OFFCenter Fun at RT66Summerfest

Ron and D'Ana helping families make art together

Thanks to all those who helped make the RT66Summerfest Community Art Project fun for all the families who participated! Art Educator Topher House volunteered to manage the project and helped families build and decorate paper towers out of old newspapers. (Thank you Jo Tabacchi for coming up with the activity!) OFFCenter's Executive Director, Ron Breen and Board President Margaret Lopez and Board Member D'Ana Alderate were there to make it a success on the streets! 

Topher House guiding kids on the construction

Thanks also to the volunteers and interns who helped prepare for the project. This was truly an event where art making = community. Unfortunately the weather cancelled the second half of building -- but now we have leftovers to keep building art together in the Community Art section (alongside the Giant Coloring Books) at the 9th Annual "We Art the People!" Folk Art Festival this Sept. 11th!

KUDOS to OFFCenter Promoters and Supporters and Workers!

Thanks to both Rick and Roy (Sumner & Dene Gallery) for your excellent promotion of OFFCenter's 2011 Albuquirky House Tour. Recently we had a couple of people come into OFFCenter because of the great recommendation they received at Sumner & Dene about OFFCenter and the 2011 House Tour (and they bought house tour tickets!). They loved OFFCenter, and were also impressed with the wonderful tour they received while visiting the OFFCenter studio. Way to go everyone! Here Comes the 2011 Albuquirky House Tour!

Margaret Lopez

OFFCenter Board President and Volunteer

Summer fun at OFFCenter and Downtown Grower's Market :)

Summer is in full swing at OFFCenter with our new Saturday 10am- 2pm hours, coinciding with the dates of the Downtown Grower's Market. You can find great OFFCenter art and support your local artists at the OFFCenter table at the Downtown Grower's Market at Robinson Park (just across the street from OFFCenter) every Saturday morning from 7 - 11 am this summer. Then after 10 am you can come across the street to create your own art too! OFFCenter... Make Art, Buy Art, Meet New Friends!

Ninos y mayores, Children and elders final exhibit

exhibit - Children and Elders intergenerational workshop

runs through June 18th

This exhibit features a series of collaborative art works produced by neighborhood children and elders over the last several months.

The project brought children and elders together to interact, share and explore each other’s lives in a variety of exercises facilitated by educator Roberta Marquez at the Barelas Senior Center .

This project was made possible, in part, by a grant from New Mexico Arts, Department of Cultural Affairs for the State of New Mexico .

OFFCenter at the Downtown Grower's Market

Yeehaw! OFFCenter will have a booth this year, every Saturday, at the Downtown Grower's Market.

We'll be selling our great one-of-a-kind quirky handmade crafts, recycled and repurposed goodies for your home, and gifts for your loved ones. As usual, a huge chunk of the selling price goes right back to our artists, so you know you are supporting our mission -- which is to provide economic development opportunities for emerging community artists.

Stop by and say hello when you go the market.

Here's the where and when of it all:

2010 Opening Day entertainment by Joe Daddy & the Fat Cats/ Higher Ground Bluegrass.
Jun 5, 2010 (and every Saturday through October!)
7:00 to 11:00am

Robinson Park 8th & Central S.W.Albuquerque, NM 87102

(right across from OFFCenter!)

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)

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...

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

THANK YOU to Golden Crown Panaderia (on Mountain just East of 12th St.) for their delicious donation of pizza for the First Friday Coffeehouse on June 5. If you want to eat more of their pizza (or their tasty biscochitos, fruit empanandas or great breads including NM green chile bread) drop by to see them and enjoy their patio and their beautiful prickly pear garden.

THANKS also to Nick's Crossroads Cafe at 400 Central Ave for the coffee they generously provided. Our sponsors would love your support!

Amy Biehl Charter School visits OFFCenter

Sharie's Studio Journal

Last week in the studio: Students from Amy Biehl Charter School (located downtown) were there learning about print making. It was fun and interesting to watch them go thru trial and error of colors and getting too much "ink" or not enough. The end results were great. This class was there twice and on Friday they returned and the difference from one session to the next was very apparent in that they came in and were more comfortable in the space and settled right in to do their project for the day.

Another really great thing that happens in the studio is new people coming in and taking in the whole space and atomsphere. I was in conversation and sharing about OFFCenter with a first time visitor as she was admiring the finished product of the print making and asking some of the students about their particular piece of art work. The inspiring part was to hear a student tell this visitor the process by which he had created his print and to hear the pride of accomplishment in his voice. It was awesome.

More later..... Sharie