what was great inspiring art in may to me… (okay, I admit, a lot of them are friends, but who inspires us the most if not our friends?)

Come on a little walk with me through what has inspired me in the last month or so…

First and perhaps most endearingly is the new graffiti murals done by OPK in Virginia Highlands’ Orme Park (under the bridge right near the playground). There had been some older pieces there that had been damaged by some less than quality tagging… These guys answered the call and came in with some great murals, burners worthy of inspiring future generations of writers. Go see the work with a kid you know, share the love. This is community bettering art… People of all ages are constantly going under the bridge to see the art, I hear kids talking about it at school, how inspiring is that??! Thank you OPK.

Second, is Michael Haverty’s puppet production of Gilgamesh at Push Push Theater. The story of Gilgamesh is one of the oldest surviving stories known to man. It comes from ancient Mesopotamia (the fertile crescent)… a warranted cultural reminder with continued turmoil in Iraq, clearly highlighted in Haverty’s directorial choices. The puppets were wonderful, especially the character of Enkidu (a personal favorite). Enkidu has a groove thing and the show got wet and wild in the best porn style you could imagine, yet tasteful and funny. (Enkidu’s penis had its own puppeteer to cum at the audience- yowza! How often do you see puppets cum?!) However, the piece did not focus on sex, it followed the full story and legend of Gilgamesh. This was puppetry on a large scale, multiple person puppets and intricate hand painted sets. I felt that the ending of the piece could have benefited from some further editing but the first half of the show was so strong that perhaps it is only in comparison that the second half seemed to drag a bit. Overall I really enjoyed the work and I look forward to seeing what comes next from the imagination of Michael Haverty, who works most often at the Center for Puppetry Arts. Thank you Mesopotamia.

Speaking of the Center for Puppetry Arts, I spent most of my time in May working on XPT (Xperimental Puppet Theater) where I became friends with Mr. Haverty among others. I won’t and can’t talk about my own show or much about any of the other shows either since we were all sharing in creating an experience together… but I could not fail to mention how much fun it was and how extremely inspiring it was to me. Coming up at the Center is another show worth mentioning, Avanti, Da Vinci! by Jason Hines and Jon Ludwig, a reprise by popular demand - the puppets alone are worth seeing. Thank you Puppet Folks, and many new and old friends.

Moving on is what you have heard much about from the lovely Julie Püttgen: the Atlanta Biennial. I felt this was a good show overall with great choices made by Helena Reckitt as curator. I have picks and pans but since Julie covered it so thoroughly, I will suffice it to say that my favorites were Ben Fain’s outrageous float and Santiago dePaoli’s paintings. I consider both of these artists friends… so perhaps I am biased. But really, their works were my favorites. Maybe that is why we are friends: an artistic affinity. Ben’s exploration begs for performance at some point and I am delighted to hear that such a plan is in the works. I would have loved a performance to happen at the opening, but timing is not always in our control. Keep your eyes open for Ben’s parade in the future, it promises to be quite the spectacle. Listening to Ben speak about his work often triggers thoughts of Guy Debord and Mike Kelley, thus making it clear that Ben’s use of tinsel is not just for show. There is some strong conceptual backup to this work. By contrast, Santiago’s paintings were particularly moving in a quieter and more personal way. Especially in the newer works, Santiago is taking a step towards a much more expressive and emotional painting approach compared with past efforts. Though the paintings still have an overarching air of philosophical remove and thought with a sense of existential humor, this new work also touches on the passion of existential realities, loss, grief, anger, and more. Both of these artists are generally humanist in approach as well as conceptually strong, gotta love that, and their work looks good too. Thank you Helena, others at the Contemporary, Santiago and Ben.

The performances and workshops led by the German children’s theater troupe, Mummpitz, who were visiting Atlanta as part of a cultural exchange with Push Push Theater were another definite highlight for me. Their production of Hodder Saves the World was magical and full of hope. What a lovely thing to be able to say about a piece of artwork: it made me feel connected to others and hopeful for the world. I like writing that! If they ever return to Atlanta or if you are ever in Nürenberg, go see them, you won’t regret it. I was lucky enough to become friends with several of the members while they were here. They are all that special type of artist who is both able to excel and focus on his/her work while still having a good time in life. Lovely indeed. Thank you der Mummpitz.

I seem to be writing about friends more than anything else in this article, and why not? I usually write about anyone and everyone I don’t know. And I am an editor, so I can write what I please! Yeah! So I might as well add one more…. The Atlanta Improvisation Festival at Dads Garage was last weekend and I was lucky enough to see performances by and spend a little time with my friends from Chicago, Mark Sutton and Joe Bill (you’re right, I mentioned them last year when they were here). Their show is called Bassprov and it is never short of brilliant comedy improv. They are masters of long form and short form though their shows most often exist within a long form framework. The premise is simple enough, two guys talking on a boat while bass fishing. But their vast knowledge of poetry, philosophy, current events, pop culture, history and more make the shows constantly challenging, surprising and funny as hell. I know they will be back in Atlanta in the future and they are playing an extended run of Bassprov in Chicago right now through the end of June. Thank you Mark, Joe, and the guys at Dads.

In the end, I feel happy to write to you all about what I found inspiring this month, there was so much. I have done little justice to any of it as I am short on time. This is merely an overview and a thank you. Thank you to every artist working hard and especially thank you to all of my friends- mentioned here or not, you make a difference. In particular I wish a special thanks to Julie for putting together this issue of Ratsalad with no help from me. I have been engulfed by life and work recently in addition to pondering questions of conscience and criticism to which as yet I have found no words. Thank you so very much, Julie. It may seem to some readers that talking of my friends is purely nepotism or name-dropping, but really, I could not make art without their support and inspiration or without strangers who inspire me too. That explicit notion of community and interconnectedness is one I wanted to embrace right now for personal reasons as I send thanks out to the four directions on these rays of light in your computer.

“It is easier to enter heaven than to pass through each others’ eyes…

And this poem is the easiest thing of all:

It floats upon children’s singing, out of the bloodstream;

A sunbeam shoulders it, carries it away.

There is nothing left.

‘yes… yes there is’ ”

Saint Geraud from the Naomi Poems, Follett Publishing Company, 1968

That about says it all.