You Can Take Our Equipment But You Can't Take Our Passion

Stealing from a non-profit seems lower than low, right? Unfortunately, everyone's favorite microcinema was broken into last night (the thieves came through the back room window) and stole several pieces of Aurora equipment that we use for our salons and screenings -- including our LCD Monitor, Blue Ray Player, two DVD Players, our sound mixer, our PC Laptop, a DVD burner, and some other small items (Pint glasses - We always knew those were popular!). Here is the complete list.

We have filed a police report and will be following up with our insurance but wanted to make everyone aware of what has happened.

If anyone has any connections to equipment vendors or are getting rid of anything in the near future, let us know. Aurora fans can also help by purchasing tickets to our annual raffle fundraiser which will take place in December with two sought-after badges to SXSW as one of the many prizes.

Thanks for the support and be on the lookout for any pint-glass-carrying bad guys selling film and video equipment.

Sending Aurora Love to our Gala Sponsors

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Originally uploaded by Aurora Picture Show

Just wanted to make sure that we send our love and appreciation to the Aurora Award sponsors, including:

Hotel Sorella
Saint Arnold Brewery
Stockholm Krystal Vodka
City Kitchen Catering

Along with all the supporters who came out in support of Aurora Picture Show and to see Doug Aitken.

THANK YOU!

A New Framework

Aurora friend Anne Pasternack of Creative Time is circulating a petition that calls on Congress and the Obama Administration to support art’s public purpose to mend our social fabric, promote freedom of expression and a vibrant, inclusive national dialogue, and revitalize both education and commerce with the creativity that has always been the wellspring of our energy and success. If you care about creativity, culture, public art and their role in our future, read the petition here.

Southern Exposure Gets Passive/Aggressive

If you are an artist in Northern California, don't miss an opportunity to enter your work in Southern Exposure's 2009 Series of Juried Projects (and get your work seen by Aurora's founder and nonstop curator/media arts wonder woman Andrea Grover) Here are the details:

PASSIVE/AGGRESSIVE: SoEx's 2009 Series of Juried Projects

Juried Film/Video Screening
Juried Public Art/Urban Interventions Day
Of Works by Northern California Artists

SoEx is commited to creating a space for innovative, experimental, and risk-taking art and with this in mind, invites artists to submit public and film/video works in response to a theme that encourages as broad a range of artistic interpretation as possible. This year's theme, Passive/Aggressive, was chosen in response to our current cultural, economic and political climate and reflects on how decisions are made when faced with extreme challenges. We invite artists to submit work that responds to this idea in some way, shape or form.

DEADLINE:
SoEx must receive your submission by Saturday, October 24, 2009 at 6 pm.

EVENTS:
Public Art/Urban Interventions Day: Saturday, December 5, 11 am - 5 pm
Film/Video Screening: Sunday, December 6, 5 pm
Details to be announced in November!

2009 JURORS:
Film/Video Juror: Andrea Grover is a Houston-based independent curator, artist, writer and founder of Aurora Picture Show, a now recognized center for filmic art that began in Grover's living room as “the world's most public home theater.
Public Art/Urban Interventions Day Juror: Jeannene Przyblyski is an artist, historian, urban strategist and founder the San Francisco Bureau of Urban Secrets, a visual arts and urbanism think tank that incubates and promotes art and other public interventions in city life.

To obtain information about eligibility, rules, submission drop-off, jurors, jurying and to get a submission form, please download the Call for Entry form from the SoEx website.

Fletcher in Might Be Good

One of Aurora's favorite artists and earliest supporters, Harrell Fletcher , is featured in Fluent Collaborative's art e-journal Might Be Good this week. Read early and often.

Look Out Pittsburgh

Aurora's fearless founder, Andrea Grover, heads to Pittsburgh this week for the opening of 29 Chains to the Moon, an exhibit she curated for Miller Gallery at Carnegie Mellon University. You can read more about it, and Andrea's organization of the Houston Lyceum Lecture series at the Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, on Andrea's blog.

A Good Time Was Had By All

The past weekend brought laughs and cheers for all of the Aurora staff. While some of the Aurora team (Associate Director Rachel Blackney and founder Andrea Grover) headed to Boston to munch on Oysters Rockefeller and absorb panels at the NAMAC conference (returning with renewed energy and some great ideas!); the rest of the Aurora gang showed Houstonians a good time once again with the help of visiting curator Skip Elsheimer of AV Geeks. His Naughty Girls screening highlighted the best of instructional and educational films from the 70s and 80s that taught girls not to steal, lie, nor hide in fur coat storage closets. See more photos from both screenings here.

Emerging Artists at Aurora Boot Camp

Look out John Baldessari! Aurora has some young filmmakers that are hot on your heels. Last week, Aurora concluded their first ever Aurora Boot Camp, featuring fifteen very talented aspiring filmmakers. From "Art" to alien attacks, no subject was too much to tackle for these innovative campers. Check out the photos at Aurora's Flicker Site.