ART AT TOM OF FINLAND PARTIES
At every Tom of Finland Parties event (www.tomsparties.com),
the work of over 20 artists, spanning the globe, are digitally
projected onto five screens high above the partygoers. For many this
is their first exposure to this imagery, a veritable crash course in
some of the legends of erotic culture. Artists shown include Tom of
Finland, The Hun, Etienne, Philip Hitchcock, Derek Photo, Greasetank,
Beau, Sylvester Q, Rob Clarke, Bud, Teddy of Paris, Palanca, Sean
Platter, and Matt. The greater the profit from these events, the greater the donation made to the non-profit Tom of Finland Foundation. Simply put—the more in attendance, the greater the opportunity to promote the beauty and depth of erotic art. |
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 Art by Greasetank surrounds the crowd.. Photo credit: Jay PG |
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VOLUNTEER'S BBQ This annual
gathering, coordinated by Dan Berkowitz, is the Tom of Finland
Foundation's way of showing its appreciation to its hard working
volunteers, as well as a prelude to the annual autumn Art Crawl and
Erotic Art Fair weekends. While volunteer
enlistment has been very successful, more volunteers are always needed.
If you can spare the time, and have the inclination, call the Foundation
and sign up for future "duties." A good time and convivial
company are the least of the benefits. How about those special pens that
were handed out at this year's event? You won't find those in the
Hallmark store, or anywhere else for that matter. Talk about a cool
perk! It
was a great night at the Foundation headquarters in Echo Park. The house
looked fantastic. It was exciting to peruse the new yearly exhibition,
freshly installed, and gratifying to see new pieces matted and framed
through the timely donations of our patrons. Lacking their generosity,
the opportunity to display new works would be severely curtailed. Many
thanks to Art Stafford, Louis Jay, and Sharp for their continued support
in making this possible. The
delicious buffet and barbecue was prepared by Durk Dehner, Foundation
President, a man truly "at home on the range." Without Durk's
tireless efforts over the years none of this would have been possible,
or even existed. Our heartfelt thanks to him, and all the tireless
volunteers who keep the Foundation humming. It’s
Christmas time again, and that means the Foundation elves, err,
volunteers will party down. December 7 from 7:00 - 10:00 PM
at Foundation headquarters. If you are an elf, we’ll see you at the
Foundation house.
— Mike Goldie COMMANDER'S
DINNER On February 15, 2003
from 7:30-10:00 PM, the Foundation will host the second annual
Commanders’ Dinner in honor of those members who have made
contributions of $250 or more. Guests are pampered with cocktails and
dinner by friends from the erotic biz and our volunteer corps. Be part of our new
tradition. Upgrade your present membership status today and you¹ll be
on the guest list. THE FOUNDATION
THANKS Palanca, Lalo, Brian
Crede, Ricardo von Hafe Andrade, Hector Silva, Little Sisters Book
Emporium, Thomas Waugh, Michael John Horne, Jeff Hill, the New York
S&M Film Festival presented by The Eulenspiegel Society (TES), Tom
Parties, and Christopher Street West. For
a unique present, consider a tax deductible donation of $50 to $500 to
the Foundation in a friend’s name! We will send a card notifying them
of your gift. THE FOUNDATION
BOARD The Foundation is
pleased to announce that Cathie Bagwell (Chief Financial Officer) and
Mike Goldie have returned to its Board of Directors for another “tour
of duty”. They are joined with new members, Luke Daniel and Sharp in
supporting the existing members — Durk Dehner (President), Cliff
Benjamin, Dan Berkowitz and Matt Blouin (Secretary). All are available to
receive Member's comments and suggestions. THE FIFTH ANNUAL
ART CRAWL The combined
galleries of Echo Park, Silverlake, and Los Feliz opened early and
closed late during the 5th Annual Art Crawl, held September 19-21, 2002.
From the Metal Madness Gallery on Melrose Avenue @ Heliotrope at its
westernmost extreme, to the Tom of Finland Foundation on Laveta Terrace
in Echo Park at its easternmost point, the Crawl never moved at less
than a brisk canter through 22 galleries featuring a kaleidoscopic array
of painting, sculpture, and fine-art photography.
Originally designed
in 1997 to showcase the burgeoning gallery scene on the city's Eastside,
and to lure wary art aficionados who rarely ventured east of Western
Avenue to the vibrant, affordable work on display there, the Crawl was
an instant success and has evolved into the destination art event of the
post-Labor Day season. Offering exposure to new, up-and-coming, and
experimental artists, plus an alternative to the staid and pricey venues
of West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and Santa Monica, the Crawl is a
raucous, informal affair more akin to a shuttle tour of Candyland than a
docent-guided trip to LACMA. At the furthest
extreme of the Echo Park scene, both artistically and geographically,
and as one of its pioneering spaces, the Tom of Finland Foundation is
often the last stop and highlight of many art-crawlers' day. Housed in a
three-story Craftsman house dating to the first decade of the last
century, the Foundation attracted a lively mix of newcomers and old
friends during the three-day event, which also serves as a prelude to
the annual, Foundation-sponsored Erotic Art Fair, October 11-13. The crowning moment,
literally, of the Foundation tour is always the attic archives with its
adjoining bedroom, the Los Angeles residence and workspace of Tom of
Finland from 1980-1990. Maintained in its original condition since his
death in 1991, the room—with its simple décor, peaked ceiling, and
immaculately preserved notebooks and ephemera—is a poignant testament
to Tom's humility as well as a rare, behind-the-scenes glimpse of his
visual influences, references, and creative process. Previous and current
residents of the Foundation, originally a farmhouse amidst grape
vineyards, have sensed the presence of a benign spirit, a friendly ghost
that even Tom once claimed to have encountered in his attic room, but
there were no manifestations reported during the three-day Crawl.
However, the spirit of artistic adventure supplied by the numerous,
enthusiastic visitors to the Foundation more than compensated for the
absence of any paranormal activity, and Tom's spirit was alive and well
throughout.
— Lawrence Schubert NIGEL KENT PLANS
FOR THE FUTURE The Tom of Finland
Foundation is honored to be recognized, yet again, as the safe haven for
works of Erotic Art, and extends its heartfelt gratitude to Nigel Kent,
artist and friend, for his magnanimous living bequest to the Foundation. Kent, who lives in
Amsterdam, has named the Tom of Finland Foundation beneficiary of his
personal collection of art, a significant archive containing numerous
pieces by well-known erotic artists, as well as many of Kent’s own
works. Q: How did you start
collecting? A:
I guess I started my collection in order to have works by other guys
decorating the walls of my studio, a kind of private camaraderie that
kept me keen while I was working on my own drawings. At first, whenever
I sold a work, I bought one as well. Soon the walls were literally
smothered with the stuff. Over
the years I’ve built quite a collection, and all originals, mind you!
I’m more than happy to present my acquisitions to the Tom of Finland
Foundation, affording others, at the very least, the opportunity of
viewing some rather interesting work. Q: What are the
benefits of collecting art? Did your acquisitions influence you in your
work? A:
For starters, it gave my place great ambience Influences…no, but that
line “Come up and see my etchings…” always worked when I was
picking up guys. Collecting keeps me abreast of the activities of
others, and has the effect of making me feel I’m part of an extended
community, a piece of an important whole. Q: How and why would
you encourage other artists or collectors to leave their collections or
make a bequest to the Foundation? A:
The only thing that I can think of is to follow my example. You can make
a difference by what you do in your art, as well as what you do with it.
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