WHAT DO YOU MEME?

What do you MEME?

We returned from the after party of the wedding at Beltane Ranch in Glen Ellen, California in Sonoma Valley. Kevin is the youngest of three in Rob’s family married the stunning Madelyn. The party extended into a small bar in Town Square. Rob and his wife returned to their home in Novato. Dan was smart enough to retire at a reasonable hour because he wanted to be awake at Saint Leo Catholic Church in the morning. (Our brother Sundance and sister Lynn decided not to travel from their respective homes in New Orleans and Columbus, Ohio to this destination.)   

The rental home arranged for by Rob was roomy with space for all of us. My brother and I along with his two boys (Wes and Matt), and their respective girlfriends (Alexis and Bianca) and his step-daughter (Lauren) joined Greg and I as we moved into a comfy living room space to reflect on the afternoon/evening.  Greg decided to take charge by introducing me as a guest speaker. (We are all improvisational actors in our family so I began my address to the audience assembled. I borrowed from a recent presentation I made.)

Uncle Wes (that’s me): Bruce Lee is an inspiration. He was determined to make it as a box office star in Hollywood but his ambition was thwarted by producers and directors who were afraid, that in spite of his success as Kato in the Green Hornet TV series he would not have enough commercial appeal on the big screen… Bruce Lee was determined to overcome this Hollywood bias against a Chinese actor with astounding marshall arts skills.

This is the set up to my sharing a quote about mindfulness and living life in the moment. “Be Water” said Bruce Lee…

Alexa (Wes’ girlfriend has been traveling in close quarters in an RV. She may have been over-served, very tired or both. So her interaction with the group made her appear a bit tipsy): What about John Claude Van Damme? She blurted out the suggestion to change the arc of my little talk. (I get it, but I know next to nothing about the Belgian Van Damme beyond the fact that he is a movie star.) My talk is NOT about movies anyway. It is about mindfulness and begins with a Bruce Lee quote about water.

Uncle Wes: So Bruce Lee offers some advice in his Marshall Arts and movie acting instruction. Be Water. Empty your mind. Be formless. Be shapeless. When you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup…

Alexa (in her best imitation of a heckler in a small comedy club): This is boring. What about John Claud Van Damme? She slurs a few arguments as if our small group could be brought to a vote and change the programming/channel. Who wants to talk about John Claud Van Damme? Raise your hand!

Wes (He is curled up into a ball in an overstuffed chair and close to being asleep.) He stretches a bit and calmly puts it out there that Alexis has completely de-railed Uncle Wes. He tries to mitigate the problem with a group game called  WHAT DO YOU MEME? Since Wes and Alexis have played this game before, he assumes that this activity might be easier to control.

Uncle Wes: Great, we can move on to this game. An image is offered on an easel in the middle. Players chose a caption from their hand (five cards). Captions deemed best win the image. The point is awarded to the agreed upon winning caption. At the end the winner is the player with the most image cards wins. Simple enough.

Matt and Bianca (on the couch) were politely attentive to Uncle Wes but flexible enough to let the evening festivities move on to this game.

Lauren bailed out and went to bed. She likely prefers more orderly proceeding and can see that step Dad Greg and Uncle Wes only have the sketchiest idea how this gathering will be engaged. That still leaves the six of us to salvage the order of events.

Wes (stretching): Alexis, shut the f@*k up.

Alexa: This is all about racism. No, this is because of Misogyny. You are being a misogynist! (It isn’t clear if she is referring to the game or the attempt to bring some order to the emerging chaos.)

Uncle Wes: Well said Alexa. (Or sometimes he addresses her as Siri as he easily forgets the name Alexis in the context of the game).  We girls need to stick together. Now Greg, we are gonna need you to take a time out. You are being disruptive to the game.  

Wes: It’s my turn and my image card is of Russian leader Vladimir Putin. I think this will one day be promoted as the Putin collector edition of this game of WHAT DO YOU MEME?

Alexis: Wait a minute! You are all misogynists and you are skipping me.  

Bianca: No. It’s Wes’ turn. It is alright. (Matt is laughing and both Matt and Bianca know that law and order will not be restored in the living room. Only a kind of orderly chaos is possible now.)

The dynamics and stage direction cannot do justice to the comic timing and natural twists and turns of this gathering that rolled on with many laughs. Uncle Wes did his best to explain the performance as a blend of one act dramatic performance art, method acting and improvisational theater. Uncle Wes insisted This performance art is much like Voltaire’s theme proclaimed again and again in Candide. Everything happens exactly as it is supposed to happen in this, the best of all possible worlds. 

Above: Greg flanked by Alexis and Bianca.

Bottom pic: Dan at table. Standing: Wes, Alexis, Lauren, Greg, Rob, Lauren, Matt, Uncle Wes.

Note: The after party MEME game was a blast and got even funnier as we talked about it over the next couple of days. Like most art performance pieces - ya had to be there. I am glad I was.   

 

William King

 

Photo by Wes Morgan (at Foust Park) of Solstice by William King. The following is obit from the NYTimes.

William King, Sculptor, Dies at 90; His Pointed Wit Was a Tool

By Bruce Weber March 26, 2015

William King, a sculptor in a variety of materials whose human figures traced social attitudes through the last half of the 20th century, often poking sly and poignant fun at human follies and foibles, died on March 4 at his home in East Hampton, N.Y. He was 90.

His death was confirmed by Scott Chaskey, who is married to Mr. King’s stepdaughter, Megan Chaskey.

Mr. King worked in clay, wood, bronze, vinyl, burlap and aluminum. He worked both big and small, from busts and toylike figures to large public art pieces depicting familiar human poses — a seated, cross-legged man reading; a Western couple (he in a cowboy hat, she in a long dress) holding hands; a tall man reaching down to tug along a recalcitrant little boy; a crowd of robotic-looking men walking in lock step.

But for all its variation, what unified his work was a wry observer’s arched eyebrow, the pointed humor and witty rue of a fatalist. His figurative sculptures, often with long, spidery legs and an outlandishly skewed ratio of torso to appendages, use gestures and posture to suggest attitude and illustrate his own amusement with the unwieldiness of human physical equipment.

His subjects included tennis players and gymnasts, dancers and musicians, and he managed to show appreciation of their physical gifts and comic delight at their contortions and costumery. His suit-wearing businessmen often appeared haughty or pompous; his other men could seem timid or perplexed or awkward. Oddly, or perhaps tellingly, he tended to depict women more reverentially, though in his portrayals of couples the fragility and tender comedy inherent in couplehood settled equally on both partners. 

Mr. King’s work is in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, among other places, and he had dozens of solo gallery shows in New York and elsewhere. But the comic element of his work probably caused his reputation to suffer.

Reviews of his exhibitions frequently began with the caveat that even though the work was funny, it was also serious, displaying superior technical skills, imaginative vision and the bolstering weight of a range of influences, from the ancient Etruscans to American folk art to 20th-century artists including Giacometti, Calder and Elie Nadelman.

The critic Hilton Kramer, one of Mr. King’s most ardent advocates, wrote in a 1970 essay accompanying a New York gallery exhibit that he was, “among other things, an amusing artist, and nowadays this can, at times, be almost as much a liability as an asset.”.

A “preoccupation with gesture is the focus of King’s sculptural imagination,” Mr. Kramer wrote. “Everything that one admires in his work — the virtuoso carving, the deft handling of a wide variety of materials, the shrewd observation and resourceful invention — all this is secondary to the concentration on gesture. The physical stance of the human animal as it negotiates the social arena, the unconscious gait that the body assumes in making its way in the social medium, the emotion traced by the course of a limb, a torso, a head, the features of a face, a coiffure or a costume — from a keen observation of these materials King has garnered a large stock of sculptural images notable for their wit, empathy, simplicity and psychological precision.”

William Dickey King was born in Jacksonville, Fla., on Feb. 25, 1925. His father, Walter, was a surveyor and an engineer who moved his family around Florida to accommodate his work. As a boy, William made model airplanes and helped his father and older brother build furniture and boats. Expected to follow in his father’s footsteps, he began to study engineering at the University of Florida, but it was his mother, the former Florence Dickey, a teacher, who recognized his independent streak and encouraged his departure.

“I was 19, 20, my mother gave me a hundred bucks, says, ‘Get out of this state and don’t come back until you’re 65; there is nothing here for you,’ ” Mr. King recalled in a video interview for the Smithsonian museum.

He came to New York, where he attended the Cooper Union and began selling his early sculptures even before he graduated. He later studied with the sculptor Milton Hebald (who died this year) and traveled to Italy on a Fulbright grant.

Mr. King’s work often reflected the times, taking on fashions and occasional politics. In the 1960s and 1970s, his work featuring African-American figures (including the activist Angela Davis, with hands cuffed behind her back) evoked his interest in civil rights.

Mr. King’s first three marriages ended in divorce. He is survived by his fourth wife, Connie Fox, whom he married in a Buddhist ceremony in 2003 presided over by the novelist and Zen roshi Peter Matthiessen; a son, Eli King; a daughter, Amy King; a stepdaughter, Megan Chaskey; a stepson, Brian Boyd; and seven grandchildren. The New York Times critic Holland Cotter once described Mr. King’s sculpture as “comical-tragical-maniacal,” and “like Giacomettis conceived by John Cheever.”

“Misery loves comedy” was one way Mr. King himself described his attitude. He continued to work until just a few months before his death.

Mr. Chaskey, his stepdaughter’s husband, recalled, “He said, ‘If I can’t go out in the studio, what’s the point?’ ”

A version of this article appears in print on March 27, 2015, Section B, Page 8 of the New York Times

 

 

 

 

 

Salutary Sculpture

 

The exhibition at Laumeier from February 12 through May 15, 2022 seems well placed in the timeline of our lives recently. It features a group of artists with unique trauma informed practices. The show is a cause for some deep reflection. I hope it leads fans of our sculpture park to a place where there is again a joyous return of the annual tradition of Mother’s Day and the celebratiaon that surrounds the art, nature and craft of the annual Laumier Sculpture Park Art Fair in May.

Curator Dana Turkavic and director Lauren Ross are listed as authors of the brochure that outlines the current exhibition. The small print list recognizing of generosity of groups and individuals is reminder enough that it takes the vision and support to shine a light on the work of art as it lives in the context of adversity and renaissance at the same time. Saint Louis County Parks, Regional Arts Commission, Missouri Arts Council, Arts & Education Council, Covid-19 Relief Fund (National Endowment for the Arts), Wingate Foundation, U.S. Small Business Administration, Saint Louis Small Business Administration, Saint Louis County Small Business Relief Program. Whitaker Foundation, Ken and Nancy Kranzberg, Joan and Mitchell Markow, Two Sisters Foundation, Mary Ann and Andy Srenco.

SALUTARY (adjective) 1. Producting a beneficial effect: REMEDIAL salutary influences 2. Promoting health: CURATIVE

Salutary Sculpture features eight artists who use their practice to sooth, heal, and work through trauma. It is at the same time sad and joyous. Mostly, I think, it is inspirational and encouraging for all of us who embrace the redemptive nature of art. ARTISTS: James Sterling ceramic and wood sculptures were created after the artist suffered a  head injury; Lauren Youden performance/installation work is driven by diagnosing and treating chronic illness; Thomas J Condon lost his eyesight and refocused from painting to photography as he underwent years regaining his sight; Guadalupe Maravilla fled El Salvador to the U.S. at the age of eight and as a young man in his 30s overcame colon cancer; Basil Kincaid in is an African American who addresses “Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome” with fabrics and quilts that for this exhibition includes another layer around our Manuel Neri figure; Marcus Lutyens pushes boundaries of traditional healing and art forms in work at a clinic in Germany for stroke victim rehab; Dario Roberto replicates the earliest (circa 1876-1896) wave form recordings of blood flow and presents his film The Aorta of an Anarchist (2021); Hope Ginsburg blends deep sea diving gear and techniques in meditation.  

Note to readers of our Daily Newspaper - The Saint Louis Post / Dispatch has a nice article about this show in Sunday's Newspaper 3/27/2022.

Need4Speed - AMA Conference 2022

 

Photo: Curtis Francois is interviewed by Bill Ellis as AMA chapter president Nick Niehaus (foreground) works with other AMA volunteers to produce a concurrent live/virtual marketing conference

Need4Speed - The American Marketing Association, Saint Louis Chapter once again delivered an incredible conference. This was our 61st annual conference dedicated to the study and practice of the marketing profession. We once again featured a range of relevant, compelling and inspirational speakers with a range of marketing stories from which we all can learn. The world is slowly recovering from the new normal environment created by the pandemic but our AMA chapter delivered meaningful content and a great show on Friday March 4, 2022. Need4Speed. our 61^st annual conference, was pretty remarkable. 

Mark Engel – Founder Fifth Taste Foods. Mark Engel is on a mission to make plant-based eating craveable for everyone.  With over 25 years of experience leading product development and innovation teams for a diverse group of Fortune 100 companies, Mark left the corporate world in 2019 as founder Fifth Taste Foods. In just 9 months from R&D to commercialization, Mark launched his first line of products, oo’mämē Chile Crisps. 

Elise L. Connors, Director of Marketing, Brown & Crouppen Law Firm. She embraced the Need4Speed in today’s marketing environment with an exception of careful slow and thoughtful planning. Her firm has seen great success with innovative programing such as B&CTV.  

Tessa Garcia-Collart, PhD Assistant Professor of Marketing, College of Business, University of Missouri-St Louis was an enthusiastic presenter on the subject of marketing with the an understanding and appreciation of how the world of Emoji communication fits into the marketing scheme of things.

Curtis Francois is the owner of World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR), located east of downtown St. Louis in Madison, Illinois. Curtis was conversational about the place marketing has in the mix of marketing, consumer experience and community involvement.

Michael Garlock Marketing Department Graduate Student at University of Missouri – Saint Louis graciously accepted this year’s Collegiate Excellence in the study and practice of marketing. Congratulations UMSL Marketing Club and UMSL College of Business.

The AMA, Saint Louis Chapter did a great job putting on a conference with expert guidance of speakers and events by our moderator and master of ceremonies Bill Ellis. Congratulations chapter president Nick Niehaus and the board of the Saint Louis Chapter of the American Marketing Association. Special Thanks to the University of Missouri - Saint Louis College of Business for hosting this year's production.

Special Education and Me

 

I’m not the first teacher to admit that I learn more from my students than I could ever hope to teach. I started on my journey around 2013 when I decided to work as a paraprofessional with the Special School District of Saint Louis. This would become the third career path I have followed in my working life. (Out of college, I was determined to work in big time advertising once I completed my University of Miami MBA in 1982. Years later I decided, in 1998, to pursue the avenue of marketing/communication in corporate environments. Fontbonne University was instrumental in preparing me for teacher certification in Missouri with the completion of a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) in 2018.

I fancy myself a “lifelong learner” with a couple of key pillars in my personal philosophy: 1. 80% of life is showing up. 2. Little things are BIG things. Showing up, for me, is very much about a kind of mindfulness that allows me to be present. Little things, I have noticed, are so often not small or unimportant at all. Allow me to share some examples that may help you understand what I mean. Names and identities are not shared here and the cases are further obscured by my accounts of observed behaviors.

• A young man was agitated when I tried to calm him down with statements like, “Don’t worry. Calm down. It will be okay.” To which he responded in no uncertain terms “No it will NOT be okay.” His teacher helped me understand empathic listening. By noting the individual showing signs of being upset you may be able to assist in helping him self-regulate.
• A girl in middle school who has hearing aids tries to out-insult her peers (mostly boys) who insist on bullying her. She yells and tries to win by sinking to the inappropriate levels of her tormentors. Maybe, she will gain life skills in combatting such assaults with a calmness that discourages the bully behavior. The challenge is to coach her to try alternatives in dealing with this adversity.
• A boy with Down Syndrome is delighted by participation in a group activity with a colorful parachute. He stubbornly refuses to return to class when the recess is over. This requires finesse to help this boy understand the nature of a scheduled program. and gain trust by empowering the student to a kind of guided independence in routines. His dad would pick him up at the end of the school day – a perfect time to get him used to trusting cues like “It’s time to go.”
• The Individual Education Program (IEP) indicates that a young man frequently complains about classmates not following the rules. Part of the solution, it turned out was giving this student a journal. The book of concerns and complaints became a sort of therapy that helped this youngster channel concerns worth noting.
• Safely securing a student on the school bus often resulted in aggressive horseplay that was a recurring problem for driver and aids. The student with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) became more cooperative with a routine review at the end of each day with a visual “social story” that helped him understand what expectations of his behavior.
• Task boxes and instruction that allows a scholar with ASD and Intellectual Disabilities to focus with fading prompts allow a student to gain confidence. Sorting items by shape and/or color practicing dexterity and the use of hands and the body helps build skills.
• A girl with a history of abuse would inexplicitly make noise and fret in class. Her teacher identified a place in the room that was a safe spot with the rhyme “sugar and spice and everything nice”. It became a sort of code to help her feel safe. It can be critical to consider trauma informed care. 
• A student of mine claimed an affinity for science but suffered from Attention Deficit Disorder. He learned about Leonardo Da Vinci and what it meant to be a Renaissance Man. His mother appreciated this awareness as a way to promote interests in multiple content areas and growth/maturity as he sought to improve in his academics.
• Another student with a diagnosis of Oppositional Defiant Disorder publicly resisted instruction until she learned that actions (within her control) could result in outcomes such as freedom to participate in Cheerleading (good choices).
• Sometimes students show segmented skill sets. A student I knew seemed fluent in reading until the reality showed that he lacked comprehension of what he was reading. (Another student was able to write neatly from work in front of him but also lacked comprehension skills). These two students were dramatic illustrations of the need for differentiation of instruction.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) amendment of 1997 includes language which describes methods used to identify and support desired behaviors in the school setting. The educational research community has been developing and studying Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) ever since. It seeks to reduce or eliminate poor behavior schoolwide through the encouragement of positive behaviors. 

In my classroom I like to suggest just a handful of rules: Be Safe. Be Kind. Be Cooperative. Be Peaceful.