Boat House and Festival Plaza

Ok, so this post is just a bit of unsolicited, free advertising for the City of Lafayette. I just wanted to keep you up to date about the happenings around town. If you are a local you can come to some of these events.
I have written several times about our boathouse and the fire that destroyed it; now, I want to let you know that the new one is ready to go!

Come to the Waneka Lake Boathouse Celebration

May 9
2:00pm – 4:00pm
Waneka Lake Park and Boathouse, 1600 Caria Drive / Lafayette

There will be activities for kids, refreshments, paddle boat rides and more!

Another new addition to Lafayette will be opened on May 9. Festival Plaza is a new area on Public Road, to be used for community events, local farmers markets, and as a fun public gathering spot. Later this spring several sculptures will be installed as part of Art on the Street, Lafayette's new sculpture walk.

Festival Plaza dedication

May 9

Activities and refreshments from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

Corner of S. Public Road and Chester Street

A lot is happening around town! It's exciting to be part of such a great community! Maybe we will see you at one of these fun events.

Public Art at School

The city of Lafayette, with the support of City Council, local businesses, and community members, has made a concerted effort to bring art into our daily lives. We have several different committees and commissions that focus on art and public art. There are art nights on Public Road. There are public art installations all around town. While the art movement in Lafayette is relatively new, I think the whole town of Lafayette is getting into the spirit of public art. Last week as we were walking up to the elementary school, we saw this lovely sculpture garden in front of the building.

I talked with one of the wonderful art teachers later in the week. She explained that the 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade classes had participated in creating this permanent sculpture garden in front of the school. The pieces were installed before the school's "Learning Fair," but are a permanent installation to enhance the school. Each piece is mounted to a steel pipe which is cemented into the ground. I asked how long the pieces would be there, and she said she has similar sculpture in her garden that are ten or fifteen years old. I hope these last at least that long. The project was made possible with the help of a grant from the Lafayette Cultural Arts Commission.

I think that using children's art as permanent public art is wonderful, especially at an elementary school. It is a lovely way to beautify our spaces, which students, teachers, parents and community memebers can enjoy. But it also serves as an historic marker, of sorts. Just think about the students who will pass by or return to their old school and can say, "I made that," in five, ten or fifteen years. What a gift that teacher has given those students, the school and our community.

Thank you.

Save the date...

You've been asking, so we've done it....

We've finally picked a date for our Spring Sale.

Thursday, May 21; 6:30pm - 9:00pm

Friday, May 22; 9:00am - 1:00pm



Tell your friends! Mark your calendar! We hope you can make it!

Boat House Update

Do you remember when I told you about the Lafayette Boathouse that was destroyed by arson. It was a big loss for our community. The boathouse at Waneka Lake was a nice little gem in our town. Children and adults enjoyed what it had to offer, and in 2007, it was senselessly burned to the ground.

I wanted to give you an update. What was diminished to ashes has been rebuilt.

I have been meaning to take my camera with me on our walks, today I remembered it, just as I was walking out the door. I am so glad I did. As we were coming around the west end of the lake, we saw a trailer filled with bright paddle boats, ready for delivery.

The boathouse will be finished soon. The fleet will be back in the water this summer. There will be a ribbon cutting ceremony and grand opening next month - details to follow.

Lafayette Art Night Out

We are attending Lafayette's Art Night Out. If you are looking for something local to do, you might also be interested. What's not to love about art, wine, live music, and walking around town? You can get more information on the city's website. Lots of the restaurants and stores are having sales and promotions, too.

Around town

I try to be observant. You know, that whole "stop and smell the roses" thing. Sometimes I miss things, sometimes I catch something.

Kerry and I frequently take walks to Waneka Lake. It's a nice, long walk that provides a fair amount of exercise. The lake is pretty and not too far away. On one of our walks this winter, I noticed this in a vacant store front:

Ok, look a little more closely....

The store front is available to rent. Perhaps the owners believe that a little St. Joseph, so often used for good luck in home sales will also provide good luck in rentals. Snopes.com even has an article devoted to St. Joseph with complete instructions for how to use St. Joseph to your advantage. While home sellers and Realtors advice varies, many trust the good fortune this little plastic statue can bring.

But, in this time of down turned markets and slow real estate, what's the harm in believing in a little extra good luck?

Happy New Year!

We hope you all had a wonderful holiday season.

We've taken a little blog holiday. We have been busy with the hustle and the bustle of the season. And now, we are ready for the New Year! Are you?

The wind has been horrible here. It keeps everyone up at night. A few days ago we had hurricane force winds all along the front range area. We had gusts up to 90 miles an hour. It was crazy!

There was lots of damage around all the local towns. The town of Superior had flying trampolines, Louisville lost street signs, Goldie's (a store in Lafayette) lost part of the front of its building. And, a few blocks from the studio, this is what you could see:

Can you find the car in these pictures?

And, no, it was not a convertible.

The tree sliced the car in half.

So, we are wishing for calmer winds and a peaceful year.

Happy New Year to you all!

Art Around Town

To continue the tour of Lafayette Public Art...

Public art doesn't always follow a specific theme. But two of Lafayette's most recent public art installations are directly related to the history and culture of our town.

The first is a sculpture called towns-woman by artist Tim Upham. It was installed alongside Baseline Road, in front of our Rec Center, in the fall of 2006. While I must admit, at first glance, I didn't really "get" the sculpture, it has come to grow on me. When I first drove past the piece, I wasn't drawn to its angular, industrial look. I quickly noticed, however, the words etched into the crosspieces were more feminine in nature, "favorite niece" "girlhood home," "birthplace," "maiden name." And, when I heard the story behind the piece, I grew to like it more. Mr. Upham's inspiration for the piece is Mrs. Mary Miller, the founder of the town of Lafayette. The form of the piece is a representation of the original street plat of the town of Lafayette. The words on the piece reflect the many aspects of Mrs. Miller's life. It is a thoughtful piece of art.

The second sculpture called Toros Curiousos was installed in September of 2007. This large scale sculpture is by Christopher Weed. I think this sculpture is great! It consists of two huge, vibrant, angular bulls with lengths of industrial chain as their tails. They sit amid the prairie, over looking Highway 287. The two bright orangey-red bulls sit adjacent to the Super Wal-Mart parking lot. While it's location is not totally conducive for viewing, there are plans for a walking trail to run from nearby Anna's Farm neighborhood towards the east and past the bulls. And, it certainly is a head turner for the commuters travelling south on the road. I love that the Toros are so whimsical, and that they are a nod to Lafayette's agricultural and ranching roots. As for the Bulls being near the Wal-Mart, that is no coincidence. All commercial properties built in Lafayette contribute 1% for art as part of their building permit fees. This is one of several ways that the Public Art Committee is funded in the city.

So, on with the tour. Next time I think I will take you on a drive down Public Road, our main street and show you how we add art to our lives on the road.

looking for reasons...

Sometimes I ask myself why...

Why don't I carry my camera in the car with me? This question came up today when I saw an elderly man, in shorts, white socks pulled up high, smoking a pipe, riding a pink vespa. Why, oh why didn't I have my camera with me? Hopefully the description creates a nice visual for you.

Why should I look for that long lost friend? This summer Kerry and I joined the facebook craze. And craze it is! It is a time-sucking, I mean networking tool that allows you to find long lost acquaintances and current friends and keep in touch in yet another social-electronic way. I think I may be addicted. So, the question is, if you find that long lost friend, do you send the message? What if they don't reply? Do you take it personally? For me the answer came when I found a friend from college. We had lost touch and she had since moved to Europe. When I found her, her reply was, "I have tried to find an email address for you every now and then, but with no success. I'm really glad to hear from you." So, I am glad I did. Thank you facebook.

Kerry and I frequently ask ourselves: why should we continue writing our blog, when so few (if any) people comment? The answer came in the form of an email last week. After my first post about the public art committee, I received an email from the Mayor of Lafayette who, in her words, is a "regular reader" of our blog. Hello Mrs. Mayor!

Questions asked, and answered. I guess I shouldn't go to far to look for those reasons why, I should just give it a try.

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!

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.)

Best Deal in Town

Today we were looking for something interesting to occupy our Sunday afternoon. We decided to check out the paddle boats at Waneka Lake (in Lafayette, Colorado). They have a beautiful fleet of brightly colored animal paddle boats. For $6-8 per boat, depending on the size, you can spend 30 minutes tooling around the lake. Believe me, 30 minutes is plenty of time peddling for a 5 and 8 year old. We chose the 4-person, white pelican boat (not pictured). All four of us had a great time peddling around the lake, and watching the fish jump. It was a nice Sunday afternoon.
You can find more information on the City of Lafayette website.