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Eighth Blackbird at the National Gallery of Art

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National Gallery of Art

What a place to see one of my all time favorite contemporary music groups. Eighth Blackbird played the National Gallery 2.16.20, and the show was free. As always, the group featured brand new music from living composers, including: Nina Shekhar, Fjóla Evans, Andy Akiho, Holly Harrison, David Lang, Viet Cuong, Jonathan Bailey Holland, and Julius Eastman. This show included some ringers in for violin, flute, and clarinet.

Lisa Kaplan, fearless leader and director of eighth blackbird

My favorite set was the second, and my favorite piece was Viet Cuoug’s Electric Aroma (2017),

The most precious thing in the museum was Cora, of course.

Cora does contemporary

The setting (no pictures or recording during the show)

After the concert, there were a few minutes for art.

Then it was out and on the metro for cocktails and dinner at Baba.

Sundown on the mall

Smithsonian sculpture

Wholly Emily

Baba’s bar

The National, Charlottesville 4.30.18

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The National

Lighter: old school. There was only one

Maker:S,Date:2017-2-5,Ver:6,Lens:Kan03,Act:Lar02,E-Y

Maker:S,Date:2017-2-5,Ver:6,Lens:Kan03,Act:Lar02,E-Y

Emily is so meta

Small Domestic Miracles: Emily Shepardson’s Art

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Yes please. We have been collecting Emily’s art for many years, and we love it. Emily’s eye and her artistic sensibility are incredibly well developed. Watching certain threads across time develop, bloom, evolve, and rebloom has been particularly rewarding: gloves, house, lace, birds, and crow. So we were psyched to see the latest curated show. The show is not so much a culmination as it is a snapshot of the creative petri dish (or, the “endless collage cycle” as Emily herself puts it).

Go see for yourself.

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The show is professionally hung and well lit. Properly curated and composed.

Emily’s statement

the artist (according to the name tag dutifully working its way into her hair)

This piece now belongs in our collection

palpable buzz during the opening

This one will live at the Stick

collusion

where this one will end up is anybody’s guess (amy’s favorite)

Disclaimer: Emily Shepherdson is one of our dearest friends, and we love her. We don’t love her art because we love her. No wait, we do love her art because we love her, that’s not what we mean. But we would love her art even if she were a stranger. Oh hell, just go see it for yourself. Show up through March 4.

Science! Rain! (in reverse order)

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It started here, in the wisteria.

Caution: Wisteria leads to SCIENCE

Or maybe it was the wine. Who knows. Anyway, science happened.

So watch out for that.

Next up was poster making, a problem caused by many science classes and perpetrated on anxious moms the day before the science project is due.

Why does the computer scientist need a lab coat? Nobody knows.

Thanks to Troopers for making this a few years back.

The March for Science was in DC. It rained. Speakers still have no idea how to use a mic. Talks are boring.

Muppets do science well for puppets.

A poster (gasp) of a muppet pretending to do science. Meta.

There were some good signs.

Fortunately some actual musicians saved the day.

Then it was time to line up for the “march.”

The let most anybody in here, even computer security gurus.

Stop and go

Nobody thought to make the lights green, and the nerds all stopped.

Rain causes cocktails according to our one experiment.

Raining OUTside which is fine when INside

Have a Negroni in the name of science.

Finally, as a cure for science, try Trump. He’s just fucking stupid enough to try to bully it out.

Exactly

Yes indeedy.

Artist Emily’s photo-take on our place.

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Sunday Paper

Sunday Paper

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Esperanza's Boot

Esperanza’s Boot

Emily Shepardson Art

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Which way is up? Any way you choose.

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More.

If you tickle us, do we not laugh?

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Shiny happy people

Shiny happy people

Fun and games in the big city to celebrate amy’s belated birthday. Dinner at Water and Wall was very good (but not exceptional). Arlington has lots of great eats to be had! If you do go to Water and Wall, definitely get the veal sweetbreads. Wow.

Birthday girl

Birthday girl

One of the highlights of the evening was seeing more of Emily Shepardson’s art and glassing her “art closet” (which by the way is spreading like frosting on a cake into Victor’s old room. I even got to take home an etching.

Emily herself

Emily herself

Special delivery.

Bill arrives with another batch.

Bill arrives with another batch.

William approves.

A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool.

A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool.

Emily Shepardson’s “Fly Like Winging Birds”

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Our friend Emily was just awarded her Master of Interdisciplinary Studies from VCU. Her Master’s Thesis work is on exhibit at the Education Center Gallery in Arlington, VA. Great stuff Em. Congrats on your accomplishment and your thoughtful work.

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Go see the show yourself while it is still up through the end of August.

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Emily Shepardson @ Artomatic

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We have been piling up Emily’s art around the apothecary shed for years, but there is nothing quite as cool as seeing a show that includes multiple threads. Saturday we went to Artomatic for the opening of a show that lasts a few weeks (you should go).

There were shrines, there were ravens, there were ceramic gloves. Sadly, there were only cell phone cameras to capture bits.

Gloves and ravens.

Prints.