Today, the conversation with Arigon Starr, the cartoonist behind Super Indian, continues! We discuss the history and future of Super Indian, her experience of being a woman of color in an industry dominated by white men, and a special sneak preview of her graphic novel investigating the origins of Super Indian. Check it out after the jump!
Bitch's series of interviews with webcomic creators, Beyond the Panel, returns with Arigon Starr, the multitalented force behind the comic-book-style webcomic Super Indian. After the jump, she tells Bitch about her history in comics, Native superheroes, geek culture, and what she'd like people to take away from her work.
Bright and graphic illustrations, installations on bathroom politics, and back-page comics for the fabulous Shameless mag? Artist Coco Riot does it all!
The first week of the new year brought with it the passing of Eve Arnold, one of the first women to earn recognition as a photojournalist in the mid-twentieth century. Though she is perhaps best known for capturing celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe and Joan Crawford in rare, unguarded moments, Arnold should also be recognized for the political and social commentaries her archives provide.
I can't believe it's the end of my guest blog series already. Looking at he theme of art and feminism has raised loads of questions and also given lots of answers. We've explored artists who use hair and those who've experienced domestic violence, the woman who got a vaginal Damien Hirst tattoo, and the countless murdered and attacked females in Juarez, Mexico, who have been immortalized through the exhibition 400 Women. It's powerful stuff...
When I started this guest blog I was overwhelmed with your brilliant suggestions for artists to explore, and I followed up on as many of your tips as possible. Here is a taste of what Bitch readers recommend—I hope you'll discover someone who inspires you!
For me, art isn't just about finding something pretty or intelligent, or wishing I could paint as well as someone else. It's about looking at a piece and knowing that it's taught you something and you feel better for having seen it. You understand the world a little better afterwards, and you can't wait to rave about it to your friends. Here are three lessons I've learned from artists that I'd like to pass on:
In a game of word association, "art" might make people think of paintings, sketches, canvases or a specific artist like Jackson Pollock (paint splatters, oh my) or the Mona Lisa (very tiny, strange smile). Disciplines such as sculpture, ceramics, and taxidermy might not be mentioned, because they're sidelined in favor of the mainstream. Etsy and Deviant Art are full of intense paintings; children bring home scribbles from school that are kept on the wall for years, but there's a weirder and larger side to art.
Founder and janitor of the Oregon Department of Kick Ass, Portland-based artist Vanessa Renwick has made over 40 films and installations. Her work ranges from towering gold-leaf BMX bike sculptures in front of Powell’s Books to super 8 shorts of her hitchhike sojourn to the Native American reserves in South Dakota during a two and a half year period spent barefoot, her wolf dog by her side, a pair of tweezers to pick glass out of her feet in her pocket. In an interview with the artist, Renwick talks about her affinity for nature and repair stores, her inner voice that says: "stop walking on concrete," local history, getting shit done, and the great grey wolf.
There are loads of photographers who take the body as their subject matter—hey, it's nothing new. But the women in this post made a point of portraying the body as something to be celebrated and combined with fashion, sociological thinking, or mythology. It's so much more than just snapping a photo.
In a game of word association, "art" might make people think of paintings, sketches, canvases or a specific artist like Jackson Pollock (paint splatters, oh my) or the Mona Lisa (very tiny, strange smile). Disciplines such as sculpture, ceramics, and taxidermy might not be mentioned, because they're sidelined in favor of the mainstream. Etsy and Deviant Art are full of intense paintings; children bring home scribbles from school that are kept on the wall for years, but there's a weirder and larger side to art.
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