In Search of Q

A couple of weeks ago, on my birthday, I developed a craving for some barbecue. Out here, "barbecue" is a term loosely used, pretty much covering anything cooked outside. Maybe even some things cooked inside, such as Korean barbecue. It can even refer to the event or act of cooking itself. Where I am from, we refer to most of this type of food as "grilled" (and to the event as a "cook-out") because it is cooked directly over the heat source at high temperatures for a short period of time. Barbecue (or BBQ for the spelling-challenged) is an altogether different thing, not so much an event as a particular substance.

It requires a smoker (or other indirect-cooking contraption) and lots of time. Folks often think it is all about the sauce, but here they are wrong—good quality meat should be used (either pork or beef, depending on one’s regional proclivities), and the sauce or marinade should serve to compliment, not mask it. Spicy and sweet, smoky, or vinegar-tangy, again depending on regional preferences, the sauce should work its way under your fingernails and puddle in the corners of your mouth, providing a few hours or days of lingering stain and smell (wet naps are useful here). Its richness and fat are best alleviated by cole slaw (some put it directly on their sandwich) and iced tea.

So, because of the non-specificity of this term "barbecue" in the West, my search was not an easy one. I was not helped along by the birthday-cake malaise that set in, so it wasn't until last weekend that I ventured forth to a spot near the Culver City gallery district called JNJ Burger Shack. Despite the name, this place serves up some mighty 'cue and is one of the few places in town where you can eat on site. M and I both ordered pulled pork sandwiches, with orders of potato salad (which was perfect, made with mustard and sweet pickle like my Aunt Inez does) and beans on the side. Also a slice of sweet potato pie and lemonades (iced tea and cole slaw were not on offer). The sandwiches arrived, meat overflowing buns, dripping thick, black-peppery sauce; we tucked in and cleaned our plates. We did not eat for the rest of the day.

The proprietor of JNJ Burger Shack is from Louisiana. He wants to retire back there one day for some peace and quiet. But I hope he sticks around for a little while longer -- I'll be needing a few more of those sandwiches.

Robert Rauschenberg Memorial Post

Yesterday was one of my super-early teaching days, so I didn't hear about the passing of Robert Rauschenberg until the middle of the day when I arrived at the museum for a meeting. There is a small gallery of a few of his combines up right now (until Monday, actually, so see them soon!); we concluded our meeting in this gallery and talked about the impact of Rauschenberg's work on us. A few of us had similar stories: we had first come to know his work during college. His work and his life had set an example for us, plotted out a path to follow while we were trying to figure our own selves out.

I had never consciously thought about his influence on me until this time spent surrounded by his work yesterday. I first learned about him while I was going to college in Houston. There was a small show of some combines and silkscreens at the MFAH, and I went to see it on a field trip with one of my studio classes (the MFAH is very close to our campus, so that we would usually walk there under the spreading live oak shade on Main Street). I remember feeling like my little sophomore mind was blown open just a bit by what I was seeing. And the fact that the artist was from nearby made my experience even more potent -- like, wow, you can be from a small Southern-ish place and be a serious artist and make important contributions to our cultural fabric, these things aren't limited to writers and musicians and politicians. I was affected in a deep way by the vitality and visual voraciousness I saw, although I don't think this affect was manifested until a couple of years later, when I decided I was going to give this art thing a serious shot.

I hope many more young artists can come to know his work like I did, to be blindsided by it out of nowhere, knowing nothing about him beforehand, and just eat it up. It will make all the difference to them, I think.

(image is Untitled Combine (Man with White Shoes), 1955)

Stratification @ Brand Library Art Galleries

I am currently in a huge group show with a few other local artists (Hyunsook Cho, Dennis Doran, and James Zver) at the Brand Library Art Galleries in Glendale. This is a site-specific work in the atrium area of the galleries called Geode. The show is up until June 20. Please go! More info here:
www.brandlibrary.org

Gaining Weight

Thanks to the Durfee Foundation and one of their ARC Grants, I am now the proud owner of 670 pounds of sheets, up from 450!!

Upcoming appearances by the sheets:
-Stratification, Brand Library Art Galleries, Glendale, CA, May 10-June 20
-Here & Now, Transformer Gallery, Washington, DC, May 31-June 14
-We Are All Well and Fine, LittleBird Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, June 14-July 8