I was wondering why nobody has been commenting the last few days! Apparently we’ve hit a little bug- we just fixed it. So comment away!

Chad Kouri from The Post Family came to visit me yesterday all the way from Chicago. It was fun- thanks Chad! I’ll be sharing his sketchbook later this week. Chad brought me a copy of this really interesting, really nicely designed new art publication Proximity. And while I usually leave it up to these guys to share the best publications out there, this one I had to post about. Printed on all different colored paper is interviews with artists, photographic studio tours, artist portfolios and articles on the issue theme- this one happens to be “Cities”. I am saving this magazine for the future, I mean not just because of the beautiful design, but because if I visit any of the cities they cover, Berlin, Helsinki, New Orleans, etc. I’ll know where to go. They list artist run spaces, galleries, museums and cool shops not to miss. You can learn more about Chicago based Proximity here.

ps. the image on the homepage is artist Benjamin June’s Iraq Suicide Attack Pillow Project: A Memorial. For each suicide bombing in Iraq, there’s been over 1,300, he’s creating a pillow as part of a large memorial. It’s really striking to see the photo of them all up on a wall each embroidered with a car, truck or vest- however it was carried out and a tally of how many people were killed. Attacks that killed more than 100 people get a lace trim on their pillow. I think it’s a really incredible and horrifying piece.

© Julia Rothman 2007