POPULARITY
In this interview I talk with artist and activist Art Hazelwood about art as political action versus politics as a subject. We start with his journey as a printmaker in San Francisco in the early 90s, where he engaged in political art through the Street Sheet newspaper. He elaborates on the distinction between social commentary and political action, emphasizing his active role in various causes including homelessness and union support. We also talk about his work with the San Francisco Poster Syndicate and teaching drawing at San Quentin prison, highlighting the importance of art as a transformative tool within the prison system. Additionally, we talk about his involvement in Mission Gráfica, a print studio, and his efforts in cataloging artists' estates. The conversation touches on the evolving role of artists, the value of ephemeral art, and the challenges and opportunities within the art world today. Episode image by James Hazelwood https://www.arthazelwood.com/ https://www.arthazelwood.com/impresario/publications/mission-grafica-book.html https://www.arthazelwood.com/impresario/publications/hobos-to-street-book.html Bainbridge Island Museum of Art video on Tipping Point by Art Hazelwood https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yx7VNp6sBoo Platemark website Sign-up for Platemark emails Leave a 5-star review Support the show Get your Platemark merch Check out Platemark on Instagram Join our Platemark group on Facebook Art Hazelwood (American, born 1961). Strike!, 2023. Screenprint. 19 x 12 ¾ in. San Francisco State University California Faculty Association Strike poster. Courtesy of the Artist. Installation shot of Hobos to Street People: Artists' Responses to Homelessness from the New Deal to the Present. The California Historical Society, February 19–August 15, 2009. Installation shot of Hobos to Street People: Artists' Responses to Homelessness from the New Deal to the Present. The California Historical Society, February 19–August 15, 2009. Installation shot of Hobos to Street People: Artists' Responses to Homelessness from the New Deal to the Present. The California Historical Society, February 19–August 15, 2009. Art Hazelwood (American, born 1961). Hobos to Street People: Artist' Responses to Homelessness from the New Deal to the Present. San Francisco: California Historical Society, 2008. Art Hazelwood (American, born 1961). Mission Gráfica: Reflecting a Community in Print. San Francisco: Pacific View PR, 2022. Art Hazelwood (American, born 1961). Die Aktion #70, Grimmiger Jäger / Grim Hunter, 500,000, 2021. Screenprint. 16 3/4 x 11 in. Marking the grim milestone of 500,000 dead of Covid in the US. Courtesy of the Artist. Art Hazelwood (American, born 1961). New Masses #64, Last Tango, January 6, 2020, 2021. Screenprint. 17 x 12 in. Marking the attempted coup on January 6, 2020. Courtesy of the Artist. Art Hazelwood (American, born 1961). The Road to Fascism: It's No Game, 2024. Screenprint. 17 1/2 x 21 ½ in. Courtesy of the Artist. Art Hazelwood (American, born 1961). Iraqopoly, 2006. Screenprint. 20 1/2 x 28 1/2 in. Courtesy of the Artist. Art Hazelwood (American, born 1961). Fascist Mix 'N Match, 2024. Screenprint. 9 x 10 ¾ in. Courtesy of the Artist. Art Hazelwood (American, born 1961). Le Charivari #76, July 19, 2024, Candidat a la Presidentielle 2016–2024, 2024. Screenprint. 17 x 11 1/4. Courtesy of the Artist. Art Hazelwood (American, born 1961). A Sea of Blood, 2022. Woodcut. 19 ¾ x 14 in. Courtesy of the Artist. Art Hazelwood (American, born 1961). Culture Street / Gentrification Lane, 2016. Woodcut. Each panel: 36 x 24. Courtesy of the Artist. Art Hazelwood (American, born 1961). Must We Always Have This? Why Not Housing?, 2023. Screenprint. 16 3/4 x 11 ½ in. Created for Western Regional Advocacy Project's director Paul Boden and his 40 years of activism. Text is from a WPA poster from New York 1930s. Courtesy of the Artist. Art Hazelwood (American, born 1961). Tipping Point, 2021. Artist's book with screenprints (binding and design by Asa Nakata). Overall: 12 x 9 x 1 3/8. Courtesy of the Artist. Art Hazelwood (American, born 1961). Tipping Point, 2021. Artist's book with screenprints (binding and design by Asa Nakata). Overall: 12 x 9 x 1 3/8. Courtesy of the Artist. Art Hazelwood street printing with San Francisco Poster Syndicate, 2023. Photo courtesy of David Bacon. Steamroller, six formerly incarcerated men and three of their teachers created a 3-foot square linocut print and printed it with a steamroller at Diablo Valley College, CA, in March 2024. Photo courtesy of Peter Merts. Steamroller, six formerly incarcerated men and three of their teachers created a 3-foot square linocut print and printed it with a steamroller at Diablo Valley College, CA, in March 2024. Photo courtesy of Peter Merts. Art Hazelwood (American, born 1961). Ayudantes Animales del Sudoeste: Un Guía Para Viajeros Jóvenes / Animal Helpers of the Southwest: A Guide For Young Travelers, 2015. Artist's book with 12 woodcuts with screenprint borders and text. Sheet: 18 x 18 in. Courtesy of the Artist. Art Hazelwood (American, born 1961). End Overdose Now, 2023. Screenprint. 18 1/2 x 11 1/8 in. Created for SF AIDS Foundation, HIV Advocacy Network and city budget fight. Courtesy of the Artist. Art Hazelwood (American, born 1961). Support Our Libraries, 2023. Woodcut. 19 1/4 x 12 1/2. Courtesy of the Artist.
As we prepare for the holiday weekend, some folks are heading out of town, while others are looking locally for ways to celebrate the life & legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr… Producers Jason Megatron Burrows & Brooklyn Jamerson-Flowers are here with an early look at what's happening this weekend! LINKS: Monster Jam - Tacoma Dome - Tacoma, Fri-Sun Seattle Sister Cities Soup Sampling - Capitol Hill, Saturday The Aluminum Show - Olympia, Sunday NAAM | Annual Martin Luther King Day Celebration 2024 Seattle MLK, Jr. Coalition MLK Day 2025 Painting the Town Red: A MLK Day Tribute to Billie Holiday at The Royal Room Other events we couldn't get to: MLK Celebration: With Liberty & Justice, For Whom? - Bainbridge Island Museum of Art - Bainbridge Island, Sunday Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration - Washington State Historical Society Celebrating Dr. King’s Legacy | United Way of King County An Evening Honoring Dr. King’s Legacy - Olympia, Friday Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Childhood experiences of life on a sailboat in the Bahamas and Caribbean left a profound mark on Kait Rhoads. The experience of growing up on the water has provided great inspiration for her artwork. The artist's Sea Stones series hints at its watery origins. Each sculpture is a small world in itself, an intimate object you can hold in your hand. A talisman, the work looks almost molecular, like plankton carapaces as observed under a microscope. Rhoads states: “My work is inspired by nature and informed by memory. And, three oceans—the Caribbean, the Indian and the Pacific – delineate the imaginative boundaries of my practice. I grew up on the water of the Caribbean in a ship with my family where my deep affinity for biological systems began. I lived surrounded by nature; the liquid light and aquatic life imprinted upon my senses. The sculptures I create emanate from my early experiences within and curiosity about the natural world. While exploring the waters around Bali, I experienced the extraordinary biodiversity and extensive architecture of coral colonies there. This has been a deep influence on my sculptural forms and process of making.” Best-known for her innovative use of Venetian techniques such as murrine and filigrana, she applies these decorative processes to sculptural forms as well as to vessels. She was influenced early on by Lino Tagliapietra's work with cane and Richard Marquis' use of murrine as a structural material. Rhoads' unique process involves weaving pieces of blown and cut glass tubes with copper wire to create flexible looking “soft sculptures.” States Rhoads: “My method of construction mirrors how my life has formed me, with individual elements woven together to create a strong whole. I consider the individual units, conical hexagonal forms known as hollow murrine, as architectural elements that fit together to create a fluid or floating object. The concept of the work develops slowly, and the production of a complicated piece can take months to years to complete.” Rhoads is also well known for her public art installations including Bloom, commissioned in 2018 for the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art's two-story tall window space. In 2022, Bloom was chosen to be permanently installed inside of the biology department at Highline College, Des Moines, Washington. She also created Salish Nettles, her largest work to date, for the Pacific Seas Aquarium, Tacoma, Washington, and Proto Kelp, which was on view through October of 2024 at Method Gallery, Seattle, Washington. In 2025, the artist will apply for residencies and funding to expand the project sustainably. In all of these public projects Rhoads hopes to inspire in the viewer empathy, curiosity and interest in ocean ecology. Receiving her BFA in glass from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1993, Rhoads earned her MFA in glass from Alfred University, New York in 2001. She has been an Artist in Residence at the Pratt Fine Arts Center in Seattle, Washington, and the recipient of numerous awards, including the Doug and Dale Anderson Scholarship, The Anne Gould Hauberg Award, and a Fulbright Scholarship for the study of sculpture in Venice, Italy. She has exhibited throughout the United States and abroad. Her work can be found in many collections, including the Seattle Art Museum; the Toyama Institute of Glass in Toyama, Japan; the Glasmuseum in Ebeltoft, Denmark; Shanghai Museum of Glass, China; and The Corning Museum of Glass. She maintains a studio in Seattle, Washington. “The cold, deep green waters of Puget Sound are a more recent source of inspiration in my work. Since moving to the Northwest over two decades ago, my fascination extended from coral colonies to kelp forests. Seaweed's pliable forms continually inspire me—they stretch up from the depths, undulate in the shallows, and lie on tidal surfaces. Aquatic life infuses my sculptures with animated forms, sparkling surfaces and faceted exoskeletons.” In 2025, Rhoads will continue to work on a community generated art project called Fused Together (2021-2025), for which she is the lead artist. She shepards stained glass windows made by the public that are donated to Tacoma libraries. She will also participate in group shows including Habatat's Glass Coast show at Ringling School of the Arts in Sarasota, Florida, and Women Who Make Glass at the Vashon Center for the Arts, Vashon, Washington, in March 2025. Of her work Rhoads states: “I desire my work to be emotionally affective—that it evoke for audiences a similar sense of wonder in our blue planet that continues to inspire me. And even, perhaps, to instill a desire to conserve our fragile aquatic ecosystems.”
Explore the life cycle of Seattle artists in a dynamic round table discussion hosted by Sarah Traver, director of Traver Gallery. Join the conversation on transforming artistic practice into a flourishing and creative career within the vibrant artistic landscape of Seattle. Esteemed artists Esther Ervin, Henry Jackson-Spieker, Steve Jensen, Pohlman Knowles, and Jeanne Marie Ferraro all connected with Pratt Fine Arts Center, will share their experiences in developing their practices across diverse disciplines, including glass, installation, jewelry, metal, printmaking, public art, sculpture, and wood. Gain valuable insights from these working artists as they delve into the unique challenges and successes of navigating the Seattle art scene. Whether you're an aspiring artist or an art enthusiast, this discussion promises a deep exploration of artistic growth and the diverse pathways to establishing a fulfilling career within the rich cultural tapestry of Seattle. Don't miss this opportunity to engage with the life stories and creative journeys of these influential artists. Esther Ervin, a visual artist from Somerville, New Jersey, holds a BS in Biology from UC Irvine and an MFA in Fine Art/Illustration from CSU Long Beach. Her diverse experiences include teaching in the Peace Corps in Colombia and later focusing on art, with a particular interest in the environment, politics, and abstraction. Her jewelry has been exhibited internationally. She is an active member of various art organizations, including the Seattle Metals Guild, the Center on Contemporary Art (CoCA), and the Black Arts West Alumni Association as an honorary. Henry Jackson-Spieker is a multidisciplinary artist focusing on sculpture and site-specific installations, combining glass, bronze, steel, wood, fiber, and light. His sculptures explore tension, balance and reflection through the merging of contrasting materials. He creates public art installations at Midtown Commons in Seattle, The Seattle Center, Method Gallery, and Wa NA Wari Gallery. Jackson-Spieker has been teaching glass blowing and bronze casting at Pratt Fine Arts Center for the past seven years. Steve Jensen has been a working artist for over 45 years. Raised around family fishing boats in Seattle, his art reflects deep maritime roots. His latest “VOYAGER” collection is inspired by his Scandinavian fisherman and boat builder heritage, symbolizing journeys into the unknown. From 2015 to 2023, Jensen exhibited solo at major Washington state venues, including the Seattle Art Museum, Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, and many others. Featured on Channel 9's Art as Voyage and Amazon Prime's The Story of Art in America (episode 10, 2023), his compelling work has garnered widespread recognition. Sabrina Knowles and Jenny Pohlman (Pohlman Knowles) marked a quarter-century of collaboration in 2018 with the exhibition “SYNCHRONICITY: Twenty-Five Years of Collaboration” at Bainbridge Island Museum of Art. They have undertaken six international journeys, morphing their experiences into sculptural stories to share what they have learned about healing, compassion, and the power of the human spirit through assemblages of sculpted glass and fabricated steel. Their work is in the collections of Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, Henry Ford Museum, Museum of American Glass, and Tacoma Art Museum among others. Jeanne Marie Ferraro was raised in a working-class family in Cleveland, Ohio, and found her artistic passion in childhood while observing the pouring of liquid metal into steel beams with her father. A storyteller across various media Jeanne's art has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including in Canada and Portugal, and is part of private collections. Alongside her artistic endeavors, Jeanne has dedicated forty years to teaching visual art, currently focusing on glassblowing, drawing, and painting at the Pratt Fine Arts Center in Seattle. Sarah Traver, President of Traver Gallery Since joining her father's business in 2004, Sarah Traver has been the President of Traver Gallery, overseeing all aspects from strategy to installation. With degrees in art and education, she emphasizes the gallery's mission as a space for learning and idea-sharing. Sarah, beloved by artists and the community, also serves on the boards of Artist Trust and Pratt Fine Arts Center. Presented by Town Hall Seattle and Pratt Fine Arts Center.
In this episode of the SCBWI Podcast, we are joined by Richard Jesse Watson!Port Townsend painter, illustrator, and sculptor, Richard Jesse Watson, has received numerous awards and several of his books were New York Times Bestsellers. His paintings hang in museums, corporate and private collections internationally. Watson is an accomplished artist and perpetual experimenter. He often breaks out of boxes in his quest for originality. "His work is a process of thinking: …to balance and nod to the extremes on either end of an idea.” Kristin Tollefson, Bainbridge Island Museum of Art.“I love being in this zone coaxing dreams into reality or caressing reality back into a dream.” Buy The Legend of Saint Christopher: From the Golden Legend, Englished by William Caxton, 1483 here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-legend-of-saint-christopher-from-the-golden-legend-englished-by-william-caxton-1483-margaret-hodges/12578003?ean=9780802853608and check out the rest of his art here:https://www.rjwatsonart.com/SCBWI on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scbwi/SCBWI on Twitter: https://twitter.com/scbwiBecome an SCBWI member today: https://www.scbwi.org/join-scbwi/Shop the SCBWI Bookshop.org page: https://bookshop.org/shop/SCBWISupport the show
Glass Knitting by Carol Milne A pioneer in the field of knitted glass, Carol Milne combines passion for knitting with experience in sculpture. The artist began working with kiln cast lead crystal, experimenting with different methods and developing a lost wax process to cast individual knitted works into glass. Playing with translucency and the material's ability to highlight a prismatic range of hues, light is essential to Milne's body of work, and she has recently been working on pieces that focus on illumination. States Milne: “I see my knitted work as metaphor for social structure. Individual strands are weak and brittle on their own, but deceptively strong when bound together. You can crack or break single threads without the whole structure falling apart. And even when the structure is broken, pieces remain bound together. The connections are what bring strength and integrity to the whole and what keep it intact.” Receiving a degree in landscape architecture from the University of Guelph, Canada, in 1985, Milne realized in her senior year that she was more interested in sculpture than landscape. After casting iron around glass in graduate school, she experimented with many materials: clay, bronze, concrete, wood, glass, epoxy, fiberglass, mosaic and found objects. In 2000, she returned to glass and has been working primarily with the material ever since. In 2006, Milne created her Knitted Glass, incorporating the techniques of knitting, lost wax casting, mold making and kiln casting. Her unique process involves knitting the original art piece using wax strands, surrounding the wax with a heat-tolerant refractory material, removing the wax by melting it out, thus creating a mold; and placing the mold in a kiln where lead crystal frit is heated to 1530 degrees F, melting the glass into the mold. After it has cooled, the mold material is removed to reveal the finished piece within. Collected internationally, Milne's work garnered the Silver Award at the International Exhibition of Glass, Kanazawa, Japan; the Juror's award, All Things Considered 9: Basketry in the 21st Century, National Basketry Organization; Special Citation and Honorable Mention, the 9th Cheongju International Craft Juried Competition, Cheongju, Republic of Korea; the Joan Eliot Sappington Award for On the Fringe: Today's Twist on Fiber Art, Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts; and Honorable Mention purchase award, Art of Our Century, UVU Woodbury Art Museum, Orem, UT.. Recent exhibitions include Carol Milne: Knit Wit, Bainbridge Island Museum of Art in 2019; Vogue Knitting LIVE! Seattle, Meydenbauer Center, Bellevue, WA; and Carol Milne: Knitting Glass, Schiepers Gallery, Hasselt, Belgium, both in 2017. Milne's collectors include Amazon Headquarters, Seattle, WA; Asheville Art Museum, Asheville, NC; Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA; Glasmuseum Lette, Coesfeld, Germany; The Glass Furnace, Istanbul, Turkey; Gustav Selter GmbH & Co KG, Germany; The Kamm Teapot Foundation, Sparta, NC; MusVerre Nord, Sars Poteries, France; Notojima Glass Art Museum, Ishikawa, Japan; and UVU Woodbury Art Museum, Orem, UT. She has published three e-books: In the Name of Love; Knitted Glass: Kiln-cast Lead Crystal Bowls; and Glass Slippers. Carol Milne Knitted Glass: How Does She Do That?, authored by Steve Isaacson, is available as an e-book and in paperback Through her original work in knitted glass, Milne has blazed a new artistic path. Bringing the visual illusion of softness and drape to a material that is fixed in its final form, her work encourages closer inspection to reveal the nuances of her designs. Says Milne: “I've knitted since I was 10, but knitting wasn't a career path – or at least it didn't seem like one. I studied landscape architecture as a bridge between engineering and design. But I became captivated by earthworks and kinetic art, which lead me to sculpture. Glass is very much like kinetic sculpture, since it changes with the light.” Through different bodies of work – socks, shoes, baskets, hands knitting themselves – Milne addresses themes including the circle of life, the disconnect between appearance versus reality, black humor and visual puns. If the work wasn't challenging, she says, she would get bored and quit making it. “But in working with glass, scale is the biggest challenge. Large work requires large molds. Large molds are difficult to make, and heavy to move once they're made,” explains Milne. This month, Milne will have an open studio during REFRACT: The Seattle Glass Experience, October 14 from 11 to 4 p.m. She will exhibit a new body of work in an upcoming solo show, Knotty and Nice, at Culture Object gallery in NYC. An opening reception will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on October 18. Three of her Grenade pieces are on view in an ongoing group show called Like Mother, now through November 2 at the Helen S. Smith Gallery at Green River College, Washington. Milne will teach Knitted Glass from November 4 to 6 and 10 and Casting Hands, November 8 to 9 at Milkweed Arts, Phoenix, Arizona. In 2024, she will exhibit at the Gala Opening of Chasen Gallery's new location at The Mark in Sarasota, FL, on January 20 and participate in Blue Spiral 1 Gallery's Glass Invitational, November 2 – December 25, 2024 in Asheville, NC.
While many would think art and science are two vastly different disciplines, one common driver often motivates them both – curiosity. Ginny Ruffner – who currently has a retrospective exhibition open at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art on the topic of “What if?” – has worked at the intersection of art and science for decades. Her curiosity around biological concepts has propelled her to invent answers to “what if?” questions about the nature of the world around us. The experimental works she creates often involve the use of technology and mixed media to create new and imaginative experiences. Her creations are fueled by collaboration and camaraderie with scientists such as ISB President Dr. Jim Heath. Join us in person at Town Hall Seattle for a conversation with internationally renowned artist Ginny Ruffner and ISB President Dr. Jim Heath. Together, they will explore the opportunities and striking similarities that lie at the intersection of art and science. Ginny Ruffner is a pioneering American glass artist based in Seattle. She is known for her use of the lampworking technique and for her use of borosilicate glass in her painted glass sculptures. Many of her ideas begin with drawings. Her works also include pop-up books, large-scale public art, and augmented reality. Ruffner was named a Master of the Medium by the James Renwick Alliance in 2007. She received The Glass Art Society's Lifetime Award in 2019. Ruffner currently has a retrospective exhibition open at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art on the topic of “What if?” Dr. Jim Heath is President and Professor at Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle. Heath also has the position of Professor of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology at UCLA. Formerly, he directed the National Cancer Institute-funded NSB Cancer Center, was the Elizabeth W. Gilloon Professor of Chemistry at Caltech, and served as co-director of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at UCLA until 2017. Presented by Town Hall Seattle and the Institute of Systems Biology. Our community partner for this event is the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art.
Akuyea Karen Vargas: source (https://www.tidelandmag.com/articles/2022-03-a-warrior-for-peace)(photo credit: Nora Phillips)"Vargas may be small in stature, but the 59-year-old mother of three is a towering presence in the West Sound's African American community. An army veteran, community activist, arts educator, youth mentor and historian, she has been a tireless advocate for the young and underserved, and for healing racial divisions in our communities for over 25 years.After growing up on the East Coast and serving in the Army, Vargas arrived here in 1992 when her husband was assigned by the Navy to the Bangor submarine base. Raising her three Black children in the overwhelmingly white Bainbridge schools was a rude awakening, Vargas recalls. Advocating for her own children in the school system led her to start advocating for other children of color. Eventually she joined the district's Multicultural Advisory Committee, which she co-chairs to this day.Through two programs she founded in 2003, the Living Arts Cultural Heritage Project and Living Life Leadership, Vargas has taught cultural history and life skills to hundreds of youth throughout Kitsap County, including many of the young leaders who spoke at those demonstrations in 2020.Recognizing her contributions, Governor Jay Inslee bestowed Vargas a 2021 Governor's Arts and Heritage Award in the new category of Luminaries, honoring people who “stood as shining lights for their community during the pandemic.” Commenting on the award, Sheila Hughes, executive director of the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, described Vargas as “a trusted advisor… as well as a great friend who has a genuine laugh and a huge hug just when you need one.”Multicultural Advisory Committee Living Arts Cultural Heritage Project and Living Life Leadership2021 Governor's Arts and Heritage AwardDanielle (00:35):Welcome to the Arise Podcast, conversations on race, faith, justice, gender and healing. And as many of you know or aware, I mean it's election season. It's election day. And whether we're voting today, we already voted. Maybe some of us cannot vote for various reasons in our communities. This is an important time in the nation and it has been an important time for many years. I think back to 20 16, 20 18, 20 20. And now we're in 2022 and we're still working through what does it mean to exercise this right to vote? What does it mean? What is impacting our communities? What things are important? And today I had a Coyier, Karen Vargas of Kitsap County. She is an elder. She is on the Multicultural Advisory Committee for our county. She is living arts cultural heritage, founded the Living Arts Cultural Heritage Project and Living Life Leadership. She has taught cultural history and life skills to hundreds of youth throughout Kitsap County and including many of the young leaders who spoke at demonstrations in 2020. Ms. Vargas is concerned about the impact of what Covid did. She is deeply invested. And in 2021, the governor of Washington, Jay Insley, bestowed on Vargas an arts and heritage award in the category of luminaries honoring people who stood as shining lights for their community during the pandemic. And someone that commented on the award, Sheila Hughes, the executive director of the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, described Vargas as a trusted advisor as well as a great friend who has a genuine laugh and a huge hug for just when you need one. So as you think about listening tune in and hopefully keep an open mind to the conversation. So it's just an honor to join forces Akuyea (02:51):, what we need to be doing. We have done tremendous work together for many years back from the Civil Rights Movement and even before we were working in a collective collaborative way to address the issues that affect all of our communities. And so the more we can do that, the more we can cultivate that, I think we can begin to do some impactful work that will move things forward. Danielle (03:24):And I love the way we got connected. It happened at church. Yeah, I saw you at a couple events before that, but then you were speaking to church and I saw the post on Instagram. I was like, I told my family we're going to church today, I know. So we showed up and we made this connection around youth and mental health. Would you be able to speak to that a little bit? Akuyea (03:50):Yes. Our children are not doing well, let's just start there. Our children are having a difficult time. They're dealing with trauma, they're dealing with depression, they're dealing with anxieties, just dealing with life and they don't know how or what to do. In 2019, I had one of my living life leadership students take her own life and it devastated me the way she did it. She ran in the middle of a highway, sat down and allowed car to run over her. And what I still mean, the actual act devastated our students, our parents, her friends, the school. And we have to address some of the issues because we knew before that time that she was struggling with her mental health and with depression and all these things. And so what do we do when we, when actually know we are aware that our students have social and emotional stuff and trauma and stuff? Pauses. Because she was struggling with her meds too. She said those medications made her feel all wacky And then she was telling me some of the medication that she said would cause depression. I said, Well, why you on medication? It's gonna cause depression or anxiety. And so we need to have a conversation. We need to be talking about it. And we need to be talking about it from multiple issues, not just with the parents or the students or with the schools, but for the health and wellbeing of that young person. Should we be prescribing all this medication? They don't know the chemical imbalances. I'm not sure. That's not my field . But to be able to help them to process some of all of this , we really need to be talking more about the mental health of our young people. We have to do it. Danielle (06:43):I mean, first I'm stunned and not stunned because death of young, of the young is always shocking. And I'm aware that it's also I'm angry and sad that also it is not surprising. And I think you named the year as 2019. So this was even before a pandemic. Akuyea (07:12):Before the pandemic. So I know that we were dealing with this way before the pandemic. And only God can tell you The depth of all of that during and even now the results of the pandemic in the state of our young people's health, mental health, especially their mental health. Danielle (07:40):I think one thing that struck me when I spoke to you after that church service was the fact that I began to tell you stories of my own children at school. And you were like, I got into advocacy because of my kids. And it's not that I wasn't paying attention before I had kids experiencing it, but it becomes heightened alert, heightened awareness, and just even watching the depression cycle through my own family cycle, through my friend's kids on multiple levels. I mean from depression to anxiety to suicidal ideation to self harm, to just the lack of ability to pay attention or find interest like you described the hopelessness. And so just the heightened awareness. And then we were talking about schools and this and we are now post 2020, George Floyd, the murder of George Floyd by police, the multiple other lynchings that happened in that year. And we're back. We're actually talking on election day and the impact this has on students of color and their mental and frankly white bodied students too. This is not just a one section of society's problem, this is a larger issue. Akuyea (09:05):And the role of social media plays in their isolation and just being focused on what I call the device and not engaging and not having those healthy social skills and not being able to sit down in a room and just have a conversation. Being in rooms plenty enough time that our students are talking to one another, sitting right next to one another. And that's about, they don't want us to know what they're talking about. I know what that's about too. Let's not play. We don't know what that's about too. But when you ask them to sit down and just let's talk, they act like they don't do it. They don't know what to do. . And I think we are losing how to engage personally and how to have healthy relationships personally. One, we were doing some conflict. I can remember we were doing some conflict resolution and someone had advised, and I won't say the name, someone had advised, Well let's do this on Zoom. I said, Wait, wait, wait. , you know, can be brave at a distance, but you need to come into a circle . And you need to be able to look the individual in their eye. . You need to be able to see their body language and to be able to feel what's happening in the environment. . I said there are elements that when you are moving to do conflict resolution or healing and peacemaking, that that's done in a , intimate in an environment where those can come together. . And I understand Zoom has been a good tool in everything , but I also know social media and zoom, give your balls that you don't have when you sitting in front of somebody and you got to be accountable for some harm that you have done. , you feel safe because you know what, You can say what you want to say and you can do all of that. Because you know what? I'm just on a zoom , I'm over here , I can be brave over here. Could you stand before the individual and confront some mess that go down But if we're going to get to a place of healing and reconciliation, you have to be able to step into that Because the bottom line, if I got conflict with you and you got conflict with me and we can say all we can be on social media calling each other, boom, bam, bam, bam, bam. When, and this happened with some of our students too. , when they confronted each other, one of them stabbed the other one to death. Now all of that hostility was allowed over the social media to be able to do all that. Building up, texting. I'm coming over, I'm gonna kick your tail. And Danielle (13:19):I think you bring up something that I'm thinking about Aku, which is not only do we need to, we can't intervene on our students behalf unless we as caregivers, parents, community members, adults in the community are willing to do the work first. Gonna smell it a mile away. Yes. They're gonna know if we haven't done the work ourselves. AKuyea (13:46):Let tell you about our young people. They are the best hustlers learners. And they, they're watching us And they say, Oh yeah, they ain't about it. They ain't about it now. In fact, they're learning from us We are their first teachers. . They know when we talk trash and they sitting over here. That's why all of this stuff is coming up in our schools. You've got all of these racist ideologies coming out. The students are listening to their parents in their home talking yang yang and saying, Oh no, we ain't doing this. Yeah. Them negros in, Oh this, that, all of that racists ideology at home. And when the students, they're ear hustling, they say, Oh no, my parents, no. And giving them the green light, they come to school and guess what? They feel em bolded and empowered to say and do what they want. Because guess what? Those parents have modeled it for 'em and modeled it for them very well. . And they feel like they can say what they want. Their parents got their back Even the teachers come to school with racist ideologies, . And it pours out on students of color. When you got staff and teachers calling students the N word and it's okay, going on, something's very wrong with that picture . But yet here we find ourselves in 2022 So we've got all kinds of dynamics happening, but popping off in the schools Danielle (15:51):So we can't be people as community members, adults, people that wanna see change in progress from whatever lens you're coming from. We cannot be people that say, Hey, let's have peace. If we're not gonna be willing to have that conversation in our own homes, Because our kids will go into schools which they are doing and they will enact what we're doing in our private lives. They'll continue to perpetuate it. So we have to be people about what we do in our private lives is what we do. What privately happens is publicly is publicly congruent. Akuyea (16:34):Oh, I'm glad you said that. Because what's done in the dark will come to life. Danielle (16:39):It will. Akuyea (16:40):And it does. And it manifests itself. We look at the attitude and the behavior and the character of our young people . And we're saying, Okay we're dealing with some stuff. And I hear me say this, I pray and I commend our teachers. Our teachers have to deal with whole lot of stuff . But when they were looking at the condition of the learning environment in our schools and they understood that they had to train their teachers with having trauma, they have to train the teachers to look at diversity, equity, and inclusion. They have to teach our kids. So when they started introducing social emotional learning, I said that was social, emotional and cultural learning. Why in the world did you take off culture? Culture is an ideology as well. . You bringing in these cultural elements and cultural, what I said, behaviors, It's not all just about, They said, Oh no, we don't wanna, That's a race. I said, No . What culture we have in our schools. The culture that we have in our school is very unhealthy. That's an unhealthy culture. . And what are the cultures that are manifesting in our schools? There's a culture of what I would call hatred going on in our school. . Oh, culture of bullying. They did a whole thing for years of bullying. Well, what culture were you deal. You have a culture of unhealthy behavior and bullying going on in your school. They always get all squeamish and fear all culture that has just to do with race. And I come from a culture and you come from a culture and everyone that steps themselves into those environments come from a culture Danielle (19:17):I love what you're saying because don't get me wrong. I wanna do this work of anti-racism. Yes. I learned from the president of my grad school Dr. Derek McNeil. He said, Anti-racism is enough for us to say, Hey, stop that. Stop the harm. But where we find healing is within our cultures, In our cultures. You got Mexican culture, you got Irish, you got I'm You got African culture, there's a lot of cultures we could be learning from to bring healing. If we change and we try to operate under the social Akuyea (19:54):That's right. Because think it European Western culture here in this United States. Danielle (20:01):And if we operate under the idea that no, it's just a melting pot or we're just whitewashed, we miss the particularities that cultures can bring us that also don't bring harm. They also bring healing. Akuyea (20:14):One of, you know what, I'm glad you said that. It's not a melting pot. The United States is not. One of the things that Bishop Lawrence Ray Robinson taught us is that we are a salad bowl. We come in with distinctive things within that salad. The onion is the onion. It doesn't lose itself in there. The tomato is the tomato. The lettuce is the lettuce. The broccoli, if you wanted to throw it in there, is broccoli. You know what I'm saying? How I'm the peppers are the peppers, the olives are the olives. Very distinctive. But they come together to have a beautiful, wonderful salad . And each of them bring a distinctive flavor to that salad bowl. . Now when we think of a melting, we're talking about what are we a melting pot? What does that even mean? ? We haven't even examined our own terminology and our own languaging. That can be very confusing. Cause a melting pot means everybody gotta assimilate in that pot. Danielle (21:35):. So I think about this and I think it comes back to our young people. They're smart enough to know what we've been doing isn't working and they're also picking up on what we're leading by example in They're doing the same as us or they're trying to do something different. But I think what you and I were talking about, we need some other frameworks here. This is a crisis. Oh Some action steps. Let's have some frameworks for our community because we are not trying to have a school shooting here. Right? Danielle (22:14):We are ripe. And that is very alarming. We hear about all of these school shootings and atrocities that's happening across our nation and all of these things that are popping off and other countries and everything. But honey, this Kitsap County, I have always said, let us do some intervention and prevention because we don't wanna be on the national news for the atrocities that could be committed in our community. And I can say this, we are no better than any other community. And it can happen here. It can happen Anywhere else. . And that's real because guess what the signs are telling , What is popping up and manifesting in our communities is telling and the unhealthy behavior and activities that have been manifesting is really alarming. And we should be paying attention. And our community is only gonna be as healthy as we are and we're not. Speaker 2 (23:33):Right. There's a high level of depression, a high level of anxiety high level of despair across our adult communities in the area. There's a great Danielle (23:48):There's a great amount of actually division in our community. And I don't think that that division is necessarily wrong. Now listen to me because It tells you where you're at If you say, Oh, we're so divided, let's just come together. I have to say, Wait a minute, let's find out why we're divided. Maybe there's some good reasons. And once we know the reasons, then there's opportunity to tell a more true story about Kitsap County. And through the true story, hopefully we can move towards some reconciliation and understanding. Yeah. Yeah. That's what's gonna benefit our youth. So I don't think it's like, Oh, just throw your kids in mental health therapy. No, you need to be doing the work too. Akuyea (24:38):Yeah. Yeah. I'm glad you said that because one of the things that I've been just kind of thinking of is, what does that even look like? What does truth and reconciliation even look like? And I said, Well, you can't get there if you're not willing to acknowledge The history, acknowledge the culture that's here in our county that has been prevalent here for hundreds of years. Kensett County is a very racist county. Very. If you're not willing to say that, that's a problem. If you're not willing to look at that history here, cross-bar, even lynchings even, you better understand when we talking about the history, the taking of land, all of that. If we go back just to the late 18 hundreds early In this county, we would better know how to move equity forward in our community. But because we're not willing, Oh, everything's tucked under the rug and things that have happened, Oh, those things have been erased. . I can remember that back when I first got here in the nineties, it was a lot of work going on with Raymond Reyes and with Jean Medina and Theor. There was a lot of racist behavior with a lot of ill behavior a lot of what I would call racist ideologies in our school districts at the North end that was manifest. But it was at the south end too. It was in the Mason counties. It was all over. But we were dealing with it here at the north end, the SaaS drive and kids at school district, the Banbridge Island School District they were coming together cuz they had to deal with all the stuff that was popping off in the schools. . And I can remember they formulated common threads and once Jean Medina retired, it was like all those years of work just went away. Bam. And it came straight back. What did that say to me is that racism was alive and well and has always been alive and well in Kitsap County, . And if we're not intentionally addressing it and calling it out, it will continue to manifest and grow. We have to begin to hold the schools and our community accountable for the behavior that, because otherwise what I see is you just give them a green light. You give these young people a mind that okay behavior that that's acceptable. Oh, I can go to school and say, Oh, because that's the culture that breeds here. Danielle (28:19):Right? I mean, you reminded me of some of the history. I actually have a friend who grew up as a child in this area on La Molo on the waterfront, a Japanese American family. They were removed from their house prime property and they were deported to a internment camp and they lost their land right on the Molo. And now when I drive by that piece of property, it's worth millions of dollars. Akuyea (28:50):All I'm saying, right, The removal. And she's not the only one. The removal of native individuals off their own lands, And not, let me say it like this. In the 1920s, they held one of the largest in Seattle. They held a lot of their meetings right here on Bay Bridge Island on Pleasant Beach Back in 1992. When I got here, they were all up in the uproar talking about why did the clan target island? Well it wasn't until I did research later that I found out the history. They have strongholds here. They have headquarters camps all over Kitsap County, . If you do look at Chuck's report, he works with the Human Rights Council. He has done research about the entire region here and the headquarters and where white supremacists and Klan members and all of them set up their headquarters and kids that . So we need to understand the history that has thrived here for over a hundred years , and understand that that culture is alive and well. in Kitsap County, Danielle (30:46):Cause if we tell a false history, we can't actually heal the wound. Akuyea (30:50):It won't be able to. You gotta know your history, good, bad, and ugly. You got to know your history. And let me say this, there are regions that have deep history. If you go down to Mississippi and Alabama, Oh those are strong holes. , Virginia. And guess what? This northwest got stronghold too. . And we act like, oh no, not here, But that's a false narrative. when they left the south back after slavery, they came here to formulate a new frontier. A new frontier in Oregon and in Seattle in this north, deep roots in this northwest. And if we don't even know that history, we are just, we're fooling ourselves into thinking, Oh no, not here. Not in the northwest. We're not like Alabama. I said, But after the Civil War, they came and set up roots here. Strong roots, You don't think so. You better check your history. Danielle (32:30):And I think we can be lulled to sleep because people will say, Well you got a democratic governor and you got a Democratic senator and you vote unquote blue. But we both know that being blue doesn't mean you're telling something true. Akuyea (32:48):Honey, let me tell you what one of the Klan masters said he was taking off his, when he left, it was a split in Oregon. And when he left Oregon and came to Seattle, he said he was taking off his hood and he was putting on a suit He went and got those jobs, started setting policy, started working in government, law enforcement all over. So don't think just because they don't have the hood that they're still not working in those ideologies. Danielle (33:36):, I mean as you've named in Kitsap County, the idea of manifest destiny has been repeated over and over. And we see it in some of the ways that even the county commissioners have ran and used. I'm thinking of one county commissioner that owns land that therefore wants to create housing resource. And the danger of that. And Danielle (34:05):If you don't think it's entrenched and institutionalized, you better think again. If you don't think it's in our systems, you better think again because those systems were created by those individuals. We have to understand the legacy of that as well. , we've got a lot of work to do. I, I can tell you, I don't know everything, but I'm sure willing to research and learn Oh no. We never move out of hopelessness. We are people of hope. We are as human beings. We are people of hope. We always hope for the better. We hope for the son to shine. We hope that we have a good dinner tonight. We are steeped in hopefulness . And for us to operate out of hopelessness is, we ought not to even perpetuate that Because hope is in our dna. is part of our being. You hope your children will do well. you hope you find a good husband. you hope you find someone that can love you the way you wanna be loved. No, we, that's in our DNA to be hopeful, . And when we start being hopeless or working hopelessness, what happens is we start to decline depression and all these other things begin to come into our lives. And oh, it filled with anxiety. When you remove hope from someone's life, then you know what they spiral to that place that they commit self-harming and harm others as well. So no, we don't wanna move outta hopelessness . And we wanna talk about that need. You have to empower our young people to understand we don't move in hopelessness, I even tell a kid, you hope you get an ice cream. Oh yeah, they want that. Yeah, , we can build hope, we can cultivate that. We can begin to push back on hopelessness Danielle (37:05):And I think the way we do that is, it's this funny thing. If you're from a dominant culture and your culture wins by not telling a true story . And it can feel that if you tell the true story or what's behind the curtain, that you will be plunged into despair. And let me say this, you should grieve and be sad and be angry at that history behind the curtain. That is not bad for you. It is And then that will enable you to take small steps to help your young person with a white body Be able to learn to hold history and hold making change. Akuyea (37:52):And what when we continue to perpetuate lies and perpetuate harmful history, we have to do some self examination going on with us that we wanna keep holding this harmful history in place here. What? What's going on with us as human beings that we would want to perpetuate harm on any individual because they're different than I am. They come from somewhere a different, they have a different culture. They talk different . Why do we always go to that place? Danielle (38:56):I think we can learn so much from what happened in different places in the world and how they subject and no one's done it perfectly. Cuz there's not a perfect way to do it. It's messy. But I think of my friend from Germany who's talked about learning about the Holocaust and her family's involvement in the Nazi regime. Family has worked with their own shame and worked to change their attitude towards the Jewish peoples there in Germany and the fighting of that nationalism. And then I think of the conflict in Rwanda and how yes, now be currently neighbors with someone where hoot season and Tutsis that they were formerly enemies. Blood enemies. So it's not that this hasn't been done, but in both those spaces you see that there's memorials to the harm that was done in Germany. Akuyea (39:53):That's exactly right. That's exactly right. They moved. And that's important. They move their nation into addressing the harms that had been perpetuated and those atrocities that had been done. And they had to move their entire nation and the globe into acknowledging and moving those families into a place of healing And that work that was deep work But we've not done that deep work here. Danielle (40:35):No, we haven't. And then we see our young people in despair and acting out the same fights. And then we have the gall to say, Well what's wrong with you Akuyea (40:51):Oh yeah. Oh yeah. And we've gotta take a pause and look at ourselves because we've gotta examine ourselves in this . We can't point fingers. We have to begin to be accountable for the harms that we have done here in our own country. , we wanna always say, Oh well that was Germany and oh that was Africa. That was over in Asia. What about what happened on this soil? You exterminated the entire indigenous population. . There are tribes we'll never see again. Think about that. And have we even addressed those atrocities, All of the souls that was lost during the trans-Atlantic slave trade that didn't even reach the shores. And if the sea could give up her dead, she could tell a story. But yet we don't wanna step into that harmful history. We don't wanna acknowledge that harmful history. We don't wanna talk about, Oh, don't teach my child how in school this critical race theory thing. Oh no, no, no, no, no, no. Don't dig that up. Don't bring that up And I said, Well what's the pushback on telling whole history Danielle (43:02):And I think from a Latino Latinx perspective, there has to be the acknowledgement of the anti-blackness in our culture.Affects our sisters and brothers in the communities of color outside of us. I hate from Latinos. And what's interesting, all those mixtures are part of what makes a Latino Akuyea (43:31):Thank you. That's why I said, Oh, we have to understand we're where we come from our history. Cause that's where the work begins. Danielle (43:41):And then the xenophobia Cultivated. And I think what is important about knowing this history for me, because then I have to say, and I'm Oh, I'm gonna die in shame. I'm some shame. But it's a way for me to say, how do I build connection with you then Akuyea (44:03):I wish Carrie was on here because we work with our equity sisters and we've worked with our Kitsap race and for a whole year we were doing aging our voices and speaking truth together with our Kitsap serves. Those Europeans showing up for racial justice and all of us. And coming together, it was the coming together to be able to talk about some hard things and for them to be able to hear and for us to be able to hear, for us to be able to share our experiences and our voices and be able to put it down and be able for them to say, I'm feeling like Harry would say, Am I in denial here? Is this implicit? Buy it, what's going on? But to do that self, that type of self evaluation and be able to stay in that space when it was very uncomfortable, to deal with some hard history And so those are transformational, engaging opportunities and experiences that we've got to bring to the table. That's real truth and reconciliation, . That's the layer of foundation to be able to move forward and be able to heal and be able to reconcile and talk about how we gonna reconcile it. What will we do? How will we begin to build a healthy way of engaging with one another and build in a relationship. Now the relationship might not be tight. I might not be come away being old lovey dovey fu fu fu. But understanding one another and being able to speak peacefully to one another. being able to say, You know what? I agree or I don't agree. And stay in that space where we can work through some of the challenges that we have and some of the difference of opinions and ideals we have between one another. Danielle (46:29):And I think our kids are just waiting for us to pass these tools to them. My daughter was part of a meeting and part of what happened with my daughter who's Mexican, is that she heard a classmate called the N word and then spoke up about it and then was sharing that story. And then one of the Latino students was talking about , how another Latino student was talking about being told to go across the border. And my daughter shared that the African American student presence said, I don't want that to be like that for you. That doesn't happen to me. I wish I knew so I could say something before they got there faster than I've gotten there. Akuyea (47:13):But you know what? And I can say this, and this is not taking away back to where you came from. This ain't your country. And I'm like, how did we be an enslaved and brought here in chains? You be able to say, you need to go back to where you come from. I didn't come here , many came. But most of the Africans that are enslaved to these Americas, they come here on their own He knows, he knows. And we have to talk. I mean for us to sit here, whether we're black, white, Asian, Pacific Islanders or Dominicans or Puertoricans or we have a understanding of who we are, Where we come from, our ancestral history, history of our parents and their parents and their parents parents, . We carry all of that in our dna We understand in a way that we should be able to have some healthy conversations and not feel bad about who we are. But many of our children have been forced into force assimilation in this nation. , they got to lose who they are in assimilate to be accepted, which very unhealthy they made the native students, you either assimilate or exterminate And the same thing with a lot of the enslaved Africans that they brought here. I don't call myself a African American. I come from an enslaved people brought to a stolen land. An enslaved to this America. I'm African I'm an African woman who's ancestors were stolen and enslaved to these lands. They've gone over, What do you wanna call yourself? I call myself black. I'm black. Danielle (50:18):As we're wrapping up here, how do folks are at listening? It's voting day. We have all the charge of the events. I think people are gonna hear the passion in our voices today. I wonder in Kitsap County, how can folks connect to you? How can I think, I wanna encourage us to have more of these restorative circles. How can they get in touch with you? How can they support what we are trying to do in this community? Akuyea (50:52):Yes. Well, you can always get in contact with the work with Kitsap Erase coalition, with the work that we do in our schools with our multicultural advisory council, with Living life leadership, with the Living Arts Cultural Heritage Project. I mean, I'm accessible in our community. I try to make myself available for our parents, for our students, for community members. We like to work in coalition . We understand that we can work in silos and we can work alone in our agencies and our stuff. But I'm more concerned about the collective collaborative work that it will take all of us to do to transform our communities . We have to be able to learn how to work together with one another as human beings. So yes, if you go on Kitsap e Race coalition, you'll be able to connect with the coalition because we want us to be able to cultivate working together. On. No, you ok girl. . No, we wanna be able to work together and if we got is let's talk about our issues and together and see how we can have a healthy relationship with one another. Danielle (52:35):We are one place, but this is the work we need to be doing across in small conversations like this across our country, which can lead. Akuyea (53:11):That's right, that's right. And hear me say this, we have a unique opportunity to model something not just for our children, our families, our community members, our schools. We have the unique opportunity to model for a nation how to do the work in your own community to bring about change. Danielle (53:37):We do have that opportunity. Akuyea (53:40):And to me, that's inspiring to me. That's what gets my juices up and flowing in the morning.
Burned Ambition by Burned Beauty 2018 - A Burn Survivors Podcast
Grace Athena Flott (b. 1990) is a fine art painter, arts educator, and burn survivor from Spokane, Washington. Southwest Arts Magazine awarded her First Place in Artistic Excellence in January 2022. Major exhibitions include Figurativas 2021 at the Museum of Modern European Art (MEAM), Barcelona, Spain; Shades of Blue at Equity Gallery, NYC, NY, 2021; and recurring exhibitions at Maryhill Museum of Art, Goldendale, WA, 2019, 2020, 2021. A finalist in the 2020 BP Portrait Award and Art Renewal Center competitions, her work has appeared in Fine Art Connoisseur, The Artist's Magazine, Realism Today, Seattle Refined and numerous print and online journals. She is a graduate of the University of Washington and the Juliette Aristides Atelier. Her first solo show Exposure Therapy exhibited with Figure|Ground Gallery in Seattle, WA in May 2022. Grace has been an artist-in-residence at The Hive (Spokane, WA).Grace is currently a teaching artist with Terracotta, Gage Academy adult and youth programs (since 2016), AIGA (since 2018), and Bainbridge Island Museum of Art (since 2019), in addition to teaching privately online.Her work is held in public and private collections internationally.Grace A. FlottVisual artist & arts educator For inquiries & updates from the studio visit: @graceathenaart | graceathenaflott.com#burnedbeauty2018 #tonyameisenbach #beautyinfluencer #burnsurvivor #art #artist #paintings #portraits #museums #models #beautiful #burns #survivors #scarstoyourbeautiful #weareenough #artloversSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/burned-ambition-with-burned-beauty-2018/donations
Jessica Rycheal is a Multi-disciplinary Storyteller, Photographer, and Creative Director from Macon, Georgia. Her work embraces vulnerability as an act of resistance, as she weaves themes of healing, resilience, and self-preservation across a loom of visual arts and spoken word. She has been featured in the Northwest African American Museum, Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, NPR, Seattle Times, and City Arts Magazine.
If you love jazz, funk, and flamenco, you want to be sure to attend Arte Y Pasion with Deseo Carmin, this Saturday, September 22, 7:30 pm at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art. Deseo Carmin is a fiery fusion of Latin, Jazz/Funk with spicy Flamenco, interpreting favorite Latin American and original songs with a style that is unique as well as energetic. In this podcast you'll meet and hear Deseo Carmin composer/musicians Stella Rossi and Andre Stomma -- and they will make you want to dance, so come hear them Saturday night and bring your dancing shoes! Be sure to come early -- doors open at 6:45 -- to view the spectacular photography of Eva Blanchard, on exhibit this night only. Eva is a concept and editorial portrait photographer whose photography is seen in advertising campaigns, magazines, and publishing. To learn more about Deseo Carmin, visit their website at: https://www.deseocarmin.com/ To see more of Eva Blanchard's work, visit https://evablanchardphoto.com So join us for an elegant night around the world with music, dance and exquisite photographic art! Tickets are $20 and can be purchased on the BIMA website. Credits: BCB host, John Fossett; audio editor and publisher, Diane Walker; social media: Jen St. Louis.
From senior flirting to downward dogs and runaway beets, no subject is off limits to Bainbridge poets when invited to submit their favorite works with no theme to inhibit their creativity! Every year, in April, local poets submit their poems to Arts & Humanities Bainbridge for posting in island storefronts in honor of National Poetry Month, and each year at the end of April the winning poets gather to read their poems aloud. This year BCB was on hand on Wednesday, April 25th, to record Poetry Corners Live, an event hosted by Arts & Humanities Bainbridge at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art. This year's lack of theme — a conscious determination on the part of the judges — resulted in a broad range of poems: some short, some long; some humorous and some deeply moving; some remembering loss and others full of hope. The lucky folks who listened to this event heard some truly magnificent work — and now you can enjoy it, too! Listen here, and enjoy a flavorful blend of island creativity. For more information, or to purchase a Poetry Corners 2018 chapbook with Karen Chaussabel's colorful image, “Surrendering to What Is” on the cover, visit the Arts & Humanities Bainbridge website or stop by their office in the Marge Williams Center on Winslow Way West. Credits: BCB audio tech: Finn Mander; audio editor: Jeff Wenker; social media publisher: Diane Walker.
If you've enjoyed reading the poems in all the windows along Winslow Way this month, you'll want to be sure to listen as the poets read their poems aloud as part of Poetry Corners Live at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art at 7pm Wednesday evening, April 25th. Begun in 1999 by Kathleen Thorne under the aegis of Arts Humanities Bainbridge, Poetry Corners has for 19 years provided a venue for the many poets of Bainbridge Island to display their poems in the windows of local businesses. Listen here as BCB host Charlotte Cook talks with Island Treasure and poet extraordinaire Nancy Rekow about the history of Poetry Corners, who's eligible, and how the poems are chosen. We also learn that AHB will be producing a chapbook of the poems, which will be sold at the Poetry Corners Live event on the 25th, and that the BIMA cafe will be selling delicious food for an hour prior to the event. Poetry Corners Live is free to attend, but registration is required: for tickets and more information about the program and the poets, visit the AHB website at AHBainbridge.org. Credits: BCB host: Charlotte Cook; audio tech: Bob Ross; audio editor and publisher: Diane Walker.
Actor, artist, entrepreneur, philanthropist and Edge co-founder John Ellis has just been named an Island Treasure. In this podcast interview, John talks with his daughter Liz about his lifelong interest in art and theater. On the Island John is perhaps best known as co-founder (with the late Frank Buxton) of the Edge Improv troupe, which has been performing monthly at BPA for over 22 years. But he has a number of other talents as well: • As an actor, he has delighted audiences in numerous roles at BPA, such as Nick Bottom in Midsummer Night's Dream and, most recently, as Sir John Falstaff in The Merry Wives of Windsor. • He co-wrote Harry Tracy, a Bainbridge Bandit with fellow Edge troupe member Andrew Shields. • As an artist, he had a brief career as a cartoonist in high school and, more recently, an exhibit of his elephant drawings helped raise money for the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. Currently his ravens and monoprints, made under the mentorship of Wendy Orville at BARN, are popular items at Bainbridge Arts and Crafts. • As a devoted community member, John has served on the boards of both the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art and Bainbridge Performing Arts as well as hosting a variety of events for other organizations on the island. But John is also a father, and this podcast gives us a charming glimpse into his relationship with his daughter Liz, who currently serves as Education Director of Bainbridge Performing Arts. Listen here as they reminisce together about John's lifelong contributions to the arts. Credits: BCB guest host: Liz Ellis; audio tech: Chris Walker; audio editor and social media publisher, Diane Walker.
Meet Channie Peters, longtime Bainbridge Island volunteer and host of over 150 BCB podcast interviews. Channie and her husband, BCB founder Barry Peters, will be moving away shortly; in this podcast BCB host Christina Hulet talks with Channie about her experiences and observations living on the island for 16 years – what's changed, what our strengths are, and what we could do differently as a community. A very active member of our community, Channie is perhaps best known for helping her husband Barry launch Bainbridge Community Broadcasting (BCB) in 2014. But in addition to hosting interviews for BCB and teaching and mentoring new hosts, Channie has also been involved with many local organizations over the years. Not only has she volunteered at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art; she's also served on numerous local boards, including the Bainbridge Community Foundation, the Bainbridge Public Library, and Cedars Unitarian Universalist Church. Listen here as Channie reflects on her many years of community involvement and the challenges inherent in an evolving life. How does, for instance, a retired banker become a podcaster? What do we have to let go of in order to do something new? And, how can we handle change as individuals and as a Bainbridge community? Channie also discusses her and her husband's recent decision to move to a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC). CCRCs offer people over 60 a continuum of independent living, residential assisted living services, memory care and skilled nursing care all in one place. (More information can be found at www.seniorliving.org/lifestyles/ccrc). While her choice to move is being made primarily to be closer to her grandchildren, Channie also helps us to understand the value of making significant changes like this one while you're still energetic and healthy enough to become an active member of a new community. However difficult it may be -- choosing to leave a place in which you've invested so much -- Channie shares her insights with grace and a deep respect for Bainbridge. We know she will be missed. Credits: BCB host, Christina Hulet; audio editor and social media publisher, Diane Walker.
Janette Force, Executive Director of the Port Townsend Film Festival, will again bring a special festival preview to the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art at 7 pm on Wednesday, September 6. This year's festival preview will feature nine short films - documentaries, narratives and an animated film - to exemplify the depth and passion of the 88 films from 14 countries that will be featured at the festival, now in its 18th year. The preview is a great opportunity for us to see some of the shorts that will be paired with full length films at the festival. In this podcast, Janette gives us a rundown of the diverse films in the preview screening. Their stories are unique and thought provoking, from Johanna Under the Ice, a documentary about a woman who deep dives through ice, to High Chapparal, a Swedish film about a Wild West theme park converted to a camp for refugees. You won't want to miss these extraordinary films, which are unlikely to be seen anywhere else. A complete list of the films at the preview on September 6th: "Johanna Under the Ice" - Directed by Ian Derry "The Card Shark" - Directed by Rex Carter "Legal Smuggling with Christine Choy" - Directed by Lewie Kloster "High Chapparal" - Directed by David Freid "Jonah" - Directed by Andrew Michael Ellis "Slacker" - Directed by Max Lowe "The Counselor" - Directed by Guy Bauer "Odd Ball" - Directed by Joshua Moore "Denali's Raven" - Directed by Renan Ozturk The preview program begins at 7 pm with two screening segments -- each about 30 minutes -- separated by an intermission, with tasty treats provided by the museum's bistro. Once you've seen the preview, you'll see why the three-day festival -- where the delightful town of Port Townsend is completely taken over by festival-goers, catered to by all the restaurants and stores -- is so popular! More information about the festival will be available at ptfestival.com beginning in mid-August. Tickets for the September 6th preview at BIMA can be purchased at Brown Paper Tickets. Credits: BCB host: Channie Peters; BCB audio editor: Chris Walker; social media publisher: Diane Walker.
It's Kidimu's 12th birthday, and the celebration -- to be held Saturday June 3 from 10 - 2 -- is packed with excitement! In this eight minute podcast, Kidimu Executive Director, Susie Burdick tells BCB about how Kidimu's birthday parties have gotten bigger and better each year. This year, beginning at 10 am, the fun festivities will include: 10:30 am Poulsbo Leikarringen – folk dance performance 11:00 am Bainbridge Performing Arts – Theatre School performance 11:30 am American Red Cross and Ready Raccoon – safety presentation Noon Island Aikido – martial arts demonstration 12:30pm West Sound Wildlife Shelter – animal ambassadors program 1:00 pm Spartronics Team 4915 – robotics demonstration Family Fun on the Plaza 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., with special activities, featuring: Bainbridge Island Museum of Art – craft Bainbridge Prepares and Ready Raccoon – safety tips Boys and Girls Club of Bainbridge Island – face painting Fire Truck (1 – 2 ) and Police Car (10 – 2 ) – unless called to action KiDiMu – Summer Camp Sneak Preview and Bubbles (in KiDiMu's outdoor space by the Museum) Kitsap Regional Library – Bainbridge Island Brach – craft Malone Pediatrics – teddy bear clinic West Sound Wildlife Shelter – animal ambassadors And for adults with $10 burning a hole in their pockets, Dr. Brian Kovara from Living Well Chiropractic & Massage will offer 10-minute chair massages for $10 with 100 percent of the proceeds benefiting the museum! Available between 10 and 2. That's a Some Pizza will host a stand in front of KiDiMu and offer pizza and drinks for sale between 11 and 2. Credits: BCB host: Channie Peters; audio editor: Chris Walker; social media publisher: Diane Walker.
"Great art is the outward expression of the inner life in the artist, and this inner life will result in his personal vision of the world." Edward Hopper From hot dogs to politics; from pregnancy to funerals -- no subject is off limits to Bainbridge poets when invited to express themselves -- especially when inspired by the above quote from artist Edward Hopper! Every year, in April, local poets submit their poems to Arts & Humanities Bainbridge for posting in island storefronts in honor of National Poetry Month, and each year at the end of April the winning poets gather to read their poems aloud. This year BCB was on hand on Thursday, April 27 to record Poetry Corners Live, an event hosted by Arts & Humanities Bainbridge and the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art. This year's theme -- Expression -- resulted in a broad range of poems: some short, some long; some humorous and some deeply moving; some about memories and others full of hope. The lucky folks who listened to this hour-long event heard some truly magnificent work -- and now you can enjoy it, too! Listen here, and enjoy a flavorful blend of island creativity. Credits: BCB audio tech: Chris Walker; audio editor and social media publisher: Diane Walker.
Bainbridge resident Rob Bernard, Microsoft's Chief Environmental Strategist, will be speaking Thursday, April 13 at 7pm at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art on the topic, “Using Information to Save the Planet: How Energy, Food, Water and Biodiversity will be Transformed with Technology.” At a time when many environmental activists are feeling discouraged about public policy retrenchments on climate change issues, Rob sees reason for optimism in the readiness of many major corporations, including Microsoft, to take the lead on sustainability and climate change initiatives. In this podcast Rob describes the carbon-neutral strategy Microsoft has sustained since 2012, when it began introducing energy-conserving measures to reduce the climate impact of its own data centers, offices, software development lab and company air travel. Throughout its global facilities a company the size of Microsoft consumes an amount of energy comparable to a small state -- and we can imagine Microsoft's energy-use at some point becoming comparable to a small nation's. So corporate policies like these can have a significant impact. Rob sees the next step for Microsoft as a shift in its fuel mix for energy --the company's goal is to achieve 50% renewable sourcing in 2018 -- and he describes additional Microsoft initiatives pertaining to water and food. For example, a data analysis solution that has enabled the Puget Sound shellfish industry to more effectively predict changes in the pH levels of salt water surrounding shellfish pens is already leading to higher survival rates for the seeding of juvenile shellfish. Rob's talk, which is open to the public, is being sponsored by the Bainbridge Citizens Climate Lobby in anticipation of the upcoming Earth Day celebrations. For more about our Climate Lobby, visit http://citizensclimatelobby.org/chapters/WA_Bainbridge_Island/ Credits: BCB host: Barry Peters; BCB audio editor and social media publisher: Diane Walker.
In this interview, Bainbridge Island Museum of Art Chief Curator Greg Robinson has an illuminating and delightful conversation with Chris Maynard, a local artist whose medium is (legally sourced) bird feathers. His exhibition called "Featherfolio" is currently showing at the Art Museum. Chris's first solo museum show has over 40 astounding artworks with feathers “carved” and artfully laid out in creative compositions. This show also includes four site-specific installations of birds - surgically formed from feathers - taking off on the walls in beautiful patterns. Late in his life Chris Maynard became an increasingly recognized full-time artist, having first had a career as a biologist. But it was that career and his long-time interest in nature, especially the inspirations of wildlife, birds and their feathers, that eventually brought him to creating what is now very unique, unusual, and exquisite finely formed designs composed of feathers. In response to Greg's questions as Curator, Chris tells us why he became an artist and why feathers would naturally be his medium of choice. In this conversation, Chris talks about who and what inspires him, and how his artistry has developed and evolved, about his artist mother and eye-surgeon father who worked with small precision tools. In this podcast, learn how Chris designs his compositions and looks for feathers that will best express his design. Or sometimes Chris holds a feather and gains inspiration for a composition. Chris's beautifully written and photographed book, "Feathers: Form & Function", describes “what feathers are; how they work; and why we find them alluring.” There is much to learn in this "Art Museum Encounter" with Chris about his Featherfolio exhibit, currently on exhibit at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art. Credits: BCB host: Channie Peters; BCB audio editor and social media publisher: Barry Peters.
Gary Faigin's talks at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art sold out in 48 hours. Listen here to learn why he chose the subjects he chose, and why the museum is eager to bring him back in a few months to present additional art talks. Faigin -- an author, artist, educator, critic, and sought-after speaker -- is perhaps best known for his expertise on the artistic analysis of faces, both human and otherwise. His popular book, The Artist's Complete Guide to Facial Expression is the definitive guide to capturing facial expressions, and is widely studied in art schools and even in Hollywood. In this podcast Gary tells us about his experiences working with Industrial Light and Magic to help them with the animation on faces in such favorite movies as Star Wars. You'll also get the inside scoop on his upcoming talks at BIMA from Sheila Hughes, Executive Director of the BI Museum of Art. Her conversation with Gary is both fascinating and informative: Gary believes that art criticism and history should be accessible to everyone, not just artists and art lovers, and his wealth of knowledge about art and refreshing perspective on art history is clearly in demand. Learn why Gary chose the 10 art works in Europe for his first talk; why he'll be focusing on Caravaggio in the Baroque period for his second talk; and about the immense amount of information that can be gleaned from observing the human face, the subject of his third presentation at BIMA. For more about Gary, click here: Gary Faigin. And to stay informed about upcoming presentations at BIMA so you don't miss Gary's next series, be sure to visit www.biartmuseum.org/. Credits: BCB host: Channie Peters; BCB audio editor: Chris Walker; BCB social media publisher: Diane Walker.
In this podcast, we meet one of the Northwest's leading experts on Social Security benefits, Andy Landis. He describes his upcoming 2-hour free talk at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art Auditorium on March 22nd: "Social Security 101: Avoiding Myths and Mistakes". The informative session -- part of a series on financial education -- is generously sponsored by the Bainbridge Community Foundation. Andy's talk and slides will start at 6:30pm that Wednesday evening, but it's advisable to arrive early, as the comfy auditorium seating is limited. In this podcast, Andy shows his insights and practical knowledge, gained through employment at AARP, Social Security, multinational companies and as a consultant. His free talk on Wednesday from 6:30pm to 8:30pm will address: The ABCs of how Social Security works for you and your family. How to get every dollar you have coming, without bureaucratic bother. What payments to expect for a spouse (working or non-working), former spouse or children. The bottom line on career changes, early retirement, switching to part-time, or starting a business. Options for saving Social Security for future generations -- or your own. Andy is optimistic that the valuable and vital program can be saved and sustained. As a special feature, the session will conclude with Paul Merriman, a Bainbridge retiree who is a nationally-known investment guru and the mainstay of this financial education series, speaking on the interplay of Social Security benefits and your investment planning. Andy is author of a comprehensive guidebook that has been called "the Social Security bible", titled "Social Security: The Inside Story." Credits: BCB host, audio editor and social media publisher: Barry Peters.
In this podcast, we learn about an upcoming musical called "The Crossing", which will be on stage at the Jewel Box Theater in Poulsbo from March 17th through April 9th. Recently-honored playwright Paul Lewis and leading actor Walt Brown share with us their experience of putting together a musical set in the 1930s, as Amelia Earhart prepared for her dangerous trans-Atlantic solo flight attempt. However, unlike most stories of Amelia, this one is told from the perspective of Ray Spencer, an aviation meteorologist haunted by a past tragedy, who is on the threshold of an elusive scientific breakthrough which he hopes will make long-distance flight safer. The focus is not only on Amelia in flight, but also on her support team on the ground, including husband George Putnam, her mechanic, and this meteorologist. It's an interesting backstory of Amelia's crossing of the Atlantic through the eyes of a reporter that documented the event. As Paul and Walt explain to BCB host Christina Hulet, the musical speaks to what it means to be human, and how to grapple with our own doubts, fears and pain as we try to accomplish the extraordinary. The Crossing was co-authored by Paul Lewis and Carissa Meisner Smit, with music by Paul Lewis. Paul is one of two winners of this year's "Island Treasure" award for distinguished contributions to our community's arts and humanities, which was presented at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art in February 2017. Tickets for "The Crossing" are available through the Jewel Box Theater's website for evening performances from March 17 through April 8 at 7:30pm, plus Sunday matinees at 2:00pm on March 19, March 26, April 2 and April 9. Also, on Saturday April 1st, Paul Lewis will stay after the show to talk with the audience and answer questions they may have about the play. The Jewel Box, with about 100 seats, provides an intimate community theater experience, and it won the Kitsap Sun's 2009 award as Best Theater of the West Sound. Credits: BCB host: Christina Hulet; BCB audio editor and social media publisher: Barry Peters.
Listen in on Kate Carruthers' fascinating conversation with BCB host Channie Peters. You'll hear about Kate's love for theatre, which has been a strong thread throughout her life, even during her very successful career as an attorney and Bainbridge Island's municipal judge. Theatre has been Kate's first love since her first high school play and her years majoring in theatre in college. Her intention to continue theatre arts in graduate school was sidetracked by the need to embark on a career that would support herself and two young daughters. She describes her choice of a legal career, and how she found legal practice to be similar, and yet complementary, to her love for staging plays. How does an aspiring actor/director decide to make a career as an attorney, partner in a prestigious Seattle law firm, lead a private practice here on Bainbridge, and later serve as our municipal judge? Throughout it all, Kate found time to raise two daughters, start a theatre company, and direct many noteworthy plays for Bainbridge Performing Arts. Her credits are many and varied. A few are: "The Kentucky Cycle", "Philadelphia Story", "Snow Falling on Cedars", "Amadeus", and "Much Ado About Nothing" (performed outdoors at the Bloedel Reserve). This podcast will enable you to hear how, in Kate's life, theater has provided deep meaning and a vehicle for artistic expression. No wonder she is being honored by Arts and Humanities Bainbridge as one of this year's two Island Treasures. The annual tradition of recognizing two exceptional contributors to local arts are humanities dates back to the year 2000. The Island Treasure Award ceremony will be Saturday February 18 at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art. It begins with wine and hors d'oeuvres at 6:15 pm, with the awards ceremony at 6:40 and a reception at 7:30. Tickets can be purchased at Brown Paper Tickets online here. Seating is very limited. For further information or to reserve by phone, call 206-842-1246. Credits: BCB host: Channie Peters; BCB audio editor and social media publisher: Barry Peters. Photo credit: Cynthia Sears.
In this 16-minute podcast, Paul Merriman, an investment educator who retired to Bainbridge after a successful professional career leading the investment firm he founded, describes his upcoming free seminar on "Maximizing the Value of Your Retirement Account." The free educational event will be Thursday February 16th, from 6:30 to 8:30pm at the Auditorium of the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art. Doors open at 6pm, and Paul will informally field questions from early arrivers until the formal slide presentation starts at 6:30. Paul encourages you to visit his financial education website where he offers nearly 400 learning resources, including scores of "Sound Investing" podcasts, videos and three ebooks, all at no charge. The site provides excellent preparatory insights in advance of the upcoming seminar. This is the second of a two-part seminar series of investment education talks co-sponsored by both the Bainbridge Community Foundation (where Paul is a member of the board of directors), and by the nonprofit Merriman Financial Education Foundation. This talk is designed for those who are retired or within 10 years of retirement. The first talk, for individuals in their prime financial accumulation years, drew a large audience to the auditorium and was featured in a prior BCB podcast. Topics to be addressed on February 16th include: • 10 biggest risks in your retirement portfolio • How much you need to retire • How much you can safely take out of your retirement investments • How to avoid the most common retirement mistakes • How to make your money last longer while taking out more • The best portfolio for retirees • The 3 best source of investment advice • Pros and cons of index funds • How much you should have in stocks and bonds • Eight strategies for taking money out of your investments in retirement The primary purpose of the seminar is public education rather than to sell any commercial product or service. Credits: BCB host, audio editor and social media publisher: Barry Peters.
In this Art Museum Encounter podcast, award winning wood sculptor Alan Newberg engages in a fascinating and insightful conversation with Bainbridge Island Museum of Art Chief Curator Greg Robinson. Listen here as Alan describes the process wherein he creates the large wood sculptures currently on exhibit at the museum. His solo show, on display in the Jon and Lillian Lovelace gallery on the Museum's first floor, includes a variety of Newberg's recent abstract pieces. Especially notable is the nine foot “God of Black Holes: Up Looks Down” in the main window of the museum. In this interview, Alan talks about his inspiration for that piece as well as many others, most of which have been carved from a single piece of wood. Newberg, whose interest in wood began as a boy working in the family lumber mill, also tells us about his mentors: those artists who have inspired him over his long career. A founding member of the Collective Visions Gallery in Bremerton, Newberg is the lead organizer of the CVG (Collective Visions Gallery) Show, a juried art competition in Washington State, now in its 10th year. His award-winning work has been exhibited widely and is included in numerous museum, corporate and private collections. Prior to moving to Kitsap in 1989, he was a Professor of Art and Department Chair at Montana State University Billings. Newberg has three degrees in studio art, a BA from the University of Sioux Falls, an MA from the University of Wyoming and an MFA from the University of Oregon. Credits: BCB host: Channie Peters; BCB audio editor: Chris Walker; social media publisher: Diane Walker.
Atomic scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer, and the World War II era, are being brought back to life by the Bainbridge Island Historical Museum. In this 15-minute podcast conversation with Bainbridge Historical Museum's board member, Dennis Tierney, we learn about the upcoming public event called "An Evening with J. Robert Oppenheimer". That in-character interpretation of Oppenheimer -- the "Father of the Atomic Bomb" -- will be on stage at the auditiorium of the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art on the evening of November 15th, following appetizers and a reception. On-stage that night as Oppenheimer will be Clay Jenkinson, a nationally renowned humanities scholar, author and social commentator. Clay has appeared here before sold out crowds in previous Historical Museum fundraisers in roles such as Thomas Jefferson and Teddy Roosevelt. Jenkinson is celebrated as an entertaining presenter, and as a researcher and commentator for films of Ken Burns and an NPR radio series. In this podcast, Dennis Tierney explains that Oppenheimer was not only a remarkably well-educated scientist, but he also held sway with his scientific and engineering peers by virtue of his commitment to academic learning, even in diverse areas of languages and religious thought. And yet, after years in the 1940s pulling together the efforts of top scientists and engineers of his day in the Manhattan Project, he was later attacked during the McCarthy era for his prior beliefs and activities and deprived of his security credentials. In this BCB podcast conversation, Dennis also explains that this event sets the stage for the opening, on the December 7th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, of a new historical exhibit about Bainbridge Island in World War II. There, the Historical Museum will revisit not just the dreadful military internment of Japanese Americans, but also the code-breaking radio activities at Battle Point and Fort Ward, and the building of mine-sweepers for the Navy in the former boat works of Eagle Harbor. In support of this November 15th fundraiser, Dennis reflects on the valuable role played by the Historical Museum in helping us connect to our local history, and in supporting a stronger sense of community through a deeper form of citizenship. Tickets for the event are available through the Museum's website. The ticket price includes the 6:30pm Art Museum reception, appetizers and beverages, the 7:30pm performance, and some financial assistance to the nonprofit Historical Museum. Credits: BCB host, audio editor and social media publisher: Barry Peters.
“Dia de los Muertos” (Day of the Dead) is a holiday celebrated throughout Mexico and also around the world in other cultures. On Bainbridge Island it will be celebrated at the Museum of Art for 5 days beginning November 1st. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to remember and honor the dear ones who have died (including pets), and to help support their spiritual journey. Good food is always involved! This will be the third year that Bainbridge Island Museum of Art (BIMA) has helped our community celebrate this occasion. In this podcast, BIMA Education Director Kristin Tollefson describes how this year's celebration will take place over five days, beginning on Tuesday, November 1st when the ofrenda (altar of offerings) will be formally opened to the public in a quiet ceremony from 3:30-5:30 pm. During this time, the public may begin to come in and place a copy of a photo or other memory of a loved one who has passed. For the next five days, people may come into the ofrenda in the Orientation Gallery to visit it and place their offerings. There will be a 15 minute screening on a continuous loop in the auditorium of Dia de los Muertos by Ray & Charles Eames Then on Saturday, November 5th, there will be a fun celebration with music, public presentations about the ofrenda, face painting, crepe paper flower making and other activities for children and families. Also on that Saturday, there will be a special lunch offered at the Bistro, with Mexican hot chocolate and pane de muerto. For more information, please see the Day of the Dead event page on the Museum's website. Credits: BCB host Channie Peters; BCB audio editor: Chris Walker; BCB social media publisher: Barry Peters.
In this 18-minute podcast, we meet a local Bainbridge retiree who had an extraordinarily successful professional career as an advisor and to investors. Our guest, Paul Merriman, describes the educational seminar that he will offer at no charge, on "10 Simple Steps to Improve Your Investing Confidence and Build a Better Retirement Plan." Bainbridge Community Foundation (BCF), along with Paul's Merriman Financial Education Foundation, are delighted to offer the free seminar to the public on Thursday Nov. 3rd, from 6:30 to 8:30pm in the comfortable auditorium seating of the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art. This talk is primarily directed to individuals who are in the wealth accumulation phase of their lives and wanting to save more wisely for the future. A later seminar next year will focus on how to be smart about taking distributions in your retirement years. In this podcast conversation, Paul offers examples of topics he'll cover on Nov. 3rd: - the two best investments for first-time investors; - how much money you need to accumulate to retire; - how to select the best-performing mutual funds; - five kinds of mutual funds that should not be in any portfolio; - 10 ways to protect your portfolio from loss; and - three ways to double your income in retirement. Paul also describes his passion for education, and why he created a personal foundation to aid in that effort. He describes some of the books and articles available from his website. He describes how happy he is to help offer a quarterly course in investing at Western Washington University. And he mentioned his enjoyment of producing an educational podcast series, which can be found at his website. There is limited seating in the auditorium of the Art Museum. To confirm your seat, register for the free event on the Bainbridge Community Foundation website. Credits: BCB host, audio editor and social media publisher: Barry Peters.
Eagle Harbor Book Company brings Paul Bannick back to our island on Sunday October 30th. He'll talk at the Art Museum about his newest book, which showcases exquisite intimate photos of four species of owls in the wild, together with extensive research gained by studying these owls in their habitats. In this podcast, Paul talks with BCB host Channie Peters about how he was able to photograph and observe the Northern Pygmy, Burrowing, Great Gray, and Snowy Owls throughout the course of a year in each of their different natural habitats. He explains the importance of understanding these indicator species as a way of understanding our bigger environment and our interconnected web of existence. Paul's illustrated talk is on Sunday October 30th at 4 pm and is free to the public. Seating is limited for this event in the auditorium of the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art. So Eagle Harbor Bookstore recommends calling them at 842-5332 to reserve your seat. Or, better yet, customers who either preorder from Eagle Harbor Books on the web -- or who buy the book at the door of the Art Museum -- will receive priority seating. Others will be seated on a first-come basis as long as seats are available. For more details see the Eagle Harbor Books webpage describing Paul Bannick and the event featuring his new book: "Owl: A Year in the Life of North American Owls." Credits: BCB host: Channie Peters; BCB audio editor: Tim Bird; BCB social media publisher: Barry Peters.
In this podcast, meet noted author and 21-year Bainbridge resident Kathleen Alcala, who earned the "Island Treasure" award of Arts and Humanities Bainbridge, and who is launching her new book about food and community on our island at an event hosted by Eagle Harbor Books. Come to the comfortable auditorium of the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art on Thursday October 13th at 7:30pm, to hear Kathleen describe her new book: "The Deepest Roots: Finding Food and Community on a Northwest Island". Kathleen explains in this podcast that the "northwest island" is, of course, our own. And the book is replete with insights of long-time islanders who have gone back to the land (or sea) to produce food. Kathleen's interviews with them offer insights on what matters in the long run, and what's sustainable. In this podcast, Kathleen talks about what she learned from local residents who have become food producers, gardeners and growers. For example, she mentions Bob and Nancy Fortner, who had been Winslow booksellers before turning their homestead into Sweetlife Farm, producing goods for our farmers market. And she mentions local tuna fisherman Paul Svornich. And then there's local Day Road farmer Betsey Wittick. As one reviewer of her book has said: "By focusing on the food in one place, Alcala is able to pull together cultural and cross-cultural experiences, environmental debates, and ... issues of economic justice that underpin all food production." In this conversation, Kathleen reflects on her experience of farm markets and farm stands in Mexico with her family, her early experience in living in a small rural town in Colorado, and many of the civic issues that have engaged her in two decades of life on Bainbridge Island. Her book is enriched by the photographs it includes from much-admired island photographer Joel Sackett. Further details about her book can be found at the website of University of Washington Press. An inspiring article that grows out of her bookwriting experience can be found on her blog site: "Ten Things a Clueless Eater Can Do". Credits: BCB host, audio editor and social media publisher: Barry Peters.
Under the guidance of chef Melinda Lucas, Bainbridge Island Museum of Art's bistro has evolved into a full service, full menu restaurant popular with both museum visitors and local residents. Listen here as chef Lucas shares the story behind the Bistro's evolution from grab ‘n go food bar (making precooked, prepackaged food sourced from vendors), to a limited menu food bar with lunch items cooked internally by a chef, to a full service, sit-down restaurant with an expanded menu. Originally trained as a pastry chef, Melinda's menus are varied - both hearty and light, seasonal, fresh, and always delicious. She describes her cooking style as simple and basic, with fresh, organic, locally sourced ingredients whenever possible. And did we say she's a pastry chef? Ask the locals: her chocolate chip cookies and ricotta pound cake are to die for! In addition to Melinda, the bistro now has a catering chef, Marcielle Herring, who is responsible for the menus and preparation of food for special events, which include museum events, such as member preview parties, and also events booked by companies, organizations or individuals. So now, in addition to the expanded chef-prepared lunch menu, the BIMA bistro offers special dinners on Tuesday evenings to accompany the museum's continuing film series, and offers catering for special events at the art museum. So -- the next time you get a chance, stop in and sample the new wares at the BIMA Bistro: you won't regret it! Credits: BCB host: Channie Peters; BCB audio editor: Chris Walker; social media publisher: Diane Walker.
From BCB... http://bestofbcb.org/wu-293-bainbridge-quilt-festival-september-10/ On Saturday, September 10, the Bainbridge Island Modern Quilt Guild will again sponsor their popular one-day-only Quilt Festival -- their Fourth Annual! From 10 am to 5 pm over 100 quilt entries will line the sidewalks of downtown Winslow -- and if you're a quilter, It's not too late to enter! As you stroll along Winslow Way, admiring this year's quilts, special quilt ambassadors in bright green aprons will be available to watch over the quilts and answer your questions. And then, if you're feeling inspired, you can head over to the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, where there will be a hands-on quilt sew-in. Anyone who's interested can go up to the 2nd floor work room, sit down at a sewing machine, choose some fabric, and be guided to make a contribution to our next Wounded Hero quilt, which will be donated to a veterans' shelter in Kitsap County. And you can do more than look: Many of the quilts can be purchased -- or, for just $2, you can purchase a raffle ticket for a chance to win a beautiful 57: x 66” quilt, “Star Struck," made by the Bainbridge Island Modern Quilt Guilders. Raffle tickets may be purchased at the information booth on Madrone Lane, at Esther's Fabrics on Winslow Way and during the Bainbridge Art Walk on September 2nd. For more information about the Guild, the Festival and for entry forms, go to BainbridgeQuiltFestival.com . Credits: BCB host: Channie Peters; BCB audio editor and social media publisher: Diane Walker.
At 7pm on Sept 7th, the Port Townsend Film Festival will be previewing eight short films at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, as a sneak peek at some of the 97 films that will be showing in Port Townsend's celebrated annual festival on the weekend of Sept 23-25. In this podcast interview, Film Festival executive director Janette Force tells BCB about the special program she has put together for this preview, consisting of eight short films. They range from science fiction to a documentary about the outdoors, and from animation to live actors, including both documentaries and narratives. The breadth of the preview ranges from a film by a first-time filmmaker (Seattle architectural firm Olson Kundig producing “Welcome to the 5th Facade”) to one that won an Academy Award for Best Short Film (“The Stutterer” directed by Benjamin Cleary). The films run from 1.5 minutes to 15 minutes. The first half of the program will be 30 minutes, with an intermission with beverages and light snacks, followed by another 33 minutes of films. Regardless whether you will be able to attend the 17th annual film festival in Port Townsend, you will be delighted by this preview. The two are not mutually exclusive. In fact, if you have been wondering whether to spend a day or two or three in beautiful Port Townsend, attending this sneak peek may just push you over the edge. The eight short films from the festival that you will see on September 7th are: "Entre les Lignes": Directed by Emmanuelle Remy, Christelle Alion and Tom Casacoli. "Simon Beck - Snow Artist": Directed by Sindre Kinnerød. "Pickle": Directed by Amy Nicholson "Welcome to the 5th Façade": With Olson Kundig. "Kick Ass Katy Lee": Directed by George Gage and Beth Gage. "Sole Mates": Directed by Bryce Dallas Howard. "Stutterer": Directed by Benjamin Cleary "Throw": Directed by David Larson, Darren Durlach Purchase tickets to the BIMA preview at Brown Paper Tickets. For more information about the Port Townsend Film Festival, see the Festival website. Credits: BCB host: Channie Peters; BCB audio editor and social media publisher: Barry Peters.
From BCB... http://bestofbcb.org/wu-290-kindred-spaces-performance-at-bima/ In this episode of What's Up Bainbridge, artist Amy D'Apice returns to the BCB Studio to tell us about her upcoming presentation, “Kindred Spaces: The Performance." This Bainbridge Arts and Crafts event is scheduled for September 8th at 7:00pm. It will be held at Bainbridge Island Museum of Art. Amy lives and makes art in Thailand. She has a great fan base in the US and has been on Bainbridge Island this summer offering workshops and showing her art. As a traveler she is always on the lookout for scenes that may be common across cultures and she says part of her creative process is taking something that is messy and try to make it into something that is beautiful. In “Kindred Spaces: The Performance”, Amy has created a multimedia presentation to talk about the “creative process,”melding music, art, and storytelling to cover lots of topics in the process of creating art. This presentation was inspired by her blog, Art Conspiracy, [http://artconspiracy.net/blog/] where she shares with her audience not only what she is working on but also the process toward completing, or not, the art work. To her surprise, Amy learned that her fans love to hear about that process. Amy says “It's a messy process and it's not perfect” but having insight into what an artist goes through is apparently fulfilling to artists and non-artists alike. Not only will Amy's presentation entertain and teach us about the creative process, but in removing the mystery from the artist's experience she helps bring us to a new understanding of the work itself. For more information on this event and how to get tickets, please visit http://bacart.org/exhibitions/future-exhibitions/ http://bacart.org/kindred-spaces-the-performance/ Credits: BCB host: Sonia Scaer; BCB audio editor: Chris Walker; social media publisher: Diane Walker.
From BCB... http://bestofbcb.org/wu-283-amy-dapice-sept-at-bac/ Amy D'Apice isn't shy about her art. In this podcast she shares the secrets and stories of the last nine months as she has been creating art for her solo exhibition this September at Bainbridge Arts & Crafts. Though a long time Bainbridge Islander, about four years ago Amy moved to Chang Mai, Thailand, where she paints for most of the year. Each summer she returns to Bainbridge Island to visit with family and friends, and shares her art. Wherever she is, Amy has always been drawn to the unnoticed spots of beauty in the world around her. A constant for her is the reliability of those spaces: the cracks in the sidewalks, the alleyways, the window sills, the street urchins. And she paints them. Amy details her journey in her blog, Art Conspiracy (http://artconspiracy.net/blog/). She shares the good stuff as well as the hard, the times when inspiration hits and the times where she just has to show up and hope for the best. In September, we get to see the fruits of her labor, and the process along the way. Come and celebrate "Kindred Spaces" with Amy this September. There are lots of chances to meet Amy and view her work: Exhibition: September 2-October 2 Artist's Reception: September 2, 6:30, BAC Artist's Talk: September 3, 12:30, BAC Multimedia Presentation: September 8, Bainbridge Island Museum of Art Amy also teaches workshops all summer! Get the details at http://bacart.org/education/workshops/ Amy will also be participating in Paint Out Winslow this August - join her! For more information visit http://bacart.org/artists/paintoutwinslow/ This demo is part of a series of artists demos at Bainbridge Arts & Crafts; Georgia will be speaking with BCB regularly to introduce us to each month's education programs. It might be a demo, it might be a workshop, or just an introduction to the artists featured for them coming month. For more information about programs at BAC, check their website (bacart.org) early and often to learn what's coming up. Credits: BCB host Channie Peters; audio editor Diane Walker; publisher; Georgia Browne.
From BCB... http://bestofbcb.org/wu-255-elizabeth-heffrons-portugal/ In this podcast director Kate Carruthers and playwright Elizabeth Heffron talk about Portugal, Heffron's latest play, to be performed Saturday, April 16th, at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art. In Portugal, there's been an accident at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in rural Eastern Washington, “home to America's largest stockpile of unprocessed radioactive nuclear waste and the most contaminated place in the Western Hemisphere.” (hanfordchallenge.org) Heffron has never shied away from difficult and complicated subjects: in previous plays she has addressed such issues as late-term abortion (Mitzi's Abortion), and the effects of poverty and sexual abuse (Bo-Nita). In Portugal, this fearless playwright explores the devastating effects of radioactive contamination on workers, the critical problem of radioactive waste disposal, and the predicament of whistleblowers. Listen here to learn why Heffron wanted to write this play, how she researched and gathered the material for it, how she chose her five characters, and about the devices she's used to deal with this difficult subject. You'll also hear Carruthers talk about her experiences directing this play reading, which features local favorites John Ellis, Barbara Deering, Robert Bergen, Elizabeth Ellis, and J.C. Figueroa --five actors well known to Bainbridge Island theatre goers. Don't miss this moving performance: Tickets may be purchased at brownpapertickets.com Credits: BCB host: Channie Peters; audio editor: Tim Bird; social media publisher: Diane Walker.
T&C's Sustainability Director Tony D'Onofrio explains the good news about the completely redesigned Town & Country Market in Bainbridge that earned a gold award for green features that make a difference for the environment and climate ... and for the enjoyment of the food shopping experience. In this 21-minute podcast in BCB's "Going Greener" series, Tony explains how this award for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design follows from the company's values and commitment to sustainability. Some highlights of T&C's rebuild achievements are: 120 rooftop solar panels 50 percent reduction in total electricity use (even though the square footage increased) Purchase of green energy LED lighting inside and outside Use of natural day light Low-VOC materials, so you can smell the fresh food and not the paints and finishes Maximum filtration of interior air Low-flow toilets and sinks Refrigeration that uses half the greenhouse gases of traditional refrigeration Storm water filtration Vestibule entry lowers escape of heat from the building 95 percent of the construction waste materials were recycled Increased natural planting areas Significant energy cost savings Tony also mentions his prior career as a chef, before he came to Bainbridge 18 years ago and earned an MBA is Sustainable Business Practices from Bainbridge Graduate Institute (now called Pinchot University). The architect for the T&C store rebuild is Johnson Squared Architecture (of Winslow), and the construction was performed by Abbott Construction. The LEED Gold award puts T&C in a comparable category with the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art which is in the running for a LEED Gold award for its building. Credits: BCB host, audio editor and social media publisher: Barry Peters.
In this 12-minute podcast, Greg Robinson, Executive Director & Curator of Bainbridge Island Museum of Art (BIMA) talks about the newly installed exhibitions for BIMA's spring shows. The theme is "Journeys", and this rotation will be on display from March 12th to June 5th. The group show addressing ideas and experiences surrounding personal journeys has themes ranging from travel and fantasy to personal loss and other life changing events. The artists featured in the group show also have solo shows in the art museum. These artists are: Marita Dingus, Denise Harris, Steve Jensen, Phillip Levine, Susan Lowrey, Ann Morris, Steve Parmelee, and Kay Walsh. A visually-stunning 27-foot tall, site-specific mixed-media doll, made of recycled hot-tub covers and other found objects, by Marita Dingus, hangs in the Beacon Gallery. It is visible from outside to passing pedestrians and motorists on Winslow Way, or it may be viewed from inside the museum's large corner window. Steve Parmalee's “Assemblage” finds the sacred in the discarded, and he succeeds in transforming found objects and materials into works of art. Steve Jensen's “Boats” is a selection of Jensen's sculptural boat paintings in the bistro gallery. By popular demand, “A Story Place”, the amazing ceramic installation by artist Nancy Thorne Chambers is being extended through the spring. Come into the museum and experience the magical place and essay contest for all ages (old enough to write). 2016 Island Treasure award winners Denise Harris and Cameron Snow will be exhibiting in the Garden Gallery, featuring Harris' mixed media sculptures, and Snow's hand-painted porcelain plates and cups. BIMA's exclusive, unique and extensive collection of Artist's Books is in its seventh rotation, this one titled “Form and Content”. While artist's books are most often exhibited in library galleries, it is rare in the US to find a gallery dedicated to permanent collections of these works of art in the form of multi-dimensional books. Listen to BCB's illuminating podcast interview of Cynthia Sears, museum founder and collector of the artist's books displayed in the Sherry Grover Gallery at BIMA. As further described here, BIMA is located at the corner of Winslow Way and Hwy 305. It is open daily from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., and is free of charge to the public. There is a bistro and a museum shop featuring unique art and crafts from the Puget Sound region. Credits: BCB host: Channie Peters; BCB audio editor and social media publisher: Barry Peters.
Travel writer and award winning author Perry Garfinkel returns to Bainbridge Island by popular demand to teach another travel writing workshop following his 2015 sold out travel writing workshop. This year, Perry's workshop will again incorporate hands-on, indoor/outdoor practical writing exercises, with a field trip and fun lessons. The topic this time will be memoir writing -- as distinct from last year's focus on travel journals and travel articles for publication. Join other writers, aspiring writers, and people who love to travel (and write about it) for a full weekend from Friday through Sunday. Because Perry's workshop was so popular last year, and so fully subscribed, he has agreed to come early and give a separate additional talk. On Wednesday, April 27th from 7-8:30 pm in the auditorium of the BI Museum of Art, the topic will be “The Travel Writer's Mindset - and How it Can Enhance Any Journey.” Perry's topic coincides with the art museum's “Journeys” exhibition and draws on his own worldwide journeys, both to global destinations and within. Garfinkel is a published travel writer and contributor to the New York Times, Wall St. Journal Asia, Huffington Post blog, and numerous national and international magazines. He is the bestselling author of "Buddha or Bust", which was selected by Shambhala Press for Best Buddhist Writing of 2007. Perry's book "Travel Writing for Profit and Pleasure", published in 1989, was called "the definitive work in its field" by travel guide guru Arthur Frommer. Learn more at Perry Garfinkel's website. The travel memoir writing workshop will begin on the afternoon of Friday, April 29th, and includes an informal reception that evening at Fletcher Bay Winery in the Coppertops. It continues at Bainbridge Island Museum of Art all day Saturday, and then through 2pm on Sunday. The fee charged by nonprofit writers' group Fields End will include boxed lunches on Saturday and Sunday from the art museum bistro. Registration is online at Fields End website. Space is limited to 15 participants. Credits: BCB host: Channie Peters; BCB audio editor and social media publisher: Barry Peters.
In this 11-minute interview, the new Life Enrichment Coordinator for Island Volunteer Caregivers (IVC) describes the series of three uplifting films that IVC is offering for free, at 1pm on 3 Sundays: March 6th and 13th, and April 3rd. BCB's guest is Lynn Murphy, who describes the three-film series called "Living Out Loud". As Lynn says, each feature-length film is joyous and memorable. Each will be screened in the comfortable cinema auditorium of the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art. At 1pm on Sunday, March 6th, the first film is "Age of Champions", showing seniors who are surprisingly great in their favorite sports. On Sunday, March 13th at 1pm, it's Young @ Heart. And, on Sunday April 3rd at 1pm, it's a film called "Alive Inside" about the hope and joy that can be experienced, despite symptoms of Alzheimers. Each film is offered without charge to the public. Seniors might enjoy attending with a family member. Lynn also describes the range of free services offered by IVC day-by-day to help Seniors age in place. More than 150 IVC volunteers offer services at no charge to more than 200 IVC care recipients. Learn more at the IVC website. To contact IVC about either volunteering or applying for services, call Rita or Robin at 206-842-4441. Credits: BCB host, audio editor and social media publisher: Barry Peters.
In this Art Museum Encounter podcast, award winning glass sculptor Steve Maslach engages in a fascinating and insightful conversation with Bainbridge Island Museum of Art Curator and Executive Director Greg Robinson. From this conversation, we learn about Steve's artistic progression from an award-winning blown glass designer managing a sizable studio with many glass artists in California, to a molten glass sculptor creating very large unique works at his solo studio in the woods on Bainbridge Island. Steve talks about the unusual process by which he lets light and color into his thick molten glass sculptures. And he talks about his journey of discovery as he works directly with molten glass, which, he believes, is like performance art. His focus on working with the molten glass enables the artist to engage in the creation of the sculpture, requiring countless physical decisions to be made moment by moment with the fluid glass. This podcast is an episode of BCB's recurring podcast show called Arts and Artists on Bainbridge. It is part of a series of “Art Museum Encounters” in which BIMA's curator talks with artists and collectors whose works are currently on display at BIMA. Credits: BCB host: Channie Peters; BCB audio editor and social media publisher: Barry Peters.
In this 25-minute podcast interview, we meet Matthew Coates, the local architect of the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, and learn about the passion he developed for nature and green building from his early childhood. Before “sustainable" was a buzzword; before anyone had thought of "building green," a young Matthew Coates was growing up on a pristine lake in northern Michigan. Over time, as the lake became a popular vacation spot and more people built bigger and bigger houses and brought their motorboats, Matthew saw first-hand the devastating impact of development and pollution on the water and the surrounding woods. Intuitively understanding the fragility of the environment from an early age, he became passionate about protecting the beauty of nature, and embarked upon a career which would allow him to pursue that passion. He has been winning awards for his sustainable designs since graduate school, achieving international acclaim in 2005 by winning the "Cradle to Cradle (C2C)" Home Design Competition for the most sustainable home design of the future. In this interview, Matthew describes in moving terms what it was like growing up on Torch Lake and talks about his deliberate, thoughtful choice to make Bainbridge Island his home, his place of work, and his community. He then goes on to explain that sustainability is about balancing growth with sustaining a community and its culture: it's not just what an architect designs, but where and how structures are placed, and how those structures perform in relation to the environment. Whether designing public buildings or private homes, Matthew¹s commitment to the design of sustainable and responsible architecture in the context of a viable and productive community repeatedly informs his work -- and we can hear his passion for responsible architecture in this podcast. Credits: BCB host: Channie Peters; BCB audio editor: Barry Peters; BCB social media publishers: Diane Walker and Barry Peters.
In February 2016, the Bainbridge Island Arts and Humanities Council conferred one of the two 2016 Island Treasure Awards on Denise Harris. Growing up with a big family in the Pacific Palisades, the multi-talented Denise Harris and her five siblings were encouraged to pursue whatever interested them in arts and music. At one point Denise even decided she'd learn to play every instrument in the orchestra! But after mastering several instruments she began branching out, expanding her artistic scope to become a sculptor, set designer, singer, actress, and much, much more. Nothing seems to be beyond her: from her Gypsy Wagon at the annual Harvest Fair to her iconic signs at Lynwood Center (for island institutions such as Heyday Farm, Village Music, Pane d'Amore, O'Connor Architects, and the Treehouse Cafe) to her acting, her singing, and the fabulous sets she's designed for Bainbridge Performing Arts, Denise's range of talents and their impact on our community have proved to be extraordinary. As a featured artist at Bainbridge Arts & Crafts, Denise is known for her enchantingly detailed miniature sculptures, several of which have become part of the permanent collection at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art. She also sings with a musical group on Saturdays and with the choral group Amabile, and she has performed in numerous plays at BPA. Clearly Denise's childhood freedom to explore has stood her in good stead; if she determines to create or do it, she does. Even building a ukelele and a concertina with scrap wood were not beyond her perseverance and tenacity. In this interview, Denise describes those early years with her family, and speaks fondly of her enduring close connection with her five siblings, most of whom now live on Bainbridge Island. Raised to delve into whatever caught her fancy, she continues to expand her artistic repertoire with the same joyful anticipation and fearless abandon she experienced as a child -- and we can't wait to see what she tackles next! Though she admits to being surprised and honored by the 2016 Island Treasure Award, it's no surprise to the rest of us: clearly this award is richly deserved! Credits: BCB host: Channie Peters; BCB audio editor: Barry Peters; BCB social media publishers: Diane Walker and Barry Peters.
In this podcast, the two co-founders of the Edge Improv - Frank Buxton and John Ellis - describe the upcoming series of European Films they are curating and presenting at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art (BIMA). Tuesday January 26th will be opening night for the Winter Tuesday night film series. It's been preceded by two others over the past 12 month: a series of comedies, and film noir. Like the last series, each film screening will be preceded by a light supper at the Museum's Bistro cafe and dining space, and followed by a discussion and Q&A with film experts. Frank and John plan to start on Jan 26th with a French silent film, "The Italian Straw Hat" (1928, Rene Clair), with live musical accompaniment on the keyboard. On Feb 2nd, it's "Gold of Naples", an exquisite look at 1954 Naples by Vittorio DiSica, with a segment that stars Sophia Loren as a pizza baker who loses her wedding ring. This is reportedly DiSica's favorite of his films and is a rarely screened treat. On subsequent Tuesday evenings, Frank and John plan to screen: "Closely Watched Trains" (1966, Czechoslovakia) "Wild Strawberries" (Ingmar Bergman, 1957, Sweden) "Tight Little Island" (the delightful English comedy, 1949) "Cinema Paradiso" (1988, Italy). Individual tickets (as well as series tickets with six for the price of five) are available at the film series page of the Museum website. Credits: BCB host, audio editor and social media publisher: Barry Peters.
Art in Action returns to the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art (BIMA) for the second year. In this podcast, the art museum's education director Kristin Tollefson tells BCB about the fun activities for budding artists of all ages during the school break period, It's offered Saturday Dec 19th to Wednesday Dec 30th. Whether you are looking for an art project for the whole family or just looking for a relaxing place to escape from the business of the season, the upstairs Beacon gallery overlooking Waypoint Park is where you can slow down and give your left brain a rest. Let your creative side surface and make ornaments, gifts, cards or decorations every day from 11am till 2pm. Drop in or plan ahead with the list of activities increasingly being posted at BIMA's Art in Action web page. No reservations are necessary, and there is no charge, so there's no excuse not to take a break and stop by the art museum for a cuppa hot chocolate and a light, easy, fun art project! Credits: BCB host: Channie Peters; BCB audio editor: Tim Bird; BCB social media publisher: Barry Peters.
There is more to Halloween than treats and costumes! "Day of the Dead" or “Dios de los Muertos” is a holiday celebrated throughout Mexico and also around the world in other cultures. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to remember and honor friends and family members (including pets) who have died, and to help support their spiritual journey. Good food is always involved! In this podcast, Education Director Kristin Tollefson describes how Bainbridge Island Museum of Art (BIMA) helps our community celebrate this occasion this year - as it did last year - with a festival on Sunday, November 1st. The celebration at BIMA will include a brief ceremony at 10:30AM followed by individual offerings to the dearly departed at an altar (offrenda). There will also be face painting, crepe paper flower making and other activities for the children. And of course, there will be great Mexican snacks prepared by Chef Melinda Lucas from old family recipes. Festivities will continue all day at BIMA on November 1st, and the altar will continue to be accessible during the week until November 7th for offerings to be brought in by anyone unable to come on November 1st. Credits: BCB host: Channie Peters; BCB audio editor: Tim Bird; BCB social media publisher: Barry Peters.
From BCB... http://bestofbcb.org/podcast-arts-and-artists-horst-gottschalk/ Bainbridge Island Museum of Art Education Director Kristin Tollefson talks with Dr. Brett Van Hoesen, art historian and scholar at University of Nevada, Reno, about German artist Horst Gottschalk, whose work was featured in a solo exhibit at the art museum June-September 2015. They are joined by Hidde Van Duym, BIMA's co-curator for this exhibit. Dr. Van Hoesen, a scholar of German 20th century art, began researching the art of Horst Gottschalk in 2014 when his widow and stepson offered her extensive access to Gottschalk's notes, letters, photographs, collages and paintings, and that led to her writing an introductory essay for the catalog of his works. In this fascinating and informative conversation, Dr. Van Hoesen discusses what she has learned from this firsthand research and from her resulting studies of influences on Gottschalk's art -- especially his collages -- after he emigrated to the United States from Germany. Hidde Van Duym, an artist on Bainbridge Island as well as an immigrant during the same period as Gottschalk, adds insights into the themes encountered in these fascinating works of art. Credits: BCB host: Channie Peters; audio editor: Tim Bird; publishers Chris and Diane Walker.
In this insightful interview of sculptor David Eisenhour by Bainbridge Island Museum of Art executive director and curator Greg Robinson, we gain a sense of the artist's development and evolution. Over the decades, as Eisenhour relished the process of bronze sculpting, he also nurtured his love of nature and a continual discovery of the minute intricacies in the natural world. In their conversation, Greg talks with David about what has driven his sculpting - process and subject matter. And we learn how David's growing concern about climate change's effects on our natural world has moved him to focus our attention on the changes he sees in the oceans, including seawater acidification and the unprecedented increase in species such as jellyfish. In particular, David talks about his intriguing jellyfish exhibit in the front windows of the art museum, facing the sidewalk along Winslow Way. David describes the significance of these jellyfish, the inspiration for them, and the captivating way they are exhibited, hanging from motorized gears that simulates how they might float in the ocean. This is a delightful conversation that opens a fascinating window into the world of a thoughtful, sensitive sculptor. Credits: BCB hosts: Channie Peters and Greg Robinson; BCB audio editor: Tim Bird; BCB social media publisher: Barry Peters.
In this interview, Bainbridge Island Museum of Art Curator and Executive Director Greg Robinson has a fascinating conversation with award-winning children's book illustrator Pierr Morgan. We learn how Pierr, at the age of nine, knew she would be an artist, and at 16, knew she would be a children's book illustrator. Pierr tells Greg about the process of getting a book illustration gig with editors, and about the collaborative process of imagining and creating a finished book together with her frequent collaborator, Carole Lexa Schaefer, with whom she has published 10 children's books. Pierr's children's books have been selected twice by the Dolly Parton Imagination Library for distribution to thousands of children's mailboxes in the US and internationally. This podcast is one of a BCB podcast show called Arts and Artists on Bainbridge. It is part of a series of “Art Museum Encounters” in which BIMA's curator will talk with artists and collectors whose works are currently on display at BIMA. Another emerging series, called “Meet Community Artists,” includes conversations with artists, authors, performers and musicians on Bainbridge Island. Credits: BCB host: Channie Peters; BCB audio editor: Tim Bird; BCB social media publisher: Barry Peters.