I was recently introduced to a beautiful children’s book, called Peace is an Offering, about taking care of one another and appreciating the world around us.
The sweet, simple poem is by Annette LeBox with illustrations by Stephanie Graegin adding a delightful interpretation of her words.
Cover images via the publisher.
While you can get it at your local library or bookstore, I also recommend having Emily on YouTube read it to you. Her quiet, soothing voice, combined with the lulling rhymes and satisfying sound of book pages turning, will make you feel at ease (or give you ASMR).
Because, like many of the best children’s books, it’s not just for kids.
In these tricky times, here’s a virtual goodie bag full of classes, films, performances, and tours you can enjoy from home, as well as artisan wares you can shop from anywhere!
For good stuff and in between these seasonal roundups, watch our Instagram stories!
Stay well and be safe, friends! Keep supporting artists, makers, local businesses, and causes when you can. Nourish your soul.
In Denver:Glow at the Gardens, Oct. 20-25. Reimagined for 2020, an evening of luminous displays and live performers. Advance purchase of timed tickets required. $17-21
Museum of Craft and Design: MCD@Home has partnered with artists and community collaborators to create at-home projects based on museum’s signature programs and exhibitions.
Where to Go + When: Free ebook by longtime travel blogger Sherry Ott of Ottsworld. Email address required to receive the download link.
Buy a mask and they’ll donate one to a local organization!
Classes
Debbie Allen Dance Academy: Founded by Debbie Allen of Fame fame, DADA is a non-profit organization with programs to expand young people’s access to dance + theater.
Orenda Tribe SPREAD LOVE + SHINE LIGHT Shop: Sale of art and artisan goods with 100% of proceeds going to critical aid on the Diné / Navajo reservation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Quilt-Craft-Sew Mall: Shop vendors from Quilt, Craft + Sewing Festivals online, since so many of 2020’s events had to be canceled.
SXSW Short Films: A collection of shorts that were selected for SXSW 2020, but couldn’t be screened when the festival had to be canceled last-minute, due to the pandemic. You can now watch them from home! Free.
Because this virus keeps spreading across the world, carried by breath. You could inhale sickness and never know where it came from. You could exhale death and never know where it landed.
Fires burning near the top of the Santa Catalina mountains on 6/10/20.
Because wildfire keeps spreading across the mountains in Tucson. Even far from the danger, we feel its burn in our eyes and throats as we breathe in the smoke.
Because violence keeps spreading across the U.S.
When you saw that an officer would block an unarmed man’s windpipe with the weight of his knee, did you feel your own throat tighten? When you saw how quickly police would turn on the people they’re supposed to protect, did you realize you were holding your breath?
When you remembered that air can still pass into your lungs, did you wonder what it means that you’re still breathing? And what we should do now?
Some raged against the injustice by smashing windows and starting fires. Some by showing up in the morning to pick up the pieces and sweep up the glass. Some by activism and art.
Over boarded-up windows, they painted the Ben’s Bells symbol – that bright green flower shape with the words “be kind” in the center. If you’ve been to Tucson in recent years, you’ve seen it. But you might not know the project’s story, that it began as a way for founder Jeannette Maré to work through the grief of losing her son, Ben. She threw her energy into spreading kindness and making ceramic windchimes.
Art is helping us navigate this perplexing time too.
There are new murals popping up around Tucson. One that feels particularly of the moment is by Camila Ibarra on the north wall of Hotel Congress. Her portrait of a face-mask-wearing Black woman with the words “Black Lives Matter” in her natural hair has this intensity, this electricity in every brushstroke.
Muralist Joe Pagac has been connecting Black artists with downtown Tucson walls. Several murals have already gone up at MSA Annex. I was walking Quijote around there the other day and got to meet one of the artists, To-Ree’-Nee’ Wolf, who was in the process of painting an extension to her mural.
Artist To-Ree-Nee Wolf working on one of her murals.
A week after George Floyd’s death, there was a vigil in his honor outside The Dunbar Pavilion, an African American art and cultural center. There was a stage set up, where Tucsonans took turns at the mic, sharing stories of loved ones they’ve lost to police violence, about fearing for their children, about the need for grassroots change.
Because being Black in America – simply existing – puts you in more danger.
As nature photographer Gina Danza wrote, “Peace doesn’t come without worry, fear for Black womxn. There is never a moment where we can be fully at peace.”
We can’t let that continue to be the case.
Photo by The Dunbar Pavilion of candles lit in remembrance of George Floyd.
The Enough is Enough vigil wrapped up with a moment of silence – actually 8 minutes and 46 seconds of silence – to remember George Floyd. As we lit candles or turned on cell phone lights to hold up, the speaker said, “When your arm starts getting tired, remember that at least you’re not on the ground with someone’s knee on your neck.”
Before leaving, people placed flowers and candles and handmade signs on a table in front of the stage, turning it into a kind of a shrine.
Smoke rising from the Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina mountains on 6/17/20.
Of course, the fight is far from over.
There’s been some rain, but the fire in the Catalinas isn’t out yet. There was a short reprieve, but the virus is spreading quickly. There has been some progress, but the violence hasn’t stopped.
We need to look out for each other, make sure everyone can keep breathing.
You guys found — and made — some great art during Local Art Loves earlier this year!
As you may recall, Local Art Loves is about sharing the art you love from your community. (It can even be your own work!)
This time, there were submissions from across the United States that included oil paintings, digital illustrations, sculptures, and more. I’m featuring those artists here, as well as adding a couple Arizona artists I love.
City: Marblehead, Massachusetts Medium: Oil painting Shared by: Sarah Moore (a.k.a. “Saguaro Sally,” vintage sign enthusiast) Subject: Neon sign for Skip’s Snack Bar in Merrimac, MA
Cactus art by Lora Barnhiser. Photo from my house.
When she was in the process of moving her studio to prepare for the birth of her babies, she announced a flash sale, and I called dibs on these adorable little cacti!
Later, the artist shared a couple more of her vibrant paintings – 16 (or makin’ a way outta no way) and Kandi Dishe, Starman.
“16 (or makin’ a way outta no way)” by Beck Lane.
• 16 (or makin’ a way outta no way)
Medium: Oil and oil crayon on aerosol on two 60″ x 72″ canvas panels.
Notes:
The title of 16 (or makin’ a way outta no way) refers back to the first group of Africans brought to the U.S. to be enslaved. We don’t know the names of the individuals on that original ship. We just know that there would be eventually millions more, and they were the first 16.
Coincidentally, the painting took 16 months to complete and was inspired by the events of 2016.
The woman in the center of the painting was modeled after Providence artist, dancer, and model Melanie Moore.
“Kandi Dishe, Starman” by Beck Lane.
• Kandi Dishe, Starman
Medium: Oil on aerosol on two 48″ x 60″ canvases. Subject: Portrait of Worcester, MA drag artist Kandi Dishe. Where to find it:Chasen Galleries
Painting of Frida by Caitlyn Ann Thomas. Photo from my house.
City: Tempe, Arizona Medium: Watercolor Shared by: me Subject:Frida the Fish
Notes:
After hearing that our betta fish had passed, our friend Caitlyn asked for photos. A few weeks later, she surprised us with this beautiful watercolor portrait of Frida. It was such an incredibly kind gesture and a lovely way to remember a little fish with a big personality!
Caitlyn and her husband Alex also make films as CharismaJinx Productions.
City: Providence, Rhode Island Title:Apex Medium: Oil on canvas, 23.5″ x 40″ Shared by: Sarah Moore Where to find it: You can see the final painting of Apex on the artist’s site.
Green Thumb and Green Thumb Too by Gary Lee Price. Photo: Susan Willis
Green Thumb [girl with pigtails, foreground of photo]
Green Thumb Too [boy, partly obscured in photo]
Medium: Bronze sculptures with planters Shared by: Susan Willis Where to find them: In front of Chasen Galleries in Carytown, an artsy neighborhood around Cary Street in Richmond, Virginia.
City: Haverhill, Massachusetts Title:Liquors Medium: Acrylic on panel, 18″ x 14″, framed Shared by: Sarah Moore Subject: Street outside ChrisPy’s Liquors + Lottery in Beverly, MA. Where to find it:Available for purchase. Contact the artist for more information.
Notes:
Debbie Shirley describes her painting style as “contemporary realism meets roadside retro.”
City: Ocala, Florida Medium: digital sketches Shared by: artist
Wayne Smith participated in Local Art Loves by creating new digital sketches almost daily! His varied subjects included Rocky Mountain wildlife, a series of funny “advanced yoga” poses, portraits, and dessert.
Swedish princess cake by Wayne Smith.
• Swedish princess cake
Delightful-looking prinsesstårta (Swedish princess cake) on a gold tray.
• Killdeer sketch/study
A killdeer bird the artist photographed at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park.
Goat yoga sketch by Wayne Smith
• Goat yoga
A meditation on why pets aren’t helpful for yoga poses.
The next Local Art Loves will be February 2020, and I’d love to see art shared from across the globe!
You can participate anytime by posting photos of art you find in your community (or create) using the hashtag #LocalArtLoves.
I’m changing up My Photo of the Month series to be more of a recap of the last month, instead of focusing on just one Instagram photo.
1. Getting out of the Holiday Blanket
Getting back into a regular routine at the beginning of January feels like emerging from a holiday cocoon. Or, as Quijote illustrated, peeking out from the snuggly blanket my mom made me (us?) for Christmas.
2. Museum Date Day
Phillip and I had a couples’ counseling appointment (we go periodically — I recommend it!) and decided to make an afternoon of it.
We dropped Quijote off at doggie daycare, went to therapy, got lunch at The Coronado, and then went to the Phoenix Art Museum, so we could see the Teotihuacan exhibition before it closed.
Also, I did a double take on the way to the elevators when I spotted a particular neon color combination that I thought I recognized from the Seven Magic Mountains installation we saw in Nevada. I don’t even know what exhibit it was part of, but, yep, it was a single Ugo Rondinone sculpture — in travel size, I guess!
3. Park Snacks
We’ve been trying to be more consistent in Quijote’s training, practicing things like coming when he’s called at the park. One day, I thought I’d give him a break since I didn’t have his usual reward treats with me, and he seemed (hilariously) annoyed.
How is your 2019 starting out?
Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
