Letter from the Michigan Unemployment Office
FOUND by George W. in Grand Rapids, MI

Dear Sir,

Your employer has not indicated that shortages was your reason for discharge. Stated you played with matches and set fire to paper in a trash can. Set fire to reports. Wrote abscene graffiti on the paper work, calendars and posted signs. You engaged in hourseplay — pouring ammonia on dry ice in the back room which caused the dry ice to explode. You twirled a broom and hit a customer in the head.

Thank You,
B. Hartline

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FOUND invades Germany! Absender unbekannt, the German translation of FOUND, got a nice profile in the big-time German magazine Der Spiegel last week. Check out the German version here and the English translation here. Glückwünsche und Dank, Deutschland!

Jason Bitner had a little sleepover with the good people at Current TV. In between pillow fights, they had time to put this together:

Our friend Joe Beshenkovsky hit NYC’s Union Square with FOUND’s Jason Bitner and spent an afternoon learning more about a favorite find of ours, “Social Club Apology.” What do you think Betty did to elicit a typed public apology?

FOUND under our windshield wiper in Columbus, Ohio, after the parking meter expired. How awesome is that?!!Thank you for being so sweet and generous. And all along the way, we met and were met with similar generosity. Back home now, we want to take a minute to tip our hats to those who’ve helped set up shows, lent a hand, and offered a place to rest. Thanks SO MUCH to you all. Hope to see you soon.XOXO,
Jason Bitner and Arthur Jones Read the rest of this entry »

There are photographs, and then there are Polaroids. This hardbound beauty is stuffed with 100+ specimens and curiosities from the Polaroid age, when gratification was as instant as the digital camera but far easier to lose. It’s filled with an incredible collection of photos - some of them very funny, others strangely moving and affecting.Wanna check out some spreads?
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We were a little confused this morning when our mailman lectured us on SIN and DEPRAVITY for fifteen minutes. It all made sense when he handed over the mail.Yes friends, we’ve got DIRTY FOUND #3 in our sweaty palms right now, and we’re happy to say that this edition is just as beautiful and degenerate as DIRTY FOUND #1 and #2. Hippies, cowboys, pin-ups, military men, wolves, impassioned love letters, and a ton of flesh… get ready, people!
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In the new edition of Folk Art Magazine (Winter, 2007) editor Tanya Heinrich sat down with Jason Bitner to chat about FOUND, the upcoming book of FOUND Polaroids, and Bitner’s LaPorte, Indiana. Heinrich is a masterful interviewer not so much for her well-framed and interesting inquiries but for the wide knowledge of folk art that she brings to an interview. And next time you’re in New York City, check out the museum behind Folk Art Magazine, The American Folk Art Museum.
To read Bitner and Heinrich’s conversation, click the image below:

Ambidextrous, Stanford University’s relatively new and undeniably awesome design magazine, has a great profile of FOUND’s Jason Bitner in their Fall 2006 issue. Check out the profile below, but please look for it next time you’re browsing magazines; it’s turning into one of the best design magazines out there!

There’s an awesome article about FOUND in the new issue of French culture mag Smith Magazine. Well, it *looks* awesome … but none of us can read French! So, a free magazine (FOUND or DIRTY FOUND) to anyone who can give us a quick English translation. Here’s the article - give the image a click and you’ll have a big version to look at: