Introducing…The Lemonader!

Ever think, "Gosh, those ArtBikes are so darn cool. If only there was a way to use them as an incredibly original marketing tool while also promoting a local and environmentally-friendly lifestyle that I find valuable to our community!"

Well, reader, you are not the only one. We here at Modern Art have been thinking the same thing. That's why we have partnered with The Common Wheel to bring you ArtBike Lancaster. Here is our flagship bike, The Lemonader, a bike we created with Lemon Street Market for their store. Photographs by Code the Photographer from Growing Tree Photography.

I know what you are thinking: "How can I create my own ArtBike for my business/organization?!?" It's simple. Just contact us at Modern Art and we will be happy to get you on your way to a new, socially engaged way of marketing.

weirdo@itsmodernart.com (717)824-5563

We want your embarrassing stuff!

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Remember that sappy love poem you wrote your first boyfriend? Those goth song lyrics you wrote about hating your parents? The painting you made of a sunset in middle school? We’ve all been there, baby!

Modern Art is looking for your embarrassing materials.

Think of any creative endeavor you're embarrassed to have ever made or been involved in. We want to use it as part of an on-going installation in our storefront:

Journal entries (high school, middle school, LiveJournal entries…)

Poetry or Stories

Sketchbook drawings

Photographs

Notes/Love Letters

Videos

Songs (you’ve written or performed)

Clothing

Recipes

Dioramas

Or anything else you want to share

Items can be emailed to jo@itsmodernart.com or call (717) 824-5563 to arrange a drop off time at Modern Art (529 W. Chestnut Street, Lancaster City).

Join us on June 6th for the opening of this embarrassing exhibition, including a reading hosted by The Triangle and Modern Art. Performers are invited to sign up in advance to read/share their embarrassing item. Help us celebrate the creative histories we all have.

Note: You can participate in the exhibit, the reading, or both!

To learn more about this project, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1707120269514717/  or call (717) 824-5563

ArtBike Lancaster

HARNESSING COMMUNITY ENERGYModern Art and The Common Wheel will join forces with your business or organization and talented local art students to create an original ArtBike specific to your needs. The bikes can be used for deliveries, errands, joy-rides . . . the list is endless!

WHAT’S THE POINT? ArtBike Lancaster leverages our city’s best strengths—community collaboration, local businesses, and a commitment to the arts—to encourage biking. The City of Lancaster has stated its interest to bolster its bike infrastructure because it recognizes the advantages to embracing a bike-friendly community. Everyone benefits when more people use bikes! Aside from being just plain fun and healthy, it is also great for our community—reduced congestion downtown, an increase in local small business commerce, a considerable reduction in pollution, emissions and costs associated with automobile use means using your bike instead of your car is one of the best ways to positively impact your community.

By participating, your business/organization will be promoted in a creative, city-friendly way. The bike is a recognizable mobile advertisement that can be parked in front of your establishment or spotted on city streets. In addition to using the bike itself as a marketing tool, your organization will appear in publications and local media with our promotional packaging. Plus you will save money on gas. The bikes represent the creativity and innovation that abounds in our community.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED Want an ArtBike Lancaster bike—for you, your business, or a cause you cherish? Interested in working with us to create these bikes? Contact Modern Art to talk about a commission or ways you can collaborate.

Here are some photos of Lemon Street Market's bike, The Lemonader.

Modern Art 529 West Chestnut Street, Lancaster PA 17603 (717) 824-5563 weirdo@itsmodernart.com

Watch out people, here come the VULCANS!!!

TINY MODERN CONCERT ALERT:

This Friday we excitingly welcome the VULCANS to the Tiny Modern Stage. Doors open at 7:30, Music starts at 8pm BYOB (21+) or drinks available by donation.

"Looking to the future, Vulcans will continue to do what they do best: celebrate the purity and honesty of folk music, entertain and enthrall with their haunting harmony, and give their listeners the greatest listening experience possible. Above all however, Vulcans seek to bring clarity and simplicity in these complicated times; they strive to remind their audience of a time and place they once knew. It's time to come home." Check them out here.

To all those folks. You know who you are.

We had a fantastic time at F & M's Writers House last night talking about failure, energy and community. There was audience participation, a traveling space machine, men fumbling with tampons and lots of good cheer. Thanks a million to all of those folks that came out to support us and hear our story. An especially big thanks to Kerry Sherin Wright and Joanna Underhill for the invitation.

The 10,000 That Won't Work: A Talk on Creativity and Failure

TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 7:30pm Franklin & Marshall College, Philadelphia Alumni Writers House (600 College Ave, Lancaster)

Join Jo and Libby for a lecture at the F&M Writer's House about crossword puzzles, electricity, failure, hope, funny bikes, lunar advice, the Mona Lisa and more. There will be prizes and many pretty pictures.

Dared by a Drawer: Lucy and Chris

Winter got you down?Well then what better to warm you up than this sweet story of a couple drawer dares by one of our favorite couples. Here goes....

Chris and Lucy contemplate the choice: TRUTH or DRAWER?

Lucy's not afraid. She dares to pick DRAWER. But...which drawer will she pick?

Finally she decides. We are at the edge of our seats. What must she do???

Put on the Purple wig. Perform and (sic) act of kindness. Can she complete this daring dare?

It appears she can! But to whom will she deliver the act of kindness?

What!!? A sweet, kind hug for our very own Jo?!?! Now that's daring, kind (and pretty damn cute.)

Right back atcha, Lucy.

Lucy receives her well-earned and fitting award: a poster of the Pretty Lady.

And now it's Chris' turn. Can he top his fiancee's superb drawer dare performance?

It appears he's gonna try: Chris selects his drawer.

Oh my. It reads:

"Find a National Geographic Magazine. Find a picture that speaks to you. Cut it out, crumble it up, put it in your mouth and chew. chew. chew. chew. chew."

He's located the magazine. (Good job, Chris.)

He's found a picture that speaks to him. A lovely waterfall.

Looks like he's tearing it out! Oh man....is he gonna do this??

And now he's crumpling! This is getting exciting!

He puts it in his mouth. But will he chew?

Oh yes he will! He will chew, chew, chew.

and chew.

Congratulations, Chris. You earned your trophy.

Display it with pride.

For more Truth or Drawer stories, click here.

(And wondering what the heck Truth or Drawer is? Check this out.)

CONGRATULATIONS BETSY OLMSTED!

After much anticipation we have finally awarded this year's #1 Rodent Magnet to Betsy Olmsted. What can we say…she really deserved it this year. For all of those other hopefuls - better luck next year. It's a wide world of rodents out there - go attract 'em!

SPACE MACHINE FOUND ON THE MOON TO DEBUT FRIDAY THE 13TH

The Space Machine Found on the Moon (undated, artist unknown) was discovered during the last few moments of the Apollo 17 mission to the surface of the moon. Later—in interviews—astronaut Elizabeth Johannson claimed to be the one who spotted it, stating “I’ve always been attracted to shiny things.” After being transported back to earth, the machine was detained and quarantined by the United States government. For ten years it was studied, scanned, probed, and analyzed by scientists and leading scholars. The machine would not open and no evidence was gathered as to what it might contain, although after vigorous shaking a handful of mysterious tokens fell out. In 1982, the government released a statement saying that the space machine—although intriguing—presented no terroristic or alien threat. The machine was then handed over to religious leaders, and in 1990, was the subject of the world’s first mass exorcism. Over 100 priests gathered around it, chanting and praying in an attempt to cast its “evil spirits” out. When the religious community could not force the machine to open, it was pronounced Satanic. Six years later, the space machine was purchased by a wealthy patron of the arts during a “fire sale” designed to save the church from impending financial distress. The machine—to him—was not an instrument of terror or Satan, nor did it contain secrets of the universe. He considered the space machine an object of pure art in its truest form. It remained in his private collection until his death in 2008, after which the machine was donated to an undisclosed art museum. During a press interview, the curator of this collection (who has, to this day, chosen to remain anonymous) revealed that they were mystified. “We have no idea what it is,” she said. “...or why it was donated to us. We never knew how to display it, or where, or with what other pieces. It’s just sitting in a storage room in the basement.”

This one-of-a-kind work of art, discovered on the surface of the moon in 1972, is now on display to the public for the first time ever.

Exhibition Tour Dates and Locations The exhibition was created by the Modern Foundation® and organized for travel by the Triangle Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (TITES). “The Space Machine,” its national tour, and related programs are made possible by the Carlo Rossi Fund. The exhibition will travel to 13 cities through 2015, launching in Lancaster, Pennsylvania at the Modern Art Studio. It will debut for the first time Friday the 13th of February from 6-9pm.

FRIDAY THE 13th: Photos, Flowers and a Space Machine Found on the Moon

Join us this Friday, February 13th, from 6-9pm to experience two amazingly beautiful things plus one very mysterious lunar thing.

The fantastically talented and all around stellar human being, Michelle Johnson, will be showing her photographs here at Modern Art. Coupled with flowers for sale by our favorite florist, Susannah Smith, you'll be surrounded by wonderful work created by wonderful people. There will also be potent aphrodisiacs, delicious morsels of hand-crafted snacks, live music, perhaps some dancing,  and plenty of interesting people with whom you may engage in exciting conversations.

And we are very excited to unveil the mysterious SPACE MACHINE FOUND ON THE MOON that mysteriously arrived on our doorstep recently. We think you will be as pleased as we are with what it can do.

See you on Friday!

Dared By A Drawer!

Here is our latest installment of Dared By A Drawer! It is when we share with you a heartwarming story from one of our favorite projects, Truth or Drawer. Below is the story of Cheryl's art dare. Cheryl selects a drawer. The dare is "Find the book titled: 'Ready to Use Old-Fashioned Animal Cuts.' Turn to page7. Find the solo cat head. Write a poem about this lovely sweet cat head. Leave the poem in this drawer." Cheryl finds the lovely sweet cat head. Can you find it? Cheryl composes her poem. Cheryl tries to keep it together while reading her poem to a small group of onlookers (onlisteners?) Cheryl graciously receives applause. She is presented with a special trophy, a cat-head trophy.

Modern Worker: (insert profession here) in Residence

BREAKING NEWS!!! The "Modern Worker (insert profession here) In Residence" has just been announced. And we are so pleased that the inaugural Modern Worker will be the talented Erin Dorney, Writer, and co-founder of The Triangle.

Erin will be in residence at our studio for the week of January 19, 2015. She'll be working on her manuscript of erasure poems sourced from Shia LaBeouf (yup, Shia) media interviews. Two of these poems have been published in the Silver Birch Press Celebrity Free Verse Poetry Series and five more are forthcoming from Hobart this February.

It is very important to provide the proper productive environment for Ms. Dorney. So we need your help. Please raid your People magazine, your US Weekly, your Paris Review for any and all photos of Mr. LaBeouf that you can find so that we may cover her cubicle with them. Send them to Modern Art, 529 W. Chestnut St., Lancaster, PA 17603 asap. Your efforts will be acknowledged gratefully-- in print and over coffee as we talk about how awesome you are.

Modern Art will be open throughout the week of Erin's residency, so please stop in and see our very first Modern Worker  (insert profession here) in Residence at work! You can watch her write, ask her questions, and learn all about career trajectories of former Disney child actors.

For those of you modern workers who are interested in making the residency a "Your profession here"-in -Residence: Please send a letter of interest, briefly describing your work and how you think the residency will benefit you to libby@itsmodernart.com. Please note, we are open to all (legal) professions.

Hey, I Didn't Know That!

Just when you thought you knew every thing about the multitalented Sands Hall, we've got something else for you to file away in your little I Love Sands Hall journal.

She has appeared in several t.v. shows of the 80's, including Eight is Enough. You may remember the episode entitled, "Goals." Sands played the role of Barbara. Check out her performance in an episode of the poplar series, "Lou Grant" below.

http://www.imdb.com/video/hulu/vi3456631577/

COME TO MODERN ART THIS SUNDAY FROM 4-6pm TO ENJOY SANDS PERFORM & DRINK SOME WINE.

Truth Delivery

What better day than today to share with you a story from our Truth or Drawer folder. Please follow along below. Jo explains to Evan & Jenny the premise and rules of Truth or Drawer: T/D is a game for one player at a time. The player chooses between two options: Truth or Drawer. If the player picks Truth then s/he is led to a seat and the Truth is delivered to him/her. If the player picks Drawer then s/he is instructed to choose a drawer from our Aqua Cabinet of Mysteries. Each drawer contains an art dare. Whether the player chooses T or D, s/he has to follow though with his/her chosen option. The player will be rewarded with a prize after completing his/her Truth or Drawer. They find these rules funny. Jo is pleased. After choosing to have a truth delivered to her, Jenny is surprised by what she sees. She sees a gorilla coming towards her. The gorilla is holding a tray of truths that have been lovingly attached to the backs of vintage postcards. Jenny selects one. The gorilla is pleased. Jenny reads the truth. Jenny holds her truth. Pleased?

For more outrageous stories like this click here. To learn more about Truth or Drawer, click here.

An ArtBike Story

One of our favorite ArtBike stories is about Drew & Samantha. Drew is a neighbor of ours. His daughter Samantha was in town for a bit over the summer. They came by one day to borrow a bike. It went well so they came back again and again warming our hearts with each visit.

Dared By A Drawer

We'd like to share with you another heart warming story taken from our Truth or Drawer files. A young man and his family stopped in to play. Below are pictures of his experience.Read more about Truth or Drawer here.

You may not be able to see him barking (or maybe you can), but let us assure you, he did bark and it was funny.

Tiny Modern Concert: SANDS HALL, Sunday December 14

Modern Art is proud to welcome back one of our very favorite Tiny Modern performers, Sands Hall, on Sunday, Dec 14^th.

Sands will be playing her own tunes, joined by numerous musical friends, and asking the audience to join on some well-loved carols.  Children welcome. A joyous way to celebrate the advent of the holiday season: wine and cider, cheese and chocolate, and song! Join us! 12/14, 4:00-6:00; music begins at 4:30. (Those of you who braved the snowy sidewalks last year to hear Sands know this is a show not to be missed. It goes down as one of our fondest Modern Art moments.) Doors open at 4pm.

Sands, novelist, theatre artist, and singer/songwriter, has performed in venues ranging from small living rooms to large concert halls; one of her favorites is  Modern Art and she is delighted to be playing there again. You can find her on Facebook: Sands Hall, Writer; her website is www.sandshall.com, and she occasionally blogs at sandshall.wordpress.com. Her new CD, RUSTLER’S MOON, will be available.

Modern helpers

 

Thank you kindly to the lovely Reynolds Middle School students who helped out with our Modern Communication System last week. We are thankful for interesting ladies like you three!

FLASHBACK TUESDAY!

Remember those early days of Modern Art? We used to have a weekly peep-show through our Pine Street window. Oh the suprises! Here you see our sad little Smoking Girl just waiting for a funny joke or a good cup of coffee to brighten her day.

Ways If I Just

Well, it's about time that we tell the story of our project, Ways if I Just. We set word paintings free on the streets of Lancaster, PA this past spring in hopes of engaging with people that might not normally walk through the doors of Modern Art. We were also very interested in seeing which words would come back, if any. The results were surprising. Here's the full story.