I'm not saying anything by this, but as soon as I saw this I thought of the Chicago office...not saying anything with that...I'm just saying.

Part 1 of the photographic coverage...these from Lisa Y.

In the news biz, those stories that take a chronological look at a story are called "tick-tocks".  Thanks to Marta Strickland, now the whole world can get a peek inside the magic of Camp Organic straight from someone who went through it...and came out a winner!  Read up...

My Not-So Typical 72 Hours in Vegas
(Not the full story, just the good bits aka what I would have Twittered
given time)

WED MAY 14th
9:00 AM
Meet Team 7. My team looks tired, maybe we're just conserving energy?
Allard is an EM from NY, previously Netherlands. Andrew is a copywriter
from Toronto. Govid is IT from San Fran.

3:00 PM
Trip to the Boneyard under 95 degree sun. Diversion or inspiration?
Whatever the intent, the heat is killer and we are all ancy to get our
sins.

5:00 PM
The twist this season is "Brand Movement". Sounds reasonably
complicated. Brand movements require common values, community support,
growth mechanisms, authenticity, and a solid launch plan. Just think for
a second how easy that truly is to build for your current clients. Piece
of cake!!

5:15 PM
Whatever it is, don't let it be anger. Don't let it be anger! Team 7 =
ANGER.  Demo is working moms.

6:00 PM
Talking about planning a plan. My strategist weakness is revealed. Until
I have a diagram or bullet points on paper, my heart is not going to
start beating at a normal rate.

Robert Rauschenberg: 1925-2008

 

A co-worker and I were talking about a recent exhibition at MOMA, Color Chart: Reinventing Color, 1950 to Today  on the morning after the artist's death (at the time neither of us knew he had died). There's an interesting story about the piece in the show: he didn't have much money for paint so he would go to Canal Street and buy unlabeled cans of paint at ten cents a quart. Since he couldn't go back for more of the same color, his discipline was to use up all the paint. The exhibition has since closed. You can still see the work at:

 

http://www.moma.org/exhibitions/2008/colorchart

 

Art collecting 101:

 

I went to a wonderful event hosted by AXA Art at the Phillips de Pury auction house. It was a panel discussion about collecting in conjunction with Phillips' first Prints and Multiples Sale. Participating on the panel were collectors Sherry and Joel Mallin, art dealer and collector Maxwell Davidson IV and art advisor Renee Vara.  All the panelists agreed, you should buy what you love, look at everything, don't let someone tell you what to buy, and try not to buy what will match your couch.  One of the panelists advised against buying from a gallery with preconditions. The Mallins do everything themselves, they don't have a curator, advisor or registrar. Sherry Mallin said something very interesting, she said you should buy what speaks to you, if there's a piece you can't stand, you should investigate why, it could end up on your wall. She and her husband said you don't have to spend a lot of money to start a collection, look at the works of emerging artists. I primarily buy work of emerging artists because the price range is affordable. Joel Mallin said if we don't support the young artists of today, we won't have the older artists of tomorrow.

 

When you hear about student art shows, do go, if you're in Union Square on a Saturday, take a look at the art stalls, look at the work outside the museums.  Check out the non-profit galleries, these are the galleries who support the emerging artists. If you want only famous artist's names on your walls, you're not collecting art, and you haven't trained your eye for anything. Matching furniture, you're not collecting, you're decorating. Out goes the art should you change the color of your couch.  "You'll know you're a collector when you begin to buy obsessively" says Joel Mallin. I shared with him that I have art stored behind a bookcase, the sofa and in the closet, he said, 'you're a collector." Payment plans are always available. It's all relative, the beginning collector may have a payment plan of $200-300.00 per month, maybe less, the seasoned and wealthier collector may have a plan of $2000 -3000.00 per month.

 

Once the collecting bug bites, you will not be able to stop. Enjoy!

 

http://www.axa-art.com/

 

Shows to see:

 

Josephine Meckseper

Now through June 7th

Elizabeth Dee Gallery

545 West 20^th Street

212-924-7545

I loved the entire show, especially the video with a wonderful soundtrack. Go see the fighter jet transform into a Saab.

www.elizabethdeegallery.com

 

Zhang Huan : Blessings

Now through July 25th

Pace Wildenstein

545 West 22^nd St

534 West 25^th St.

At the 22^nd Street location, you'll have to climb a ladder to see a most incredible painting on the top of an enormous slab made of compressed ash. The painting is made of ash from incense temples. Then make your way up to 25^th Street to see a colossal figure made of animal hides, steel and wood. The figure is 15 feet tall! This was an "oh my goodness" type show for me. The painting reminded of Pearl S. Buck's  "The Good Earth".

http://www.pacewildenstein.com

 

Anish Kapoor

Now through June 25^th

Gladstone Gallery

515 West 24^th Street

530 West 21^st Street

Now through August 15^th

The artist sculpts forms using highly polished stainless steel. You have to see this, there's a work at the 24^th Street location, if you watch people walk up to it and keep walking it gives the illusion of walking into the sculpture but you haven't. It's almost holographic.

www.gladstonegallery.com

 

Do you want to see how we look in black and white? Go to MOMA to see:

Take your time: Olafur Eliasson
April 20-June 30, 2008

 

http://www.moma.org/exhibitions/exhibitions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LAS VEGAS -- Last week I was fortunate enough to have participated in Camp Organic 12.  When previous campers would talk as well as when I was watching the documentary, I couldn't help but wonder - how crazy can it really be?   I'm happy to say I now have firsthand knowledge.

In the past when I heard from previous campers that they didn't get much sleep I would assume either they were  A) exaggerating or B) spending too much effort on the wrong things..  Boy was I wrong..  It really is a race against time the moment you learn your sin.  

I was fortunate to have worked on projects with two of my fellow sinners but clearly I was the exception rather than the norm.  Take 4 or 5 strangers, from different disciplines & different cities, make them rethink their preconceived idea's, force them into a hotel room to work side-by-side & you have definite fireworks potential. Fireworks or not - come the end of the 36 hours it's time to present..  This is where the campers really strutted their stuff..  Every single team showed their unique talents, dedication & passion with some profound insights into their particular persona's & how to introduce their brand/product/movement by leveraging what they learned along the way..  

The whole experience really makes you examine your fellow workers & appreciate it is what they do..  As a developer it's easy to know what's being worked on & how to build without giving thought to why its being built in such a way..  Camp O doesn't allow for that & rightfully so..  It's the getting to that point, the legwork, the research to really get inside someone's head to fully understand what makes them tick..  Empathy based marketing is what we do and I thought I understood that.  Not quite - I was naive in thinking I understood & Camp O helped me smash that misconception.

I learned about me, my co-workers & reevaluated the way I see the world.  Is a sloth (that was my sin) that unkept, messy dude sitting on the corner?  Not necessarily.. There are many many more layers to a person than what is seen on the surface..  

CampO was a definite eye-opener & without a doubt, the highlight of me time @ Organic to date.

-Patrick D.

(a.k.a.  Jim Schwick - Team Sloth, CO XII)

Overhype central? Mark the date...the NBA thinks LeBron can fill an entire Top 10 with one play...wait until they realize Chris Paul is better.

Most everyone here is familiar with Organic Eats, a lunch and learn session
held every Monday at lunch to showcase one person's ideas and teach
coworkers useful tidbits of knowledge.  The sessions have been quite
successful and have been going on for some time now.
This week was a touch different.
Instead of learning, I decided to hold my session as a lunch and paint.
Painting monsters in particular.

Sometimes as a digital workforce we need to step aside and do something more
tactile and different to give us a few extra creative sparks.
From writers to engineers to designers, we all got together on our lunch
hour and painted 5x7 monsters.

Thanks to everyone who participated it was buckets of fun!
There will be more!

(One painter had to leave early and wasn't available for the photoshoot)

- Phil

DETROIT -- Last week, the Detroit Office celebrated Earth Day not just on April 22nd, but throughout the course of last week.  Earth Day was all about giving back....  To the environment, that is.

Festivities began with the planning and preparation for Organic, Inc.'s first vegetable garden!  A few areas just outside of our downstairs conference rooms were transformed, tilled, and planted with veggies and herbs.  The soil is even organic.  Apropos, don't you think?

We took on a sort of "pay-to-play" approach with the garden.  If you take time to weed and water, you may reap the rewards.  Because Michigan weather is fickle and finicky, just a few plants have already found their way to the earth so far.  The rest will find their new homes in our Organic garden as we inch into summer when the danger of a frost has subsided.  (more pics after the jump)

--Erin Patterson

 

 

Auctions:

 

I love going to auction previews; it's like going to a museum for free with no alarms or security guards blocking your access. There are several coming up in May. You'll have an opportunity to see works you've heard and read about. I once saw a Monet upclose at Christie's; it was breathtaking. At Christie's I'm looking forward to seeing Richard Prince's Man-Crazy Nurse #2.  The previews are also good people watching events; you'll see dealers, art consultants and big time collectors. I enjoy hearing what the viewers have to say about the art. Go, it's fun and free.

 

I recently attended a lecture on African art and the Contemporary market and heard Heinrich C. Schweizer, Department Head of African & Oceanic, Pre-Columbian Art at Sothebys discuss the influence African art had on Picasso, Calder, and Andre Derain to name a few. In his slide presentation he coupled works from Africa with works of these artists. You'll have a chance to see these influences at the preview for the upcoming auction of African Art, details are below. In case you're interested in how to buy at an auction, take a look at the link below under Sothebys.

 

Christie's

20 Rockefeller Plaza

Auction: May 13th

Post-War and Contemporary Art

Viewing: May 9^th-13th

10-5PM

May 11^th 1-5PM

May 12^th 10-5PM

May 13^th 10-noon

 

20 Rockefeller Plazas

http://www.christies.com/features/welcome/

Sotheby's

72^nd Street and York Avenue

Auction: May 16^th

African & Pan Oceanic, Pre-Columbian Art

Viewing: May 10^th-May 15^th

10AM -5PM

May 15^th 10AM -1PM

http://www.sothebys.com/help/buy/index.html

 

Impressionists and Modern Art

Viewing: May 2^nd -7^th

10AM to 5PM

May 7^th 10 to noon

 

YDurant

 

 

Check out the spread from last week...hats off to the Operations folks!