Jenny and Rachel are in the same New England town this summer, doing research for upcoming projects. Something told Rachel that Jenny’s new film Kick Like a Girl, playing at the Martha’s Vineyard summer film festival on August 20, would appeal to me and to Misstropolites. She was right.

Just when I thought I adored Rachel Perry Welty - the artist whose work has inspired the Misstropolis Arts section since the early days - as much as possible, she’s done it again. She introduced me to her friend and fellow artist, documentarian Jenny Mackenzie.

Jenny and Rachel are in the same New England town this summer, doing research for upcoming projects. Something told Rachel that Jenny’s new film Kick Like a Girl, playing at the The Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival Summer Film Series on August 20, would appeal to me and to Misstropolites. She was right.

“I think telling girls stories and working in the area of girl empowerment and girl power if you will, is a TOTAL calling for me,” says Mackenzie. “I do believe in the Alpha Girl theory and I am definitely raising a few of them. However, I am constantly reminded, and they are too, of the ways that women are continuously marginalized each and everyday.”

Mackenzie, who lives in Salt Lake City with her husband and three daughters, was a clinical and administrative social worker for 20 years. At 42 she decided to make a daring career change and start film school. Her goal is to use film to tell human interest stories to affect social change - kicking butt like a girl behind the camera.

“As a social worker, most of the time I felt quite effective, in terms of being able to support individuals… Everyone wants to be heard. But there were definitely instances when I would hear someone’s raw, real-life nightmare, and think to myself, “Will we ever be able to create the necessary social change for this domestic violence victim or this pregnant teen”? I would often listen to former clients’ stories and think “if we could just film this story and reach a wider audience, we could potentially really look at longer term change for so many.”

Kick Like a Girl is the story of The Mighty Cheetahs, an undefeated all-girls third grade soccer team so good they were invited to play in the boys’ division. Shortly into the beginning of the season, Mackenzie realized she was in the middle of what could be a powerful documentary. Showcasing her talent even so early in her career as a filmmaker, the resulting film “reveals the reality of the boy-girl issues and what kick like a girl means on and off the playing field.”

Mackenzie’s website notes that “allowing girls to reach their potential requires us to challenge sex role expectations.” Kick Like a Girl does that in a poignant, accessible way. Part of the reason Mackenzie could tell the story with such heart is that she was a part of it, a central character in her own film.

“I was coaching the team, and I was in film school. My mother is a writer and she was visiting from NYC. She came to the second game we played in the boys division, and she felt the tension and heard some of the sideline comments. She said ‘Jenny, you MUST start filming these games, you have a great story right in front of you’, and we did.”

Jenny’s daughter, 8 year old Lizzie, and her teammates are as compelling and inspirational to watch as any young Hollywood starlets. Their determination and desire to win, no matter how tough the odds, is matched only by their remarkable ability to keep things in perspective. While some of the parents’ hollering on the sidelines is sadly revealing of deep gender prejudices and narrow-mindedness, the kids’ behavior (both girls and boys) only seems to increase in its wisdom and maturity.

The film shows how effective sports can be as a teaching tool for kids and as an instrument of social change for adults. A psychologist who adds commentary in the film explains, “What soccer can do for a child is put them in the driver’s seat of their own life. And as [they] go through the experience [they’ll] have both failures and successes and learn that failures are not fatal…”

Zach was one of the boys who played against the Cheetahs. His mother had a distinctly different attitude than some of the fathers of boy players. “There’s no doubt that these boys walk away feeling a completely different way about the girls. That translates into the classroom and that that’s going to translate into the work experience and they’re going to honor women in all different environments that they experience them in.”

“We learned a lot playing the boys and I think the boys learned a lot too.” one of the Cheetahs says happily. Let’s hope the parents on the sidelines leaned something too; and if they didn’t Jenny Mackenzie’s film might be the extra kick they need.

Kick Like a Girl is playing along with Lauren Greenfield’s new film kids + money at the The Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival Summer Film Series on Wednesday August 20th at 5:30. For more info, check here.

Interesting fact from the website: there is less than an 11 minutes difference between the male and female world records in the marathon. The women’s is 2:15:25, the men’s is 2:04:26. Check out this site for an interesting graph! http://www.marathonguide.com

Misstropolis and the MFA are pleased to offer free tickets to a new documentary which takes the idea of Girl Power to a new level through the heart and soul of rock-n-roll.

To enter to win tickets email Mia Gant at mia287@gmail.com as soon as possible with your information and the name of the person you referred to Misstropolis.

Girls Rock! is at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston until August 16th, but we have tickets available for TODAY, July 31 at 5:45pm and Saturday, August 2 at 1:15pm.

Girls Rock! is a high energy documentary film about The Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp for Girls, a place where eight to eighteen-year-olds come from all over the country to learn Rock, DIY style—forming bands, writing songs, and building community.

An articulate, adopted Korean girl, Laura is obsessed with death metal; Misty is emerging from a life of meth-addiction, homelessness, and gang activity; Palace is a sweet-seeming 8-year-old with a heavy metal sneer; and Amelia is writing a fourteen-song cycle about her dog, Pippi.

During one week, the girls’ form bands, write songs, and play a gig, while the rest of the camp engages in an experiment in empowerment that leaves no one unchanged. As the final performance draws near, the girls are thrown into a paroxysm of excitement and self-discovery, achieving things they never thought possible. Through video diaries, verité footage, interviews, and animations, filmgoers will be transformed right along with the girls. Girls Rock is described by Seattle Magazine as “revolutionary, heartbreaking, and laugh-out-loud funny. Absolutely not to be missed.”

To learn more, check out the official Girls Rock! website. Hope to see you at the film!

Whether its Madonna’s “Justify My Love” (song and video) or Terrence Malick’s Days of Heaven with Richard Gere and Sam Shepard (my picks) however, there’s no denying that when you want to get worked up, works of art work.

What turns you on? Is it predictable - an afternoon rainstorm on a summer Sunday? An out of the blue compliment in a deep intimate voice? Or utterly unpredictable like an endearing glimpse of vulnerability or a sleepy “good morning”?

Whether its with Madonna’s “Justify My Love” (song and video) or Terrence Malick’s Days of Heaven with Richard Gere and Sam Shepard (my picks) however, there’s no denying that when you want to get worked up, works of art work.

Here, some of our Misstropolis contributors share the books, music and films that put them in the mood…

Lenore Shannon, author of The Tribulations of Paulette
For sexy music, nothing beats Led Zeppelin’s “Hey, hey what can I do?” or “Travelin’ Riverside Blues.” The idea of a young Robert Plant having his lemon squeezed is a mighty powerful image. Might be more of a guys’ turn on, but I think it’s hot. 

For books, The Story of O should be on everyone’s bedside table. But don’t leave it hanging around for too long because the housekeeper will steal it and you’ll have to buy another copy.

For DVDs, I love The Good Old Naughty Days. You’ve never seen so much black and white sex in your life, and by black and white I’m talking nuns, priests and dogs.  As you may recall, these short films are French (naturally) and were used to “warm up” the clientele at brothels in the early part of this century.  C’est magnifique. 

Alisa Neely, Style Editor, Personal Shopper, Owner of Scout
Film - 9 1/2 Weeks, the classic.
Music – Maxwell, the hottest.
Book – The Bride Stripped Bare, the real deal.

Dawn Silvia, author, video star, lip sync queen
Book: A collection of erotica called The Sleeping Beauty novels (especially Beauty’s Release) by A.N. Roquelaure (nom de plume of Anne Rice, of the vampire books). Now she’s sucking something else! I accidentally bought this at the airport on a flight to the west coast. I had no idea that it was erotica, so it made for some interesting reading for the guy looking over my shoulder.

Music: Pink Floyd, The Wall. Not the sexiest of CD’s, but it is mostly slow and rhythmic, and I used to have sex for hours with my college boyfriend while that was playing in the background. Also Pat Benatar’s “We Belong” blasted to 10 or 11 is good orgasm music, right when you’re about to blow. I think it’s the crescendo.

Movie: This is tough because the last non-porno movie that turned me on was the movie FEAR with Mark Wahlberg and Reese Witherspoon from ages ago where he is fingering her at the top of the ferris wheel. That was one of those uncomfortably horny moments because you’re in a crowded theater and you’re not sure if you were supposed to get turned on by it. I was. hee hee…

Tom Meek, Film Critic, on the summer’s sexiest upcoming films

In July be sure to see The Dark Knight, perhaps the best comic book picture (along with Hellboy) of the summer. With the death of Heath Ledger and director Nolan’s dark moodiness, it might not be best for first dates. For a completely different flavor of sexiness, see Mama Mia with Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan… Think Muriel’s Wedding 2.

In August go see Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona with your date, have a glass of wine and watch the passion sizzle between Scarlett Johansson, Penelope Cruz and Oscar winner Javier Bardem. Nothing steams up the theater like a contentious love triangle.

Carly DeValle, Author, Sex and the Single Mom Series

Coming from a life of celibacy (ie: married for 10 years), there wasn’t much reason to ‘get in the mood.’ Newly single, I have found music plays a pivotal role in my dalliances. While dating the DJ enthusiast, JRS, music emanated from his two turntables as we made love on his bed. He would actually disengage from me to flip vinyls when they ran their course. I found it endearing especially when the old seventies songstresses would belt out their funkadelic lyrics and give us a good beat to keep up with.

When I dated a much younger man (think, Gen Y) and he was embarking on a months-long journey to Costa Rica, I played some sexy World music including African Groove tunes and Bossanova Brazilian beats. I must say, the exotic percussions and foreign languages helped transport us into a more erotic space.

When in doubt, I’ve always got a few tunes that make the grade: Barry White – virtually anything; Madonna’s ‘Justify My Love;’ jazz greats, the JB Horns which oftentimes including sexy lyrics about hanging out, lazing about.

So tell us readers, what puts YOU in the mood?

If you were - up until now - unaware of the Film Program at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, you are in for a summer of cinematic joy. The film program (where I used to work, ecstatically, because what’s better than writing about the best films in the world?) showcases contemporary international films, restored classics, American independent films, retrospectives and works by local filmmakers all year round; but summer is the program’s peacock moment, the season in which it gets to strut its stuff and put its colors on full display. The summer is the season of the uber popular French Film Festival as well as the Concerts on the Courtyard series which the department also oversees. (More on summer concerts in an upcoming issue).

Bo Smith is the Katharine Stone White Head of Film/Video and Head of Concerts at the MFA. He has nurtured and developed the Film Program since 1987. “Over these 20+ years, the MFA Film Program has become an international leader by establishing these innovative programs: annual festivals - French (July), Gay/Lesbian (May), Jewish (Nov), Iranian (Nov), Turkish (March/Apr), African (Feb), Human Rights Watch (Jan); as well as a focus on films on art; and a showcase for the work of New England film and video artists,” he explains. “The Program has continued - as it did before I arrived in 1987 - to present retrospectives of the world’s major film artists and series focusing on national cinemas from around the world.”

The 13th Annual Boston French Film Festival which will run from July 10 - 27 continues that tradition, with an impressive schedule of some of the world’s best contemporary French cinema, including a powerful lineup of films by and about women.

In 2006, Justine Elias wrote in the Boston Globe, “French cinema has always celebrated actresses, and unlike the United States, France supports a film industry in which the ingenues of years past have become writers, producers, and directors - and on-screen heroines, of course - of fascinating tales about women of a certain age.”

This summer’s festival premieres eight films by women directors. “These women take on stories of the ever evolving balance of professional and personal life, tumultuous relationships, and family complications with remarkable insight, humor, and artistry.” Please, save yourself the agony of seeing The Love Guru when these world-class films are in Boston at one of the most beautiful theaters in New England.

The Opening Night Film Shall We Kiss, a romantic comedy starring Virginie Ledoyen will be followed by a reception at the museum. Ledoyen, who was first introduced to American audiences in Danny Boyle’s The Beach with Leonardo DiCaprio, was also widely acclaimed in 8 Women directed by François Ozon.

Other 2008 French Festival highlights of films by or about women include 57,000 KM Between Us (57000 KM entre nous) starring Florence Thomassain, Pascal Bongard, Mathieu Amalric and Marie Adrienis, 57,000 KM Between Us is visual artist and photographer Delphine Kreuter’s feature debut.

All is Forgiven (Tout est pardonné) is the feature directorial debut of actress Mia Hansen-Løve. “Unlike almost every other first-time director in current cinema, Hansen-Løve (known to American audiences for her appearances in Olivier Assayas’ Les Destinées and Late August, Early September) trusts in her story, her settings, and her actors.” (Film Society of Lincoln Center).

Her Name is Sabine (Elle s’appelle Sabine) is a startling documentary by actress Sandrine Bonnaire. “[Sabine] is the most beautiful film that Cannes has given us this year… It’s cinema at its purest,” (Variety). Compiling footage filmed over a period of 25 years, Bonnaire tells the tragic though ultimately uplifting story of her improperly diagnosed sister and with intimate family photos, travel footage and her own film, reveals how her sister’s life was crushed by improper diagnosis and an inadequate care structure. “This very intimate film also sends an urgent message to a society that still does not know how to properly take care of its citizens with physical and psychological disabilities.”

Misstropolites are very excited to see 48 Hours a Day (48 heures par jour) by Catherine Castel Marianne, a film which portrays how life-balance issues are at the heart of modern life for women in France as well as here in the U.S. “Parity rather than disparity, 48 Hours a Day is a comedy on the fate of women today who continually juggle with their jobs, husbands, children and domestic lives.”

In Actresses by Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi, art imitates life as an actress insecure about her age takes her role way too seriously.

Veteran character actress Anne Le Ny makes an extraordinarily impressive, utterly haunting debut as a writer-director with Those Who Remain (Ceux qui restent).

Eric Rohmer is most definitely not a woman, but he is one of the French cinema’s most celebrated and prolific auteurs and he almost always explores romantic desire, befuddlement and intrigue between men and women in his films. His latest, Romance of Astrea and Celadon is an ancient tale embodying his very contemporary themes. From My Night at Maud’s to Claire’s Knee, from Chloe in the Afternoon to A Tale of Springtime, Eric Rohmer has made a career out of treating modern romance like the greatest classical love stories. Romance of Astrea and Celadon “… is the great director’s farewell to a lifetime of star-crossed, verbose and ever-so-lovely lovers.”

The Last Mistress (Une vieille maîtresse) by Catherine Breillat. Catherine Breillat’s glorious new film based on the controversial novel by 19th century author and dandy Jules-Amédée Barbey d’Aurevilly. “Known for her fearlessly candid explorations of female sexuality in such films as Fat Girl and Brief Crossing, Breillat’s triumphant foray into period drama proves a rigorously unsentimental, frankly erotic and very funny work… Arguably Breillat’s most accessible film, this sophisticated chamber piece is as ravishingly entertaining as it is supremely intelligent.” (San Francisco International Film Festival).

For complete schedule and to purchase tickets, visit the MFA website here. 

Uninhibited by the internal censorship and criticism that adults wrestle with when asked to be artistic or creative, children dive into art with all the honesty and enthusiasm of a kitten in a paint can. Their unbridled expression can result in astounding works of art (at least in mom, dad or grandma’s eyes) when given the right supplies and environment. That’s why most refrigerators are decorated with kids’ art, not parents.

Enter ARTBEAT a creative resource in Arlington and Franklin in which kids – and adults – can drop in and work on a myriad of art projects, most of which last about an hour and cost much less than the special remover needed to get paint off that nice upholstery in the living room.

ARTBEAT is many things - a studio, a store, a school. The walk-in art studio is a great place to take kids ages four through - well through adult (!) on a hot, rainy or artsy -feeling day. Visitors get to do projects involving mosaics, painting, decorating candles, making stuffed dolls and animals, and painting with sand. Metal embossing, SILK PAINTING, and more are taught in Saturday workshops.

This aint no plaster fun time.

“ARTBEAT has an ‘art studio’ feel.” says Steph Cooper of Needham, who frequents ARTBEAT with her daughter. “They help you pick a project, which is fairly open ended and let you use your imagination and any medium they have available to complete it. It is very low key. You never leave without doing more than one project and making several art supply purchases.”

This spring ARTBEAT was featured on the PBS children’s show “Arthur.” A family was shown in ARTBEAT’s Art Studio making beeswax candles and mosaics, teaching about how art can inspire parent/child camaraderie and bonding. All that for between $10-30!

During the summer (and during the holiday gift-making season) ARTBEAT has weekly themes with featured projects in different media: acrylic painting, mosaics, decoupage and sand painting and sometimes silk painting and metal working. Projects take about an hour and can be taken home the same day. They even have coloring stuff for kids who are too young for the regular projects. “It has a very artsy feel,” Steph Cooper explains. “You are not tied down to what they want you to do, You can use your imagination.”

Summer 2008 Studio Arts Program

Week 1: July 7 – 11 Awesome Animals. Paper mache, painting, mosaic or sand painting.
Week 2: July 14 – 18 Crazy Alphabets. Painting, decoupage, marbles or tile decoration, mosaic.
Week 3: July 21 – 25 3-D Magic. Paint on canvases, boxes or frames. 
Week 4: July 28 – Aug 1 Suns, Stars, and Outer Space: Painting, decoupage, sand painting, stained glass. 
Week 5: Aug 4 – 8 Underwater World. Emboss, decoupage, mosaic, shell decoration. 
Week 6: Aug 11 – 15 Time to Make Time
Week 7: Aug 18 – 22 Castles, Crowns, and Dragons. Paint, decoupage, emboss, mosaic, and more.
Week 8: Aug 25 – 29 Lights Out! Decoupage, beeswax candles, embellish candle holders.

As Julia Cameron, acclaimed author of The Artist’s Way wrote, “We are all creative. Creativity is a natural life force that all can experience in one form or another. Just as blood is part of our physical body and is nothing we must invent, creativity is part of us…” (Julia Cameron, author The Artist’s Way).

The studios in both locations have a cozy, intimate feel. Call ahead if you have a big group.
Arlington: 781-646-2200. 212-A Massachusetts Ave.
Franklin: 508-528-5001. 9 Summer Street.

You and a Guest are invited to a special advanced screening of
GET SMART
Starring Steve Carrell and Anne Hathaway

Monday, June 16th
7:00PM
AMC Boston Common Theater
175 Tremont Street
Boston, MA

To win passes for you and a friend, email MIA at .

As Steve Carrell who plays Maxwell Smart puts it, “I’d say it’s 80% comedy, 20% action, 15% heart, 35% romance, 10% adventure and probably less than 1% horror. Put that all together and you have more than 100%, which is more, really, than you can expect from any movie.”

One grand prize winner will win an official movie hat, t-shirt, Frisbee and passes for themselves and 6 friends to attend the advance screening…

Get Smart stars Dwayne Johnson, Alan Arkin, Terence Stamp and James Caan in addition to Carrell and Hathaway. Director Peter Segal approached “Get Smart” as both a filmmaker and a fan. “This was an iconic show from the 1960s, a true classic and one of my favorites,” he says. “I loved it. It was smart, irreverent and hilarious.”

Email Mia now to get your tickets. We’ll see you at the show!

If you loved Sofia Coppola’s film Marie Antoinette, don’t miss “Marie Antoinette,” an exhibition at the Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais in Paris about France’s most ill-fated queen.

As Coppola so lavishly depicted, Marie Antoinette was famous for her legendary excesses, for her role in the French Revolution and for her death: executed for treason by guillotine at the height of the French Revolution in 1793.

The exhibition, which runs through June 30, is a fascinating look into the complex personality of queen, one of the most important figures in the history of France. The exhibition displays 300-plus artworks and personal effects, depicting the many moods of the queen. Related events such as concerts, films, lectures and activities for children are planned throughout the rest of the month.

A rare opportunity, considering that the last tribute of this scale paid to this famous historical figure dates back to 1955.

MARIE ANTOINETTE
GALERIES NATIONALES DU GRAND PALAIS
http://WWW.RMN.FR

For more art and travel ideas, sure to knock your head off, visit http://www.area-daily.com.

But GOOD, Boston’s inspirational design and accessories shop located on Charles Street in Beacon Hill, is where you can meet the designers and shop for their one of a kind jewelry, artwork and home décor this Thursday. 

GOOD is an understatement. As a descriptor for the work of PATCH NYC designers Don Carney and John Ross, good doesn’t even come close. Their accessories, art and home decor are better described as exquisite, unique, amusing and treasured.

But GOOD, Boston’s inspirational design and accessories shop located on Charles Street in Beacon Hill, is where you can meet the designers and shop for their one of a kind jewelry, ink drawings, decorative pillows and more this Thursday.

Don Carney, whose antique woodblock inspired ink drawings were written up in the New York Times last month, is also a favorite of acclaimed international designer Jonathan Adler. Adler, who commissioned Carney to create a giant version of his “Pipe” drawing on a door in his New York apartment, now sells Carney’s drawings through jonathanadler.com.

Like Jonathan Adler, John Ross and Don Carney redefine the modern. And like most designers who reach legendary status, they can not contain their vision to one discipline. Their line extends from accessories to home décor to fine art. Even their website, patchnyc.com is a trip through their fun, kitschy style.

When they started PATCH NYC in New York in 1997, “it was all about the Kate Spade aesthetic.” Carney explains. Simple, black nylon handbags, straight lines. He and Ross had a sense of style that contradicted that. He says they have always had an appreciation for vintage things, antiques and flea market finds. The find inspiration in a flea market frame or a 1950s stitch technique, but always make a piece their own, always bring it a contemporary edge. Direct interpretation of vintage looks can be “costumey” he says, be sure to avoid it.

Carney says it is interesting to see the growing popularity of the Do It Yourself movement and sites like Etsy.com, since they’ve been hand making items and using local artisans all along. It’s good to see he says, “People are trying to be more responsible; not make so much crap.”

PATCH NYC is unique in a retail landscape where mega-chains churn out an endless supply of such crap overseas. Carney and Ross maintain a couture sensibility, each piece is special and time intensive. This can be a blessing and a curse. Their work has been ripped off by everyone from TopShop to Anthropology. And though it is flattering to be imitated, it is frustrating to see people walking around in cheap knock offs of their things he says. They have had good experiences designing for the Gap, but resist when financial advisers pressure them to go the mass-market route. “You have to stick to what you do well. Don’t get tempted to sway to a trend.”

Paul Niski, founder of Good, says he has always wanted Good to be a design laboratory – part shop, part gallery. Thus the special Patch NYC show is a very good idea.

GOOD
88 Charles Street Beacon Hill
Thursday, 22 May from 6pm - 9pm.
Wine & light snacks will be served.
RSVP: info@shopatgood.com or call 617.722.9200

How invigorating to meet women whose lives abolish that preposterous notion.

Throughout history, critics and doubters perpetuated a notion that motherhood and Art don’t mix, that the life of a mother can not support the life of an artist, even that women should make babies, not art.

It led Alicia Ostriker to write in her feisty essay “A Wild Surmise: Motherhood and Poetry” The advantage of motherhood for a woman artist is that it puts her in immediate and inescapable contract with the sources of life, death, beauty, growth and corruption… As our knowledge begins to accumulate, we can imagine what it would signify to all women, and men, to live in a culture where child-birth and mothering occupied the kind of position that sex and romantic love have occupied in literature and art for the last five hundred years, or the kind of position that warfare has occupied since literature began.”

How invigorating to meet women whose lives abolish that preposterous notion.

Nancy Popper is a printmaker who lives in Cambridge, MA with her husband and two sons. Popper makes prints which evoke a femininity simultaneously delicate and hardened, vulnerable and wise. A sophisticated sense of humor plays out in the dark lines and bursts of bright color etched on copper plates and made into prints or illustrations.

She is clear about the impact motherhood has had on her work.

“Since my children came along, my relationship to making art has changed. When my boys were really young, I was constantly asking myself how I could ever create anything as amazing and beautiful as they were. For a while, art seemed completely insignificant - I would look at my prints and wonder why I ever made them. As I’ve come back to printmaking over the past few years, it has been like rediscovering a part of myself - a part that I only now realized I missed terribly. My more recent prints are more playful, even more hopeful than previous work.”

Published in magazines such as The New Yorker and The Boston Globe Magazine, Poppers’ characters fascinate the reader much in the way a Giacometti sculpture does - by offering an alternative way of seeing, irresistibly compelling in their restraint and suggestiveness. This alternative way of seeing, a new perception of beauty as she describes it, was partly due to becoming a mother, and partly a result of living outside of the U.S..

Popper spent much of her childhood in Europe and admits to having adopted a “very European aesthetic” even through her college career at Bard where she majored in painting. Her real artistic awakening came after that, during two years teaching art and printmaking in Japan, at the invitation of a national art college in Kanazawa.

Once her European mindset relaxed, Popper became more and more enchanted with the Japanese way of seeing. She recalls at first being baffled by Japanese students talking passionately about tea ceremonies and flower arranging. But it didn’t take long to understand the power of those ancient traditions. The Japanese students helped her appreciate the zen in their worldview. Arranging flowers was like a yoga exercise she explains. Each movement was carefully thought out and appreciated. The culture of Japan became the culture of her artistic expression. Her art changed, she changed and she has maintained a strong aesthetic connection to the East ever since.

After two years Popper returned to the states to get married, go to graduate school and eventually have children. Her sons, now seven and ten have an indescribable, inseparable influence on her art.

People have commented that the work is “happier” since she became a mother, she says, laughing.

“I think that reflects a new perception of beauty, inspired by my children and my experience mothering them.”

This summer, Popper is teaching at the Charles River Creative Arts Program at the Charles River School in Dover. To see more of her prints and illustrations visit nancypopper.com.

While the term “do it yourself” might evoke images of a trip to Home Depot to purchase grout for the tub, the new DIY movement is a call to creative arms and an ethos that goes beyond the rejection of using paid professionals. DIY originated in alternative post-punk culture and espouses collective spirit and collaborative production, blending aesthetics, function and sustainable design to achieve highly original results.

Take the best of Martha’s techniques and up the ante to crochet a bikini or weave a rug from shopping bags. Transform an already existing consumer object and elevate the banal – an IKEA bookshelf or an old t-shirt to a higher aesthetic plane. Create candles and other home goods, blend soaps and cosmetics from natural ingredients or explore both endangered craft techniques such as Gocco or brand new forms involving the use QR codes, the next generation of bar codes.

The whiff of recession not only encourages husbanding of resources but begs some introspection of our runaway consumer culture. Handmade is the way to go. The Gap-ification of society, combined with the suspect labor practices used in the manufacture of so much clothing for big retailers, leaves conscientious and original fashionistas with dwindling options. Going upscale is not a viable solution if one aspires to originality because, as noted by Dana Thomas, author of De-Luxe: How Luxury has Lost its Lustre, the pervasiveness of luxury goods has demeaned their value. The coveting of black nylon Prada backpacks in the early ‘90s doesn’t seem all that sinful when young women today COLLECT designer purses.

Eco-consciousness and interest in sustainable design, along with the realization that the earth simply cannot absorb our stuff at the current rate of production and consumption, are at the heart of indie DIY crafters’ focus on re-use and re-manufacture. ReadyMade magazine, whose manifesto encourages us to consider everyday objects as precious gems, is a great resource for re-engineering existing products and simply using common supplies and objects on hand in new ways. Any Peeps still kicking around from Easter?  ReadyMade has some ideas for you. Craft magazine and its offshoot Make offer an astounding number of fun and doable projects – making a Harajuku shirt, a thumb piano or an LED hula hoop.

Perhaps the growth of crafting and DIY is driven in part by increased creative impulses, and an innate need to use our hands, and in part as a reaction to the exponential growth in our screen time and virtual experiences. Video games like the Wii serve to abbreviate real experiences, using just the index finger to virtually experience what the whole body and hand previously have done. In his book, The Hand, Stanford neurologist Frank Wilson points out that the evolution of humans is very much based on an interdependence of hand and brain function, and wonders what we may be sacrificing by so dramatically limiting one of these functions.

Whether you feel inspired to create and launch a career as a crafter entrepreneur, or just want to acquire something original and sound for the planet, the website Etsy is a great place to start.  A virtual marketplace for independent crafters and their patrons, Etsy was founded in 2006 by painter photographer and carpenter Robert Kalin.  Etsy boasts a customer base of 850,000 registered users, 150,000 of whom are crafters who pay a commission to Etsy on their sales. Crafters create profiles and can participate in forums, take live workshops and online courses or find collaborators. The Etsy phenomenon abounds in social networking opportunities and has even spawned another website, called We Love Etsy, about users of Etsy.

It is clear from the zeal of Etsy aficionados and DIY-ers that creating is an immensely satisfying way of being. Misstropolis will continue to explore the urge to express ourselves – physically, spiritually and creatively. We would love to hear from you if you have discovered your creative passion or have a yen to talk something up – it’s never too late.

According to Hao Sheng, the Curator of Chinese Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, we must start at the far right and slowly move to the left. That is the proper way to view the meticulous, lifelike brushstrokes of “A Profusion of Flowers, All 10,000 Beings Share the Spring,” the mid-18th century Chinese scroll painting from which this year’s Art in Bloom logo was drawn. But deciding how to dive into Art in Bloom itself is more perplexing. Activities, events and exhibitions are planned for four whole days, from Saturday, April 26 through Tuesday, April 29. What to look at first is entirely up to you.

It’s hard to know where to begin. It’s all so beautiful, so naturally intricate and luminous and there is so much to see. What does one look at first?

According to Hao Sheng, the Curator of Chinese Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, we must start at the far right and slowly move to the left. That is the proper way to view the meticulous, lifelike brush strokes of “A Profusion of Flowers, All 10,000 Beings Share the Spring,” the mid-18th century Chinese scroll painting from which this year’s Art in Bloom logo was drawn.

But deciding how to dive into Art in Bloom itself is more perplexing. Activities, events and exhibitions are planned for four whole days, from Saturday, April 26 through Tuesday, April 29. What to look at first is entirely up to you.

Art in Bloom is the museum’s “annual festival of fine art and fresh flowers,” presented by the industrious volunteer corps, the MFA Associates. Now in its 32nd year, AIB brings objects from the museum’s collection to life in botanical interpretations created by world renowned floral designers and 63 New England garden clubs. The four day celebration includes Guided Tours, Master Classes and At Home Demonstrations as well as a free Family Day and an Opening Night Gala.

Guests lecturers include NYC’s leading floral designer Michael George whose clients include New York and Hollywood gliteratti – Calvin Client, Yves St. Laurent, Tom Ford, Trump, and Vera Wang, as well as Vogue, Bazaar, Elle, GQ and Ian Schrager Hotels. He will be presenting at Remis Auditorium on Sunday, April 27.

Other floral demonstrations and lectures this year by tk concepts (“The Process of Design”) on Monday and Yoka Hosono, Master Instructor of Ikebana from the Sogetsu School of Tokyo (“The Enchantment of Ikebana: The Splendor of Spring”) on Tuesday.

Family Day, entitled “Young at Art,” goes all day on Saturday, April 26. Family day is free for visitors of all ages and features tours, performances, and flower-inspired activities.

Our favorite is Interactive Yoga, an Art in Bloom Special Event especially for kids who want to move and bend and stretch like the flowers did before they were cut. Misstropolis contributor and kids yoga expert Mary Kaye Chryssicas will be teaching kids to become blossoms from 12:30 — 1:30 pm that Saturday, April 26.

But if I had to choose, what I would look at first is where I began, the astonishing “Profusion of Flowers” on view in the 2nd floor Japanese Gallery as part of “The Brilliance of Bird-and -Flower Painting: Gem of Asian Art” until June 22. Curator Hao Sheng explains that this is a rare opportunity to examine the ancient scroll. Because of its age and value, it is only exhibited for nine months at a time and then put away for at least five years. The last time it was displayed was in Nagoya Japan at the Nagoya MFA.

Created by the most famous painter of Qing Dynasty, Qian Weicheng, “Profusion of Flowers” was created over many years for the sole enjoyment of the Emperor. Hand scrolls were made to be viewed privately and in parts, rather than opened as it is on display in the gallery. The long succession of flowers when viewed from right to left, tells the story of natures gifts in the garden. The early spring flowers make way for later spring and then summer blooms. Hao Sheng notes that the Emperor who hired Qian Weicheng to create the painting for him had a famous garden. But at the time, no one was allowed to see it.

Viewing the scroll at the MFA is like finding an ancient jewel deep in a cave. There is something transporting about seeing a treasure meant only for a King. There is an exhuberence but it is contained, and that’s what makes the peony from the scroll the perfect symbol of Art in Bloom. The painter captured the essence of the natural world and gifted it to the Emperor just as the MFA Associates gift the experience of Art in Bloom to museum guests.

Radical English thinker J.G. Bennett wrote “we labor under the misapprehension that we have to think up what we have to do. The truth is that this is not our responsibility, because the pattern of things is far greater than we can imagine… the direct perception of our pattern belongs to… the unconditioned side of our nature.” (from The Way to Be Free, J.G. Bennett, 1992).

Art in Bloom always signals spring in Boston. Let that side of your nature out and enjoy!

For me, there is never a bad day to be in New York. (I actually like parade days). But tomorrow through Sunday (March 27 – 30) are such exciting NYC days, I’d consider walking from Boston if necessary. For anyone who thrives on the energy of contemporary art, artists, collectors and chroniclers gathering in one place, PULSE Art Fair is a must.

PULSE is an invitational showcase of leading and emerging contemporary artists from all over the world. Once a year, in Miami, London and New York, seasoned and novice collectors delight in the progressive cacophony of artistic expression in all its modern forms.

The Director of PULSE, Helen Allen told the British site artrabbit, “PULSE is aimed at bridging the gab between the larger ‘main’ fairs and the alternative fairs. Our galleries range from one year to 30 years in existence – but all are committed to showing emerging talent. Some of the more established galleries including those who show at shows such as Art Basel opt to show their more emerging programs in Pulse. Visitors – be they curators or collectors have commented since the Fair’s inception that they are always pleased to make new discoveries at our show.”

Taking the PULSE: What not to Miss at the Fair

PULSE PLAY Video and Technology Lounge featuring Sameness, Difference and Desire, a series of works examining the human eye and its perception of desired objects. The program, curated by Bill Arning, Curator at the MIT List Visual Arts Center in Cambridge, will include videos by Ann Carlson and Mary Ellen Strom, Maria Friberg, Allen Grubesic, Danny Hobart, Sean M. Johnson, Gabriel Martinez and (our favorite) Rachel Perry Welty.

The Lounge Of Ethereal Fun, a VIP lounge for small collectors.
Premiering for the first time, artist Jenny Marketou’s The Lounge of Ethereal Fun was inspired by the artist’s reaction to the “current phenomenon where children between 6 and 14 years old are becoming important art collectors using the allowance given by their parents.” Featuring daily interviews conducted by the artist, special youth appropriate tours of PULSE and artwork and children’s artifacts chosen to appeal to the truly young at art.

Tylenol Room (Entitlement / The Past is Never Dead)
A meditation on loss and survival, The Tylenol Room (Entitlement - The Past Is Never Dead and Buried) by Jennifer Burkley Vasher consists of a canopied room hung with multiple garlands of strung white pills. Over 550,000 aspirin went into the creation; each individually strung like a pearl necklace--the process akin to saying the Catholic rosary, obsessively over and over again.

The fair is extensive, and as all art lovers know, poignancy and power are in the eye of the beholder. Read about all of the exhibitors, programs and events, as well as the PULSE Prize and the New Collector’s Circle here.

General Information:
PULSE New York will take place Thursday, March 27 through Sunday, March 30, 2008, at Pier 40 on the West Side Highway at West Houston in Greenwich Village.

Fair Hours:
Thursday, March 27: 12 noon - 8pm
Friday, March 28: 12 noon - 8pm
Saturday, March 29: 12 noon - 8pm
Sunday, March 30: 12 noon - 5pm

Charles Saatchi is to the contemporary art world what Madonna is (or was) to the music industry: a fearless provocateur with an intuitive sense of what the public wants and a public reputation always teetering between God and fraud.

Once famous for founding what became the world’s largest advertising agency - Saatchi & Saatchi, with his brother Maurice - Charles Saatchi is now considered one of the most influential people in the art world. His notoriety soared in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s when he championed a revolutionary group of artists who came to be known collectively as the YBAs (Young British Artists.) When he first started collecting the work of artists such as Tracey Emin, Sean Scully, Cornelia Parker and Damien Hirst, many were art students and all were unknown. Thanks to his patronage, some YBAs became wildly famous and rich. Damien Hirst in fact, became the world’s highest paid artist. His shark, entitled “The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living,” for example, sold for $8 million in 2005.

The Saatchi Gallery was located in County Hall, near its foremost competitor, the Tate Modern until a much publicized landlord dispute in 2005 forced Saatchi to move. The new location, the Duke of York’s HQ in London’s Chelsea neighborhood, is currently undergoing massive renovations. When completed (it is scheduled to open this spring), it will be one of the largest contemporary art museums in the world.

True to form, Saatchi saw the temporary closure of his gallery’s physical space as an opportunity to develop a virtual space in which to display art - and, his brand. Entitled, among other things, “The World’s Interactive Art Gallery,” the Saatchi Gallery Online is a psychedelic candy store for artists and art lovers. So full of delicious visuals, tools and opportunity, it’s hard to know where to begin, what to pursue and when to stop.

Your Gallery is an open exhibition space for artists to display their work: all artists… that is, any artist. With a few clicks, you too can register as a Saatchi online artist, upload your work and even critique others’. So much for the art world’s insistence on insular secrecy and exclusivity; Charles Saatchi’s web 2.0 approach is as much a statement about the state of contemporary art as Tracey Emin’s beds. The site now contains the work of more than 60,000 artists and receives over 50 million hits on most days.

The Saatchi Online Saleroom bypasses galleries, geographic distances, even commissions by placing the online work up for sale directly. But if eager buyers don’t see anything they like, there are Gallery Guides for everywhere from the US to Spain to Switzerland; as well as museum and art fair guides, all linkable through the homepage.

The site is so egalitarian it doesn’t stop at dismantling barriers based on experience, education, talent and ideology; it even eschews youth as a factor. In the Artroom kids 17 and under can make and display art. “Artists of the Month” are recognized in age groups ranging from six to 17. Imagine, “Bob” is being seen by more than 50 million people from all corners of the globe.

Stuart is an open venue for students, and Showdown lets artists go head-to-head for visitors’ votes.

Now the online phenomenon is bleeding into the touch-and-feel world of live exhibition. Twenty Saatchi Online artists chosen through Saatchi’s online magazine, Critic’s Choice, will be presented at the Pulse Art Fair in New York City this month. PULSE New York will take place at the 69th Regiment Armory March 27th-30th 2008 and will coincide with The Armory Show at Pier 94.

“… the snobbery of those who think an interest in art is the province of gentle souls of rarefied sensibility never fails to amuse,” Saatchi writes in reply to a question submitted to him by a site visitor. With his new gallery soon to open, his site swarming with visitors and his name all over the Pulse Art Fair at the end of this month, Charles Saatchi is a province all to himself. See for yourself if you find it rarefied, gentle, or refreshingly, necessarily modern.

Title Image: “Chinese Portrait, P Series 2006 No. 02,” 2006. By Feng Zhengjie. Part of the exhibit of Chinese art which will be on display when the new Saatchi Gallery opens this spring.