Barking Up the Right Tree at Bellingham's First Friday ArtWalk

Birch bark seems to be a theme in my life in the last couple of months--from finding out that my biological family may have blood ties to the Ojibway (Chippewa) in Wisconsin,  and learning about an Ojibway friend's culture through her traditional birch bark bitings, which she has transferred into jewelry designs.  Earlier in the month, I found a birch bark rattle at the local Goodwill and picked up a sweet Ojibway birch bark box at a Seattle antique mall.  During the Bellingham First Friday ArtWalk that I attended on Friday evening  in Bellingham, Washington, I met a woman who was photographing paintings of birch bark trees.  After I told her about my recent infatuation with birch bark, she told me she has an antique "picker" friend in Portland, Oregon, who just found a really beautiful birch bark box.  Coincidence?   I don't think so!  I love that art and beauty is all around us and things are interconnected if we open our eyes.

Back to the First Friday ArtWalk in Bellingham...This sleepy burg was named an "Art Town USA" a few years ago, because the arts thrive there, but  in a very quiet way.  Only second to Santa Fe for the number of registered artists,  the quality of Bellingham's visual art is very high and the price points are amazingly low for original art.

Highlights of the Bellingham First Friday ArtWalk were hanging out with the dynamic Trish Harding at her studio in downtown Bellingham and meeting local whimsical printmaker Scott Rickey, who is showing his work at local home design retailer Digs, through the month of January.  I especially enjoyed his print "My DARE Officer was a Dick".   Blue Horse Gallery has new owners, and they have added a quaint new cafe, an area for live musical performances and readings and some terrific new artists like Kiki Cardarelli, who paints her original photographic works with stunning results.  There is also fine jewelry, sculpture and more to be found at Blue Horse Gallery.  At Jinx Art Space, an artist cooperative, which I found to be cavernous, I discovered the work of collaborators Genevieve Gonska and Tammy Findlay in an exhibit of works entitled "Winter Sleep".  The two have created the aforementioned marvelously pensive depictions of birch bark trees in chalk on natural wood.  It's definitely an exhibit not to be missed.

 In the basement at Jinx, I met a lovely and delightful painter by the name of Sheana Sisselman.  She uses motor oil, collected by her mechanic husband, to create incredible black on white canvas paintings.  She also creates works on paper that she artfully places in shadow boxes.   At Jinx, you can also find high-quality copper patina and wood jewelry by Marcus.   

As a lover of Native American and First Nations art, I was thrilled to discover the Cedar Works Gallery, an art cooperative run by Lummi Nation carver Mike Thomas.  Located at 217 W. Holly Street in downtown Bellingham, Cedar Works Gallery features the art of Lummi tribal members as well as others.  Collectors can find cedar masks, cedar flowers bone carvings and more.

I documented the whole evening for my blog.  Watch the video HERE:

When a Boring Day Yields a Birth Mother

Life is generally predictable...at least my life is. Oy vey, that's boring! When life unexpectedly decides to take a change in another direction--like when a beautiful summer romance suddenly dies out once the fall chill sets in, or when we move from grade to grade in elementary school, only to be finally burdened with the very scary discovery that snacks and naps have been replaced by bullies and books--now that is exhilarating! That means progress is happening. Progress is GOOD!

The last two days have been exhilarating for me to say the least.  This past Wednesday, I happily marked forty-one years in this life that I was given.  My life was given to me in so many ways--not just from God, but from a brave twenty-two year-old woman, who in 1969, gave up a plump platinum blond boy with blue eyes so that "it" (I'm guessing she didn't even know I was  boy) could "have a chance."  This woman,  a  mother of five whom she had raised starting with the first one when she was just a fifteen year-old child herself  was so very selfless in her actions.  Last week, that's all I knew about her.  This week, new information hit me like hail pellets, but the kind that hit the ground, melt and bring water to the parched earth.

While this past week went by with marvelous mini-fiestas and wonderfully beautiful and sentimental gifts, the best gift I received was my adopted mother giving me a piece of me back that fell out of the puzzle box when I was a baby.  No, not the literal puzzle box--the puzzle box of my soul and my sense of identity.  It's ridiculous to think that everything I have experienced in my life is null and void because another woman and man gave life to me, but I think...and other adoptees help me out here...there is a need for some kind of closure. Two years ago, my mother wrote away for my non identifying birth records (actual birth records that have all the important stuff such as names, birth dates, etc. blacked out for birth parents' and adoptees' protection and privacy. ) For me, it was finding out that I was the sixth child of six and that my dream of looking at my biological father and seeing myself in his eyes was even (forgive the pun) conceivable that gave me so much of that closure. 

For the last few months, my adopted mother has been piecing together the genealogy of our family.  I remember saying a while back (and feeling somewhat jealous) "Yeah, but that's your history not mine."     I guess she took it to heart because yesterday, I found out that she has been piecing together my segment of the family as well. How did she do it? Well, thanks to those non identifying records, the amazingness of the Internet, and some super-groovy sleuthing on her part searching multiple obituaries, she has, quite possibly, identified the name and location of my biological mother.  Today I picked up the phone to call her, only to find that I had phoned the wrong family. The process could be long and frustrating and obviously emotional.  I will persevere though. Thanks to more sleuthing on my mother's part, this evening I feel more certain that we have finally identified the right family. 

It is clear to me that I mustn't disturb the balance of the lives of a family that probably has no idea I even exist.  Perhaps what has become so clear to me today is a strong sense of self and pride, as well as a gratitude to my biological mother for making the ultimate sacrifice so that I could achieve what I indeed have achieved in my life.  I have had so many wonderful opportunities--more than the average person--and her gift continues to bless my life as I am here, living and breathing, to accept even more opportunities that come my way.

Frequently, I head out to the New Mexico Pueblos to watch Native dances.  As I take in the awe-inspiring sight of hundreds of dancers chanting, singing and moving about the plaza, my first thought always is These people know where they came from. They know where they are and they know where they will rest.  My journey is not yet complete, but today I danced filled up full with the idea that I am connected to even more people in the world and I even know their names!

Thank you to both my mothers, who made sacrifices to ensure that I could live a wonderful life.  

Pioneer of Aviation Subject of New Multi-Media Theatrical Piece on NYC's Theatre Row

If you're in the New York area this week, a must see performance is Before Icarus Fell, a new theatrical piece conceived and directed by Tony Chiroldes of Broadway’s In the Heights.

Chiroldes skillfully brings to life the compelling story of Alberto Santos-Dumont, a Brazilian student of science who was the first person to demonstrate that regular, controlled flying was possible. In 1901, Santos-Dumont became one of the most talked about people of the early 20th Century as a result of making a complete flight around Paris’ Eiffel Tower.  Before Icarus Fell is made possible through a 2010 Seed Grant from the Jim Henson Foundation and incorporates live actors with multi-media elements, shadow puppetry and music.

The production stars Liz Acosta, Laurie Berenhaus, Bill Hubner and Tony Chiroldes.

Before Icarus Fell opened at Theatre Row Studios, 410 West 42nd Street, Manhattan, on November 3, 2010 and plays through November 7, 2010 (Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Sunday at 3 p.m.). Tickets are $20. For more information visit http://www.beforeicarusfell.com/.

Watch a teaser video HERE!

Urban Muralist Jaque Fragua Brings Talents to the Streets of Albuquerque

Street art is a form that is often misunderstood by the general public. In recent years, though, in cities all over the word, it is an expression that is finding its way into the limelight and legitimizing the talents of its creators.

Visual artist Jaque Fragua, who hails from Jemez Pueblo, is one of those artists. Fragua, a rebel of sorts, has the vision and pluck reminiscent of the kind of contemporary artists one would meet in New York. On top of that this proud drop-out from IAIA (Institute of American Indian Arts) is naturally gifted with a sharp mind, articulate tongue, charming personality and thoughtful creativeness that makes it seem impossible that he won’t succeed in the art world in some form or another. He contends that he has the tools already necessary to carve out a niche for himself. Not to be contained by the label “Native American Artist,” Fragua vehemently shuns the world of Native art markets to be himself and find his own identity in a climate where the term art has come to mean so many things.

Currently, Fragua is a participant in a new show in downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico, which opens on Saturday, October 2. “Street Text” is a two-part exhibition examining Street Art and its evolution into a worldwide cultural movement. It is the centerpiece for an event “Street Arts: A Celebration of Hip Hop Culture and Free Expression,” with a wider scope, which will be taking place all over the Duke City. The festival of sorts, organized by 516 Arts and sponsored by the ACLU, is a collaborative effort between twenty-five local organizations and will incorporate film, music, written word, and, of course, visual arts created by local and international guest artists.

Fragua is currently in the process of creating a gatekeeper mural on the backside of the El Rey Theater on Central Avenue with fellow artists Chris Stain and Lichiban. Lichiban, who hails from Brooklyn, New York, and has worked at 5 Points in Queens, is accustomed to working on wood with ink and watercolor, but is excited to have brick and acrylic as her mediums on this project. She began doing larger works last April and has wanted to collaborate with Fragua for over a year. The result of their efforts will be a piece that moves from ancestral to cosmic as its subject climbs a ladder to the heavens.

Earlier in the week, I had the chance to speak with Fragua hard at work on his mural project in the hot New Mexico sun about “Street Text” and his philosophy about art. HERE’s what he had to say:

"Street Arts" runs through the month of November at various locations throughout Albuquerque. For more information and a complete list of events visit http://www.516arts.org/.

Seeing More Than 'Stars' in Provocative Jennifer Mawby Exhibit at Vancouver's Grace Gallery

“Most simply, I am interested in how the contemporary and the personal collide with mythmaking. Ultimately I am questioning what and who we celebrate and why,” says visual artist Jennifer Mawby about her work.


When asked why, Mawby responds “Rather than who we celebrate, I am interested in what we celebrate. This is because when we chose to celebrate something like a luxury object or someone like a pop culture celebrity we are really elevating what it is that they represent to us.” Could that be the reason that so many people’s identities are wrapped up in what they possess or what they wear?


“Across the board we attach certain personal significance to the people and the things that we celebrate. This meaning is a personal interpretation and integration of cultural memes,” she says. In Mawby's opinion, these things that humanity sets as paragons or archetypes, in their essence, have been consistent throughout most cultures in human history and have typically been documented through mythology or through religious metaphor and parable.


Therefore, someone akin to Paris Hilton, for example, represents a “Persephone” figure, a character with meaning well beyond herself in terms of our culture. Mawby chooses to look at archetypes that span many global cultures in her work.

Jennifer Mawby’s latest solo project, which opened on September 9 at Vancouver’s Grace Gallery, is entitled “The Sun, The Moon & The Stars.” The show is part of The SWARM Festival, which is now in its eleventh year in Vancouver. The SWARM Festival is essentially a gallery hop for local artist-run centres and independent gallery spaces. According to the artist, her exhibit is “a cautionary tale about love, romance and conquest of all kinds.” The title refers to the cliché of giving someone all that they want-- “The Sun, The Moon & The Stars”-- and is a warning to both be cautious of someone who offers you these things and also to be wary of wanting these things as they are typically not the route to fulfillment we at first believe they are.


With technology leading the way in how people digest news and media, this year the Pacific Association of Artist Run Centres (PAARC) allowed participants to sign up for the event via Twitter, which basically became the event listing. The feed caught the attention of the mainstream media and gave the Festival and Mawby’s show a great deal more visibility than in the past.


In the first public viewing of the new direction her art has been taking, a year-and-a-half in the making, the exhibition features work that is representational, with multi-media elements incorporating painting, drawing, photography, installation, and animation. Overall, the body of work creates a narrative allegory around her larger themes of mytheopoesis, or storytelling as a myth-making device, and celebration.


Finding connection with her Anglo heritage, the work is very personal and is a collection of imagery collected through appropriation (mostly from the Web and print media) put together in bricolage style to create a narrative thread. “There is a cast of characters and a set of objects. The cast of characters are somehow in pursuit of a flag or pennant which represents the object of desire and obsession,” Mawby says.


There are also pop culture references thrown in for good measure, interspersed with references from European art history. For example, a painting called “The Flip Side,” which shows light passing through a prism and breaking into the full spectrum, represents the early scientific objects and experiments that were included in Wunderkammers, the precursors to what we now call museums. It also looks strikingly like a famous Pink Floyd album cover, and those who have that image in their library of visual culture are sure to notice, which is intentional on the part of the artist. Since many of the early Wunderkammers contained fakes or forgeries, Mawby, in her work has created homages to the known with a twist to suit her own needs. For instance, a Dutch master’s flower in still life form is combined with an incandescent light bulb lying on the table next to the floral arrangement. “The light bulb motif represents the dawning of a dying technology and therefore the passing of time and the folly of hanging on to the once ‘greatest’ thing,” she explains.


Mawby saw the work itself as a huge challenge, to test her artistic boundaries, especially where use of light was concerned. “All of the images and paintings have a strong element of light in them - the rendering and reproduction of light on canvas which I believe is one of the most difficult things to which a painter can aspire.”


“The Sun, The Moon & The Stars” is on view at Grace Gallery in Vancouver, B.C. through September 26th. The work will remain at the gallery and will be available for viewing both online and upon appointment. To learn more about artist Jennifer Mawby, visit the gallery web site at http://www.grace-gallery.com/ or http://www.jjtmstudio.com/.

New Memoir ACOSTA Tells Story of Family Behind Legendary Major League Pitching Coach Oscar Acosta

In this era of the self-proclaimed “web-lebrity,” and reality television stars with big personalities and little talent cramming the pop-culture landscape, real people with talent and big heart seem dwarfed by the lobby of the fleeting. One true personality who has touched my heart in recent months is Yolanda Acosta, the author of the new book ACOSTA. Published by U.K.-based O Books, ACOSTA is the story of a family in rural New Mexico, the struggles of Mexican immigrant parents, who came to the United States on the Bracero Program in 1950. The Bracero Program, which was a function of the Farm Bureau, brought thousands of migrant workers into the United States and essentially set the groundwork for the beginnings of agriculture in North America.  Along with them, Juan and Concha Acosta brought hopes and dreams to the U.S., which would eventually be fulfilled by their children.

In order to write a book about her family, Yolanda had to start with her mother Concha--the rock of the family--who, through it all, including a successful battle with breast cancer, stuck to her strong faith and sense of family loyalty. It would seem that nothing would keep this woman down. Yolanda’s father Juan was a very honorable and traditional man, who believed that women should not go to college. He was a loving man, who wanted the best for his family, but his strict nature, at times was hard. He surprised the family by unknowingly getting involved with, as Yolanda refers to them, “very unscrupulous men” from Mexico. This would later be Juan’s downfall.

Yolanda Acosta’s brother Oscar Acosta, fought hard to make it into the Major Leagues of professional baseball. While in the Minors, Oscar faced an injury that led him to coaching. He worked his way up as a pitching coach for teams like the New York Yankees, the Chicago Cubs and the Texas Rangers. In fact, Oscar, with the help of his pitchers turned the Chicago Cubs around. He was, perhaps, the most loved pitching coach of all time for the Cubs.  

While the pitchers whom he coached loved him, he sometimes clashed with owners over his style on the field. After all, here was a man, who was raised with strict cattle ranching values and a tough work ethic. Oscar expected his players to perform with the same ethic and he oftentimes took extreme measures to elicit it. Regardless, Oscar received respect where it mattered to him, and some, like pitcher Kerry Woods, name him as a huge influence on their careers.

In many ways, Oscar fulfilled the American Dream, being the only Mexican-American in history to wear two World Series championship rings, but it was cut short when he was tragically killed in the Dominican Republic in 2006 while managing the Yankees’ Gulf Coast League. He leaves a legacy and a story that became his sister’s obsession to tell.

At first Yolanda wanted to have a movie made. Over fourteen months ago, at the advice of colleagues, who said it was better to write a book first, Yolanda began the task of compiling family stories. Multiple through lines came out in the process and they are the backbone of ACOSTA, which is a story of a baseball pitcher, but the family behind the man as well.  Yolanda is now seeing her dream of a movie-version of ACOSTA realized.  Meira Blaustein, Executive Director of the Woodstock Film Festival is currently working on adapting the book into a screenplay and top directors are being sought to lead the project.

As I read this book, I couldn’t help being moved at the beginning and end of each chapter. It reads so much like a soap opera that one can scarcely believe that it is nonfiction. But the story is true, with its accounts of Oscar’s battles to gain respect, Yolanda’s constant battle with domestic abuse in a dynamic marriage to the love of her life, and finding out that her father was involved in shady dealings with the Mexican mafia.

ACOSTA is set to be released on Saturday, September 25. There will be an official launch party in Albuquerque, New Mexico at the Hotel Albuquerque on the same day, which is, coincidentally “Oscar Acosta Day” in Albuquerque by proclamation of Mayor Richard Berry. The reception will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and will feature hors d’oeuvres, music, readings and a book signing. Local retailer Bookworks will be there to offer books for purchase with 10% of the proceeds benefiting S.A.F.E. House New Mexico. The book internationally is available at http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.borders.com/ and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/.

I recently had the opportunity to interview Yolanda Acosta about her book ACOSTA. Her passion for her brother and family comes out in her responses. Watch the video HERE:

***Chicago Cubs Photo Used Courtesy Associated Press

ALT Delivers Delicious Piece of 'Chicago' Pie to Albuquerque Theatre Audiences

It's no secret that while the Albuquerque theatre community possesses a robust talent pool, shows can be hit or miss. Lately, it's been hit after hit, and the Albuquerque Little Theatre, with Artistic Director Henry Avery at its helm, has been thriving. Last season at ALT was particularly stellar, and on the musical front, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas was superb. ALT's 81st season kicks off with the Kander and Ebb musical Chicago and Avery has hit paydirt by assembling a powehouse cast comprised of some of the best talent Albuquerque has to offer, including some seasoned veterans along with some up-and-coming young talent who will blow your socks off.


For all three of you who haven't seen either the Broadway production or the film version or a community theatre production of Chicago, I'll explain the plot. The show opens with with Roxie Hart, a seemingly dainty flower, shooting her lover who dumps her. She tells her husband Amos to take responsibility because he's sure to get off. Of course, the truth is revealed and fast forward to the Cook County Jail, where Roxie is one of several of the "merry maidens" to be put in the slammer for murder. There she meets Velma Kelly, a circuit performer, who, so far, is the most famous "chicky" in Matron "Mama" Morton's coop. Roxie arrives with all her ambition to become a celebrity, and through enlisting the help of the slick, silver-tongued lawyer Billy Flynn, manages to outshine a much dismayed Velma. Knowing that her days in the limelight are limited because "that's Chicago," Velma tries to woo Roxie into joining forces for a vaudeville act. Roxie, who is now fully obsessed with her fame and has gotten too big for her britches declines the offer. In a back and forth with Billy about her defense, Roxie concedes to let Billy run the show to help get her off of the murder charges. Roxie quickly learns that fame is an all too fleeting thing when an heiress attracts the media's attention for shooting her lover caught in an act of sexual deviation. In a last-minute effort to regain her newfound fame, Roxie fakes a pregnancy. This, of course, rekindles Billy's interest in her case and the puppet act of her defense ensues. In the end, Roxie finds herself acquitted of murder, only to be upstaged by a bloody murder down the hall. Roxie is left to contemplate life's possibilities, and in her own effort to stay in the public eye, joins forces with Velma for a hit act which closes the show with the fabulous and hopeful ditty "Nowaways."


I had the opportunity to attend Thursday evening's preview performance at ALT. In spite of the "museum piece" staging and choreography, which were almost carbon copies of the 1990s Broadway revival production, which starred Bebe Neuwirth and Ann Reinking as Velma and Roxie, this production, indeed is "great and grand" and will no doubt woo Albuquerque audiences. It was by far the best musical I have seen here in the last two years, and some of the performances were professional house quality. Stephanie Burch as Velma proves why she is easily Albuquerque's best musical theatre performer. She is a true triple threat and her portrayal never lost its luster. Her voice was by far the strongest and her dancing and acting superb. Speaking of voices, one of the biggest delights of the evening was Tahirih Koller who plays Matron "Mama" Morton. Koller has a smooth stage demeanor and sexiness that combined with her rich robust voice made her the perfect Mama. Rebecca Turiciano has a cutesy yet slightly diva-esque way about her onstage, which made her portrayal enjoyable. As Roxie, she proves that she is a very adept actress. Michael Finnegan makes a believably smarmy Billy Flynn and he uses humor to win the audience's admiration. His renditions of "All I Care About" and "We Both Reached for the Gun" were both quite good. Dehron Foster, a permanent installation on the boards at ALT gives a spot-on performance of Amos Hart, a man who always seems to get lost in the shuffle. His sensitivity as an actor makes him soar in any role he plays. O. Benenati Tenorio as Mary Sunshine makes a very interesting addition to the cast. While we're always aware that "she" is a man, Tenorio makes for good comic relief.


The ensemble is an amalgamation of different levels of hot--from the boys to the girls. Lisette Herrera, a ABQ stage veteran looks hot, dances hot and sets the bar for the ensemble, as does Jonathan Ragsdale, who brings the perfect amount of le jazz hot to the production, which is reminiscent of most of the dancers I have seen in the Broadway production at various times. It is also obvious that he is a very capable actor and singer as well and we'll, no doubt, see him on Broadway very soon. Nicole Dozier, just a high school senior, brings a sophistication and sex appeal to her chorus role and cameo during the "Cell Block Tango" that reminds me of a young Lauren Hutton...minus the tooth gap!


From start to finish, Chicago is paced very well. And, while some group musical number endings were, at times, less than precise with both vocals and choreography, undoubtedly, they will be tightened up by the end of the first week of the run. Highlights of the show were "All That Jazz," "The Cell Block Tango," and I especially enjoyed "Class," which gives Stephanie Burch a chance to show the more vulnerable side of Velma Kelly.


This Chicago is a show not to missed. I'm guessing it will sell out, so book early and often to support local theatre. The production runs from September 17 to October 10 at Albuquerque Little Theatre. For more information about the show or to buy tickets, visit http://www.albuquerquelittletheatre.org/.


Watch a promo video HERE!