerstrikesasteroidnetwork]

CHI / Caroline Kent: Victoria/Veronica: The figment between us

The figment between us, 2020. Acrylic on paper, 22 x 30 in.

Caroline Kent: Victoria/Veronica: The figment between us September 13–October 24, 2020 Opening: Sunday, September 13, 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM by appointment only

Hours: 

Saturdays, 12:00– 4:00pm, by appointment [Click here to make appt] *To make a reservation, visit our online calendar or contact us via email at chicago@tigerstrikesasteroid.com

[Images] [Video Walkthrough] [Gallery Layout]

Tiger Strikes Asteroid Chicago is pleased to present Victoria/Veronica: The figment between us, a solo exhibition by Caroline Kent, curated by Esau McGhee.

Referencing her mother's first two names, Kent's "Victoria/Veronica" is the name for a fictional set of identical twin sisters, separated by time and distance, who communicate with one another through drawing, painting, and hand-made objects. This is the first iteration in an ongoing project that explores Victoria and Veronica’s intimate, telepathic correspondence. The twins’ communication is akin to an epistolary relationship, but in their exchanges, images take the place of the written word.

The result is a series of visual conversations that unfold in a site specific installation that incorporates Kent’s characteristic painterly materials and extends them beyond their usual frames directly onto the walls. In the center of the gallery is a table that references one seen by the twins in Mexican architect Luis Barragán’s house years before. Sculptures mounted on the walls allow for the private viewing of books-turned-paintings and plants that signal unknown frequencies. Here, the domestic space of the home becomes a proxy for the telepathic space in which the twins communicate. What develops is an unusual and shared twin language that can be read throughout the room. Artist Bio:

Caroline Kent is a Chicago-based artist. She received a B.S. from Illinois State University (1998) and a M.F.A. from The University of Minnesota (2008). Kent has exhibited nationally at The Flag Art Foundation, NY; The Walker Art Center, MN; The DePaul Art Museum, Chicago; The California African American Museum, LA; The Suburban, Oak Park, IL; and The Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. Kent has received grants from The Pollock-Krasner Foundation, The McKnight Foundation, and The Jerome Foundation. In 2018, she was a Paint School fellow of the New York-based program, Shandaken Projects. Most recently, she was selected as a 2020 awardee of the Artadia Foundation Chicago. Kent’s work is in the collections of the Walker Art Center, MN and The Art Institute of Chicago. She is represented by Kohn Gallery in Los Angeles. For more information please visit: www.carolinekent.com and https://www.kohngallery.com/caroline_kent

Curator Bio:

Esau McGhee's interdisciplinary artistic practice is a critique of image construction found in landscape. Utilizing photography, found objects, collage and sculpture the works physically embody conventional strategies of representation, class and race construction. This is McGhee's third curatorial outing as a member of Tiger Strikes Asteroid Chicago. Previous efforts have showcased the works of Gary Noland and Allison Reimus. McGhee currently lives and works in the United States.

Scheduling and Contact Information

The exhibition will run Sunday, September 13 – Saturday, October 24. As part of the opening on September 13th, a video of the exhibition will be made publicly accessible on TSA's website and it will remain available until the exhibition closes. For the duration of this exhibition, the gallery will be open to the public by appointment only on Saturdays from 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM. We will do our best to accommodate requests beyond those hours. To schedule an appointment to visit the exhibition, please visit our online calendar (link is also listed below). Questions or requests to schedule appointments outside our normal hours can be sent to: chicago@tigerstrikesasteroid.com. 

The number of visitors per half hour slot will be limited to 2 people in order to allow for the recommended social distancing. Masks are required at all times in the building. Upon entering Mana Contemporary, please use the touchless temperature scanner, check in at the front desk, and fill out a brief form for contact tracing. Our gallery is located on the 4th floor via attendant-operated elevator or the stairs. Images and videos of the show will be available following the opening on September 13th. Please contact us for additional information or high resolution images at: chicago@tigerstrikesasteroid.com. Thank you for your patience with these procedures during these challenging times.

ONLINE RESERVATION CALENDAR https://calendly.com/tiger-strikes-asteroid-chicago/exhibition-viewing-appointment