Since I am for some reason not allowed to view my comments on my own blog

I will say TY here to quad, soror, Wizzy, and Nazz. I really appreciate the moral support! and great idea, Wizzy. I will follow up on it.

Digital-Virtual Art Exhibit at the Museum of Science Boston Thrown Under the Bus

I have terminated my internship with the Museum of Science Boston.

In February, after working together for two years on the Digital-Virtual Art Exhibit, the Program Manager of the Cahners Computer Place suddenly told me that he was retiring from the Museum in two weeks. He seemed oddly elated.

I set up an appointment with his boss, Lucy Kirshner, Manager of the Discovery Spaces, and presented the exhibit proposal to her in detail. Her reaction was that she didn't see what digital art had to do with computers. My jaw dropped. Even a quick Google search reveals that most colleges and universities offer degrees in Digital Art and Computer Science. Nevertheless I agreed to do an analysis for her of how my ArtRage interactive, one component of the exhibit, would teach computer STEM. A propos her parting shot that digital art had as much to do with computers as watching a Bruins game on a monitor, a friend commented that possibly she thought I meant finger painting.

I prepared a detailed STEM analysis of my interactive and sent it to her, along with several pages of links to web sites covering digital art and computer STEM. Digital art and STEM, incidentally, go by the acronym STE(A)M in education circles, where it is acknowledged as having the extra advantage of appealing to girls, who are under-represented in the computer field. After many weeks I finally received a reply reiterating her skepticism about digital art and computer science and asking me to fill out an in-house form showing what digital art had to do with Computer STEM. She obviously had not read my materials and gave no evidence of having even looked at my interactive, possibly lacking the software to view it.

Not only did this strike me as a runaround, but it also occurred to me that someone apparently so technologically illiterate would never have the contacts necessary to pursue funding for the project. I put this together with the fact that the Cahners ComputerPlace itself is drastically underfunded (ancient equipment held together with scotch tape and paper clips, outdated software, dim light, '50's decor) and decided that, odd as it may seem, the Museum of Science Boston appears to value neither the ComputerPlace nor visually creative computer literacy. So I terminated my relationship with them.

The strange elation suddenly made sense.

PS The Museum does have a great dinosaur exhibit. And stay tuned - I am retooling the ArtRage tutorial and will offer it on my website.

====================================================
Links:
DIGITAL ART: Martha Jane Bradford
Web Site: http://www.marthavista.com/
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/
MJB Blog: http://marthajanebradford.blogspot.com/
VIRTUAL ART: Alizarin Goldflake (Metaverse avatar of Martha Jane Bradford)
Atelier Alizarin (Second Life studio): http://slurl.com/secondlife/Lie/222/189/35
Blog: http://alizaringoldflake.blogspot.com/
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/alizaringoldflake/
YOUTUBE VIDEOS: http://www.youtube.com/user/AlizarinGoldflake
Anza Borrego Oak:
http://www.youtube.com/user/AlizarinGoldflake#p/u/1/5s_KRMi55v8
Acquarella:
http://www.youtube.com/user/AlizarinGoldflake#p/a/u/0/u-lo6JosN0M
Acquarella:the Fable ( a Chantal Harvey machinima)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KX1eFMtjV6U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hhO2Rf88uM (Chinese narration)
Metemspyche's Garden:
http://www.youtube.com/user/AlizarinGoldflake#p/u/2/GfQGuNXWvLo
Requiem for Fukushima Daiichi:
http://youtu.be/2H_ne2XbcNs
Studio Tour:
http://www.youtube.com/user/AlizarinGoldflake#p/u/3/XDjrLmPpopA
The Maze:
http://www.youtube.com/user/AlizarinGoldflake#p/u/4/OEa9rtEiINE
The Mysterious Forest:
http://www.youtube.com/user/AlizarinGoldflake#p/u/5/c6Xv_pAf0Qc
The Winter Bear:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMYSYJNkm1E&list=QL&playnext=1

Requiem for Fukushima Daiichi Machinima

If you are interested in my virtual goings-on, link over to this new post on my avatar's blog: http://alizaringoldflake.blogspot.com/2011/05/requiem-for-fukushima-daiichi-machinima.html
A video about my virtual immersive art installation "Requiem for Fukushima Daiichi" has just gone up on YouTube. Made in collaboration with my husband, Alfred Ajami, it documents the art, a dramatic build of sinister beauty inspired by the nuclear catastrophe in Japan.

The art was made under the name of my virtual reality avatar, Alizarin Goldflake.

=============================================
Links:
DIGITAL ART: Martha Jane Bradford
Web Site: http://www.marthavista.com/
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/
MJB Blog: http://marthajanebradford.blogspot.com/
VIRTUAL ART: Alizarin Goldflake (Metaverse avatar of Martha Jane Bradford)
Atelier Alizarin (Second Life studio): http://slurl.com/secondlife/Lie/222/189/35
Blog: http://alizaringoldflake.blogspot.com/
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/alizaringoldflake/
YOUTUBE VIDEOS: http://www.youtube.com/user/AlizarinGoldflake
Anza Borrego Oak:
http://www.youtube.com/user/AlizarinGoldflake#p/u/1/5s_KRMi55v8
Acquarella:
http://www.youtube.com/user/AlizarinGoldflake#p/a/u/0/u-lo6JosN0M
Acquarella:the Fable ( a Chantal Harvey machinima)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KX1eFMtjV6U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hhO2Rf88uM (Chinese narration)
Metemspyche's Garden:
http://www.youtube.com/user/AlizarinGoldflake#p/u/2/GfQGuNXWvLo
Requiem for Fukushima Daiichi:
http://youtu.be/2H_ne2XbcNs
Studio Tour:
http://www.youtube.com/user/AlizarinGoldflake#p/u/3/XDjrLmPpopA
The Maze:
http://www.youtube.com/user/AlizarinGoldflake#p/u/4/OEa9rtEiINE
The Mysterious Forest:
http://www.youtube.com/user/AlizarinGoldflake#p/u/5/c6Xv_pAf0Qc
The Winter Bear:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMYSYJNkm1E&list=QL&playnext=1

Two prints in The Boston Printmakers North American Print Biennial 2011

"Hermione" and "Neon Tetra," two prints from my new Big Pixel Series, were selected by curator Jim Dine for inclusion in The Boston Printmakers North American Print Biennial 2011. The Biennial set a record this year with 811 artists submitting 2049 works from which 149 prints were selected by 105 artists.
http://www.danforthmuseum.org/boston_printmakers_2011.htmlhttp://www.bostonprintmakers.org/The show runs from February 27 to May 1, 2011. The Opening Reception is Sunday, February 27th, 3pm - 5pm, at the Danforth Museum, 123 Union Street, Framingham MA. All are welcome.

This show is one of the major print reviews held in the United States. The 2011 Biennial features prints created in traditional print processes that include lithography, woodcut, linocut, etching, mezzotint and screen printing, as well as works produced in new or experimental media such as digital, collage, artist books, and 3-dimensional constructions.

About my images: "Hermione" and "Neon Tetra" were originally drawn as part of my virtual reality installation "Acquarella," which can be viewed here if you have a Second Life account: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Lie/205/234/301 or online here: http://www.marthavista.com/Acquarella_videos.htm Elements of "Acquarella" were used as the set for a machinima called "Acquarella: The Fable" written, directed, and produced by my second life avatar Alizarin Goldflake and filmed by Chantal Harvey. The machinima was shown at the World Expo in Shanghai in September and October of 2010. http://marthajanebradford.blogspot.com/2010/10/acquarella-fable-showing-at-2010-world.html

With the "Big Pixel Series," the pixel emerges from behind the scenes to become integral not only to the process but also to the visual sparkle of the drawings. This incorporation of my technology into my look also extends to the printing of the drawings. They are now output as multiple panels, which function as compositional elements that reflect the modular nature of the digital medium. The digital drawings are drawn just like my charcoals, lithographs, and pastels except that I use digital tools, including a software program called Corel Painter 10 and a Wacom pressure-sensitive digitizing tablet and stylus. The images are printed on canvas and presented as hanging scrolls.

Related events:
Opening Lecture: Sunday, February 27th at 1:30pm, "A Dialogue:" Artist Jim Dine and MFA curator Clifford Ackley at Framingham State University Dwight Hall. The presentation is free and open to the public and is funded by Framingham State University’s Arts and Humanities Council.

The Arches Student Print Show: a companion to the 2011 North American Print Biennial, this show will appear in second floor galleries of the Danforth Museum School. Since 1999, this exhibition has expanded the scope of Biennial activities to include printmaking from more than 20 New England colleges and universities. Sponsored by the Arches Paper Company, this show not only acquaints the public with emerging printmakers, but also gives students an opportunity to exhibit with some of our country’s most renowned artists.

Gallery Talk: exhibiting artists Don Gorvett and Sean Hurley, Sunday, March 6 at 12pm

Gallery Talk: Deborah Cornell, Boston Printmakers Executive Board Member, Sunday, April 3 at 12pm

Panel Discussion Remembering Mazur: Artists Michael David, Joel Janowitz and Betsy Garand present personal reflections on the life and work of artist Michael Mazur (1924 - 2009) Sunday, April 10 at 3pm
====================================================
Links:
DIGITAL ART: Martha Jane Bradford
Web Site: http://www.marthavista.com/
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/
MJB Blog: http://marthajanebradford.blogspot.com/
VIRTUAL ART: Alizarin Goldflake (Metaverse avatar of Martha Jane Bradford)
Atelier Alizarin (Second Life studio): http://slurl.com/secondlife/Lie/222/189/35
Blog: http://alizaringoldflake.blogspot.com/
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/alizaringoldflake/
YOUTUBE VIDEOS: http://www.youtube.com/user/AlizarinGoldflake
Anza Borrego Oak:
http://www.youtube.com/user/AlizarinGoldflake#p/u/1/5s_KRMi55v8
Acquarella:
http://www.youtube.com/user/AlizarinGoldflake#p/a/u/0/u-lo6JosN0M
Acquarella:the Fable ( a Chantal Harvey machinima)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KX1eFMtjV6U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hhO2Rf88uM (Chinese narration)
Metemspyche's Garden:
http://www.youtube.com/user/AlizarinGoldflake#p/u/2/GfQGuNXWvLo
Studio Tour:
http://www.youtube.com/user/AlizarinGoldflake#p/u/3/XDjrLmPpopA
The Maze:
http://www.youtube.com/user/AlizarinGoldflake#p/u/4/OEa9rtEiINE
The Mysterious Forest:
http://www.youtube.com/user/AlizarinGoldflake#p/u/5/c6Xv_pAf0Qc
The Winter Bear:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMYSYJNkm1E&list=QL&playnext=1

Update on my digital-virtual art exhibit in the Cahners ComputerPlace at the Museum of Science, Boston

The Museum is currently accepting applications for two Digital Art Exhibit Spring Internships for my exhibit.

Please find the info for the Flash Programmer Intern here: http://www.mos.org/visitor_info/about_the_museum/internships&d=4750

and for the Open Sim/Second Life Developer here:
http://www.mos.org/visitor_info/about_the_museum/internships&d=4752

My exhibit consists of a semi-permanent digital/virtual art exhibit for the Cahners ComputerPlace at the Museum. The exhibit will further visitors' understanding of digital image creation and manipulation (http://www.marthavista.com/). It will also introduce people to the idea of making virtual art. The physical design of the exhibit will be an immersive installation employing sound and video projection to simulate the experience of being inside one of the immersive art environments that I create as an avatar named Alizarin Goldflake in Second Life (R), a virtual reality platform. Bob Johnson (Thoth Jansen in Second Life) is currently working on the technical design.



Links:
DIGITAL ART: Martha Jane Bradford
Web Site: http://www.marthavista.com/
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/

VIRTUAL ART: Alizarin Goldflake (Metaverse avatar of Martha Jane Bradford)
Atelier Alizarin (Second Life studio): http://slurl.com/secondlife/Lie/222/189/35

Blog: http://alizaringoldflake.blogspot.com/
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/alizaringoldflake/
YOUTUBE VIDEOS: http://www.youtube.com/user/AlizarinGoldflake

The Winter Bear

Another fun crossover project! I recently constructed Second Life sets for a Real Life play, The Winter Bear, that will premiere in Anchorage October 29, 2010. My machinima of the SL sets will be projected on a cyc (cycloramic backdrop) as a major component of the RL stage.

There is a teaser for the play made up of short clips from the machinima that just went up on YouTube. A/V production by Alfred M. Ajami.

View it here:



Or take the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMYSYJNkm1E&list=QL&playnext=1

The sets feature my digital drawings, done with Corel Painter and a Wacom tablet, and my Second Life building skills, including sculpties (unique 3-D shapes created in Blender) , scripts (code), and particles (temporary phantom images) which I also use to make virtual Immersive Art.

about THE WINTER BEAR
Written by Alaska State Writer Laureate Anne Hanley and directed by Jayne Wenger. Troubled Athabascan teenager Duane “Shadow” David is considering committing suicide when he’s sentenced to cut wood for elder Sidney Huntington. It’s only by combining the elder’s knowledge of old hunting ways with the boy’s expertise in video games that they stand a chance against a marauding Winter Bear. The Winter Bear delivers a message of hope that a young man can become a leader by using the wisdom of his traditional culture to transcend the traumas of his past.

Previews of the play in Galena and Fairbanks were enthusiastically received, and I am very excited to be flying to Anchorage for the official premiere.

Gala opening Oct 29th, 2010 at Cyrano's Off-Center Playhouse: http://www.cyranos.org/
Performances Thursday through Saturday at 7 pm and Sunday at 3 pm through Nov. 13th. Special added WEDNESDAY performance Nov. 10th.



============================================
Links:
DIGITAL ART: Martha Jane Bradford
Web Site: http://www.marthavista.com/
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/
MJB Blog: http://marthajanebradford.blogspot.com/
VIRTUAL ART: Alizarin Goldflake (Metaverse avatar of Martha Jane Bradford)
Atelier Alizarin (Second Life studio): http://slurl.com/secondlife/Lie/222/189/35
Blog: http://alizaringoldflake.blogspot.com/
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/alizaringoldflake/
YOUTUBE VIDEOS: http://www.youtube.com/user/AlizarinGoldflake
Anza Borrego Oak:
http://www.youtube.com/user/AlizarinGoldflake#p/u/1/5s_KRMi55v8
Acquarella:
http://www.youtube.com/user/AlizarinGoldflake#p/a/u/0/u-lo6JosN0M
Acquarella:the Fable ( a Chantal Harvey machinima)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KX1eFMtjV6U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hhO2Rf88uM (Chinese narration)
Metemspyche's Garden:
http://www.youtube.com/user/AlizarinGoldflake#p/u/2/GfQGuNXWvLo
Studio Tour:
http://www.youtube.com/user/AlizarinGoldflake#p/u/3/XDjrLmPpopA
The Maze:
http://www.youtube.com/user/AlizarinGoldflake#p/u/4/OEa9rtEiINE
The Mysterious Forest:
http://www.youtube.com/user/AlizarinGoldflake#p/u/5/c6Xv_pAf0Qc
The Winter Bear:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMYSYJNkm1E&list=QL&playnext=1

"Acquarella: The Fable" showing at the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai now!

It gives me great pleasure to announce that my digital and virtual art is now on view at the World Expo in Shanghai!

Chantal Harvey brought her awesome machinima skills to filming "Acquarella: The Fable," and I did the story, storyboard, art, set, costumes, props management, direction, production, and acted the part of Acquarella. The parts of the three Nymphs were acted by soror Nishi, BridgetMarlane McDonnell, and Yman Juran. The sophisticated and lovely Chinese narration (in Mandarin) was translated from the English and performed by Wei Yin. Our collaborative effort is now showing in the Air Tree Exhibit in the Madrid Pavilion of the World Expo in Shanghai, curated by Spanish curator Cristina García-Lasuén (Aino Barr in Second Life), founder of the virtual arts group Open This End.

You can watch the English version of the machinima, narrated by Alfred M. Ajami, here:


and the Chinese version here:



To see the list of accepted machinima on the Madrid Pavilion web site, please go to
http://www.madrid2010shanghai.com/calendario.asp?evid=79&id=1 (click on the English flag in the upper right corner). Scroll down to 3rd Exhibition, September - October 2010 . Our video is under the name of the machinimist, Chantal Harvey.

"Acquarella: The Fable" was inspired by one of my immersive art creations by the same name: http://www.youtube.com/user/AlizarinGoldflake#p/a/u/0/u-lo6JosN0M
============================================
Links:
DIGITAL ART: Martha Jane Bradford
Web Site: http://www.marthavista.com/
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/
MJB Blog: http://marthajanebradford.blogspot.com/
VIRTUAL ART: Alizarin Goldflake (Metaverse avatar of Martha Jane Bradford)
Atelier Alizarin (Second Life studio): http://slurl.com/secondlife/Lie/222/189/35
Blog: http://alizaringoldflake.blogspot.com/
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/alizaringoldflake/
YOUTUBE VIDEOS: http://www.youtube.com/user/AlizarinGoldflake
Anza Borrego Oak:
http://www.youtube.com/user/AlizarinGoldflake#p/u/1/5s_KRMi55v8
Acquarella:
http://www.youtube.com/user/AlizarinGoldflake#p/a/u/0/u-lo6JosN0M
Acquarella:the Fable ( a Chantal Harvey machinima)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KX1eFMtjV6U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hhO2Rf88uM (Chinese narration)
Metemspyche's Garden:
http://www.youtube.com/user/AlizarinGoldflake#p/u/2/GfQGuNXWvLo
Studio Tour:
http://www.youtube.com/user/AlizarinGoldflake#p/u/3/XDjrLmPpopA
The Maze:
http://www.youtube.com/user/AlizarinGoldflake#p/u/4/OEa9rtEiINE
The Mysterious Forest:
http://www.youtube.com/user/AlizarinGoldflake#p/u/5/c6Xv_pAf0Qc