Redwood Mural is well on its way... stretching further than originally envisioned and promising to vividly fill Redwood Elementary School's MP Room. 90 ft x 5ft of canvas was used... 450 children (K to 2nd) set the patterned imagery of BUILDING BLOCKS OF LIFE, telling the "story of learning"... from simple shapes & basic colors to the complexities of relationships, nature, and the world-at-large. Initial results from 6 intense on-campus days of painting include 8 large and lively panels plus other special elements. Small groups, smocked for action, came in and intensely set to work... first drawing themselves and then undertaking a special painting task... with fun and story telling all along... Veteran Teacher Keith Wyner, popped in and out taking photos; plan for a DVD Slide Show. Already, Kathy Carl is seeing potential imagery for the ART CARD series.NOW...Canvases are stretched out on the tarp covered floor of a commercial space in Ft Bragg. ...Franklin Street, next to the Post Office... The space is loaned with kind help of local Realtors & property owners. "My Grandchildren went to Redwood" says Barbara Clark, Century 21, who will cover utilities for Phase 2. Now it is my turn to move paintings to the final stage... Heightened color and density of pattern, accentuate flow, connectivity and relationship, and added details that bring a cohesive wholeness to the work. And carefully drop in WORDS that add to the "learning" story embedded in the piece.
On my hands & knees, I dive into each panel and lose myself in time, colors and patterns. I drag pans of colors and implements across the surface... Interesting to pattern with a lemon, adding "sunshine" and light to the Garden. Parsley adds a delicate feel and I love marks made by corn. Fun to play with a Popsicle stick, making "curved from straight", repeating lines radiating from other elements... Printing with leaves is always satisfying. I use techniques employed with the children. The approach is free flowing, yet careful to honor the children's work, and remember each group's activity that created the imagery I touch. My aim is to bring it all together and make the WHOLE work together from all the marvelous pieces.
I am honored to be granted this amazing opportunity. "My Pattern" seems to be ...dream big, get things going, wonder how I got here and HOW to actually do this... and then... get completely carried away with the fun, excitement and challenge of making it all work! Thanks to the Community Foundation of Mendocino County for support of the AD ABRAMSON Grant that made this project take off! Thanks to the daring and imaginative leadership at Redwood Elementary, beginning with Principal Mary K. Champagne and Kindergarten Teacher Susan Joyer and by parents, teachers and staff ready to help make it happen! And special appreciation for the children who came in focused, enthusiastic and ready to dive in. They listened, shared, worked and had fun! It was pleasure working with each and every child!
Creative spirits will soar as ERIC & SUZY THOMPSON take the stage of Little River Inn Music Series...Friday February 11th 7:30... The evening will benefit collaborative projects between FLOCKworks & Mendocino Coast Children's Fund. It also reflects FLOCKworks support for arts and creativity of all kinds...Tickets are $15 and available at Tangents in Ft Bragg, Out-of-This-World in Mendocino and at the Little River Inn.
Eric & Suzy's music is a unique acoustic blend of Cajun, bluegrass, country blues, old time, and much more...It will lift, inspire, tickle and get toes tapping! Their musical roots go very, very deep as Eric & Suzy give voice to the creative spirit at its best!
Mendocino is also "a second musical home" for Suzy & Eric--with many local friends & fans; MENDOCINO FILM FESTIVAL recently featured an ART Film with them and loved having them play live at the screening. This week, Suzy & Eric are here doing a mini-music camp with some budding local musicians. Called "Old Growth", this trio of players began music later-in-life (50 plus), meeting at LARK CAMP and the California Bluegrass Camp; they now host a regular jam, and have ventured out to open-mike at Caspar Community Center Pub Night. Eric & Suzy will help them learn glorious harmonies, fiddle up a storm and add hot guitar licks into their musical efforts.
All in all, this special evening will fan the creative spirit in all of us...Whether singing, playing, painting, sculpture, quilting, cooking or gardening, we believe that the magic of the ARTS comes from jumping in and letting your heart sing! Come join us!
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.
