OFFCenter is an ideal place for special event art workshops or birthday parties. On Saturday, December 12th, 26 young girls earned their Girl Scout Jeweler badges at the OFFCenter Community Art studio. Pictured above, instructor and former scout leader, Beverly Lazar presents one of the badges. Check the Trails of Fun calendar for more upcoming badge events in 2010 at OFFCenter. If you are interested in scheduling a special event call 247.1172 for more information.

RANA Float wins Neighborhood Cup in Twinkle Light Parade!

THANK YOU AGAIN to OFFCenter for making the RANA Twinkle Light Parade float banners.... and Guess What? - THE RANA FLOAT WON The Neighborhood Cup!!! (the first prize for neighborhood association floats)

Thank you, Craft Punk Fashion Show vol 2

Many thanks to Evolution Body Piercing, Crystal Sims and all the volunteers behind the Craft Punk 2 Fashion Show, held at the Launchpad on November 13th, for donating the proceeds of their event to OFFCenter.

Your wonderful generosity helps us to continue our work in providing a creative, supportive and safe environment for the whole community to make art, to attend workshops, and for our artists to sell their work in the Shop, and participate in gallery shows.

In total, the Fashion Show donated a whopping $2,800 to OFFCenter. Thank you so much!

Red or Green? RANA Twinkle Light Parade Float

WoW- the RANA (Raynolds Addition Neighborhood Association) Twinkle Light Parade Float looked great thanks in large part to the great banners created at OFFCenter. Thankyou OFFCenter for contributing to our neighborhood association float!! Washington Middle School kids (dancers, choir singers, and mariachi players) had a blast on the float during the parade. Check out these pictures...

Take OFF! with your OFFBag (c)

Shopping ~ Travelling ~ For Work or Play~

Every OFFBag is totally unique, made with recycled materials,
lovingly gathered by OFFCenter artists.

You can get your unique OFFBag in Albuquerque and Santa Fe:

OFFCenter Shop 505-247-1172

808 Park Ave SW ~ 8th & Central SW Downtown ABQ

Mama's Minerals 505-266-8443

1100 San Mateo NE at Lomas ~ Ace Courtyard, ABQ

Earthprints

100 E. San Francisco at La Fonda Hotel, Santa Fe

Visit OFFCenter for edgy, cool, handmade & affordable gifts

First Friday Coffeehouse and Bonnie's Birthday Bash

COME TO THE PARTY!!

Have you been to a First Friday at OFFCenter lately? There is a big one coming up... This Friday, December 4, 2009 come celebrate OFFCenter's Anniversary and Bonnie Bluhm's birthday bash and the Holiday Gift Show at our December First Friday Coffeehouse. OFFCenter's unique gift shop is chock full of locally made art and you never know what handmade treasure you'll find there! There will also be great music and some fun snacks to enjoy - Join the party from 5-8:30 pm!

Free Holiday Arts Nights in December

Free Holiday Art Nights in December

FREE Holiday Art Nights on Wednesdays in December
5 to 7:30 pm (open late for these special event nights)

• Free and open to anyone.
• Bring your family!

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Gift cards and RECYCLED PLASTIC PLACEMATS
Wednesday, December 2nd

Roberta Delgado will demonstrate a simple printing technique to your produce beautiful personalized cards.
Marci Sednek will also demonstrate how to produce laminated recycled plastic placemats using the same process used for our signature OFFBAGs.

• Both products are great ideas for the holidays.
• Bring your recycled plastic to use and share.
• Free and open to anyone.
• Bring your family.

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Ornaments and GIFT CLOTHING AND SCARVES
Wednesday, December 9th

Susan Tische will be on hand to show how to turn recycled fabrics into the coolest attire.

Also we will be producing pass-around ornaments. What is this? Small groups of artists will sit around a table of materials and work for 5 minutes on an ornament design and then pass it to the next artist. The ornament is passed around the group until it returns to the originator in its finished glory! Great spontaneous fun!

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Holiday gift bags and paper
Wednesday, December 16th

Our last Holiday art night this year will feature decorating paper and folding gift bags using stamps, paints, markers, glitter and anything else you can find in the studio that touches your spirit!

Sharie's Studio Journal: Twinklelight Parade

Greetings: Well the holiday season is upon us again--The stores have all their Christmas decor out, everyone is shopping or planning their shopping trips and lists and just generally getting ready for Thanksgiving and the Friday Sales in all the malls etc. OFFCenter is preparing to help out in this area. We have work shops coming up to help relieve the stress and pressure so watch the calendar and join our family friendly gift making workshops and wrapping paper and gift bag making workshops in the coming weeks. Again watch the calendar for the dates and c'mon down and join in the fun and spirit of the season.

An OFFCenter potluck Thanksgiving meal will be shared with and by artists and friends of OFFCenter this coming Wednesday November 25 from 1 til 6 PM. Join us with your favorite dish and what you are thankful for this year.

I am thankful for the opportunity to have been involved in the creation of OFFCenter and to still be an active participating artist. I cannot even think of how different my life would be without this organization and the many opportunities to explore my creative side. Today was one such opportunity--Several of us created canvas banners to be displayed on the sides of a float for RANA (Raynolds Addition Neighborhood Association) in the upcoming TwinkleLight Parade. The Parade will be this coming Saturday November 28 at 5:15pm traveling from Central and 3rd St. to the Botanical Gardens. Washington Middle School students are participating by playing mariachi music and singing carols on the float and a WMS dance troupe will even follow the float along with other RANA neighbors. This is one more way that we at OFFCenter build our community involvement and get support from and give support to the neighborhood. Those of us that worked on these banners had a great time together getting better acquainted with each other as well as meeting new friends as they joined us in the creation of the banners (see photos)

I look forward to seeing you in the studio in the coming days and weeks as the holidays approach. Happy and safe Thanksgiving to you all---Sharie

Sharie's Studio Journal: Girl Scouts revisit OFFCenter

Hi everyone: Last weekend I was privileged to be a part of a couple of workshops held at OFFCenter for Girl Scouts working toward earning badges. I watched as these talented young ladies moved from one activity to the next as they participated. I was impressed as they helped each other by explaining the next project and how to use the materials provided. It also brought back some very fond memories of my own years as a Girl Scout.

There were two sessions and two different age groups for the day. Yes the girls had fun and made some beautiful art and jewelery to take home with them as well as earning their badge; but OFFCenter made some new friends as parents who attended with their daughters and granddaughters found a new resource for family activities and maybe a new way to study art for some who home school. One of those memories was of the "Friendship Circle" at the close of a troop meeting we joined hands and sang a song entitled "Make New Friends" I have to admit it warmed my heart when at the end of the day the girls and their parents and leaders joined hands and sang that same song.

There will be more such workshops and I hope to be a part of them. It is another great way for the community to be a part of OFFCenter and vica versa.---TTFN Sharie

Thanksgiving Potluck Wed. Nov. 25

Everyone is invited to our annual Thanksgiving potluck feast.

Bring your family and a side dish to share.

We will be making art as usual throughout the day!

Please note: We will be CLOSED for the THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY
on Thursday and Friday, November 26th and 27th

WANTED: Your web links

IF you are an OFFCenter artist who has a website, blog, or online shop where you sell your art, won't you please send us a link? We want to add you to our OFFCenter artists on the web column here on our blog.

C'mon now, don't be shy. If you're wondering "Are they talkin' to me?" -- well, do you sell your work in the gift shop? Play music at OFFCenter? Participate in one of our ongoing classes? Submit your work to our exhibits? Well, then, we are talkin' to you!

Just post a comment to this post, or send an email message to info@offcenterarts.org that says "OFFCenter Artist Links" in the subject line.

Sharie's Studio Journal

Greetings to all I've been out of the studio for a week and will be for another week but I know things don't stop because I am otherwise committed. The ongoing classes/workshops like the drawing classes and guitar lessons continue and the writing group happens so please check out the calendar for dates and times. There are upcoming new workshops there too so keep looking at the schedule and for announcements for these. If there is something you think would be a great media or thechnique to learn or teach in a work shop contact Ron in the studio and tell him what your idea is.

Last weeks First Friday Coffee House was a lot of fun with great snacks and good music. Watch the calendar for the next one in December. TTFN Sharie

First Friday Coffeehouse with Norm Everett Fri. Nov. 6!

First Friday Coffeehouse is November 6, 2009, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.
and He's Back!
The yodelling, throat singing, wild & wacky one & only...

NORM EVERETT
and his band Namronth

opening with singer/songwriter Bonnie Bluhm

Coffee! Snacks! Gift Shop Open!

plus, the Dia de los Muertos exhibit "Threads from the Dead: Who Are You From?" continues.

Come join us -- it's Free and we welcome you to our Community Arts studio!

Sharie's Studio Journal

Greetings Everyone: I grew up in a home where books were sacred--you did not turn the corner of the page down to mark your place, you did not lay a book open face down as that would break the spine, and many other don'ts about books. I had a difficult time thinking of participating in a recent workshop held in the studio---Altered Books--- Once I got past all thatI signed up and the day of was very interesting we met new people--sponsors of the event participants and the facilitators. This was part of the BIG Read the campaign to encourage people to read more.

There were books of all description----old text books, prime readers, how to books, childrens nursery rhymes, big books, medium and small in terms of thickness and dimension. The facilitator had several examples of the many ways you can alter a book. Supplies to use in the altering of these books--paper, beads, baubles, photos and threads or yarn. I have to admit it was a lot of fun to take a book and alter it and make it my own.