HEART and SOLD...

by Erkuden Sakana, Company Secretary:

"Menin Hertz..." by the men and women of the Company

As the great beast January draws to a close, the members of the M.S.Co. turn their jaundiced business eyes to Valentine's Day. A heart-warming respite from the most frigid winter month.

In its continuing endeavour to reclaim the kissy-faced Hallmark holiday for perverts everywhere, the Company has voted in favour of hocking their seedy wares at Come As You Are's ever-popular Erotic Arts and Crafts Fair. The misanthropes had a great time at last year's event and are very much looking forward to peddling their smut at the Gladstone Hotel once again.

(M.S.Co. perforated Valentimes cards to hand out to all your reprobate classmates)

Already, the Company's newly instated Manufacturing Division is hard at work putting together extra naughty message cards, dirty prints and risqué matchbooks for the show. Patrons can also expect a fresh batch of seasonal specialties, such as the ever popular Valentimes Goofy Cards perforated card sheets.

Erotic Arts and Crafts Fair
Saturday, Feb. 12, 2011. Noon – 8pm
Gladstone Hotel
1214 Queen Street West
Toronto, ON
Facebook Invite

Incidentally, for those who have been inquiring whether Reverend Aitor will be drawing Unflattering couple's portraits again, his answer is a resounding "Nope." Not this time.

* * *

"Drinking Because of You" by the M.S.Co.

Also slated for next week: the Company has decided to host Valentine's Day open house at the M.S.Co. Clubhouse. Expect the usual mix of live music, moonshine, readings, screenings throughout the day, along with an exhibition of original art revolving around the themes of love, sex, loneliness, and the like. The public is invited to bring their old love letters, diaries, and photos for show and tell and/or the heartbreak bonfire. There will also be a topically appropriate secondary exhibit for any and all comers to partake in.

(photo by Rufus Spaulding)

A routine dumpster-diving expedition recently yielded a motherlode of Sexy Doodle Pads. Thousands of them. What the Parkdale Animal Clinic was doing with so many of these, and why they were discarded is anyone's guess, but their loss is the Company's gain. The plan is to wallpaper the Clubhouse maze with as many filled-in sexy doodles as possible, but the Company can't do it alone. Inspired in part by Paper Boy's communal art wall exhibition, the misanthropes are opening up the project to the public.

One done, thousands to go. Won't you please help? (photo by Becky Johnson)

Complimentary pads have already been sent to the Company's subscribers in a supplementary mail-out. Anyone else interested in filling in some sexy doodles in advance of the Valentine's Day exhibition is welcome to contact the Company, or pick up a pad or two from the M.S.Co. booth at Saturday's Erotic Arts and Crafts Fair.

"St. VALENTIMES' HOME for the BROKEN HEARTED"
OPEN HOUSE AND MAKEOUT PARTY
Monday, February 14
M.S.Co. Clubhouse
Toronto, ON
Doors open at 2pm
Festivities begin in earnest at 9pm

As always, a modest supply of moonshine, beer and spirits will be available for purchase, by donation, but all are welcome to bring their own refreshments.

* * * *

THIS WEEK'S PRODUCTIVITY REPORT
Number of projects initiated: 29
Number completed: 20
Number inducted: 11
Carried over to next week: 1

* * * *

KABINET FEVER...

by Tallulah Lastname, Company Clerk:

(photo courtesy of Leah Buckareff)

Psst! How would you fancy a sneak peek behind the iron curtains of the La Bastellerie gallery? Well, just scroll on dear reader. Scroll on.

(photo collage courtesy of Leah Buckareff)

Note little Leah in the window -- so cute!

The walls have been repainted, the shelves cut and the bell jars dusted. Now the anticipation is left to simmer a little as The Wunderkabinet No.2 prepares to unveil it's new collection of international curiosities. As mentioned previously on the Web Log, the Misanthrope Specialty Co. proudly counts itself among the motley crew of participants.

(photo courtesy of Leah Buckareff)

Unfortunately, circumstances preclude most of the misanthropes from crossing the pond to attend Friday night's opening jubilations. But the jet-setters among you, or those of you who happen to be in the greater Berlin area, are more than welcome to stop in at the vernissage. It promises to be a good time.

The Wunderkabinet 2

Opening Reception

Friday January 21

La Bastellerie - Lausitzer 13, Berlin

7 pm

("Mein Hertz..." photo by Erkuden Sakana)

And if you can't make it for the opening, fret not; the Wunderkabinet 2 runs until April 30th.

* * *

FAIR GAIN...

by Erkuden Sakana, Company Secretary:

(photo courtesy of City of Craft)

Last night the Company came together after wrapping up at another successful City of Craft. The holiday show remains one of the misanthropes' absolute favourites, and not just because it's strolling distance from the Company Bunker.

The Misanthrope Specialty Co. officially takes its hat off the organizers for an impeccably curated and tightly run ship, full of fantastic vendors, imaginative interactive installations, and interesting satellite exhibitions.

Kudos to the organizers . The Company will surely try to shove it's way into the fold again next year.

* * *

Arthur on location in Montréal (photo by Heywood)

With all foreseeable art shows and craft fairs done with until the spring thaw, members are proposing and cooking up all manner of new projects for the new year.

For starters, the question of what to do with all the left over footage from Screaming Hell Hogs Eat Shit and Die is finally being addressed. It's beginning to look asthough some new (or partially new) film projects may soon be in the works.

* * *

1965 Dymo magazine advert

It's been a very long time since the Company last held any sort of contest or giveaway. It is one of the Company's New Year's resolutions to remedy this fact very shortly. Honest.

Readers will have to wait for the specific details, but one thing is for certain: it will involve labelling tape. Labelling tape of the woodgrain variety.

* * *

photo of the museum's nepenthe ventrata by Anahí Coria

Though the Museum of Natural & Artificial History and offices at Misanthrope Specialty Co. Headquarters will remain open through the holidays, familial obligations have whisked most of the misanthropes away for the next couple of weeks. The Company's Sunday sessions have therefore been suspended until January 9, 2011.

See you next year.

* * *

THIS WEEK'S PRODUCTIVITY REPORT
Number of projects initiated: 20
Number completed: 14
Number inducted: 8
Carried over to next week: 2

* * *

'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE BIZNATCH...

by Rufus Spaulding, Cub Reporter:

(poster pile photo courtesy of City of Craft )

Hello Toronto. Tomorrow is the big day. City of Craft. Bring both your naughty and nice Christmas lists over to the Theatre Centre and come find us downstairs.

( map by Caitlyn )

* * *

And don't forget Revrend Aitor's Unflattering Portraits, upstairs, on the Midway.

( portrait and photo by Reverend Aitor )

He's fixing to retire the project sooner than later, so you're fools if you don't sign up while you have the chance. His portraits are in the American Visionary Art Museum's permanent collection, for Pete's sake. He's a big shot outsider artiste now.

* * *

MIDWAY CHIDE SYNDROME...

by Tallulah Lastname, Company Clerk:

Step right up, Toronto! Hurry, hurry, hurry! Suck in your guts and jut out your weak chins: the Unflattering Portrait Project is coming to City of Craft.

That's right, folks! The Reverend Aitor making himself available to the public for the first time since his triumphant return from Baltimore, where his portraits now hang in a place of honour, at the American Visionary Art Museum. Step right up!

Another satisfied customer!

Are you brave enough? Are you sufficiently strong of self-esteem to face his jaundiced eye and squeaky markers? Come and test your metal at the City of Craft Midway, where the good Reverend will be scribbling ugly likenesses all week-end, December 18 and 19. And unlike his unattainably priced mail-order portraits, all portraits at City of Craft will be done by donation! That's right, folks! Pay what you can! Or what you think it's worth! Hurry, hurry hurry!

Don't let this opportunity get away, ladies and gentlemen! Aitor has been drawing fewer and fewer of these lately, and has been mumbling threats about retiring altogether! Spaces are limited, so hurry, hurry hurry! Sign up today!

To book your appointment: simply click on the comments section at the end of this posting and claim any hour that isn't already claimed. Sign ups are available until midnight, December 17.

UNFLATTERING CITY OF CRAFT

DAY ONE:
Saturday December 18
1:30 pm - Available
2:30 pm - Available

Portraits take about thirty to fifty minutes per person. Couples, oddly enough, count as two persons, so book two slots. And punctuality is always in fashion. Patrons arriving more than eight minutes late for their scheduled sitting will not be served.

DAY TOO:
Sunday December 19
2: 30 pm - Dayle & Nabil
3:30pm - Dayle & Nabil

Ever wondered what you'd look like if you weren't quite so gorgeous? Now's you chance to find out!

Step right up, ladies and gentlemen! Get your red hot Unflattering Portraits! One of a kind, custom made pieces of art created before your very eyes! Hurry hurry hurry!

* * *

PARLAY-VOUS?..

by Erkuden Sakana, Company Secretary:

Putting it all together (photo by Rufus Spaulding)

The holiday shopping season is upon us, and quickly gaining momentum as Christmas draws ever nearer on the advent calendar. Consequently, the misanthropes are working overtime, filling orders and cranking out inventory for the various retailers who stock Company-made goods, seasonal events, and sundry commissioned Christmas gifts.

Out of this chaos of sawdust, glitter and paper trimmings emerge some brand new goodies to stuff in the stockings of your lovedones.

"Gambling Christ is in Hot Water With His Bookies" a new offering from the company

The original "Gambling Christ Lands in Hot Water With His Bookies and Needs Your Help" emerged last March, as part of a series of drawings and painting about Jesus falling on hard times. Now, in an effort to help put the Gambling Christ back in Gambling Christmas, it has been resurrected in the form of an open edition 17.8 x 12.7 cm ( or 7x5" to our friends South of the border) archival print.

The original "Gambling Christ..." (photographed by Reverend Aitor)

As is the case with most M.S.Co. prints, "Gambling Christ" is reproduced in small, slighly varied batches, using the Company's own secret xerographic process. It will be available at City of Craft, or via the Company's Etsy store.

* * *

Meanwhile, over at Hindquarters, the Company's Montréal contingent is finally making good on and old resolution.

(photo by Heywood McGillicuddy)

With one foot in Québec, the Misanthrope Specialty Co. does a fair bit of business in Lower Canada, yet has been fairly lax in producing goods geared towards the significantly francophone crowd which frequents events like Puces Pop and Expozine. And while the Company fares just fine in French Canada with it's English cards and epistolary projects, it has long been argued within the ranks that further steps towards bilingualism are in order

Maintenant: en français!

It is in this spirit that the misanthropes are proud to release a new line of message cards, both sweet and obscene, en français. The first batch of which is being rushed over to Maison Kasini in time for their Mille Cadeaux event.

MILLE CADEAUX OPENING RECEPTION
Saturday, December 18th
372 Ste Catherine Ouest
3PM to 5PM

* * *

Speaking of resolutions, many of the Company members are calling for some changes to protocol, as there is a growing dissatisfaction with weekly drawing sessions being increasingly infringed upon by long nights of assembling inventory.

THIS WEEK'S PRODUCTIVITY REPORT
Number of projects initiated: 6
Number completed: 2
Number inducted: 1
Carried over to next week: 0

The numbers in this week's productivity report say it all. The making of new original work always suffers in the congregations leading up to ant given art fair, craft fair, or busy retail season. No doubt the subject will be hotly debated at next week's meeting.

* * *

BUTTON FLY TRAP...

by Erkuden Sakana, Company Secretary:

(photo by Arthur Corey)

Another instalment of the Company's subscription service is packaged up and ready to go. This month's mail-out includes a little something different: venus fly trap buttons. The Museum of Natural & Artificial History's Head Curator and Chief Botanist have been collecting and pressing the dead leaves from the carnivorous plant exhibit for some time, waiting for just the right project to come along.

Now, with the help of super-star buttoneer Sweetie Pie Press, the Company has begun production on a series of 1" buttons for the Museum's gift shop; many still contain the remains of the insects that met their untimely demise in the leafy jaws of the voracious dionea muscipula.

Audrey 3, the Company's pet fly trap (photo by Anahí Coria)

Naturally, these buttons are available in only limited supply. The traps are harvested only after the leaf dies, so as not to cause the plant harm.

* * *

dionea vs. caterpillar

Incidentally, many of the plans in the Company's carnivorous collection, including the fly traps, pitcher plants, and some of the sundews are soon to enter their winter dormancy. Visitors to the museum have two weeks to see the current botanical exhibit before the the hibernating plants are hidden away until the springtime. Plant feedings can be seen Saturdays at 3pm.

* * * *

THIS WEEK'S PRODUCTIVITY REPORT
Number of projects initiated: 29
Number completed: 19
Number inducted: 5
Carried over to next week: 0

* * * *