Please show up! And so important—bring a friend or two. We need to show up in HUGE numbers and make this the biggest one ever—our democracy literally depends on it! Click image to find an event near you.
Mr. Nobody
Against Putin
Mr. Nobody Against Putin won the Academy Award for best documentary this year and I think it was well deserved! It is the story of a school in the very polluted town of Karabash, located in the middle of nowhere in Russia, (life expectancy 38 because of the pollution from the copper mines there), and the kindness and passion of one single quirky very popular teacher, Pasha Talankin, a videographer in the school who was in charge of organizing and videotaping special school events. The students gravitated to him, hanging out in his classroom and looking to him as a mentor.
As a result of his invasion of Ukraine, Putin began a propaganda campaign in the schools with the aim of indoctrinating kids to eventually become soldiers, similar to Hitler Youth.
To say this didn’t sit well with Pasha Talankin is an understatement. As someone who was assigned to document school events, Talankin went about his job of documenting this indoctrination process, but with the idea of doing something with the material. Mr. Nobody against Putin, a joint venture between this brave teacher and filmmaker Borenstein, an American living in Denmark, is the result of this process. Pasha Talankin, with much to lose, is an example for all of us. He stood up to the regime but he refuses to accept the idea that he did anything brave or extraordinary. "No," he told me, "it's just normal.”
The Poster I Dreamed About
Until today!
Upon picking up another poster that I had gotten framed at a local frame shop, I had that other poster on my mind and mentioned it to Darryn, the woman working there. She had a suggestion—describe it to AI.
So ironic! I had just written about AI recently and how I hated and feared it…
Never say never. I went home to my computer and typed in: “I am trying to find a poster from the 1970s out of an art collective in Boston: blue and green silkscreen with an African woman with a baby on her back.” What came up in literal seconds astounded me:
AI: “What you’re describing actually matches a very specific genre of political screenprints from the 1970s—so you’re on the right track. The details you gave (Boston, silkscreen, blue/green palette, African woman with baby) point strongly toward radical print collectives tied to the Black Arts / liberation movements. Here are the most likely leads, based on your description:
The first lead was
👉 a Boston Collective known for its political posters—I had a look at their selections but no luck there.
The second choice said:
👉 Chicago Women’s Graphics Collective (important clue) One documented poster shows A woman with a baby tied on her back
Done in blue/green silkscreen
Strong political / liberation imagery
lornebair.cdn.bibliopolis.com
Then it said: “That description is almost eerily close to what you said.”
➡️ Even though they were Chicago-based, these posters circulated nationally, including Boston activist spaces."
And voila! Here is the poster I have been searching to see again after 55+ years!” And it just literally took a few seconds…
So I guess I am going to eat my words—AI can come be an incredibly useful tool in many ways. But sadly, us humans always will put things to negative use as well and we don't think of implications when we create something new… and that is exactly why we must regulate and set up rules to control artificial intelligence so it doesn't become the death of us…
And below are a few of my other favorite posters from my childhood: 
OK GO Band
OK GO: Upside Down & Inside Out
OK GO: Love
Painting of the Week
Pam Smilow. 60” x 42”. mixed media on canvas. $7500
Charity of the Week:
ACLU
Book of the Week
About The Author
New York City based contemporary artist, Pam Smilow, began writing the creative lifestyle blog “things we love” in an effort to foster a sense of community during times of isolation and reflection. To read more about her and her art, visit her website and check out the essay written by Frank Matheis entitled The Sophisticated Innocence of Pam Smilow.