Countdown to Home Front: 3 weeks. I've got 4 bolero jackets to sew and 90 seconds of quartet to finish.
Quartet Part 3 from Jenita McGowan on Vimeo.
11/1/09
10/26/09
The Antaeus Dance fall concert at
I am learning how to sew and made a gauzy dress for Sherri to wear during her solo. Her solo features a very long piece of wine-colored fabric that will hang from the ceiling/balcony and run along the floor to provide a landscape/horizon/river as a set.
I’ve been wordsmithing variations on the title and have three categories of words I’m drawn to.
Earthy words- like terrain, landscape, ground
Visceral words- heart, tendon, skin
Verbs- hold, release, flex, flee, embrace
Maybe Heartscape, Skin Terrain, Ground Hold. I just don’t know yet. They all sound terribly serious or tragically romantic. The piece is more ascetic than anything. I'm grateful for suggestions.
Next week I’ll meet with someone who will create a soundscape for the piece. It doesn’t need rhythmic or melodic music, but I’d like sounds that provide place.
10/3/09
Overlapping Transitions
I've always thought of September as the month to make transitions; that's probably because that was the month school began when I was a kid. I've maniacally embraced that concept and have spent the month of September adjusting the details of my life at breakneck speed. The Synopsis:
I finished my year-long fellowship and tidied up loose ends of The Electric Roller DiscoTech. The rollerskating event was super fun and about 400 people showed up to the Leff Electric warehouse for some retro fun.
I was looking for a way to get involved in more events that involve temporary use of under-utilized spaces. I was lucky to be asked to coordinate volunteers for The Bridge Project. The event was a lot of fun, but it was a true challenge to staff a mile-long trolley line with enough volunteers.
I also started 2, new part-time positions this month. It may be a sign of the economic times that I am cobbling together employment, but I couldn't ask for more interesting and meaningful work with great nonprofit organizations.
I went to Zero Landfill and picked up a book of fabric samples that were begging to become a patchwork curtain. The curtain is still in-progress.
Lastly, I am creating choreography for the fall Antaeus Dance Concert, Home Front. I'll be premiering two new works and re-setting a piece from 2004. The performances will be November 20-21st at 8pm at Pilgrim Congregational Church. Here is a video from the most recent rehearsal. Things are still a little rough, but we have almost 2 more months to rehearse. Music from Northeast Ohio's Trepanning Trio.
Quartet Rehearsal 9_30_09 from Jenita McGowan on Vimeo.
What's next? Time to slow down, settle in and focus on just a few things: making meaningful connections at my new jobs, creating quality choreograhy, finding time for my Yoga practice and choosing a good, winter-time knitting project.
9/10/09
Keyboard Cat Craft
I'll admit that I am enamored with Keyboard Cat-- mostly because he is funny and partially because he looks a lot like my cat, Steve.
Apparently I am not alone in my fanaticism. Tubbypaws provides a template for a Keyboard Cat papercraft. I made five to give away as presents to friends who also appreciate Keyboard Cat humor. Tubbypaws painstakingly designed the template and created instructions in an artfully animated video.
Each cat took about an hour to construct. When you turn the handle, the cat actually plays the keyboard.
8/31/09
Taking Down the Disco Ball
Photos by Jenn Stoneking
The Electric Roller DiscoTech turned a vacant East Side warehouse into a vibrant, happening space for one evening. More than 400 people skated, boogied, socialized, checked out the views, watched Xanadu and retro pop commercials and listened to great music..
In the days leading up to the event, I was trying to imagine how many people would attend, but I never dreamed the turnout would be so large. I can only guess that the event resonated with Clevelanders who remember how fun skating is, or who were just looking for something funky to do on a Friday night.
The best part of creating this event was all the great people we worked with: St. Clair Superior Development Corporation, Pop Up City, Alexandra Underhill, All Go Signs, Plant Kingdom Bakery, Hooper Farm and Progressive Arts Alliance.
Countless people have asked when the next roller skating party is going to happen. People want to know if we can host a weekly skate in the Leff Warehouse, or if we'll pick a different vacant spot next time. We've officially "graduated" from the Cleveland Exeuctive Fellowship; this was the final 2008/9 event, but we are considering doing another skating event indpendently. In the future, I think we'll need some financial sponsors, and to provide skates to lend to those that don't have a pair. I'd love for the event to remain free and family friendly so that all Clevelanders can come and join in the fun.
8/26/09
Almost Ready
Decorating, sweeping and organizing has the Cleveland Executive Fellows tired out, but we're almost ready for the Electric Roller DiscoTech.
The final touch? Hanging the disco ball.
8/21/09
8/19/09
DIY Decorating
The Cleveland Exeuctive Fellows' next challenge in preparing for the Electric Roller DiscoTech is to make a cavernous warehouse into a disco fabulous venue. I solicited advice from artist Alexandra Underhill to help us get started.
She showed us photos of some projects she created re-using objects normally bound for the landfill or the recycling bin: Defunct CDs and DVDs, plastic bottles, plastic bags, bubble wrap, plastic construction fencing and zip ties. Alexandra was generous with her time, advice and her basement full of materials. We left Alexandra's house with a Corolla-full of supplies to get us started including an old army parachute, lots of plastic sheeting, old sheets, light sticks and other materials.
We'll be at the Leff Electric Warehouse tomorrow to begin the daunting task of lighting and decorating two rooms and a hallway.
Does anyone have a disco ball or some twinkle lights we could borrow?
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