August 9 , 2010

July 26 -
September 4, 2010

August 6 -
September 1, 2010

August 12, 2010

August 1 - 31, 2010

August 3 - 29, 2010

November 23, 2010 -
January 15, 2011

Vancouver Men in Leather’s Pride event - a Tom of Finland themed fundraiser was held Friday July 30, 2010. By all accounts it was a rousing success. The space was crowded from opening time, and most — if not all — attendees dressed for the theme of the night.

Raffle prizes of T-shirts and a Tom of Finland Comix Collection were drawn as well as a 50/50 ticket. Also available for sale were t-shirts and fridge magnets, provided by ToFF for the event.

Pictures and a more complete post about the night will be put up on Tom’s Blog as soon as the event organizers have had a chance to debrief and detox post-Pride week.

Our librarian, Allison, went to the Gay Pride Parade in Helsinki, Finland: "It was sad because at some point somebody set off some tear gas. It was also disappointing because they don't have floats in parades here… it’s more like a march. We’re talking about changing that!

"At the very least, next year we can have a Tom of Finland crew with some flags and costumes, throw out some condoms to the crowds or something. Anyhow, we did have fun. Though it was lacking in creativity, Wiki says there was only a few hundred people last year and thousands this year. So let’s catch that wave and inspire the community here through Tom!"

More on Helsinki Pride here.

House of NSFW

Caitlin Monaghan had a “real” tour of the TOM House, joined by neighbors who booked a tour as well. Caitlin has just moved to LA from Chicago. She learned of ToFF because her brother is in the band that opened for Gay Beast after the reception for Danimal at the TOM house.

"Over the past six decades, Tom of Finland has become an international gay celebrity, but not until recent years has his art been recognized in mainstream art circles for all art lovers — gay or straight. Notorious publisher Benedikt Taschen placed Tom in the company of Leonardo DiVinci and Michelangelo when he bound and sold 666-paged (oh, the irony!) books filled with Tom’s best creations."

Read Caitlin's article in Style Section LA here.

L - R:
Host Terry LeGrand,
Durk Dehner and
Producer Andrew Holinsky

The Alternative with Terry LeGrand

The Alternative recently aired a special interview with Durk Dehner recorded at the Erotic Art Fair on March 27, 2010 on preserving gay culture.

Terry Le Grand, has been a GAY activist for many years and now is the Co-Chair of ACT UP Southern California, he is a DEIST and believes that organized religion should not have a significant place in the world today because it’s the cause of most of the major problems of the world.

Learn more about The Alternative here.

A Gay Eden in Echo Park – The Tom of Finland Foundation

Echo Park Now visited Tom of Finland Foundation and had "a lovely time with the boys. Am I allowed to call them boys? Guys? Men?" Enjoying the art, and the house, and the cats: "I think I’ll just stay until they kick me out."

“There are many young gay artists throughout the world whose thoughts and desires are either unacceptable or outright illegal. Tom of Finland Foundation exists to offer acceptance to these artists and their creations.”

Read Echo Park Now's article about the Foundation here.

If you own only one book on Tom, this is the book to get.

A massive 666 pages, it covers six decades of Tom's career. The work was gathered from collections across the US and Europe with the help of the Tom of Finland Foundation, and features many drawings, paintings and sketches never previously reproduced.

Produced by art book publisher TASCHEN, edited by Dian Hanson, and overseen by Durk Dehner — Tom's business partner and cofounder of the Foundation — this book is truly impressive.

CHECK IT OUT!