75Grand @ posthaven

FROM THE ARCHIVES : DVD CONJUNCTIONS

2023-06-02T11:00:18Z

OTRO DIA, OTRA FOTO: DVD CONJUNCTIONS

DVD SALE RACK, BAYAMON, PR
AUGUST 14, 2015

FROM THE ARCHIVES: ARTISTAS EN PERFIL: Obras y insurrección

2023-02-13T21:26:38Z

Obras y insurrección

by Jan Galligan & Lillian Mulero
May 24, 2015

Outside the Galeria Oller: PUERTA CERRADA! VOLVER OTRA

“Are we locked out, or is the art locked in?” I ask Lillian. “It depends which side of the glass you are standing on. For now, we are not getting inside,” she tells me. We came to Galeria Francisco Oller, on the UPR Rio Piedras campus, to see Crescendo, an art installation by Elizam Escobar. With the doors locked the only thing we can see is a pile of brochures inside the glass door, and a blurry view of some of the images on the walls. The far end of the gallery is dominated by two larger than life size photographs. The first shows Escobar when he was a much younger man, standing next to a small boy. The other photo shows an older Escobar standing next to a man and an even older woman.

Not wanting our trip to be wasted effort, we visited Liberia Tertulia, where we purchased the new book by Nelson A. Denis, War Against All Puerto Ricans: Revolution and Terror in America's Colony. We learned that Denis would speak about his book at UPR the following day, and made plans to attend that discussion.

"The United States has a long and complex relationship with Puerto Rico that changes dramatically depending on who is telling the tale. Is America a friendly benefactor who brought economic development to an agricultural island? Or is the U.S. an oppressive ruler who capitalized on the island's fertile and inexpensive land, and cheap labor, to advance U.S. economic interests at the expense of Puerto Ricans, many of whom wanted independence after the oppressive rule of Spain." This quote comes from Betsy Kaplan of WNPR news radio in Hartford, CT. She recently interviewed Denis about the book and his investigations into the life of Pedro Albizu Campos, leader of the Nationalist Party of Puerto Rico, who devoted his entire life to seeking independence.

During the subsequent discussion by Denis we learned that he considers his book a work in progress, telling one part of a complex and evolving story that exposes a suppressed, often hidden history of the island's efforts to resist domination, and ongoing U.S. repression. He said the next step for his book is translation into Spanish. The discussion became heated when a few students and one historian challenged Denis on some specific facts. He was generous in his response, telling them that he is author of a narrative and worked to be as accurate as possible, while reminding them that facts can always be corrected. “What is important,” he says, “is the message to our youth, which they must internalize. There are many opinions, but we should learn to speak as one voice if we are to be heard.”

Nelson A. Denis (third from right) during UPR presentation

Denis indicated the core of this book is a human appeal to an incredible story, not unlike the story told by Dee Brown in his 1970 book, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, an account of injustice and the betrayal of native American Indians by the U.S. government. Denis said Brown's book represents a paradigm shift in people's perception of the plight of the American Indian and hoped that his own book might provide the impetus for a similar shift in thinking – for Puerto Ricans about themselves and popular opinion about the island and its people.

After the discussion, we returned to the Oller gallery to view the art installation by Elizam Escobar and this time we were able to make a close and careful observation. Unlike other exhibitions of Escobar's work that we have seen, this presents a detailed auto-biographical record of the lenghty time he was in prison in the U.S., incarcerated as member of the Movimiento Clandestino Puertorriqueno, who were fighting for independence.

The most striking and absorbing work in this installation is a series of 19 photographs, one for each of his years in U.S. federal prison, that show Escobar with his son in the visiting rooms of the various prisions where he was being held. In two instances his son was not able to visit, so Escobar has collaged two individual photos together. These may the most affective of all.

We were joined on our tour by Nelson Denis and he made a pointed and astute observation of this group of photographs. “Look at Escobar's eyes,” he instructed us, “Notice how world-weary he appears. Compare that to the life in the eyes of his son.” As you look at these photos and their history of time's passage, you watch the son grow from a boy to a man. At the end, in 1999, he is nearly the same age as Escobar at the beginning in of his incarceration in 1981. As Denis pointed out, a certain weariness seems to have crept into the son's eyes as well, as his knowledge of the world and his awareness of his place in it grows along with him.

Crescendo represents a gradual but steady increase in volume or intensity, usually in sound and often culminating in an especially loud noise or crash. Escobar considers his installation a visible record of the passage of time, and it is easy to imagine those 19 years building in intensity.

According to the account by Denis in his book War Against All Puerto Ricans, the abuse of the island of Puerto Rico started early, in 1493 under Spanish rule, followed in 1898 by the U.S. government's annexation of the island after the Spanish-American war. The leader of the Nationalist Party and his supporters felt that crescendo which climaxed in the last days of October, 1950 when they led an armed insurrection against the U.S. government. As Denis says, this story is still being written.

The Jayuya Revolt or El Grito de Jayuya, was a Nationalist insurrection that took place on October 30, 1950

Elizam Escobar experienced a crescendo which may have started even before his arrest in 1981, but continued its increase in intensity until he was released from prison and he returned to the island. One can read the culmination in his eyes, the eyes of his son, and the eyes of his mother in the large photograph that dominates the wall at the far end of the gallery, showing them together September 10, 1999, the day of his release.

(left) FBI document from book by Nelson A. Denis (right) Albizu Campos, painting by Elizam Escobar

Jan Galligan & Lillian Mulero, UPR art gallery, May 12, 2015

EL DIARIO DE VIAJE DEL RON y COMIDA: The quest for a vintage Delorean

2022-05-13T16:52:39Z

by Jan Galligan & Ned Foss

April 20 - 27, 2022

San Juan, PR and environs

Founded by the Dutch in 1614, Albany, NY is one of the oldest cities in the US. If Ned Foss and I had met back then, we would have bonded over something other than automobiles, as the first motor car, a steam powered vehicle was not invented until 1627. As it was, we met in Albany's Mansion neighborhood, named not for large elegant houses, but rather for the Governor's Mansion which sits at the top of a hill overlooking the Hudson River and the Pastures, Albany's first settlement along the Hudson.

Ned was living on Wilbur St and driving a fully restored turquoise and white 1963 Dodge Town and Country panel truck. I was living at 75 Grand St. and driving a vintage, nine window, two passenger, unrestored, bright yellow 1968 Ford Econoline van. Sharing our interest, I showed Ned photos of a red 800 cc 1961 Morris Mini Minor, as well as a 1200 cc, dual carburator, off yellow 1963 Austin Mini Cooper S that had been my daily transportation in Madison, WI prior to moving to Albany. That move in 1976 meant I had to trade the Mini Cooper for the maxi-sized Econoline in order to haul all my possessions.

Ned proceeded to enumerate a long list of vintage and classic cars he had owned prior to his move to Albany. Our bond established, I soon purchased, and in one case inherited, a series of second-hand vechicles from Ned, including two Peugeot station wagons, a 1982 504 diesel, and later a gas powered 1990 405. The diesel came with a second, backup parts car, the inheritance. A few years later, I bought from Ned what would be the first of many Volvo wagons. The subsequent Volvos were purchased from a local shop that specialized in Volvo repairs; suffice to say over those years, repairs were often and numerous. Twelve years ago, just before leaving for our current home here in Santa Olaya, PR, I sold both Volvos, a black 1995 850 wagon, and a four door dark green, 240 GL sedan which had become our daughter Lydia's primary transport and which was the last car we owned while in Albany.

Some months ago, I got an email from Ned informing me that in mid-April of this year, the Antique Automobile Club of America, Puerto Rico Region, would present a three day event called the ACAA Dual Nationals Special Winter and Special Grand Nationals meet in Guaynabo, an urban city located halfway between where we live in the central mountains, and San Juan on the northern coast. Clearly it was too difficult for Ned to ship either of his current collectables to the island for this show, but he was very enthusiastic about attending, and planned to extend his stay for a full week beyond the days of the meet. He reminded me that he had made one extended visit to the island fifty years ago, and as I knew, a few brief stop-overs on the way to Nevis where he and family have often vacationed. "I don't really know Puerto Rico all that well," he told me. "So this will be a good opportunity to get to know San Juan and the areas nearby, with you as my intrepid guide and interpreter."

Intrepid, I was not so sure about, and interpreter would be a stretch. I can manage the basics: ordering food in restaurants or buying supplies in countryside bodegas where little or no English is spoken. Regardless, I was up for the challenge. First task was getting Ned a place to stay and shortly via the internet, he found a small boutique hotel in the Condado neighborhood of San Juan. Conveniently located, walking distance to the ocean front, with many restaurants and the best supermarket housing a fully-stocked wine department (otherwise difficult to find around here), the hotel was in an area that we know well, as we have friends there. Before Ned confirmed his reservation, I checked out the facilities, told him that he had made a good choice and advised him on which room best suited his needs.

By mid-November of last year Ned had his admission papers for the car show, the hotel booked, and airline tickets in hand. Then began a series of emails wherein we made detailed plans for his week on the island, starting with an article from Food&Wine.com titled, "How to Spend a Perfect Time in San Juan eating & drinking" which set the tone for much that would follow. Regarding the first day/night of the car show and my suggestion that we try to hit the beach then go to a cocktail party and dinner, Ned replied, "For sure, the cocktail party. Venue looks great especially if some of the cars featured in the show are there. The dinner is unlikely to be interesting no matter where it is held: endless speeches, awards, etc. Guaynabo's Museum of Transportation holds far more appeal for me than does surfing and other activities they highlight in their brochure."
(From NF mobile}.

I followed up with a lengthy note giving Ned details about various options:

"Wed: I pick you up and we tour San Juan area starting with Pinones, just east of the airport. A funky beach zone and home to the most authentic and delicious Puertoriccan food. We'll get lunch cooked over an open fire: pork, banana fritters, rice, black beans, and beer. Then we work our way west along the coast: Carolina, Isla Verde, Ocean Park, Condado (where you're staying) tour Old San Juan, and then back east, but a bit more south: Miramar, Santurce (the arts district) Obrero (another art district) then circle back to your hotel. That will take us the better part of the day. We can have dinner in your neighborhood and before its too late, I head home.

Thurs: Day One of show. They'll have transport for you to Guaynabo which is half way between my house and San Juan, so I can easily meet you at the show grounds. I think I should remain a free-agent. You sign on as volunteer. I'll be my reporter self, take photos, etc. (what I do best) while you get to know the people running the show (what you do best). At end of day we go to that cocktail event, then you Uber back to your hotel, and I drive home.

Friday: Another show day. Same plan as above. End of day, I drive you home, we catch dinner. If it's too late, I sleep on your couch.

Sat: From now on, it depends on what you want to do. You use same routine to get to Guaynabo, where I meet you. If you've had too much show, we leave and go exploring. Visit that Transportation museum, look around town of Guaynabo, etc. I drive you to hotel, then take myself home, if it's not too late.

Sun - Tues: I show you around San Juan and nearby areas. San Juan is rich in experiences, with plenty to see and do, plus you need to meet a few of our friends. Later, we will take a short drive south to Caguas, an interesting town which I know well. We should go mid-morning. On our return, we'll take country roads, winding and beautiful and stop here in Santa Olaya where you'll see how we live. Then back to San Juan. If I'm too wobbly to drive home, I sleep on your couch.

Wed: Before noon, we grab lunch and get to SJU airport in plenty of time for your 3:30 pm flight home.

That's it. I think the basics are strong and you'll enjoy exploring life here in Paradise, as they call it."
(Jan, via email)

Meanwhile, in keeping with the car theme, I was working with David Brickman, fellow artist living in Albany, and together we wrote a review of Japanese director Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s film "Drive My Car" based on Haruki Murakami’s short story of the same name. Brickman covered the film and I wrote about Murakami's story.

Link to the article -- https://nippertown.com/2022/02/06/let-me-drive-my-car-please

I emailed a copy of our review to Ned and got this note back from him:

On Mon, Feb 7, 2022, 11:21 AM Ned Foss wrote:
Great piece!

to which I replied:

On Mon, Feb 7, 2022 3:53 PM Jan Galligan wrote:
Thanks Ned.
I thought of you when writing that.

Early in April Ned sent a note confirming his arrival time at SJU and his plans for the visit.

I replied:

"I've got you inked in for Wed 4/20 with 4:50pm arrival. I'll be there, in the peripheral parking area. Text me when you land and call me when you have your bags. I'll meet you at Delta arrivals. Then we head into San Juan, get you settled at Placid Suites, after which we go to a nearby restaurant for dinner.

I have a list of things we might do including: meet a few people, go a few places, hang out, drink rum -- the weather will be beautiful while you are here.

I assume you won't need a car those first couple days while the show is happening. April 23 to 26 you might want a car to do some exploring. On the 27th I take you to airport for your return flight. We can also plan on a good lunch on way to airport that day.”
(Jan, via email)

Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans. The rest as they say, is history:

Ned at Placid Suites hotel in the Condado, San Juan, PR, photo by Jan

Jan at Placid Suites hotel in the Condado, San Juan, PR, photo by Ned

(L) Ned with motorized bicycle; (R) Custom 1955 Chevrolet with tonneau covered wheel

Jan with silver metal racing Ferrari; and view of driver's seat, interior of the Ferrari

Ned examining 1950 DeSoto bus originally used as public transport in Jayuya, PR. On Oct 30, 1950 this bus was used by Blanca Canales to ferry a group of Puertoriccan Nationalists to the center of town where they staged an uprising against the US government, raising the Puertoriccan Flag which was outlawed at the time, and declaring Puerto Rico a Free Republic. In second photo Ned is shown with the owner, an historian who lives in Jayuya and who has completely restored the bus to its original state.

Maintenance man with his personal transport Chevy truck. On right, another motorized bicycle.

Finding the Delorean: On the last day of the car show, Ned discovered a 1981 Delorean which we learned from Luis Angueria current owner, had been abandoned on a side street in San Juan for over 15 years. He found the original owner, purchased the car, discovered that it had been driven only 18,000 miles, then he did a full restoration. This car was later used as the prototype “car of the future” designed by John Delorean, in the autobiography, comedy, thriller movie Driven, filmed in Puerto Rico in 2018.

Touring the island: Ned in Bayamon with bust of Ramon Emiterio Betances primary instigator of the Grito de Lares revolution and considered to be the father of the Puertoriccan independence movement. In Old San Juan with Pedro Albizu Campos the head of the Puertoriccan independence movement in the 1950s. In Santurce, with a No Littering sign. At San Juan's Luis Munoz Marin airport, on the way back to New York at the end of the journey.

POSTSCRIPT:

After reviewing our story, Ned sent these amendments and questions (answers included here):

While living on Wilbur St. my 1963 Dodge Town and Country Panel Truck was all turquoise before it gained a rebuilt engine and white paint during the course of restoration. (noted and corrected)

What was that wonderful hotel we walked through in Old San Juan? (El Convento)

What was the name of that area where we walked around newly-restored buildings and listened to loud music in the Park? (Ocean Park east)

The train and the station with Antonio Muntadas' pictures of Jack Delano's photographs was a great way to experience a way out of the city and into the suburbs without being on a commuter highway. (San Juan to Bayamon elevated commuter train. This article references Muntadas' installation at Roosevelt station -- http://janguarte.posthaven.com/fair-use-or-fair-game-art-in-the-internet-age )

What was the name of that lovely bakery where we had our final breakfast? (Kasalta, in Ocean Park)

And that cool place on the mountaintop where we went with Lillian, Peter and Betty? (Hacienda Calichi in Naranjito)

And that outstanding restaurant in town? (La Princesa on paseo La Princesa in Old San Juan)

While at the Rhinebeck car show, I found a DeSoto collector and learned that the DeSoto we fell in love with is fully Dodge, but was sold in Latin America and other parts of the world branded as De Soto. That type of thing happened often with Mopars: Low-end Chryslers were sold in Norway branded as Plymouths, etc.

Note: the motorized bicycles are Whizzers -- http://www.whizzermotorbike.com/

(From NF mobile}.

Editor's note: This visit to the Puerto Rico car show was not the only automotive adventure shared by Foss and Galligan. In July of 2002 the pair made a tightly scheduled, carefully navigated cross country trip from Albany, NY to Kenosha, WI (Jan's hometown) in a 1951 Nash Rambler Country Club, from Ned's car collection at that time, in order to attend the 100th Anniversary celebration of the introduction of the first Rambler automobile by the former Nash Motors Corporation there in Kenosha.

You can read that full story here ... BEEP BEEP YOUR ASS.

The Lichtenstein conjunction

2019-04-12T10:18:16Z

Last night @ 11:11 pm while watching Burning (Hangul: 버닝; RR: Beoning) the 2018 South Korean psychological drama mystery film directed, produced and co-written by Lee Chang-dong, I was struck by a scene with a gigantic blowup of Roy Lichtenstein's art on the wall of the restaurant (screenshot below) ...

This morning @ 5:55 am I received this email from ArtNet auctions (screenshot below) ...

Post-Maria post

2018-06-09T17:37:01Z

photo: Jan Galligan (left) and Lillian Mulero (right) at Ocean Park Beach, San Juan, PR, 6/8/18

Nine months post hurricane Maria, sixth months after our return following a much needed exile to the mainland, we find signs of the quasi-idyll that characterized our life on the island pre-storm. Many scars and disruptions abound, some parts of the island suffered much worse than our sheltered valley. Lots of work remains and most of us are now preparing for this year's impending hurricane season. Still, it's nice -- and it's helpful -- to get out on an especially fine day.

Homenaje a Maria

2017-11-26T18:14:26Z

6:18 AM Thursday, September 21, 2017, Santa Olaya, Bayamon, PR, photo by Jan Galligan

The morning after hurricane Maria had passed over the island and our house in Santa Olaya, a small barrio located in the countryside south of Bayamon, we opened the door for the first time thinking to walk around the property and inspect the damage. We were met with this spectacular view, and we marveled at how that cloud, backlit by the rising sun -- looked exactly like the island of Puerto Rico. Was this a harbinger, or an omen? Only time could tell...

posted by Jan Galligan & Lillian Mulero
temporarily in New Orleans, LA
Sunday, November 26, 2017

TODAY'S JOURNEY TO THE POST OFFICE

2017-10-24T23:36:51Z

DATELINE: NEW ORLEANS, LA

Ready to mail a package I used Google Maps to "find the post office closest to me" and was given the address for a facility about 1.5 miles from where we are staying. Around 11AM I set off on foot from the house where we are staying, located across from the New Orleans Race Track for that location. It was a long trek, north and west but finally I arrived, only to find it surrounded on all sides by a large fence. It was a huge place, and after walking the perimeter finally at the far corner I found an entrance, only to learn that it was a distribution center, not a regular post office. "Where's the nearest post office," I asked. "North and east of here," I was told. So I set out on foot again to the new location, another mile away.

Along the way I passed Dillard University, a predominately black college founded in the 1930s. I had been told that I would find the post office in a small shopping mall near Elysian Fields, which derives its name from a very large cemetery, above ground like all cemeteries in New Orleans. The original Elysian Fields were in Greece and were the final resting place of "the souls of the heroic and virtuous." I circumnavigated the cemetery, trying to find the post office, stopping at one building in a complex of new multistory buildings. I asked the grounds keeper if they could direct me to the post office. "No habla English," they said. Replying in Spanish, It told them what I was trying to do. "Detras esta edificio," they told me. I headed for the back of the buildings, which turned out to be a gigantic mausoleum complex. Eight buildings, multistoried, that looked like an apartment complex. Compartments for the souls of the heroic and virtuous, I decided. I circumnavigated the complex, and found the shopping mall, but not the post office.

I asked a young guy for help. "I can google it," he told me, taking out his phone. "Never mind", I replied. "I haven't had much luck with google's map today." I plugged on, and finally tucked in a corner behind an auto parts store and Mike's Hardware, I found it. Waiting on line, I decided to photograph a warning sign on the wall. NO DOGS ALLOWED, EXCEPT SEEING-EYE DOGS. I thought it would make a good entry for the Mikey-Sez blog. "NO PHOTOGRAPHS IN THE POSTOFFICE!!!" shouted the woman on duty by the front door. "It's only a sign," I told her. "NO EXCEPTIONS," she directed me. The rest of my transaction at the post office was without incident and then I took the bus back towards where I started. Except, I got the wrong bus -- headed in the right direction but travelling the wrong street. I asked the driver if it went close to the Race Track. "I'll let you know when we get there," he said. I pulled down a route map for the bus and followed along. When we were blocks south of my destination I asked the driver about the Race Track. "GET OFF HERE," he told me. "TAKE THAT BUS ACROSS THE STREET." I did as told, only to watch the other bus pull away. I checked my bus map and decided to hoof it, Now I was near City Park and the New Orleans Museum of Art. I knew the area, west and north of my destination, about a mile away. 6 min. by car, says Google Maps. 45 minutes on foot, I discovered.

Next time, I'll try Uber.

ENFORCED PHOTOS

2017-10-21T13:14:11Z

SIGN NEAR AUDUBON PARK, NEW ORLEANS, LA, Oct 2017

COVFEFE

2017-10-20T13:57:09Z

SMART CAR PARKED NEAR TULANE UNIVERSITY, NEW ORLEANS, Oct 19, 2017, photo by Jan Galligan

THE NEW YORK TIMES, By Matt Flegenheimer
MAY 31, 2017

WASHINGTON — And on the 132nd day, just after midnight, President Trump had at last delivered the nation to something approaching unity — in bewilderment, if nothing else.

The state of our union was … covfefe.

The trouble began, as it so often does, on Twitter, in the early minutes of Wednesday morning. Mr. Trump had something to say. Kind of.

“Despite the constant negative press covfefe,” the Twitter post began, at 12:06 a.m., from @realDonaldTrump, the irrepressible internal monologue of his presidency.

And that was that.

ECLIPSE DIARY -- AUGUST 21, 2017

2017-08-22T16:22:55Z

DATELINE: PUERTO RICO

Prepared for the eclipse with: Clestron 2X power Sun and Eclipse Observing Kit, notepad and pen, Barrilito.

2:21PM -- Santa Olaya, PR

Scheduled times for onset of eclipse, eclipse maximum, and final moments of eclipse

2:22PM -- Santa Olaya, PR

Viewing the onset with Celestron 2X viewer

2:35PM -- Santa Olaya, PR

Employing homemade reflection viewer -- USPS cardboard mailer, tape, pinhole, second white cardboard

2:55pm -- Santa Olaya,PR

Faced with scattered clouds, decide to drive north to Punta Salinas on the ocean front.
As we say on the island, "The coast is almost always clear."

3:31PM -- arrive Punta Salinas, Campomar

Set up eclipse viewing station outside Restaurante Campomar, order additional Barrilito

3:34PM -- Punta Salinas, Campomar
The moment of maximum coverage of moon over the sun.
"Watch out for cars passing too closely to viewing station ..."
(Note: t-shirt says: "BUMMER")

3:36PM -- Punta Salinas, Campomar

Last moment of maximum coverage
(Note: t-shirt says: "HUSTLE")

4:38PM -- Balenario Punta Salinas

Enjoying last minutes of eclipse, then plenty of time for a swim until sunset

DATELINE: SANTA OLAYA, PR

2017-08-17T10:45:21Z

READYMADE-ADJUSTED -- postcard, purchased @ Devil's Lake, WI

DATELINE: Kenosha, WI

2017-08-11T10:47:43Z

Wisconsin: cheese curds, beer, cheese nerds

DATELINE: Kenosha, WI

2017-08-04T13:25:35Z

THURSDAY, AUGUST 03, 2017 - KENOSHA, WI

Amazon announced 1500 job openings at their new distribution warehouse in Kenosha. Job fairs and hiring seminars are taking place all week in the new manufacturing, shipping and receiving and light industry park on the western outskirts of the city.. Rumors say that the recently announced impending construction of a large screen television manufacturing facility by Taiwanese electronics giant Foxconn Technology Group could likely be located in Kenosha, next to Amazon,

UPDATE: MONDAY, AUGUST 07, 2017 - KENOSHA, WI

Possible future site of Foxconn manufacturing facility (right) and Welcome to Kenosha sign (left)

GOLD MEDAL BEACH, Punta Salinas, Bayamon, PR

2017-07-26T14:33:02Z

"Let's go to the beach," says Lillian

"O.K.!" replies Jan

NOT FAR, FROM A BAR

2017-07-18T15:38:15Z

The website for my son's interactive branding studio SWINK says they are "conveniently located" and their location demonstrates that, quite clearly ...

LEANING TOWER OF PIZZA

2017-06-21T14:55:22Z

sign, carr 829, near Santa Olaya, PR

MECA art fair, San Juan, PR -- June 1-4, 2017 acquisitions with links to Instagram, Twitter, Facebook et.al.

2017-06-04T15:46:12Z

Picture caption - various items from the MECA art fair, on the couch at home in Santa Olaya, PR including: Kim Gordon LESS THAN NOTHING shopping bag (Embajada); his & her T-shirts from Rirkit Tiravanija & Tomas Vu (their GREEN GO HOME project); poster (MECA); books, postcards and announcements (various)

Picture caption - (DETAILS): Ilan Stavans & Adal, I LOVE MYSELFIE, Duke University Press, 2017; Karlo Andre Ibarra, A VECES SUENO QUE CAI UN METEORITO SOBRE MI PAIS Y LO CONSTRUYE (sometimes I dream that a meteorite fell on my country and rebuilt it), Projecto Local, 2016; SINESTESIA (synthesis), photo exhibit by Arnaldo Cotto, Casa Aboy, summer 2017; JUNTE (join), special project in Adjuntas, PR, summer 2017; OUT OF SPACE, curated by Andrea Bauza and Melissa M. Ramos Borges for FADS; MULTIMEDIA, Eva Mayha Projects; DOBLE AMARILLO (double yellow) painting by Julio Suarez at Galeria Agustina Ferreyra; MECA art fair poster; New Yorker magazine, May 15, 2017 issue; ESTADIDAD (statehood) informational flyer advocating statehood in the June 11, 2017 plebiscite on status for Puerto Rico, and the PIP (independence) position

THE BOYHOOD HOMES PROJECT / Kenosha, WI

2017-05-06T15:03:45Z

Kenosha, WI boyhood homes of Irving Wallace, Don Ameche, Orson Welles & Jan Galligan.
Three photographs by Jan Galligan, 1975. Fourth photo (lower right corner) by Robert Sietsema
with Chuck Patch, also 1975.

03/22/17 -- A NIGHT OF SURPRISES

2017-03-23T20:40:02Z

At the LHOOQ rooftop party -- credits: surprise and Picasso drawings, Lillian Mulero; fire dance, Maria de Azua; cello accompaniment, Juan Verdera; photos, Betty Kaplan and Hector Mendez Caratini; Duchamp mask printouts Jonathan of O Mart presentation services, Bayamon, PR.

At the LSMFT dinner -- credits: Vito of L'Osteria Decanter bistro, Old San Juan, PR and Lillian (LSMFT) -- Lillian Shows Me Fun Times.

(left to right: Lillian, Peter, Nereida, Annette, Juan, Maria, Jan, Betty, Hector) photo by Vito of L'Osteria.

March 22nd

2017-03-22T05:31:52Z

12:01 AM today marks the 20th anniversary of the presentation of 50 YEARS IN 50 MINUTES, an autobiographical collage of film, video, photos and music, screened at the Spectrum Theater in Albany, NY. With video assistance by Michael Oatman and music soundtrack by J.C. Garrett, it featured a short lecture by the late Dr. John Galivan, biomedical scientist and raconteur.

With a nod to that event, today we present 70 YEARS IN 7 SECONDS, an annotated slide show.

Photos include:
11 - Public School, 6th grade, Fremont, OH, 1958
18 - "Portrait of my dad in high school" by Lydia Mulero, 1997
25 - Working at Institute for Enzyme Research, Madison, WI, 1972
30 - Mail Art collage for Ray Johnson, Albany, NY, 1977
33 - NOTHING UP MY SLEEVE, Albany, NY 1980
39 - On vacation with Lillian, Vieques, PR 1986, photo by Lydia (not)
42 - Year of the Cornucopia, Albany, NY 1989
52 - With my mother on her 70th birthday, Kenosha, WI 1999
60 - With Lillian's father on the Hudson River, 2007
66 - With Lillian, at that party in San Juan, PR 2013
68 - With Lillian at Lydia's house in New Orleans 2015
69 - Portrait, by Lillian, at Punta Salinas beach, Bayamon, PR 2016

LA GRAN VENTA DEL PRECIO REDUCIDO

2017-01-29T21:21:08Z

Rio Hondo mall, Bayamon, PR -- photo by Lillian Mulero, concept by Jan Galligan

BEISBOL / BASEBALL

2016-12-13T17:23:39Z

US Post Office, Ave. Roosevelt, San Juan, PR 00936

BEGINNING TO LIQUIDATE

2016-11-13T19:01:58Z

Staples, store-wide sale, Bayamon, PR

A series of petitions (2)

2016-11-07T13:03:58Z

Wandering around the wilderness ...

A series of petitions (1)

2016-11-07T12:07:47Z

suffrage : from the Oxford English dictionary

NOUN

1 [noun] The right to vote in political elections.

example: ‘universal adult suffrage’

[as modifier] ‘the women's suffrage movement’

1.1 archaic [noun] A vote given in assent to a proposal or in favour of the election of a particular person.

‘the suffrages of the community’

Getting a Word in, Edgewise

2016-09-08T17:18:44Z

by Jan Galligan & Lillian Mulero

Waiting for the conversation to begin at Conservatorio de Musica de Puerto Rico

"Celebrity distorts democracy by giving the rich, beautiful, and famous more authority than they deserve," says Maureen Dowd. Her new book, The Year of Voting Dangerously: The Derangement of American Politics will be released on Sept. 13.

While serving as cultural correspondents at the 2016 San Juan International Film Festival, we received an invitation to attend a Conversatorio at the Conservatorio, a talk between Maureen Dowd, political columnist for the New York Times, called by some “the most dangerous columnist in America,” and New York Times congressional reporter and Washington D.C. bureau chief, Carl Hulse, known by the nickname “The Senator.” We decided to skip the closing ceremonies of the Film Festival in favor of attending the talk, billed as a discussion on the 2016 Presidential election – Clinton vs. Trump.

Arriving early we milled around the lobby and noticed a well-heeled crowd, people who obviously read the New York Times. One table at the reception area was filled with small receiver and headphone sets for simultaneous translation, but few people were picking those up. We grabbed a couple of index cards in order to prepare our question for the audience participation section of the presentation, and found a seat in the middle of the auditorium. Lillian spotted Geraldo Rivera sitting a few rows in front of us, closer to the stage.

Dowd introduced herself by reading what might have been one of her Times columns, talking about Clinton, Trump, the election and the general sense of craziness that currently prevails. She told an anecdote about meeting privately with president Obama, thinking he was going to give her an scoop or some inside information. Instead, he told her to her face just how annoying her found her. Hulse, gave an extemporaneous presentation of his experiences among the senators in D.C., and then told a lengthy anecdote about being invited to the White House to watch a Chicago Bears football game with president Obama, both Hulse and Obama being natives of Illinois and fanatic supporters of the Bears. That time the Bears were thoroughly trounced by the Packers. The story, intended an amusing encounter with the president, fell flat – as most of the audience had no knowledge or interest in American football. Both Dowd and Hulse seemed to favor Clinton in her contest against Trump and their analysis suggests that she has a good chance to prevail in November. Dowd characterized Trump as a clinical narcissist who is running his campaign on a moment to moment basis, unplanned, seemingly spontaneous, and subject to the ups and downs of the news cycle. Hulse said that there is no doubt that Trump wants to win; the question being what will he do if he doesn't. Both Hulse and Dowd related a lunch they attended last June at Trump's invitation, held in the Trump Tower dining hall. Over plates of meatballs and spaghetti (“which Trump barely touched,” said Hulse) they discussed his problems with the Republican party and other issues of the moment. They said that they were surprised to find him to be both friendly and solicitous in person. Characterizing Clinton, they both agreed that despite her cool, wonkish public persona, in private they said in unison, “she is a hoot.”

When the time came for questions from the audience, we handed in our card and waited to see if it would make the cut. There was just time for a handful of audience inquiries. They mostly dealt with questions about the two candidates, their chances, and possible post-election scenarios. Our question, which turned out to be the last one of the night and the only question specific to current affairs here on the island, concerned the political and economic future of Puerto Rico. Knowing Geraldo Rivera would be listening, we had asked: Can you speculate on the PROMESA process, politically and economically? What might be the outcome by the time of the 2020 presidential election? Dowd deferred to Hulse for the response, saying she had given him responsibility to be ready for such a question. He said that he had actually followed the issue closely in discussions with congressmen involved in the legislation that established PROMESA. He gave a carefully worded explanation that he appreciated the sensitivity of the issue to the people of the island, calling it the “third-rail” issue of the moment. He explained that he lived in D.C. when a fiscal control board was appointed by Congress to oversee the capital city fiscal crisis of the late 1990s. He contended that however painful the process, the outcome for the city had been positive and that by 2001 the city had completed four consecutive years of balanced budget. He said he hoped for a similar outcome for Puerto Rico in the near future.

Maureen Dowd and Carl Hulse of the New York Times in conversation at
the Conservatorio de Musica de Puerto Rico, September 7, 2016

Mozne Je Vesechno, Deku. (I know you know who you are)

2016-08-23T13:32:28Z

Chapter ONE

Berty zepravy, takove jake jsou (Accept the information at face value)

11.11.01 - 12:12PM
Ruzne Airport, Prague
Gate 32, Flight OK050
Departure: 12:35PM
Prague to JFK

Settling into my seat, I check my notepad, a 4x5 paperback notebook that I picked up in a corner store, my first day in Prague, in which I've written down everything I've done, or needed to do over the past ten days. On the page headed Sobota (Saturday) Listopad (November) 10, I'd written "CSA Airlines, Praha to JFK, 1:30PM."

This is typical. For some reason I always miscalculate departure times. Just ask my daughter Lydia. London to JFK, San Juan to JFK, Paris to JFK. JFK to Chicago. The list goes on. Luckily, I'd given Steve a copy of my itinerary last night, for safe keeping and true to his word, he came to pick me up 20 minutes before the time we actually needed to leave for the airport. That gave us time to drive past Fred&Ginger, Frank Gehry's signature building on the banks of the Vltava River just south of the new, Stare Mesto, part of the old, Nove Mesto, section of Prague.

We pulled Steve's Skoda four-door wagon into the first available parking spot and I jumped out and ran across Rasinovo street to get a good prospect on the building. The sun was streaming in from behind, which put the structure into an interesting silhouette, the sun shining through the glass crown on Fred's head. Snip, snap. A few quick grab shots of the river, swans, the tram and some of the 11th century buildings surrounding Gehry's fantastic modernist construction, then we were back on the main street headed north to the airport. Cruising past Karluv most (Charles Bridge), we drove across Manusev most, one of the main bridges, and climbed a hill which is surmounted by Prazsky hrad (Prague Castle) and I made some pictures out the window. Turning around, I was able to get good pictures of Prasna vez Mihulka (the Powder Tower), Petrinska rozhledna (Petrin Tower), Staromestska mostecka vez (the Old Town Bridge Tower), Chram Matky Bozi vez, (the towers of the Church of Our Lady before Tyn), Novomestska radnice vez, (the tower of New Town Hall), and finally Katdrala sv. Vita, Vaclava a Vojtecha (St. Vitus, St. Wenceslas and St. Adalbert Cathedral) off in the distance.

Unfortunately, it was a whirlwind tour, but fortunately, I did see everything with enough time to spare and arrived at the airport thirty minutes early. Hardly like the Albany Airport, where I arrived two-hours and forty minutes early because when I called to ask, they told me I needed to be there three hours before departure to insure that I cleared all of the necessary requirements for international travel in these times of heightened 9/11 security.

Lillian got me there early and then it took just eleven minutes to check in, so I had a few hours to kill. Luckily, Sharon was working in the airport gallery, so I hung out and helped her proof-read the text for her upcoming exhibition of wacko collections that people in the Capital District, many of them artist friends, have assembled over the years: toy trucks, weather vanes, old trains, doll clothes, wooden dinosaurs, etc. Everything representing one or another obsession on the part of the collectors.

Chapter TWO

Prvni dousek povzbudichut na celou lahev.(A first sip whets the appetite for the whole bottle)

"Excuse me, I think that is my seat."

I am shaken from my reverie by a petite woman in her mid forties, with close cropped hair. I've got my stuff all over her seat, next to me.

"Pardon." I reply, "I'll move this right away."

"Nei problem," she says.

I take my drink from her tray table, grab my stuff and she sits down next to me.

"It's certainly a beautiful day out today," I tell her.

"Yes it is, and it's been beautiful the entire ten days I've been in Prague," she says. "Except for yesterday and the night before, when it was rather cold. In fact," she continues, "yesterday I saw snow."

"You did?"

"Yes," she says, "not a lot, but definitely snow, on the ground, near my brother's house where I was visiting, on the outskirts of Prague."

"I saw snow myself yesterday and I really froze my butt," I reply.

"How's that?"

"I was on the top of the Prague TV Tower, the tallest structure in the city, on a hill in the Jarlslov district."

"Yes, I know it," she say, "but what were you doing there, having dinner."

"Nei," I answer, "I wasn't inside the observatory, I was outside, on the roof, taking photographs."

"You're a photographer?"

"Right, that's why I was in Prague, to do some photography. Anyhow, I'm out on the roof on a small platform which has a one foot high perimeter wall around it, leaning over the edge, trying to get the best birds-eye-views of the city, and trying not to loose my balance, when my foot slipped and I found myself sliding on some snow."

"That sounds dangerous," she says.

"I suppose, but sometimes you've have to go to the edge for your art."

"You're an artist?"

"Of a sort," I tell her. "I do photography, installations of pictures and other objects, make constructions, and try to put as much of it as possible on my website."

"The web is great, isn't it?" she says.

"For me, sure."

"No, really," she says, "I got my tickets for Prague using the web. Jan, my ex-husband, got me the tickets by using an on-line auction. You go there, pick your destination, and then make an offer on the tickets. Just for fun I offered $50 for Prague, but of course it was rejected, so I just kept upping my bid by $100, until finally, for $450, I got the tickets. Of course you don't know until you confirm your bid, which airline you'll be flying. As you can see, I got Czech Airlines, but they're good. Well, they're better now, than they were ten years ago, the last time I flew home."

Chapter THREE

Musel Jsem pres vedcit tatu, aby souhlasil vice za vzdelani. (I had to twist my dad's arm to get him to agree to pay for more education.)

"You're from Prague?" I ask.

"Yes, I was born here, in Liben, across the river from Holesevice. I left Prague in the 70's with my husband, now my ex-husband, to get away from the repressive government of those days. We moved to Texas and then to Chicago, which has a large Czech population, I lived on Kedzie and Cermak."

"I know the area," I tell her.

"Yes?"

"I went to art school in Chicago, in the 70's. The American Academy of Art, downtown, beneath the "EL"."

"You mean that beautiful elevated subway. It looks alot like the trams of Prague except the tracks are way up above the street," she says.

"How did you end up in Chicago?"

"I was raised in Kenosha, in Wisconsin, north of Chicago, and when I graduated high school, I chose to move to Chicago."

"I've been to Kenosha," she says.

"You have?"

Excerpted from the book: NUDNY NOVINY by Jan Galligan, 2002.
Third in the series: GALLIGANSTRAVAILS, a guide for the common traveler
Volume One: PARIS, Chronique Enneuysis, 1995 (click to view)
Volume Two: MADRID, Chronica Aburrida, 2000 (click to view)

FULL STORY HERE (click crossed-arrows for full screen view)
[INCLUDES MANY PHOTOS AS REFERENCED IN THE STORY]

Download nudny-noviny-complete.pdf

LINK TO EXHIBITION AND BACKGROUND HERE

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MAKES PERFECT ...

2016-03-06T09:58:15Z

... KEEP TRYING UNTIL YOU GET IT RIGHT.

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That time a bear visited us @75Grand

2016-03-01T11:00:41Z

pictured: bear, Lillian Mulero, Jan Galligan -- @75Grand, Alb,NY, 2004

Albany, Sonic Youth, Edson & Garrett (among others)

2016-02-27T15:48:49Z

JC Garrett & Richard Edson, packed in the car, leaving Albany for destinations (as yet) unknown, 1978

Goodbye 20th Century: A Biography of Sonic Youth

by David Browne

1-10 of 20 pages with references to Richard Edson:

1. on Page 3:

"... "There was nothing sacred, and anything that was perceived as sacred had to be reduced," recalls Richard Edson, a musician who arrived in the city (from Albany [ed.]) during this time. "It was the beginning of a whole 35 ..."

2. on Page 16:

"... didn't actually know that many-except for one they'd seen playing around and hanging about A's. Like Gordon and Moore, Richard Edson had arrived in the city fairly recently-in his case, ..."

3. on Page 17:

"... guitars and keyboard, and almost immediately, Moore began playing his instrument at top volume. "I was like, Well, that's interesting,"' Edson recalls. "No warming up here. ..."

4. on Page 18:

"... GOODBYE 20TH CENTURY With Edson behind the drums, the new band played its first two shows as Sonic Youth, one on May 8 at Club ..."

5. on Page 21:

"... The Noise Festival would be the last of those, and Edson himself was on the way out. "The scene was just too straight and too white and too middle class, so ..."

6. on Page 38:

"... for it, they would need a drummer to firm up their sound. Without many options, they reached out to Richard Edson, who decided to return to the fold: "I remembered it fondly enough," he says. ..."

7. on Page 39:

"... and more dreamlike and expansive, on another wordless performance, "Where the Red Fern Grows." During rehearsals, Edson had ridden the band particularly hard on another partly developed song, "The Burning Spear. ..."

8. on Page 41:

"... stores encircling the battered Union Square Park, 14th Street was, as Richard Edson puts it, "the northern demarcation. It was a wasteland above that. ..."

9. on Page 42:

"... GOODBYE 20TH CENTURY were able to lay down rough takes of some of the songs they'd worked up with Edson, but the experience was so unsatisfactory that, except for a recording of "Where the Red Fern Grows" that would be ..."

10. on Page 45:

"... An even more obscure East Village reference point was embedded on the cover: Edson folded his hands on the cover in imitation of a Jesus statue he'd walked by on the way to the ..."

11. on Page 46:

"... like James Brown drummers, soft and so deep into a groove and hoping everyone else would approach it that way," Edson recalls.) Both the rhythms and the guitars intensified on the next track, "I Don't Want to Push It," but minimalism ..."

12. on Page 47:

"... " As Coleman also learned, Edson was no longer a member of Sonic Youth. Edson's commitment to the band had been shaky from the start; he'd ..."

13. on Page 48:

"... GOODBYE 20TH CENTURY To the three of them, Edson's announcement came as a jolt and an inevitability. During rehearsals, Ranaldo would often see Edson with his fingers in his ..."

14. on Page 50:

"... when it was released, shortly before he spotted their flier. He'd already seen several of their shows, including one with Edson, and was astounded by how long they took between songs-hours, ..."

15. on Page 59:

"... " Adopting hard-boiled urban identities was not unusual on the scene: For a while, Richard Edson referred to himself as "R. Smith" during Sonic Youth shows and put up a sign on his apartment door that ..."

16. on Page 60:

"... Finally, Moore and Lunch met by way of their mutual friend Edson, who lived across the street from Lunch. By then, Sonic Youth had formed, and Lunch approached Moore with the idea ..."

17. on Page 98:

"... a larger, more complex issue reared its head. Bert had stayed with the band far longer than his predecessors Richard Edson and Jim Sclavunos, ..."

18. on Page 171:

"... Richard Edson during his second tenure in Sonic Youth, Danceteria, New York, 1982. (Photo by Catherine Ceresole) ..."

19. from Back Matter:

"... Former mem- bers David Keay, Richard Edson, Bob Bert, Tom Recchion, Jim Sclavunos, and Jim O'Rourke graciously sat down with me (or let me hound them over ..."

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