The Long Beach Museum of Art is preparing a new exhibition titled Sweet Subversives, which will open October 16, 2009 on the first floor of the Museum’s gallery pavilion. Sweet Subversives is a unique gathering of 31 drawings by Southern California artists who explore their personal vision of what a drawing means to them and how they achieve this vision.

Rob Schrab fidgets across from me in a large, sunken green chair in his living room, adjusting positions at least three times before he settles comfortably into the seat. He has, after all, quite a lot to be excited about: his recent Emmy win for “Outstanding Music and Lyrics,” which he co-wrote for the opening number at this year’s Academy Awards, a recurring directing and writing role on Comedy Central’s The Sarah Silverman Program, and the consummation of the long-anticipated comeback of Scud The Disposable Assassin: The Whole Shebang.

Whenever I find myself in a conversational lull–say, in an elevator, at a distant cousin’s wedding, or perhaps even admist the strum und drang of my chosen work environment–I bring up Lou Reed. He never fails me. People start finger popping, mumbling about walking on wild sides, or alternatively searching for a vein in their arm to puncture. The astute ones will make Laurie Anderson references, and others will try to pick apart Reed’s greater cultural impact. Sure, they’ll say, the Velvet Underground has attained deification, and rightfully so. But what about Reed’s solo work? Is “Sex With Your Parents (Motherfucker) Part II” really Guggenheim material?

Drew Hancock is an LA-based photographer, director, animator and illustrator. He shares with us three beautiful shorts with music by The One AM Radio. Using a combination of cinematography, animation and photography, “Pipes”, “Highway” and “Clay Flowers” are sure to amaze and inspire.

SYNOPSIS
Journalist, James Stanley, is faced with the imminent birth of his child. Having decided to forego the test that would determine whether his child is carrying the all-important “Super-S” gene, which differentiates the genetic makeup of a superhero from that of a normal person, James sets out on a quest to interview forty-five super-powered individuals in the hope that their experiences may better prepare him for the birth of a child that is potentially gifted with extraordinary abilities. On his journey, he encounters characters from all walks of life; from single mothers struggling to raise gifted children, to rebellious super-teenagers, all the way through to those reaching the end of their lives. But what starts as a voyage of personal discovery becomes something far more ominous when he crosses paths with an organization known as XoDOS.