Threshold Foundation - Transforming Wealth Into an Instrument of Change

Ok, I'm on a roll here. Two posts in one day!

I've been inspired by new ideas (at least for me) about philanthropy and giving.

The Threshold Foundation is a progressive foundation and a community of individuals united through wealth, who mobilize money, people and power to create a more just, joyful and sustainable world.

One of The Threshold Foundation's projects is giving circles. "Giving circles have long been a philanthropic phenomenon, as friends have always gotten together in places ranging from living rooms to community foundations, to support a cause, an organization or group of organizations dear to their hearts. Some are organized, staffed and programmatic – others are not."

I am thinking about starting a giving circle, most likely focused on arts and activism in Tucson. Any one interested?

Bolder Giving

Keeping with the theme of money and giving, I came across this interesting website: Bolder Giving.

From the website:

"We live in a time of historic crisis and opportunity,
when contributions of time and money could make a crucial difference.
Yet most of us – even if well-off – give at a fraction of our capacity.

Bolder Giving's mission is to inspire us to give at our full potential
by providing remarkable role models and practical support."

I love this concept. Pass it on!

I'm the 429,712,644 richest person on earth!

I'm the 429,712,644 richest person on earth! Discover how rich you are! >>

I came across The Global Rich List website where you can calculate how rich you are. This is why the website was created:

"We are obsessed with wealth. But we gauge how rich we are by looking upwards at those who have more than us. This makes us feel poor.

We wanted to do something which would help people understand, in real terms, where they stand globally. And make us realise that in fact most of us (who are able to view this web page) are in the privileged minority.

We want people to feel rich. And give some of their extra money to a worthwhile charity."

Five Things About Me!

Alanna of Painted Cats tagged me to write five interesting things about myself and I accept the challenge!

1. I am working on a business website finally! Click here for a sneak preview (it's still very rough). My friend Alice is doing the technical part.

2. Two of my artworks are in an exhibit at Dinnerware now! The exhibit is called A Night of 1000 Drawings. I also designed the flyer for the event.

3. I love fake food - paper mache fruit, fake sushi, ice cream cone erasers, you name it. When I was in elementary school I made pillows shaped like food. I recently bought "Toast" (see above) from Lu Lu Bell's Toy Bodega.

4. When I was a kid, I got lost at Disneyland. I wasn't scared and I got a free lollipop!

5. I love fonts. My favorite font sites are myfonts. com, emigre, abstract fonts (free fonts!). My most recent font purchase was "Subkiko Two." Although I have many fonts, I usually use the same ones over and over again. Another great design site is veer.com.

America Starts Here - Cincinnati Highlights

Image from "America Starts Here" exhibit at the Contemporary Art Center in Cincinnati.

We visited family in Cincinnati over the holidays. Here are two of the notable places we visited. First is the Contemporary Arts Center in downtown Cincinnati. The building, designed by Zaha Hadid, is extraordinary, and the exhibits were excellent, especially America Starts Here (see image above) featuring collaborative work of artists Mel Ziegler and Kate Ericson.


the fifth floor of the art center is the "Unmuseum," with very cool, interactive displays designed for kids. This is the "sensory elephant" made for children with visual impairments. Each drawer has a different sound or item inside.
next up is Jungle Jim's International Market, a wacky grocery store - sort of a mix of Trader Joe's, 17th Street Market (in Tucson), and Disneyland. they have pretty much everything you can image, and more, complete with giant sculptures of things like an Amish buggy and singing Campbell's soup can. In one little nook you can even watch a video about the history of the market.

A country that loves art, not artists

I've been inspired by US Artists, an initiative to nurture and support US artists.

"In a recent survey of attitudes toward artists in the US a vast majority of Americans, 96%, said they were greatly inspired by various kinds of art and highly value art in their lives and communities. But the data suggests a strange paradox. While Americans value art, the end product, they do not value what artists do, the act of creation. Only 27% of respondents believe that artists contribute “a lot” to the good of society."

From 2006 - 2008, USA will distribute 150 unrestricted fellowship grants of $50,000 each to artists across the United States working in Architecture and Design, Crafts and Traditional Arts, Dance, Literature (fiction, nonfiction, and poetry), Media (film, media, and radio), Music, Theater Art, and Visual Arts.

To see the 2007 Fellows and learn more, visit the USA website.

Holiday Gift Making Event - Read All About It!

The Dec 15th event was a success! thanks so much to Dry River for hosting and to all of the artists and participants. we made plastic bottle chairs, art t-shirts, cardboard wallets, skirts out of t-shirts, origami cranes, fish-head paper dolls, seed bead flowers, and one lizard magnet! here are some pics:

supplies for plastic bottle chairs

Eliane and I work on a bottle chair for Dry River

Laura poses in her art t-shirt and skirt made from an upside down t-shirt

Inside of wallet made by Lynn. Mike taught us to make these cool wallets from cardboard, magazines, and packing tape.

outside of fish wallet

Prasenjit catches up on some reading.

Eric sits on a bottle chair and displays his one-of-a-kind lizard magnet

up close of lizard magnet

Carrie and a friend making wallets

drum stool made out of bottles

outside of clown wallet made by Laura C.

Eliane works on a shirt

inside of wallet made by Mel

close up of shirt made by Christa

Alanna's t-shirt

close up of Laura M.'s t-shirt

artists at work

close up of seed bead flower

Alanna, Mel & Denise make origami cranes

fish-head paper doll made by Laura C. holding seed bead flower

more artists at work

for the rest of the pics, go to http://picasaweb.google.com/juliegraphics