The subject of my newest Long View Study is Syowa Station, a Japanese research base in Eastern Antarctica. The full post on my CalAcademy blog is one of a series of profiles I’ll be doing on Antarctic stations and international scientific cooperation.

But did he? It depends on your definition of ‘discover’ and how solid you prefer the evidence to be. Learn who the contenders are for this distinction (and why) on my Antarctic blog over on the California Academy of Sciences site.

The artwork was created with cut paper and graphite and is currently in MOVE, a group show curated by Rich Jacobs at Space 1026 in Philadelphia.

Emory’s edition is letterpress-printed in two colors on handmade Amate bark paper covers and on removable accordion-fold interiors which function as framable pieces of art. The artist describes: “The content of my Imprint publication deals with the subject of reparations and slavery, with each abstract designed figure chained together making up the word “REPARATIONS.”

For over four decades Emory’s art has been an iconic representation of political and social struggles. From the late 1960s to the late ’70s he was minister of culture in the Black Panther Party for which he created a variety of posters, flyers and promotional cards in a distinctive graphic style, while also managing the design and production of the party’s newspaper. Emory later turned to promoting its social programs, and today his images continue to advocate for community education and outreach in the Bay Area and beyond. An example is his recent collaboration with a team of New York City youngsters to create a permanent outdoor mural in Harlem titled What We Want, What We Believe. He’s also led workshops at the Beirut Art Center in Lebanon and the Urbis in Manchester UK among other places.

While Emory’s recognition has grown exponentially with recent shows at the New Museum in New York City and MOCA in Los Angeles (to name just a couple), he remains generously committed to Bay Area causes including the SFCB. In 2008 he contributed a 3′ x 3′ linoleum block print to our Roadworks steamroller printing fundraiser, and this year we thank Emory for the donation of his art to create REPARATIONS whose sales directly benefit the Center and its programs.

Emory’s edition is part of our Small Plates series which invites selected artists and writers to create compact letterpress-printed books issued in limited editions. Big thanks go to our production manager Rhiannon Alpers and our fabulous team of volunteers for their hard work and commitment to excellence. Lili Ong and I are proud to have worked on the book design too, and we hope you join us in celebrating the release of this dynamic edition with Emory in attendance.

When: Friday June 4th from 6-8 P.M.
Where: The San Francisco Center for the Book, 300 DeHaro Street (entrance on 16th Street) in Potrero Hill. 415-565-0545 | www.sfcb.org | imprint@sfcb.org

Please visit the Imprint page for more on the Center’s publications and our Etsy page for sales.

I’m happy to announce the completion of my Long View Project’s first print edition, titled “21-Step Grey Water Treatment System.” Each of the edition’s four pochoir prints are slightly unique in printing, paper color and graphite embellishments.

The story behind Antarctic waste water treatment and the artwork can be found on my Long View Project blog hosted by the California Academy of Sciences, and print #3 (shown above) is on display alongside my “AA Five” piece in the exhibit REFRAME: Making Sense of Waste at ARC Gallery, San Francisco through May 30.

Featured artists are Michael Bartalos, David Broom, Alejandra Chaverri, Gregangelo Herrera, Wolfgang Ganter, Rebecca Goldfarb, James Goode, Beth Grossman, Avi Hoen, Judith Selby Lang, Richard Lang, Jose Ramon Lerma, Liz Mamorsky, and Noah Wilson. Music will be performed by James Goode on instruments created from recycled materials.

This piece measures 7″ wide x 12″ high and is on exhibit in REFRAME: Making Sense of Waste at ARC Gallery in San Francisco through May 30.

Read more about the lake, the research and this collage at my Long View Project blog hosted by the California Academy of Sciences. The original artwork will be on view and available at Space Odyssey: Southern Exposure’s Annual Fundraiser and Art Auction this Saturday evening, May 6 at SoEx, 3030 20th Street in San Francisco. See you there!

Cheryl E. Leonard at Palmer Station.

Each year, the festival is curated around a specific theme that underscores connections between artists working with various methods and materials. This year’s theme is ice and its physical, geographic, metaphoric, and mythological attributes as manifested through sound and image.

Michael Bartalos at South Pole Station.

The program kicks off at 8:30 PM with Cheryl, Lisa and I each giving a short audiovisual presentation about our Antarctic projects and experiences on the Ice. We’ll follow that up with discussing topics concerning art in Antarctica and answering audience questions.

Lisa K. Blatt at McMurdo Station.

The festival’s featured sound artists are G*Park (Switzerland), Pedestrian Deposit (Los Angeles), Joshua Churchill (San Francisco), Adam Sonderberg (Berkeley), Rale (Los Angeles), Jesse Burson (Alameda) and Cheryl E. Leonard (San Francisco).

Join us! The Lab is at 2948 16th Street, San Francisco CA 9410.
415.864.8855 | http://www.thelab.org

More information on The Lab’s event page.

The kids are drawing and painting in Metzabok.

Traveling in a supply-laden Crossfox, our first stop was Metzabok, the smallest, poorest, and most isolated of the three settlements. It’s home to about 20 families in a pristine rain forest region, part of a federally protected nature reserve.

Metzabok printmaking workshop '10. Photo by Janet Schwartz.

Our participants (mostly children) drew heavily on their environment for subject matter. The area is rich in tropical plants, birds, insects, reptiles and mammals, and is situated on the banks of Lake Metzabok, clean enough for local residents to drink from.

Enrique and José Miguel show off their prints. Photos by Janet Schwartz.

Schooling is sporadic here and art-making sessions rarer still, which made it a rewarding visit for the kids and us alike. This was our first time holding art workshops in Metzabok.

The kids are drawing and painting in Nahá.

Our next stop was Nahá, 30 km further into the jungle. It has a dirt airstrip, a rural medical clinic and a population roughly three times that of Metzabok. Elementary education is provided to Nahá by the government which sends teachers to indigenous communities with at least 15 enrollees. Children’s art supplies and activities remain scarce however, unless offered from outside.

José Luis documents Nahá's trees.

This was our third visit to Nahá since Kelynn initiated the Lacandón art workshops in 1996 at the invitation of the community. We’re now working with the kids of the kids we first made art with, making it a doubly exhilarating experience!

Drawing and painting on Bonampak's Edificio 16.

Our final destination was Lacanja, the largest and most accessible of the three communities we visited. Here we took the kids (and moms) on a drawing and painting field trip to nearby Bonampak, the ancient archeological site whose famous murals inspired us to historical and cultural themes.

Lacanja's moms joined in for the Bonampak session.

Throughout our trip Kelynn held the drawing and painting sessions, I led printmaking, and Janet offered the photography workshops. Our objectives are to document Lacandon heritage and culture through visual art; to provide participants with the opportunity to express themselves creatively in workshop situations they might otherwise not have access to; and to create a greater international consciousness about the Lacandon jungle, its people and society.

A drawing by Regina Miranda Nuk, age 16, inspired by the art of Bonampak.

We arrange our visits through Na Bolom, a non-profit cultural organization based in San Cristóbal de las Casas dedicated to the welfare of the Lacandón Maya and the preservation of the Chiapas rain forest. We’re also grateful to Club Balam and the Lower Eastside Girls Club of New York for sharing their equipment with our photography workshops.

Our group at Bonampak. Photo by Janet Schwartz.

A project website and limited-edition prints and artists’ books are in the works to showcase our program and the kids’ fabulous creations. Proceeds and donations will fund successive Lacandon Art Workshops and benefit the communities through Na Bolom.

Topche with her printing plate, and Griselda takes a self portrait, Lacanja. Photos by M. Bartalos (left) and Janet Schwartz.

More news to follow as plans shape up for the next round of workshops.

The show’s filmmakers and artists include David Ahuja, Jon Audarson, Michael Bartalos, Spencer Bewle, Rob Bindler, Adam Calvert, Matt Campbell, Manuel Dilone, Paul Eng, Rob Erickson, Jenny Figaroa, Greg Hill, John Hobbs, Guido Jiménez Cruz, Philip Kelly, Raina Kumra, Todd Lamb, Ruth Mamaril, Anthony Marinelli, Ted McGrath, Bill Moulton, Christian Svanes Kolding, Russ Stark, Takako, and David Art Wales.

There will be drinks and music, and videos will be shown throughout the space on four projectors. Sounds like fun and if you go, be sure to say hi to my talented designer friend John Tymkiw who conceived and curated the program.

For those who can’t make the show (like myself), the video collection will eventually be posted to supershortvideo.com. (I’ll post my piece here then too).

Secret Project Robot is at 210 Kent Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211.
Tel. 917.860.8282.
Directions, hours, and info at secretprojectrobot.org.