Ann Craven's "Moon Birds"

At first glance, Moon Birds, showing at the Shane Campbell Gallery (1431 W. Chicago Ave.) until March 15, seems to be a complete departure from the earlier works of Ann Craven. After all, unlike the name suggests, viewers are not barraged with the Audubon-style imagery of vibrant birds or the quick studies of moon phases that she has shown in the past. Craven, however, doesn’t abandon her technique all together; rather, she re-discovers it. Repetition (both within the gallery space and of past works) plays a large role in Moon Birds, as does Craven’s wet-on-wet application of the oils, and her use of kitsch imagery.

At Shane Campbell the viewer is immediately confronted with large, bold, color field-like striped images. Seven 60x48-inch striped canvases, plus one kitschy painting of a panda on a branch, line the walls of the main gallery. A cardboard box of posters (of one of the stripe paintings) lies in the middle of the space. Ten smaller striped canvases, as well as three reproductions of the same panda painting, appear in the gallery office.

Repetition is something well established in Craven’s vocabulary as an artist. She lost all of her possessions, paintings and documentation of her work in a fire that destroyed her Manhattan studio in 1999. The fire, (more so the destruction of all of her works and archives), took Craven’s work in an entirely new direction. She began to explore replication and repetition, repainting all of her old works from memory [1]. No longer did Craven make one of something, she made multiples (in a 2006 show at Gasser & Grunert in New York Craven installed 400 paintings of the moon), or she repeated every painting in a past show, changing only the size of the canvases [2].

In Moon Birds Craven re-invents the idea of repetition through interpreting her past paintings as simple color studies. The image has been stripped from the canvas, leaving bold, colorful stripes that align with the color schemes of her moon, bird, deer and panda paintings. Craven first presented color studies in her show at the Catherine Bastide Gallery in Brussels, Belgium, where she presented a small stripe painting above the main image with which it was associated [3]. This, however, is the first time viewers have seen the stripes on a large scale, presented independently from their original.

The stripe paintings offer variation from Craven’s usual technique in that they are messy and quick (most of them painted in a single day). Other than her consideration for the color of each stripe, little attention is paid to detail, as the stripes are irregular in size and angle, the colors mix and run into one another, and one color drips into the next.


The panda paintings are much more typical of Craven’s style. Each is of the same image, reproduced to near perfection on various scales. Craven masters her medium—both large and small brush strokes are visible, working together to create a portrait that is truly breathtaking. Like the style used in many of her bird paintings, the bright panda pops off a soft-focus, fairly dull background. While I enjoyed the pandas immensely, they do not do justice to Craven’s impeccable technique. Variations in the size and direction of the brushstrokes are apparent, but the image does not show as well as Craven’s parakeets or lovebirds. In her past paintings, the beauty of the brushstrokes was mostly visible in the feathers, and I find myself wishing the pandas gave my eyes more to grab onto.

The panda, however, transforms Craven’s usual kitsch iconography into something with more widespread appeal. Whereas her birds and deer are clearly feminine in appearance, the pandas are alluring on a different level. As the gallery attendant asked to me, “Who doesn’t like pandas?”

Rather than loading her images, Craven employs a kitsch, “greeting card” aesthetic precisely because it is empty. By using such commonplace imagery, viewers are not distracted by the meaning [4]. They can focus on the painting itself—the use of color, variance of brushstrokes, and the wet-on-wet application of oils that Craven champions. Not only can Craven hang her process on the original, but viewers can also discover it through the duplicates, which are not only recreations of the pictures, but of the method of art-making itself.

Craven’s concept of reproduction confronts that which Walter Benjamin discussed in The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. Benjamin claims that even the most perfect reproduction lacks a presence “in time and space, its unique existence at the place where it happens to be.” This “unique existence” he says, is determined by its history and the changes it suffers to its physical condition over time [5]. By producing multiple paintings simultaneously, Craven challenges the idea of the “original.” Of the four panda paintings in the show, it is impossible to say which is the original and which are the reproductions. All four show the indexical quality of the artist’s hand, have a unique story of their creation, and exist independently in the gallery space. None are labeled as the “copy.” Furthermore, Craven’s color studies are reproductions of an “authentic,” yet completely distinctive. They look entirely different and exist autonomously from their originals. They have their own history and presence.

Benjamin also said, “The work of art reproduced becomes the work of art designed for reproducibility” [6]. Craven’s posters on the floor speak more to this idea. A technique she picked up from close friend and fellow artist Josh Smith, the posters eliminate the artist’s hand by flattening her brushstrokes. Printed on shoddy paper and “displayed” in the cardboard box they were delivered in, the posters become a glowing example of the cheapening of an artwork through reproduction. The posters have no unique existence, they probably won’t make it past the gray fabric walls of an office cubicle and they certainly don’t show off Craven’s painting. If the posters are said to be an example of mechanical reproduction, then Craven’s duplicate paintings are an example of the finest human reproduction.

Installation is also an important element in Craven’s work. Though not as striking in Moon Birds as in past shows (Deer and Beer, 2006 and 400 Paintings, 2006 are both excellent examples), attention is obviously paid to appropriate use of the gallery space. The black and white stripe paintings (color studies of Craven’s moon paintings) align in the corners of the gallery. The large and small-scale versions mimic each other on adjacent walls. The closest stripe painting to the gallery exit is wrapped in plastic and taped with brown packing tape. The plastic, only present on this single painting, suggests an element of protection. From what Craven is trying to protect the painting is unclear, but the viewer is certainly reminded of the destruction of Craven’s studio during the fire. The plastic may also be reminiscent of the painting’s trip to the printer, as it is the painting that is replicated on the posters.

Repetition and painter-liness are at the core of Craven’s work. While other artists work tirelessly to avoid repeating themselves, Craven embraces repetition as a way to re-discover works and highlight her masterful painting process. Because Moon Birds is a less blatant example of Craven’s common techniques, it forces the viewer to contextualize it within her past shows. The color studies are simply a new way of looking at the old—a re-invention of the painted icon in a consumer driven, mass-produced world. These are images on which she can hang her process, to turn the focus to the painting itself [7]. And yet, the process behind the color studies (quick and messy) contrasts sharply with the intentional, varying brushstrokes of the panda paintings. While both images are “reproductions,” neither seems tightly maneuvered. The wet-on-wet technique allows Craven to create artworks that appear spontaneous [8]; the artist’s hand is apparent while the act of “replication” is hidden, making each duplicate painting even more miraculous.


[1] Barbara Pollack, “You Must Remember This: Ann Craven’s mnemonic devices,” Modern Painters March (2005): 44.
[2] Barbara Pollack, “Reviews: Ann Craven,” Time Out New York 445 (2004): 53.
[3] Ann Craven: Exhibitions, 11 March 2008, http://www.anncraven.com/craven_home.html.
[4] Barbara Pollack, “You Must Remember This: Ann Craven’s mnemonic devices,” Modern Painters March (2005): 44.
[5] Walter Benjamin, “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction,” Illuminations, ed. Hannah Arendt (New York, NY: Schocken Books, 1969) 220.
[6] Walter Benjamin, “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction,” Illuminations, ed. Hannah Arendt (New York, NY: Schocken Books, 1969) 224.
[7] Barbara Pollack, “You Must Remember This: Ann Craven’s mnemonic devices,” Modern Painters March (2005): 44.
[8] Barbara Pollack, “Ann Craven at Klemens Gasser & Tanja Grunert,” March (2004).

Culturejunk

"It's postmodernism at its finest: exit signs everywhere but no escape."

Irony

"Three Ball 50/50 Tank" by Jeff Koons

Irony

"New Shelton Wet/Dry Doubledecker" by Jeff Koons

Synecdoche

Charles Ray

Synecdoche

"VAV" by Morris Louis

Metonymy

From the "Immediate Family" Series by Sally Mann

Metaphor

"The Creation of Man" by Michelangelo

Icon Magazine

Vision/Philosophy:
Icon is a unique art publication. It will study contemporary art in a way that can be appreciated by both the most experienced art critic and the simple art enthusiast. It will recognize traditional art forms like painting and sculpture, but will also examine where the arts intersect with other parts of our lives like politics and business. It will mix a blurb-style front of the book with features, photographic essays and reviews. It will champion the fine and performing arts. Finally, it will be available in different editions for each major U.S. city, starting with Chicago.

Audience:
Icon advocates the idea that art is not just for the stuffy, old critic or collector. It is a luxury publication made with young, wealthy urbanites in mind. The writing style of the “State of the Arts” section will play most effectively to a hipster in their 30s, while the reviews and features will be more universally enjoyed (particularly by art patrons). It is our goal to have Icon become a weekend planning tool. A young couple will head to Starbucks on a Saturday morning to get their soy lattes, grab a free copy of Icon, and use it to plan outings to galleries and performances over the next few weekends.

Circulation:
Icon will be a quarterly publication (four issues per year). Issues will be printed according to the seasons. The Fall issue will hit newsstands in mid-August, the Winter issue in mid-November, the Spring issue in mid-February, and the summer issue in mid-May. We will start by printing between 35,000 and 50,000 copies per issue (per city) with the hope to expand to around 75,000 copies per issue (per city) once we get off and running.

Distribution Scheme:
Initially, Icon will contract with various galleries and coffees shops to be distributed in those locations for free (similar to the way Chicago Social is distributed for free in Starbucks). We will also sell in major bookstores (Barnes and Noble and Borders). We will only distribute for free until we create buzz around our name and get our feet off the ground. Once Icon has a presence we will expand to more bookstores (smaller independents) and sell in galleries for the cover price of $5.99.

Editions:
My intention as publisher and editor-in-chief is to make local “editions” of Icon. We will start here in Chicago focusing our location specific sections (Calendars, Politics, Artists, Shows, some Reviews) on the Chicago art scene. While much of our content will be Chicago specific, much of it will also apply nationally (some Reviews, Interview, Features, Fashion, Business). I plan to make the major articles nationally applicable (on world renowned artists or exhibits). The smaller sections, however, will highlight local artists and events. Once our Chicago edition has taken off we will expand to other cities through a network of field editors and satellite offices. The field editors will be experts on their respective art scenes, and can report on local events, artists and exhibitions in their area. Our nationally based content can stay consistent throughout each edition. Cities to which I hope to expand within the next five years include New York, San Francisco, Houston and Los Angeles.

Format:
Departments: State of the Arts, Reviews, Features, Interview

State of the Arts:
The “State of the Arts” section is essentially our front of the book. It will be broken down into seven sections: Calendars, Now, Fashion, Politics, Artists, Shows, and Business.

Calendars: There will be five different calendars in each edition of Icon. The first will be the “Best of Chicago” calendar that will feature the “must-sees” for this issue. These things don’t necessarily have to be related to art, but they are events that every Chicagoan should experience. The remaining four calendars are for Art Openings, Exhibition Schedules, Performance Schedules, and “Around Town” (art fairs, art benefits, etc.).

Now: This is the “Top 10” section that will be written by Greil Marcus each issue. It will be his survey of the top ten hottest and most important things in art, architecture, music and culture.

Fashion: This section is for the fashion forward who are interested in expanding their wardrobe to reflect their appreciation of art. In this issue we will feature four artists who have turned their attention towards fashion. The first is Richard Prince, who designed a handbag collection for Louis Vuitton based on his Nurse Paintings. Next, Damien Hirst paired with Levi Strauss & Co. to create a line of 501 jeans featuring his trademark rhinestone skulls. Artist Pamela Ferrari transfers her paper paintings onto clothing and then sells them in her boutiques in Colorado and Connecticut. Finally, artist Ananda Khalsa creates miniature paintings that fit into rings, necklaces and bracelets. This section will be written in blurb-style, each blurb accompanied by a large, dropout photograph of the product.

Politics: Because we are in the midst of a presidential race, in this issue we will highlight arts along the campaign trail. We will focus on both the national (presidential) and local (gubernatorial, etc.) level. What are the candidates saying about funding for the arts? Have they spoken publicly on funding for art education in public schools, etc?

Artists: These will be short profiles (around one page each) of between five and 10 local artists that have shows currently running or set to open during the shelf life of the issue. For our first issue these will be Chicago-based artists, as we expand, they will be local to whichever edition of Icon they are featured in.

Shows: These are short profiles (half a page each) of approximately 10 to 15 shows that are set to open during the shelf life of the issue. These are NOT reviews. Rather, they are a “keep your eye open for these upcoming shows.” They expand on the calendars section by giving readers a little insight into the exhibit and letting them know what to expect.

Business: This section explores the business side of the art world. What are art collectors after these days? What just sold, to whom, and for how much? If you want to get into the business of art collecting, where should you get started? What types of work are going to take off next?

Reviews:
There will be about 10 reviews in each issue. Three will be of national shows and 7 will be of local shows. The reviews will span various mediums, focusing mostly on galleries, film, performing arts and social arts (public pieces).

Features:
There will be three features per issue, each will be approximately 10 pages in length and be accompanied by a photo essay. In this issue Lucy R. Lippard will examine the performative aspect of Romanian artist Dan Perjovschi’s line drawings. She will also discuss the political commentary created by his work and the connection his drawings have to street art. The text will be accompanied by a photo essay shot by David Drebin.

Interview:
The “Interview” section is our back of the book. It is a Q&A with the curator of a major contemporary arts museum on what is going on in the art world. We will ask questions like: What are some trends you see in the art world today? In your experience what types of works are viewers most responsive to? As a curator, do you find it most important to keep the critics or the public happy? What kind of art will we see in five years? How about ten years? Outside the gallery, how do you experience art?

Contributors (First Issue):
Greil Marcus (“Now”): Pop culture junkie Greil Marcus will offer his insights into the top ten most intriguing things this season in art, architecture, music and culture.

David Drebin (“Features”): Drebin is a New York based photographer who contributes to fashion, art and pop culture publications. This issue, he will shoot a photo essay to accompany our feature story on Dan Perjovschi. The narratives he creates portray the performative aspect of Perjovschi’s work in way that simple text cannot.

Jessica Cochran (“Artists”): A graduate of the master’s program for art history, theory and criticism at the Art Institute of Chicago, Cochran is the director of the O’Connor Gallery at Dominican University. She is well acquainted with the Chicago art scene, so her largest task will be choosing only five to ten artists to profile for this issue.

James Godman (“Politics”): For this issue, photographer James Godman used a high profile setting (the Democratic National Convention at the Pepsi Center in Denver, CO) to set the mood for his photo shoot of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. As an abstract painter himself, he appreciates the vivid color that he can get from real film, and often favors his old fashioned Minolta over his brand new digital.

Lucy R. Lippard (“Features”): Lippard is the author of more than 20 books and the co-founder of several artist-based organizations, including the Heresies Collective, Political Art Documentation/Distribution and Printed Matter, New York. In this issue she will examine the work of Dan Perjovschi and discuss his performance-based technique used to create politically charged artworks.

Nancy Holt (“Reviews”): Based in Galisteo, New Mexico, Holt has been known for pioneering site-specific public sculptures, installations, films and videos with her late husband Robert Smithson. Columbia University’s Wallach Art Gallery will mount a traveling exhibition of Holt’s films, videos and related works in 2009. In this issue, Holt reviews two film-based works: one here in Chicago, the other, soon to open in New York.

Design Scheme:
The design scheme is going to be clean and simple. We will take cues from Chicago Social and Artforum, and stay as far away as possible from the chaotic pages of Art in America. Icon will be an ultra glossy, oversized book. It will be about 175 pages long, depending on the issue. I plan to make it visually interesting with large graphics and simple text. Large portions of body text will be laid out in columns for readability. The advertising will be upscale—a mixture of mostly fashion and gallery advertisements. There is an approximate 1 to 1 content to ad ratio for our first issue.


Editor’s Note:

Hello, and welcome to our premiere issue of Icon! I am very excited to announce that we have finally gotten off the ground here, in one of America’s most exciting art scenes, Chicago.

Icon is an art magazine truly unlike any other. Our goal is to make contemporary art enjoyable for critics, but above all, accessible to those who don’t go gallery hopping each weekend. Icon is about appreciating traditional forms of art (through our features and reviews), while learning where contemporary art fits into other aspects of our lives (check out the “State of the Arts” section to see where art intersects with fashion, politics and business). At Icon we are not championing the “art as real life” attitude. Rather, we are allowing those interested in the arts to get the full picture, with events calendars, quick trend blurbs, reviews, interviews, and in-depth features.

As you read through this issue take note of our mix of local and national stories. It is our intent to give about half the stories in each issue national appeal. The others will be Chicago-based. For the locals, we want to be a weekend planning tool. We’ve done our job right if you read about the Warrington Colescott show at the Perimeter Gallery, hop on the “L” towards River North, and experience the exhibit for yourself.

As we get off the ground here in Chicago, plans are already set to expand. Our next stop—San Francisco. As we expand to more cities the plan is to keep our nationally relevant stories the same and replace anything with local flare. By employing art-savvy field editors in each major U.S. city, we will be able to stay on top of numerous art scenes, and keep locals up on what is going on in their neighborhoods. Other cities we hope to reach within the next few years? New York, Los Angeles and Houston.

While I am ecstatic that we are finally getting our feet off the ground, I am particularly excited about a few things in this issue. As a girl who had her first job in retail, and still devotes way too much of her paycheck to the fashion gods, I absolutely love the Fashion section of “State of the Arts.” I’m wild about the skull encrusted 501 jeans by Damien Hirst. Equally high on my radar are the mini paintings Ananda Khalsa embeds in sterling silver and gold rings and necklaces, (I’m obsessed with the “Oval Autumn Maple Ring” available at guild.com).

I’m also thrilled to be featuring Dan Perjovschi, who I believe to be one of the most fun artists around. I was lucky enough to see his “Projects 85” show at MoMA in 2007. As you’ll see in the photos (page 114) he started with blank gallery walls, used a lift to move all around the space, and drew cartoons and political commentary as he went. Like the rest of the audience, I was completely captivated. By that time, Icon was already in the works, so I knew Dan had to be featured in our first issue.

Finally, the month of February is placing us in the midst of some major political turmoil. Pretty soon each party will spit out a presidential candidate and America will be set for our most exciting election in decades. We’ve heard Hillary’s stance on war, and Barack’s plan for education. But what is each candidate saying about funding for the arts? Check out the Politics section in “State of the Arts.” You may want to read this before you cast your vote.

As the weather starts to warm up (well, sort of) we look forward to the promise of spring. In our premiere issue we’ve given you so much to do and see in the city that you have no more excuses to hibernate. So get out there and enjoy! We’ll see you again in May.

The work of Heather Mekkelson: Where disaster and beauty collide

Somber yet awe-inspiring and calm yet glaring, Heather Mekkelson’s Debris Field, 2008, juxtaposes the human touch with the force of nature by drawing attention to a scene—meticulously and painstakingly recreated—that nature took only minutes to destroy.

Part of the ThreeWallsSOLO show which runs until February 16, the walk through, multi-part piece sits behind an unassuming door, halfway down a long, empty hallway and fills an entire gallery space. Similar to other Mekkelson works, Debris Field is the reconstruction of a disaster scene. In this case, water stains and caked sand give the impression of a hurricane. Human elements—a leather handbag tangled in white vertical blinds, a deflated soccer ball, an overturned dinner plate and a lone navy blue sock—mixed with bundled and broken building materials, work together to comment on the transience of human existence.

As the viewer enters the gallery space, she passes under a large speaker. The sounds transport the viewer to the South. Wind and water rush, cicadas pipe up in melodious rounds, and every once in a while, children yell to one another in the background. Because their words are inaudible, it is impossible to tell whether they are yelling out of joy or sadness.

You get the feeling that you have entered this landscape during “the calm after the storm.” Everything is still, each element has equal weight in the space, and nothing jumps out. In fact, some things are so well hidden that the viewer might miss them if she was not kneeling down to look under things or bending over to get a closer view.

A variety of objects fill the gallery—all tattered, wrecked, or completely demolished. The viewer immediately comes across a pile of roof tiles, a piece of bent metal siding, a broken switchboard and a sand encrusted standing fan laying on its side. As you move through the space, you pass three linoleum-covered stairs, a dirty floral duvet wrapped in torn plastic, and yard upon yard of unraveled air conditioner duct. Broken electrical wires hang across the room tangled with dirty fabric and a large blue tarp extends across one corner. Below the tarp, broken wood is bundled together with pieces of wire and sits alongside a bent doorframe and parts of a chain-link gate.

Six wooden stakes act as markers in the space. Perfectly suspended, at just the right height, I toyed with the idea that the artist may have actually driven them through the water damaged wooden floor. Helping to light the objects throughout the room are three makeshift mechanic’s lights hanging from industrial chain. These elements, along with a large, neon orange “OK” spray-painted on one wall show that some attention has been paid to the scene. They also raise an important question—is this scenario, “OK?” Maybe the people who owned these disjointed objects made it out of the storm safely. Regardless, nothing about this scene of pure destruction is “OK.” Or maybe, everything about the scene is “OK.” Through her work, Mekkelson aims to comment on the idea of imminent mortality. Perhaps the “OK” is a reminder about the true nature of our lives. In the end, we all die, and tattered blankets, stairs and roof tiles are all secondary.

Mekkelson’s attention to detail is flawless. The wreckage is a scene from which I want to shield my eyes, but instead, cannot force myself to look away. Mekkelson’s work is where disaster and beauty collide. To say it is an aestheticization of real life (in this case disaster), however, is challenging because that presumes a disregard for morals. Mekkelson’s piece doesn’t entirely lack aesthetic qualities, but in her case, art is more than aesthetics. It surpasses beauty and serves to function as freedom of speech and conscious. Imminent mortality isn’t necessarily a topic viewers are willing to accept, but Mekkelson pushes the subject and makes her comment through the artwork. She pushes her point even further by making her piece “in your face.” Field cannot be appreciated from a distance. It requires the viewer to interact with it; to see everything one must walk through the rubble.

In presenting Debris Field as an exact recreation of the disaster landscape, it is also necessary to argue its possible role as a memorial. In going along with the historical conventions of such, suggesting that the work is a memorial would mean that it is devoid of aestheticism (which is not to say that memorials can’t also be aesthetically pleasing, it is just to say that aesthetics are not their principle function). As discussed above, Mekkelson’s work doesn’t possess conventional aestheticism, but it is still a work of art. Mekkelson does not attempt to put the events of the disaster up on a pedestal, but rather to break them down into their most basic elements—a piece of metal siding, a dinner plate and a navy blue sock.

Rather than memorializing the events of this disaster, Mekkelson is presenting them in a way that is completely foreign to the viewer, and in doing so creating a work of art that is both abstract and representational. Debris Field is blatantly representational. In the same way a viewer can pick out an apple in a still life painting, any citizen of today’s world can look at Field and see its direct ties to disasters (like Hurricane Katrina) that have been so well publicized in recent years. It has immediacy because it is very recognizable within the viewer’s realm of understanding. Mekkelson’s work is abstract because of the way it is presented. She shatters the notion of the pristine gallery space by bringing the disaster inside. Rather than photographing or recording her disaster landscapes in a more traditional way, Mekkelson actually constructs the catastrophe for the viewer.

Mekkelson’s work is abstract yet representational and creates an eerie and contemplative environment. In this quiet space she speaks loudly to the idea of imminent mortality, not through an intense emptiness or metaphoric grim reaper, but rather through a real scene, meticulously recreated, of discrete ruins.

Liru and Kuniya

Uluru, formerly known as Ayers Rock, is a place of great cultural and spiritual significance to the Aboriginal people. The large sandstone rock formation is found in the southern part of the Northern Territory, in Australia’s “Red Centre.” It is 348 meters high and is home to many waterholes, rock caves and ancient paintings. Uluru is also the site of many Aboriginal dreamtime (creation) stories.

Uluru is one of the most visited tourist sites in Australia and is notable for changing colors throughout the day. The rock is brilliant shades of orange during the morning and afternoon hours (this photograph was taken just after sunrise), but is particularly stunning at sunset, when it appears for a short time to glow red and then purple as the sun disappears. Rain is uncommon in central Australia, although during wet periods, Uluru will appear grey with black streaks. The streaks are caused by black algae that collects on areas of the rock where water flows. Although in a semiarid climate, flora and fauna abound in the area surrounding Uluru, making it an ideal home for the Pitjantjatjara tribe who have lived in this area for centuries.

The most distinctive feature of the rock is the countless dents, cracks, and fissures that are the backdrop for ongoing stories of the native Pitjantjatjara tribe. In fact, nearly every mark has some significance. The skull, shown here, is from one of the most important stories, that of Liru and Kuniya. According to the story, in the time of Tjukurpa (the dreamtime period) there was a young Kuniya snakeboy who was ambushed by a group of Liru (venomous snakes). The Liru threw many spears at the Kuniya and killed him. The boy’s aunt, a Kuniya snakewoman, was so angry that she chased down the Lirus. She caught up to one and killed him with a great blow to the head. The mark on Uluru is where the Liru’s skull hit the rock as the Kuniya killed him. This same story (and others) continues as you move around the rock, where other cracks and crevices tell of the Kuniya’s mourning period over her nephew.

Since Uluru—Kata Tjuta National Park was added to the World Heritage list, tourism has increased to nearly half a million visitors each year. Although tourism has great benefits economically, it has also caused challenges for the local tribes. For instance, the tribe that owns the land asks that visitors not climb the rock because it is extremely insensitive towards their culture and beliefs. Because of this, park rangers have designated that climbs be “at your own risk.” Regardless, a large number of visitors still climb the rock each year.

The local Aboriginal people also request that visitors refrain from taking photographs at some sites around Uluru. These spots are generally related to gender rituals that are forbidden for tribe members of the opposite sex. The photography ban is intended to prevent the local tribes from inadvertently violating any of these rituals by coming across these photos in the outside world.

My Top 5

1. Small Town America

Although I come from a small town in northern California I’ve never considered myself a small town girl, nor have I considered northern California to be part of “small town America.” Recently I’ve been spending every weekend in east Texas, mostly near College Station. The best part of my visits is the long (and numerous) drives I take between big cities (because nothing in Texas is close together, nor does anything happen in the small towns). Along the way I pass dude ranches, grazing longhorn cattle, and trucks alongside the highway from which families sell crafts emblazoned with the Texas flag. When I stop to re-fuel, the gas stations are usually connected to barbeque joints or live bait shops. The waitresses in the local diners call me “sweetheart” or “honey” and many of the men sitting at the counter sipping coffee are missing some or all of their front teeth. While most of my friends from Texas admit these characteristics to be “redneck-ish,” I find them extremely comforting. There is something nice about the fact that the members of these small towns know each other and legitimately care for one another. They will do me a favor without asking for something in return and they are always interested to know how my day is going. Their friendly attitudes and down-home values are surely something to be admired. I only wish they would spread to America’s coasts, where in the midst of the crowds and our busy schedules, we sometimes forget the most important things.

2. Executive Suites—Why mingle with the masses when you can enjoy the game in luxury?

I’ve been lucky enough in the months of late to take in various sporting events from the comfort of my own suite. (Well, it’s not my suite. I’m a guest. But the people I pass on my way to the private elevators don’t know that.) In fact, a few days ago I watched a Chicago Blackhawks game in the opulence of a penthouse-level Executive Suite. “Watching” the game may actually be a bit of an overstatement. The suite, rather, was the experience. I pulled up to the United Center with my executive parking pass in hand, but because I was a little late, I assumed I’d still be parking in Timbuktu. Luckily, most of the people who have these parking passes must be of some importance, because a spot was saved for me no more than 20 yards from the main gate. Once I got to the penthouse level, the wining and dining really began. Never mind that the hockey players looked like little specs of dirt floating around on the ice—There were flat-screen TVs on every wall so we could see each shot replayed from every angle. Never mind I didn’t have to wait in long lines to get my polish dog and cotton candy—I had a full buffet to keep me satisfied. Never mind I didn’t spill my Diet Coke all over the person in front of me as I tried to crawl back into my seat—When I got thirsty our bartender was at my service. While being a true fan usually means enjoying all the quirks of your favorite ballpark or stadium, being treated like a celebrity definitely has its perks. My next mission—ditching the suite for courtside seats. I’m thinking I’ll go for a Lakers game, where I can sit next to Jack Nicholson.

3. The Ugly Bridesmaid Dress—Back in the limelight, but as an era that has (hopefully) passed.

All women know what it means to be a bridesmaid. There are the obvious duties like helping plan various aspects of the reception, and then there’s the dress. At some weddings, wearing the dress is more of a joke than a privilege. Gaudy colors, puffy sleeves, and a crinoline underneath. In fact, a lot of attention has been given to these tacky “costumes” over the years. There’s a movie all about them called 27 Dresses coming out on Friday and there’s even a Web site solely dedicated to the ugly bridesmaid dress, wedding dress, or tuxedo (www.uglydress.com). These dresses are those of the “one time use” variety. You’ll wear them in support of the bride on her big day, but they will be banished to the back of the closet (or worse—the dumpster behind the hotel) by the time the after-party rolls around. If they are kept around it is for an ‘80s-themed party where they are accompanied by fuchsia fishnets and a side ponytail. You get my point. But for those who may be in a wedding sometime soon (like myself), relief is in sight. According to Ramona de la Rosa, the executive vice president for merchandising for David’s Bridal, the hottest new trend in bridesmaid dresses is the “wear-again dress.” These dresses are more casual and fluid and are beginning to mimic what women would actually choose for themselves. In fact, some brides have gone so far as the let the bridal party choose their own dresses. Case in point—Eva Longoria. At her July 7, 2007 wedding to NBA star Tony Parker, Longoria had 12 bridesmaids. Each wore a different style dress. Finally brides are getting the picture, and thank goodness it doesn’t involve taffeta and elbow length gloves.

4. Hollywood’s Baby Boom

It seems that babies are all over Hollywood lately. And while this isn’t a new phenomenon (women have always had children), the public obsession with celebrity pregnancies has certainly reached its peak. A few celebrity toddlers are consistently beating out their parents for spots in the tabloids (Suri Cruise and Violet Affleck in particular), and the paparazzi now seeks the “baby bump” underneath every loose-fitting t-shirt or empire-waisted dress. Though neither is more than three days old, I assume Harlow Winter Kate Madden (daughter of Joel Madden and Nicole Richie) and Max Liron Bratman (son of Christina Aguilera and Jordan Bratman) will be our next targets. The public will move on, however, as soon as the next Burberry-clad baby is born. Luckily for us, A-listers Halle Berry, Jessica Alba and Nicole Kidman are expecting.

5. The Spears Family—More dysfunctional than ever.

Britney, Jamie Lynn and Lynne Spears are top five material for one reason alone—if they were to disappear tomorrow, who would we talk about? Within her gossip-ridden family tree, Brit takes the cake this week for her bizarre yet consistent multiple personality disorder. It’s nothing new, of course, we’ve just seen more shades of Britney in the past week than necessary. Who can forget the LAPD raiding her home during an alleged “hostage” situation involving one of her sons? Or perhaps Brit’s car shopping escapade at a Mercedes dealership in the San Fernando Valley to which she wore one of the dresses from her wedding to ex-husband Kevin Federline. Maybe the cheap wigs are affecting her brain, but seriously Brit, either get it together or get some help. As for Jamie Lynn, Brit’s 16-year-old sister, things are also not so great. Just before Christmas Jamie Lynn announced her pregnancy with boyfriend Casey Aldridge (it was first reported that Jamie’s mom, Lynne, actually sold the story for $1 million, but that has yet to be confirmed). Jamie has decided to put her acting career for Nickelodeon’s Zoey 101 on hold and move back to Louisiana to raise the baby. As for Lynne, the book she was writing on parenting has been put on hold “indefinitely.” I think we can all breathe a collective sigh of relief.

Uluru, Northern Territory, Australia

This skull on the side of Uluru (a.k.a. Ayers Rock) is part of one of the many stories that make the monolith sacred to the Aboriginal people. It is located in Australia's "Red Centre."