My latest creation in a group exhibit at the Washington Pavilion

 

 

This exhibit is on display in the Visual Arts Center’s Gallery A from July 28, 2006, through October 1, 2006.

The pieces in this exhibit are also featured in an online, virtual gallery.

The computer punch card is an outmoded technology for recording digital information. Punch cards were once commonplace in an era when computers with vacuum tubes filled vast rooms in corporate office buildings. Keypunch operators punched holes into punch cards. Information was represented by the presence or absence of holes. Punch cards were tabulated and the data processed. Processing punch cards was meticulous and time-consuming work, but it was the cutting-edge technology of its time.

The punch card concept had originated with the Jacquard looms of the early 19th century. Jacquard looms were programmed using punch cards to weave complex patterns. Herman Hollerith used punch cards with mechanical tabulating machines for counting the 1890 U.S. Census. Hollerith founded one of the three companies that eventually merged to form the computer giant IBM. The standard punch card dimensions of 7 3/8” x 3 ¼” are identical in size to American currency prior to 1930. One corner of a punch card is cut to insure that it inserts correctly into machines. Mountains of paper punch cards were produced, punched, processed and eventually stored in boxes.

By the late 1960s, many people viewed the computer punch card as a cultural icon symbolic of contemporary high technology. Some people feared the punch card as a harbinger of a threatening new world order where human beings would become nameless numbers and individualism would be suppressed. Others saw the punch card and the incipient computer technology as the dawning of an age of scientific progress. By the mid1970s, the punch card was largely replaced by far more efficient information storage technologies. The punch card is now all but obsolete, though it still played a pivotal roll in the 2000 Presidential Election with its famous “hanging chad” controversy.

The computer punch cards in this exhibition were manufactured thirty-five years ago and belonged to the Visual Arts Center’s curator, Howard DaLee Spencer. They originally came from the computer center at Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Indiana. The cards were never punched and were stored in their original box.

The staff of the Visual Arts Center at the Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science mailed punch cards to a wide selection of artists and cultural figures across the country and around the world. They were instructed to create artworks using the punch cards and to return their artistic creations to the Visual Arts Center in a business reply envelope that accompanied each punch card. The artists agreed to donate their artworks to the Visual Arts Center. The artworks will become part of the Visual Arts Center’s Education Collection. The artists were otherwise free to write, paint, draw, cut, print, or do whatever they wished with the punch cards, in direct contradiction to the dire admonition famously printed on many computer punch cards —“Do not fold, bend, spindle or mutilate.”

This computer punch card mailing exhibition is unique. Mailing art exhibitions have been popular for many years. Artists have used punch cards to create works of art. Yet, as far as we can determine, no one has previously organized a mailing exhibition featuring artworks made with computer punch cards. The concept has intrigued many artists and has stimulated them to create some remarkable works of art. The Muse truly took hold! And to think that it was all inspired by something as simple as a computer punch card!

The Visual Arts Center at the Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science wishes to express its deepest gratitude to the highly inventive artists who have participated in this special exhibition. This computer punch card show would not have been possible without the generosity and creative genius of the artists. We sincerely appreciate their willingness to become a part of this landmark exhibit.

I’m sure by now you have heard about the backdoor legislation Gov. Mike and his legislative brother have pushed through to give their little brothers permission to open a distillery.

What I can’t figure out is where was our local media on this? I’m not just going to pick on the Angus about this, NO media reported on this. The bill passed on March 21, almost 6 months ago! Yet none of the media said a thing. Hell, even after the law went into effect July 1st, nothing has been said, over 40 days ago. Talk about dropping the ball on notifying the public! I guess I’m not opposed to a distillery in SD, we could use more, Jesse even mentioned to me, we should look into it. I’ve said on several occasions, alchohol and liquor sales should be 24/7. What bothers me is the blatant cronism, and the lack of ethics that went into passing this bill. But, I guess we shouldn’t be surprised, we have the biggest bullshitter ever to rule in SD as governor, of course, so far there has been ‘no comment’. Maybe the Angus should sue him to get the info, oh that’s right, they failed last time they tried that.

Well now for the fun stuff. Here is some names I came up with for the ‘Rounds Brothers’ Vodka. Send me yours, and I’ll post it:

Rounds Brothers, CRONISM Vodka

Rounds Brothers, PILOT’S CHOICE Vodka

Rounds Brothers, SOUTH DAKOTA ETHICS Vodka

Rounds Brothers, LIES, LIES, LIES Vodka – Do NOT enjoy in moderation

fb.art@sio.midco.net

This is Andi Zeisler, co-founder of BITCH magazine.

I don’t know what it is about feminists, but they really turn me on. Is that sexist? There is just something about a women with a brilliant mind and strong personality that is so hot! Maybe my mom didn’t hug me enough?

www.bitchmagazine.com

 

www.cafepress.com/25dp

WIKIPEDIA:

Controversy

In March of 2006, the Argus Leader came under fire for attempting to control distribution rights within the city of Sioux Falls.
The Argus Leader through a subsidiary company, News Center Distribution (NCD), had local businesses sign contracts saying that the Argus Leader controlled the publications to be distributed in their businesses.
The agreement allowed the Argus Leader to display and give away its free publications like Live, PetMag and City Style. Other independent publishers such as Prime, Renter’s Guide, the Shopping News and others would have to pay the Argus Leader a fee to distribute their publications.
But if the independent publishers didn’t pay the Argus Leader, they threatened to physically take their competitors magazines out of contracted businesses.
The Argus Leader’s move was viewed as a violation on First Amendment rights after they gained exclusive contracts to control distribution on property managed by the city of Sioux Falls. The City of Sioux Falls called the Argus Leader’s contracts with the city owned property: “A reasonable restriction on free speech.”
City lawyers said there was legal precedent to back up the move. They cited, ironically, cases where Gannett(the parent company of the Argus Leader) had sued and lost to gain access to the same type of property.
But when the controversy was made public, the city council canceled the contract with the Argus Leader distributor. The council said such a contract was a move in the direction of limiting free speech.
As for the private businesses that signed contracts with the Argus Leader distributor, many of them weren’t aware of what they had signed and said that they were mislead or confused by what the Argus Leader distributors had told them.
And the contracts themselves were shown not to hold much weight either. A local lawyer said that if a client had brought the contract to him for review, he would tell them, “They were crazy to sign it.”