Behind the Scenes at Little Otsu

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

new postcards!



We just got our first copies of Jennie Smith and Jessica Seamans' postcard book in hand and it turned out pretty rad! Ten full-color sturdy postcards full of J & J's beautiful work assembled in a handy book. Hurrahs all around!

It's a big week for Jennie as her new solo show at Rena Bransten Gallery just opened on Thursday. It will be up through July 5th so be sure to check it out in-person if you're in San Francisco or peruse the pieces online if you're not. She has also just started her summer residency at Headlands Center for the Arts, and got to cross paths with outgoing resident Will Oldham!

Also on her way in and out of San Francisco, Lart has a few more days in the city before heading back to Germany. Her new postcard arrived just in time!

The Orphan Works Bill

Thanks to Eun-Ha for forwarding this on to us! We weren't aware about this bill in Congress which will radically change the way copyrights will be enforced in the US. This doesn't only apply to professional artists or designers--this could impact anyone who creates anything that gets shared in a public realm like photosharing. Automatically owning the rights to something you create should be the default and we should all be concerned about this issue. Please read about it and write Congress!

This article explains the impacts of the bill:
http://mag.awn.com/?ltype=pageone&article_no=3605

Here's an op-ed from the New York Times.

Here's an easy way to write Congress and fight for your copyrights:
http://capwiz.com/illustratorspartnership/home/

Pick a sample letter or write your own. Type in your zip code. Your letter will be automatically addressed to your congressman and senators. Click and send.


For more information about the Orphan Works Act of 2008:

-IPA Statement to House Subcommittee March 20, 2008
http://www.illustratorspartnership.org/01_topics/article.php?searchterm=00261

-IPA Senate Mark-up Comments April 30, 2008
http://www.illustratorspartnership.org/ow_docs

-Geneva/ May 7, 2008 Orphan Works Bill Catches Global Attention/ Intellectual Property Watch
http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/index.php?p=1028

-MP3 Interview
http://www.sellyourtvconceptnow.com/orphan.html

-YouTube
http://youtube.com/watch?v=CqBZd0cP5Yc

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

oh hello

Again, time has just kind of flown by! Let's see what's been going on... I finished my first journal, a film diary for keeping track of all the movies you watch in these days of Netflix and festivals and whatnot. You can take notes about main things that strike you and then remind yourself when you're like, "I know I saw that, but I don't really remember..." We should be getting proofs for it any day and hopefully it will be out by the end of June. We are also using extra paper from the project to make some exclusive notepads from Jo, Lart, and me so we're excited about those too. And we should be getting Jennie and Jessica's postcard book and a new postcard from Lart back this week, so hooray for that!

Speaking of Lart, we just had a nice visit from her on her USA-a-okay break from Berlin. While we all had the best of intentions for getting lots of work done, the reality was that we ate lots of food, watched bad tv, took walks, and melted a bit in the unseasonable weather. And Martine came down from Seattle for a day (with Mighty-O donuts!) which was fun. We did lay the groundwork for some good projects though so there will be things to show for it down the road. Best of all, Lart and I can happily say it was better than what we were doing together at the same time last year (read: stationery show).

On a more serious subject, it seems easy to forget about the destruction and amount of life lost in China and Myanmar as more time passes and other news happens to replace it in the headlines, but it seems with every passing day, the death toll mounts and more and more people need help to recover from these disasters. I wish there was something to do beside donating money to an international aid group like Doctors Without Borders, but it seems like that's the best way to contribute. It's not much, but it's something.

Well, let me wrap up on a happier note by thanking Modish and Apartment Therapy for some nice LO mentions! More regular blogging to come.