School of the Art Institute of Chicago is hosting PechaKucha tomorrow! (Oct. 23, 2010). Two of my favorite things! Check out more about PechaKucha here.

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Ever wonder what goes on inside a day-long crit session at a top school like CalArts? Behind the scenes at Art Basel or the Venice Biennale? Inside the judging for the Turner Prize?

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Author Sarah Thornton takes the reader inside each of these phenomena of contemporary art in Seven Days in the Art World (W.W. Norton, 2008). In addition, she takes us along for a visit to the studio of art world superstar Takashi Murakama, unveiling a masterpiece for museum curators for the first time; we spend a day inside the pressure-cooker world of influential Artforum magazine; and we get a front-row seat at Christie’s auction house, inside the minds of bidder, artist and auctioneer alike.

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Each chapter is a fascinating glimpse of the multi-billion dollar world of contemporary art. From the CalArts students with their eye on the big time, to those who have made it, each story weaves a complex global tale of power, money, ego, beauty, history, publishing and politics. Though Thornton said in an interview with ArtWorldSalon that “I was never trained as a journalist,” the book comes off as impeccably reported. (My view as a journalist who has taught much about the craft.) Stories are told out of fairness from multiple points of view; the author never judges. Colorful details abound from her interviews with more than 250 people were interviewed. In the end, a “you are there” feeling prevails.

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Some favorite quotes from the book:

• Artist Keith Tyson, winner of the Turner Prize in 2002, at the Christie’s auction: “Unlike gold and diamonds, art has this other value, and that’s what makes it fascinating. Everything else is trying to sell you something else. Art is trying to sell you yourself. Read more

CHICAGO} Visiting the historic Chicago Cultural Center? Have an interest in outsider art (and/or an open mind in general)? Then don’t miss a visit to the studios and gallery of Project Onward, a unique and fascinating surprise tucked away in the middle of the building’s ground floor. Here’s the description from their website:

“The mission of Project Onward is to support the creative growth of visual artists with mental and developmental disabilities. Project Onward provides studio space, art supplies, and professional guidance to emerging artists in a communal workshop environment. With the program’s support, Read more

One of the motivating factors behind the creation of my experimental art gallery has been the desire to help out some folks I met this spring, in the vast Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya. In addition to meeting a cool collective of artists known as M2, I also made a connection with Kibera resident Osir Caleb, father of 3 children and caretaker to his deceased sister’s 3 tots as well. He and his lovely wife Rosemary are trying to do a lot with very little. [You can say hello to their family via this photo album on Flickr.]

Osir was seeking to create an after-school program for his kids and others in Kibera, where currently there is none. In talking with the M2 artists, I became aware that there are no arts programs for the kids, either. (In fact, the Kenyan government has actively excised arts programs from the public curriculum. Sucks, huh?) Anyone who likes to read would have been as chagrined as I to hear Osir and others say how scarce books were in Kibera. So I got the idea in my head that when I came back to the States, I would attempt to raise money to help out some of these folks.

I am happy to report that the first show in my gallery, “Hope In a Hard Place,” raised more than $1,000 to go toward these programs. The funds already have gone toward the steep registration fees for the kids club, to be called Nicofeli Kids Club, after Osir’s daughters, Nicole and Felicia. Funds will also go toward acquisition of books and shipping costs for the creation of a church library, and supplies and instructional expertise (to be provided by M2) for a kids arts program. Yeah!

If you’d like to help out, Read more

Wanted to share this very well done interview about my current show, by Amy Mikel for Chicagoist.com. It gives a good overview of the show, and my efforts to use art to help raise funds for children’s programs and a library in the slums of Kenya.