The Las Vegas Sun also has an interesting map feature aptly entitled ‘Casino Map.’  It renders for the viewer a 3D scale model of the Vegas Strip.  The various casinos and attractions are actually depicted in the map as they appear in real life, which is an added boon for those who tend to become confused without a visual aid.

Pixelcase offers for the viewer a virtual aerial tour of the New York cityscape.  The view is panoramic and ensures that directional errors are not made by those newly introduced to the area.  The site is aesthetically pleasing and the viewer’s ability to control the view offered on screen actually makes visiting this site more enjoyable than, say, MapQuest.  I feel encouraged to explore the city of NY itself (from the comfort of my home office).  This site allows one to focus on a specific landmark (such as the Empire State building, the Brooklyn bridge, etc.) to use as a reference point in one’s virtual travels.  Of all of the sites I have looked at, this strikes me as being the most appealing (provided you are content to confine your explorations to one city). Overall, a very nice experience…

Unfortunately, a person’s ideal career is not always a realistic goal to aim for. 

“There are literally thousands of film studies graduates each year who aspire to the same thing.  I can’t say that I have a specific advantage over any of them, and I certainly don’t have contacts within the industry.  For me, becoming a director would certainly be a long shot.” 

Why is directing her ideal career? 

 “Autonomy,” she says.  “I originally thought I’d settle for becoming a screenwriter.  When I got to college, however, I learned that writers are, for the most part, at the bottom of the totem pole.  As soon as a script of mine changed hands, it would be out of my control.  My vision would be at the mercy of somebody else…namely, a director.” 

It would seem that Sara is in a bind.  The only shot she has at creative independence within the film industry is to become the next Bergman or Coppola.  Instead of setting herself up for disappointment, she has decided to pursue another route. 

She’s been writing short plays and monologues for the past two years, and is about to start piecing together a full length drama.  As a playwright, she is several steps closer to assuming directorial duties in theatre than she would be with film were she to write movies. 

In terms of autonomy, she states that theatre directors rarely deviate from an original script as do film directors.  Therefore, even if she is not in charge of a theatrical production, she is still assured considerable control over any piece she may write. 

 “I don’t know…I guess dramatists are just more trusting of their writers than are big studio execs…”  Making the choice to switch genres was not an easy one for her.  She has been an avid movie buff her entire life, and, until recent years had little knowledge about or interest in theatre. 

 For the sake of her writing, however, she has invested a serious amount of time and effort in her new craft.  Sara points out that it was difficult to make that transition.  There is the autonomy, but there is also that much more responsibility.  The dramatist has that much more say in the final product, so the burden of quality rests heavily on her shoulders. 

“It certainly is not for the weak at heart…if there is a poor review, you’ll feel the sting that much more intensely.  The best bit of advice I’ve received is to be prepared to catch hell from the critics.  In theatre, they are even nastier than in Hollywood.”

The one who caught my eye was William Thierfelder, who is described by Tibbett as a Renaissance man who combines literary and visual art in a unique blend that offers the viewer / reader a multi-genre experience. 

 In terms of age, Thierfelder is no spring chicken; he is actually a retired professor of literature.  This experience puts him in an interesting position.  To begin with, he has been studying art for several decades and has taught the essentials of literature to his students, many of whom were probably aspiring writers / artists themselves. 

With this experience, and with the years he has spend drawing and writing on the side, he has a degree of confidence in his own abilities that is usually missing in emerging artists of a much younger age.  This confidence is very evident in statements of his that are quoted on Tibbett’s blog.  An example:  Thierfelder does not hesitate to describe his art as being reflective of himself as a person and an observer.

  It is noted that his artistic sophistication (no doubt developed over his years of study and educating others) ensures that his work is not relegated to the category of ‘outsider art.’  He has had time to craft and develop a “personal iconography” that sets him head and shoulders above his less experienced contemporaries. 

Tibbett is very forward when it comes to praising Thierfelder, even going so far as to describe him as belonging to the tradition of William Blake.  This is no minor compliment, especially from a critic as experienced and educated as Tibbett.  With such effusive praise, I doubt very much that Thierfelder deals with the same insecurities which afflict younger artists and writers.

 This, he explains to me, goes back to grade school when I would end up staring down at a test or essay question on his desk.  There would be that blank sheet of paper just waiting for him to fill it with sentence diagrams, or algebra equations, or something else he hated dealing with.  He says he was naturally phobic when it came to school work, so he would fill the space instead with doodles of his own design. 

Today, the notion of handling invoices or tax paperwork terrifies him, so he continues to create art in the hopes that he will be able to avoid a 9-to-5 after graduating. 

Jay is currently enrolled in a Graphic Design program at a Pennsylvania college. 

I’ll admit that much of what he spoke of during our interview was over my head.  Among the names of artists he listed as being influential to him, the only one I recognized was Andy Warhol. 

I did, however, fully understand him when he discussed the greatest dangers of his craft: “Self-doubt,” he said, “can overwhelm you.  This is the reason you cannot keep your art to yourself, because you will always deem it to be inferior and unworthy of appraisal.” 

The other danger is excessive self confidence.  “Arrogance will never be interpreted as intelligence.  There is simply too much out there for a single person to know, so if you act as though you know it all, you will only undermine your efforts.  Viewers and clients are shrewd enough to recognize when they are being condescended to.”

 This is meant to be a humorous project and the photographer nicely captures the apparel, the posturing, and the made-up faces that are contorted into hilarious expressions.  I’d imagine that in an earlier era, such behavior would be regarded as obscenely deviant and any participants would be incarcerated. 

The photographs show not just the drag race participants but also the audience.  These onlookers seem to be enjoying the festivities as much as the queens are. 

I’ll admit to deriving considerable humor from this gallery, which was of course the compiler’s purpose.  It’s pleasant to know that such can be found documented in a media context typically devoted to grim, depressing news. 

 I was most amused by the ninth photograph, which depicts an older gentleman in big glasses and an enormous faux hairdo.  The hair is in bright contrast to the dark background.  As this event took place during the night, all of the garishly-dressed transvestites practically glow in their vibrantly colored costumes. 

This gallery does indeed confirm that even today’s jaded, grudging populace can take time off to indulge a ridiculous streak.

 Song and dance routines by fishnet clad transvestites: the movie is riotous and any production of the original is bound to be, at the very least, very engaging for any audience.  This is a very wise opening move for a nascent theatre company: the Rocky Horror Picture Show is indeed a classic, one which (as can be discerned from the article) demands a great deal of audience participation.  As the production proceeds, the audience quickly becomes as integral to the production as the company itself. 

 Very few plays are as participatory as the RHPS: this ensures that the audience has a very memorable time, with the side benefit of dressing as fishnet clad transvestites. 

When the appeal is this great on opening night, interest in Factory Edge Theatre Works and their future productions is practically guaranteed. 

 Now, the only downside is the difficulty of making each subsequent presentation as satisfying as the first.  The RHPS leaves big shoes to fill.  The writer of this article notes that the company does have some kinks to iron out, but opening night flaws aside, Benjamin Greene and company are off to a promising start.

In this year’s program, we have three exhibitions, the first 2 of which are architecture-related, the 3^rd of which is a multimedia project oriented around music. 

What I like so much about this is the way in which it has altered my perspective on curatorship.  I, until now, have always second-guessed it, filing it under the label of ‘administrative duties.’  Seriously, I was thinking of persons who manage a giant filing cabinet.  If they know the Dewey decimal system (or whatever the museum-equivalent is) I’d assumed being a curator would be a relative walk in the park. 

This article and the projects it describes have altered that take on curators.  To be a curator is to be, in a way, an artist oneself.  The deliberations over who and what is to be exhibited are akin to the artist’s selection of which color of paint to use, which pencil to employ, which stone-crafting tools to take up. 

Such exhibitions are very much collaborative endeavors that are equally reliant upon the curator and the artist.  This whole project (Curator’s Incubator) draws the public eye to many different creative persons, whether they be the originators themselves or the exhibitors of the new art.

I should state that I myself have literary aspirations.  On the basis of our mutual interests our conversation was somewhat more in-depth than the previous interviews I have conducted.   Our topics of discussion will be looked at more in depth in my upcoming article on the travails of the literary life, so I will take this opportunity just to address some of the basics that we touched on. 

 Significant influences on Tyler’s writing include the modernist movement, existential philosophy and a range of surrealistic works of non-linear plot progression that fall under the general labels of absurdist fiction and magical realism.  These interests, taken with his admitted eccentricities and a somewhat fevered imagination (both common to almost all writers, let me assure you), have shaped an artistic identity that he endeavors to voice via fictive prose. 

Tyler has already met with success in marketing his fiction through academic publications.  I had the opportunity to read the particular piece that he had published and can safely assert that his talent is considerable. 

He was forthright enough to acknowledge the oftentimes harrowing difficulties that can complicate a writer’s life: morbid self-criticism, recurrent dissatisfaction, artistic frustration, neurotic obsession, etc, etc. 

I plan to go into more detail concerning this angst which I myself am all too familiar with, and will do my best not to overwhelm the reader with the weight of the worldly cares of aspiring literati.  Seriously, I’ll try not to whine…

 For me, the most effective elements of this piece were the pictures.  We see that this is a family that does indeed have to live under circumstances of appalling poverty.  I note the image of Faison Phiri seeding his land; he is thin to the point of emaciation, indicative of a diet poor in nutrients and continual labor.  His wife, Betty, performs virtually the same tasks. 

 What are most striking in these photos are the expressions of the Phiri family members.  Their faces do not convey defeat or despair, but rather kindliness and, dare I say, optimism.  We see nothing of bitterness. 

The article and audio interview describe the family’s habit of church attendance and also young Martha’s desire to one day become a news reporter.  If anything, this entire piece is remarkable for its portrayal of the persistence of hope amid even the most oppressive circumstances.

 She has done so ever since her discovery of the Beat poets back when she was still a student in high school.  Her early writings were expressions of typical teenage angst.  While she had been lauded for her talent at the time by her peers, she soon learned that truly great poetry was comprised of more than just whining and self pity.   She also learned that even great poetry will rarely suffice in paying the bills and putting food on the table.  

Since high school, Katherine has worked approximately two dozen odd jobs in order to make ends meet.  She asserts that she has yet to find a job that she truly enjoys.  All she has asked for thus far is a relatively stress-free occupation that allows her to devote most of her mental energy to her literary endeavors. 

Much of our conversation focused upon Katherine’s artistic education, or what she calls her “lifelong apprenticeship.”  She states that while she has had little formal schooling in literature, she is able to assert that she has “studied under the best.”  How exactly does this work? 

As an autodidact, she has read the works written by, and on, thousands of different poets, both good and bad, some well known and many obscure.   “These thousands of writers,” Katherine says, “are only the tip of the iceberg.  There are tens of thousands more out there ranging from mediocre to brilliant.  Regardless of their talent, they each have the ability to make their voices heard.”  This is through the ease of self-publishing via multimedia. 

Her task is the same as theirs, and that is to be recognized.   

I ask her what her expectations are regarding her much hoped for acknowledgement within the poetry community.  She says that her expectations are realistic, by which she means low.  She has a love for what she does, however, and it is this passion that has saved her from discouragement and disappointment. 

“The time available in which to write is very small, a few decades at best.  The good news is that I have an eternity in which to be recognized.  Even posthumous fame is better than obscurity.” 

This last, I suppose, is as apt a mantra as any…