A Book About Death: THE TIES THAT BIND

HAPPY 2012!

2012-01-22T12:29:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it's really 2012. I've heard hints of new ABADs being planned for Germany and Chicago, IL but no solid dates as of yet. I will post details here as soon as I have them.

In the meantime, here's to a year full of creativity, discovery and love!

Newest ABAD in Seattle, WA, USA

2011-10-16T14:27:00.000-04:00

The call is now out for the latest ABAD in Seattle, Washington. It is being curated by original ABADer Kathleen McHugh at the Quetzalcoatl Gallery. CLICK HERE for details and get your work in asap!

Video of the Artists' Reception / by Joseph Palazzo

2011-08-23T17:43:00.020-04:00

And here, especially for all my ABAD Angels around the world, are video clips taken by some of the attendees! (More to come...)

Video of the Artists' Reception / by Lynn Sedler

2011-08-23T17:13:00.001-04:00

Band Video by JFB Video / Part 2

2011-08-22T21:10:00.001-04:00

The Artists' Reception! August 13, 2011

2011-08-15T12:55:00.013-04:00

"Joyous!"

"The best ABAD ever!"
"The ABADest!"

"What a great show–and the music was the icing on the cake!"

ABAD: The Ties That Bind Artists' Reception was a fantastic evening. With performances from the Joe Saylor Brass Band, AnnMarie Tornabene, Antonia Palazzo, Meera Thomas and Steve Dalachinsky, it was a truly unforgettable night!

We began with a short Second Line Parade from the Pentaquit Post Office (get it? mail art?) led by the incredibly talented brass band. We danced through the streets to authentic New Orleans Funeral Jazz music, arrived at the gallery and installed the hand bound books on their respective podiums.

Throughout our perfectly beautiful summer evening, there was more fabulous music from the band, visits from Life and Death, a Live Portrait performance and an impromptu poetry reading. All the festivities highlighted beautiful work from 173 worldwide artists and new work from Ray Johnson himself. Art under the stars...

The Joe Saylor Brass Band is:

Joe Saylor - Snare Drum and Tambourine

Ryland Kelly - Bass Drum

Eric Miller - Trombone

Joe Boga - Trumpet

Pete Reardon-Anderson - Clarinet

Ibanda Ruhumbika - Tuba

[Photos by Shirley Hathaway, Steve Ceraso, Joan Harrison, Lynn Sedler, AnnMarie Torabene, Greg Commodore and Yelena Romanoff.]


The Joe Saylor Brass Band performs a traditional funeral dirge while we gather.

The Second Line Parade

That's the Bound Books wrapped in black lace and red roses.

We conclude the parade and open the reception.

Steve Ceraso and Barry Rivadue in the Gallery

Deb Kasimakis and Joan Harrison, bound by ties!

AnnMarie Tornabene's Live Portrait performance

Meera Thomas performing as Life tied to a favorite piece

James Hathaway in the crowd

AnnMarie with Life (Meera Thomas) and Death (Antonia Palazzo).

It was a perfect summer's night

The wonderful Susan Barbash

Steve Dalachinsky reads his Jazz Poem with some improv thrown in

The Installation

2011-08-01T11:00:00.003-04:00

It took a team of four two days to install this show! Thank you Steve, Joe and Jim!
The handmade cedar boxes that house the books will have glass tops. (The books will not be sticking out like in these photos.)

The Bound Books

2011-08-01T10:33:00.000-04:00

I made 2 volumes: Volume One opens with a dedication, TOC, a page about the show, an ABAD Angels listing, A Brief History of ABAD, a listing of all the shows worldwide to date, the show posters and then presents the vertical art.

Volume Two contains the horizontal art. I used a modified Coptic binding. I attached two pages to a length of satin ribbon and organized them into 10-12 page signatures.

ABAD in the New York Times–Print Version

2011-08-01T10:17:00.005-04:00

CLICK ON THE IMAGE to read.

173 / Betty Esperanza / Canada

2011-07-26T15:13:00.000-04:00

172 / Graeffn Anderson / USA

2011-07-26T13:02:00.000-04:00

171 / Talari Anderson / USA

2011-07-26T13:01:00.001-04:00

170 / Frank Olt / USA

2011-07-26T12:59:00.000-04:00

This is ceramic on canvas on tile with enamel. It is entitled, "Doorway for Ray."

169 / Tulio Restrepo / Columbia

2011-07-26T12:57:00.000-04:00

This is a 3D submission

168 / Theano Nikitas / USA

2011-07-26T12:52:00.002-04:00

167 / Maureen Piggins / Canada

2011-07-26T12:51:00.001-04:00

166 / Coco Gordon / USA

2011-07-26T12:49:00.000-04:00

165 / Tara Verheide / USA

2011-07-18T09:47:00.001-04:00

164 / Louise Weinberg / USA

2011-07-16T15:43:00.000-04:00

163 / Jennie Hinchcliff / USA

2011-07-16T14:37:00.000-04:00

website

162 / Lucy Contreras / USA

2011-07-16T14:35:00.001-04:00

161 / Margaret DeLima / USA

2011-07-16T14:34:00.000-04:00

160 / Antonia Palazzo / USA

2011-07-15T17:44:00.000-04:00

159 / Pamela Ayres / USA

2011-07-15T09:45:00.000-04:00

website

158 / Petra Dzierzon / Germany

2011-07-14T14:21:00.000-04:00

157 / Walter Garcia / USA

2011-07-14T14:19:00.000-04:00

156 / Emily Harrison-Ach / USA

2011-07-14T14:18:00.000-04:00

155 / John McAlpin / USA

2011-07-14T10:00:00.001-04:00

154 / Violeta Caule / Macedonia

2011-07-14T09:57:00.005-04:00

153 / Steven Ceraso / USA

2011-07-14T09:56:00.003-04:00

152 / Mark Bloch / USA

2011-07-14T09:56:00.000-04:00

website

151 / Mary Campbell / USA

2011-07-14T09:53:00.001-04:00

website

150 / James Battistelli / USA

2011-07-14T09:51:00.000-04:00

149 / Michael Orr / USA

2011-07-14T09:50:00.002-04:00

Michael embodied the spirit of Ray Johnson and mail art with this submission. When he announced on Facebook that he had just sent his 500th mail art piece, I asked him to send me #501 for the show. I didn't realize that 501 had already been created and had nothing to do with our theme–but he sent it right off to me in the true spirit of mail art! Love it!!

148 / Eva Brunner / Germany

2011-07-13T17:00:00.000-04:00

website

147 / Julie Sadler / USA

2011-07-13T16:58:00.000-04:00

blogsite

146 / Robin Tewes / USA

2011-07-13T16:51:00.000-04:00

Robin writes:

"This is a portrait of my deceased mother Edna Quinn Tewes. I call it "The Sleeper Woman with Curler."

145 / Anna Klopocinska / USA

2011-07-12T21:19:00.000-04:00

144 / Vincent Carr / USA

2011-07-12T21:18:00.002-04:00

Vincent writes:

"If you look closely on both images you will see the official seal and stamp for the death certificate. I recently lost my brother to a motorcycle accident and by submitting his work is my way of honoring him. "

website

143 / Meredith Zinn Caraher / USA

2011-07-12T21:16:00.000-04:00

142 / Ivana Rezek / Croatia

2011-07-12T21:15:00.000-04:00

Ivana is an ABAD curator

141 / Milanka Bunard / Canada

2011-07-12T21:11:00.001-04:00

website

140 / Peter Westman / Sweden

2011-07-12T16:55:00.000-04:00

website

139 / Peter Pitzele / USA

2011-07-12T16:54:00.000-04:00

website

website 2

138 / Peter Hassler / USA

2011-07-12T16:51:00.000-04:00

137 / Liz Bradshaw / Australia

2011-07-11T11:03:00.000-04:00

website
website 2

136 / Tom Speight / USA

2011-07-11T10:58:00.000-04:00

Tom is an original ABAD artist

Tom writes:

"I made this piece thinking of Ray's interest in the number 13. I
found myself thinking of the 12 numbers before it.

The first 2 lines represent 13 as sums of prime numbers.
The third line is the remaining prime less than 13.
Line 4 has the remaining odd number.
Lines 5 & 6 represent 12 as sums (one trivial) of even numbers.
Lines 7 & 8 are the remaining even numbers.

In the design I was thinking of life, water, and transition."

135 / Lois DiCosola / USA

2011-07-11T10:55:00.000-04:00

134 / Catherine Zimmermann / USA

2011-07-11T10:54:00.001-04:00

133 / Clyde Espenschied / USA

2011-07-09T15:24:00.001-04:00

Clyde is an original ABAD artist

132 / Nick Canterucci / USA

2011-07-09T15:09:00.000-04:00

131 / Margarita Barbash / USA

2011-07-09T15:08:00.000-04:00

130 / Vicki Ragan / USA

2011-07-09T15:07:00.002-04:00

129 / Antic Ham / South Korea

2011-07-09T15:06:00.002-04:00

128 / Andrea Jay / USA

2011-07-09T15:05:00.000-04:00

127 / Hugo Porcaro / USA

2011-07-09T15:04:00.000-04:00

126 / Helen Murphy / USA

2011-07-09T15:02:00.000-04:00

125 / Dom Fetherston / Canada

2011-07-09T15:01:00.001-04:00

website

124 / Juan Rodriguez Lopez / Mexico

2011-07-09T14:58:00.000-04:00

123 / Serse Luigetti / Italy

2011-07-09T14:57:00.000-04:00

122 / Gary Hillier / Canada

2011-07-08T10:17:00.003-04:00

121 / Antonia Gennimata / Greece

2011-07-08T10:17:00.000-04:00

120 / LaDell Hayes / USA

2011-07-07T09:54:00.000-04:00

website

119 / James Bouler / USA

2011-07-07T09:52:00.000-04:00

118 / Periklis Costopoulos / Greece

2011-07-06T11:38:00.004-04:00

Periklis writes:

" ' Hermes, The Psychopomp' as the Messenger God in Greel Mythology, was an escort for the dead to help them find their way to the Underworld."

117 / Karen Howard / Scotland

2011-07-06T11:34:00.000-04:00

116 / Laura Christensen / USA

2011-07-06T11:32:00.000-04:00

website

115 / Ranjan Engti / India

2011-07-06T11:27:00.003-04:00

Rajan writes:

"AFSPA is no doubt a draconian law. It is a weapon to fight militants in disturbed areas. Unfortunately, a few, if not all soldiers, terrorize innocent civilians by indulging in fake encounters, custodial killings, rape, rights abuse, etc. In fact, many innocent lives have been lost in the campaign which exacerbates the volatile situation. And half a century of its imposition however does not improve the situation in the area......"

"People die because someone wants a red light on their car and feel important. They steal your money and lie to you in the face. Comes secretly in the night and kill the innocent in their house. Wants to divide us in the name of God. Come for 5 years and push us 50 years back. We silently walk up and seal our fate on a ballot in a box. They give their speeches as we do the war dance for them. And for years the said 'vanguards' of our society walks up and sit besides them. The kings and would be kings bathe in our blood before taking their thrones. It is DEMONcracy and its PRE-ELECTION SAGA unfolds....."

website

114 / Julie Cannon / New Zealand

2011-07-06T11:23:00.000-04:00

113 / Horst Baur / China

2011-07-06T11:21:00.000-04:00

112 / Eline 't Sant / Belgium

2011-07-06T11:19:00.001-04:00

website

111 / Nikki Soppelsa / USA

2011-07-06T11:18:00.000-04:00

110 / Nabi Nara / Germany

2011-07-06T11:16:00.002-04:00

Nabi writes:

"White Lies Lies

In our society in which we live now, we are forced somehow not to think about death, as the same getting old. Even if the fact that we are born, likewise all the other creatures, means that we are going to grow and die. It is a natural phenomenon. But in our society, it is often considered as a taboo and i think it is strongly connected to pragmatic view of our Age. What i would like to try is to reveal the story of that taboo using the sentence white lies lies."

website

109 / Willie Marlowe / USA

2011-07-06T11:13:00.000-04:00

website

108 / Michele Amendolari / USA

2011-07-06T11:11:00.002-04:00

107 / Virginia Milici / Italy

2011-07-06T11:10:00.005-04:00

Virginia recently curated ABAD Italia
in Treviso, Italy

106 / Anne Holliday / New Zealand

2011-07-06T11:08:00.003-04:00

105 / Allan Revich / Canada

2011-07-06T11:07:00.000-04:00

104 / JF Chapelle / France

2011-07-06T11:03:00.000-04:00

103 / Marilyn Marvin / USA

2011-07-06T10:59:00.001-04:00

102 / Debra Ann Kasimakis / USA

2011-07-06T10:51:00.001-04:00

101 / Allen Bukoff / USA

2011-07-01T19:12:00.000-04:00

Allen is the Acting Director of Fluxus Midwest

COME WITNESS NEW, NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN

WORK BY RAY JOHNSON

Allen writes:
"I created this booklet just for "ABAD: Ties That Bind," and none of the Ray Johnson work/art featured in this booklet has ever been exhibited anywhere in public before (including the internet).

The booklet is titled "A Book About Ray Johnson and Hot Dogs," and it documents Ray Johnson's contributions to one of my Fluxus Midwest projects.

This work of Ray's has never been publicly exhibited before and I felt that your exhibition was a great occasion to pull this material together and share it with the world."

THIS IS ONLY PAGE ONE–THE ENTIRE BOOKLET WILL DEBUT AT THE EXHIBITION!

100 / Dahn Hiuni / USA

2011-06-30T17:01:00.001-04:00

website
website2

99 / Rainer Oktovianus / Indonesia

2011-06-29T16:56:00.000-04:00

website

98 / Coleen Ryan-Rivera / USA

2011-06-29T16:54:00.000-04:00

website

97 / Mariagrazia Benvenuti / Italy

2011-06-29T16:52:00.000-04:00

96 / Gina Vigliarolo / USA

2011-06-29T10:00:00.003-04:00

95 / Patricia Denys / USA

2011-06-29T09:45:00.001-04:00

contact Patricia

94 / Stephan Halter / Germany

2011-06-27T19:33:00.002-04:00

Excerpted from Stephan's letter:

"My collage is based on a photograph of an old GDR watchtower...where a memorial plaque is built as a memento to the 5 people who died at this sector while attempting to gain their freedom...I have chosen 5 bullets (type M43 used by the border guards) to represent the 5 victims. The black dove of peace is stamped above the tower to show the victory of the peaceful movement against the cruel system of the GDR.

In times of regulations to create the transparent citizen (Big Brother is watching you!) and the fanning of fear by our governments it is often said the decrease of freedom (or increase of control) is necessary to keep peace.

I would like my collage to be seen as a comment on this worldwide trend of seperating peace and freedom as well as the remembrance of the dead at the innergerman border. When the [Berlin] wall went down, I was 12 years old. It was and still is the most impressive memory of peace and freedom united!"

93 / Matthew Rose / France

2011-06-27T19:23:00.001-04:00

Matthew is the father of ABAD and the curator of the original
show in Soho, NY in 2009.

92 / Arlene Havrot-Landry & Jean-François Laforte / Canada

2011-06-27T15:07:00.003-04:00

91 / Dale Copeland / New Zealand

2011-06-27T15:03:00.001-04:00

90 / Marilyn Marvin, Hathaway Studios / USA

2011-06-27T15:02:00.001-04:00

89 / Michael Chan / USA

2011-06-27T14:28:00.002-04:00

Michael curated the third ABAD in Westfield, New Jersey, USA.

88 / Ocupeacidade / Brazil

2011-06-25T18:39:00.003-04:00

87 / TicTac / Germany

2011-06-25T18:37:00.001-04:00

blogsite

86 / Pura Cruz / USA

2011-06-25T18:34:00.003-04:00

85 / Inez Oludé da Silva / Belgium

2011-06-25T18:33:00.004-04:00

84 / Dolores Castrucci / USA

2011-06-25T18:32:00.002-04:00

A Book About Death: THE TIES THAT BIND

HAPPY 2012!

Newest ABAD in Seattle, WA, USA

Video of the Artists' Reception / by Joseph Palazzo

Video of the Artists' Reception / by Lynn Sedler

More Video of the Reception

Band Video by JFB Video / Part 2

The Artists' Reception! August 13, 2011

The Installation

The Bound Books

ABAD in the New York Times–Print Version

173 / Betty Esperanza / Canada

172 / Graeffn Anderson / USA

171 / Talari Anderson / USA

170 / Frank Olt / USA

169 / Tulio Restrepo / Columbia

168 / Theano Nikitas / USA

167 / Maureen Piggins / Canada

166 / Coco Gordon / USA

165 / Tara Verheide / USA

164 / Louise Weinberg / USA

163 / Jennie Hinchcliff / USA

162 / Lucy Contreras / USA

161 / Margaret DeLima / USA

160 / Antonia Palazzo / USA

159 / Pamela Ayres / USA

158 / Petra Dzierzon / Germany

157 / Walter Garcia / USA

156 / Emily Harrison-Ach / USA

155 / John McAlpin / USA

154 / Violeta Caule / Macedonia

153 / Steven Ceraso / USA

152 / Mark Bloch / USA

151 / Mary Campbell / USA

150 / James Battistelli / USA

149 / Michael Orr / USA

148 / Eva Brunner / Germany

147 / Julie Sadler / USA

146 / Robin Tewes / USA

145 / Anna Klopocinska / USA

144 / Vincent Carr / USA

143 / Meredith Zinn Caraher / USA

142 / Ivana Rezek / Croatia

141 / Milanka Bunard / Canada

140 / Peter Westman / Sweden

139 / Peter Pitzele / USA

138 / Peter Hassler / USA

137 / Liz Bradshaw / Australia

136 / Tom Speight / USA

135 / Lois DiCosola / USA

134 / Catherine Zimmermann / USA

133 / Clyde Espenschied / USA

132 / Nick Canterucci / USA

131 / Margarita Barbash / USA

130 / Vicki Ragan / USA

129 / Antic Ham / South Korea

128 / Andrea Jay / USA

127 / Hugo Porcaro / USA

126 / Helen Murphy / USA

125 / Dom Fetherston / Canada

124 / Juan Rodriguez Lopez / Mexico

123 / Serse Luigetti / Italy

122 / Gary Hillier / Canada

121 / Antonia Gennimata / Greece

120 / LaDell Hayes / USA

119 / James Bouler / USA

118 / Periklis Costopoulos / Greece

117 / Karen Howard / Scotland

116 / Laura Christensen / USA

115 / Ranjan Engti / India

114 / Julie Cannon / New Zealand

113 / Horst Baur / China

112 / Eline 't Sant / Belgium

111 / Nikki Soppelsa / USA

110 / Nabi Nara / Germany

109 / Willie Marlowe / USA

108 / Michele Amendolari / USA

107 / Virginia Milici / Italy

106 / Anne Holliday / New Zealand

105 / Allan Revich / Canada