the reality tunnel

A world without prisons, what would it look like?

Many have come to believe that prisons do more harm than good.  Some even argue that there should be no more prisons.  But many of those involved in this discussion have never been incarcerated.   We want to know what a world without prisons could be like and we want to start by asking people who have the closest experience with prisons.

If you could change the system how would you change it?  If you have ideas about what a world without prisons could be like, please send your thoughts to

so in about two weeks, I’m going to be doing a guest set on the “Manion Companion” radio show with Corinna + Riley. This will be my first on-air appearance as part of the process of getting a radio show. I’m excited, and I’ve already started thinking about what I wanted to play:

• “Demystification” by Zounds from “The Curse of Zounds” [Track 3/3:45]
• “Look at What the Light Did Now” by Little Wings from “Light Green Leaves”
• Roy Orbison
• Ballast
• “I’m Going to be Strong” by Gene Pitney
• ??? by This Is My Fist from “I Don’t Want To Startle You But They Are Going To Kill Most Of Us”
• Pinhead Gunpowder
• somethething by Chumbawamba from “English Rebel Songs”
• “Bad Mouth” by Fugazi from “13 songs”

counter-innauguration protest. Washington, DC. January 2005.

Checkpoint. Hebron. March 2K6.

So these are two different groups of people, both trying to get through checkpoints. One is trying to go to school.  I’m not sure what we planned to do if we made it through the checkpoint in DC.  I wish I could come to some conclusion, but I think that there’s something in all of this, in considering the huge gap in reality between members of a black block in DC and school children in Israel/Palestine.  I guess some would say that the we were acting in solidarity with those Palestinian students when we were in the streets in DC.  And I guess I’m trying to think about the reality of that statement, and if there isn’t any, how do people in the US act in solidarity with those in Palestine or  [insert people in far-away country subject to US-supported oppression]?

Powerbook G4 (11.3)

• 400 MHz PowerPC G4
• 640 MB SDRAM
• Airport Card
• OS X 10.3.9
• 10 GB HD
• 17″ Screen

$200

I wrote this down one day, from an interview in The Sun, or something, and I’ve been carrying it along on a scrap of paper.  I can’t even remember why I thought it was relavent:

Cooper: Yet Bush has a “green” ranch.

Hightower: That’s because it’s become a status symbol.  Cheney’s mansion in Washington, DC was retrofitted for people here in Austin and elsewhere who build these green homes.  It’s like a toy to them, the SUV of homes. They can say, “look at what my house does.  I’ve got a rainwater collection system.”  But if you ask, “Shouldn’t everybody have a system like that?”  They’ll say, “sure, go out and buy yourself one,” rather than creating the means for widespread energy and resource conservation.

Oh yeah, I remember what made me think about that little scrap of paper.  Ryan and I had a long conversation on a drive during tour questioning things like the ability to make things like  “widespread energy and resource conservation” outside of the giant of capitalism, and if that’s possible, given our reality, if its even a dire social priority.  Ultimately, I still feel like people can, do, and should make things that benefit themselves and others instead of just getting our heffer halves, but those things, that we can build that way, so often turn out to be misguided or inconsequential.

Sweet Hickory Art and Music presents “It Is What It Is” Increment Number 1

Opening Reception: Friday, May 12, 2006 at Sweet Hickory Art and Music (317 E. 3rd St. in downtown Bloomington). 7-10pm. Featuring refreshments and a musical performance by Leah Yeppi.

Sweet Hickory is proud to present the first increment of “It Is What It Is”, a group show featuring a diverse body of work by six young Bloomington-based artists. The first increment features work by Matte Cathcart, Chiara Galimberti, Jeremy Kennedy, Sherri Miller, Peter Shear, and Ryan Woods. Though these artists have a widely varying approach to their art and reflect a range of formal training, all make work that is bold and engaging, and that reflects an emerging culture of creativity in Bloomington. Defying the rigid conventions of the formal art community and reflecting a mobile, vibrant personal vision, all these artists make artwork that defies simple classification. In the end, “It Is What It Is!” This show opens Friday, May 12 and will continue until June 8th.

Matte Cathcart is a long-time Bloomington resident and visionary artist who makes bright, playful paintings that seem to document the people and objects that pass through his life. In addition to his work as an artist, Matte plays in a number of Bloomington-based bands including the pop-punk band, The Door-Keys.

Chiara Galimberti is a student at Indiana University in the BFA painting program. Her paintings and drawings reflect a more traditional approach than some of the other artists in this show in a way that is exciting and refreshing.

Jeremy Kennedy is a local musician and artist who performs with the band Puppy vs. Dyslexia, his solo experimental project DJ Sony Playstation, and collaborates to make intricate, small run CD-R releases with the FMSMP recording collective. His paintings, drawings, and mixed media work combine elements of popular culture, fantasy, humor, and personal narrative into pieces that are disorienting and provacative.

Sherri Miller is one of the co-proprieters of Sweet Hickory and has ventured in and out of the fine arts from a background in industrial design. Her design background is apparent in her stark, highly graphic portraits, but her work also reflects her natural inclination towards invention and experimentation with process and material.

Peter Shear is a 26 year old bloomington resident who works mostly in drawings and acrylic painting. His works tend to be quite simple and quick, yet contain a great amount of narrative in their simplicity. More of his work can be found at http://www.myspace.com/petershear.

Ryan Woods (BFA Art Academy of Cincinnati) is the other co-proprietor of Sweet Hickory. He makes paintings that use a wide variety of materials, from oil paint to shellac, spackle, and other building materials. The complexity and richness of material and the resulting texture is paralleled in the imagery of his paintings. Provacative and perhaps a bit unnerving, his paintings often evoke the intersection of personal and cultural mythologies, of childhood and decay.

Sweet Hickory is a new addition to the Bloomington arts community and serves to provide a venue for exhibiting the work of contemporary artists, independent musical and theatrical performance, the sale of reasonably-priced punk, hardcore, and other independent records and original, handmade, clothing and art pieces. The store is located at 317 E. 3rd St., near the corner of 3rd and Grant in downtown Bloomington. For more information about the store, the “It Is What It Is” group show, or other upcoming events, contact 812.369.5284 or sweethickory@gmail.com.

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