www.anakee.com Remembering Jasmine Lee & Isabella Blow
Boy does Peled's 2005 documentary China Blue take major shine off the fashion for the masses apple ( I.e the Top Shop Kate Moss', Target Patrick Robinsons', Gap doo.ri's, etc., of the world). Do people really think about who's making these clothes anymore? Are people like Jasmine Lee really making a better life for themselves and their family? Are they happy? They sure didn't look it in the film.

Watching Jasmine Lee is hard. I really wonder where she is now and how she is fairing? One almost wants to write her a letter like she suggested. If you check out the PBS Independent Lens website you can get the scoop on the documentary and how to get a copy on DVD. Even though it isn’t long and rather simple it was extremely moving and as the website says, after watching it I don’t think people can look at clothes the same way again. Time and again pieces pop up about sweat shops but they always seem to quickly die down and fade from memory, when is this going to stop? When will quality trump quantity? I find this all rather interesting considering how "green" people and the media have become this year.

Anyway, I'm thinking of turning the banner quote in the film into a T-shirt:

"If you don't work hard today: You'll be looking hard for a new job tomorrow"

...how motivational

As a side note, R.I.P Isabella Blow. You and your quirky sense of self will be truly missed. See the New York Observer piece, "Simon Doonan: I Missed The Boat on Fashion's Dizziest, Saddest Dame" here (yes, for some reason I adore Simon and his column). While you're there you can also look up their past article on Patrick Robinson (soon to be a Gap man?) doing Target and the current capsule trend.

The Pond in Spring 2007

"Contemporary art is also the victim of its own ancestral success as modern art. Simply put, contemporary art isn't underground and radical anymore, like its early-modernist great-grandparents were. It survived an abusive childhood, grew up, got rich and became the putatively transgressive arm of the entertainment and fashion industries... These days, ambitious young artists tend to follow academic theoreticians rather than lead them, and consequently, they make art that deliberately and often ironically looks more like just another kernel of corn in the succotash of "visual culture". --Peter Plagens NY in Art in America Feb. 07

(We of course know where the underground art is and it's where it should be--just under the noses of mainsteam critics; in places where they won't go and in forms they don't recognize.

Amen brother to the gist of what is being said here by the highly astute Mr. Plagens. I’ve gone to countless shows thinking I’d review / feature them here only to come back both empty handed and uninspired.)

Spring Skin Cancer Alert
Greetings everyone!

I have so much to tell you all that this post could go on for feet but I'll save the art updates and many snap shots for another entry. I promise it will be soon.

What I quickly wanted to remind everyone is this is the time of year when many people end up being diagnosed with skin cancer. This is especially true for those living in a cool climate where winter means heavily covered skin for months. Please take this time to give your skin a good one over and look for any new or changed spots. For more information on this check out skincancer.org.

This is also the perfect time of year to shop for new sunblocking products which really is a must in this day in age. Fitness magazine (May issue, now on newsstands) had a really well done article on how to protect yourself from the sun. This included how much sunblock to use each day and what to look for in a product. Some of the info., I didn't even know so this is a must read. Another good read is this article, "Don't Trust Sunscreen" to fully protect you. Also Sephora.com is selling a Sun Safty Kit with 100% of the proceeds going to the Skin Cancer Foundation (great place!). It contains travel sizes of Sephora's best selling sun protection & skin products.

I'm very pleased at how the media has changed and now promotes a healthier view of the damaging rays of the sun. Instead of writing how to fry yourself into the perfect tan before summer they now write at length on how to protect yourself from melanoma. This is something else that will be finding its way into my art this year.

Look for more art and news updates soon.

-www.anakee.com

Save These Dates: MA & KY USA
Topic: Openings & Event Dates
See MAM's latest art on display at:

March 3rd through April 6th 2007, Reception March 23rd, Higgins Art Gallery, West Barnstable, MA, "Women: The Image".

&

April 6th 2007, The Expression Gallery, center of Market & Shelby Streets, Louisville, Kentucky, "Coffee"

Save These Dates: Berlin Germany & FL USA
See some of MAM's latest art at:

blutenweiss - Raum fur Kunst, Prenzlauer Allee 224
104050 Berlin Germany,

Anonymous Drawings 5
Saturday, March 17th, 2007
19 pm
Additional opening time
Sunday, March 18th, 2007
1 - 8 pm

&

March 2nd through the 30th, 2007, "Bike-Power Exhibition" at the 621 Gallery, Tallahassee, Florida USA, Opens "First Friday", March 2nd (Gala Opening Night).

V-Day Book Review: Bloody Diamonds
Topic: Book Buzz
The Heartless Stone: A Journey Through The World Of Diamonds, Deceit And Desire
By Tom Zoellner 2006



Just in time for V-Day.org and more importantly on a marketing scale, the movie Blood Diamonds, comes the text dense memoir by Tom Zoellner. The Heartless Stone released late last year picks up where the original Blood Diamonds leaves off and presents a broader if not more disturbing picture of global diamond trade. This broader picture includes the negative effects both economically and environmentally within Africa aside from the regions considered to produce bloody diamonds. Thanks to the movie many people in America know the evil dubbed Blood Diamonds including people having their hands hacked off and children recruited for war but what many don't know is the so called clean diamonds from Africa are rather tainted as well. Tom paints a troubling picture of child labor, men being paid 3 USD an hour to mine diamonds that are resold for hundreds of thousands of dollars and then there are the mines themselves… in most cases nothing but large holes in the ground subject to cave ins, especially during the rainy season. As more and more would be brides are snubbing diamond engagement rings it makes one wonder if they read Tom’s chapters on how the secondary diamond market is almost nil (engagement ring diamonds = poor investments from a financial standpoint) and how the whole diamond engagement craze was woven into the fabric of American wedding dresses via brilliant marketing (Diamonds are Forever). While Tom’s reminiscing about his own failed engagement borders on sappy and even downright bizarre (do little boys really dream about their wedding day?) it seems like they serve a purpose and that’s to momentarily distract the reader from the bombardment of unsettling text. Tom also goes to great lengths to convince you everything in this book is the truth… the result of a “Million Little Pieces” I guess although I have a few doubts. Still, this is a major eye opener and may get a few people out of a sticky jam if they couldn’t afford a little bling for that special person this V-Day.org.

Save These Dates: CA USA
Topic: Openings & Event Dates
Exhibit: February 5-24, 2007, Modesto Art Museum, Anderson Gallery, 1323 J Street, Modesto, California USA Mon-Sat, 10-4 Free, "Future Vision".

Exhibit Reception: Anderson Gallery, 1323 J Street, Modesto, California, Thursday, Feb 15, 2007, 5-9 pm,$2 No charge to museum members or participating artists. Includes theremin demonstration.

More art news and reviews coming soon!

Save These Dates: Berlin Germany & GA USA

(2007 "untitled" ink on paper, copyright MAM, all rights reserved.)

Freitag, 9.Februar 2007
ab 19.00
zusatzlich geoffnet
Samstag, 10.Februar 2007
13-20 Uhr,
blutenweiss - Raum fur Kunst, Prenzlauer Allee 224
10405 Berlin Germany,
"Anonyme Zeichner 4"

&

Jan. 9th through Feb. 3rd with opening reception Jan 13th, 6pm to 9pm, Gallery RFD, 106 N. Green Street, Swainsboro, GA 30401 USA, "The Art of Communication"

Art News
Topic: Openings & Event Dates
Marie Anakee has donated a piece of her art to the FRAMING AIDS 2006 show in conjunction with World Day With(out) Art. This show started on the 2nd and will be going on through Dec. 10th at the Local Project, 21-36 44th Rd., Long Island City, NY http://www.qmad.org/ .

MAM will also be donating art to the OUR CHILDREN: HONOR WITH ART
Art book project started by Shawn Marie Hardy to raise funds and awareness for abducted, missing and exploited children. If you would like to become involved, bid and/or donate art, visit www.honorwithart.com .

Save These Dates: Berlin Germany & Remy De Provence France
Topic: Openings & Event Dates
Greetings everyone,

Here are the latest places to see MAM art:

Dec. 21st 2006 blutenweiss - Raum fur Kunst, Prenzlauer Allee 224
10405 Berlin Germany "Anonyme Zeichner 3"

Dec. 8th (preview) through Dec. 26th 2006 de la premiere exposition, La Cour Des Arts, 55 Avenue de la diberation, 13210 St. Remy De Provence, France, "Saint Remy de Provence" (no need to mention this of course but look for lots of Van Gogh's spirit in this one)