The Great Recession

Work by Michael Mandiberg

April 1 – June 13, 2010

The Great Recession is an exhibition of new work by Michael Mandiberg exploring the psychic implications of this most recent burp by the American economy, late Capitalism, gold hoarding, and the end of an empire. He says of his work: “I am an a appropriationist at heart. I derive visual inspiration from the internet, conceptual art, design, the end of print, and the dying American empire. My work is both formal and poetic. I use words and symbols as tools to provoke reflection on our society and its effluvia.”

Michael Mandiberg is an artist, programmer, designer and educator. His work varies from web applications about environmental impact to conceptual performances about subjectivity, to sculptures made from laser cut reference books. His recent projects include Security Patterns, a series of laser burned drawings and found reference books laser cut with poetic epigrams, HowMuchItCosts.us, a car direction site that incorporates the financial and carbon cost of driving, and the groundbreaking textbook Digital Foundations: an Intro to Media Design that teaches formal principles through design software. Recent projects include “The Real Costs,” a browser plug-in that inserts carbon footprints into airplane travel & car directions websites, and Oil Standard, a browser plug-in that converts all prices on any web page in their equivalent value in barrels of oil.

He is well known for his year long performance and e-commerce website Shop Mandiberg, which marketed and sold all of his possessions, and for AfterSherrieLevine.com, where he made available hi-resolution scans of the Walker Evans images rephotographed by Sherrie Levine, complete with certificates of authenticity to be signed by the user themselves. The Essential Guide to Performing Michael Mandiberg, an extensive DIY guide prepared for a life art performance was included by the Electronic Literature Organization as one of the foundational works of electronic literature to be included in the Library of Congress. From 2001 to 2006 he edited the Calls and Opps list, the most popular email list for calls for work and artist opportunities.

image: Merrill Lynch – The Total Money Makeover
6 × 9 × 1 inches, 2009;
one 200+ books from FDIC Insured.
Photo: CC-BY-SA Michael Mandiberg.

Ticket info: Free and open to the public.

CraftPerspectives Conversation: Reading the Land

Daniel Duford (PNCA) & Matt Johnston (Lewis & Clark College)

Tuesday, April 6, 6:30 pm
The Lab at Museum of Contemporary Craft
Free and open to the public; please enter through 720 NW Davis St.

In this new program format, artist Daniel Duford and art historian Matt Johnston will each speak for 20 minutes about how “reading” the landscape functions in their own work, providing another lens through which the connections between David Shaner’s work and land can be understood. The final 20 minutes will focus on connecting their talks through discussion and dialogue with the audience.

Ticket info: Free and open to the public.

Exhibition: Ex Libris

A World of Miniature Prints

April 12 – May 27

Ex Libris: A World of Miniature Prints, an exhibition of bookplates from the collection of JoAnn Pari-Mueller, is on exhibit in the Corner Gallery in the northeast corner of Swigert Commons from April 12 through May 27.

Ex libris are the miniature jewels of the fine art prints family and have been popular since books became readily available in the late 1400s. Affixed to the inside cover of books to declare ownership, they are an art form immensely popular in many parts of the world.

Many of these ex libris prints have been commissioned by individual book owners, libraries and collectors. Pari-Mueller’s collection contains ex libris from collectors and artists all over the world and treats a wide range of subject matter.

This exhibit examines the history of ex libris and the printmaking techniques used to create them. In addition, it highlights several popular topics, artists and famous collectors while delving into some of the intricacies that make “ex libris” unique and equally fascinating to artists, booklovers, historians and collectors.

In addition, JoAnn Pari-Mueller will speak about her collection and the world of ex libris prints on Wednesday, April 28, at 1:00 pm in the PNCA Main Campus Building, room 125.

Ticket info: Free and open to the public.