A Very Real Plea for Assistance

The week before Thanksgiving is a time for introspection. What have you done beyond the turkey or donation for homeless and poverty stricken folks in your immediate community. One can only hope that someday, we will make giving thanks the rule instead of the exception in our lives.

I am writing this blog for two purposes. The first is to encourage you to reach out and help someone less fortunate than yourself. If you are in need, reach out a hand during the next few months and I will do what I can to help you....

The second purpose is for those who love art as I do and hopefully many people do. In the Philadelphia area, I am pleased to belong to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and to the Brandywine River Museum. Both worthy institutions... I am looking at losing my own job before the end of the year so perhaps what I am going to propose is only self-interest.

Here it is... Pay two years of museum dues instead of one. As museums across the country have seen their endowments shrinking like my 401k, it becomes increasingly apparent that normally fiscally conservative institutions are going to need more support not less this year. So Brandywine Museum, I paid two years of dues in advance hoping that by this time next year, I've have changed jobs and I am in a position to pay another two years. If not, I still know I will belong to a great organization with an outstanding collection of art.

For the Philadelphia Art Museum, I am going to pay four years dues in advance. Again the same principle that perhaps I can consider it a donation next year and if not, I will belong to the museum for the foreseeable future.

During the next six to twelve months, much will be asked of each of us in terms of sacrifice and hope. I hope that you all have a great Thanksgiving. I hope that you take the time to tell love ones and friends and family that you love them. "I love you, mom!" I hope that you will consider both the people and institutions in need as you make plans for gift giving this holiday season.

Thanks for listening. Phil

Support Wikipedia in their efforts to raise funds

The Wikipedia Foundation is trying to raise funds for continued efforts to expand Wikipedia. Anyone who has googled around at one time or another in search of information on an artist or a museum or even a business topic or two has probably used the site.

It is entirely non-commercial in nature although a few unworthies slip through the cracks because of the nature of their business. Let's give Wikipedia a hand (I gave ten bucks: you give what you like including $0!)

I 4 ONE WILL BE GLAD WHEN TOMORROW IS DONE

So tomorrow is election day and I will be glad that it is over at least as far as the deciding goes. Regardless of the reader's political affilation, I congratulate everyone that ran a "clean" campaign for expressing their views and trying to get the representatives they wanted elected.

I am less proud of those intrusive telephone robots which called me over the weekend. I would have thought if you really wanted my vote in one direction or the other, you might take the time to place a live telephone call. Hopefully we can opt out of such calls in the future.

The real work will start in the new year for our elected officials to come together where there are commonalities (are there any?). I guess I would not be writing this blog if I wasn't a tad bit social but hopefully a few folks out there are reading and following it.

There has been some great art up on eBay recently. I will try and put up some pictures as auctions are still running on pieces that I consider good value. If you see one, please send me the item number or a URL so I can check it out.

Everybody please vote if you are able tomorrow and good luck to all the candidates!

Phil

Jobs, Politics, and Life

Well with just five days to go until the election or is it four? I have to say I have been impressed with Obama particularly. He seems like the kind of passionate, honest, reach across the aisle person we could use in the White House.

I almost laughed when one of the talking heads claimed that he was so far to the left and so unwilling to work with members of the opposite party. The "head" said we should never elect such a person as President. And I thought....

You are partially right and partially wrong. We have had such a person for about eight years who never listened to anyone except those who matched his internal compass as far as direction. I hope the talker is wrong and that Obama will seek a middle ground in working towards a better America and a better global community. Like it or not we are joined at the hip with 6 billion other people seeking employment and other forms of economic improvement. We need to collaborate with many to husband resources and keep heading forward. For my part I am optimistic about the future.

Well I am headed off this morning to a company which consults on elearning. It should be an interesting day. Best of luck to you all regardless of political position. See you at the polls next week. Help a shut-in to vote if you have the time.

Editor
Phil Wesel

Rainy raises blisters & funds for breast cancer

This blog is dedicated to a well recognized art form i.e. the women of the world. Much of the art of this world dating back to the feminine images of Mary and Child from the middle ages celebrate both womanhood and motherhood. It is one of the common themes even in less obvious paintings such as Degas ballet dancers.

Last weekend my wife celebrated her womanhood by walking over sixty (60) miles for the Susan G. Komen breast cancer fund among others. Each of the over 4000 ladies that walked had to raise a minimum of $2200 to participate. Can you imagine that a small crowd of 4000 woman and an even smaller crowd of some 200 survivors raised Eight point two million dollars to find cures for this form of cancer.

I was especially proud of my beloved because she did all of the fund raising on her own. I was only peripherally involved ( I drove her to and from the event). My wife is a survivor and I hope that she takes the opportunity to do the walk again next year. It goes under the heading of breast cancer three day and they hold them all over the country. I believe the total raised by this organization over the last nine or ten years is $300 million. Perhaps they should be in charge of congress as they seem to do an excellent job of managing budgets.

At any rate, this blog is hats off to all the women who walked of which my wife was one. I think this was a great cause and a great way for her to spend her weekend. Ladies, my heartfelt congratulations on your success.

Phil

Politics Aside - An Art Inspired Blog

I'm trying to read a three volume history of modern art. You know I love the topic of art in general and believe that most writers, this one included, want to help educate on art. However, sometimes the points they make are difficult to comprehend.

At any rate, the interesting point of the first of these three books is that artists attempt to paint forms of social reality as they then see it. This helps explain why a twentieth century Russian painter living in poverty might have a different reality than a twentieth century American illustrator living in better circumstances. Certainly painters share an appreciation for particular styles and forms often when they themselves haven't been influenced by the underlying social reality. Painters as a group I think are willing to see and judge for themselves the kinds of things they see in the art and real world. Hence you have the rise of painters such as those from the Ashcan school such as Robert Henri, William Glackens, George Luks, Everett Shin, John French Sloan, Davies, Lawson, and of course Maurice Prendergast. At the turn of the century they tended to paint a social commentary regarding New York as they saw it. And that was as a gritty, sometimes a little dirty place, where life florished in spite of its challenges and surroundings.

The other day I took my seven year old niece and my twenty five year old son to the Brandywine River Museum. I was not surprised that my granddaughter wanted to run around the museum talking to nearly everyone that she met. She is after all living in an age of innocence. I was surprised by the art that my son liked. He liked the oil paintings composed in black and white like some of the works of Remington, Pyle, and even some of the Ashcan school painters. What he liked the most was the level of detail on the people's faces. I knew then that he had been touched to some degree by the visit. He could distinguish the look of anguish on an indian or a beggers face and the looks of happiness in a young girls smile. It was gratifying to see that his eyes were not closed to what he was seeing. It wasn't just a bunch of pretty pictures. They all had statements to make.

How does your family feel about art? More importantly, do you let your granddaughters' color pictures and make shapes and do all the wonderfully creative things that only kids seem willing to do. If you don't (without my getting preachy) maybe you should consider giving them the chance to get the bug. Until next time it's all for arts sake.

Phil

Why Phil Gramm Belongs on Anderson Cooper's 360 as part of his Ten Most Wanted in the Wall Street Meltdown

I wrote to Anderson Cooper this morning encouraging the CNN news organization to add both Phil Gramm and Wendy Gramm to the Ten Most Wanted in the melt down of most peoples life savings. Yes a number of us have been complicit because of the ensuing panic. When someone cries "fire" in a crowded theater we often don't stand around waiting to verify the facts. Here's what I wrote to AC360....

"I am following your ten most wanted whose to blame. We should seriously consider the roles that both Wendy and former Senator Phil Gramm played in this debacle through both legislation Gramm attached to the Omnibus Budget Act which largely prohibited CDS from being regulated as a commodity. His wife was deeply involved in the decision not to regulate energy contracts which ultimately was part of the downfall of Enron.

Enron was the "canary in the coal mine" predicting the multi billion dollar collapse of that firm and the lost life savings of 100 of thousands of Americans.

Now we have the same thing at the hands of Phil Gramm with a multi-trillion dollar collapse and the lost life savings of millions of Americans. This time these two engaged in reckless behavior that literally cost most of us 40% of the value of our pensions and the losses aren't over yet."

If you want the full story on Phil Gramm's participation in this mess, please consider reading this article regardless of your political leanings.

http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2008/07/foreclosure-phil.html

If you don't read any other posts, please read this one.

thanks
Phil