Matt Gould Artist Profile/ Sampler

 This is  "Upstairs"  Matt Gould it is tooled leather on felt, and was shown in National Craft Exhibition: Can Craft? Craft Can! Burlington Art Gallery the first Canadian Craft Biennial from Aug 19, 2017 - Oct 29, 2017, it was appropriate that it was. 

In 2010 while exploring Edmonton on not so chilly November afternoon I walked into the Alberta Craft Council gallery and saw "words, wit, wisdom, and wool"

an exhibition inspired by words and expressed in three-dimensional fibre work by Red Deer fibre artist Matt Gould November 6 – December 24, 2010, and instantly fell in love. Having been observing the fiber arts world in a professional way since 2002, nationally and internationally, I knew I was seeing something distinctive, something I had not seen before. There was one that I thought I could afford but had to think about it. I went out to have a coffee and was back in less than an hour but there was a Red Dot. "Those who hesitate..."  Eight years later I didn't hesitate'

detail of Matt Gould Untitled, 6" X 14"  tooled leather Linen/ Industrial wool felt 

Multi-faceted award-winning artist Matt Gould was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Over the past thirty-some years, he has found expression through painting, drawing, singing, acting, writing, stage directing, design and fibre art." this from his Red Deer College faculty page where he has been teaching in the Theatre Creation and Performance program as a part-time instructor since  January of 2014. I have seen his work in solo and group shows in Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, and Burlington. 

"Nature Boy" seen at DaDe Art & Design Lad, 1327 NINTH AVENUE SOUTH EAST, Calgary, Alberta FABRICated Show juried fibre art show from April 20 - June 3, 2012

Fetish dolls by Matt Gould in front of a felt rug by Deborah Dumka inFABRICated Show 

Matt Gould had a solo show at Toronto' s Canadian Lesbian Gay Archive each piece was inspired by a particular piece of text. while visually simple it is rich in meaning.

Matt Gould "Wild Thing" detail , Linen and Industrial wool felt and wool felt with free motion machine work, hand embroidery and couching text source: questionnaire given to the model

Matt Gould, "Be Prepared" Linen Industrial wool felt with Hand embroidery and couching Text Source Boys Like Us- Gay Writers Tell Their Coming Out Stories edited by Patrick Merla.

Matt Gould "Coaches Favourite" detail; Linen and Industrial wool felt with free motion machine work, hand embroidery, and commercial applique sew on Matt Gould text Source; Out There (short story by Thomas Glave) 

Matt Gould with his piece "Troubled Times for Hoppy" at the opening of "Eye of the Needle" at the Glenbow Museum in Calgary

Tooled leather "fly" and a bit of bear by Matt Gould
Alberta Craft Council 

Matt Gould Untitled, 6" X 14"  tooled leather Linen/ Industrial wool felt This work is in my collection,

Speaking of Censorship (Again)

The artist: Stiofan O'Ceallaigh image acquired from John Hopper

It seems a group of young queer artist are being systemically silenced right now and gee yesterday was "World Come of the Closet Day" apparently. Who knew? But that is neither here or there or maybe that is the issue. Yesterday a friend on facebook posted a little coming out story from 40 years ago and in response others shared theirs and there were comments about how things have "Changed" and gotten better, and while that is true i need to point out the Weimar Republic and its "golden era," 1924-1929 and how long it didn't last *1

Back to the artist  Stiofan O'Ceallaigh, the blogger/ textile guru/ art writer John Hopper censorship and the reason for writing this. In a word FACEBOOK. it is not a safe place for free cultural expression. it can be easily be targeted, purveyors of it block , banned and removed and there is no recourse. By using facebook to promote your art: one you are giving your right to it away and 2 they can do what the wish with and everybody has the ability to depose of it if they feel like it.  Hatred has free rein on facebook the less blatant the more powerful and such delicious anonymity,

On Monday October 10, 2016  John Hopper shared a link on facebook to an interview he did with Stiofan O'Ceallaigh queer artist/ cultural promoter/ activist and creator of  Balaclava. Q an  International Queer Visual Arts Project on his johnhopper.blogspot  and the sequence things occurred 

( I am taking John's facebook postings and my comments from earlier this morning directly)

A few hours ago he posted the following and i am possibly putting my self at risk by sharing this information and link on facebook so I am putting it in my fQaroundtown Blog and sharing that post 

John Hooper post : " So, facebook has decided to ban the artist Stiofan O'Ceallaigh for 7 days, to remove the Balaclava.Q facebook page, and all of the posts that I have made supporting both Stiofan and Balaclava.Q. Well, it seems as if it is time to move on. Facebook has become a farce, its bullying of artists is getting out of hand, its draconian censorship rules make it a totalitarian state in its own right. Facebook is derisible and indefensible, so I am going to be spending much more time on the grown up social media sites. See you there maybe #censorship #artcensorship #facebookcensorship

 My response to his post was:

"been there done that, more then once,, It is interesting when anti Bullying activist like Pink Shirt Day use facebook to spread their message when facebook provides a prefect tool for cyber bullying. If facebook had any integrity and was smart they would let it be known who the report was made by so you could find out if the report was malicious drunken fun, jealousy "they get more likes then me", about naked body parts, (which it seldom is ) or anit Trump.. There should be a process by which the reporter must prove their point. Strange considering facebook was started by wannabe frat boys.who wanted girls to show there breast on the interment so they would be popular and get asked to join a a fraternity should come to this. Sadly it has been our use of facebook that has supported this anonymous process.

Then I went to the The Pink Shirt Day canada facebook page and posted this

I have a question Has Pink Shirt Day ever had a post reported and been banned by facebook from posting for 7 days? facebook is one of the places where cyber bullies run rampant yet it is a place where anti bullying campaigns take place. is this one of your issues? #censorship #artcensorship #facebookcensorship 

{there has been no response as of 10 am Wednesday Oct,12 2016 } 

John' Hopper: response nse to my response was “You are right Joe. I am going to look into the process of fb complaints and defense this afternoon, though not sure I'll find much. How can you have a community where you have no real rights of defense against accusations? How can you set yourself up as an inclusive community if you choose who to include? “

That is the story as its stands at the moment.

here is the direct link to the Hopper Stiofan O'Ceallaigh interview and you will find direct links to the artist, the Balaclava.Q project and their YouTube Station 

http://djohnhopper.blogspot.ca/2016/10/the-balaclavaq-interview-with-stiofan.html

This concerns me deeply and not just because i have had similar experiences on facebook (and was told by other artists on facebook to such it up) I wrote about one experience here  and the person who i assume reported me on facebook made a series of anonymity comments full of such vitriol i figured i had guessed right and that it was an artist mother defending her child. ( against being asked if she could be photographed and included in one of my fQ monthly textile sightings album.  Over the my exhibiting career i have dealt with censorship in many ways from vandalism / direct physical assault of my work to administratively by curators and even exhibition contracts that would have allowed them to remove any of my work if it caused offense. I did not sign and pointed out their support of censorship which they said they most certain did not support censorship and that the contract was just bog standard boiler plate that their lawyer had pulled out of his hat and i should not be consider the wording it was just semantics.  

Art work / creative output is not offensive, people may find it offends them, but that is there personal response and nobody is forcing them to look at it. To allow your art work to be legally identified as offensive is like signing your own death sentence. Shall we go back to the end of the Wiemar Republic and repeat history. In case anyone thinks i am  equating facebook with any political agenda i am not their only agenda is the bottom line and its easier to allow others to anonymously report/block and ban anyone they want accept advertisements and even there they give you the option to see different ones but not the option to see none

I have had my say so good day

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*1here is a link to a quick tabloid history of the Wiemar Republic  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2847643/Berlin-liberal-hotbed-homosexuality-mecca-cross-dressers-transsexuals-male-female-surgery-performed-Nazis-came-power-new-book-reveals.html

you also might want to see if any of these recent post are still visible on facebook . if you chose to like and share them you might be reported. block and banned. You have been advised,

 https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=balaclava.q

https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=balaclava.q&filters_rp_author=friends%28me%29

Happy Come out of the Closet as Anti-censorship day
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FYI here is the story that got me reported blocked and banned from facebook in April 2012 
April 3 2012 Live from Montreal "En Arvil" Quebec's fibre celebration

and my story about being reported blocked and banned
April 3 2012 the ripple effect of blogging about textiles in Montreal 

please note how my bad spelling is point out to prove i couldn't possibly have a right to my opinion  
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listen to music while i thinka about something to write ( a Test)

Diary of a Indolent Musical Voluptuary

#JoeLewisMusicNotes Fall 2015

Play Me I am Yours this piano painted by Lee Claremount  is  in Union Station in Toronto.
  

There is music all around Toronto, a lot to heard for free, as there is in most cities across the country. I heard Charlie Rose interview with Architect Frank Gerhy during it a clip from a "Letter to Your Younger Self" was shown and Frank Gery says "Your mother will take you to concerts at Massey Hall and your world will be expanded" My world was expanded as a six year old by being in my church choir. and it was the music not the services that reached deep inside and awaken an appetite which remains ravenous. Sister Noella's musical education through the choir and the classroom  was built upon in High School with vocal/ instrumental (the flute) history and composition classes from Duncan Addison and Ernie Crawford.  This was added to with Music Theory correspondence courses through the Royal Conservatory of Music I am not sure what grade level i reached but at 18 and on my way to start my musical life in Toronto I didn't bother to write the exam I had prepared for. I suppose i should look back at this with regret but i don't and I can read music scores like a book and hear it in my head

in 19 74 75 I was a flute player in the Ayr Paris marching band we were in the Graham Bell 150 parade or something http://www.ayrparisband.com/

 I have been trying to share on facebook the concerts and recitals i am going to try and get to, in advance them happening. Suggesting others might join me or go out  and "#IExperienced"  it for themselves. I invested in season tickets for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra creating my own "series" selecting performers i did not want to regret missing,

 The photos and other miscellaneous things posted on Facebook are about the Music i have seen / heard since September 2015, starting with the Honens Piano Festival opening #ConcreteSonata  performance in Calgary.

2012 Honens Laureate Pavel Kolesnikov  plays a Bagatelle on the Garden Piano Wednesday September 2 2015. this part of one of the 5 outdoor concerts that took place. I was not able to attend any other of the Honens but did watch of it as it was being streamed live via the CBC and MediciTV .  I watched Luca Buratto | Solo Recital in the 15 HONENS QUARTERFINALS: and it was when he played Thomas Adès
"Darknesse visible' (1992) he knocked my socks off. I watched as much as l could of the live streaming and watch as he went through to become this years prize winner.  I really am not sure of the etiquette of embedding other peoples YouTube videos into my blog but i am also aware people don't follow links, so here goes,

 

By the end of September  this year I had attended 7 concerts in Toronto;
Music At Midday,Tuesdays at 1 pm the organ at St James Cathedral in Toronto
over august into September I heard  J Thomas D Gonder play 3 of the 6 Organ Symphonies of Louis Vierne, i also heard Thomas Fitches, and  David Briggs in recital, I went to The COC Free Concert Series in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre  and to see the Toronto Symphony Orchestra;  I have now heard Beethoven's 5th Symphony live for the first time. I t was like losing my virginity and really good sex at the same time. The reality is no matter how much you think you know about music and even if you have listen to it on records/ CDs/ downloads it is not the same as hearing it live. Live Streaming experienced in real time can almost get you there but its repeatable, live is not. Live is that once in a lifetime thing you can be fully engaged in, if you let yourself. 

 

Last February i saw Pavel Kolesnikov Honens Prize Laureate 2012 play this piano . 

Later that day in a pre-concert performance at the Toronto Symphony Orchestra pianists Pavel Kolesnikov and Orion Weiss playing a Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances arranged for two pianos on the TSO Hanover and New York Steinway (s) the full Orchestra also play the full orchestral version after the intermission while Pavel Kolesnikov, played Chopin: Grande Polonaise in the first half of the concert which began with Emanuel Ax, playing Schubert: Impromptu and Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 14, K. 449 all under the baton of Peter Oundjian. 

Pavel Kolesnikov returns to the TSO for From Mozart to Rachmaninoff on Feb. 20 & 21 2016 to play Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini under the baton of Earl Lee, RBC Resident Conductor
Visit his website to see if he will be performing in your area http://pavelkolesnikov.com/

We are honoured to receive a 2014 Vitality Award for enhancing downtown Calgary with #ConcreteSonata #IAMDOWNTOWN pic.twitter.com/qE78rTHK52

— Honens (@honens) May 14, 2015

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I went to this #Honens2014 noon hour piano and enjoyed the performances of Georgy Tchaidze, 2009 Honens Prize Laureate

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I have been trying to keep a listening journal using YouTube to locate the music I have heard live so I might hear it again by different performers 

  

 

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it is now September 2015 and the #Honens2015, has begun. It was attending four of their #Honens2014 last year at this...
Posted by Joe Lewis on Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Fall 2015 Textile Sightings

Posted by fibreQUARTERLY Canada on-line Textile and Fibre Arts and Crafts magazine on Friday, October 9, 2015