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Mail Art: Welcomes from the IUOMA

I've started exchanging Mail Art again.  I've even joined the International Union of Mail-Artists  and have sent some out! Here are the first three I've received from other members of the IUOMA! Remember to click on the image to see a bigger version.

 
Altered Postcard | Richmond, VA, USA


Original Watercolor | Harrisonburg, PA, USA


Altered Postcard | London, England

Yay!

Want to join the fun? E-mail me or join the IUOMA!

Ironic

So, I'm reading my RSS feeds and keeping an eye on "Sicko" (Micheal Moore propaganda about how awful US healthcare is), hearing about how wonderful Britain's NHS medical system is when I click on Seahorse's blog and read:

"I thought I'd leave it a week or so before posting about my new NHS wheelchair. You know, the one that took three years getting to me".

New Grant Open to Visual Artists Worldwide

ARTWORKinternational, Inc. of Santa Fe, NM newly announces a privately funded grant. The Artist Business Career Development Grant totals $12,000, establishing it as one of the primary, international, monetary-support grants for visual artists. The Artist Business Career Development Grant parallels Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and Pollock Krasner Foundation Inc. as per their open submission policy. In contrast, several major granting foundations have assumed a review process of nomination-only.

Uniquely, the Artist Business Career Development Grant (or ABCD Grant) offers unrestricted support to visual artists by placing priority on advancing the grantee’s career. While the granting period extends over one year, the continued benefits are exponential, continuing throughout the artist’s lifetime.

ARTWORKinternational Inc.’s mission is to create a global presence for visual artists. They foster excellence in the realization of each artist’s ultimate potential. Facilitating the career development of contemporary visual artists, they utilize three decades of cumulative experience amassed by their team of art professionals.

In light of the current global economy, ARTWORKinternational, Inc. conceived of, and released the ABCD Grant—an uncharted grant accessible to visual artist applicants worldwide, of any background, working in any media, at any stage of their career. Through the ABCD Grant, ARTWORKinternational, Inc. is able to further realize its mission by offering full-spectrum career development to the selected artist(s) free of charge.

ARTWORKinternational, Inc. has been in business for over a decade, and boasts an exemplary history of successful full-spectrum career development and placement for artists with museums, galleries, non-profit groups, sculpture gardens, public art venues, funding institutions, etc. ARTWORKinternational, Inc. has worked with the most prestigious art venues throughout the world, including prominent art publications, contemporary curators, critics, collectors, and dealers. ARTWORKinternational, Inc. serves as the liaison between the artist and art world.

Since its inception ARTWORKinternational, Inc. has worked directly with over six thousand contemporary art venues, across the globe, on behalf of their clients.

Scholarships Available To PWD for Self-Employment Webcast Series

Virginia Commonwealth University Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC)on Workplace Supports and Job Retention are offering scholarships to people with disabilities for their entrepreneur training webcast series entitled, 2009 Self-Employment Webcast Series sponsored by Self-Employment Technical Assistance, Resources, & Training (START-UP / USA).

The series features 6 webcasts with topics such as “Inclusive Entreprenuership and “Three Models of Self-Employment”, it looks to be an interesting and informative  webcast series for those of us who are self-employed or who are interested in self-employment for people with chronic and disabling conditions.

START-UP / USA  is a partnership between Virginia Commonwealth University and Griffin-Hammis and Associates, LLC providing technical assistance and disseminating resources nationally to individuals interested in pursuing self-employment. This includes the live web cast series with successful entrepreneurs who share their secrets for success.

RRTC’s  mission is “to study those supports that are most effective for assisting individuals with disabilities maintain employment and advance their careers. The primary stakeholders for this project are persons with disabilities, with an emphasis on those who are unemployed, underemployed or at risk of losing employment”.

You can register online for the series or contact Teri Blankenship at tcblanke@vcu.edu to learn more about scholarships for people with disabilities who would like to participate in the webcast series.

You're Invited!

 

It's almost empty now but in a week I am celebrating the opening of my new workspace located right next door to 12 12 Gallery and you're invited! If you have missed any of my recent shows, this is a great time to come see my new works and help me choose a name for my new place to create.

Date:	Sunday, May 17, 2009
Time:	2:00pm - 5:00pm
Location:	Krishanna's Untitled Workspace
Street:	14 E. 12th Street
City/Town:	Richmond, VA
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Goddess of the Month: Freyja

By Tinnekke Bebout

WHO IS FREYJA?

Freyja is one of the most important Goddesses in the Norse pantheon. According to the Eddas, a group of epic poems from Iceland, She is the Goddess of love, beauty, battle, magick, prophecy, wealth, and fertility.

Freyja is also the leader of the Valkyries, immortal maidens who were choosers of those slain in battle who were worthy to go to Valhalla and dwell with the Gods, and half of those chosen would go to Her to dwell in Her hall Fólkvangr. She was often prayed to by people in love who wanted a happy relationship or those who wanted to find true love.

Freyja was invoked at the spring planting for good weather and a good harvest and by women in childbirth. The ancient Norse art of Seid, a form of witchcraft practiced by women called völva or seiðkona, was said to have been created by Freyja. In the Ynglinga Saga, it states "Njörðr’s daughter was Freyja. She presided over the sacrifice. It was she who first acquainted the AEsir with seiðr, which was customary among the Vanir". Some of Her other titles include:

Den Väna Solen - The Fair Sun
Vanadís - Fair Goddess
Mardöll - Sea Bright
Gefn - The Giver
Sýr - Sow
Valfreyja - Mistress of the Chosen

Worship of Freyja

Sadly, due to the extreme militancy of the Christians as they assimilated parts of Scandinavia, there is little knowledge of Freyja's rites or holy sites. There is an account in the Droplaugarsona Saga of the temple of Ölvusvatn, Iceland having statues of Freyja and Frigg seated on high thrones and wearing garments and ornaments of gold and silver.

Fortunately, those in modern Iceland, Denmark, and Norway have not forgotten their Goddess entirely and the modern rites of the Asatru are reclaiming the worship of all the Norse Gods in those countries - where they have official sanction and recognition - as well as in the US.

There are many places named after Her, and some ideas of what Her worship may have been like can be gleaned from the Eddas and other surviving Norse literature. Few images of Her survive, but She is described as flaxen-haired, blue-eyed, and extremely beautiful. There are many accounts of Freyja wearing a falcon feather cloak and the celebrated necklace Brisingamen. She was so associated with gold and gems that there are many references to those things as "Freyja's Tears".

In one story from the book According to Norse Mythology - The Myths and Legends of the Nordic Gods by Arthur Cotterell Freyja is described in this way:  "Freyja flew over the earth, sprinkling morning dew and summer sunlight behind her. She shook spring flowers from her golden hair and wept tears which turned to gold or to amber at sea." She is said to ride in a chariot pulled by lynxes or other wild cats depending on the account, and She has a golden boar who accompanies Her. The constellation Orion was called "Freyja's Gown" and the belt of Orion was known as "Freyja's Girdle".

The Kennings of Freyja from the Prose Edda by Snorri Sturluson (trans Thorpe) (Icelandic circa 1300 CE) :

Gold is called Tears of Freyja:
Many a fearless swordsman
Received the Tears of Freyja
The more the morn when foemen
We murdered; we were present
Ródi's Roof's great Ice-Lump
For the Rain of Freyja's Eyelids
Grows not less, my fair axe-head;
His age my lord so useth.
I received the Ice of Wed Rims,
With Freyja's golden Eye-Thaw,
From the upright prince high-hearted;
We bear in hand the Helm's Hurt.
Gold is called Tears of Mardöll:
Where, mounted 'twixt the carvings,
The Tear of Mardöll lieth,
We bear the axe shield-splitting,
Swollen with Serpent's lair-gold.
The free-handed Lord gave,
The heroes accepted,
Sif's firm-grown tresses,
Ice of the bow-force,
Otter-gild unwilling,
Weeping of Mardöll,
Fire-flame of Órun,
Idi's fine Speeches.
Gold is called Tears of Óðr's Bride:
The shield, tempest's strong roof-ice,
With tear-gold is unminished,
The Eye-rain of Óðr's Bride:
His age the King so useth.
Jewel is called Child of Hörn:
Hörn's Child, the glorious adornment,
I own, gold-wound a jewel
Most fair to the shield's rim
Fast is the golden Sea-Flame:
Gem is called Niece of Freyr, Gold is called Tears of Hnoss's Mother:
On the gem, Freyr's Niece, the tear-drift
Of the fore-head of her Mother
She bears; the Raven-Feeder
Gave me Fródi's seed-gold's fostering.
Gem is called Child of Njörðr's Daughter:
A defence of songs full goodly
He freely gave me, neighbor
Of sea-scales: I praise gladly
Njörðr's Daughter's golden gem-child.
Fair things are called Daughter of Freyja:
The awesome Stately Urger
Of Odin, he who raises
The struggle stern, gave to me
The courage-stalwart daughter
Of the Vana-Bride, my fair axe;
The valorous sword-mote's Ruler
Led Gefn's girl to the Skald's bed,
Set with the sea-flame's gold-work.