Altered Esthetics

Rock for Art!

2010-11-06T12:54:00.001-07:00

A Rock Band Tournament is being held to benefit Altered Esthetics on Friday November 12th!

- Rock Band Tournament emceed by the amazing LEMON features Rock Band 3 and an expanded songlist!
- Giant Comic Art with a "Rock" theme from the awesome artists of the Cartoonist Conspiracy!
- Shenanigans!
- More!

More info can be found on the Ae Rock Band page.

Join us as we rock out for a good cause!

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O.C.D. Opens Friday!

2010-11-03T20:12:00.000-07:00

The O.C.D. show opens this Friday November 5th.

As the exhibitions committee planned the 2010 exhibitions schedule early in 2009, "O.C.D." as a theme was suggested. At the time, we had a very candid discussion about how we could approach and curate an exhibit of this nature. Our shows alternate between the fun, the political, the meaningful - but when we curate a show dealing with struggle we want to make sure we do so with sensitivity. We knew this show would take extra care throughout every step of the process. Even crafting the description was a painstaking task, and the exhibitions committee and curators spent the next year putting together what I think is going to be one of the more powerful shows we've had at Ae to date.

"O.C.D. - How artists have creatively responded to and dealt with the struggles associated with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, which is defined as a psychoneurotic disorder where the individual is beset with obsessions or compulsions, often resulting in extreme anxiety or depression."

The show was A Listed and I think Jessica Armbruster describes the situation well: "...while it's sometimes depicted as cute and a little quirky on television shows like Glee, people who actually have the disorder would hardly describe it as charming."

Aint that the truth.

The opening this Friday will give you a chance to meet with the curators and artists of this show - but if you can't make it on Friday, I hope you make it to Ae at some point during November - this is a show to soak in, and one definitely not to miss.

Image features Christine Tulgren - "Rage"

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So creative it's scary...

2010-09-28T12:40:00.001-07:00

Stop by Ae this Friday to see the opening of Ae Presents: HITCHCOCK! Check out the City Pages writeup here and the gallery page here.

Then (if you dare) head over to see our friends at the Soap; The Haunted Basement opens this Friday October 1st and runs until the 30th.

Art so creative it's scary... Minneapolis so awesome it's terrifying. Why would you want to be anywhere else this Friday???

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Happy Birthday Mario!

2010-09-14T11:38:00.000-07:00

Today (September 15, 2010) is Mario's 25th birthday - Happy Birthday, Mario!

mario25th.nintendo.com/

Stop by Ae to celebrate this festive occasion with the super awesome, A-listed Level_13 Video Game art show! Gallery hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays 1pm-7pm, Saturdays 1pm-5pm.

Don't forget the artist discussion this Saturday, September 18th, 1pm-3pm @ Ae.

http://www.alteredesthetics.com/events/70

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Four days left to devour Lutefisk Sushi

2010-08-22T16:51:00.000-07:00

The A-Listed, Art-Hounded, Super Awesome Lutefisk Sushi D show will soon be drawing to a close.

You have just two more chances left to see it:

Tuesday August 24, 1pm-7pm
Thursday August 26, 1pm-7pm

don't miss out!
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Call for classic videogame or tech themed art!

2010-07-17T12:57:00.000-07:00

Level_13!

The fourth biennial installment of Altered Esthetics classic video game art exhibit

will also highlight the abandoned or obsolete technology of decades past.

The biennial Level_13 show began in 2004,
the first video-game themed group show occurring in the states.
Please join us for one of our favorite Ae exhibits!

Opening Reception
Friday, September 3, 2010 - 7pm-10pm

Artists' Discussion
Saturday, September 18, 2010 - 1pm-3pm

The deadline for submissions has been extended to July 31, 2010!
To submit, please visit alteredesthetics.com/events/70

or send the following to contact@alteredesthetics.org:
- a jpg image of your artwork
- title
- medium
- your contact info
- artists' statement (if any)
- price (if for sale)

Altered Esthetics is an entirely volunteer driven nonprofit community gallery run by artists, for artists.
We work to sustain the historical role of artists as a voice of society,
and do that through our exhibitions, services, workshops and programs.

Altered Esthetics
1224 Quincy Street NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413
612.378.8888
alteredesthetics.org

Image features Tony Tudisco - "Ae Invaders"

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Suburbs vs. Cities opens!

2010-07-05T11:22:00.000-07:00

The Suburbs vs. Cities show opened on Friday with great reviews!

A-List
http://www.citypages.com/events/suburbs-v-cities-1460123/

Minnesota Public Radio - State of the Arts
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/state-of-the-arts/archive/events/

Metro Mag
http://www.metromag.com/0p124b14be766/suburb-vs-city/

Show runs until July 29th, with an Artist Discussion on Saturday July 17th @ 1pm
http://www.alteredesthetics.com/events/67_suburbs_v_cities_

Come check it out! Gallery hours are Tues & Thurs 1pm-7pm, Saturdays 1pm-5pm

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Board Positions opening!

2010-06-17T06:03:00.000-07:00

Board Positions

Ae is currently accepting applications for the following board positions:

Exhibitions Director
The function of the Exhibitions Director is to coordinate exhibitions, working with board members, interns, and volunteers to continue the annual group exhibition schedule.
A complete description can be found by clicking here (pdf)

Gallery Director
The function of the Gallery Director is to coordinate gallery functions, working with board members, interns, and volunteers to oversee gallery operations.
A complete description can be found by clicking here (pdf)

Design Director
The function of the Design Director is to maintain and develop the organization's brand identity, implementing proper industry-standard design templates for organization literature and media.
A complete description can be found by clicking here (pdf)

Press Director
The function of the Press and Community Relations Director is to continue to develop the organization's reputation in the community, sending press releases, newsletters, and building relationships.
A complete description can be found by clicking here (pdf)

Board Secretary
The function of the Board Secretary is to organize and compile critical organizational documents, including minutes and paperwork of the board.
A complete description can be found by clicking here (pdf)

To apply, please send a cover letter and resume along with a completed board application to: contact@alteredesthetics.org.

General Board Application (pdf)

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Bike Art opens Friday June 4th!

2010-06-03T17:03:00.000-07:00

Bike Art V opens this Friday at Altered Esthetics!

Altered Esthetics celebrates the Twin Cities' thriving bicyclist community with its fifth annual Bike Art exhibit this June. The exhibit will include photography, painting, screen-print, and
installation. Check out the writeup in this week's A-list:
http://www.citypages.com/events/bike-art-v-1425492/

Please join us on Friday, June 4 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. for the opening reception, featuring a performance by The Eclectic Ensemble who will be playing with their solar powered musical instruments in a project called: Music Of The Sun.

We also invite you to join our monthly artists' discussion panel to take place on June 19th. Ride your bike over to the gallery, listen and join in the discussion, then get your bike washed during Altered Esthetics' Bikini Bike Wash!

Opening Reception:
Friday, June 4, 7 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Artists' Discussion Panel
Saturday, June 19, 1 p.m. - 3 p.m.

Bikini Bike Wash
Saturday, June 19, 3 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Gallery Hours:
Tuesdays & Thursdays – 1 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Saturdays – 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Every First Friday – 7 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Altered Esthetics
1224 Quincy St. NE
Minneapolis MN 55413
(612) 378-8888
http://www.alteredesthetics.com/events/65

Ae announces 2011 Exhibition Schedule!

2010-06-02T06:46:00.000-07:00

The creative minds of the exhibitions committee worked long and hard, considering and shaping ideas for future shows - and without further delay we're excited to announce our 2011 Exhibitions Schedule!

JAN: Agents of Orange
The artists of Altered Esthetics explore the visual impact and emotional resonance of the color orange.

FEB: Online (Dis)connect
Artists evaluate the pros and cons of technology and its impact on human thought, identity, and interaction.

MAR: Fanboi
Art inspired by fandom and devotion to characters, stories, or icons in film, music, or gaming culture.

APR: Flesh and Form
The body is a vessel for communication and physical expression. Artists depict what it means to possess, exist, and appear in human form.

MAY: Art?
This exhibit challenges the definition and function of art, seeking to discover the artistic value in anything and everything.

JUNE: Bike Art VI
Altered Esthetics' 6th annual bike art show brings together some of the Twin Cities' largest communities' artists, cyclists, and those who love both! Join us in creating another amazing exhibit of bike-themed photography, painting, sculpture and interactive art.

JULY: Hope of the Union
Whether you are still hopeful or left utterly disenchanted, this exhibition will allow artists to sound off about the ever-changing political atmosphere.

AUG: Comic Art
TBA

SEPT: Home
Whether it is a place we came from, a place we dream about, or a settling destination; artists react to immigration, homelessness, and what it means to have a sense of place in the world.

SEPT: Coloring Outside the Lines: Dinosaurs, Puppets and Forts
In this year's children's art show, everyone's a kid. Both children and adults are invited to let their imagination fly!

OCT: Fear Itself
Artists confront phobias ranging from the creepy, crawly, or things that go bump in the night, to the terrifying anticipation of social situations or life events.

NOV: Día de los Muertos
Altered Esthetics welcomes the community to gather for a cultural celebration of the lives of loved ones lost.

NOV: Food Fight
Artists blend notions of gourmet and staple, abundance and shortage, pleasure and struggle, production and consumption as they relate to food.

DEC: Animal Art 3: Rescue Me
Art gives a voice to those who cannot speak. Altered Esthetics looks to both celebrate and promote efforts to adopt, rescue, and protect animals facing mistreatment or abandonment.

Featured Artist Contest!

We are also taking submissions for the 2011 Featured Artists competition. Those chosen will have their work featured in any promotional material for the show they submitted for, and will appear in Ae's awesome calendar. This year, any and all submissions to any show are free.

The complete submission guidelines can be found at the Ae site:
http://www.alteredesthetics.com/events/75

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Rogue Citizen - Awesome timelapse video

2010-05-22T08:46:00.000-07:00

Rogue Citizen at the F.R.E.S.H. opening:

The finished painting is currently on auction at Ae, and the F.R.E.S.H. show will be up until Thursday May 27th.

The painting will be on auction until Friday - June 4th!

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Sending in submissions

2010-04-15T07:55:00.000-07:00

The new user feature on our submission form was temporarily broken last month.

however - in the event online submissions are unavailable, new users (or anybody having trouble submitting online) can always submit the old fashioned way - via email to contact@alteredesthetics.org.

Folks can also submit the uber traditional way.
Send hardcopies to:
Altered Esthetics
1224 Quincy Street NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413

Any questions? 612.378.8888 or contact@alteredesthetics.org

Please include:

your name
jpg images of your artwork
title (s)
artists' statement (if any)
dimensions
your email
your phone #

-Ae

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Iron and Candy - Save the Date!

2010-03-24T05:13:00.000-07:00

April 30, 2010, 7pm

http://www.alteredesthetics.com/events/73

Online gallery and page will be continually updated with artwork, raffle prizes, and event info!
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Ae Demographics Survey

2010-03-23T04:25:00.000-07:00

Help us serve you better by answering 9 quick questions!

Ae has created a demographics survey for funding and development purposes, to better serve our artists and audience.

Participation is entirely voluntary, but is open to everyone: our artists as well as those in our audience. If you could take a moment to fill out the brief, anonymous 9 question survey we would greatly appreciate it. This will help us as we approach government and granting organizations, as many of them require that this data is collected.

Follow the link to an anonymous survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TFJTBYM

THANK YOU!!!

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Last Week to see Gender at Ae!

2010-03-19T04:31:00.000-07:00

This is the last week to see the Gender show at Altered Esthetics!

Swing by anytime during gallery hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 1pm-7pm - or come before 3pm on Saturday when the show comes down.

Gender
City Pages A-List: http://www.citypages.com/events/gender-1307172/

Altering the sexes
MN Daily Article: http://www.mndaily.com/2010/03/10/altering-sexes

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2010 Board Openings @ Ae

2010-03-01T04:13:00.000-08:00

Board Positions

Do you have a passion for the arts and experience in nonprofit management, fundraising, grantwriting, or finance? Are you interested in serving on the board of an active community based arts organization? Altered Esthetics is actively seeking and accepting applications for new board members with experience in arts, fundraising, nonprofit governance and finance.

Ae is currently accepting applications for the following board positions:

Board Chair
The function of the Board Chair is to direct the organization's board as it develops and fulfills the organization's mission.
A complete description can be found by clicking here (pdf)

Development Director
The function of the Development Director is to maintain, develop and implement the fundraising strategy of the organization, including all fundraisers, appeals, and grant proposals.
A complete description can be found by clicking here (pdf)

Board Secretary
The function of the Board Secretary is to organize and compile critical organizational documents, including minutes and paperwork of the board.
A complete description can be found by clicking here (pdf)

Solo Exhibitions Director
The function of the Solo Exhibitions Director will be to develop and maintain a schedule of solo-artist exhibitions for the organization, partnering with other organizations and artists in the community.
A complete description can be found by clicking here (pdf)

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Open Calls for 2010 Exhibitions

2010-02-28T05:07:00.000-08:00

Would you like to exhibit your work at Altered Esthetics? Whether you are a first-time exhibiting artist or have exhibited in numerous galleries worldwide, we want you to submit your work to us. Ae Gallery hosts monthly group shows, each with a varying theme.

Upcoming Open Calls:

F.R.E.S.H. - May, 2010
Guerrilla art, hip-hop, punk rock, murals and more, F.R.E.S.H. will take a look at the origins, expressions and effects of street art as it has occurred in and beyond the gallery walls.
Deadline for submission: March 15, 2010

Bike Art V - June, 2010
The fifth annual Bicycle Art exhibit will feature photography, sculpture, spoke-art, and more.
Deadline for submission: April 15, 2010

Suburbs v. Cities - July, 2010
Artists creatively examine the pros and cons of life in the metropolis versus life in the burbs.
Deadline for submission: May 15, 2010

Please check out our Open Calls page for a full list of upcoming exhibits and details:
http://www.alteredesthetics.com/events/open_calls

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Iron and Candy - Ae's Sixth Anniversary

2010-02-24T04:03:00.000-08:00

Announcing our 6th Year Anniversary Celebration

Altered Esthetics celebrates six years of serving artists with a party at our gallery in the Q'arma building in Northeast Minneapolis.

Call For Art:

We will be holding our annual fundraiser & silent art auction in conjunction with our anniversary celebration, and we would love to have your participation! We need artists to be a part of the show and submit artwork for the silent auction. Since it is our 6th year anniversary, we have chosen the theme Iron & Candy (as something made of Iron or Candy is traditionally the 6th year anniversary gift), and so we are seeking artwork that coincides with this theme.

To submit work, please send an image with the following info to contact@alteredesthetics.org Artist Name:
Artist Website:
Title:
Value of work:
Preferred split (50/50 split with Ae, or 100% donation to Ae):
Reserve price (minimum bid, if any):
Visit the Ae Events page: Iron and Candy for more info

Save the date!

April 30, 2010, 7pm.
Please join us for the celebration!

On the evening of Friday, April 30th, 2010 Ae will host a night of fun featuring: an Iron and Candy themed exhibit & silent auction, raffle & prizes, refreshments, libations, live music and more!

Businesses
Interested in sponsoring? Donate a gift certificate, goods or services and not only will you get the warm fuzzy feeling of supporting Northeast's awesome art community, but you'll also get a link on the Ae site and your business name in the Iron and Candy brochure!
For more info call 612.378.8888 or email contact@alteredesthetics.org
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Do You Like Facebook?

2010-02-15T04:40:00.000-08:00

So, even though some people thing social networking sites are The Ultimate Evil (in various forms), we like them!. Especially facebook, because it allows us to keep in touch with our friends, families, artists and community better. We can update folks about events and happenings with minimal costs, and Scrabble also really helps get us through the winter, doncha kno'?

So - if you've already joined the social networking bandwagon, connect with us, too!

Be our friend: http://www.facebook.com/altered.esthetic#!/altered.esthetics?ref=ts

Check out our page: http://www.facebook.com/altered.esthetics?ref=ts#!/pages/Altered-Esthetics/59182309127

Or here's our causes page, if you do those kind of apps:
http://apps.facebook.com/causes/165299/32983695?m=71bb3202

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Ae Art Vending Machine!

2010-01-15T04:54:00.000-08:00

Ae's art vending machine helps us fulfill our mission by making art accessible, and features original artwork at an affordable, compact & perfectly collectible size, only $5 a piece!

You can purchase original artwork from local artists and Ae resident artists at our next opening, or during open gallery hours.

Interested in submitting artwork of your own for the Ae Art Vending Machine? Visit the Ae Vending Machine page for details and samples of work: http://www.alteredesthetics.org/vendingmachine

We're lucky to have our own vending machine on location, but we're not the first ones to do it. Interested in the history behind Art Vending? Visit The Original Art-O-Mat site!
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2010 Calendars are In!

2010-01-01T04:36:00.000-08:00

The winners of this past fall's Featured Artist Contest have been officially published, displayed proudly in the Altered Esthetics 2010 Calendar, designed by Ae's own Tony Tudisco.

Calendars are available at Altered Esthetics during regular open hours and during monthly opening receptions:

Tuesdays & Thursdays, 1pm-7pm
Saturdays, 1pm-5pm
First Fridays (receptions), 7pm-10pm

All proceeds benefit Altered Esthetics.

March 2010 Featured Artist: Megan Frauenhoffer, "Birdsnest (pink)"

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Ae awarded MRAC management grant!

2009-12-31T04:17:00.000-08:00

Behind the Scenes

In addition to hosting awesome exhibits, we try to keep the infrastructure of our organization running smoothly. Altered Esthetics was recently awarded an MRAC Management and Consulting Grant to update our accounting system and review our accounting procedures. Yay!

Over the next few months we'll be working with MAP for Nonprofits to install Quickbooks for Nonprofits, look over our accounting manual and establish additional guidelines for solid and transparent accounting procedures. As soon as we can, we'll be making our budgets available online for those that are interested.

Wish us luck!

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Solo Exhibitions Director - Board Member opening at Ae

2009-12-01T18:30:00.000-08:00

Altered Esthetics will be adding another program to our services: solo artist exhibitions! To help facilitate this process and make sure it is a smooth and productive implementation, we'll be adding another board member to our motley crew. If you or anybody you know is interested, please pass this information along.

Solo Exhibitions Director
The function of the Solo Exhibitions Director will be to develop and maintain a schedule of solo-artist exhibitions for the organization, partnering with other organizations and artists in the community.

A complete description can be found by clicking here (pdf):

To apply
Please email your completed application (pdf) along with a resume and cover letter to contact@alteredesthetics.org

or mail a hard copy to:

Altered Esthetics
1224 Quincy Street NE
Minneapolis MN 55413

Position open until filled.

any questions? email contact@alteredesthetics.org.
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Altered Esthetics is participating in Give to the Max day!

2009-11-16T16:21:00.000-08:00

Hello Ae friends and family,

Tomorrow (November 17th) is Give to the Max Day!

The goal is to raise as much money as possible for Minnesota charities in 24 hours. The Saint Paul Foundation, Minneapolis Foundation and Bush Foundation have committed $500,000 in matching contributions to support community needs in Minnesota and to cover transaction fees so that 100% of all donations go to the nonprofit organizations.

If you were planning to make a donation to Altered Esthetics (or any other nonprofit in Minnesota, for that matter) tomorrow would be the best day to do it! We won’t have to incur any transaction fees and at least a portion of your donation will be matched. (For an organization like ours with a small operating budget, that can be HUGE!)

Give To The Max day starts at 8am tomorrow morning. You can donate here: http://www.razoo.com/story/Altered-Esthetics or go to razoo.com to look up your favorite MN charity.

Folks, nonprofits across the board are struggling this year. Every little bit helps, and some of the big guys are stepping in to make sure this day really makes a difference. You can too.
 
Thanks! 
-Jamie

Businesses - Sponsor the 2010 Exhibition Schedule!

2009-09-29T08:50:00.001-07:00

New board positions open at Altered Esthetics!

2009-09-16T08:17:00.001-07:00

Board Positions

Do you have a passion for the arts? Are you interested in serving on the board of a community based arts organization? Altered Esthetics is actively seeking and accepting applications for new board members with variety of experiences in arts, fundraising, nonprofit governance, finance and more.

Board members at Ae serve 3-year terms and as a working board, have a direct hand in shaping the way the organization affects and works with the arts community.

Ae is currently accepting applications for the following board positions:

Volunteer and Intern Coordinator

The function of the Volunteer and Intern Coordinator is to recruit and place new Volunteers and Interns, facilitate their orientation and training, and schedule and/or coordinate their participation.

Download complete description.(pdf)

Education Director

The function of the Education Director will be to develop and maintain a workshops schedule for
the organization.

Download complete description. (pdf)

IT/New Media Director

The function of the Information Technology / New Media Director is to continue the functionality, usability and relevance of any new media or computer-based tools of the organization. The IT/New Media director also coordinates the organization Wiki as well as the website and e-mail services.

Download complete description. (pdf)

To apply
Please email your completed application (pdf) along with a resume and cover letter to contact@alteredesthetics.org

or mail a hard copy to:

Altered Esthetics
1224 Quincy Street NE
Minneapolis MN 55413

Applications must be received by December 15, 2009.

any questions? email contact@alteredesthetics.org.
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Now accepting applications for 2010 internships

2009-09-08T21:34:00.000-07:00

Altered Esthetics' active programs and annual exhibition schedule provides many opportunities for active learning in a dynamic environment.

Assistant Gallery Director Internship

Current trends in the Gallery and Museum Exhibitions job market show that new directors are expected to have not only a background in the arts, but also a background in business, fundraising, and marketing. To provide opportunities for learning and experience in this area, Altered Esthetics has developed a new internship program. Our Assistant Gallery Director internship program offers interns training, mentorship, and hands-on experience in fundraising, grant writing, and nonprofit management as well as curating high-quality multiple-medium group shows.

Now Accepting Applications for 2010 terms.

Information and Application Form (pdf)

Deadline for Applications: October 31, 2009

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Curatorial Internship

Altered Esthetics curatorial internship program offers interns training, mentorship, and hands-on experience in curating high-quality multiple medium group shows.

Curatorial Internships follow the course of four or five consecutive shows over approximately a 6 month period.

Now Accepting Applications for 2010 terms.

Information and Application Form (pdf)

Deadline for Applications: October 31, 2009
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1 week left for Featured Artist Submissions!

2009-09-08T14:07:00.001-07:00

Big Funny: Things You Should Know

2009-08-02T19:43:00.000-07:00

About Big Funny
(Things about the project you may not know that we think are cool.)

Big Funny, at 48 ginormous pages, features the work of 47 contributing artists.

Only 2,000 copies were printed!

The project was coordinated entirely by volunteers, who have contributed 1,000 hours to the project to date.

Big Funny was printed locally in Minnesota.

The newspaper size, (16" wide by 22-3/4" tall with an image area of 15" wide by 21-1/2"), is true to an original newspaper from the 1910-30's eras.

Proceeds earned from Big Funny benefit two affiliated groups: Altered Esthetics, a nonprofit arts organization that works to support artists and The International Cartoonist Conspiracy, a community of comic artists.

Artist submissions were open to all and chosen democratically by the editorial review panel.

The original Big Funny Logo was designed by editor Steven Stwalley. The Big Funny Logo featured on the cover of the paper was hand drawn by editor Zander Cannon, and features all the characters from inside the paper itself.

Even the ads in Big Funny are cool! The ads for sponsors on the back of the paper were hand-drawn by editor Kevin Cannon, with the words for "the Source" ad penned by editor Steven Stwalley. The classifieds feature a mix of original limericks, artist bios, vintage ads from old comics and more.

Big Funny arrived to the gallery on two ginormous pallets and copies were hand-loaded by the editors to a super secret location to be stored until the day of the opening. Copies of Big Funny narrowly avert both floods and theft while they wait to be released this Friday, August 7th.

Big Funny: A celebration of the Newspaper Comic Strip!

The 48-page oversized newspaper will premiere at Altered Esthetics this Friday featuring poster-sized comic artwork from 47 artists.

In addition to having copies of BIG FUNNY for sale ($5 each), the opening reception will include:

Original artwork from the publication,

examples of historic comics pages (some over a century old),

a retrospective of unseen comic artwork by William Ede,

live music from The Roe Family Singers and

the little funny sideshow- a vintage cigarette machine repurposed to vend mini-comics and comic art!

Opening Reception
Friday August 7, 2009 7pm-11pm

Show runs August 7-29, 2009

Gallery Hours
Saturdays 1pm-5pm
Tuesdays & Thursdays 1pm-7pm

Altered Esthetics
1224 Quincy Street NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413.
612.378.8888

cartoonistconspiracy.com/bigfunny

Call for Art - 2010 Featured Artist Contest

2009-07-08T11:51:00.000-07:00

Altered Esthetics 2010 Featured Artist Contest

Altered Esthetics is now accepting submissions for artists to be featured in our 2010 Exhibition Season. Artists can submit with any of the below exhibition themes using the online submission system, email, or through the mail.

Full contest guidelines can be viewed here: 2010 Featured Artist guidelines (pdf)

2010 Exhibition Season Themes

Adverti$ing
Artistic perspectives on consumerism, branding, and advertising.

Bike Art V
The fifth annual Bicycle Art exhibit will feature photography, sculpture, spoke-card art and more.

Burning Books
Artwork using the words, letters and altered pages of burned, banned, and censored books.

Cities vs. Suburbs
Peaceful pastorals or raw energetic street scenes? Artists duke it out in Suburbs vs. Cities.

Comic Art
Need we say more?

Gender
An artistic exploration on how creative manifestations, gender,
and how gender may or may not affect an artists' creative vision.

HITCHCOCK
Artwork inspired by the movies of director Alfred Hitchcock.

Just So Stories
From creation to the afterlife, evolution to the flood, artists explore the stories of how things were, have been and will be.

Level_13: Classic Video Game Art
Celebrate an epic era with the fourth installment of Altered Esthetics classic video game art exhibit. Artwork about classic video games and anything 80's/nostalgia themed is welcome.

O.C.D.
How artists have creatively responded to and dealt with the struggles associated with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

Resident Artists VI: Creative Collaboration
This show will be open to ALL past artists of Altered Esthetics.
Works must be a collaborative project between two or more artists.

Street Art
Guerrilla art, post-graffiti, spoken word, hip-hop, muralism and more, the Street Art show will take a look at modern Street Art as it occurs in music, method and form beyond the gallery walls.

Día de los Muertos
Day of the Dead - a 1 day celebration. Entries for the Día show are free.

Coloring Outside the Lines III: Children's Art
A 1- day celebration. Entries for children are free.

EXTRA! EXTRA!!! READ ALL ABOUT IT!!!

2009-06-29T11:10:00.000-07:00

Unique comic publication set to premiere at gallery exhibition August 7th.

The International Cartoonist Conspiracy, Big Time Attic, and Altered Esthetics gallery have collaborated to produce an oversized newspaper comics section like they would do it today if they still did it like they did it in the old days.

It is called BIG FUNNY, and it is both.

The 48-page oversized newspaper will premiere at Altered Esthetics this August featuring poster-sized comic artwork from 45 artists. Please join us as we celebrate!

In addition to having copies of BIG FUNNY for sale, the opening reception will include: Original artwork from the publication, examples of historic comics pages (some over a century old), a retrospective of unseen comic artwork by William Ede, live music from The Roe Family Singers and the little funny sideshow - a vintage cigarette machine re-purposed to vend mini-comics and comic art!

A celebration of the Newspaper Comic Strip!

Opening Reception
Friday August 7, 2009 7:00pm-11:00pm

Altered Esthetics
1224 Quincy Street NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413
612.378.8888

Website: cartoonistconspiracy.com/bigfunny

About the organizers

Altered Esthetics is a community-based art gallery and arts advocacy organization located in the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District. We believe artists represent a true voice of society and our mission is to support and expand a vibrant arts community. alteredesthetics.com.

The International Cartoonist Conspiracy is a loose international organization of professional and amateur cartoonists, united by a passion for cartooning. Any cartoonist anywhere can join simply by declaring themselves a member, and can start their own local cell if inclined. Our feats have been many; we have been responsible for numerous publications, a variety of gallery shows and other events, and have organized open comic jams every month since December 2002. CartoonistConspiracy.com

Big Time Attic is the cartooning studio of Zander Cannon and Kevin Cannon (no relation). The Cannon Brothers specialize in nonfiction graphic novels like the recently published T-Minus: The Race to the Moon. bigtimeattic.com

Join Big Funny on any of the following online communities:

Write a Classified Ad in Big Funny!

2009-05-26T19:43:00.000-07:00

BIG FUNNY is an oversized, color comics newspaper coming out in August (read more about the project below). To raise funds for this project, we are now accepting classified advertisements in the following categories:

HELP WANTED
PERSONALS
MISSED CONNECTIONS
ESCORTS
ITEMS FOR SALE
GARAGE SALES
LOST AND FOUND
RECIPES
ADVICE
FILTHY LIMERICKS
OBITUARIES
MISC

You can place a 1-50 word ad for a mere $20... you may be able to get more words in if you're really funny, or if we don't bother to count them. Truth should not be a concern, although it is an option... humor is encouraged, although not a requirement. Note that advertisements making true or serious statements will very likely not be believed anyhow.

Why would you want to place an ad of dubious value that won't be taken seriously in a one-shot newspaper of comic strips? Perhaps you always wanted to see your name in newsprint? You have an irrational hatred of $20 bills? You thought you were ordering a pizza?

A more probable motivation would be that your ad supports a unique publication, and, unlike a regular newspaper, it will be read for many years to come. Also, these ads will actually get read, as people will be reading them for their own amusement.

Do you or your business want a larger ad in Big Funny? Please email jamie@alteredesthetics.org to discuss the possibilities.

PLEASE NOTE: We reserve the right to refuse an ad for any old arbitrary reason that may suit our whimsy. Any rejected ads will be refunded in full.

BIG FUNNY

The newspaper industry is coughing blood and gasping on its deathbed. Newspapers lost their relevance a long time ago, and with internet media blossoming they can no longer compete. Readers and advertisers have moved on.

Unfortunately, newspapers are taking their beautiful bastard child, the newspaper comic strip, with them.

Today's newspaper comics are much-maligned and deservedly so. Today's small strips, with mostly predictable, safe themes and bland characters are a pale shadow of what newspaper comics were in their wild and colorful youth.

110-or-so years from their birth, it's been a good run. Let us not mourn the death of the newspaper comics rather, let us have a wake to celebrate what they once were, and to build something new.

The International Cartoonist Conspiracy, Big Time Attic, and Altered Esthetics gallery are collaborating to produce an oversized newspaper comics section like they would do it today if they still did it like they did it in the old days.

It will be called BIG FUNNY, and it will be both.

The paper will premiere at a show at Altered Esthetics in August featuring some of the original art from the paper, along with historical comics pages from the dawn of the last century.

For more info or to place your add, go here:
cartoonistconspiracy.com/bigfunny/advertise.html

Celebrate with us on Friday April 17th!

2009-04-14T22:24:00.001-07:00

Celebrate Ae!

Altered Esthetics celebrates five years of serving artists with a giant bash at our home in the Q'arma building in Northeast Minneapolis in conjunction with our annual spring fundraiser.

Friday April 17, 2009 - 5pm-11pm

Everybody that joins us this Friday will receive a special super-awesome commemorative ______ to take home! (Shhh, it's a surprise.)

Please join us for a celebration and fundraiser featuring
- A wood-themed art exhibition and silent auction
- A raffle with awesome prizes and goods from local businesses
- Live music
- Refreshments
- Wood themed games
- Awesome company
- And more!

Schedule of Awesomeness
5pm: Raffle, Silent Auction, Games, DJ
9pm: Silent Auction and Raffle ends, winners announced
9:30pm: Live Music Begins, Festivities continue, the people rejoice.

About the Exhibit
This wood-themed celebratory exhibit will include everything from oil painting on wood panel to beautiful wood-fired ceramic pottery. Over 30 artists come together to support Ae in this year's silent auction exhibit. Why wood-themed? Because wood is the traditional symbol for a five year anniversary.

View images from the wood-themed exhibition as well as awesome raffle items from local businesses at alteredesthetics.org/fiveyears

About the Band
"Jason Shannon plays American soul music. He has a big ol' band and they make a big ol' sound and that makes him smiley and happy. Soon enough, he will be playing all over the whole wide world..." Join Jason and his band at Ae on April 17th for one of their last shows before their first national tour! visit them online at jasonshanonmusic.com

________

Altered Esthetics
1224 Quincy St. NE
Minneapolis. MN 55413
alteredesthetics.org
612.378.8888
(get directions via google maps)

________________________________________

Altered Esthetics - Outreach Project

2009-03-17T21:36:00.000-07:00

Altered Esthetics (Ae) is dedicated to serving the arts community, and we're working hard to get the word out about our organization.
We're currently conducting an electronic outreach project and you can help us by passing the following information along, posting it to your profile, or simply sending an email about Ae to the artist or arts aficionado in your life. Feel free to use the image above or text below as you share. Thank you!

_____________

Hello Arts Advocate!

If we may, we'd like to introduce you to Altered Esthetics.

Altered Esthetics (Ae) is a community-based art gallery and arts advocacy organization located in the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District.
Our mission is to support and expand a vibrant arts community because we believe artists represent an important voice of society.

Altered Esthetics works hard to sustain a welcoming space for artists and the public.
Entirely volunteer driven, we rely heavily on the participatin of our friends in the community.

We'd like to invite YOU to get involved with our organization, participating in our services or helping us as we make them available to new areas of the community.

Do you know there are lots of ways to get involved and support the arts, many of which can be done without even spending any money?

Some simple ways you can become involved are:

* Participating in a show as an artist
* Participating as an audience member (our shows are FREE to the public!)
* Volunteering at an event
* Sponsoring an event
* Promoting a show, activity, or event through your organization
* Posting open calls in your business’ newsletter or on your message board

Another way you can help is by spreading the word!

Simply pass along this electronic message by forwarding it to a friend or posting the article to your profile.
Altered Esthetics is working hard to get the word out about our organization and we'll need the help of our friends to get the word out.
Send this email to the artist or arts aficionado in your life, and let them know about an organization that works to serve them!

Thank you for taking the time to read through this and allowing us to introduce ourselves.
We hope that you will help us continue our mission by becoming involved and telling others about who we are and what we do.

Artistically yours,

Ae.

Altered Esthetics
1224 Quincy Street NE
Minneapolis MN 55413
612.378.8888
contact-at-alteredesthetics.org (replace -at- with @)
Visit us online at www.alteredesthetics.org/hello.

You can also follow us on Twitter, read our blog, meet us on Myspace, befan us on Facebook or support the Facebook cause.

__________________________________________

Request for Wood-Themed Art

2009-03-15T15:53:00.000-07:00

In April 2009 Altered Esthetics will be FIVE!

To celebrate the event and pave the way for another five years, we're having a big party and fundraiser. The silent auction will be wood-themed, and we need artwork!

Will you help?

You can participate by:
- Sending artwork created on wood
- Sending artwork created with wood
- Sending artwork about wood
- Creating art-blocks for our Art vending machine

What you get out of it:
- an in-kind donation receipt for tax purposes
- your work featured on the Ae website as part of the online gallery
- your Artist name and website listed
- the warm fuzzy feeling of helping an organization that exists to help ALL artists!
- extra warm fuzzy feelings (while supplies last, though Jamie claims to have an endless supply and is more than willing to share warm fuzzy feelings - and hugs too.)
- Artists can decide if either 50% or 100% of the final auction price goes to Ae.

If submitting your own work, please send us:
- A digital image of the work
- The title, media used and date completed as well as how you would like your name presented
- Any artist statement you want to have associated with the work
- A link to your website
- The value of the work

Artist information will be added to the site as soon as a commitment is made to participate and digital images are sent. The artwork itself will need to be received by Tuesday April 14, 2009.

Send information via email to:
contact-at-alteredesthetics.org

Send artwork to:
Altered Esthetics
1224 Quincy Street NE
Minneapolis MN 55413
http://alteredesthetics.org/fiveyears
____________________________

Creative Blood - Video and Photos

2009-03-11T19:56:00.000-07:00

The Creative Blood show highlights the work of creative family pairs or groups.

March 5-28, 2009

Artists' Discussion - Saturday March 14, 2009 – 1:00pm-4:00pm

Bike Art 2009

2009-02-14T13:36:00.000-08:00

Dear Altered Esthetics friends and cycling enthusiasts,

Are you ready for the best Bicycle Art show yet? Altered Esthetics' 2009 Bicycle Art Exhibit will feature a variety of awesome ways to get engaged with other artists and cyclists in communities from here to Patagonia. To read more about our plans for the upcoming exhibition and find out how you can get involved, check out the updates below.

Looking forward to another awesome year!

J-me

New Website

Last year Ae received an awesome new website! You should give it a whirl if you haven't done so already. The Bike Art shows are all online as well:
Bike Art I
Bike Art II
Bike Art III
Bike Art IV

Open Call for Artists

For this year's show, we'll be featuring Bicycle themed art, sculpture and video - but we'll also be featuring an interactive Spoke Card Art installation as part of the exhibit!

You can submit artwork or spoke card art one of three ways.

Submit online:
Not only does the website have all our exhibits up, it also has a fancypants online submission system. Artists who submit this way will be our BFFs because this process makes everything a LOT easier on Ae volunteers. You can submit online at: Bike Art IV/Open calls page.

Submit via email:
If you don't like the thought of submitting through the system, you can still submit electronically by emailing your name, contact information, an image of the artwork, title and media to opencalls@alteredesthetics.org

Submit via mail:
If your (or a friend you have) is anti e-anything, you (or they) can call us to request a submission form via the mail. We do not accept telegraphs or mail carrier pigeons, though we will accept ponies via the pony express.

Ae Bike Team - MS 150

Each June, Altered Esthetics hosts this Bicycle Art exhibit, bringing together the awesome arts and cycling communities of the Twin Cities and beyond. Last year, we invited our friends to join us as we supported another awesome cause also taking place every June - the MS 150.

The MS 150 is the biggest two-day ride in Minnesota, and is a fundraiser for National Multiple Sclerosis Society. JOIN US, and take on the 150 mile trek from Duluth to the Twin Cities, featuring the scenic William Munger Trail. Not only is the ride beautiful, but is a lot of fun while supporting a great cause.

Arts, advocates, and friends are all invited to join the Ae team as we support the MS 150 for a second year, and the event's 30th anniversary.

Friends riding as a part of the Altered Esthetics team will receive a free Bicycle Art/MS 150 team t-shirt, a free Altered Esthetics poster, and the intangible feeling of awesomeness that comes with joining the Ae team.

Join the Ae Team

Bike Art in the Northeast Parade

As part of the 2009 Bike Art festivities, Altered Esthetics will be participating in the 80th Annual Northeast Parade with a rolling Art Exhibit and Bicycle caravan.

Supporters

Interested in sponsoring, supporting, or volunteering to help make this year's Bike Art exhibit a success? Contact us at: contact@alteredesthetics.org or 612.378.8888 for more information.

Facebook

We'll admit it - we're internet dorks. But we can all be in this together - join the Bicycle Art group on Facebook!

Post features "Bicycle Race" by Andy Singer
_____________________________________________

Calling all Comic Artists to Big Funny!

2009-02-03T22:48:00.001-08:00

Altered Esthetics, in partnership with the Minneapolis Cell of the International Cartoonist Conspiracy and Big Time Attic, celebrate the 110th anniversary of the American Comic Strip with “Big Funny” - an all-comic newspaper full of artwork from local, national and international comic artists.

August 6-29, 2009

Opening Reception Friday August 7, 2009 – 7:00pm-10pm

Join Big Funny on any of the following online communities:

Attention Artists!

*This show has specific requirements for all artwork submitted and accepted. Read below for specific guidelines. *

BIG FUNNY

The newspaper industry is coughing blood and gasping on its deathbed. Newspapers lost their relevance a long time ago, and with internet media blossoming they can no longer compete. Readers and advertisers have moved on.

Unfortunately, newspapers are taking their beautiful bastard child, the newspaper comic strip, with them.

Today's newspaper comics are much-maligned... and deservedly so. Today's small strips, with mostly predictable, safe themes and bland characters are a pale shadow of what newspaper comics were in their wild and colorful youth.

110-or-so years from their birth, it's been a good run. Let us not mourn the death of the newspaper comics... rather, let us have a wake to celebrate what they once were, and to build something new.

The International Cartoonist Conspiracy, Big Time Attic, and Altered Esthetics gallery are collaborating to produce an oversized newspaper comics section like they would do it today if they still did it like they did it in the old days.

It will be called BIG FUNNY, and it will be both.

The paper will premiere at a show at Altered Esthetics in August featuring some of the original art from the paper, along with historical comics pages from the dawn of the last century.

Submissions are open to all... no prior cartooning experience is necessary. While we expect to have a lot of cartoonists participate, we are hoping to also have poster artists, printmakers and artists from other disciplines represented.

DEADLINE IS MAY FIRST.
We have a tight deadline... no entries will be accepted after May first. Keep in mind... newspaper cartoonists used to do this every week, plus six dailies! You have it easy!

SPECS:
All submissions must be funny. We are no prudes, but potty or shock-based humor is too easy... while this sort of thing won't exclude you from consideration, please do challenge yourselves.

You can make your entry in color or black and white. If providing a color version, you must also provide a version of it in black and white. It has not been determined at this point if the entire paper will be in color or not, so the final call on whether a particular strip will run in color or black and white will be determined by the editors.

Submitted artwork should be 15.5" (w) x 20" (h).

Color or greyscale pages should be 300dpi. Black and white images should be a minumum of 600 and maximum of 1200 dpi.

Submit images in BMP or PSD format. Also include a 72 dpi JPG of your files at full dimensions for reading purposes.

All submissions must be submitted digitally.

While you may submit more than one page, all pages should be self-contained. A single page is certainly welcome to have multiple strips on it... however, please keep the design of the page as a whole unit in mind if you go this route.

SOME THINGS TO NOTE:

Submitting a strip does not guarantee it will be included. Space is limited... so the sooner you get your submission in the better.

If submitting a color comic, keep in mind that color on newsprint is considerably duller than on printer paper. Thus, you will want your colors to be exceedingly bright.

In addition to comic storytelling and humor, design of the page as a whole unit will be a strong factor in what will be chosen for inclusion. Ideally, every page should be something that someone might like having framed like a poster on their wall.

Participants are encouraged to find inspiration from old newspaper comics. The newspaper comics were the primordial soup that modern comics grew out of... many of them were thematically wild, crazily inventive and beautifully drawn. Do yourself a favor and read some.

Good resources for old newspaper comics, and many examples of them, can be found here:
stwallskull.com/blog/?page_id=630

Note that we are not recommending aping styles or themes from the old comics, necessarily... just breathing in some of the comics that modern comics grew from and reacting to them.

Here is a resource on scanning large images:
misskittyoooo.deviantart.com/art/Scanning-Large-images-66872892

Note that it is easier to scan large pages that are broken into panels.

SUBMITTING:

Register on the Altered Esthetics website: (at the Big Funny Page.)

Send your submissions via mail to:

BIG TIME ATTIC
1618 Central Ave. NE Suite 216
Minneapolis, MN 55413

Or, email kevin at bigtimeattic.com (replace the word at with @) to arrange how you want to transfer files. Please write BIG FUNNY in the subject heading of all emails to Kevin.

Obviously, by submitting work, you are offering us the right to put it in BIG FUNNY on acceptance, and we make no claims on it otherwise. Artists retain all rights to their artwork.

If accepted for publication, you will be invited to send your artwork to Altered Esthetics to display at the August exhibit. Further details will be provided.

Note that it is not required that you sell your original art, although it is strongly encouraged. The gallery will get a 30% cut of any original artwork sold, so you will want to price it appropriately.

Altered Esthetics is a good cause... we are a non-profit, non-traditional, artist-run gallery. In the event there are any profits, they will go toward our continued service to the arts community.

There is no fee to submit artwork. Accepted artists will be asked to contribute a $30 exhibition fee to the project, plus an additional $10 if you are out-of-state to cover shipping costs of your comp copies. This exhibition fee goes towards the cost of printing the publication and promotional postcards for the event, as well as the gallery itself during the brick-and-mortar exhibition. No artist will be turned away due to lack of funds - a limited number of waivers are available to artists in extreme financial circumstance.

There is no additional fee in the event multiple pages are selected for publication.

We are not responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged artwork.

If you have further questions about any aspects of the BIG FUNNY project, contact danno-at-staplegenius.com (replace -at- with @)

REASONS TO PARTICIPATE:

-It is going to be a whole lot of fun.

-This is a very rare opportunity for artists to work in a large, color, poster-size format publication. As newspapers disappear, it is likely that the presses to print them will disappear or become prohibitively expensive... this could make this sort of project very hard to repeat.

-Accepted artists will receive multiple copies of BIG FUNNY. The number of copies received will be based on participants' submission fees divided by the cover price of copies, minus shipping, if shipping is required. There may be additional copies available for artists at the gallery for the show opening event and closing.

-You can sell your artwork in the gallery.

-Keep in mind your participation supports a great non-profit gallery, us! If this is your first time hearing about Ae, you can read more about who we are and what we do here: alteredesthetics.com/documents/about

WEBSITES:

BIG FUNNY (coming soon!)

The International Cartoonist Conspiracy (cartoonistconspiracy.com)

Altered Esthetics (alteredesthetics.org.)

Big Time Attic (bigtimeattic.com/)

________________________________________________________

MN Arts Advocacy Day - February 24!!!

2009-02-03T10:58:00.000-08:00

ARTS ADVOCACY DAY IS FEBRUARY 24th!!!!
If you're going please rsvp at www.mncitizensforthearts.org

Artists and Friends!

Please pay attention to what is going in YOUR arts community. For more info, please read the following.

Best,
Jamie

Gov. Pawlenty Proposes Cutting Arts by Nearly 50%!

Gov. Pawlenty today announced a nearly 50 percent cut to the arts as part of a package of budget changes intended to balance the state's budget. A cut of this size would be devastating to an already reduced state arts budget. In 2003, the Governor proposed cutting 40% of arts funding, and we spent all that session fighting to reduce the cut to 32%. In subsequent sessions, we had managed to restore a small part of that funding. With this cut, the Governor is proposing to slash funding even lower than the arts had after losing a third of the funding in 2003.

The state currently appropriates $10.2 million to the State Arts Board and Regional Arts Councils, which go out in grants and services to all 87 Minnesota counties. The cuts would reduce that to $6.9M for 2010, and then only $3.4M for 2011. Another confusing angle in his budget recommendation is to turn the Minnesota State Arts Board, a state agency, into a "private non-profit," showing no state dollars going to the board after 2011. We can't tell what the point of that is, as it seems that the MSAB would still be largely spending public dollars. Such an action may conflict with the accountability and transparancy of the use of tax dollars.

In addition, while he shows revenue to the Amendment Arts and Culture Fund, he does not spend it. The Governor needs to explain how cutting this much funding from the Minnesota State Arts Board and Regional Arts Councils is NOT replacing one with the other. The Amendment says, "the dedicated money ... must supplement traditional sources of funding for these purposes and may not be used as a substitute." It may be that his intention is to replace current General Fund spending on the arts with Amendment dollars, but the budget does not seem to show that, except that the Arts Board is the only entity listed on the spending side of the Arts and Culture Fund budget, and there are zeroes in that column. It doesn't really make sense. We will continue to analyze the budget and get out more information as it becomes available.

The mood at the Capitol is dark. The deficit is huge, at $5B and rising, we don't know yet if and when federal stimulus dollars might arrive. The Governor is looking exclusively at cuts and shifts (pushing off paying bills by a year or two) to balance the budget. It is expected that eventually someone will propose tax increases of some kind to help balance the budget and reduce the size of cuts across the system, but that may be months away.

We thought last year was going to be the biggest year for arts advocacy in Minnesota history. Apparently, we were wrong! This year is even tougher. The Governor's budget proposal flies in the face of the clear message sent by voters in the passage of the Amendment: that we want MORE investment in the arts and culture, not less. To then additionally propose privatizing the State Arts Board is the opposite of the intent of voters. The state must spend the Amendment Arts and Culture fund on the arts and culture. The Minnesota State Arts Board and Regional Arts Councils, which make sure arts funding reaches all 87 counties through their grants and services, is a natural and accountable conduit for much of that funding.

It is expected that this will be a very tough fight, and we need everyone's help to make sure that arts funding for the next two years isn't slashed. That is why it's important for YOU to attend Arts Advocacy Day on Feb. 24. We've shown by passage of the Amendment that by working together we can do great things. See below for more details.

Sheila Smith
Executive Director
Minnesota Citizens for the Arts

______________________________________________________________________

Obama's call to arts | csmonitor.com

2009-01-31T16:50:00.001-08:00

Obama's call to arts | csmonitor.com

Posted using ShareThis

Secretary of the Arts position

2009-01-18T18:01:00.000-08:00

Friends,

You may already have received this but I'm passing it along just in case.

Quincy Jones has started a petition to ask President-Elect Obama to appoint a Secretary of the Arts. While many other countries have had Ministers of Art or Culture for centuries, the United States has never created such a position. We in the arts need this and the country needs the arts--now more than ever.

Please take a moment to sign this important petition and then pass it on to your friends and colleagues.

http://www.petitiononline.com/esnyc/petition.html

If the link does not work just copy and paste it to your browser

~J-me

P.S. Sorry for the delay in posting. I need to update the Ae blog more and will hopefully have some help with that soon. We'll be updating it with Ae and arts-related news. Lots of exciting structural stuffs happening at Ae. :) More info on that will be coming.

____________________________________________________________________________

Level_13 CDs and Posters now available!

2008-11-21T22:06:00.000-08:00

CDs and Posters

Altered Esthetics is proud to announce the release of our first compilation CD - Level_13: Secret Level! These limited edition discs have custom Letterpress covers printed by Angry Sasha Press and are hand-sealed with a super sweet sticker as you can see below. 13 awesome tracks of Video Game themed music! $13.

We are also happy to present the limited edition poster commemorating the 3rd biennial Video Game art show. Designed by Altered Esthetics and printed by Burlesque of North America, the poster is printed on 18x24" FRENCH SPECKLETONE - True White. Only 100 printed, hand numbered. On sale for $7.

Poster and CD sales help support Altered Esthetics and are the perfect gift for any video game lover. Why not buy an X-mas present this year that is really cool AND you can feel good about where the money goes?

The Art of Performance - Last Call for Entries!

2008-11-16T21:08:00.000-08:00

The Art of Performance will open in January, 2009!

We know the process is a little bit different with the new website, so we wanted to give everybody a little bit more time to submit their works.

So - HEY ARTISTS!
- there is still time and room for you to submit to the show -
We'll be extending this deadline November 30th.

You can submit by visiting: alteredesthetics.com/opencalls

You can also submit by sending your image along with your name, image, image title, description, size, media, email address, and phone number to: opencalls@alteredesthetics.org

(We really do prefer if you try to submit through the new site, though. :) )

____________________________________________________________________________

Level_13 Photos

2008-11-15T19:32:00.000-08:00

(From Right to Left: Jamie, Liz, Kova and Toneski, Level_13 Curators)

A huge thank-you to everybody involved in the Level_13 show, and also to Digital Crush Photography for coming out to take some awesome pictures of the Level_13: Secret Level opening!

The opening went really well and everybody had a blast. We had a really good turn out and it seemed as though everybody had a great time. Woohoo!

Here are a few pictures of the show from today, just so you can get an idea of how things are set up.

We do have some copies of the Level_13: Secret Level CD available for sale, I will post as soon as we get those up.

____________________________________________________________________________

Open Calls for 2009

2008-10-25T23:17:00.000-07:00

2009 EXHIBITION SEASON

Altered Esthetics is excited to announce our exhibitions
and Featured Artists winners for 2009.

Interested in submitting works?
Visit our open calls page to view all 2009 exhibitions:
alteredesthetics.com/opencalls

January
The Art of Performance
Ballet, jazz, rock, theatre, captured through painting, photography, sculpture and more. This show celebrates the art of performance through the language of visual art.

Featured Artist Contest Winner: DeDe Sorensen

February
Rejected Art
Was your artwork wrongfully rejected from another show for censorship or other reasons? Show us your rejected art and tell us your story!

Featured Artist Contest Winner: Silvana Lacreta Ravena

March
Creativity Runs in the Family - Intergenerational Art Show
Did your grandfather paint, and your mother sculpt? Is your uncle a photographer? This show will highlight the work of creative family pairs or groups. Collaborative works as well as separate images are welcome. Share your story!

Featured Artist Contest Winner: Margaret M. Gamache

April
Coloring Outside the lines II
Children's Art

May
I Heart Northeast
One of only several official Arts Districts in the states, the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District is home to over 400 artists, studios and galleries as well as countless historical landmarks and fabulous brownstones. This show features artwork about our awesome Northeast Minneapolis.

Featured Artist Contest Winner: Martha LeDuc

June
Bike Art IV
Bicycle themed artwork - an annual exhibit.

Featured Artist Contest Winner: Andy Singer

July
Resident Artists V
This show is open to artists who have displayed work at Ae 5 or more times since inception. There is no specific theme.

Featured Artist Contest Winner: Karen Riggs

August
Big Funny
Altered Esthetics, in partnership with the Minneapolis Cell of the International Cartoonist Conspiracy and Big Time Attic, celebrate the 110th anniversary of the American Comic Strip with "Big Funny" - an all-comic newspaper full of artwork from local, national and international comic artists.

September
The Struggle Within
Artists often use their art, either consciously or subconsciously, to deal with the trials of real life. This show features artwork that displays or examines the struggle within.

Featured Artist Contest Winner: Erica Scanlon

October
Travel Stories
Do you have amazing drawings or pictures from your trip to _____, and a story to go with it? Share your experience in this exhibit.

Featured Artist Contest Winner: Jamie Schumacher

Nov 2nd
Día De Los Muertos
This event celebrates the holy holiday, the Day of the Dead.

Featured Artist Contest Winner: Cris T. Halverson

November
Digital Frame Art
Think outside the box and join us as we experiment with this new media.

Featured Artist Contest Winner: Cris T. Halverson

December
Politi-Pop
Political Feedback, in the style modern/popular art

Featured Artist Contest Winner: Aunia Kahn.

____________________________________________________________________________

Minneapolis Art Hunt!

2008-10-13T22:17:00.000-07:00

Altered Esthetics is a proud sponsor of this year's Minneapolis Art Hunt.

The free art hunt challenges Minneapolis residents to search for hidden artwork in the public parks of Minneapolis. The hunt begins Friday, October 17th at 2pm and lasts until all 35 artworks are found.

To see visual clues, informational video and learn more about the art hunt visit: http://www.williamhessian.com/minneapolishunt.html

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Pictures-Tales from the Black Lodge opening!

2008-10-04T12:22:00.000-07:00

The Tales from the Black Lodge opening was a big success! A huge "thank you" to everybody that made it out for the evening. The opening was a blast and the artwork is amazing!

I dressed up as the Log Lady (well, as close as I could) and Kristin dressed up like Nadine. The most popular question people asked my log was "how old are you?"

You can find a few pictures from the opening here: http://albums.phanfare.com/5030545/2220163

We'll be adding more as we get them. Woohoo!

- Jamie
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Tales from the Black Lodge opens Friday!

2008-10-02T19:31:00.000-07:00

Okay, the debates are over.... now I can post without clenched fists ;)

The Tales from the Black Lodge show opens tomorrow (Friday), and I'm so excited! Jaclyn and Kristin did a great job helping coordinate this exhibit - and it is a HUGE show. Here's a picture of one of the installations in the first room. Welcome to the Black Lodge!

PS - We had a lot of fun setting up this exhibit! Below - in our mini lodge, from left to right: me (Jamie,) James, Kristin, Ed, Jaclyn.

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The site is up!!!

2008-09-15T21:25:00.000-07:00

As you can probably tell, the new website has officially launched! WOOHOO!!!

Over the next few weeks we'll be fine-tuning a few things and adding more images, enabling user registrations, etc.

Meanwhile:

Welcome to the new Ae site! Isn't it freakin' awesome?
Browse through some of our archives and take a look around... keep us posted if you see any strange errors or the like.

I'm heading home now... but yay! the site has launched. WOOHOO!!!! :)

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Call for Artists - Featured Artist Contest!

2008-09-14T21:14:00.000-07:00

Altered Esthetics is now accepting submissions for
Featured Artists in our 2009 Exhibition Calendar!

- All forms of media are accepted!

- Submissions to the children's art show are free!

- Submission deadline is September 30, 2008

The 2009 themes are as follows:
The Art of Performance
Rejected!
Creative Blood
Coloring Outside the Lines II - Children's Art
I heart Northeast!
Bike Art IV
Resident Artists V
Big Funny
The Struggle Within
Travel Stories
Día De Los Muertos
Digital Frame Art
Politi-Pop

For detailed show descriptions and more information
please read the submission guidelines here:
2009 Featured Artist Guidelines (pdf)
or visit our website at http://www.alteredesthetics.org/FAC

Altered Esthetics
1224 Quincy St. NE
Minneapolis MN 55413
612.378.8888
alteredesthetics.org

Altered Esthetics is a nonprofit community gallery run by artists, for artists. We work to sustain the historical role of artists as a true voice of society through our exhibits, events, services, workshops and programs.

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The Animal Art II exhibit opened at Ae last night.

2008-09-06T17:39:00.001-07:00

And now for some real posting!

The opening reception for the Animal Art II show was last night. It is a beautiful show and it opened to a wonderful audience!

You can view more images of the exhibit at our phanfare site.
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One post before I crash

2008-03-02T13:29:00.001-08:00

home now

long weekend

super awesome

one more post before I crash.

A huge thank you to Kyle, Kyle, Arik, Kevin, Dave, Gillian and Victoria - the "Internet All Stars." Thank you for giving up your weekend to help our artists (and to help me continue to help our artists!) Thank you for your creativity and your brains and (perhaps most of all) thank you for being so awesome and fun to work with! I don't care what the judges say - you guys are the BEST team!

I can't wait to launch!

:)

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Sleepy

2008-03-02T07:12:00.000-08:00

Another post to test...

One of the folks from Sierra Bravo caught me in pre-zombified state.

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AE ROCKS AND THE INTERNET ALL-STARS RULE

2008-03-01T23:52:00.001-08:00

They told me to post more.

I'm posting more.

My team is the bomb!

WOOHOO!

I'm going to create an entry about our awesome team in the woowoopedia.

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BLOGGING!

2008-03-01T23:46:00.000-08:00

I'm blogging right now from the "Overnight Website Challenge." (http://www.f1webchallenge.com)

The team we were matched with is the "Internet All-Stars" and they are super, super awesome.

The site so far is looking amazing - and it is going to be a huuuuuge huge huge huge improvement over the site I've been piecing together over the past four years.

More to come...

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First Posty!

2008-02-03T15:57:00.000-08:00

I've had a livejournal for about 4 years now, one for me and one for the gallery. I try to create a presence for the gallery on most of the internet blog and space phenomena - but there are SO many! Myspace, Facebook, Friendster, Livejournal, Verb, etc etc etc. Anyway - after I was kindly told that livejournal was the "dinosaur" of blogging tools I decided to continue blogging in an additional space. We can start a wordpress blog through our server, but I rather like blogger (and most things associated with google, for that matter.) We'll transfer things to a Wordpress blog eventually.

So, here goes nothing.

I'll probably be posting on here along with volunteers and board members.

Yay.

-Jamie

(PS - our old livejournal can be found here: http://alteredesthetic.livejournal.com)
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