LACMA & ABAD [158]

Letter from LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) confirming receipt of A Book About Death in their permanent collection.

Many thanks to Mara Thompson who organized the exhibition at The Otis College of Art and Design, and the gift to LACMA.

THE TIES THAT BIND : OPENING 31 JULY 2011 [157]

A Book About Death: THE TIES THAT BIND

Curated by LuAnn Palazzo

Artists' Reception: 

Saturday, 13 August 2011, 7pm–10pm

Exhibition: 31 July–2 September 2011

The Second Avenue Firehouse Gallery is open Saturdays from 12-4 PM.

GALLERY WEBSITE: http://www.secondavenuefirehouse.com/gallery.html 

Directions: The Second Ave. Firehouse is located in Bay Shore at the corner of Mechanicsville & Second Avenue Southern Pkwy to exit 42S (Fifth Avenue South), left on Union Blvd.,right on Second Avenue, proceed to the corner of Mechanicsville & Second Avenue. Firehouse is on the left.

For more information, please see The Ties That Bind website:

http://abad-23.blogspot.com/ 

Susan Shulman On CUTV [156]

Artist Susan Shulman on Montreal's CUTV talking about her work and the role A Book About Death played in her life and current projects.

See Susan Shulman's work here: http://www.susanshulman.com/

THE TIES THAT BIND : ABAD LONG ISLAND [155]

THE TIES THAT BIND, the ABAD exhibition at The Firehouse Gallery in Bayshore, New York slated to open on July 31, 2011 and will receive works right up until July 15.  Please note the deadline and all details on the site: THE TIES THAT BIND.

SEND ART TO:  ABAD 23 / LuAnn Palazzo
The Second Avenue Firehouse Gallery
17 Second Avenue, Bay Shore, New York 11706 USA

Also of note: More than $1000 was raised via Kickstarter.org to hire the New Orleans Jazz Band, The Joe Saylor Brass Band to perform and lead a New Orleans Second Line Jazz at the Artists' Reception on August 13, 7 pm.

Says curator LuAnn Palazzo: "This will be the first show to expand the movement to include live musical performance at the August 13 reception with The Joe Saylor Brass Band. Now the ABAD vanguard can claim poets, visual artists, performance artists, multi-media artists and musical artists!"

The Joe Saylor Brass Band is comprised of some of the most exiting and talented young musicians on the Jazz scene today. The band members come from all parts of the world and their influences range from the beats of Africa to the horns New Orleans.  (Photo: Joe Saylor in the center). 

The band came together at Harlem parades led by Jonathan Batiste, piano virtuoso from New Orleans. Leader Joe Saylor has played with many Jazz greats including Jonathan Batiste, Wynton Marsalis, Ellis Marsalis, Roy Hargrove and Ben Wolfe. Joe recently appeared on an episode of HBO’s “Treme,” along with Jon Batiste. 
 
The band will perform New Orleans Second Line (Funeral) Jazz selections including:

Whoopin' Blues...Just A Closer Walk With Thee...Bourbon Street Parade...When The Saints Go Marching In...The Second Line...Oh, Didn't He Ramble...What A Friend We Have In Jesus...In The Sweet Bye and Bye among others.

Curator of the CW Post exhibition Ray Johnson & A Book About Death, Joan Harrison, has created a second poster  (top image) for the event that is free to download.  Please see the site here (right hand side) and click to download.

Please send this post out on Twitter, and FB and anything else you have. Even call someone on the telephone and say "Hey! Check this out."

Ray & Bob Box [154]

Robert Warner a long time correspondent and dear friend of Ray Johnson has opened the boxes of correspondence - and some others - in this unusual and thrilling exhibition at the Esopus Foundation space in New York. 

The exhibition (June 2 – 30, 2011) entitled “RAY AND BOB BOX” includes a series of events. Their correspondence is explored in the Foundation magazine, Esopus 16. 

Among the performances at the Esopus Space will be Robert Warner archiving the contents of 13 boxes given to him by Johnson in the early 1990s.  Click here to see the events schedule. 

Esopus is also a twice-yearly magazine that features content from all creative disciplines. The latest publication is devoted to the contents of these boxes, and is presented at their space, 64 West Third Street, New York, NY, Suite #210.

Esopus web site:  http://www.esopusmag.com/gallery.php?Id=3776

OPENING : ABAD MOMENTO ARIZONA [153]

Part of the opening of ABAD Moment in Phoenix included a military color guard presentation.  Pictured here is veteran Bob Hicks playing taps at the gallery.  See more photographs from the opening here.

Text by Patricia Sahertian, curator of the exhibition in Phoenix, Arizona:

Opening night at Willo North Gallery for the A Book About Death ~ Memento exhibit with special honors for John S. Turner. The Glendale American Legion Post #29 Honor Guard, under Bob Hicks was there to perform the memorial ceremony. Many thanks to George Cushing, retired U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sergeant, past commander of the Northwest Valley Veterans Association for organizing the service. Introductions and memorial prayers were said by Rev. R. Dale Copsey, Ret. Chaplain, Lt Col, USAF-Ret, a 2007 recipient of the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame Society from Mesa, Arizona.

JEANNE JO'S ROULETTE [152]

Jeanne Jo, ABAD artist who brought the 2009 opening live to the world through her live tv broadcast of the events, is a well known performance artist.  Her piece, Roulette, is just one of a dozen videos she's produced and performed. See more of Jeanne Jo's work here: http://www.jeannejo.com/

The Ties That Bind [151]

New poster for the Ties That Bind. If you like, you can Download the poster.

ABAD LONG ISLAND [150]

ABAD ITALIA [149]

ABAD Italia, Ommagio a Ray Johnson: Artists Books opened on 9 April 2011. 

Thanks to Virginia Milici, curator of the exhibition. This is the front of the church in Treviso, Italy where the exhibition opened.  See more photos on Virginia's FaceBook Album Page.

ABAD ITALIA OPENS [148]

ABAD ITALIA: http://unlibrosullamorte.blogspot.com/

RAY JOHNSON VIDEOS [147]

See videos of Ray Johnson by Nick Maravel: Ray Johnson Videos.

Elizabeth Taylor 1932-2011 [146]

The intersection of art and life.  Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011), silkscreen by Andy Warhol.

ABAD The Ties That Bind : Open Call [145]

LuAnn Palazzo has launched an open call for the 23rd installment of A Book About Death.  The show is called The Ties That Bind. This exhibition, which calls for two 5.5 inch x 8.5 inch works on paper (not postcards), will take place in August 2011 at The Second Avenue Firehouse Gallery, 17 Second Avenue, Bay Shore, New York 11706. USA.

For all information please see the web site set up for the exhibition: http://abad-23.blogspot.com/

FluxFest Chicago [144]

Cecil Touchon, Director, The Ontological Museum, directed this photograph of participants of FluxFest Chicago, held recently in Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art.  Many participants of this festival also participated in and hosted ABAD exhibitions. The Fluxfest was spearheaded by artist Keith Buchholz. Click the photo to enlarge full screen. (It's a fisheye!). PHOTO © 2011 CECIL TOUCHON.

Tom J. Byrne: ABAD ITALIA [143]

Paris-based, Irish artist, Tom J. Byrne, created this copper-covered book for ABAD Italia, Ommagio A Ray Johnson.

ABAD Momento: Arizona [142]

Curated by Phoenix-Arizona-based artist Patricia Sahertian, the ABAD Momento exhibition is set for May 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona at the Willo North Gallery.

Please see the site for all information on the exhibition, including deadlines, guidelines, venue and how you can get involved: http://abad-phx.blogspot.com/

Please use the buttons below to put the artist call on Twitter, your FaceBook page, or to blog and write about this new chapter in the ABAD project.

Call to Artists

Deadline for postcard and memento: April 25, 2011
Show dates: May 3 to 28, 2011
Reception: May 6, 2011

SEND ART TO
Patricia Sahertian
1517 W. Willetta Street
Phoenix, AZ 85007 USA

Please send jpgs (no larger than 600 x 400 px) of your work (for posting on the ABAD Momento blog), with your name and your website/blog or contact link to Patricia. Tell the story of your momento here.

Call for: one work on paper, post card size: approximately 6x4 inches (either vertical or horizontal)
any medium, original art or reproduction is acceptable theme: death

Optional twist: include a memento
Mementos play an important role in our remembering. A simple thing like a toothbrush, a letter, a toy, a paperclip, or a swatch of fabric, can be a fond reminder of a lost loved one. So please also send a tiny memento, if you like. See memento guidelines.

Momentos will be displayed with your work.

Neither Patricia nor the Willow Gallery WILL RETURNED YOUR WORK.  ALL WORKS WILL BE KEPT IN THE PERMANENT COLLECTION.

Exhibition space
Willo North Gallery

Please use the buttons below to put the artist call on Twitter, your FaceBook page, or to blog and write about this new chapter in the ABAD project.

ABAD LIFE: SOUTH CAROLINA - REID WOOD. EXPO THRU FEB 25, 2011 [141]

Reid Wood contribution to the ABAD Life exhibition taking place in Clinton, South Carolina, curated by Ann Stoddard.
http://abookaboutdeathlife.blogspot.com/

Les Joynes: New Paintings [140]

Les Joynes, who contributed work to A Book About Death, shows his paintings in New York through March 7 at 532 Gallery Thomas Jaekel.

Joynes' heavenly bodies and floating archeo-cognitive elements work as fused artifacts of memory collected from imagined topographies. The ring paintings, like Spring (2011), left, are baroque and rococo gateways inspired by Alain Resnais’ 1961 film Last Year in Marienbad, says Les. “They are like structures that floated to the surface in my memory like life preservers floating in after a storm at sea.”

See Les Joynes contribution to the original NYC ABAD exhibition here.

Joynes is recipient of the Nordic Artist Center Fellowship in Norway; Kolleg Artist Fellow, Bauhaus Foundation Dessau Germany; Edwin Austin Abbey Mural Fellowship and was Japanese Ministry of Education and Culture (MEXT) Scholar Japan 1997-2001.

The artist is a graduate of the MA Fine Art Program at Goldsmiths College, London; and possesses a B.A. (Hons) Fine Art, Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design, London; M.A. Sculpture from Musashino Art University, Tokyo. He was Visiting Scholar at Columbia University, New York (2008-2010) where he has been researching contemporary art, memory and artifact.  Les Joynes web site.

Dennis Oppenheim 1938 - 2011 [139]

Dennis Oppenheim died at age 72 of liver cancer on January 22, 2011.

Jerry Saltz obituary and farewell.

Image:  “Reading Position for Second Degree Burn,” 1970. Jones Beach, New York. Duration of exposure: 5 hours.

Seeking Kali Ray Johnson Flip Book for ABAD Italia [138]

Kali Ray Flip Book from William Evertson on Vimeo.

A Book About Death: Life [137]

Curated by Ann Stoddard, this exhibition takes place at the Elizabeth Stone Harper Gallery, located in the Harper Center for the Arts at Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina. Exhibition dates: January 20 - February 25, 2011  URL: http://abookaboutdeathlife.blogspot.com/.

The archival set of the original ABAD exhibition is provided by Thérèse and Adam Zaid, of New York.

E. Sherman Hayman's Little Coffins [136]

E. Sherman Hayman, one of the many artists in the ABAD project who focused on the objects of death in a somewhat humorous way, has produced a video about The Final Frontier.  It's terrific as are her small art-centric coffins.

RAY JOHNSON & A BOOK ABOUT DEATH OPENING NIGHT VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS [135]

Video by Barry Rivadue. Please repost, blog, tweet, using the buttons below.  Thank you!

Joan Harrison: Tideline [134]

Joan Harrison, who co-curated the Ray Johnson & A Book About Death exhibition at CW Post, exhibits her immense Tideline collage piece at the Hillwood Art Museum, on Long Island, until December 16, 2010.

The piece, writes Joan, is 26 feet long.

See Joan Harrison's web site: http://www.joanharrison.com/

Bouler & Millmann: Festivus [133]

Hardcore ABAD artists, Nadine Bouler & Louise Millmann, celebrate Festivus in paint and collage.


RIPE ART GALLERY
67 A Broadway,
Greenlawn, New York
Opening: December 11, 2010
Through: January 8, 2011

Details on FaceBook

ABAD World Logo By LuAnn Palazzo [132]

 

LuAnn Palazzo designed ABAD ornaments (pictured here) as well as ABAD tee shirts.  

Please see: http://www.zazzle.com/designdivany/gifts

Rain & Other Stories: Danielle Voirin [131]

Danielle Voirin's view is always unusual, interesting, and leaves you wanting to see a bit more.  Sometimes this American photographer gives you an arm de plus, sometimes it's a minimalist view of a wall – and spider.

She took the series of Zen/Bathtub images of me some years ago on assignment to feature artists working in their studios.  After 50 or so photos of me drawing, I said, "Dani, let me run the tub." One of those images is my profile shot here, another is used as the header on my blog.

Her photos, though, always tell a story. Seldom are they snapshots of the like we see endlessly on FaceBook.

And Dani told the story of the small calf destined to become a meal, Carole, for the global project, A Book About Death.

Here is her "Rain." Click on it to enlarge and see the reflections – the real subject of this photograph.


On her blog she plays the narrator and protagonist in an endless struggle against spiders, moths, and mice. Her self-portraits in black and white are funny and moving and beautifully made. She has documented the lives of artists at the Paris Squat at 59 Rue de Rivoli. And she's gone back and forth to South America for a number of portrait projects.

More work from the Paris-based photographer: http://www.daniellevoirin.com/blog/

And here is Dani's professional site: http://www.daniellevoirin.com/

Exhibitions On Tour International Database - Worldwide Listing For Exhibitions [130]

 

A Book About Death is now listed in the :

Exhibitions on Tour International Database

Un Libro Sulla Morte : ABAD ITALIA Altered Book Artist Call [129]

The Nuovo Archivio Fluxus Biblioteca Artist’s Book / Altered Book (Treviso, curated by Virginia Milici) presents an exhibition in homage to Ray Johnson with reference to the first ABAD exhibition by American artist Matthew Rose:

Un Libro Sulla Morte.

Virginia writes: "I took part in this show with great enthusiasm, collaborating on a mail-art piece with the artist Walter Festuccia. Since then, I have continued to participate in all of the subsequent projects linked to the initial exhibition.  The show has traveled the world with new projects and new forms of participation. The various exhibitions have been documented in an archival blog touching upon all aspects of ABAD.

"I first heard about this project in 2009 while working through the death of my mother, who died of a melanoma in December 2007, which along with my passion for mail-art prompted my decision to participate.  In May 2010 my father, who was suffering from Parkinson’s Disease, worsened by Alzheimer’s,  died.  I think of death as part of life, this for me is a much felt argument.  After much contemplation I decided to continue and to bring this exhibition to Italy.  I contacted Matthew to ask for his approval and support in developing this new version of his project.  His response was positive and enthusiastic, I would like to publicly thank him for this and announce an invitation to all of the artists who took part in the first project as well as all subsequent ABAD exhibitions to participate in this new call:

"The exhibition will take place in the Centrale Libreria Costaneiro Galleria Piazza Giorgione, Castelfranco Veneto, (Treviso) Italy.

(The Organisers reserve the right to change the date and location of the exhibition)

Date: 22 April 2011

Participate: Artist’s Book or Altered Book, e.g. small Moleskine book, or any other suitable "book." Your book can be several postcards bound together. Please add the title somewhere on your work: “Homage to Ray Johnson: A Book About Death” (In your own language).

No returns

Technique/Medium: Free

Deadline: 20 March 2011

Documentation: Web

Mail your "altered" book to:

Virginia Milici

Via G. Verdi 18/A

31038 Paese (Treviso) ITALY

Please send photos of works submitted in jpg format : maximum 1800 pixels / 300kb / 72dpi

e-mail: arte@virginiamilici.org

The exhibition will be re-shown in celebration of 50 years of Mail-Art 1962 – 2012 in homage to Ray Johnson, Father of Mail-Art (date and place to be confirmed).

Please use the buttons below to e mail, blog or send this artist call off to Twitter.  Thank you! 

Ray Johnson & A Book About Death [128]

Ray Johnson/A Book About Death Opening from William Evertson on Vimeo.

James Meyer: After Kafka [127]

James Meyer, a New York painter and contributor to the original ABAD exhibition, takes his newest works to Morgan Lehman Gallery in NYC in After Kafka.

From the gallery: "The strange, distant world of childhood memory is a consistent theme in the work of James Meyer. While never explicitly implied, the autobiographical nature of the artist's own childhood, in 1960's suburban America is the primary source of inspiration in his pictures. But while these images, culled from seemingly personal photographic sources are the choice of the artist, they appeal to the viewer as both instantly recognizable memories from their own shared histories.

"Using a variety of media such as paper, wood, and brushed aluminum, Meyer creates monochromatic sculptural paintings that utilize repetitive images of children in motion and at play. In the case of his wood and metal works, negative space is created directly by the white walls of the gallery. His imagery is often repeated serially in different scale, material and size elevating the subjects to an iconic status.

"The black silhouetted image of a young girl hula-hooping set against a grid background of candy-colored squares may not seem like a particularly ominous image, but in this work by Meyer, a palpable sense of dread is conveyed. As the viewer approaches the work, a topological “ball and stick” molecular model rendered in the negative is revealed. The cognitive association between the girl and the molecule range from the innocence of an elementary school science class to the horror of complete nuclear fallout. It is this juxtaposition of disparate, but psychologically linked images that is of primary concern in the artist’s work."

The exhibition opens on November 18 and runs through December 23, 2010.  Click for info.

See the interview with James Meyer: A Sunny Mascacre Of Innocence.

Betty Esperanza's Gypsy Kali [126]

ABAD GYPSY KALI - A Random Buskerfilm by Betty Esperanza © 2010 from Betty Esperanza on Vimeo.

A Book About Death GYPSY - KALI is an interpretive film depicting death, love lost, gypsy and Kali ceremonial rituals by multi-media artist Betty Esperanza.

This performance art film aired at the Night of the Living Fluxus opening for Ray Johnson & A Book About Death, at the SAL Gallery, C.W.Post Campus of Long Island University, NY on November 3, 2010.

Esperanza travelled from Montreal, Quebec to perform an "Ofrenda to the DEAD" ritual as well as exhibit her piece "Gypsies Never Die Or Lie" amongst artists from all over the world. Esperanza was also in the original ABAD Exhibit in Soho, NY in 2009 at The Emily Harvey Foundation.

See Betty Esperanza's web site for more: benudemedia.blogspot.com

Seeking Kali At RJ&ABAD At CW Post [125]

"I've always been interested in the creation myths of different cultures," explains William Evertson, the inspiration behind Seeking Kali along with Susan Shulman and Ria Vanden Eynde.

"Especially the common thread that god or the gods make perfect worlds yet evil creeps in with the introduction of man (or woman) In Kali Yuga, although I conflate several characters; Kali works to create a perfect world but is beset by a demon intent on introducing mischief and evil."

Kali, writes Evertson, "...becomes a mere broker in the West of commodities and services. At times she has been a New Age movie distortion or a symbol of feminist rage. Many times this cross cultural borrowing seems far removed from the mystery and paradox present in an archetype that is mother and goddess, yet also a symbol of destruction. Perhaps more close to the truth is the statement, "The most common modern Hindu perspective of her is largely symbolic. She is revered for her no-nonsense way of eradicating negative thoughts and bad habits in the minds of her followers. In other words, she will lop off your inflated ego in no time flat if you ask her, and she offers no guarantees that the process will be painless."

Photo: Original ink drawing on acetate, used for the performance.

The Seeking Kali Theater piece on video is viewable here. 

The shadow box theater piece debuted at Ray Johnson & A Book About Death at CW Post College's SAL Gallery on Long Island. This project grew out of creative relationships between artists involved in A Book About Death.  The resulting project, Seeking Kali, has become a full blown exhibition/project unto itself. Contribute to Seeking Kali or see the works thus far submitted here.

Ray Johnson & A Book About Death Opening Night SAL Gallery CW Post [124]

The opening night of Ray Johnson & A Book About Death at CW Post was a sensational coming together of more than 1000 artist works and crowds that came, saw and performed. 

Curated by Joan Harrison, LuAnn Palazzo (photo, above), and Constance Sloggatt Wolf, the exhibition focused on Ray Johnson's original A Book About Death, and featured a dozen or so original photographs of Ray Johnson by Joan Harrison.

The NYC works, first exhibited at the Emily Harvey Foundation more than a year ago in September 2009, were shown along with almost 500 works mailed in from all over the world.  New posters were produced, as well as a full slate of performances.  (Photo below left; see full the program, here).

Artists dressed up, or in some cases, took off their clothes. A tableaux vivant of a mother and child (actually, a large adolescent) performed quietly within the exhibition space.  Outside, artist Honey Millmann protested ("Nothing!  I'm protesting nothing!" she said), and then switched to proposing something different with a sign that said "ABAD IDEA."  A man showed up with a used coffin (for sale: "Only used once."), while most came dressed like the living dead, the exhibition opening just days after Halloween.  "It's the Night Of The Living Fluxus," someone explained.  

Other artists wore photocopies of Ray Johnson works, like Mark Bloch (below right), while William Evertson produced a 15 minute shadow theater piece entitled "Seeking Kali." (See the video of the performance here).

There are many more photos of the exhibition on the dedicated site for the show, as well as a full catalog of the exhibition works and several press articles.  Click here to view.

Joan Harrison, Constance Sloggatt Wolf and LuAnn Palazzo, curators, offer this statement about the exhibition: 

Ray Johnson was all about creative connection. Today, 15 years after his death, the bonds of his creative legacy and the bonds of friendship here at C. W. Post are still strong and defined by a sense of shared creative history and purpose. The evidence is plain to see through this exhibition.

Many of the artists taking part in this exhibition knew Ray Johnson personally or were correspondents of his, while others are alumni, faculty and students of the university. Even more are part of a creative global network who have been inspired by Ray’s work and moved by the universal theme to answer the call to communicate.

We would like to thank Matthew Rose, the father of the original ABAD Project in 2009, and all those at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University who helped make this exhibition possible. Our special thanks go to Dean Benjamin Moore of the School of Visual and Performing Arts, who, when approached with the idea said simply, “Do it!” 

Most of all, we feel deeply grateful to our international roster of contributing artists for sharing their vision, their thoughts, their humor and their remembrances of loved ones lost. The outpouring of love and dedication to this project, and to this show in particular, has been quite literally overwhelming.

Art is a celebration of life lived to its fullest and to quote poet W. H Auden, “Art is our chief means of breaking bread with the dead.”

Please blog, send to twitter, or e mail this post using the buttons below.

Viv Maudlin Visits Ray Johnson And A Book About Death At CW Post [123]

The spectacular Viv Maudlin gives a video tour of the Ray Johnson And A Book About Death exhibition at CW Post.

Please use the buttons below to share to FaceBook, Twitter or your Blog. Thank you!

One Year Later [122]

Susan Shulman and Betty Esperanza celebrate the one year anniversary of A Book About Death. 

Photo: Cecil Touchon, taken September 10, 2009, on the street outside the Emily Harvey Foundation Gallery, 537 Broadway, NYC.

Performances: Belknapp Mill ABAD [121]

"A Book About Death @ Belknap Mill" hosted an Evening of Fluxus Performance as part of the reception for the exhibit.

A small but highly appreciative audience viewed close to 20 Fluxus performance events, participating in some.

Photos, above: Reed Altemus performs, Christine Tarantino's "Life in 90 Seconds." The group performs, "Danger Music #17" by Dick Higgins.

To see more photos from the opening performances, please check out the site:  http://abookaboutdeathbelknapmill.blogspot.com/

Seeking Kali Debut At CW Post [120]

The project Seeking Kali debuts at the Ray Johnson And A Book About Death exhibition at CW Post, November 3, 2010.

http://seekingkali.blogspot.com/

Seeking Kali is an artist call that is currently conceived of as an online exhibition of artist works based on the Hindu goddess Kali. The myth and archetype of Kali is rich and varied and also found its way to the West. ABAD artists William Evertson, Ria Vanden Eynde and Susan Shulman invite your interpretation.

Submission guidelines are available on the blog.

Kim Triedman's Poets For Haiti [119]

Kim Triedman, an artist and writer who contributed to ABAD, edited the volumne "Poets for Haiti: An Anthology of Poetry and Art."

Published by Yileen Press, the book brings together 18 writers who responded to the earthquake in Haiti by coming together to raise relief funds for the people of Port au Prince and other affected areas.

Among the poets involved, Gail Mazur, Robert Pinsky and Rosanna Warren.  (Photo, right: Author Kim Triedman).

All funds raised from the sale of this book go directly to that fund, Partners in Health. Order the book here: http://www.yileenpress.com.

Please retweet, blog and e mail this post by clicking on the buttons below.  Thanks!

Ray Johnson & A Book About Death : Installation Preview [118]

Some photos of the installation for the Ray Johnson And A Book About Death exhibition due to open November 3, 2010 at CW Post, Long Island, New York.

Top photo: Ray Johnson's 1963 piece, A Book About Death, the work that inspired the name of the project.

Middle photo: A small sample of the more than 500 original works mailed in to the RJ&ABAD exhibition.

Bottom photo: The view of the SAL Gallery, CW Post, Long Island University, taken Sunday October 31, 2010. The original posters from the ABAD exhibition in NYC, September 10, 2009 are in the window.

Ray Johnson & ABAD Newsday: Article [117]

Click the article to enlarge and read.

Call Ray Johnson! [116]

"Hey Ray! It's for you!"

As a special preview to the CW Post exhibition Ray Johnson & A Book About Death opening on November 3, 2010, Joan Harrison has set up a Ray Johnson phone-in line.  Yes, call Ray Johnson!

In the United States, you simply dial the following number and follow the prompts to hear Ray talk about A Book About Death, Correspondence Art, Making a Rectangle, How to Become A New York Correspondence School Member and other wonderful things from the iconoclastic artist.

Call 1 516 299 9472. 

When prompted, enter the stop number listed. The Stop Numbers are as follows:

63 Ray Johnson and A Book About Death
64 Cut 1 Correspondence art, Kings, Making A Rectangle
65 Cut 2 A Correspondence School event
66 Cut 3 The Charlotte Moorman Avant Garde Festival
67 Cut 4 How To Become A NYCS Member
68 Cut 5 Ray Johnson/Will Farrington Phone Messages.

As a footnote, I still have some of Ray's messages recorded from 1990-1992. One of my favorites is: "Hello Matthew, This is Andy Warhol calling from Heaven...."

Have any Ray Johnson phone messages? Let us know... 

Photo of Ray Johnson and Richard Lippold, 1954, thanks to: Mondo.

CLICK THE BUTTONS BELOW TO SHARE ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER, YOUR BLOG. TNX.

ABAD Texas Fluxhibition Posters [115]

Angela Ferrara's poster for ABAD Texas, curated by Cecil Touchon. See more posters, here.