DISQUS

Obama's library is looking great! I love the red walls behind the bookshelves. Anyone know what room he's speaking from?

Oh, and good plans. Hope he can pass them. More mass transit!!

I liked the poem a lot. Very specific imagery etc. And I liked the way she read it. Very deliberate and plain. I sensed she was nervous at the beginning but hey...if it had been me, I'd have collapsed from the nerves.

Loved the Lowrey benediction, too. Loved the way he spoke the names Sasha and Malia, and he was even humorous, which is so cool in an inaugural benediction. Say Amen! Perfect ending to the ceremonies.

Rick Warren - blah blah blah.

This is bad news. No matter where the blame lies, I believe that the Obama Inaugural committee owes an explanation and an apology to America.

The theme was supposed to be "we are one" yet "conveniently" the non-heterosexual ones were deleted. This will not sit well, nor does it bode well for an inclusionary government. Except if you're rick warren.

Thank you blksista. Pete Seeger earned his place among the pantheon decades ago. He is a courageous, powerful and humble man, and the world would not be the same without him. We owe him a huge debt of gratitude and honor. Huge.

Glad to help.

Here's a fabric storage information pdf. to download or you can google "archival fabric storage"

www.mohistory.org/img/unCommonThreadsSite/prese...

Bottom line: plastic bags will cause fabric stress and mold.

I'm so very glad you are preserving these treasures.

Thanks for asking, Claudia. First of all, the composition is powerful. That is, I love the way Obama's face and shoulders fill the foreground while the smaller text surrounds it. Nobody's use of color in this image is both nuanced and, to my eye, very pleasing.

Then I'm drawn into all the words and the complexities of their meaning. The tear from his eye reads 5150, which is police code for "crazy person" watch out. It's a number Nobody repeats a lot in his work. The initials in the middle left are MLK, JFK, ALI, X, DNC. CEO, VIP, NWA, which I think is kind of brilliant in juxtaposing leaders (individual or collective) which are not usually seen in combination. This gives NWA the same gravitas as JFK, for example.

In the upper left is picture of the white house, then the letters to the left of H, with an arrow, read Hou$e, Homey and Homeboy. You can keep on reading text and find lots of different meanings and combinations. O'really O'Reilly '08 in a noose. I won't list all of them, but you can see them in the picture. "Hello my name is Barack Obama" on a paper label. That cracks me up. It introduces him in the most mundane way possible while he is running for POTUS. Very layered meanings to that one.

I like the juxtaposition of large strong image, which can be read immediately and from a distance, with the smaller, complex text, which pulls the viewer in and engages her/him with ideas that require thought, and some knowledge, or at least a willingness to do some google searches. It's like a combination of a political message and a word puzzle.

I first saw this painting in September, when the country was, well, you remember. To me, this portrait shows the complexities of a country dealing with electing a Black man - a powerful, complex, intellectual Black man, and the hopes, dreams, anxieties and fears that were revealed in our national character.

My favorite art is both visually satisfying and intellectually stimulating, and I find both in Nobody's work. This was the first painting of his I saw, and for me it stands alone, but when I look at an aggregate of his paintings on his blog or flickr set, and read his blog posts, I see an artist with a strong visual vocabulary, engaged political beliefs, and a fascinating story of an African American man quitting his job in corporate America to save his soul (his words) and trying to make a living selling his art on the streets of Soho in New York City.

To be perfectly transparent, after I saw this piece on the Obama Art Report blog, I bid for it and won it on Nobody's eBay site. I was so excited about his work that I contacted him and asked him to come to my gallery for an exhibition next September. To my delight, he said yes, and will be here in Vermont with his work during a huge (for Vermont) annual art fair.

I have the painting hanging in the gallery now (NOT FOR SALE!), and almost everyone responds with great enthusiasm. Of course, not everyone loves any one piece of art, or any one artist. It's all subjective. There is no right or wrong in art loving.

Hope this helps you understand my passion for this painting. And again, thanks for asking.

Seriously?? I mean, I believe you, but I'm really curious what you don't like since I'm crazy about his work.

I love Shepard Fairey and I'm glad he's so successful. But my favorite Obama painting is by New York City street artist TMNK - The Me Nobody Knows. He deserves national recognition, and will someday have it. You can see my favorite Obama portrait at Nobody's blog, and while you're there browse around for many visual treats.
http://www.menobodyknows.com/nobodyblog/?p=573

I think it's brilliant. And to add a second level, I'd say support businesses that are closest to home, ethically operated, and independently owned - to encourage a thriving neighborhood economy. When possible, of course.

I believe that we can make a huge difference in the economy by our shopping choices. By we, I mean everyone.

Define vast. GLBT people make up at least 10% of the country. Is that vast enough for you to count?

It's not about Obama being flawed. Of course he's flawed as are we all, and personally, I think Obama rocks. But he made a bad decision that has a significant symbolic impact. Is it so horrible to discuss it?

Thanks, Susan et. al. The YWCA was a very important grassroots organizing institution. For a look at another YWCA- linked movement, check out this video and website about Wednesdays In Mississippi. It was co-founded an co-run by Dorothy Height, president of The National Council Of Negro Women. Dr Height had long ties to the YWCA.

From the Wednesdays In Mississippi documentary film website -www.wimsfilmproject.com

"The only civil rights project run by a national women’s organization, “Wednesdays in Mississippi” (WIMS) was the brainchild of National Council of Negro Women President, Dorothy Height and her close friend, Polly Cowan. Their plan brought Black and White women from Northern cities like Boston, New York, and Chicago into Mississippi in 1964 during Freedom Summer.

Each week, both interracial and interfaith teams of women known as “Wednesdays Women” traveled to Mississippi on Tuesdays. On Wednesdays, the women brought supplies and much needed support to small rural communities. There, local Black citizens and young civil rights workers from the North faced daily violence and constant harassment as they worked side by side to end legalized segregation. The women experienced first hand the devastating results of racial injustice, but also witnessed the hope and promise of change.

However, it was on Thursdays that the quiet revolution took root. This was when the “Wednesdays Women” put on their white gloves and pearls and secretly met with Black and White Mississippi women. In living rooms over tea and cookies the Southern women openly discussed their fears and suspicions about the civil rights movement. Many, for the first time, voiced their support for change. At that time in Mississippi, mixing with outsiders had dire consequences. Yet the women came, they listened and their hearts and minds began to open. Their clandestine meetings became the catalyst for great change.

In 1965, the Southern women invited the Northern women back to Mississippi. This groundbreaking alliance between Black and White women from the North and South continued until 1967. Working together, the women started economic, health and educational programs, including the well known Fannie Lou Hamer Daycare center, which continues to thrive today."

You can check out the documentary film-in-progress at http://lauraflanders.firedoglake.com/2008/11/07...

That's hilarious. I was hoping they'd mention that the bible also says it's a sin to mix wool and linen, but I guess they have to save something for the next video.

Resistance is futile.

Maybe most whites see only white or black, but Jews - I'm one - pretty much always try to notice if someone's MOT (Member Of the Tribe i.e. Jewish.) And my Italian American friends notice if someone's a paisan, and I've learned to also.

I'm always asking, am I white or Jewish? And the answer depends totally on context. It's been my experience that I feel most awkwardly Jewish when I'm around WASPs , particularly if they are dominant in a local population, because I feel so Other. Particularly because I grew up in a time of quotas and was very aware of where we were welcome and where we were not.

On a day to day basis, yeah, I'm white. Pasty even. But I notice.

Hmmm. I think I agree and disagree with you whiterosebuddy, but I'm not exactly sure what you are advocating. I agree that affectional/sexual desire for the same or the "opposite" sex is a not genetic.

You can call it choice but not a choice like preferring almonds to cashews, since there's no social pressure to prefer almonds to cashews. The word choice is problematic and I think it just gets in the way of understanding the issues. But I do agree that there's no gene for same sex desire any more than there's a gene for liking chocolate more than strawberry ice cream. Oops, it must be dinnertime since all my references here are food.

I don't thank that same sex marriage advocates are saying sexual behaviour - either hetero or homo - is a right. I think they are saying that the choice of a life partner should be a right and should be recognized under the law.

Your equation of homosexuality with incest or rape pretty much creeps me out though. Unless that's not what you mean, and I apologize for misunderstanding.

The news about Jdimytai Damour and BloatMart sickened us all and I think - I hope - has made Americans at least start to think about the effect of greed and the box stores. I know that in this economy we are all tightening our belts, spending less, and making wise choices with our money - to support our selves, our families and our communities. And yet, we still sometimes shop, still buy presents for loved ones. I've always been an advocate of shopping local, or, if that's not possible, buying quality items directly from the person or small business that makes it.

In that spirit, I'd like to direct you to my friend TMNK - The Me Nobody Knows, a wonderful New York City street artist. His motto: "I am Nobody, Art is my weapon" You can see his work on his blog http://www.menobodyknows.com/nobodyblog/ and if you are in NYC, you might catch him in person, if the weather's not too cold for him to be out on the street selling his amazing paintings. Right now he's having a 2 Damn Cold 2-Day sale online, and I think you will be amazed at his work.

Even if you are not shopping, Nobody's paintings are a pleasure to view and you will be rewarded by getting to know this great artist.

Check out this community garden site from Burlington, VT.
http://www.burlingtongardens.org/virtual.htm

Off topic question: does anyone know about the graphic on the right sidebar, "I am a community organizer" I followed the links to Baratunde's flickr set, but didn't find a source for the image. My sister fell in love with it when she saw it on JJP, and wants to buy it if it's a poster or even a postcard. Thanks.

Love these inspiring pix. I've seen them used on other blogs as well. Sometimes they credit your blog, but my question is, where is the photo credit? Now that some of these photos have gone viral, is there a way you can credit the photographers? The photos are the intellectual property and possibly under copyright of the people who made them, but the public can now never find them to attach credit to the work, or possibly get in touch with the artists/photographers for reproduction rights. This represents a loss to the photographers who deserve not only credit but possibly income and the claim of authorship and control of their product.

Possibly I've missed a portion of your site where you address this issue. Thanks so much.

Girls rock!

Thank you, Hearts & Flowers, for responding to me. Seriously.

Thank you H&F. I appreciate your comments and analysis. I do get that white feminists have too often made a huge error in not working in coalition with women of color. Big mistake, huge missed opportunity and a really stupid idea to continue to do so.

I appreciate your comment too because one of the reasons I come here to JJP is to be able to listen to voices like yours, even if I am a blabster myself. New York Jew, what can I say?

I like your blog too. We probably have more in common that you might think, particularly in the area of art and culture.

thanks G.D. I think I raised some good points, too, and it makes me happy to think someone's got my back.

And you've got a great blog.

H&F, I understand if you don't feel like getting into it, really. But you've made a reference to a behemoth that is a total mystery to me. And I've done my feminist homework.

It's not that I mind if we disagree but I'm afraid that some people reading your statement that such an entity exists will assume, having read it in print, that there is such a thing, even if they don't actually know what it is.

So, for the record, I don't think there is a Feminist Industrial Complex.

Now we can agree to disagree?

Sorry, I mean the Military Industrial Complex.