Christmas Cards at Rockwood

I had the privilege of making Christmas cards with the residents at Rockwood on Hawthorne this morning.  There were about five seniors up for participating at various skill levels and degrees of fine motor control.  This made for a diverse experience, even within the same age group. After assessing their skill set I made efforts to allow them to make as much of the card on their own as they were able.  They loved picking out their own colors and patterns and deciding what they wanted me to write for them inside their card.  The nature of this project opened up conversation about the loved ones they wanted to make their card out to.  It was so fun to get to chat with them about their kids, grandkids and even great grand kids.

This project was just as uplifting and encouraging for me as it obviously was for the seniors.  It was incredible to get a chance to practice the kind of work I would love to do long term as an art therapist.   They were fun and silly and opened up more and more as our time together went on. I plan on continuing my relationship with the center and the people who live there.  It was honestly too much fun not to go again and develop deeper connections with those lovely individuals. 

Desert Noises

The band Desert Noises from Utah played a lyrical, folk music set at the Bartlett downtown Spokane this fall.  The concert was engaging and the lyrics of each piece could have passed as poetry.  This event was inclusive and brought the audience closer to each other and the band. I had the unique experience of chatting with the band members before the show to get a sense of their style and vision. These artists were so friendly and inclusive I ended up singing karaoke with them after the show.
This experience was richer for it and gave me the chance to understand the flexible nature necessary to continue this kind of art making night after night, constantly finding yourself in a new city with new friends. It was a good look into realities of a music driven life. Go down to the Bart. There are always amazing new people and good artsy times to be had.

Come All Ye Faithful

The weekend of December 6^th and 7^th, Whitworth University’s Choirs gathered together to perform their annual Christmas concert at the Seattle Presbyterian Church, downtown Seattle, WA. The concert featured over 120 student musicians, including members of the Whitworth Choir, the Whitworth Women’s Choir, the Whitworth Men’s Chorus and the Whitworth Chamber Singers. Each choir sang beautiful melodies of traditional songs in a variety of languages, and gathered together at the end for a finale performance of the song ‘Advent Responsory’.

The entire church hummed with the incredible voices of the University's young musicians and was reciprocated enthusiastically by the audience. Many participants in the audience had been coming to the annual concert for several years, and a majority of the audience were first time visitors. Rather they were returning or new, the audience was mesmerized by the enchanting choral. The concert consisted of many Christmas celebrations, including scripture readings, traditional carols, and was highlighted by the conclusion ‘Advent Responsory’ which was sang in candlelight. The choir is a Christmas tradition for many local individuals and friends of the university, as well as Alumina and members of the greater Seattle area. 

The 'Come All Ye Faithful' christmas concert will be coming to Spokane the weekend of the 13th and 14th. The University's annual concert will be held at The Fox downtown Spokane, WA and will have performances on Saturday, Dec. 13, at 8 p.m. and on Sunday, Dec. 14, at 3 p.m. For more information please visit this website. 

http://news.whitworth.edu/2014/11/whitworth-choirs-to-present-2014.html

Saranac Small Works Show

The Saranac Small Works Show is a great opportunity to support  local emerging artists, while finalizing your Christmas shopping at the same time. With a wide array of works ranging from 1 to 100 dollars, this show offers the perfect art piece for anyone on your list. In addition to the multitude of pieces, the galley staff offers their own contribution of spunk to make the overall experience of visiting the Saranac quite enjoyable. Due to limited hours of operation, be sure to make room in your schedule. The galley is open from noon to 5 P.M. on Thursday and from noon to 8 P.M.Friday and Saturday. In addition to the gallery, Saranac also offers the Green Lantern Theater and a public house to help satisfy a variety of your needs.

As mentioned, there is a wide variety of  art work ranging from watercolor to sculptures. Currently three sculptures are on display, created by Aryn Fields, an art student at SFCC. You can find additional works by Aryn at etsy.com/shop/FieldsOfClay, and see her current updates by liking her Facebook page at facebook.com/arynfieldsceramics. Her works are very unique and creative, sure to be a conversation piece at any location. A few samples of Aryn's work are shown below.

 

Additional works include paper molds from SFCC art professor, Bernadette Vielbig, and watercolors from Whitworth art professor, Katie Creyts.

 

You can see from the picture only three of Katie's Blue Deer are still for sale, so be sure to attend promptly, before all item sell out. You can also follow Saranac on Facebook or Twitter, and to see the latest installments and a galley calender check out their website www.saranacartprojects.wordpress.com.

Fancy Feather Workings: For the bird of paradise within you

On December 6th, my cousin, Larissa Campbell, maker and seller of Fancy Feather Workings, had a booth set up at the INK Artspace, an organization located downtown at 228 W Sprague Ave Suite A. The organization's slogan is as follows: "WE ARE INK ARTSPACE, creating a vibrant arts culture through collaboration, youth education, and the power of imagination." Larissa was there from 9am-6pm selling various handmade feather creations including earrings, hat pins, and hair pieces. All are made out of feathers that come from cruelty-free environments and some have accents of beads, pins, or mini chains as well. Her pieces are truly unique as she is careful to use one-of-kind combinations from her personal materials in each creation. In her own words: "No two pairs look the same!"

If you are interested in purchasing your own one-of-a-kind feather accessories, check out her Etsy or Facebook page and shoot her a message! Custom orders are always welcome and encouraged.

Fancy Feather Workings: https://www.etsy.com/shop/fancyfeatherworkings#, https://www.facebook.com/FancyFeatherWorkings/timeline INK Artspace: https://www.inkspokane.org/, https://www.facebook.com/INKArtspace/timeline

Bowling at Rockwood

On a Saturday afternoon, Polly, Hayley, and I arrived at the beautiful retirement home just up Hawthorne equipped for a calm few hours of teaching crafts in the home's weekly art class. What we didn't expect was the wonky schedule and quirky personalities we were about to encounter at Rockwood. But isn't that what makes community arts fun? When we entered the building we were greeted by the activities coordinator, Gerri, a cheery jokester who was quick to tell us we didn't have to be so shy when we talked softly to each other as she completed our paperwork in her office. After completing our training time and walk-through of the center, Gerri led us all to the main lounge and asked, "Do you know how to play Wii?" She then proceeded to tell us that we were skipping the art class to play the video game with the residents. Gerri wrestled with the Wii game system as she bantered with one of the residents who had already made a beeline to the gaming area, ready to play Wii bowling. She said firmly, "I always play the bowling game." (She also reminded us this later when it was suggested we try another Wii sport). It didn't take long for two other residents to join the game and a couple others to watch contentedly from a distance. I'm sure we were a sight to see- swinging our imaginary bowling balls, taking the advice of the feisty Wii bowling expert on correct speed, length, and position of the swings. Although it was not what we anticipated, the time flew by as we got to chat with and cheer on our fellow bowling buddies as well as witness one man bowl strike after strike after strike without fail. Even without actually making art with the residents, we were lucky to have the opportunity to experience the surprises that come with engaging a community and we got to leave with a sense of flexibility and possibly a better grasp on the art of Wii bowling, (I know I did).

Performing the Self

Stage Two is an unassuming space, as you would expect the basement of Cowles Auditorium to feel.  On Wednesday night two friends and I arrived a few minutes before 9:30 so support our friends in the Performing the Self final.  This is a class in the theater department, which, according to its course description, offers “Theatre games and performance techniques for effective communication, problem-solving, relationship building, self-exploration and self-expression.” 

We had no idea what to expect, though my friend in the class had told me it would all be improvisation.  The class members were, for the most part, dressed in black and ready to perform.  Professor Diana Trotter stood up and greeted all of us, explaining that the class is split in to two parts: first, they cover how to address conflict through theater, both interpersonal and communal.  Then, they cover a unit called “interplay.” This is a series of forms which lead to combinations of movement and stories, silence and song, as she described it.  Basically, the class would be performing different spontaneous acting exercises that Diana called out for them to do.

The audience members yelled out themes to be written on the board so that the players would have something to go off of when improvising stories, and then they started.  The first piece was called “walk, stop, run,” which involved everyone starting on the sides of the room and then doing different movements across the floor in a completely random pattern.  Throughout the night groups of varying sizes would come up to perform different forms.  Three people got up and did interpretive dance to a song.  Three people did a “side by side story,” which meant they each stood next to each other and told three different stories all at the same time, talking over each other.  Another group created a “vocal choir,” each person making a new sound until the entire group was making sounds in harmony.

My favorite was the “gesture choir,” a form wherein one person monologues in the front while the rest stand behind her and imitate her motions.  The topic on the whiteboard she used as inspiration was “capitalism,” and she told a story about buying a burger at Zips.  It was fascinating and strange, and I really enjoyed it.  More than anything I admired the fearlessness of people who can take a class like that and perform completely on the spot in front of other people.  They were obviously comfortable working with each other, and it made me see how theater performance really could be a means of working through conflict, or at least expressing those emotions.  Would you ever take this class?         

Parole: 2014 Whitworth Faculty Exhibition

The Bryan Oliver Gallery is proud to present an exhibit of faculty art work during the months of November, December and into January. The Exhibition is titled Parole, meaning in this case “the linguistic behavior or performance of individuals, in contrast to the linguistic system of a community”. With entries from members of the art department faculty, the gallery holds mediums ranging from photography to printmaking to painting to glass to graphic design to mixed media and more. Some of the artwork showcased represented an entertaining story or fable.  While others were documentations or realizations from traveling experiences. And other works were concerned with identity, language, abstraction, perspective and even agriculture. Faculty includes Lance Sinnema, Robert Fifield, David Overstreet, Jeff Huston, Katie Creyts, Kirk Hirota, and Gordon Wilson.

  Illustrations, 2014, oil on linen 

 Spokane Town Musicians, 2013, oil on canvas 

 Gordon Wilson 

It was interesting and exciting for me to see and hear what my professors have been working on outside of class, as that is something I haven’t been fortunate enough to see until now. It was encouraging and very informative for me to see how each professor expresses themselves and their individual thoughts through their work rather than only seeing what my peers are creating. It was a nice reminder that my professors aren’t just teachers, but they are artists too. Seeing a variety of style through mediums, ideas, thought processes, composition and content really opened my eyes and motivated me to want to continue my building my portfolio outside of the classroom. After seeing this exhibition, I realized that that’s when all the magic happens, when you begin to create things for yourself, not just for an assignment, but something that truly expresses the real you and what you represent as an artist in this world. I applaud each and every one of the art department faculty and thank you for sharing your passions with us.

Landscape, 2014, mixed media

Lance Sinnema

Trondheim Cathedral, Norway, 2013, digital photography 

Kirk Hirota 

Bawl, 2014, handkerchiefs, glass, dress dummy

Katie Creyts 

Pivot III, 2014, oil on canvas

Robert Fifield 

Transitions, 2014, mixed media 

Jeff Huston 

To those of you who have not been to the Bryan Oliver Gallery yet, come on over! The exhibit is open until January 30. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday from 10 am-6pm & Saturday from 10am-2pm. 

The Nutcracker at the Fox

         Last Thursday I went to the Nutcracker at the Fox. I have been going to the Nutcracker ballet with my family almost every Christmas season since I was a little girl. This time, I went with my mom and dad and my boyfriend. It was so fun to see the diversity of people attending the ballet. There were older men and women dressed very professional and proper. There were younger people and families dressed in a more casual style, and there were also families and groups of little kids all dressed up in beautiful dresses with sparkles and bows, the works!

            When I first got into the theater and found my seat, I looked at the room and was enamored by the beautiful detail of the architecture. The walls of the Fox are so intricate and ornate, with rich colors and grand structural style. Finally the lights turned low and the symphony began to play. The performance started with a beautiful symphonic introduction. The curtain rose to display the very detailed backdrops and special features, such as snowflakes falling from the sky.

            Out of all the years I have gone to see the Nutcracker at the Fox, there is always an exciting anticipation for what will happen differently in each performance, as compared to the years before. Sometimes the companies change the theme or setting of the story, putting an interesting new twist to the classic story most people have grown so fond of. This year, the company performing stuck with the classic Nutcracker setting and storyline.

            I was a little disappointed this year because the company that performed was the same company who performed two years ago, and their performance was virtually the same this year as the last one. There were a few tweaks, but it was definitely not as exciting seeing the same version again. One thing that annoyed me was that they were trying to be funny. Personally, I love the classic Nutcracker because I think it is so beautiful; unfortunately, when they tried to add youthful humor to the classic ballet, it sort of cheapened the experience for me.

            Besides the uncomfortable child-like humor, I still really enjoyed the performance. The ballerinas are always so talented and athletic and the whole experience never fails to impress me. For anyone interested in dance, I would of course suggest going to see the Nutcracker. And for those who enjoy experiencing the symphony, this is by far one of the best ways to experience the music, accompanied by eye-catching performances and costumes and backdrops, etc.