After the success of the 2008 HBO Emmy award-winning documentary, “The Art of Failure: Chuck Connelly Not for Sale”, (which documented his slow and shaky rise back to the top of the art world) Connelly is being honored with a retrospective of his work.

I was walking down Main Street on the night of the November 12th Downtown LA Artwalk and came upon this show. The exhibit was at the Arty Gallery, 634 S. Main St. The artist featured was the Co-founder , past president and CEO of Aaron Brothers Art-Marts, Len Aaron. He usually sells his work between $500 and $5,000. This evening he was having a “Recession Sale” , some selling for as low as $50! He calls his paintins “primitive abstract mixed-media” paintings (oil, water-based, and acrylic paints) by pouring colors from atop a jungle gym ladder onto canvases below.

In 1890, William Jennings Bryan pontificated his way into historical relevance by proposing a monetary standard based on silver. Experts roundly condemned Bryan’s choice in precious metal as ridiculous, and further derided his selection of pocket-watches. “Brings out his stomach roll,” said one oft-quoted but rarely cited Yale scholar.

If you enjoyed reading about the Cautionary Tales – Feral Structures exhibit in the January/February issue, check out the slideshow from the opening. The exhibit features not only Berenika Boberska’s amazing installation, but also the incredibly unique work of Louise Clarke, Zoe Hodgeson, Dominique Golden, Sarah Gillett, Ilaria Mazzoleni, and Neil Rollinson.

Stadiums usually offer seating in a 360 degree configuration, allowing a spectator to sit anywhere and watch the proceedings on the center field. For this reason, stadiums offer insight into human perception, and the difficulty of governing our collective affairs. Arguably there are better seats, such as those situated right on the field, or those in the spacious comfort of a private box. However, from any seat, a spectator can still see what’s going on, and his or her viewpoint is as valid as the viewpoint of the air-conditioned execs in the private box. But what do each of them perceive? And how do we arbitrate this fundamental difference in perception so that we can agree on what reality is?