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This section contains some expanded writings on various subjects, ranging from cultural phenomena and topical issues, to aesthetic/artistic essays. There are some sample resume and CV materials, exhibition, and event listings as well. My Artist Statement is also here. If you have questions or want to get in touch, please contact me or sign up for my newsletter.

Writings/Essays

Coronavirus
Tom Estlack: Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Hospitals seem to be mixed, in terms of how well-prepared they are for COVID-19. If you want to donate to hospitals that are struggling, I've started to compile some resources here. (Skip to: New York City Hospitals, New Jersey Hospitals) Hopefully, you have seen this interactive map, developed b...
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Artist Bio
Tom Estlack: Monday, April 23, 2018

Tom Estlack is known for his interactive, kinetic, and musical sculptures. Described as a "polymath" and "synesthete," he integrates video, electronics, simple machines, lighting, painting, music, animation, and figurative sculpture into his studio practice. Tom's art "connects directly to the multi...
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transcript for Advice for Young Executives
Tom Estlack: Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Congratulations! You have an office in the sky. You have legions of worker bees, drones, who will execute your genius plans all day long. No need to read the important documents that are placed on your desk. Have the secretary summarize the important points for you in the form of bullets! Bullets ar...
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Great Music Together
Tom Estlack: Wednesday, January 18, 2017

I recently decided to leave Ishtar, a middle-eastern belly-dance band I worked with for the past 3 or 4 years. This decision was a difficult one, but one I needed to make. In August of 2017, I have a solo exhibition planned at Nutting Gallery at West Liberty University. The show would mark the end o...
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National Anthem 1 and More
Tom Estlack: Sunday, July 10, 2016

Mickey Mouse is a "blackface" caricature that has come to be accepted and loved by American society. The Orlando mass shooting inspired this image. However, these days, you could pick any mass shooting, and this would still apply. This image merges the Mickey Mouse caricature with a "black cat," whi...
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About Baby Index 107 56
Tom Estlack: Wednesday, May 11, 2016

This work began as an exploration of photographic color relationships. It is a continuation of a painting process I have referred to as stealing color. I've made quite a few paintings incorporating this process. A photograph is taken of any subject. A GIF image is then made from it and then pushed t...
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Ishtar - Middle Eastern Bellydance Music
Tom Estlack: Saturday, March 19, 2016

Recently, much of my involvement as a guitarist has been in playing with a band called Ishtar, a middle-eastern Bellydance band based in Pittsburgh. We have been playing these traditional dance songs with a kind of Americanized heavy-rock sound. It's been called "Metal-Eastern" sometimes. I began wo...
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About Codorus Creek Detritus
Tom Estlack: Friday, December 18, 2015

"Codorus Creek Detritus" is an example of interactive sculpture. Interactive sculpture engages a person's consciousness in a way that is a bit different from works of art that exist in other formats. These works of art are very similar to toys. The dialectics between "viewer" and "artwork" are simil...
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Istanburgh
Tom Estlack: Wednesday, November 11, 2015

I have been busy with Ishtar, playing Bellydance festivals, and at other performances and venues. We also released a recording of many of these songs that we play. Melissa has been tirelessly promoting the music, directing new songs, and getting us out there to play this great music. I hope you enjo...
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Muhammad Cartoons are Bad
Tom Estlack: Friday, January 16, 2015

If it weren't for a person's willingness to speak up and offer alternative points of view about anything, we would still be looking for dragons at the edge of the earth, swatting at the images in our minds with a sword. I don't want to live in a world where we have to walk on eggshells and watch wha...
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Some Notes on a Painting Process
Tom Estlack: Thursday, December 11, 2014

If you're an artist, perhaps you're as obsessive about color as I am. Maybe you're even more obsessive! What follows is a description of some of the decision-making processes that led me to develop a free online application that helps artists analyze colors so that they can be methodically mixed. It...
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Long Lost Friend
Tom Estlack: Tuesday, October 7, 2014

My new recording is called "Long Lost Friend." It's a collection of music from different artworks included in various exhibitions over the past few years. My work is centered around bringing a person who is a participant or a listener or a viewer into the mindset of connectivity. I make art that is ...
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Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Tom Estlack: Friday, August 22, 2014

This article is my obligatory Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis post. Maybe you're like me, and you're growing weary of the recent cultural obsession with pouring cold water over one's head. I'm glad that it's raising awareness of a need to fund research in treating this debilitating and fatal illness. ...
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Aspects of Late Postmodernism
Tom Estlack: Wednesday, December 2, 2009

There have been many attempts to describe or categorize a seemingly evident paradigm shift in Arts, Culture, and Society, which has moved beyond the category of "postmodern." Some authors have described early postmodern works of Art (for example), as being indecipherable for different reasons (Susan...
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Billy is Tested in DC
Tom Estlack: Friday, October 16, 2009

Recently, I participated in an Exhibition called "In the Flesh II" at the Torpedo Factory's "Target Gallery." The curatorial position was to highlight the various ways contemporary artists explored the implications of figurative art. The work is a cylinder with a modeled and cast head emerging fr...
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Hitting the G20 Spot
Tom Estlack: Friday, September 4, 2009

In September 2009, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, hosted the G-20 summit. Fe Gallery in the district of Lawrenceville stages an exhibition at this time called "G-Spot." The artists involved were part of the Visionary Arts Festival, which was organized by Alberto Almarza. My contribution to the show is...
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Brain of the City
Tom Estlack: Thursday, July 9, 2009

I have been developing "construction systems" for the assembly of works using the same parts. The sculpture, currently on display, is a recent incarnation of this concept. Throughout the year, I make castings of joints, which have been molded from a pattern. I also cut pieces of conduit and manufact...
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About Populace Fragments
Tom Estlack: Wednesday, July 8, 2009

At the time of this writing, "Populace Fragments," a sculpture comprised of aluminum, resin, wood, and some paper assemblage, is on view at the Carnegie Museum of Art. The work is included as part of the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh 99th Annual Exhibition. Doryun Chong curated the show. I hav...
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Yes Thank You - Curatorial Statement
Tom Estlack: Thursday, January 1, 2009

"Yes. Thank You." is from a series of breathing meditations by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. "Yes. Thank You" is the first in the series of breathing meditations, where the practitioner will inhale and say "Yes," to what life has to offer. Upon breathing out, the practitioner says, "Thank You," affirm...
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About

Writings/Essays

Coronavirus

Artist Bio

transcript for Advice for Young Executives

Great Music Together

National Anthem 1 and More

About Baby Index 107 56

Ishtar - Middle Eastern Bellydance Music

About Codorus Creek Detritus

Istanburgh

Muhammad Cartoons are Bad

Some Notes on a Painting Process

Long Lost Friend

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Aspects of Late Postmodernism

Billy is Tested in DC

Hitting the G20 Spot

Brain of the City

About Populace Fragments

Yes Thank You - Curatorial Statement

Search - About

Documentation

Writings / Essays