Championing the makers, artists, and wanderers in all of us.
I took this photo of a tree covered in white blossoms against a brilliant blue sky during our recent camping trip at Chiricahua National Monument.
It was outside the old Faraway Ranch house. I’m not sure what kind of tree it is, but the bees sure loved it! The blossoms make me so happy that I’ve made this the wallpaper for my phone’s lock screen.
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This is our monthly curated roundup of upcoming maker/artist/explorer events!
Angle brackets (>>) point to related info on our site.
April 16, 5:30pm at Macayo’s Mexican Grill & Cantina’s Scottsdale and Shea location, 11107 N. Scottsdale Rd.
Dine with Mexico City-based artist Tania Candiani and ASU Art Museum curator Julio Cesar Morales. Cocktail hour, four-course menu with Tequila Ocho pairings.
>>Macayo’s Mexican Grill & Cantina’s Scottsdale.
April 21 + 28, 6pm in the Village Area of Yuma Palms Regional Center, Yuma.
Free outdoor jazz performances by Yuma Jazz Company and other musicians.
April 22, 7pm at Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia, 4949 E Lincoln Dr, Scottsdale.
Customized meal pairing with liquors and wines from around the world. Dishes prepared and served using sustainable cooking techniques and methods.
>>Our visit to the Omni Charlottesville Hotel.
April 24, 8am – 1pm at Peixoto Coffee 11 W Boston St, Ste 6, Chandler.
Pop-up pancakes in a downtown Chandler coffee shop.
>>Peixoto and other great coffee spots.
Now – April 30 at Arcosanti, near Cordes Junction.
Art by Arcosanti residents and alumni for sale.
>>The day we had breakfast at Arcosanti was also during an art show. Work for sale included jewelry, photography, and mixed media pieces.
May 9, 6pm at Gangplank Chandler.
Meet other artists and crafters and learn something new or bring your own project to work on!
>>A past CraftHack.
May 14, 10AM-8PM at Altadena Main Library, Phoenix.
Book readings and signings, art market, live music, Latin American food and beverages.
May 19, 7:30pm at FilmBar, Phoenix.
Documentary about the bit-part actors and extras who were in scenes filmed in suburban London in 1976.
Jun 2 – 5 at Phoenix Convention Center.
Convention for fans of pop culture.
>>Check out our guide for newbies!
April 16, 3-6p at Parallel Print Shop, San Anselmo.
Modern needlework as home decor.
May 21-22 at the Anaheim Convention Center
>>Where to eat in and around the Convention Center.
Aug 4 – 6 at JW Marriott LA Live, Los Angeles.
BlogHer annual conference.
Now – May 15 at Denver Botanic Gardens, York Street, Gates Garden Court Gallery.
Explore the historical and contemporary graphic traditions surrounding the victory gardening movement and celebrate the virtue of growing food in your own backyard.
>>Also check out Mounds State Park in Anderson.
Apr 14 – 16 in Rochester.
The World’s Oldest, Continuously Held Short Film Festival. Free admission.
Now – May 1 at Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC.
Rockefeller-Worsham Dressing Room now open in Gallery 742 of The American Wing. While you’re there, listen to the “Gallery 742” episode of the Memory Palace commissioned for the exhibition.
April 15 – 17 at the Highlands Nature Sanctuary, Bainbridge, Ohio.
Hikes to wildflower displays and talks by naturalists.
April 19 7pm at Kimbros Cafe.
Free-form open mic night for musicians and writers of all types – weekly on Tuesdays.
May 6 – 8 at Centennial Park, Nashville.
Craft, food from local vendors, kid-friendly activities, and demonstrations from artisans.
April 17 in Downtown Charlottesville.
Community-led festival with concerts, competitions, talks, workshops, local food, and public art.
May 14, 12pm at Basecamp Brewpub & Meadows, Roseland.
Fresh oysters from Rappahannock Oyster Co., special beer and live music at Basecamp Brewpub & Meadows.
Natural History Museum. Interactive exhibition about the marine life that can be found in one cubic foot of water during a 24-hour period.
>>Monuments on the National Mall.
April 16, 2-4pm at Barrel Thief Wine & Whiskey Bar, 3417 Evanston Ave N., Fremont.
Taste and learn about chocolate with optional Scotch tasting flights for purchase.
>>Public art in Fremont.
April 17, 9:30am – 12:00pm at Book Larder.
The team behind Sea Wolf Bakers will teach the key points of bread baking in this hands-on class. Everyone will leave with their own jar of starter, a recipe for Sea Wolf’s white sourdough bread, and a Book Larder tea towel for proofing your lovely new loaf. Class is limited to 8 students and includes light dinner.
July 15 – 17 at London Excel Centre, London.
Star Wars fan convention.
>>Things we saw at last year’s Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim.
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Photo credits:
Gilded Age chair via Metropolitan Museum of Art
Tennessee paper boat by my friend Michelle.
Other photos by me.
When Phillip and I took our anniversary trip to Florence, Arizona, we saw a handmade sign in front of a house that just said “winery” with an arrow.
Obviously, we had to investigate.
It turns out the winery in question was not, as the sign seemed to suggest, in someone’s backyard, but a totally legit operation down the street. The Windmill Winery was quiet except for a few donkeys, and it turns out the tasting room is closed on Mondays. We moved on with no wine and only a little whine.
The scene was very different when we were back months later. Even though it was early Sunday morning, people were already bustling around and a DJ was spinning. The winery was hosting the Dionysus Dash, a 5k run for a charity that Phillip’s work supports.
After the runners were done running and we were done running the raffle booth, we got to visit the barn for a special tasting set up for the event, then say hi to the donkeys and chickens and check out the lake and the outside of the actual tasting room.
Maybe one of these days we’ll actually visit during regular hours and go inside.
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Did I ever tell you about the time Phillip and I walked into Mexico?
Okay, before I start the movie review, here’s the short version: We took the trolley from San Diego south to the border, over this elaborate pedestrian bridge with tall metal turnstiles. On the other side was a Mexican soldier with a big gun just kind of hanging out there, not checking anyone’s papers or even making eye contact. We stepped off the bridge into a super sketchy part of Tijuana, rolling suitcases bumping along behind us, trying not to get robbed (or worse) while we looked for a bus where there wasn’t any.
I don’t recommend that particular way to see Mexico.
There are some lovely parts of Tijuana, but the border draws danger, making the city swell with the pressure of desperate outsiders.
The film Hostile Border begins, not on the border, but in Illinois, where it plunges you immediately into the world of the ambitious main character, Claudia. Minimal exposition. No flashbacks. It moves quickly and lets you fill in the gaps.
After Claudia’s history of credit card fraud and undocumented status catch up with her, she is deported – through another metal turnstile in a Tijuana port of entry – into Mexico, where she has little connection and even less knowledge of the language.
One thing the film does explain outright is the meaning of its working title, “pocha”, slang for “a Mexican American who can speak little or no Spanish”. It can also refer to something rotten. The first definition definitely applies to Claudia. Whether the second one does is a question posed throughout the film in various ways.
Does committing crime mean you are a criminal? What happens after you cross the line?
Veronica Sixtos’s performance as Claudia is so compelling you don’t miss words during her long stretches of silence, yet she conveys emotion and inner conflict subtly enough to be consistent with the character’s guarded nature.
Hostile Border is about the people who build fences to protect themselves, and the ones who believe crossing them is worth the risk. It pulses between the genres of thriller and western with moments of intensity balanced by scenes with room to reveal the complicated relationships between layered characters.
Inspired in part by conversations with actual deportees, this debut feature film for both director/cinematographer Michael Dwyer and writer/co-director Kaitlin McLaughlin won the 2015 the Audience Award at the Los Angeles Film Festival and a Special Jury Prize for Directing.
Hostile Border opens in select theaters (see list below) and on digital/video on demand platforms April 15. You can preorder it on iTunes now.
Theaters:
Arizona
California
Colorado
Illinois
Texas
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Images and preview courtesy of Samuel Goldwyn Films.
The envelope travel journals we made in my most recent Southwest Maker Fest workshop came from a combination of this upcycled junk mail project and a simplified version of one my friend Trish came up with.
The idea is that you can make them from just a couple envelopes and some string, and then have a pocket-sized way to record memories from your next trip.
1. Fold an envelope in half – use a #10 (DL) envelope or experiment with other sizes, upcycle junk mail or reply envelopes, etc.
2. Punch a hole or two in the center (on the fold).
3. Cut the top flap at the fold or remove it altogether.
4. Repeat with one or more envelopes.
5. Thread yarn, string, or twine through the hole(s) of all the envelopes and tie them together. (Alternatively, you can bind the envelopes with ring binders, paper clips and/or rubber bands.)
The envelope outsides have become pages for writing, drawing, or collaging the story of your trip, and you can tuck momentos inside.
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