ThatsGreat.org

Tonight was the first artwalk I’ve been to in a while, and the halls were surprsingly sparse, especially given how popular the summer artwalks tend to be.  On the positive side, this gave me the time to wander through to every nook and cranny of 619, which I haven’t done for some time.

That’s where, at the end of an unexpected series of turns, I found the work of Erin Kendig, “the Little Red Girl.”   Aside from her flawless execution, the level of poetry and soul in her work were breathtaking.  I won’t waste your time trying to explain exactly what it is that she does, but instead talk about my favorite piece (shown at left).

To me, this perfectly captures the cold winter of the city’s soul:  that even draped in the urban center’s intense liveliness we can be in our own solitary forests.  Yes, the woman says to the little red girl (who like le petit prince appears in every work), here I am in the center of the city, I am the center of the city, and yet I am still naked and alone.

It amazed me to learn that this is the first time Erin is showing her work - I’m betting that she’ll skyrocket quickly to fame.  I would expect Roq la Rue would be dying to show her work right away, and since Jason and Donna were there (former and current members of the ArtReach board), we told her about ArtReach and encouraged her to submit her work for the next event.  I also submitted the link to BoingBoing, as I expect they will love this as well.

You can see many of her other works at her website (which is also beautifully done!); there’s also some more information about sizing, etc. at her flickr page.

UPDATE: I just bought this piece from Erin - it turns out it *was* for sale after all (I’d read the wrong card).  Also, she’s going to be in a group showing at the Suite 100 Gallery in the fall - details to come!

This makes me happy.  From The Guardian via the Wonderland blog:

Boys are not innately better at maths than girls, and any difference in test scores is due to nurture rather than nature, researchers suggested today.

According to new research published in the journal Science, the "gender gap" in maths, long perceived to exist between girls and boys, disappears in societies that treat both sexes equally. When girls have equal access to education and other opportunities they do just as well as boys in maths tests.

Not a big surprise to most of us, but it’s nice to see yet another study confirming it.