Sunday, December 27, 2009

La Femme La Frida



Frida Kahlo is one of my all time favorite visual artists. I suppose that it is a cliche to say that now as Frida's images saturate greeting cards, pop art, websites, books, and everything else. Everyone has seen the movie. She was a genius-creative and a wounded left-leaning revolutionary, who made fantastic paintings and lived an admirable and interesting life (in my book, anyway).

It's always a catch-22 when someone you've long admired becomes part of the collective consciousness and moves the masses, or at least becomes familiar to the masses. Usually, I lose a little of my lust for the art or the person when that happens-- like the revival of interest in The Beat generation. Jack Kerouac in chinos for the Gap. Bleh.

I don't just like her because she was a lady painter. Frida owns a little piece of love from me for being a pinko commie revolutionary and making great work, which is so visually interesting, feminist, agonizing, funny, and rich with symbology. Steve and I saw the retrospective of her work at The Walker Art Center in 2007. It was intense. From the crowds, jostling for position in front of her work with their headphones to hear about the specific work to the sheer volume of pieces and the intensity of the work itself. Wowsa.

Here's the terrifying bus scene from the movie done by The Brothers Quay.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Solstice Sunday: Patti Smith Edition

I was feeling particularly moved by the work and action of Patti Smith this morning. Smith has long been in my top 100 women who kick ass list. She has influenced music, been a fearless liberal activist, is a die-hard New Yorker, and for 40 years bands from all over the world have cited her influence. She is a poet and the godmother of punk and I pretty much worship the ground she sings on. Her music is so filled with energy and emotion. I love her holiday music too. She sings holiday music! Smith gave up her driver's license on purpose so she could "see more" and she has been a fearless advocate against recent military actions by Israel, Iran, and the US.

Here she is singing Dark Eyes with Bob Dylan. Love. Happy Solstice!

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Huzzah! I'm Back!



"Before you can be anything, you have to be yourself. That's the hardest thing to find." E.L. Konigsburg

OMG, I forgot about you guys and feminism! Just Kidding! What I did do was start two new blogs this Fall, Super Mon & Wolverine and Books 4 Hotties, the former co-authored with my husband-o and major partner in crime, Wolverine, formerly known as Kermit/Steve/Steve-O and the latter co-authored with Little Junkie, around books and our book club, Book Club 4 Hotties. Both blogs are hosted by Wordpress (sorry Blogger) which I like immensely more than Blogger.

The idea was really to move into blogging on Super Mon & Wolverine and not on here because I wanted to do what I do best (talk about my little life) using wordpress. I liked talking about feminist issues, but I felt like I was just reporting on what all the other feminist blogs were doing. But, then I was feeling like I was missing that feminist thing. So, here I am. Survival of the Feminist is back. For now. I know, I have done this before. I'm a tease of the feminist kind.

So, I've been focused on writing these blogs, reuniting with long lost friends, Book Club, work, raising The Kid, and watching Glee, and assembling a multitude of Legos.

All these things have inspired me to come back here to Survival of the Feminist and write about raising a kid with feminist values, feminist books for teens or kids or young adults, feminist blogs, feminist magazines and resources, movies, and so on and so forth. I think that will be an excellent project for Super Mon and Survival of the Feminists. What are some of your favorites? Here are some of mine so far with no rhyme or reason:

bell hooks Feminism is for Everybody
Bust Magazine
Bitch Magazine
New Moon Magazine (nothing to do with the movie)by girls and for girls
The Diary of Anne Frank
The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place by E.L. Konigsberg
Inkheart Series by Cornelia Funke