Elvert Barnes's blog ^pro

You can learn much about a man by the music that he listens/dances to.

As of today, my March 2009 EUPHORIA trance, progressive house and gay circut mix has been posted to my Elvert Barnes Mixology podcast.

In launching my PUBLIC ART IN PUBLIC SPACES 2009 webpage my focus is on a mural that I photographed on Monday morning, 19 January 2009 when en route to the Fort Lauderdale Martin Luther King, Jr. Day March I waited for the #40 bus at the Broward Central Terminal.

After an exhausting Google search, last night, I was able to find only one reference on the internet by LauderBLOGGER Robert Spencer Knotts regarding the Fort Lauderdale Government Center Mural which was painted by Daddona Studios of Pompano Beach.

In the 10 August 2007 Hidden in Plain View - Part Two posting, Knotts reveals how details of the mural sheds light on the story of greater Fort Lauderdale’s early days.

Painted from 1988 to 2002, the 90' x 40' Fort Lauderdale Mural is only one of many works of art created by Daddona Studios of Pompano Beach.

Finally, my Elvert Barnes Mixology podcast has been launched. It will feature music mixes /blends that I, myself, have created.

My work is documentary, so, eventually, I'll be going through all of my old cassette mixes and remixing them into mp3 format.

The Elvert Barnes Mixology podcast will, therefore, represent an archive of my music compilations dating back to the 80's.

It is a task and project that I look forward to working on.

WHERE DO YOU GO TO FIND OLD MAPS?

Long before I took up photography in 1992 which was after I received a Minolta as a December 1991 Christmas gift I had always enjoyed Holiday store window displays.

Born in the rural area of Southern Maryland in October 1953 (USA) and raised on a farm one of the first Christmas seasons that I spent in a big city was that of 1972. It was in the fall of that year, as a senior in high school, I would take weekend trips to Riverdale Maryland to visit a friend who was a freshman at the University of Maryland in College Park, MD.

College Park and Riverdale are suburbs of Washington DC.

Tom, who was white and from a wealthy family in Southern Maryland graduated from Ryken High School, a Jesuits boys school, in June 1972. I, black, was not from a wealthy family attended Great Mills High School met Tom over the summer of 1972. While I do not now recall the specifics I believe that our first sexual contact took place at the Millison Plaza Hotel, in Lexington Park, MD, in the summer of 1972 which was where he may have worked part-time.

So, when in the fall that he moved to Riverdale to attend the University of Maryland at College Park, he invited me up, on weekends to check out the gay bars on 9th Street in NW and the Pier Nine in SW WDC.

It was over the holiday season of 1972 when Tom, Allen and I would drive downtown to shop at Garfinkels, Woodies and Hechts that I first began to take more than a passing interest in holiday window displays.

One of the things that first caught my attention was the lack of black mannequins. And as we shopped at the department stores the fact that I was being watched far more than my white friends brought to mind conversations that I had had with my grandmother about the fact that black women were not allowed to try on hats in stores before purchasing them. But that white women were.

And, over the next few years, when black mannequins did appear more in store window displays ... what struck me ... was that the black mannequins did not exhibit Negroid features but, in fact, where white mannequins painted black.

And, when ever, in recent years, that I may take pictures whether it is in Washington DC, Fort Lauderdale, New York City or at the World to Obama Message Board at the Lincoln Memorial or at GLBT Equal Rights March ... the fact that I am a black male still arouses suspicion.

The same kind of suspicion that I confront when attemting photograph Holiday Windows.

I say this because, as a 55 year old black male, I am very cognitive of the fact that I could be arrested or taken to a holding cell for photographing 2008 Holiday Windows.

Here is my Rizik's photos at Flickr.

04.TheCommuter.MarciaBillig.WM…

Regarding my photography as documentary, in connection with my ongoing Public Art in Public Spaces series I always like to bring attention art in mass transit systems.

A resident of Washington DC, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority (WMATA) Metro Arts / Art in Transit Program represents and important element of my documentation.

Located at the entrance to the WMATA Red Line Wheaton Maryland Station, "The Commuter" is one of many works by Washington DC based artist Marcia Billing that can found at public spaces in Mountgomery County Maryland and Boston Massachusetts areas.

Here is my The Commuter by Marcia Billig (WMATA Metro Art In Transit) - Wheaton Station, MD album.

02.CasablancaCafe.FLFL.23jul08

Since my first visit to Fort Lauderdale in January 2004, whenever I'm Fort Lauderdale my partner and I make a point to lunch at Casablanca Cafe which located at 3049 Alhambra Street provides an excellent view of the Fort Lauderdale Beach, Atlantic Boulevard / Promenade and the Atlantic Ocean.

And the food is excellent as well.  While the prices may, at first, appear a bit high, the portions, quality and presentation more than 'fit the bill'.  And, if you visit during the off-season from mid April through early November, you can order two for one lunches but you must also add 20% gratuity.

When there on the 23 July 2008 I ordered the Gazpacho Frio Soup as an appetizer and a Chicken Quesadilla for the main.  With a preference for seafood, my partner ordered Calamari Fritti and a Ceasar Salad.  While he managed to finish off both his dishes, my portions were so hugh, after eating less than 1/2 of my second course, I requested that the remaining of my quesadilla be 'doggy bagged'.

With a preference for seafood, my partner usually orders salmon, grouper, lobster or calamari.  He also enjoys the lamb dish.  As well as most items on the lunch menu.

Not one for seafood, in particular, finned-fish while I have enjoyed the Casablanca Cafe's crab cake ,,, I have tried and enjoyed most of the other items on the lunch menu.  And have never been disappointed.

So, when in Fort Lauderdale ... it is my suggestion that you and a friend lunch or dine at Casablanca Cafe.

The food is excellent.  And so is the view!

CapoDiMondiPorcelainRose.RND.H…

This represents my first blog posting to my newly launched Ipernity account.  Still familiarizing myself with Ipernity which as a result of an ongoing issue with Flickr regarding the restricted status of my Flickr account which, efffectively, defeats the purpose of why since April 2005 I have uploaded such a large collection of images to Flickr with the intent that, for the most part, my body of work at Flickr would be easily accessable to the general public ... one of the features that I like at Ipernity is the blog.

My hope is that the ability to create collections will soon be added.

Let me began by saying, right from the start, my photography and writing are documentary in nature.  With that having been said, since my interests span so many different things while the images that I post to Ipernity will reflect and document my life journey ... my writings will shed light on my personal story as well as report on and bring attention to cultural events and social matters that are of interest to me.  Or that I have documented or captured in the course of my life journey.

Though I have tried my dambest, over my entire life, to let the racism that I have experience flip off my back when something as simple as flying on planes, driving a car or picture - taking could land me in jail ... due to the fact that I am a black man ... flipping racism off the back of my shoulder is not an answer nor option.

While my phtography will provide a visual documentation of the times in which I have live, my writings will shed light on the personal story of a 50-something gay black man who, over the years, practiced integration.

Still familiarizing myself with Ipernity, while in the past I have uploaded my Fort Lauderdale images to Flickr I decided before coming down that my July 2008 Fort Lauderdale collection will be featured at Ipernity.

The above image depicts a Capo Di Monte Porcelain Rose that sits on an end table in the apartment of a dear friend whose apartment I always stay at when visiting Fort Lauderdale.

He puchased it in Naples between the years of 1992 and 1994 which was when he worked in Naples.

Perhaps, if it had not been cloudy this afternoon with an appearance of a pending rain and the fact that we were still recovering from a night and afternoon of partying at The Club House II and The Club ... perhaps ... I would have embarked on my ritual Sunday Photo Walk during which time I explore the city or town that I am currently in.

Maybe tomorrow.