Jasper Johns Did What Now?

Jasper Johns was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

To the Art History nerd inside of me, this sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, along the lines of "a rabbi walks into a bar..."

It's no joke, friends. The American artist who has been challenging accepted notions of American identity since the early 50s was awarded the highest civilian honor by Barack Obama himself. The last studio artist to get this was I think Willem de Kooning. Maybe Georgia O'Keefe? I know they both received it, at some point, but I don't recall if it was post-humously or not, as it was with Alexander Calder.

Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is... What the fuck? Honestly. I love Johns, please don't misunderstand me. I have a lot of respect for the work of Johns. But, it's no secret that the man has made a mockery of American symbolism. He has taken classic American icons, like the flag, the map, the colors... and has given them a Warholian approach. He has turned them into commodities.

I guess next... it will be Kerouac and Ginsberg winning Medals of Freedom.

Go, Jasper Johns. I salute you, but in the only way appropriate: a totally un-American one.

Adventures in Dating

My dating experience thus far has been just that: an experience. I've tried a lot of different things, a lot of different types. I've tried traditional and a-typical dating, and everything in between.

I think it's about time I started to record these things. Because, honestly, these stories are just too crazy to exist only in my memories.

Like the guy that wanted me to toss his salad. The one that wanted to feed me BBQ chicken while I wore a diaper. The guy that cried far more than I did at chick flicks. How about the one that wanted to talk about laundry detergent, and nothing else?

These things are real, people. And they happen to me. Of course, me. Because I attract the weirdest types.

A truly funny lady once called it my "harem," and sadly, the moniker is not stretching the truth by much.

What do we think? How interesting do we find the plight of a serial dater?

The Art Kid in Me Just Peed Herself in Excitement...

Okay, so Google and I are buddies. No, seriously. We're BFF's. Google handles my email, my calendar, my text messages, my phone calls, my money, my blogs, my pictures, my documents, my GPS. If Google ever goes under, I'm pretty much screwed. I believe in Google so much, though, that I'm willing to take the chance.

That being said, most of you know that I'm an art history nerd, an artist, and a Google freak.

This latest undertaking by Google just blew my mind: http://www.googleartproject.com/

Basically, Google has adapted their technology from Maps, and applied it to art museums. No kidding. I toured the MoMA yesterday. You can search galleries, zoom in on works, get information about the work, the artist, the date, etc. The digitization is high quality. Short of actually being in the museum, this is the BEST possible way to view art.

I'm probably never going to get to most of the museums listed. It's just fact. Money is tight, and art historians, sadly, don't make much of it. This is a great substitute.

So, excuse me for a few days while I take a whirlwind world tour of the masterpieces =)

Ragin' Palin Street Art

Ha. Haha. Hahahaha. I can't tell you how much I hate this woman. I've seen so much parody art over the past few weeks, it just tickles me pink.