Images of 'Fort Defiance North' at Socrates Sculpture Park

My friend JJ put together this video of my project at Socrates, take a look.

http://vimeo.com/14912379

EAF 10 Opening at Scorates Sculpture Parkd

Please Join me for the the Opening of the EAF 10: 2010 EMERGING ARTIST FELLOWSHIP EXHIBITION
September 12, 2010 - March 6, 2011


The Opening is Sunday, September 12, 2 PM - 6 PM (rain or shine)

Socrates Sculpture Park in LIC, Queens

32-01 Vernon Boulevard

Long Island City, NY

This is the culmination of my sculpture, structure, bar, architectural piece 'Fort Defiance North'. During my time in the hospital this project has been completed by a team of friends and family that have dedicated 100s of hours, this work is the first opening and will be quite a celebration as we will be showing off the completed structure.

This sculpture is also a fully functioning bar. While we are not going to be serving drinks on Sunday be on the lookout for upcoming events when we fire up 'Fort Defiance North' and turn it into the communal drinking space it was meant to be. Don't worry, invitations will be sent, but for now come out and enjoy the day on Sunday, see some great art, and enjoy a beautiful day in the park.

Hope to see you,

Scott

The 'At Home' Update

A few miscellaneous news and notes. I have been home about two weeks and there is the good and the bad, but overall things are going well. First and foremost I am getting stronger, two weeks ago I could walk two blocks and would get home winded, now I can walk a mile, still spent afterward, but it is a major improvement.

My body is getting stronger but the aches and pains still exist. One frustrating thing is a fracture or pain in my Coccyx, the very lower part of the tailbone. Every time I shift my weight or put pressure on my tailbone I get a very strong pain. Sitting for more than 30 minutes is impossible and it can even be painful sleeping. The frustrating thing is so many other parts of rehab were going well so to have such a small part of my body be so excruciatingly painful is an unfortunate turn of events. It can be so bad that Naomi and my parents just wince when they see the expressions on my face. Nobody said rehab would be easy.

One thing I am looking forward to is my friend Yvonne Kawamura, a licensed massage therapist, donated her services to help me out upon hearing about the accident. We start tomorrow and I have to say having something in my life that focuses on pain reduction sounds absolutely perfect.

Also, my sculpture at Socrates Sculpture Park is going up in amazing fashion. This will get its own post in the near future. I just want to say that between my parents, my friends St. John and Brett, and a host of others friends, this project has become even more than I could have ever imagined. Pictures and more to come soon because something so cool needs to be shared.

And lastly, it is nice to be home, fire damage and all. Good to climb into bed next to Naomi. Good to make a home cooked meal. Good to wake up in familiar surroundings. Good to read a newspaper on the couch. Good to walk around my neighborhood and say hello to friends. Sometimes the familiar is the best thing in the world.

Thanks

Last night the USBGNY (United States Bartenders Guild of New York) held its monthly mixer that was also a benefit to help me out with ramifications from the accident and the fire. The event was amazing and I just want to say thank you to all that came. The support was overwhelming and I was touched to say the least. First a thanks to Jonathan for being so generous and such a humbly nice person. And a thanks to friends and attendees. I had people I had known for a decade to people I had known for a week, artists, friends, schoolmates, co-workers, bartenders, bosses, business acquaintances, strangers, friends of friends, old friends, curators, activists, all showing their support.

It was amazing and I just wanted to say thank you,

Scott

Cocktail Mixer and Benefit

Friends, the New York chapter of the United States Bartenders Guild (USBGNY) is graciously using its monthly cocktail mixer as a benefit for me. It is an extremely generous gesture. I, in turn, wanted to invite my friends to join us for a few afternoon drinks and good times. Below is the event information and I would love to see you there.

And again, many thanks for all the support,

Scott

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Time:
Monday August 30 • 4:00pm - 6:00pm

Location:
Entwine
765 Washington Street (at West 12th Street)
New York, NY

Please join friends on Monday, August 30th from 4-6pm, as the New York Chapter of the United States Bartender’s Guild (USBGNY) holds their monthly mixer and a benefit for my lovely boyfriend, and Brooklyn's friendliest artist and bartender, Scott Andresen.

While he is doing better, Scott remains out of work as he continues to heal from a terrible bicycle accident he was in a few months ago, which led to emergency spinal surgery, a lengthy hospital stay, and loads of on-going rehabilitation.

In lieu of the circumstances, the USBGNY has graciously offered their support. In addition to making a generous financial contribution towards Scott's medical expenses, the Chapter is also donating the tips and proceeds raised from $1 raffle ticket sales made during the benefit! Prizes will include USBGNY shwag and bottles of liquor.

So please stop in with a friend or two and drink to Scott’s health!
Thanks to the kindness of the USBGNY, complimentary food and beverage will be provided courtesy of Don Modesto Tequila and Entwine in West Village will be the mixer's host.

See you then!

Naomi & Scottie

Gun Shy

One of the things I didn't anticipate on getting home was the level of fear or nervousness I have. For most of my life, or all of it, I felt in complete control. There were obstacles, etc. but I was doing it on my own. Now some of that has been taken away. Something happened to me, I had no control of it, and the consequences were extreme. I will be dealing with the aftermath for months if not years.

But most frustrating to me right now is when I am walking down a busy street I see imminent disasters. Too many speeding cars and honking horns, an accident is coming. A car trying to speed to make it through a yellow light, here comes the worst. Someone riding a bike without a helmet, an accident is coming.

I find myself flinching at the possibility of what could go wrong all the time and I hate it. I expect it to get better but right now I am living in a bit of a state of fear and it is frustrating to no end. No, it is not crippling, it does not keep me inside my house walled up, but it is in the front of my mind when I am out.

What I worry about is when I am better, hopefully, and have the opportunity to ride a bike, or go skiing, or something else active that involves a degree of danger, I really hope the accident doesn't affect me negatively. I am just not a person to live in a state of fear.

'Mission Impossible' or How I Won Every Argument With Naomi From Now On

Mission Impossible - To surprise Naomi at her sister's wedding while recovering from spinal trauma in the hospital

From Left to Right are:
The Mark: Naomi Doerner (My Girlfriend)
Accomplice #1: Jaret Vadera (Close Friend)
Accomplice #2 and #3: Stephanie and Brendan (Naomi's Sister The Bride, and The Groom)

The Setting:
Naomi, since my accident six weeks ago, had been balancing a full time job, running her summer program for Lower East Side High Schoolers with 2 friends, visiting me in the hospital daily, dealing with insurance and lawyers, and trying to put the house back together after the fire. To say the least she was over extended.

She was also looking forward to her sister's wedding in Westchester and seeing all of her family on one of the rare occasions when they are all together. She was excited, stressed, and going a little batty. The pressure of doing things for me, for her sister, for the wedding, for her family, as well as her own responsibilities was a lot. And bless her heart, what was she most frustrated about, that we would be spending a few days apart. What an amazing woman.

So it was quickly decided that a surprise visit to the wedding was in order and spending a little quality time with my girlfriend celebrating family and friends instead of broken bones and insurance forms was a must.

I first checked with the doctors to get a day pass to leave the hospital. When the nurses found out what I was planning I immediately became the best boyfriend in the world in their eyes. I of course called Steph and Brendan to make sure it was OK with them, and they were as excited as I was. I did ask Steph not to tell anyone, including Naomi's mother, who is probably the worst person to have holding a secret, and thus the plan was taking form. With Steph and Brendan on board it was a matter of the logistics of getting to and from.

I immediately rang Jaret and asked him to help out, he was game for everything. We rented a car for the day, he took a quick wheelchair class at the hospital, and he also stopped by my house to pick up a bunch of clothes for the wedding. And with that we were ready to go.

On the day of the wedding Jaret stopped by the hospital in the afternoon with the clothes. I quickly got changed but with one problem, the brace that I have for my right leg would not fit in my dress shoes. The only other solution was to wear my sneakers. Not exactly wedding attire but it would have to do. Next it was down to the car to load the wheelchair, crutches and me in, with that we were off.

One wrong turn and we were a bit behind schedule but we got there in one piece. The valets had us pull to the side to unload, but just as we park who walks right down towards our car, Naomi of course. We are there for 30 seconds and the surprise was about to be ruined, until she walked within 6 inches of the car in a stressed daze and passed us without a glance. The game was still on.

We made it inside, saw a few of Naomi's family, and they quickly began helping us out. I was taken to the room for the wedding ceremony before arousing suspicion, a few chairs were moved out of the way to park me and the wheelchair, and things were set for the surprise. A few of Stephanie's closest friends were already there and sitting around me. Not knowing me personally but knowing the story of what had happened they were dumbstruck when they saw me and started getting teary eyed when they found out what I was surprising Naomi.

As the procession started the parties passed. Naomi, one of the last to come, walked by without noticing me. She got under the wedding canopy and glanced back towards the audience. She noticed one of Steph's closest friends, who was sitting just in front of me, and the friend was still teary eyed knowing what was about to follow. And then it happened, just what I had hoped for. Naomi glanced back to me, our eyes locked, and it took just a second for realization to set in, a quick look of complete surprise with eyes wide and mouth agape, then her face welled up and tears, tears of joy. It was pretty amazing. A few people around were concerned until they realized what was going on. She let the waterworks run for a few seconds before composing herself for the ceremony, we mouthed an 'I love you' to each other and then the ceremony commenced.

The wedding was beautiful, the ceremony poignant and the party shear joy. It was great meeting her family and friends and especially her grandmother, who like all grandmothers, promised copious amounts of home cooked food if I ever visit. It was also the first time in six long weeks that Naomi and I could just enjoy each other's company, laugh and joke, and not do it in the shadow of a medical institution. A pretty amazing day all in all.