Shop The New CyberCafe@theCAC
The recently opened
CyberCafe@the CAC (Contemporary Arts Center), 900 Camp St., has announced its new cafe' hours which are Sunday, Monday & Tuesday from 7am to 8pm and Wednesday & Saturday from 7am to 11pm. Not only can one surf, or cruise, the Internet via five terminals all hooked up to a speedy T-1 line, for FREE (with more terminals coming), you can nosh on all sorts of baked goods and delicious Mediteranean sandwiches, called paninis, made by LaSpiga, while you imbibe the bean in every conceivable form, from espresso to cappucchino, or the grape, with the cafe's complete wine list and fully stocked bar. All the while you're cruisin' and noshin', the incredible computer generated artworks of Gerald Cannon combine with the CRT glow to create an other worldly ambience. And yes, you can even shop in the CyberCafe's "shop" for that last minute Christmas gift from an assortment of Pop Art-inspired clothing for adults, kids and babies, home furnishings, jewelry, note cards, pop-up books, toys, art books and magazines.
After your carpal tunnel syndrome kicks in from wandering through cyberspace, you can wander through the cool architectural spaces of the Center's second floor gallery Pop Art show called The Prophecy of Pop, an exhibition featuring some of the most beloved and classic Pop Art of the sixties along with work by a new generation of artists.
Curated by John Good specifically for the CAC, The Prophecy of Pop illustrates the enduring legacy of Pop Art, an art movement that critiques and parodies a culture dominated by the media. The exhibition demonstrates how Roy Lichtenstein, Claes Oldenburg, James Rosenquist, Ed Ruscha and Andy Warhol blurred the line between high art and popular culture-and show the influence of their work on such eighties luminaries as Jean Michel Basquiat, Jessica Stockholder and Keith Haring as well as on such nineties provocateurs as Jake and Dinos Chapman and Richard Phillips.
Guest curator John Good produced numerous exhibitions of Pop, Minimal and Conceptual Art while director of the Leo Castelli Gallery in New York from 1980 through 1984. As director of the John Good Gallery from 1985 through 1994, Good showcased many of the leading contemporary artists of the eighties and nineties including Juan Usle, Jacqueline Humphries and Moira Dryer.
The Contemporary Arts Center at 900 Camp Street in New Orleans regularly presents new currents in music and the visual and performing arts. Recently celebrating its twentieth birthday and under the leadership of its new Director, Jay Weigel, the CAC is making a renewed commitment to bring art exhibitions of international significance to the region. With their new CyberCafe, and this major exhibition, the CAC is moving brilliantly toward this goal.
www.overtherainbow.com: New Gay & Lesbian Travel Site
A new online world of gay &
lesbian travel was recently
launched and demonstrated at the 5th International Gay & Lesbian World Travel Expo. Developed as a "one-stop-shopping" site, http://www.overtherainbow.com fulfills a growing need for accurate and current gay travel information resources.
"The community needs up to date information about safe and friendly destinations," said Mitch Petchenik of Remy Publishing, the site developer. "Over the Rainbow is by and for gay travelers world-wide. In fact, most of our writers live in the cities they cover, so they can offer inside information' and advice not usually found by a travel writer who just breezes in for a weekend."
Beyond destination data, visitors to the site may access detailed maps, video city tours, weather reports, a currency converter-even driving instructions-which make the site far more comprehensive than any that gay web surfers may have experienced to date.
Additionally, Over the Rainbow provides a vast area of community interaction, where visitors can post travel announcements, check out the worldwide calendar of events, read tips for HIV+ travel, and link to other gay travel websites. Contests, surveys, special offers and exclusive discounts will be updated frequently to keep the site exciting.
"We are not new to gay travel online," said Perchenik. "We are responsible for the very popular gay travel area of PlanetOut's site within America Online, where aol subscribers can find us as well with keyword OTR. The new website gives further access to the world's gay and lesbian community."
The overtherainbow.com site is about supporting the community too. One percent of all revenues from ad sales, etc. are donated to the AIDS/HIV Nightline, a volunteer-staffed overnight support line for people with HIV and their caregivers. "We have developed this global site for reasons beyond just making money," said Petchenik. "We very much want to make a difference for the community."
Thousands Swarm Virtual March On Washington
One full day after going on-line
at dawn's break Dec. 1 (World
AIDS Day), AIDS Action's Virtual park Police reported more than 4,500 e-Marchers had visited AIDS Action's year-long e-March at AIDS Action's web site, www.aidsaction.org. These numbers exceed attendee counts at the largest United States AIDS conferences.
"The stunning day one numbers demonstrate America's deep commitment to AIDS until it's over'," said Daniel Zingale, AIDS Action's Executive Director. "America's use of innovative new technology must yield a new innovative commitment to the fight against AIDS. Today, Vice President Gore received three times as many e-mails about AIDS as he does on all issues during the average day."
Americans from all across the country are sending messages to fight the misperception that AIDS is over. The first speaker for the e-March is President Clinton whose e-March address is available for download. The Until It's Over e-March will take place at AIDS Action's site for a full year: World AIDS Day 1997 to World AIDS Day 1998.
