Vermont - Bread & Puppet

Self-described as “Cheap Art and Political Theater in Vermont,” Bread & Puppet in Glover provided a truly unique experience, far outside the bounds of traditional art appreciation. Upon entering Bread & Puppet, you are greeted by a broken-down Kesey-styled bus that contained a free art museum full of self published “zines,” the usual slew of anti-war/bush/capitalism posters, and other found art masterpieces.

You pass by a large, standalone brick oven that on any given day produces several freshly baked loaves of sourdough bread. Then you enter the main building, an ancient barn, a piece of art within itself, that housed the puppet museum.

These puppets are unlike any puppets I have ever seen, and in no way resemble the sock or paper bag variety. These “puppets” are huge - some 40 ft tall - mystical paper mache creatures, draped heavily in colorful fabrics and meticulously painted. We walked among the aisles of puppets resembling the founding fathers, scenes from fairy tales, nightmares and religious figures. While many puppets are now out of commission, there are still an active group performing their colorful political theater weekly for a growing captive audience. Sourdough philosophy circus & pageant, you cant get more interesting than that.

Montreal
We left the back country of the Northeast Kingdom and ventured out of the US - north to Quebec - to scope out our friendly French Canadian neighbors. After a short drive we were deep in the heart of Montreal, walking through the cobblestone streets of Old Town. Old Montreal has the feel of Europe with its enormous gothic Notre Dame catherdral, sidewalk cafes, carriage rides and of course, the rich French language. Although steeped in history, Montreal emits a distinctly modern and progressive flair with its carless street (Aires Libres), gay district (the village), and flair for design.

Our goal was to fit in with the locals and not look like tourists, which was immediately shot whenever a friendly Canadian addressed us in French beyond the greeting “Bonjour.” Then we were forced to sheepishly admit we were not versed in their language. I almost created an international incident when I tried to pay for a beverage with a Canadian dollar bill which apparently had been out of circulation since 1987 (replaced by the dollar coin). After much fussing on the part of the young cashier, the man in line behind me stepped up to the counter and explained the bill and offered to buy my beverage for me. Quite a neighborly thing to do! Merci!

Highlights of the day were walking through Mont Royal, eating an amazing lunch at a french restaurant at the Historic Hotel Nelligan, not to be topped by our dinner poutine (french fries covered in gravy) dinner. Overall a fantastic journey, wearing my shoes thin, wrinkling my passport, and practicing my "Merci beaucoup".

New York City

The final stop on our journey, the grand city of New York, central hub of all things art, culture and design in the US. We stayed off the tourist path this time and headed straight for the Whitney Art Museum. At Whitney we studied up on Buckminster Fuller, the great modern renaissance man, and got turned around by Paul McCarthy, best described as a performance artist who creates perceptual disorientation by spinning mirrors, rooms, and slamming doors.

Then, on to MoMA, we gawked at the normal assortment of paintings from greats like Picasso, deKooning, Dali, and of course NYC’s own Warhol. I was completely shocked upon entering one room when one wall was completely covered with 3 large panels of thickly layered paint piled in globs that accumulated to form one panoramic scene…Monet’s waterlilies. However spectacular this was for me, seeing my childhood idol’s ultimate masterpiece inches from my face, I was also very disappointed. Monet painted his waterlily scene as a COMPLETE panorama in the round, meant to be endless and seamless. Now museums have broken that continuity, and with it, that feeling of being enveloped in the scene. I was long awaiting the day I would travel to Givery, France and see the waterlily panorama in its original form as Monet intended. Now, seeing it half complete, took away that magic. Maybe there is still hope and someday it will return to its native land a complete unit, and you can bet I will be first in line.

In addition to the art, we indulged in many other NY favorites like pizza at Grimaldis, cheesecake, and bagels. We took every form of transportation available, subway, taxi, train and walked miles and miles through the streets of SOHO, Greenwich Village, and Williamsburg. We walked through flea markets and old Bob Dylan haunts, through ritzy Manhattan streets, and dipped our toes in the east river. Thanks to Curtis and Lydia our NYC tour guide team extraordinaries!

As a designer, I was thrilled to learn that design expert/celebrity Steven Heller and blog pioneer Jeffery Zeldman would be speaking at a book reading for the collection “Field Tested Books” produced by Coudal Partners of Chicago. I was stoked, I had my pitch to Steven Heller rehearsed, my business cards in hand. The event was held at a rooftop bar just feet from the Williamsburg bridge. We arrived just on time, and were disappointed to see a small crowd (of about 20) had already gathered and filled up the only part of the bar from which the speakers would be visible. I settled in to the nearest spot I could, directly behind a water feature. When the program began I found not only could I not see the speakers, but due to the rushing water, could also not hear. Not to be dissuaded, I squeezed into a corner, climbed onto a chair, and through a palm tree, took the above photo of Steven Heller, then promptly finished my glass of red wine and left. Sigh, maybe next time.

I just wrapped up reading The Mother Tongue - English and how it got that way by Bill Bryson, and between that and my recent trip to Ashland’s Shakespeare Festival, I am starting to view the English language in a whole new light. Not only is English the most widespread language, it is also the most unwieldy. It draws its roots from countless other languages thus accounting for the blatant spelling and pronunciation discrepancies that confound foreign tongues. The rules of our language are largely disputed and constantly in flux, although not for lack of trying of the part of some important linguistic fellows. One, Noah Webster - who created what became one of the most widely distributed dictionaries, and was largely regarded as a uptight, humorless and staunchy ass (arse if you lived a couple hundred years ago). He also wanted the two ingredients of a bread bowl to be spelled “soop and bred.” Then there was W.C. Minor one of the largest contributers to the Oxford English Dictionary who did all of his work from his residence inside an insane asylum. Obviously cataloging all of the English language is not a task for the socially blessed.

Some fun facts:

Root of O.K.
One of the most common expressions in all the English language and most obvious “Americanism” is O.K.
There are three theories as to its roots. 1. It stands for some important person’s initials such as Indian Chief “Old Keokuk,” or Martin Van Buren’s nickname “Old Kinderhook,” and was stamped as a mark of their approval and thus, quality. 2. It formed from the roots of some English dialect such as the Finnish “oikea” or the Choctaw “okeh” (Woodrow Wilson was a big proponent of this theory). 3. It is a shortened version of the old expression “oll korrect,” spelled by semi-literate President Andrew Jackson. If this is the case it may have a long lost partner in O.W. for “oll wright.”

Swearing
It hard to believe but in 19th century England puppy and cad were risque (a French word from risquer, to risk) but shit (formely scitan, then shite) was acceptable. In most languages one of the biggest insults you can throw at another human being was to directly accuse your target of incest. Hence the tu madre or your mama expression. Cut someone off in traffic in Germany and you may be called a schweinehund (pigdog); aggravate a Finnish lad and he may cry ravintolassa meaning in the restaurant. I would go into the history of the word, f*&% but it is not appropriate here, maybe in another hundred years.

Rhyming
On a final note, the book discussed wordplay and in particular, different forms of rhyme. They gave the example of the Burma-Shave ads of the 1920s that used rhyme to tell quick stories about men using their product (see sample graphic above). Their rhymes were broken up across many freeway billboards so you read one part of the phrase at a time as you drove. An example, “A peach looks good with lots of fuzz, but a man’s no peach and never was.” Or “If wife shuns your fond embrace, don’t shoot the iceman, feel your face.” I love the simplicity, the wit, the rhyme such is a reflection of its time. But seriously I am now trying to think up little rhyming quips for my clients. What rhymes with Sports Rejuvenation with Active MSM?

On Monday, I start a new position as a designer at Staccato Design. Staccato is a highly regarded firm in Portland, and I am thrilled at the opportunity to work with such a talented team! I will now be enjoying a quick commute, lunchtime escapes to the waterfront (when its sunny), and a delightful view of the Hawthorne bridge.

After eagerly consuming the novel Sometimes a Great Notion (by Eugene resident and bus-painting pioneer, Ken Kesey) and watching the movie, my boyfriend and I were among the first in the door to the Portland Center Stage production of the novel. The play was fantastic and we chose to attend a symposium on the play’s creation the Saturday following the first week of shows. Among the speakers was playwright, Aaron Posner, film director Gus Van Sant, and prankster extraordinaire, Ken Babbs. Babbs was one of the self proclaimed Merry Pranksters who, along with Kesey, journeyed across America in a converted school bus spreading the peace, love, drugs, and rock and roll message of the 60s. Babbs stole the stage more than once because his crazy non-linear stories could not be told from a sitting position. Nonetheless he was an interesting character an interesting message. Plus he has his own Wikipedia article, so he must be cool.

Fanatic Easter displays aside, this was a weekend of many discoveries.

1. Rose City Rollers

From the rhythmic drumline intro, to the body-slamming crashes on skates, Portland’s roller derby scene is pulsing with energy and dripping with sweat and a dash of mascara. I witnessed the action for the first time on Saturday from the crash zone. These hardcore girls get down and dirty, whipping around and around the track, fighting for position, while keeping their lipstick intact. Quite the spectacle for the uninitiated, and highly recommended.

2. The Albina Green

My boy and I skipped the madness of Easter brunch, instead opting for a cup of Stumptown coffee and a morning of wandering. Our afternoon adventures led us to the Mississippi district with our copy of the newly released Willamette Week Cheap Eats in hand. We found our way to Albina Green, a wonderful restaurant tucked off the road. Advertised as “the working man’s rock restaurant” this funky, musician-centered hideaway served up a slew of organic greens and tasty meats. We chowed on our respective feasts, watching the neighborhood church release a batch of brightly dressed and spirited North Portland residents into the rain.

3. Yael Naim
While I admit that it is rather lame to discover a musical artist via commercial, but thus is the nature of this technologically advanced society in which we live. Yael Naim is the Israeli artist making waves with her whimsical and metallic song, New Soul. I picked up her album on that wandering, aimless, Easter Sunday, and am mesmerized. The songs are in English, Hebrew and French and all have their distinct moods and tone. There is even a cover of Britney Spear’s song, Toxic which takes on a seductive and otherworldly rhythm.

Happy Spring!

Since our target audience was teenagers, we wanted the graphics to be edgy. Text is rough and off kilter, the colors are bright, and the images have a halftone effect. We wanted to show the divide between teen and parent and illustrated such with the torn paper. We used duct tape to illustrate the effect Harry’s Mother has which is to bring the two sides together. (Duct tape fixes everything right?) In the large poster version of this ad, we will be die-cutting the art into two pieces of paper with the diagonal jagged edge separating the teen from parent. To connect the two pieces, we will use actual duct tape (with Harry’s Mother info handwritten on it) so that exposed wall shows in between.

Harry’s Mother has been thrilled with the fruits of our labor so far, hopefully as we move into production it will prove to be a valuable tool for them. As for Ad2, we are putting all campaign elements, research, reports, creative together into one book which we will submit to a National Competition. Wish us luck on this St. Patty’s Day!

To celebrate their book launch of Not Quite What I was Planning, 6-word Memoirs from Authors Famous and Obscure Smith Magazine is coming to Powells on Feb 21st. The Reading/Signing/Six-Word Slam begins at 7:30 and will feature six word “readings” from me and other Portland contributors. How’s that for a good 6-seconds of fame.

They were thrilled to receive the banners and quickly went to work turning them into large Market totes, so you can grocery shop in style. The “Delzio” line of bags are set to publicly launch soon, but I was lucky enough to score the first one completed (see below) along with a few additional for Christmas presents.

Look for it to go on sale soon at www.queenbee-creations.com.

More exciting news to report, along with the Delzio bag launch, is that I will also have a sentence published. That’s right, a sentence. About a year ago I submitted my 6-word memoir to Smith Magazine as part of their call for entries for a compilation book, and my submission was among the chosen. Its a shame that it has been so long that I dont even recall exactly what my 6-word memoir was, but I think it made reference to the hokey pokey. I guess I will be as surprised as the rest when it arrives at my doorstep. You can find the book at amazon.com. Who knows maybe this year I’ll shoot for publishing a paragraph.

Happy 2008!

1. Office on Alberta:

For designers by designers this funky little store in the hipster-converted Alberta is always a stop on my Last Thursday excursions. November’s Last Thursday on Alberta lacked the abnormal circus-like quality of the summers past, but a few diehard fans braved the cold rain and made it out to Office’s Let Her Press exhibit of top Portland female artist’s designs for the letterpress. Amy Ruppel’s work was my favorite, seen here.

There is something very romantic about the letterpress. The thick paper, bright colors and rich texture are qualities of the artform that are often lost in modern design. Its a borderline obsession for me and it was all I could do but to run my fingers across the grooved shapes pressed into the fibery goodness. I get all tingly just thinking about it, thank you Office.

2. Green Dragon on Belmont:

The Green Dragon is the latest brewery to hit Portland, and it is becoming a favorite. They currently have a unique guest tap selection, but look for the first batch of their own beer in January. The food is fantastic, I am obsessed with the Mediterranean bread salad in all of its olive oil soaked goodness. PLUS, there is a glass of chalks and the tables are chalkboards, so you can doodle freely and, on a whim, express love to your dining partner, or write a limerick (if that is more your style) without the guilt of publicly defacing property.

3. Willamette Valley Thanksgiving Wine tours (self-guided)

From beer to wine, your cant beat WV’s pinots. I am thankful on Thanksgiving weekend for all the fantastic wineries that open early, close late, charge $5 for flights and send you away with a glass. This year my friends and I piled into 3 cars and made a 5 winery tour. 20 plus samples later and we didnt even mind the 99W traffic jam.

4. Adbusters.org

Adbusters fights to free the media and drive consumer behavior towards products and messages that are more egalitarian and environmentally sustainable. They are culture jammers on a mission and armed with a pool of talented designers, artists and writers. Vive la resistance!

5. Quality Pictures

My favorite first Thursday stop, this Portland art gallery always has cutting edge artists, less crowds, full artists bio books, and my favorite microbrew on ice. Check out It’s Kind of Endless an exhibit by Meg Peterson this Thursday, Dec 6th.

Below are a few photographs I showed:

Thanks to the Potluck slideshow team, to check out past events slideshows go to: http://www.slideluckpotshow.com/