Artful Resurrection (Mixed Media)
Friends,
I was distraught back in January when I heard that the Town Theatre in Highland, Indiana, was finally going to be knocked down. It had sat dormant for a number of years, but I'd always been hopeful that someone would find a way to resurrect it. I posted about its demolition on Facebook, and even bugged journalist Andrew O'Hehir about it on Twitter since he'd written about its charm way back in 2006 on Salon.com in a series about the quirkiest art house cinemas around the country. I'd referenced the theater in an older blog post about seeing the movie Swingers for the first time back in the '90s, but I always meant to write more extensively about what a lifeline it was for me while I was still living in the area.
My uncle Chuck, one of my mom's older brothers, lives not far from the theater, and he kindly offered to pull a brick from the wreckage for me as a memento. I thanked him for his thoughtfulness and told him I'd look forward to retrieving it from him the next time I would be able to visit him. Well, due to bad weather and bad scheduling, I hadn't been able to get out there for a visit until just this week. He'd been periodically messaging me on Facebook to remind me to drive down to pick up the brick, and I'd assumed it was just general familial encouragement to spend time together. What I hadn't realized is that he was bursting with excitement to give it to me because he'd asked his wife to create an objet d'art out of the brick for me. I screamed when I opened the box he'd put it in. Look at how freaking awesome this is!!!
I've now got it sitting in pride of place right when you walk into our living room. The nexus of family, memory, art, hyperlocal specificity, and resurrection that it represents is almost too beautiful for me to bear.
Recently
If you never had a chance to read my essay about the album Eccsame the Photon Band because it appeared behind Maura Magazine’s paywall, you’re in luck--now that Maura Magazine appears to be completely offline, I’ve resurrected a lightly edited version of the piece on my own blog. Click here to read “Eccsame the Photon Band and the Inevitability of Time and Space."
The wait is over; my Rick Astley zine now exists for your reading pleasure! Click through to my Bigcartel shop for my completely loving, completely non-ironic tribute to one of my favorite singers of all time. Featuring an amazing cover illustration by Brian!
I chopped most of my hair off earlier this month and am loving Maybelline's Super Stay Matte Ink lip color in Huntress.
On the horizon:
The date for the local reprise of last summer's Qodèxx Happening has been moved to Monday, April 23! Adjust your calendars accordingly!
Everything is still on track for us to bring Qodèxx to the 2018 Dartmouth Illustration, Comics and Animation Conference on May 26. According to the current iteration of the schedule, our panel will be held during the 1:30-2:45 slot right after lunch. The music is, as ever, up on Brian's Bandcamp page, with an option for purchasing a bundle that includes a physical copy of the CD plus a copy of Gene Kannenberg Jr's graphic novella.
With warmth,