Redwood School in Ft Bragg is always lively with 450 children from kindergarten to second grade, but this week also includes 80 feet of canvas, a rainbow of acrylic paint, markers, salvaged shapes, odd materials, fruits and vegetables. With support of the AD Abramson Grant for Public Art through the Community Foundation of Mendocino County, this ambitious project will involve all 450 children in creating a permanent mural installation for the school’s Multi-purpose Cafeteria.
BUILDING BLOCKS OF LIFE is the theme, exploring a child’s learning from basic shapes like circles and triangles, to complex rhythms of earth, sea and sky and people’s relations to the world-at-large. The garden is “painted” with real fruits and vegetables; leaves, stamps, shells, string, toys, q-tips and other unusual elements help create the mural's story of life and learning!
Small groups of children come in a classroom transformed into an artist’s studio; they spend 20 minutes working with patterns, colors and shapes. Denise Vicars, Parent Club President, organized parent helpers who escort children in, get smocks on, stand back as kids paint and then get everyone clean and back to class. After two weeks on campus, Self will evolve the work laid down with the kids into the completed Mural installation.
Says Artist Janet Self, “The children come in focused, ready to jump right! We aren’t painting in familiar ways; instead of brushes, the mural’s garden is "planted” using carrots, apples or cabbages and a forest is made with leaves, branches or straws. Images are vivid and fun to see what these things “make”! “ Keith Wyner, a 35 year veteran teacher and avid photographer, pops in to photograph children-in-action for a project book; printed ART CARDS will add support for the school’s creative work.
FLOCKworks' brings creativity to schools, events and partners with many different groups in the community. This project captures all that: a Community Foundation grant, great school support, wonderful parents and creative fun with the kids. It celebrates life and learning in a great way!. The project is expected to be complete by March.
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!
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.
First week of this creative new year...
- Art with kids for the New Years Eve celebration at CV STARR Center--making masks, cards, fuzzy Buddies, and more as others swim, dance and play around.
- Studio Day finishing my woven paintings for the COLOR & LIGHT: A Fiber Arts exhibit, 2011 Odd Fellows series.
- ART afternoon with children at Albion School (k-3) making a very creative village for our ART BUDDIES, (under a GASP grant, Arts Council of Mendocino County).
- Firm plans with Annelle Karlstad, Mendocino Yarn Shop and Pamela W. Allen, an amazing knitter /designer, organizing COLOR & LIGHT focused on knitting, crocheting and more.
- Join Advisory team for "THE ART SPACE for Youth & Community", a project of Big Brothers & Big Sisters with support from the Mendocino Coast Writers Conference, artist Meg Courtney, and many others.
- Plans set with Redwood Elementary School for the school-wide (450 children k-2) painting process in late January under our A.D. Abramson Grant for Public Art through Community Foundation of Mendocino County. Order canvas & supplies for BUILDING BLOCKS of LIFE, 45 ft painting for the school's Multi-purpose room.
- Attend Partners Gallery opening of exhibit "Art for Art Sake", benefit for 100 Artists in 100 Classooms project of the Community Foundation and enjoy FLOCKworks art with children in their window display.
- Plan 3 months rotating exhibit IMPRESSIONS in wood, textile & ceramic arts led by Kerry Marshall, Christina Marshall and Sarah Logan as part of the 2011 Open Door Arts @ Odd Fellows Series
- Meet with FLOCKworks Board to firm 2011 priorities--Open Door Arts, Children's Banner Project, Hands-On-Art & Community Collaborations.
And this is only the 1st week of the year!
Treasure Boxes of Remembrance are being crafted from wooden cigar boxes by people all over the community as part of the October exhibit at historic Odd Fellows in Mendocino Village. The Treasure Boxes draw inspiration from the Day of the Dead Altars which honor a loved one, but the idea is to open this to wider interpretation. Displayed together, the Boxes become a shared Community Remembering.
A simple box to hold special memories...From there, each person invests their own ideas and creativity. Says organizer Janet Self, "Ones I am making are simple and will be inspirations in my Studio to hold these special memories a little closer." Boxes will be returned to each person after the Exhibit as a lasting reminder.
Completed BOXES can be brought to Odd Fellows Hall on Saturday Oct 2 and Sunday Oct 3 from 11 to 3 pm. They can also be brought in during the week (Oct 4 to Oct 7) as the Exhibit is set up. Additional Boxes will be on hand through out the Exhibit to add to the installation. Historic Odd Fellows is located at the corner of Kasten & Ukiah Streets in Mendocino Village (phone 937-2486).
SOULFUL ABUNDANCE will open on Friday Oct 8 with the Artist Celebration Party on Saturday Oct 9th (4pm to 8pm) as part of Mendocino 2nd Saturday.
ARTFULLY PARTICIPATE! Be part fo the October 2010 Exhibit at Odd Fellows, Mendocino
SOULFUL ABUNDANCE is the theme for this eclectic exhibit set for October. It will draw on diverse traditions of Harvest, Day of the Dead, All-Souls Day and more into a lively celebration! Work by 15 local artists will be complimented by open installations of TREASURE BOX ALTARS & MASKS created by community members. YOU ARE INVITED to make one or more!
FLOCKworks is sponsoring the exhibit and says organizer, Janet Self "The aim is to engage people in the creative process and honor that drive in all of us! We hope to see hundreds of people make somethings that can be included in this artful celebration.
TREASURE BOX ALTERS...Make a shrine or altar of remembrance honoring a special person or memory. Pick a beautiful cigar box, add your creative spark and share it in this large scale installation. A wealth of information is available on the web about DAY OF THE DEAD... Get Inspired!
200 cigar boxes are available...at Racine's in Ft Bragg and FLOCKworks Studio in Mendocino. $5 contribution per box helps under costs. Choose a box, sign up to participate and be part of the fun. FLOCKworks Studio is open Weds to Sat 12 to 4 and by arrangement. Call the studio at 937-2486 or email najet46@hotmail.com.
MASKS figure in celebrations world-wide. Create an original mask--simple or elaborate--from paper, clay, fabric, recycled goods, natural elements or be inventive! "I'm cutting up old paintings for Masks" A $5 contribution per entry is requested.
Treasure Box Altars & Masks can be brought to Odd Fellows (corner of Kasten & Ukiah Sts in Mendocino) during the1st weekend in October. Sign up and we'll be sure to keep you posted on details... najet46@hotmail.com
SOULFUL ABUNDANCE exhibit will be open daily October 8 through November 2--with Artist Party on Saturday October 9th. Other special events are also planned... See you there!
WOW! The year has flown! This BLOG has not stayed up but FLOCKworks has thrived. It has been a very busy time of creativity out & about the community. New creative alliances--Noyo Food Forest, Mendocino Coast Writer's Conference, Mendocino Film Festival, Mendocino Coast Children's Fund, Skunk Train, Leadership Mendocino, Redwood Elementary School, Ft Bragg Middle School, Albion School, Laytonville Healthy Start, AmeriCorp-- and more. Open Door Arts @ Odd Fellows is going strong--WineSong Artists showcase opened today-- the 48th exhibit in this special community Art series that continues into next year!Beginning now... More info out and more invitations to join in creativity! Check it out!
Redwood School in Ft Bragg is always lively with 450 children from kindergarten to second grade, but this week also includes 80 feet of canvas, a rainbow of acrylic paint, markers, salvaged shapes, odd materials, fruits and vegetables. With support of the AD Abramson Grant for Public Art through the Community Foundation of Mendocino County, this ambitious project will involve all 450 children in creating a permanent mural installation for the school’s Multi-purpose Cafeteria. 
