Maybe They Just Didn't Like The Mountains

Tell the truth, does that look like a "suspicious gathering" to you? Because according to the cops, that's how the caller described us. Thankfully we had all our papers in order, and the police were very polite and understanding, so our Nora Herting: Free Sitting party continued out in front of the gallery until a wee-but-reasonable hour!



With this lovely backdrop, Nora created found families, posing anyone who cared to be posed alongside anyone that cared to be with them. The shots ranged from the sublime to the surreal, and the night was filled with a mix of gallery regulars, first time visitors, and even a few innocent bystanders. Everyone was having so much fun that it was impossible for anyone to feel shy.



Nora's project is designed to explore the feeling of those awkward family portraits that once were part of the American dream, bringing total strangers together to play the parts. She's previously carried out her Free Sittings elsewhere, including a wonderfully successful stop in Chelsea late last year. Her seasoned ability turned Saturday night into a chance to play with the idea of the portrait, both through Nora's deliberate direction or by simply letting the models position themselves. Some shots were awkward, some were sinister, some were just plain funny, and one or two even made the onlookers say "awwww".



You can read a little more about Nora's project right here. Of course, while that was going on, we had a little event of our own happening inside.



Saturday's ultra-rare advance preview of our upcoming show, The World We Live In, The Worlds We Create was a mix of the sculpture and drawing that all us Spicy people have very excited about. You can see an advance sneak preview on our sneak preview page, but don't think that we're giving it all away this early! Why do you think we're being so coy with these shots? All you get now is a little taste, because the real opening night is Friday, March 12th, and we want YOU to be there! Maybe you'll even get to talk to some of the artists, such as the wonderful Jessica Stoller (center, in the hat).



Additionally, RSVP now for the next installment of our Monthly Dinner Series, The Worlds We Ate on March 20th. You'll be having a delicious dinner surrounded by the work itself, and you can enjoy meeting the artists in person! Previous dinners have been amazing, so reserve your place!

But that's a story still waiting for us in the future. The fun we had on Saturday was all because of Nora Herting.



Great job, Nora! We can't wait to do it again.

Whats the State of NYC art?

Find out at the
NYC State of the Art conference
Time:9:00AM Saturday, March 6th
Location:The SVA Theatre 333 West 23 Street

My Panel:
What art industry incentives can be offered to help NYC artists?
Moderator: James Wallace
Elizabeth Koch, Brooklyn Borough President's office
Sharon Louden, Artist
Marisa Sage, Williamsburg Gallery Association
Keats Myer, Children's Museum of the Arts
Start time: 2:30 pm

MY QUESTIONS:
How difficult is it for a gallery to survive in this or any economy?
How are Brooklyn galleries dealing with the current economic conditions?
What city or state incentives can a gallery use when starting up?
Should there be more?
What more can be done?
What best practices should be emulated by galleries when working with artists?
How do galleries ensure best practices when working with artists? Would more regulation help?

I will add my answers to this blog and other panelists statements after the conference.

Also listen to WYPR for conference coverage and our Like the Spice podcast for a short podcast covering the conference.

New York’s artists struggle constantly to live, work, show, and sell.

Artists, arts leaders, notable panelists, and YOU will address solutions at NYC:State Of The Art, New York’s first-ever artist and art industry not-for-profit conference, tomorrow, Mar. 6, at SVA Theatre, 9am to 6pm. Post-event cocktails at The Gates.

Keynote, Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer. Media sponsor, WNYC.

Have an idea or question? Want to help an artist attend? pARTicipate! Get your ticket or sponsor an artist now at http://nycstateoftheart.com/tickets.asp. www.nycstateoftheart.com

Special Offer! Artist attendees will receive a free 1 year Platinum account at Imagekind.com ($100 value), an internet-based service allowing artists to set up a storefront and sell prints of their work. http://www.imagekind.com/

A Positive Climate

What artist has two thumbs and was given an excellent description in The New York Photo Review? Bennett Morris! Okay, fine, the joke doesn't work as well in print. But that's no reason why you shouldn't head over and read all about Bennett's now-completed solo show Climate Untamed. Here's just a taste:



It's short, but it's very, very sweet. Thanks for the visit, NYPR! We're glad you enjoyed the show!

Free Sitting on March 6th!

The camera is held steadily as you pose before it with your family, your father's stern hand lain unnaturally on your shoulder forging a kind of maternal affection for the camera, imaginary ants tickling your body as you try to remain still with a broad smile plastered across your strained face. These unnatural snapshots intended on betraying family life became a point of fascination for our artist Nora Herting as she joins us on March 6th for Nora Herting: Free Sitting.

To delve into the nuts and bolts of the strange psychology and comedy of this long running tradition, she has constructed an interactive instillation in the form of a photo booth. Here, with each photo, she will create imaginary families and initiate momentary ties, as groups of strangers come in off the streets of Williamsburg to pose out of front of Like The Spice.



Come in on March 6th from 6.30pm to 10.00pm as we enjoy our Saturday night Armory party! Plus did we mention a chance for a sneak preview of one of our up and coming group sculpture shows The World We Live In, The Worlds We Create. And of course all are welcome to come to our next Monthly Dinner on March 20th to eat, drink, be merry, and talk to the artists about their art and their life. Join us, won't you?

Dancing the Night Away

A night with Jason Bryant and Enid Ellen...

Tribal paint, alien prose, radical (if not saucy) costume, and a song of praise for the earth mother. Could this be the description of some indigenous tradition of another country? Nope, just another night at Like the Spice. As many of you know, this past Friday night Like the Spice became the stage for some pretty incredible events...

The evening began with a cocktail party featuring an preview of Jason Bryant's newest pieces. When Jason delivered his latest works to us we were incredibly impatient to get them out of their shadow boxes and see for ourselves what had already promised to be breathtaking pieces. With unveiling the last layer of plastic from the canvas there was a slight whiff of varnish and what we saw was just so exciting. If you missed the fabulous preview please please come by soon to see Jason's pieces, they are just too great to have to wait until his Fall 2010 show to see. Patience may be a virtue but not necessarily in this case.

The event began at about six and by 8:15 it appeared that most people had warmed up (with the help of our Pernod fountain), had admired Jason's work, discussed Bennett's current show, and found a new piece in our group show that they may not have seen before. And then it was time for Enid Ellen to take the stage. Before the lights were dimmed the best description of this duo was given to me, "Enid Ellen is like a tribal Ziggy Stardust." This indeed is a perfect way to describe Enid Ellen's music, although at points it is so unique and haunting that there doesn't seem to be any way that it could be related to anything that came before it.

As far as 2nd Fridays go, this past one surely proved to be an excellent model for future events. There was a stimulating and warm feeling in the gallery with so many different people mingling and circulating through the works. If you are familiar with our blog you know that we here at Like the Spice absolutely love it when new and old friends are present and exciting discussions abound. Thank you to all of those who attended and we look forward to see you again soon!

Just Can't Get Enough...

Of Bennett Morris, we mean...

I'm sure by now you all have guessed that we have a very hard time shutting up about Bennett Morris and his show here at Like the Spice. His work has been with us since January 22nd and it still does not fail to excite us; well Ladies and Gentlemen, it appears that this excitement is contagious as Bennett Morris: Climate Untamed at Like the Spice has made it onto Trent Morse's top gallery picks of February 2010!!



All of here at LTS would like to offer our sincerest congratulations to Bennett for creating such wonderful work that creates lasting impressions which permeate throughout the Brooklyn art scene. This is Bennett's first solo show in New York and such an accomplishment should not be overlooked.

Trent begins his review with, "The start of the new decade brings a slew of new art shows to North Brooklyn in which landscape plays a central role. Here are some of our favorites." He then goes on to connect Bennett's displays of ruination with the "idealized splendor of America’s natural wonders" found in the landscape paintings of the Hudson River School. Follow the link to read the rest of the article!

Congratulations again, Bennett!

Bennett Morris: Climate of Hunger

Saturday was our latest installment of the Monthly Dinner Series. Got it? Great. Let's talk about dessert.



Because this chocolate pretzel pie basically stands as a symbol of exactly what we thought about Friday night's dinner. The whole night was sweet, delicious, mouth-wateringly enjoyable, and when it finally ended, we wanted a second helping. If you weren't there, you missed a chance to enjoy the -dare we say genius?- of Bennett Morris, the well-spoken artist behind our current show, Climate Untamed.



If you've ever heard Bennett speak, you know what we mean when we say he's informative without being boring. If you haven't had that pleasure, check out our very latest podcast and find out for yourself! It's just too bad that specific recording won't include the dinner guests.



That's right, our guests! As always, the company makes the meal. These Monthly Dinners are well established now, so besides the always-fantastic food (this time provided by caterer Neilie Meyer), we've got regulars and newcomers alike, all ready to hear what the guest of honor has to say. And this time, no one felt shy about sharing their ideas or criticisms, and Bennett sure was ready with the answers! By the time we made it to dessert, everyone was grinning and laughing, and we all felt like something special was happening.



This could be why, when the dinner was over, THEY DIDN'T EVER GO HOME! Seriously, the dinner just KEPT ON GOING! Even when the food was gone, Bennett and our guests still had plenty of questions, opinions, anecdotes, or general chit-chat in them. We just cleaned the plates, locked the doors, and opened a bottle of wine, because how could we tell our new friends to leave? The conversation rolled on and on... and don't think for a second we didn't participate ourselves.



We're not gonna say how long it finally lasted, we're just gonna hint that some of us might have seen the sun. We honestly think it's going to be quite some time before a dinner manages to top the exquisite Climate of Hunger... but you know what? We've been surprised before. So if you haven't joined us for a dinner in a while, or even if you have, start planning now to join us in March, because you never know when that lightning's gonna strike. Just ask any of our guests from Friday night... but not until Monday, okay? They might still be in bed.