Ollie Stench Talks About Punk Rock

This Thursday, Ollie Stench visited Light Grey Art Lab to talk about Punk Rock, specifically how he defines Punk Rock as a movement, the culture and worldview that created it and how it changed the world since.

It was an energetic talk that was inspiring both for Punk Rock enthusiasts and neophytes alike. Ollie did a great job outlining some of the major players in Punk Rock's birth, and spoke to the social context of the time, and why the Punk Rock movement was an inevitable reaction to culture of the early '70s.



Ollie is a passionate (and opinionated) speaker, and it was impossible not to be drawn into the world he so clearly loves! The lecture was great fun and a huge success, and we look forward to hearing more from Ollie in the future!

Ollie Stench has been an active participant in the Punk Rock scene for the last 30 years of his life, and he is an incredible expert in everything that surrounds the topic. You can find out what he's up to at his blog.

You can see more photos from the event on our flickr group. We will have an audio version of the lecture available on our website as soon as possible!

Your fate is in our hands!

We're about a month away from the Tarot, Mystics and the Occult show and we are SUPER excited.

So excited, in fact, that we'll be doing something special to get everyone in the mood. We are looking to select three brave individuals to let us read your Tarot on a LIVE online broadcast.

If you've ever wanted to have your Tarot read, and are daring enough to try, just post your name and email below and we'll randomly pick three people to have a full Celtic Cross reading with us!

Here's the fun part! Even if you're not chosen, we'll post the videos online for everyone to see and you'll get a sneak-peek of the art, the deck, and an idea of how the Light Grey Tarot works!

We're super excited to do this so, please, help us spread the word!
Thanks again!

The drawing ends at midnight on Tuesday Oct 2, and we'll be choosing and announcing the three lucky people on Wednesday, October 3. We'll post the winners along with the dates for when you can tune in and watch the readings happen in real time!
Good luck and may the fates smile upon you!

Also-

Don't forget that the official opening of the Tarot, Mystics and the Occult show is October 19th and the reception is on October 26th at Light Grey!
If you're not chosen for the live reading, you'll have another chance to get a three card reading at the reception on the 26th. We'll keep you posted as it gets closer!

Recap of Deanna Larsen's 'History of the F-Word' Lecture

This Tuesday we had the honor of hosting poet, teacher and MFA candidate Deanna Larsen for a energetic drop-in lecture/discussion revolving around one of the world's most versatile (and in some ways, most controversial) four-letter words.



There was plenty of wonderful discussion around all things F-word related, including taboos, historic and current usage, cultural hang-ups, as well as some hilarious personal stories from the audience itself.



The discussion ranged in tone from uproarious humor to serious discussion and personal reflection as Deanna transitioned through an exhaustively interesting and deep analysis of the word.

We've also very excited to let you know we recorded the event, and plan on releasing the discussion to the public in the near future! Honestly, we're just dipping out toes in ways to share classes and discussions around the world, so please be patient as we figure out the best way to deliver a quality final product! Hopefully going forward, we'll be able to bring a lot more topics and interesting discussion online for everyone to download!

We want to give a HUGE 'thank you!' to Deanna for all of her preparation, enthusiasm and the scholarly approach to the topic!





If you couldn't make it but you'd like a chance to see Deanna in the flesh, she'll be teaching a creative writing workshop at Light Grey on Tuesday October 2 from 7 - 8:30pm for 'Trusting your voice' for $15.



Deanna Larsen is a poet and MFA candidate at Minnesota State University, Mankato where she teaches English Composition and is an assistant poetry editor for Blue Earth Review. Her work has appeared in PANK, Blood Orange Review, Neon, and numerous other publications. She has recently been nominated for two Pushcart Prizes and for inclusion in the annual anthology Best New Poets. Additionally, she is a Spanish tutor, freelance translator, and laser tag enthusiast.

Click through to see the other images from Deanna's great lecture including a couple that have the infamous F-word on them.

Andres Guzman's hand-done type class

The Hand-Done Type Class with Andres Guzman

We want to send out a huge 'thank you' to everyone that came to (the ever-amazing) Andres Guzman's Hand Done Type workshop! With a class full of 16 eager artsits, Andres gave demos, advice and hands-on help for creating and working with hand done typography.

The workshop was set amidst the awesome images of the Expletive Typography Exhibition, and Andres led everyone through a series of techniques, methods and styles. Andres was quick to give credit to some of his favorite (local and international) masters of type while flipping through his own stash of inspirational slides.

Andres talked a little bit about street art and graffiti as inspiration, black letter and script, amongst others, and led the group in a series of mark making exercises with a huge variety of materials.








We are looking forward to Andres's other upcoming workshops - including his Portraiture workshop, a Landscape Workshop, a Character & Concept workshop, and a to-be-announced Hand Done Type 2 class! All of these are coming up over the next month and a half!

Also, we're doing something new for Andres's classes that we're really excited about; drop-in classes! In addition to pre-registering on the Light Grey Art Lab website, you can now just show up to classes designated as a Drop-In class! Not every class is Drop-In, so please check the course description first!

And even better, taking a workshop is fun but it's more fun with a friend! So we're offering a discount to anyone who brings their best pal to one of Andres' classes! Each workshop is normally $25, but bring a friend and admission drops to $20 each! So you both win!

We're hoping it makes our workshops fun, full and really easy for people to join us on a weekend!









The class was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon and we're super thankful for everyone that came out and spent time with all of us. Andres, you're amazing. We couldn't have done it without you!

More photos from the workshop can be found HERE on our flicker set! And take a look at Andres's other work here. What a guy!

And don't forget to sign up for Andres' next workshop, Portraiture!

Come to 'History of the "F" Word'!

This Tuesday we invite you to a special lecture/discussion with Deanna Larsen, called History of the "F" Word.

It should be an excellent conversation about everything from the urban legends of its etymology, its literary history and modern usage to the vice president’s infamous slip, the FCC, and the effects of taboo.

History of the "F" Word will take place Tuesday, September 18 from 7-8:30 PM. Admission is $6.00 at the door, but if you pre-register on the Light Grey Art Lab site, it's discounted to $5.00!

Deanna Larsen is a poet and MFA candidate at Minnesota State University, Mankato where she teaches English Composition and is an assistant poetry editor for Blue Earth Review. Her work has appeared in PANK, Blood Orange Review, Neon, and numerous other publications. She has recently been nominated for two Pushcart Prizes and for inclusion in the annual anthology Best New Poets. Additionally, she is a Spanish tutor, freelance translator, and laser tag enthusiast.

Hope to see you there!

Expletive Poster Show Opening

The Light Grey Art Lab staff coordinated their outfits to get into the &#%!@-ing spirit of the Expletive Poster Show!

A huge 'thank you' to everyone who came this past Friday to the opening reception for The Expletive Poster show! The turnout was huge and there was an infectious giggle spreading through the crowd the entire night, thanks to the gloriously inappropriate work on display!



Some of the content of this post is NSFW (although it's not too bad...) so we have included a page break just incase you're reading this someplace that might mind some colorful language!

Expletive Poster Show Giveaway!

The Expletive Poster Show opens TONIGHT from 7-10pm! Be there to partake in amazing art, colorful language and tons of fun!



Remember! If you wear an article of clothing (shirt, hat, button etc) that fits the theme of the show, you get a FREE PIECE OF ART right on the spot!

These limited edition prints will be given out to anyone brave enough to wear their salty language on their sleeve!

Once you get there, just find one of the Light Grey Art Lab staff and show us your worst!

Andres Guzman teaches us some hand-lettering skills. - SUN SEPT 16.

Andres Guzman, one of our favorite local artists is teaching all of us some sweet type techniques this upcoming Sunday September 16, just two days after the opening reception of the Expletive Typography Show.

Here are some examples of Andres's great variety of styles and a sneak peek of what's to come at the workshop! The workshop is from 12:30 - 3pm and is $25 of coaching, technique sharing and inspiration! Bring a friend and you can each get in for $20. (Gotta love when friends get you discounts!)

You can sign up online or show up at the door!

Please help us spread the word! We're excited for Andres to join us while we have the super inspiring posters surrounding us in the gallery. It should be a lot of fun!

Here's a link to the event online with details!

Expletive Sneak Peek 2

Preview of Adam Garcia's piece

We're only a couple days away and we're holding in all of our curses til the day of.
Here are some amazing sneak peeks of another 4 talented artists & designers in the upcoming Expletive Typography Show.

If you're in Minneapolis -- make sure to stop by and celebrate the wonderful world of curses! Remember, it's from 7 - 10pm at Light Grey Art Lab (118 E 26th Street #101 - Mpls MN 55404 - On the corner of 26th and Stevens Ave).

If you wear a piece of clothing that fits the theme of the show, we'll give you a free one-night-only print, and we'll also probably give you a high-five. Because that's how excited we are.


A small cropped piece of Jesse Lindhorst's piece


Great work by Bryan Haker


And one more to finish it off - a preview of Andres Guzman's piece

You'll have to visit us on Friday to see the rest of these awesome pieces!
More updates soon! Help us spread the word.
Here is a link to our facebook event.
We hope you can make it!

Equipment Robbery at Light Grey Late Last Night.

Hi Everyone, we have some sad news. Late last night we were broken into and someone stole a bunch of our equipment. Luckily, we keep everything on cloud storage and, though it sucks to lose some great machines, all of the art (in the gallery and on file) and the rest of our files are safe and sound.

Today was a weird day, with the police coming in and out, and our landlord helping us track down video from the surveillance cameras. They took prints (which is something I didn't realize they did for break-ins) and asked a lot of questions.

Anyway, it's been an interesting day to say the least, but despite it all, we're in pretty good spirits. We've been eating handfulls of candy to 'ease the pain', and for one day out of our lives, we got a chance to sit down and not work.

Thanks again for all the support and patience as we sort things out. We'll be a little slower to respond to emails over the next couple days, but we'll make sure to get back to you asap! AND! If you are in the area and have seen something you think we should know (or if someone tries to sell you cheap computers out of the trunk of a car) we'd love to know! Thanks and we're keeping our spirits up!

GIRLS : Fact or Fiction / Exhibiting Artist & Subject List!

Congratulations to all of the amazing people that made it into the list for the Nov - Jan Show! And, as always, thanks to every single artist who put their name in the hat for this one. It's always a (crazy) hard process narrowing down the group, and this one was no exception. After much deliberation and a lot of late nights (and even more coffee)...

Okay! So, here we go! This is the final list for the upcoming exhibition, GIRLS: Fact or Fiction!


FACT:
Rafa Alvarez - Cleopatra
Luisa Uribe - Beatrix Potter
Susan Meyer - Lyudmila Pavlichenko
Ania Tomicka - Galá
Aurélie Neyret - Calamity Jane
Hajin Bae - Giza Lagrace
Matt Edwards - Marie Antoinette
Guillaume Ospital - Emily Haines
Tara Abbamondi - Audrey Hepburn
Angela Rizza - Joan Of Arc
Erik Krenz - Mary Blair
Genevieve FT - St. Vincent
Lydia F. Ferron - Edith Piaff
Jesse Lindhorst - Elena Tonra
Mélanie Daigle - Frida Kahlo
Brianna Angelakis - Annie Oakley
Celine Loup - Murasaki Shikibu
Kat Friday - Meg White
Janna Morton - Virgin Mary
Julianna Brion - Josephine Baker
Rebecca Green - Millicent
Olympia Maxenchs - Tomoe Gozen
Nan Lawson - Debbie Harry
Brittany Burton - Etta James
Linda Tran - Tilda Swinton
Nicole Chartrand - Granuaile
Carissa Potter - Hellen Keller
Rachael Adams-Bliss - Yolandi Visser
Amanda Hagemann - Amelia Earhart
Jen Mundy - Katy Perry
Jasmine Barmore - Maya Angelou
W. Scott Forbes - Daphne Guinness
Kyle Cahill - Marina Diamandis (Marina and the Diamonds)
Jimmy Malone - Ru Paul
Emma Trithart - Marina Abramovic
Caroline Hadilaksono - Julia Child
Kaysha Siemens - Bessie Coleman
Sarah Marino - Lady Gaga
Alice Leoni - Karen O
Mildred Louis - Marie Curie
Ragilia Rach - Lana del Rey
Madeleine Flores - Nicki Minaj
Irena Freitas - Jane Austen
Sophie Blackhall-Cain - Boudica
Aliyah (Aliyahgator) - Penelope Cruz
Nicoló Pellizzon - Barbara Steele
Zoe Keller - Judy Bonds
Naomi Elliott - Mabel Stark
Colleen McKeown - Emmylou Harris
Freddy Carrasco - Erykah Badu
Elizabeth Beals - Twiggy
Olly Jones - Elizabeth Báthory
Brad McGinty - Zelda Fitzgerald
Patt Kelley - Myrtle Corbin
Claire Hummel - Hatshepsut

FICTION:
Kyle Stecker - San (Princess Mononoke)
Sam Wolfe Connelly - Candy (Blood Bros Song)
Marguerite Sauvage - Barbarella
Gloria Pizzilli - Nu Wa
Peony Yip - Wednesday Addams
Rory Phillips - Santanico Pandemonium
Manuel Kilger - Samus Aran
Maike Plenzke - Ofelia (Pans Labyrinth)
Ashley Mackenzie - Eli (Let the Right One In)
Evan Palmer - Ellen Ripley (Alien)
Sabrina Parolin - Carrie (Stephen King's)
Marty Harris - Lady Orlando
Kali Ciesemier - Lady of the Lake
Stacey Lee - Nausicaa
Sarah Hudkins - Oscar Francois de Jarjayes
Lindsay Nohl - Mother Nature
Francesca Buchko - Matilda
Frank Macchia - Maude Lebowski
Cheyenne Curtis - Barbie
Richie Pope - Asuka Langley Soryu
Joshua Zenter - Lorelei
Joanna Barnum - Titania
Ellen T. Crenshaw - Carmen Sandiego
Tyler Parker - Lucy (Narnia)
Katie Wilson - Felicity Porter
Jez Tuya - Emma Peel
Nichole ter Horst - Jessica Rabbit
Sebastian Koenig - Amy Farrah Fowler
Mika J Nakano - Dana Scully
Leah Zobott - Scylla
Michelle Schwartzbauer - Lisa Simpson
Erin McGuire - Jo March (Little Women)
Olivia Mew - Rosemary Woodhouse
Nic Skrade - Persephone
Laumiline - Goldilocks
Sayada Ramdial - April Ludgate (Parks and Recreation)
Jessica Roux - Ophelia
Kathleen Marcotte - Lucy (I love Lucy)
Sandra Brandstätter - Ronja the Robbers Daughter
Melissa Ling - Little Red Riding Hood
Taryn Gee- Nancy Drew
Allegra Lockstadt - Morton's Salt Girl
Isuri Merenchi Hewage - Kali Goddess of Distruction
Caitlin Clarkson - Ozma of Oz
Ricardo Bessa - Hermione Granger
Natalie Andrewson - Amelie
Britt Hammerberg - A Valkyrie
Kyle Fewell - Noriko
Michael Perez - Athena
Jared Tuttle - Medusa
Lars Kommienezuspadt - Tank Girl
Lillian Joan Duermeier - Xena
Marisa Seguin - Pippi Longstocking
Romain Mennetrier - Rapunzel


We'll be posting more information as we get closer! Keep an eye out for future calls for art and thanks again to everyone that took an interest in the show!

Whew! Girls!

Hi Everyone! Sit tight for a moment as we get everything together and finish calculating the final list of artists for the Girls show! Thanks to everyone that was able to submit their link - you guys are great! It's insanely hard to choose so few out of so many talented people. You guys are making my job hard!

:)
I'll post an update asap!
Until then! Sit tight!