How to Throw a Rat Tea Party!

I would like to introduce Stella (on left) and Sam!

To throw a rat tea party, first you must make itty-bitty invitations and create a guest list of only the most sophisticated rats.

You can use a frame and a swatch of fabric to create a rat-size table.

For the props, you can use old birthday cards and saved objects.



Here is Sam all dressed up!

Stella with her pearls and purse. Make sure your guests wear their most distinguished attire.

Here is the table with a miniature, rat-sized tea set (you'll need one of those).

Put a little smidgen of peanut butter on the edge of the table, and if that does not work, add some enticing cheese. I am afraid that these two were not very hungry.

Here are the props for your entertainment at tea. Every good party has performers! I taped BBQ skewers to magazine cut-outs, but popsicle sticks could work just fine, too!

And what is a party without some music.

Last, to aid in digestion, a stroll in the garden should suffice. This is Monet's garden, what a treat for a little rat!

Special thanks to my very patient crew (my hubby)!

How to sew down a shirt without a machine.

Schools, Lecture Series, Residencies, etc.

Hello and welcome to a new term and a new class. We will be posting our experiences here so feel free to subscribe if you want to see what we are up to. This particular post is information for the lecture Eric is giving during next class. This is by no means a comprehensive list of the topics. Feel free to peruse the links.

RESIDENCIES:
Retreats and artists studios
Künstlerstätte Schloss Bleckede
Skowhegan

More public-based residencies
SF Recycling
New York Sanitation Department and Mierle Laderman Ukeles

Artist hosted/created residencies
Island Fold Art Farm
The Pancake Clubhouse
Laurel Kurtz Official Unofficial Goodwill Residency
PSU Dept of Conflict and Resolution Residency

EDUCATION:
Conferences/Mini-Lecture Series
A Grassy Mound (With Kind Regards To Utopia)
Utopia Night - A Science Fiction Marathon
Pawel Althamer At The Centre Pompidou
Thomas Hirschhorn 24 Hour Foucalt
Open Engagement: Art After Aesthetic Distance


Schools/Classes
The School of Life
The Exploding School
Paul Thek's 4-D Design Class
Public Social University
Chiron Studies
Mountain School of Arts
Social Practice Spring 2008
The Land Foundation
Public School in LA
EXCOTC
United Nations Plaza
Sundown Schoolhouse (Fritz Haeg)
Village Free School in Portland

That's A Rap!

This is the sound file of the rap that Davis helped us make. If you can access it, try clicking here.

Groovy by Public Social University

Fandalism Free MP3 Hosting

Images from Public Social University

Public Social University was a whole lot of fun and it was a great way to utilize the public library's free room. The students in the class clearly loved being facilitators and educators. Here are images of what some of the classes looked like:

Monday Nov. 24
The first class was organized by Gia. She brought in a friend who takes old shoes and gives them new life. She gave us a bunch of paint and some brushes to work with and we transformed the old shoes.

I was really into the shoe I painted, but I concentrated so hard on making it perfect that I ran out of time to paint the second shoe.




The next class was led by Lily with a participatory lecture style. Lily gave us helpful tips on how to be brave, and what she does when she needs the courage to do something.

She was talking about bravery in an everyday sense, not in a superhero kind of way. Each of us talked briefly about something we felt we needed more bravery for in our lives.


For the third class, Zach brought his newly finished, transportable printing press. It's modeled after the Gutenberg press.

Each person was given a couple foam plates that we could draw on and then we turned our drawings into prints. A bunch of younger kids showed up for this event and had a lot of fun.



For the final class on Nov. 24, Judith brought in a couple people who taught us some Capoeira Angola, which is martial arts disguised as a dance and practiced by slaves in Southern America.

This was a really great workout and we each learned how to do some offensive and defensive moves.

After this we also learned how to play instruments that are made of everyday materials. These instruments are an important part of the dance.


Wed. Dec. 3
For the second installment of Public Social University, Eric started with a class about utopian and dystopian science fiction. He explained how the two terms are blurred in sci fi movies. His favorite dystopian/utopian sci fi movie is Gattaca.

Discussion followed about the relevance of these movies to our lives.


The second class was led by Tracé. She gaves us a great tutorial on how to properly sew your buttons back onto your clothes, how to mend hems, and how to make frays in your clothes go away.

Each person got to practice what Tracé was showing us with our own practice-materials.





For the third class Davis organized a hip hop session where the entire class participated in making a rap.

Each person wrote some lines and rapped them into the microphone. By the end of the class, we had a 3 minute song! The audio file is posted here.



For our final class, Ace led us through a presentation about morality within comic books and his fascination with superhero comics.

He showed us the comic where Spider Man dies as well as the first Watchmen comic.

Public Social University Part 2 on Dec. 3rd

PUBLIC SOCIAL UNIVERSITY
PRESENTS:
Free Lecture Series Part 2
This is second installment of the presentation/lecture series arranged by Public Social University - a free school and workshop group created by the members of the art and social practice undergraduate class at Portland State University. On Dec. 3rd, they will present a mini-lecture/presentation series to the public on the topics of: Utopian/Dystopian Sci Fi Movies, Permaculture and Chinese Martial Arts, Mending Clothes, and Making Hip Hop raps. All are invited.

FREE
Date: Mon. Nov. 24
Times: 2:00-5:00pm
Place: Downtown Central Library; U.S. Bank Meeting Room
More information: click on poster...more information will be posted below soon.

* * * * * MORE INFORMATION BELOW * * * * *

1:30-2:00
Sci Fi Movie Listings
by Eric Steen
Information: A presentation of utopian and dystopian science fiction movies, ranked from worst to best.

* * * * *

2:00-3:00
Permaculture and Chinese Martial Arts
by Greg Wandering Yeti and Adam Stone
Information: Lately Adam and Greg have had regular conversations centering on our practice of Chinese martial arts and permaculture. They will manifest one of these conversations for our presentation and include some demonstrations of basic exercises from the internal Chinese martial arts.

* * * * *

3:00-3:30
Simple Mending
By Tracé Hulette
Information:
Tired of Falling Hems? In need of Buttons replaced?
Come learn to thread that sewing needle and complete basic sewing tasks

* * * * *

3:30-4:00
That's a Rap!
By Davis Eliason Brown
Information:
A look inside the hip hop world. Learn to work in collaboration to formulate a positive hip hop rap. Learn how to Rap with others and how to mix sound with linguistics.
Bio:
Davis grew up in Wisconsin and Iowa before moving to the west coast. He enjoys stimulating conversation and has been producing hip hop hop music for the last four years. Originally intending on studying Pre-med as an undergraduate, he now finds himself struggling to decide whether to continue in that direction or to switch to a more design oriented field.

Upcoming Public Social University Lecture Series!!!

PUBLIC SOCIAL UNIVERSITY PRESENTS
Free Lecture Series Part 1
Public Social University is a free school and workshop group created by the members of the art and social practice undergraduate class at Portland State University. On Nov. 24th, they will present a mini-lecture/presentation series to the public on the topics of: Making something new with your old shoes, How to be brave, Printmaking, and Capoeira Angola.

FREE
Date: Mon. Nov. 24
Times: 2:00-5:00pm
Place: Downtown Central Library; U.S. Bank Meeting Room
More information: Click on the poster image and/or see below


* * * * * * MORE INFORMATION ABOUT PRESENTATIONS BELOW * * * * *

* * * * *
Trick Out Your Trainers - 2:00-3:00
More information coming soon

* * * * *
How to Be Brave - 3:00-3:30
Information: A short workshop in Everyday Bravery. Come join us and learn the practice of everyday bravery. With guidance and support, we will seek and find our very own unique everyday bravery ritual and take it home to kick-start a practice of bravery that we can live by. Everyone welcome, brave or not.

Bio: Lily Gael is a performing artist, dancer and writer who still feels afraid every time she performs. By going ahead and performing anyway she began her own practice in Everyday Bravery. Lily's practice also includes talking to strangers, letting her awkwardness express itself in interactions that Are awkward, and crying in public.

* * * * *
The Print Factory - 3:30-4:00

Information: In the workshop we will be designing our own blocks from cheap materials and printing them. No experience necessary.

Bio: The primary Print Factory is centered around a portable printing press and it's crew. As Print Factory crewmembers, our goal is to make everyone who passes by us on a street corner an art collector, free of charge. All of our printing materials are donated by people such as yourself, who have either purchased a Travel Kit or have invited us to print at their venue. Local artists have helped build up the Print Factory library by continuing to donate original plates. Each print gets a Print Factory stamp of authenticity with the artist's name, making it part of our catalogue while recognizing the individual who designed it. We want to encourage artists to donate so they can continue the life of their plates and get their creations out to the public.
Producing art on-site while handing it out to the public sparks dialogue about the processes behind printmaking and the historical impact of the multiple in everyday life. Sharing the process and the product of printmaking stimulate community by provoking questions about the utility of printmaking and the nature of art.

* * * * *
Capoeira Angola - 4:00-5:00

Information: A workshop demo and introduction presenting the Brazilian martial art/dance, and music. No experience Necessary.

Bios: Judith Fleming has been practicing capoeira for almost two years finding out about the dance form in Olinda, Brazil. Since her trip she's been training primarily with contra-mestre Pedro Cruz with grupo Raca in Portland, Oregon. Shaun Lauyers has been practicing capoeira for about the same amount of time. Though Shaun started practicing martial arts at a younge age and has dabbled in other dance forms such as hip-hop and breakdancing. Shaun began training with contra-mestre Pedro Cruz until he experiemented with another form of capoeira, capoeira Angola. Angola is the older, more traditional form of capoeira. It's a slow game, very low to the ground, but equally as challenging as capoeira Regional such as grupo Raca. Shaun trains under Leon and others with a group called FICA, in Portland, Oregon. This group has roots in Bahia, Brazil, and now, throughout the world.

Melfi, Marlaina's Dog, Lead's Class

Marlaina did an impromptu leading of the class last Monday when she had brought her dog to class for Tracy's Dog Co op project, so we let my dog (Melfi) lead the class and we all took turns letting her lead the way...we ended up in some (pissed off guys) driveway through bushes all the way to the interstate's off ramp...We documented the whole thing and thought I would send you the pictures for the class blog. Marlaina held her first, then Harrell, and Ace for the last bit...





Waiting for her to make a decision...

At the freeway off ramp.