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Over second and third cups flow matters of high finance, high state, common gossip and low comedy. [Coffee] is a social binder, a warmer of tongues, a soberer of minds, a stimulant of wit, a foiler of sleep if you want it so. From roadside mugs to the classic demi-tasse, it is the perfect democrat. ~Author Unknown

Art Around Town

Since I am a new member to the Lafayette Public Art Committee, I thought I should familiarize myself (and you by default) with the art around my town.

We have two public art installations at our library. The first is a tile mosaic mural that I showed you before. I love this one. It is my first personal experience with public art. To fund the project (many years ago) they (the powers that be) "sold" tiles to members of the community. My mom bought tiles for me and Jeremy as a gift. Somewhere on that mural, on the backs of the tiles are my and Jeremy's names. My mom never knew what she started with me, with that gift of tile. I appreciate this piece for its historical depiction as well as its complex medium. Imagine putting together a mural that big, using only 1 inch black and white and gray tiles.

The second library piece is a metal sculpture that sits at the driveway to the building. It is called Within your Reach. I enjoy this piece for its whimsical nature. It is a depiction of joy and childhood, as well as reading and learning.Stay tuned for more Art Around Town. There is lots to share in our little town. We love art, we embrace art, we make art public. Enjoy!

Friday Freebie

A few more vintage black and white photo postcards. These ones are curious. Is she a nurse or a nun?

What happened between photo one and photo two that changed her mood so drastically?

(right click the image to save it to your computer for your own use)

Have a great weekend!

Americans for the Arts

We just found out that October is National Arts & Humanities Month. It is sponsored by Americans for the Arts, the nation's leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. Their website says:

National Arts and Humanities Month (NAHM) is a coast-to-coast collective celebration of culture in America. Held every October and coordinated by Americans for the Arts, it has become the largest annual celebration of the arts and humanities in the nation. From arts center open houses to mayoral proclamations to banners and media coverage, communities across the United States join together to recognize the importance of arts and culture to citizen's daily lives.

I know October seems far off, but it's not. Now is the time to plan. Buy your theater tickets, plan or attend a performance, go to a museum, go to a gallery, visit an art studio (wink, wink), buy some local art, go to a local concert or play, attend an art festival or street fair, read poetry, write poetry, the possibilities are open to your imagination. What will you do for National Arts and Humanities Month? Why wait? Why not start now?

Pencils

Ah, the children are off to school today. I have one child in 4th and another in 5th grade. Before school starts, we have an extensive back to school list of supplies that we are to provide for our children. Can we afford the supplies? yes. Do I feel they are necessary to my children's education? some yes, most no. I won't even get into the need for ziploc bags (of which I completed 9 years of primary, 4 years of high school and 4 years of college without ever using one in the classroom.) Okay fine, so I did get into the ziploc bag issue.

I have a larger issue - 108 pencils. Between my 2 children we were asked to provide 72 pencils for 4th grade and 36 for 5th grade. Does this not seem like a waste? Each year my mom would buy me a 12 pack of pencils of which I was solely responsible for sharpening and taking care of them, for the year. I cherished my pencils and they were always best when they were sharpened as far as they could go and still be usable. So what is the goal of having so many pencils per child? It can't be taking responsibility for your property. It can't be environmental responsibility. What could we possibly teach our children by requiring that they provide a wasteful amount of consumable goods in the classroom? I would love to know.

I say teach your children to use goods wisely and take responsibility for your supplies. A pencil is a wonderful tool for learning, art and conversation and should be valued not wasted.

Public Art

This summer I applied for, interviewed for, and joined the Lafayette Public Art Committee. As a longtime resident of Lafayette this seemed a natural fit. It has been a very interesting experience for me, so far.

I applied for several reasons. A friend of mine, who was a member of the committee, told me of the opening. As an "artist" in Lafayette, I thought it might be a good for me to get more involved in the art community in our small town. So, I filled out the application and hoped for an interview. The application forced me to think about my views on art, describe my background in art, and discuss what I thought of public art. These were actually challenging questions, to me, to define art is personal and subjective to some extent, but public art is forces us to collectively define what is "good" and what real art.

The interview was also challenging. I have not interviewed for a job for many years. I was worried my art views would be questioned. Maybe I would have to really define "good art". Instead, the panel of five really wanted to know if I had some time to volunteer and if I could "play well with others." It was, to some extent, about the nuts and bolts of working in a committee and getting things done. I guess I fit the bill. Seven people interviewed for four positions on the committee.

Last night I attended orientation and first meeting. It was a great group of people and I am excited to work with them and get to know them in the coming year. Part of our orientation, however, was to learn about the government involvement with our committee. This part was the most surprising to me. (It has been a while since I had a public sector job.) Since we are an adjunct committee reporting to the Lafayette City Council, we fall under all the public government rules, which makes sense to me. We receive public funds and our actions have to be open to the public. This also makes sense to me. Here is how this translates: more than two people from the committee cannot have a conversation, via telephone, email or in person without announcing the "meeting" and posting an agenda 24 hours in advance. This is where I was shocked. So, if I run into two other members of the committee at my favorite coffee spot, we can not discuss anything about public art, I am not sure we can even discuss art.

During the rest of the meeting, we got down to business. I am excited about their goals and the current projects. As a small town, Lafayette has made it a goal to support art and put art in public places. It is nice to be part of a community with those goals. I would like to share the art in my town with you in the coming months. You can let me know what you think about public art. Oops, am I allowed to say that? I had better check!

(The above photo is of the Mary Miller Historic Mural located at the Lafayette Public Library. The mural is a mosaic tile installation, made up of 1 inch black, white and gray tiles to create the "photographic" depiction of the city founders and local coal miners.)

Back to School Means Back to Art

For the next few weeks we will be publishing copies of stories on our business that are seen on yourhub.com

Now that Boulder County schools are back in session, the Helen Parker Art Studio can resume its open hours. Partner owners, Rachel Hanson and Kerry Feiman are forced into semi shut down for the summer due to 4 kids running about. "We can usually work one day a week during the summer. The girls are pretty good but only have so much patience," says Feiman. They use their summer hours away from the studio for throwing around ideas and planning events for the Fall. They also fulfill their Amazon orders and website orders which still keep coming in even with a faltering economy.
The events for this fall are bigger and better than they have ever been. The invitation only Fall launch party for their Milagro Jewelry line is always a much anticipated event. This years party features an exclusive one of a kind line of jewelry. Guests will need to make their choices quickly or they will be gone forever. It is a great social hour with food, drinks, prizes and give-aways. This year also features an exclusive preview of October's Big Art Show. Gathering new exhibiting artists, the show will feature various jewelry artists, potters, fabric artists and home decor art pieces. The show will have twice as many booths as last years. "This year's art show features some very talented new artists and pieces. I can't wait to do my own holiday shopping there," says Hanson.
In addition to the shows the studio will expand its open studio and store hours. They will be open to the public every Tuesday and Friday from 9am-11:30am.
The studio is located at 600 E. Simpson in old town. The studio entrance is through the west gate located on Finch.