Panama Red Arts Launch Party

This Saturday

at 7:00

15 June 2013

 Panama Red Arts 

presents:

EYE DECAY

Presenting:

Ben Burr

Janelle Bonfour-Mikes

Celia Rose

Javier Baeza

Carlos Ventura

Jamie Zoe Givens

and more!

Join us at The Building in 5 Points
1008 Woodland
East Nashville

An evening of art in many forms

beer and wine

and cupcakes.

easter [a poem]

and it will be that when I die
I'll remember
till then I wonder
how can it be what makes me cry
is not all very somber.
yellow is the daffodil emerging from the frost
translucent in the morning sun
evanescence lost.
this fleeting feeling once familiar
now forever thrown
I believe we're stars
we're light
but hell
to each his own.
the violent pink of the morning sun
same as them eyes of yours
it sets the tone that marks another
day passed inside doors.
and reminiscing of the days that we'd sleep hand in hand
and chin in neck and lips on cheek
ashes lost in sand.

El Año de Transformar: Mover

The Year of Transformation: Move

Self-confidence and self-love. Two important feelings that I hope to share with the girls at the Buen Pastor orphanage in Guanajuato while working with Colectivo TAN 473. One of the ways that I would like to do this is through movement.

I grew up dancing... everywhere!  I couldn't keep myself from tap dancing in the kitchen, pirouetting on the soccer field and twirling across the stage. And though my experience as a ballerina ended at age 20, I continue to dance today- only not in a tutu. I still crave the feeling of the music and my body combining to express the emotions that I feel but am unable to put into words.  I hope to share that excitement with the children in Guanajuato just as my parents gave me that opportunity.

During the 2013 Fall semester, I would like to offer dance and movement classes to the children as part of El Año de Transformar.  Not only does dance allow a healthy way to release energy or tension that is felt, it gives confidence and a sense of ownership of one's body.

I would like to combine ballet technique, to strengthen the body, with improvisation that will encourage the girls to move in creative and non-limiting ways.  For example, as the music begins, we will all pretend to be algae at the bottom of the ocean. Swaying with the soft current and then, as the music becomes faster, we become jelly fish, then turn into a manta ray, we will change into the waves crashing on the beach and end as a the bubbles swirling back into the great blue sea.

My plan is, for the month of November, to work on a performance inspired by the classic The Nutcracker.  Local musicians will do a rendition of the beautiful music to which we will choreograph new dances. At the beginning of the holiday season I would like to organize performances in a few plazas in Guanajuato's historic town center to share our excitement and love with the community.

Please help me make this dream a reality by donating or sharing this with your friends!

El Año de Transformar: Mover

Confianza en si mismo y amor propio.  Dos sentimientos importantes que espero compartir con las nenas del internado del Buen Pastor en Guanajuato mientras trabajando con Colectivo TAN 473. El movimiento es una de las maneras en que espero lograr eso.

Cuando era pequeña bailaba y bailaba... por todas partes! No me podía parar de bailar en la cocina, dando vueltas en el campo de futbol y brincando por el escenario.  Y aunque mi experiencia como bailarina se acabó cuando tenía 20 años, sigo bailando hoy... pero sin tutu.  Las ganas no se me quitan de poner la musica y fundir mi cuerpo con el sonido para mostrar la emoción que siento pero no puedo expresar en palabras. Espero compartir mi amor del baile con los jovenes de Guanajuato como mis padres a mi me lo compartieron.

Durante el primer cuatrimestre, quiero ofrecer clases de danza y movimiento como parte del Año de Transformar. Les provee una manera saludable de soltar energia o quitarse de la tensión tanto como les da confianza y un sentido de propeidad de su cuerpo.

Me gustaria combinar parte de la técnica de ballet clasico con improvisación para animar a los participantes moverse en maneras creativas y sin limites. Quiero, en el mes de noviembre, crear un performance inspirado por El Cascanueces.  Musicos de Guanajuato van a crear una interpretación de la musica y vamos a hacer nueva coreografía.  Al principio de las posadas la idea es hacer los performance en algunas de las plazas del centro histórico de Guanjauato para compartir nuestra emoción y amor con la comunidad.

Por favor, ayudame hacer este sueño realidad! Donar aquí y comparte con tus amigos!

Tokens of Amor

The Skillery's Nasvhille Creativity Summit was two full days full of creative collaboration and focusing on ways to grow as an individual while giving back to the city which is endless in its inspiration.

I have been out of the bubble of academia for a while so the feel of the weekend was laced with nostalgia for the days that were crisp with the energy of exchanging knowledge.  The workshop on Saturday the 9th was more reminiscent of a lecture-based course with speakers, power point presentations and only a couple of breaks to go out and soak up the returning sunshine that has been away during the winter months.  We were well caffeinated by Beve Mobile Coffee and I finally got to sample the goods of Bang Candy Company for lunch. I was impressed by and encouraged by the strong voice that women had among the guest speakers.  The panel discussion with Liza Graves, Kate Mills and Kaelah Bee was just what I needed to top off all of the preparations I had done for the Valentine-making workshop the next day.

I have to say, before anything else, that I would not have pulled off the class if it hadn't been for my roommate. She let me load her car down and offered to spend her morning off to help me out by arranging, rearranging, unpacking and sorting, tasting and moving everything around the shop all while I steadily babbled my thoughts out loud and worked myself into an excited mess.

For me, the preparations that go into teaching a class are similar to those that go into creating a painting. Planning the activities, looking at the workspace, gathering supplies and then making the projects before hand are for my pre-class routine what the laying out the brushes and solvents, scraping the palette and stretching the canvas are for my process of painting. I want the participants in the class to feel that they have the freedom to stand or sit and move around while working. Having options at your fingertips and the opportunity to use different materials on a whim allows the dream to become tangible.   I hope to provide a comfortable environment that enables the imagination during my classes. 

It was a joy seeing how the scraps of paper and pieces of ribbon were used transform the maps and magazines into Tokens of Amor that will be shared with loved ones this coming Thursday.  It was a wonderful day of loving love as my friend, Janelle of Panama Red Arts, says. 

read between the lines

Rusted is the copper chime, her spirit gone for now.

Not to the stars, heed not the lies, the murmurs of the crowd.

Her echo is loft across the map but listen! For it isn't loud.

She belongs not to the sea nor land, yet uses each at whim

to tune the notes. The fire is stoked, yet she soars with her kind, the wind.

And, as the moon, the seasons change, thus shall the rose turn, too,

back to the ones she calls her own. Tho she fears it won't be soon.

Jamaica

I can't catch my breath. The sunlight, the shadows... veins and petals. Beauty is all around and in the morning, before the noise of man deafens me, the silence is golden. Now... how do I harvest this thing to make some agua fresca?

No puedo respirar. La luz del sol, las sombras... venas y pétalos.  La belleza me envuelve y en la mañana, antes de que el ruido del hombre me aplaste, el silencio es precioso. Bueno... y ahora como le hago para convertir ésta en agua fresca? 

agua de jamaica

El Encino

El Encino is one of many colonies within Guanajauto, Mexico that are underprivileged and often forgotten by those who reside in the historical district, i.e. the richer part of town.  The residents of this colony are  higher in the mountains and beyond the sight of the tourists; often their interests and needs are pushed aside or completely ignored by the government.  

Katie, Matteo, David and I went up to spend time with the kids from the area and help them see what urban art can do to better a neighborhood.  Over the course of the month we taught them how to use aerosol, make stencils and wheat paste and showed them videos of different graffiti artists.  The walls that we used were offered by different homeowners in the area. They were first painted white and then we were allowed to come in and paint murals, paste drawings and turn the wall into a piece of art rather than chicken scratch.  Those who participated in the workshop were so inspiring and excited to see the results.  The ideas that the participants were incredible and they took only a slight bit of encouragement to feel completely at ease with the task at hand.  They were are content as we were with the outcome.

  

El Encino es una colonia de Guanajuato Capital que pocos del centro histórico conocen.  Es ubicado más arriba en la sierra y fuera de la vista de los turistas; suele pasar que sus necesidades son ignorados por el gobierno.  Katie, Matteo David y yo subimos a pasar tiempo con los jóvenes de la colonia y a mostrarles como el arte urbano puede mejorar el ambiente del barrio.  Durante el mes les enseñamos una variedad de técnicas: usar aerosol, hacer plantillas y engrudo, y proyectamos vídeos que se trataron de diferentes artistas de graffiti.  Los muros que pintamos fueron ofrecidos por unos dueños de las casas en la colonia.  Primero las pintaron en blanco y después nosotros llegamos para pintar y elaborarlas. Las convertimos en arte, en murales inspiradores en vez de estar llenas de manchas y estar rayadas sin sentido.  Los que participaron en el taller se emocionaron al ver sus diseños en las paredes y a nosotros nos inspiraron mucho.  Las ideas que nos presentaron eran increíbles y solo nos costó poquito para hacer que se sentían cómodos con el proyecto. Estaban tan contentos como nosotros con los resultados.

El Buen Pastor

El Buen Pastor is an orphanage at the top of the Calzada de Guadalupe in Guanajuato Capital, Mexico.  The girls and the madres live in a beautiful haven with flowers, a fountain and one of the best views around.  Last summer, Katie Clancy organized a week of camping and converted their home into Plasticolandia!  We played with the girls and organized various activities that focusing on the large island of trash that is forming in the Pacific ocean as well as the importance of recycling. During the week the story of Plasticolandia was developed and we worked on a presentation to be performed in the Plaza Cantarranas at the end of the week.  Using plastic bags, styrofoam, two liter bottles and other materials, we made sea animals to hang from the tree and costumes to transform the girls into different characters such as sea turtles, squids and birds. The camp was a huge success; not only were the girls delighted to sleep in tents under the stars but the occupation of the plaza drew a large crowd.  The message of the play, to be aware of our use, reuse and recycling, of plastic and other trash, was entertaining and effective.

El Buen Pastor es un internado arriba de la Calzada de Guadalupe en Guanajuato Capital.  Las nenas y las madres viven en un paraíso hermoso con flores, una fuente y una vista incomparable.  En el verano de 2011, Katie Clancy organizó un campamento para las nenas y durante una semana su hogar se convirtió en Plasticolandia! Jugando y participando en varias actividades, nos enfocamos en la importancia del reciclaje.  Les platicamos de la isla de basura que se accumula en el Pacifico que es resultado de la basura a causa de los seres humanos.  A lo largo de la semana, la historia de Plasticolandia se fue formando y nosotros con las nenas preparamos una obra para presentar al publico en la Plazuela Cantarranas al cierre del campamento.  Utilizamos bolsas de plastico, tetra pak y botellas de refrescos para hacer disfraces como pulpos, pájaros, estrellas de mar y tortugas según los personajes en la obra. También usamos los materiales para hacer animalitos a colgar del árbol para crear el escenario para el performance.  El campamento fue un éxito total. Las nenas disfrutaron mucho de poder dormir bajo las estrellas y un gran numero de personas se paró en la plaza para disfrutar de la ocupación.  El mensaje de la obra, estar consciente del uso, reutilizo y reciclaje de plastico o otros tipos de basura, fue efectivo y a la vez entretenido.

i don't know why

I don't grasp being envious of someone who is miserable despite being surrounded by friends and family. Who just doesn't know why she is depressed in her home. Who can't explain why she can't just get a job to pay the bills.  Someone who talks about being blessed and excited to see a new place, learn a new language and live a life that so many dream about... because she does realize, she does... but who breaks down in front of her fellow passengers when boarding for the first leg of the trip because it hurts so bad to leave the people that she loves and that love her despite truly knowing her. 
It isn't something I choose, really, this life that happens to me. I would choose, probably, to not work for minimum wage and 30 hours a week. I would opt not to spend money on plane tickets and oil paints. And I would probably get a government job that would pay me to go to the places and do the things I want to do. They would pay me to learn all the languages on my list. It would be much easier that way. And I'd probably have health insurance. And a company car. And a house. No debt. (I know you know what I'm talking about.) 
But I can't just do that.

It's a good thing I don't live in Mario's world

Because if I did, I would have rammed my awesome Volvo wagon, Lori, into someone long ago. 

Namely those someones who speed up West 7th Street 15 miles over the speed limit, switch in and out of lanes without blinking and have ignorant bumper stickers on their cars publicizing their intolerance:

Terrifying. 

It hurts to see intelligent people, or so I once regarded them, refuse to allow another person to be who they were born to be. Life is hard enough as it is, why the attempts to degrade and humiliate another human being who had just as little choice in how they were formed as the next? No one wants to live in fear but that is where the choice lies. 

The refusal to accept and learn about any lifestyle that is distinct from the hater's own stems, I believe, from fear. Fear of the unknown, the forbidden... but I also believe that those people who are so adamant in their stance against different cultures and lifestyles are so because of a deep fear of themselves.  Whether it be sex, marijuana, alcohol, immigrants or homosexuality... the barrier put up is because of a fear instilled in them at a young age by biased institutions that tend to cultivate doubt in the individuals that are born, without choice, into said surroundings.

Allowing men to marry men or women to marry women does not signify that it is mandatory for everyone to do so. It does not mean that same-sex marriages will taint those of heterosexuals.  But the fear of the unknown and the desire to squelch any alternative way of thinking continues to be bred across the world. 

I don't understand.

How futile it seems to try and push love and tolerance on people... how confusing.  Should that not be our prime goal? As fellow human beings? To love and be loved?

When tsunamis and earthquakes hit everyone is moved to do their part... but at a safe distance and through a text message donation. Give someone the opportunity to have a home and a family? No... of course not. Not if they are gay.  How close-minded!

Call me a hypocrite, but I would much rather be intolerant of hate than try to prevent another's happiness.

It's a good think I don't like guns, either...