Chronicle Books Blog

Subway Art is one of the main reasons graffiti became a global phenomenon. For everyone that didn’t grow up in New York City and even for those that did, Subway Art became their main source of inspiration.
—Shepard Fairey, Los Angeles

Brazil was always late getting information about graffiti. We remember the first time we saw “Subway Art” was in 1988 or ’89. A friend showed us the book, and we went crazy! He wouldn’t leave the book with us, so we made a photocopy… every single small photo was “Big” for us… We’ve always been glad for “Subway Art” and its influence on all the writers around the world!
—Os Gemeos, Brazil

People from all over the world have wanted to meet me because of Subway Art. There’s no question that this book has changed the course of art history on this planet.
—Blade One, New York City

During the 1970s and 80s, photographers Martha Cooper and Henry Chalfant captured the environment and the imagination of a generation by documenting the burgeoning New York City graffiti movement. Now 25 years and more than a half a million copies later, their bestselling book Subway Art will release this spring. We just received the advance copies of the book and they are spectacular!

In this new large-format edition you’ll find

• New introductions and afterword, highlighting where the artists and authors are now

Here are a few spreads from inside the book.

Want to win a copy of Subway Art before it is available anywhere? Add a comment below and tell us about your favorite graffiti/hip hop/pop culture blog. Five winners will be randomly chosen to win Subway Art. Deadline is Friday, March 13th at midnight.

And for your reading and viewing pleasure:

Great blog just posted this week at Swindle Magazine.

Martha Cooper is now a guest blogger at 12ozProphet.

View a trailer of Henry Chalfant’s Style Wars.

The 1000 Journal Project Film is now up on Netflix!

The 1000 Journals Project continues to roll along with lots of activity coming up in the next few months.

The 1000 Journals exhibition at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is up until April 5.

The 1000 Journals Project film will screen at the Salem (MA) Film Fest on Sunday, 03/01 and at the SFMOMA and in Durango (CO) on Thursday, 03/05.

The film is also available on Netflix! So add it to your queue.

And if you want to take it home permanently, go to amazon.com.

There’s lots of information about the film and upcoming screenings on 1000journalsfilm.com, including a new and expanded trailer.

For more information about The 1000 Journal Project visit 1000journals.com.

If You Are In Birmingham, AL

Join RICHARD SEXTON at and opening and book signing tonight at the Jennifer Hunt Gallery.

OPENING RECEPTION AND BOOK SIGNING
Friday, February 27 | 6–8 pm

The exhibition will run until April 4, 2009 and will include images from:

Terra Incognita: Photographs of America’s Third Coast
and
Vestiges of Grandeur: The Plantations of Louisiana’s River Road

Gallery hours:
Tuesday–Saturday 10 am–5 pm and by appointment

For More Information: jenniferhuntgallery.com 205.972.3232

Location: 2800 Cahaba Village Plaza, Suite 260 | Birmingham, AL 35243

Richard Sexton, Main Parlor, Home Place Plantation
In collaboration with A Gallery for Fine Photography, New Orleans

Patti Quill
Marketing & Publicity Manager

And you know what that means!

Actually, you probably don’t. Because I didn’t either! But it’s a real thing, 100% true. You can look it up. Or here, I’ll save you the 5 seconds of Googling. Here’s the official scoop:

“The 1st of March is set aside especially for pigs. It was started by Texas art teacher Ellen Stanley in 1972 to honor and give thanks to our most intelligent domesticated creature.

On this day, remember the good things pigs have brought to us; remember that pigs are sociable, intelligent mammals. They are much like us in many ways, they have noticeable personality traits and soaring emotions. You might want to visit a farm sometime in March for a day out (with the kids) and pay your respects to these marvelous animals.”

So here we are, joined together on this special pig day. What shall we do to celebrate? Here are some ideas.

1. You think “pig” and you immediately think “pink.” So let’s all of us, everyone, wear pink. Wouldn’t it be cool if like the whole world—ok, whole town—wore pink for the day? Especially you boys! Let’s do it!

2. Have a “Pig Out” party where everyone pigs out on:

a) Healthy snacks (and some junk food too)

b) Movies about pigs (like “Babe” and “Charlotte’s Web”)

c) Books about pigs (like “Little Oink,” “Little Oink, and don’t forget the classic “Little Oink.”)

You could have the party at home. Or you could do it in school–if your teacher’s not a “boar.” (get it?!)

3. Play “Duck, Duck, Oink!” Like “Duck, Duck, Goose” but when you want to choose your “chaser,” you tap him/her on the head and snort “Oink!” It’s much more fun than the regular version. I don’t know why, it just is.

4. And last but not least…live Little Oink‘s dream and go do some good cleaning! Clean up your room. Clean up a closet. Clean up the basement. But make it a surprise, because you know how parents are. They’ll just want you to make a mess!

:)

Happy National Pig Day everyone!

Hap-pig-gly yours,

amy

While I was in NY recently I got to see Handmade Nation at the beautiful new Museum of Art and Design. I dragged along Ed Roth, author of Stencil 101 and we got a front row seat to in the lovely little theater. It was great to see so many familiar faces in the movie, including some friends and favorite crafters like Susan Beal, Nikki McClure, Jill Bliss, Jennifer Perkins, Heidi Kenney, and Jenny Hart. And of course it was nice to see local stores Little Otsu and Needles & Pens featured as well.

If you’re in San Francisco you’ll have a chance to see the Handmade Nation documentary on March 11th at the Mezzanine. It’s sponsored by the San Francisco Film Society and you can find more info here. Immediately following the movie there will be a panel discussion with Natalie Zee Drieu of Craft Magazine, Derek Fagerstrom owner of the Curiosity Shop and co-author of our upcoming Wallpaper Projects book, Lisa Congdon co-owner of Rare Device and a new Chronicle author, and Stephanie Syjuco. There will also be a mini-craft fair the night of the premiere, full of great vendors and local artists! And if you don’t already have it check out the Handmade Nation book, which is a great primer for the movie.

Thank you all so much for your great comments and ideas on our last post, since they’re still coming in we’re extending the giveaway for another week and will post the three winners of the Dorm Décor book here next Thursday!

Check out more Chronicle Craft posts.

Christina Loff
Craft Publicist

Risotto with Leeks, Chard, Prosciutto, and Mascarpone

Fresh, salty, creamy, rich; what else is there to say? Pair this luscious risotto with a crisp endive salad tossed in a light lemony vinaigrette, and you’re in for a real treat.

4 ounces red Swiss chard, stemmed and chopped (about 3 cups packed)
3 cups low-salt chicken broth (you may not use all of it)
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
Large pinch of sea salt
3/4 cup thinly sliced leek (white and pale green parts only)
1 cup Arborio rice
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 ounces prosciutto, minced (about 1/4 cup)
1 1/2 tablespoons mascarpone cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
Pepper

Cook Swiss chard in a pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about a minute. Drain in a colander, then push the water out with the back of a wooden spoon until dry.

Bring the broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat to very low; cover and keep warm.

Meanwhile, melt the butter with the oil in large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the leek and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir 2 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until absorbed, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the hot chicken broth. Reduce heat and simmer on medium-low heat until absorbed, stirring frequently. Add 1/4 cup of broth at a time, allowing broth to be absorbed before adding more and stirring frequently until rice is just tender and mixture is creamy, about 28 to 30 minutes.

Add the chard and stir until heated through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the prosciutto, mascarpone, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Purchase Cooking for Two.

Click here for more great recipes.

Peter Perez
Senior Marketing Manager

This month, Chronicle Books releases The Art of Pixar Short Films which goes behind the scenes of the small films that helped Pixar become an animation fan favorite. Many look forward to seeing these shorts when they accompany Pixar’s feature-length films in the theaters.

We asked author Amid Amidi, also author of Cartoon Modern and co-founder of Cartoon Brew to give us some behind the scenes trivia that he discovered while writing the book. When you’re done with the list, enter our contest to win a copy of the book and a copy of the Disney DVD, “Pixar Short Films Collection, Vol. 1” See the bottom of the post for how to enter.

10 Interesting Facts about the Pixar Shorts

1. The names of the characters in “The Adventures of André & Wally B.” are a nod to the names of the characters in Louis Malle’s art-house film “My Dinner with Andre.”

2. “Luxo Jr.” marked the first time a fully computer-animated film was nominated for an Oscar in the category of Animated Short Film.

3. In 2003, the United States National Film Registry selected “Tin Toy” as one of twenty-five films to preserve because of its “cultural, historical or aesthetic significance.”

4. The clown in “Red’s Dream” was cheekily nicknamed “Lumpy” by the crew members due to his awkward appearance.

5. When the film “Knick Knack” was re-released in 2003 in front of “Finding Nemo,” the “Sunny Miami” knick knack character and the “Atlantis” mermaid were re-rendered with cleavage reductions to make the film more family friendly.

6. Director Ralph Eggleston came up with the idea of “For the Birds” while he was an animation student at CalArts in the early-1980s, nearly twenty years before he made the film at Pixar.

7. “Boundin’” director Bud Luckey agreed to sing the song in his short film only after his first two choices for singers died.

8. Early in the design process of the animated short “Lifted,” director Gary Rydstrom held a crew party with two food items: Mallomar cookies, to help inspire the shape of the aircraft, and Jell-O, as a model for the skin texture of the aliens.

9. “Jack-Jack Attack” is based on an idea that was originally part of “The Incredibles,” but during the production of that feature, director Brad Bird “discovered the story had enough momentum without it” and decided to create the short as an extra for the film’s DVD release.

10. Joe Ranft, who was the original co-director of “Mater and the Ghostlight,” was tragically killed in a car accident during the making of the short. The short was completed by John Lasseter and Dan Scanlon. When “Cars” was released in 2006, the film was dedicated to the memory of Ranft.

Want to win a prize pack containing The Art of Pixar Short Films and a copy of the Pixar Short Films Collection Vol. 1 DVD? Add a comment below with the name of your favorite Pixar short. Feel free to share why you love it so. Two winners will be randomly chosen to win a prize pack. Deadline is Tuesday, March 3rd at midnight.

April Whitney, Publicist & Amid Amidi, Author