"The eyeballs move!" -- Michelle Bates, co-creator of the van mask

This is the week my daughter and I had expected to be vacationing on Vashon, a lovely island in the southern Puget Sound where a dear friend of mine resides. Our plans were, of course, thwarted by the pandemic. Now, my friend has been assuring me that nothing fun is happening there this summer, that everything is closed and that we won't be "missing anything." But then I saw a post on the VashonBePrepared Facebook page that triggered my FOMO. It shows a minivan that has been anthropomorphized with eyes and an oversized mask. Quirky large-scale art with a message is definitely my thing!

I had to know the story. So I tracked down one of its creators, Michelle Bates. She told me that her partner Stefan Freelan had originally masked the van for a friend's graduation parade. Together they updated it, and later drove it through an island-wide Fourth of July parade representing the Vashon Emergency Operations Center.

Michelle shared that the masked van was inspired by another unusual piece of art. This past Memorial Day, artist Mik Kuhlman welcomed visitors to Vashon from the back of a pickup in a giant red coat.

Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber:

The purpose behind the performances was to greet Memorial Day visitors to Vashon at the moment they disembarked from ferries and traveled through town, urging them to wear masks and consider the fate of an island community with limited healthcare resources.

This apparel company is ON IT. They've shipped a matching mask with each of their tops. This photo was taken in Be’er Sheva, Israel, but I believe that "LOOK" is an American brand. A quick search reveals that match-matchy masks are a popular 2020 fashion trend.

photo by Bruria Efune, used with permission Read the rest

Animator Takahiro Shibata made this delightful facemask that turns fogged-up eyeglasses into a fun feature of the design.

"I made a mask for people with glasses," reads Shibata's translated tweet. "The more clouded your glasses are, the hotter you can see the ramen."

眼鏡の人専用マスクをつくりました。眼鏡が曇るほど、ラーメンが熱々にみえます。使いにくさ、この上なし。 pic.twitter.com/rSV0tmlleA

— しばたたかひろ | Takahiro SHIBATA (@iine_piroshiki) July 13, 2020

(via Laughing Squid) Read the rest

A stenciled rat sneezing green spew is just one part of Banksy's latest work, "If You Don't Mask, You Don't Get." This video, put out by the artist Tuesday morning, shows a man, disguised as a professional cleaner, creating the pro-mask piece in a London Underground train. Of course, it's already been removed. BBC:

Transport for London (TfL) said the art was removed "some days ago" in line with its "strict anti-graffiti policy"...

The statement from TfL said it appreciated "the sentiment of encouraging people to wear face coverings".

"We'd like to offer Banksy the chance to do a new version of his message for our customers in a suitable location," it added.

I bet they would!

screengrab via Banksy/Instagram Read the rest

Shortly after Trump was finally seen in public wearing a mask, the White House has begun provided a new document to media outlets listing all the times that Dr. Fauci has been wrong. From ABC News:

The document, obtained by ABC News from sources who confirmed the effort to discredit Fauci, says in part that "several White House officials are concerned about the number of times Dr. Fauci has been wrong on things."

The document goes on to list examples of what the White House views as Fauci contradicting himself.

One example in the short document is a comment made by Fauci on NBC's Today Show in late February that "at this moment, there is no need to change anything that you're doing on a day-by-day basis."

However, that was not the full statement Fauci made during the interview.

"Right now the risk is still low, but this could change," Fauci also told the Today Show at the time. "When you start to see community spread, this could change and force you to become much more attentive to doing things that would protect you from spread."

To be fair, Dr. Fauci is a human, and thus, prone to flaws; his reticence to commit to facemask recommendations was certainly not a good look in hindsight. But Fauci's bipartisan track record also paints a clear portrait of someone who learns and adapts their perspectives, based on new information, and is conscientious of how to convey information to the public — an important task, given his government position. Read the rest

These adhesive nose bridge strips help keep my glasses from fogging up.

I have two masks that came with nose bridge strips sewn in. Those two are the only masks I was able to use when shopping or anywhere my sight was actually important, as the loose nose bridge area on my other hand-made masks encouraged my glasses to fog up.

Feeling like my vision is closing in as I breathe-in increasingly warmer and damper air evokes memories of nitrogen narcosis while scuba diving. Never the smartest free ride.

I did not know I was looking for these adhesive aluminum strips until they found me. Today, they are pretty much the best cheapo gadgety thing I've seen this pandemic.

Nose Bridge Strip 100PCS,Shed Protector Aluminum Strips(Specs: 0.02X0.2X3.54 inch) for DIY Mask Handmade Crafting Making Nose Bridge Clip via Amazon Read the rest

"He's dead, Jim."

(via Laughing Squid) Read the rest

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‪We’re officially living in a Parks and Rec episode. #WearAMask ‬

A post shared by Law ⚡ (@lawjsharma) on Jun 24, 2020 at 8:07pm PDT

Who can tell real life from sitcom fiction anymore? This mashup video combines actual footage of angry citizens ranting about mandatory mask-wearing with TV's Parks and Rec. And... it's a little too perfect. Its creator, Lawrence Jay, captioned the video, "Wear a Mask! ‪We’re officially living in a Parks and Rec episode. #WearAMask."

this scene from parks and rec is literally the americans who are fighting back against wearing masks because their "freedom to breathe" is being taken away pic.twitter.com/yb2uDpRa6L

— out of context parks & rec (@nocontextpawnee) June 24, 2020

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Scroll through the carousel below, or check out Not Art on Instagram for more Sexy Facemask Photoshopping (if that's what you want to do).

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In better news it turns out that #SportsIllustrated was able to put out their swimsuit calendar on time for the #GlobalPandemic. The models were not at risk because the camera man was always at least 6 feet away and it was all shot on a Beach no one has heard of in #Madagascar So no one else was around. #SportsIllusrated

A post shared by NOTART (@notart) on Apr 26, 2020 at 10:49pm PDT

Earlier this month, New Yorkers were challenged by their governor's office to create a public service announcement to "help communicate why it is so important to wear a mask to stop the spread of coronavirus." Over 600 submissions were received and were voted on by more than 200,000 people. The winning ad, Bunny Lake Films' "We Love NY" captures just the right vibe: it's positive, inclusive, and very "New York."

Gothamist reports:

While the "We Love NY" PSA by Bunny Lake Films (from directors Celine Danhier and Aliya Naumoff) received the most votes and became the official winner, the state will actually run two ads. "You Can Still Smile" by Blue Slate Films/Natalia Bougadellis came in second, just around 500 votes behind first place.

See a few more of the PSAs here. Read the rest