OPEN COMUNITY ART PROJECT: TREASURE BOXES OF REMEMBRANCE

Honoring important memories is at the heart of the “Treasure Boxes of Remembrance” project kicking off this month. Hundreds of wooden cigar boxes are available to be transformed into a shrine, alter or memory box. Boxes will be shared in a community Remembrance installation during the October Exhibit at Odd Fellows; they can also be part of the Day of the Dead weekend in Fort Bragg. This Treasure Box, "FLY AWAY..." is by Inga Peterson

Boxes are available at Racine’s in Ft Bragg, and historic Odd Fellows in Mendocino; $5 contribution per box is requested.

Last year, about 150 boxes went out and over 65 Treasure Boxes became part of community “Remembrance” celebrations. Says organizer Self "We were amazed by the interest and even more, by the beautiful and personal Boxes people created and shared. Some were extraordinarily moving; they let someone come to grips with recent loss of a loved ones. Others created real family treasures, incorporating “heirlooms”, special photos and more, while other boxes were simply charming or playful memories. A set of beautiful Art Boxes that honored the exhibit’s theme were available for sale; most were very personal keepsakes. All in all, this Treasure box installation created a compelling experience for visitors and was a beautiful expression of our community.”
The Treasure Boxes of Remembrance will be a part of the SOULFUL REMEMBRANCE Exhibit, October Open Door Arts @ Odd Fellows and will be part of the Day of the Dead weekend at the end of October in Ft Bragg.

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Garden, Community & ART Celebrated!

Stone Soup Community Garden of Safe Passage Family Resource Center in Fort Bragg is celebrated today, January 23rd! The Garden was created with the support of Noyo Food Forest and the Mendocino Coast Children's Fund. It is a learning garden for the families involved with Safe Passage.

A family lively event brings together music, dancing, soup tasting, garden talk and art; it is also an INTERCAMBIO, a language and cultural exchange between Spanish & English speakers. It weaves important strands of our community together into a unique, and beautiful blend.

FLOCKworks Banners come to play...trying out some fun ideas for "paint tools"...an assortment of fruits, vegetables and plant stuff plus basic shapes like circles, triangle, rectangles, from recycled elements. We'll also play with Spanish and English "food and garden" words into the mix.

This art making will capture something of the day, recalling to those who were here the fun of the day and reflecting the collective energy that makes Safe Passage successful. The resulting banners will become part of the "decorative stock" of Safe Passage, installed in the garden, on fences and inside working spaces of the program.

FLOCKworks adds this unique "art play" as part of our collaborative commitment to community. Laura Welter, Executive for Safe Passage, asked "Can you come and how much will it cost?" FLOCKworks "Surprise YES!"...means we bring it all...materials, experience, ideas and leadership....because we support this important thing you add to our community! No chasing funds, or finding the budget. "Yes, we would love to be there to help!". And thank you for including us!

Eric & Suzy Thompson bring their unique music to Little River Inn

FEBRUARY 11, 7:30pm Concert... Get ready for a great evening of music with Eric and Suzy Thompson & their unique acoustic blend of Cajun, blue grass, old time, blues and...more.


Eric & Suzy play old weird music from the American South, at the intersection of Cajun, country blues and Appalachian – warped fiddle tunes in odd tunings, cinematic ballads, hot flatpicking on guitar and mandolin, prewar blues songs, Cajun dance, and the occasional kalamatiano. They use all sorts of instruments – fiddle, guitar and mandolin, plus 10-stringed cuatro from Puerto Rico and the one-row Cajun button accordion. Eric’s new CD, Kleptograss, is a multi-cultural romp with all-stars Jody Stecher and Scott Nygaard. Suzy’s latest is a duet CD with resonator guitar and uke goddess Del Rey; Suzy was featured on “Geoff Muldaur & the Texas Sheiks”. Other bands include: California Cajun Orchestra, Bluegrass Intentions, Todalo Shakers, Blue Flame String Band, Any Old Time (Suzy) and Black Mountain Boys (Eric.),

Eric and Suzy performed live at the Mendocino Film Festival '09 and have many great friends & fans on the Mendocino Coast.

Little River Inn will host this musical event in the Abalone Room, Friday February 11th @ 7:30 pm. TICKETS are $15 and are available at Out of this World in Mendocino & Tangents, Fort Bragg or by calling the Little River Inn, 937-5942.

This special evening is bought to you by FLOCKworks OPEN-DOOR-ARTS and will benefit our Collaboration projects with Mendocino Coast Children’s Fund.

Migration of Souls...The Creative Journey

MIGRATION of Souls presents contemporary work by eight Mendocino Area artists plus Day of the Dead Altar,  Threads of Life story quilts and Children's Banner project.  Hosted at the historic Odd Fellows Hall in Mendocino Village (corner of Kasten & Ukiah St), the exhibit is open Thursdays to Sundays through November 1.  

Artists in the show include Janet Self, Lillian Cartwright, Melanie Knox, Yorgen Kvinsland, Pam King, Sarah Ginskey, Jonathan Palmer and Antiono Wuttke.  

This exhibit reflects life transitions that place creativity into a new context and stretch the artist into new realities.  Some have long history in the area, others only recently. Creative drive at the core, each "story" is compelling and reflected in show’s images … 

• Making life around family & the creative workshop.
  
• Finding the creative muse after loss of a life long partner.
  
• Stepping from academics to art.
  
• Centering life on art & clay, disengaging from the rest.
  
• Finding new voice for lifelong earth passions.
  
• Delving in daily life & love to define new direction

Other elements in this special exhibit:

The THREADS OF LIFE project is a powerful addition to this set…   Migrant women tell their life stories thru fabric quilts and add economic return to their families.

DAY OF THE DEAD Altars honor the wider circle of artists who add creative spark to support important community issues …Project Sanctuary provides safety & support for those facing domestic violence.

GRAPHIC EVOLUTION honors this space—the Odd fellows Hall (1878) and the generosity of space, talent and participation that has created this unique community art series.  Special thanks to KATHY CARL for her sharing graphic talents to create a visual identity for this project and FLOCKworks. 

CHILDREN’s Banner Project fosters creativity in a shared cooperative process.   The banners remind us that children are our future and must be the core of our present actions.  Banners also reflect the simple joy of creative play!