30 May 2005

JUne 3-5 @ Mess Hall

Michael Blum at MESS HALL

FRIDAY, JUNE 3, 2005
Presentation, Screening and Potluck Dinner!!!
Potluck begins at 7:30
Presentation begins at 8:30

Vienna-based artist Michael Blum will present his video work "17 Aandbloem Street"

"17 Aandbloem Street" (57 min, 2004) is a neighborhood investigation centered around a house in Cape Town. Current and former tenants, neighbors, a homeless man in a wheelchair, an architect, a former top-model and a flower seller are among those who provide stories about the house, its surroundings and the hyper-local power dynamics 10 years after the fall of the apartheid regime. The project addresses both universal and ultra-local issues like gentrification, racial segregation, and neighbor-bashing.

The video is 57 minutes.

Blum is currently in residency at the Austria House in Chicago.

http://www.blumology.net
http://www.blumology.net/aandbloem.html

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Jose Lopez at MESS HALL

6 PM
SATURDAY, JUNE 4, 2005


A Discussion with Jose Lopez on the Military Recruitment of Latino Youth

As the situation in post-Saddam Iraq drags on, the armed forces of the United States are having a difficult time meeting their recruiting goals. Not surprisingly, recruiters are heavily targeting youth from parts of the
country suffering from depressed economic conditions. Latino youth are particularly vulnerable to a range of recruiting methods shaped around the pressures felt by that group. Professor Lopez will offer an analysis of the
situation, and lead a discussion about how we can support youth--and especially youth from Latino populations--in choosing non-military options for their futures.

This event is for anybody who is concerned about the militarization of our schools, or is curious about the range of issues faced by Latino communities today, or who wants to consider ways to oppose the war agenda of our government.

Jose Lopez is an educator who has long been politically active in a variety of causes. He is the Executive Director of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center. He played a central role in the campaign that in 1999 successfully freed 11
jailed members of the FALN, the main vehicle for the Puerto Rican independence movement in the 1970s. He has also been involved in many projects critical of 'control unit' incarceration.

This event is part of the Geography of War project by Harold Mendez, which calls attention to the violence embedded in the imaginative worlds of children (especially boys!), as evidenced by their playthings. Harold's work
is on the walls of Mess Hall now. It's been a while since the Mess Hall walls have been covered, so come check it out.

You can participate in Harold's ongoing project by donated any old, unwanted, or broken toy weapons you or your kids might have lying around thehouse. Just bring them by Mess Hall on Saturday between 1 and 5 PM.


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MESS HALL
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6932 North Glenwood, Rogers Park, Chicago
'Morse' stop on the Red Line
Phone: (773) 465-4033. Best for calling on day of events.
Email: messhall8@yahoo.com
Web: http://www.messhall.org/
Calendar: plus.calendars.net/messhall

11 May 2005

Group Exhibition Opens Friday, May 20 at Gallery 2!

May 20 - June 18
Opening reception: Friday, May 20 from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Work in installation, painting, performance, photography, sculpture, and video by students and alumni of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Artists exhibiting their work are Aline Cautis, Cayetano Ferrer, Sara J.Ferguson, Terri Foster, Young Sun Han, Jeong Han Kim, Teena McClelland, Jakrawal Nilthamrong, Lindsay Page, David Prince, Nathaniel Robinson, Jamil Shalalae, Claire Sherman, and Steven Summers.

Interesting!! I wish I could attend but I will be working; hopefully someone can write a review of this

Potential Energy, Mini Movie Fest, Brunchluck, excitement!
Events start this Friday, May 13, 2005.


MESS HALL HOSTS A DYNAMITE WEEKEND!

DYNAMITE is a five-year-old art group based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Josh Ippel, Matt Poole, Phil Orr, and Ryan Thompson currently describe their group as a family-like structure which is interested in “…creating and/or organizing activities that call for group participation and which rupture, criticize, sidestep, or engage norms of American life, culture and habit,” (from their website, http://www.dynamitefamily.com).

Mess Hall is happy to be host this weekend to Dynamite’s current project: POTENTIAL ENERGY. From their call for participation:

For the last two years Dynamite has been interested in making connections with collaborative groups in order to learn from their experiences, observe other working models, exchange ideas and share resources. Potential Energy continues this interest.

Over the course of our time working together, we have seen numerous ideas (our own and other's) that have never been realized. For one reason or another – time constraints, the laws of physics, lack of resources, or utter infeasibility – many projects and ideas are discarded, unrealized or implausible.

Potential Energy will consist of a collection of these unrealized projects from a number of collaborative groups. Each participant will design an image and/or text illustrating a project they have been unable to complete.

These designs will be in grayscale on 8.5x11" or A4 paper. The images will be collected, reproduced and packaged and a unit containing all the designs will be sent to each participant. Each group is encouraged to display this set of images in a space of their choosing.

In addition to these impromptu exhibitions, a series of core events are being planned to display the project in Grand Rapids, MI, Chicago, IL, Philadelphia, PA, and Portland, OR. In order to facilitate exhibition, each design may be enlarged to poster size using a black and white plotter printer (found at most copy shops) or using another enlarging method.

Some of the groups included in this exhibition are: N55, New Beginings, Basekamp, The M.O.S.T., Pineapple Group, Everyday Places, Hints, and Ely & Harris.



Potential Energy will be on view at Mess Hall during the following events:



Friday, May 13, 2005
8:30p-10:00p

Mini Movie Fest and Opening of "Potential Energy" exhibition

Dynamite’s Mini Movie Fest is a showcase of movies made with the “Movie” function on digital still cameras and camera phones. More than sixty short films, none longer than sixty seconds, will be screened!


Saturday, May 14, 2005
1:00p-5:00p

Open hours for Potential Energy. Dynamite will be available to discuss the exhibit all day

In addition to these impromptu exhibitions, a series of core events are being planned to display the project in Grand Rapids, MI, Chicago, IL, Philadelphia, PA, and Portland, OR. In order to facilitate exhibition, each design may be enlarged to poster size using a black and white plotter printer (found at most copy shops) or using another enlarging method.





Sunday, May 15, 2005
12:00p-3:00p

Dynamite BRUNCHLUCK

Our most dynamite Brunchluck ever! The guys from Dynamite will be sharing food, drink, and good afternoon times with us before they make the drive back to Grand Rapids.

At 1:00 pm, Dynamite will make a quick, informal presentation about Potential Energy and their other projects. Come eat, chat, read about unrealized projects, and meet people from Michigan!

More on Dynamite:
http://www.dynamitefamily.com/