Shepard Fairey was sentenced to two years probation for lying and destroying evidence in his case against the AP today. I for one am glad its over. Shepard is a casual friend of mine. That is to say he remembers my name even though we never really spent much time hanging out over the years. I know him as a humble, gentle and generous human being. The qualities that make him someone that I hope my future daughter would be fortunate enough to marry. Yes, he made a terrible mistake. I know he knows that and the whole world knows that. He can make ammends by doing the same things he’s always done, that is to be the solid dude he’s always been.

Took a trip up to Park Avenue yesterday to scope around Tom Sachs’ Space Program art exhibit :

Artist Tom Sachs takes his SPACE PROGRAM to the next level with a four week mission to Mars that recasts the 55,000 square foot Wade Thompson Drill Hall as an immersive space odyssey with an installation of dynamic and meticulously crafted sculptures. Using his signature bricolage technique and simple materials that comprise the daily surrounds of his New York studio, Sachs engineers the component parts of the mission—exploratory VEHICLES, mission control, launch platforms, suiting stations, special effects, recreational amenities, and Mars landscape—exposing as much the process of their making as the complexities of the culture they reference.  

Sachs does a superb job at using “simple materials” to create the illusion of space crafts, at times I had to keep reminding myself that these contraptions were made from things he found around his studio.  The exhibit also incorporated hands-on activities suitable for children and adults—exhibit appreciators were asked to view some of Sachs’ screenings in the “Cinema” room, where then after, they would be directed to the “Indoctrination” center for an oral exam, and then a written exam based on the screenings.  Upon passing your indoctrination, you acquire the credibility to actually climb into Sachs’ interpretation of an “obersevation unit”.

It was an uncanny experience, but pleasant nonetheless. Something cool to do on your day off!

Here’s more information on the exhibit: Tom Sachs: SPACE PROGRAM : MARS

Doing my daily browse of the interwebs, I stumbled upon a photo of an ombre bearded man, dressed in vibrant apparel and a parrot perched on his finger.  This was a man I recognized, and have definitely seen before wandering the streets of NYC.  Surely enough, the text underneath the photo was captioned: Humans of New York Project.  Intrigued as a New Yorker myself, I clicked on the link and found myself browsing through a stream of photos of random New Yorkers taken on the streets of New York City, some ordinary and some so…not-so-ordinary (be sure to read the little blurbs with each photo).

“The Humans of New York Project is an effort to create a photographic census of the city of New York, with an eye toward creating artistic portraits of strangers on the street. Over 4000 street portraits have been gathered thus far.”

Check it out! Pretty cool…The photographer’s name is Brandon. 
www.HumansofNewYork.com