Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum – Page 2

A Thing of Vision – 16 local collectors share their private works at CAF

May 21, 2010May 26, 2015 tedmills Leave a comment

Martin Eder's "Chasse aux Papillons," from the collection of Mike Healy and Tim Walsh. Photos Courtesy of CAF — Martin Eder’s “Chasse aux Papillons,” from the collection of Mike Healy and Tim Walsh.
Photos Courtesy of CAF

The idea for “Visionaries,” Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum’s new show opening tomorrow night, came from the various trips Miki Garcia and Valerie Velazquez have taken as part of their job. Not trips far afield or to other museums, but ventures closer to home, to the houses of the board members of CAF. While discussing business or making social calls, the two couldn’t help but witness the collections on display and how the members supported not just CAF, but the artists in the gallery and contemporary art as a whole.

“Seeing how people incorporate these pieces in their home is an art in itself,” Velazquez says.

All Aboard the Xprez — Half-animation, half-performance piece brings the weird to CAF Thursday

February 26, 2010May 8, 2015 tedmills Leave a comment

Above: screenshots from the animated centerpiece to the new CAF show "Cartune XPrez." Photo courtesy of Hooliganship — Above: screenshots from the animated centerpiece to the new CAF show “Cartune XPrez.”
Photo courtesy of Hooliganship

Sometimes, a childhood spent watching Saturday morning cartoons pays off. For Peter Burr, one half of the artistic collective/band Hooliganship, now performs inside one (sort of) in the Cartune Xprez performance coming to the Contemporary Arts Forum next week.

Half animation revue, half performance, all weird, Cartune Xprez (its name a nod to USA Network’s own animation show) grew out of the minds of Burr and his co-conspirator Christopher Doulgeris.

Penny for Your Artistic Vision? — The Amazing Animated Jukebox’ returns for CAF’s January First Thursday

January 1, 2010May 8, 2015 tedmills Leave a comment

Rapper Azeem and Director Ben Stokes video for "Latin Revenge," above, and Russian rock band Lyapis Trubetskoy's video for "Capital," below, have made the cut for "The Amazing Animated Jukebox, Vol. 2." — Rapper Azeem and Director Ben Stokes video for “Latin Revenge,” above, and Russian rock band Lyapis Trubetskoy’s video for “Capital,” below, have made the cut for “The Amazing Animated Jukebox, Vol. 2.”

Ever since MTV devoted an entire network to airing music videos and record companies saw the potential for an all-encompassing marketing tool, visual imagery has become synonymous with music. While a bevy of musicians have embraced the medium to either make a fashion statement or sculpt an image, their more creative counterparts have effectively employed music videos as a means to an alternative creative perspective. When local filmmaker and writer Ted Mills presents a second installment of animated music videos at Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum next Thursday with “The Amazing Animated Jukebox Vol. 2,” it is to the latter that the curator will be paying specific homage.

“These are videos for musicians who don’t need to be the star of the video,” explained Mills. “You will see that, over the years, Radiohead appear in their videos less and less. When they first started out, they were your typical band and were in the videos. These days, if you see Thom Yorke you’re lucky. These tend to be artists that aren’t interested in themselves as rock or pop stars.”