Art by Jesse Reno for Sale

Did you know that Jesse Reno submitted three paintings to OFFCenter's Gift Shop before he returned to Portland? One of them has sold. Another, a small painting of a lovely green creature can be glimpsed in this video (about 53 seconds in...) at YouTube:



Thank you Jesse! To inquire about the paintings, feel free to call, or drop by the studio/gift shop to have a look.

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Rolling Houses to City Councillors

OFFCenter community artists young and old have spent the last several weeks building, painting, and decorating little wooden houses to raise funds, as part of our cluster of activities around the 4th Annual Albuquirky House Tour May 2nd. FYI, you can come in and make a house too! Houses sell for about $20 to $30 each, and you can get yours in our gift shop.

So Sybil (left) and Molly (right and pulling the cart) decided to pack up some of these little gems and wheel them down to the offices of our city councillors and county commissioners, as a way of promoting OFFCenter and the House Tour event. Go girls!

Beautiful Pysanky

Workshop with Jo lanta Konopelska-Feliciano

Soft Sculpture Mermaid Workshop April 18, 2009

with Kathleen Schweizer!
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Saturday, April 18, 2009
10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
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Please Call OFFCenter to register.
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Cost: $40.
All materials will be provided.
Scholarships are available.

This is not a workshop but a “playshop!"
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Working with colors found in the ocean (teals, aquas, greens, blues) you will create a sweet soft sculpture mermaid. First you will learn to create a 2-D wire armature, then shape the armature so that it becomes a 3-D framework. Next you will cover the basic framework with fabric and then the real fun begins -- embellishment!! .

If you’ve previously taken one of Kathleen’s classes, you know that she will provide you with an abundance of materials from which to choose -- you will work with fabric, sequins, beads, shells, yarns, ribbons, feathers and more. Feel free to bring any items you would like to incorporate into your mermaid figure. If you have a pair of needle-nose, round-nose, long-nose or conical-nose pliers, please bring them with you to class.

Click Kathleen's picture to visit her Etsy shop!

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Albuquirky House Tour VIDEO

Check out this video about the upcoming Albuquirky House Tour, a very important fundraiser for OFFCenter. Thank you Holly for creating it!

Find more videos like this on OFFCenter Arts

Traditional Pysanky, Russian Egg Workshop Sat. 4/11

Hurry! A few seats are still available! This Saturday!

Call OFFCenter to register.

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Cost: $40 All materials will be provided. Scholarships are available.

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PYSANKY (PEE-SAN-KEY) - traditional Eastern European folk art of decorating eggs. Learn the batik technique of this unique traditional art in our 4 hour workshop taught by Jo lanta Konopelska-Feliciano. Jo lanta was born in Poland and learned this captivating art form in early childhood. She mastered this craft, adding her own unique styling to thousands of hand crafted, precisely designed, and beautifully finished Easter eggs.

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You will explore the batik technique by using beeswax applied with "kistka", dyeing eggs in vibrant colors, and designing them by following traditional Ukrainian and Polish symbolism or modern geometric forms. The final step will include empting an egg and preserving the delicate shell, so it can be used as an ornament or a unique gift for many years to come.

First Friday Coffeehouse with WAGOGO

OUR SECOND First Friday. Get it? Friday, April 3, 2009, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Live music performance @6:15 p.m. with Wagogo, a musical blend of Chicano influences, Northern Mexico folk songs, warm calypso island grooves, & the captivating spirit music of Zimbabwe AND

our ongoing art exhibit -- Exquisite Corpse: A Surrealist Game, exploring the mystique of accident, a collective collage of images and words.

And...see our unusual, one-of-a-kind handcrafted art for sale in The Shop! And, Henry's cookin' some down home Louisiana style.

FREE EVENT -- A "Pass the Hat Production"

One More Artist Reflects on the 516 Art X Change

This Art X Change post is from Mary Lambert, OFFCenter studio artist:

Many thanks to Bryan and Suzanne at 516 ARTS for connecting OFFCenter with Delilah Montoya, curator and artist of the current exhibit, Chicana Badgirls at 516. It was fascinating to learn a little about some of her process in curating the show and the thinking and mythology that went into her large digital print of La Llorona and Lilith.

Here are a couple of things I remember Delilah mentioning about entry into the public art arena as an artist:

• Do the body of work. You have to do the work. You can then decide on and promote your best pieces.


• Enter National Call for Entries. This is how you get your work known on a large scale. Plus, why not? It takes just as much effort to enter on a regional scale as on a national one.


• Participate in as many local Art Fairs as you can. This is how you can gain experience showing your work.
  ~and~


• Don't burn your bridges. Even tho the art world many times seems unfair and unjust, hold your tongue. It is a small town and people love to tell stories.

Words of wisdom from the mouth of a "Badgirl".

Another artist's reflections on the first ArtXChange

Here's what OFFCenter studio artist Jude Pacheco shared with us about the first OFFCenter ArtXChange event with 516 Arts, just down the street:

My experience at the 516 Arts / OFFCenter Art X Change on Thursday, March 12, 2009 was an exceptionally wonderful time. Our 516 Arts gallery tour guide walked us through the exhibition space describing in good detail the works as well as answering and asking through provoking questions. 516 artist Delilah Montoya is an absolutely delightful personality. Her warm and comforting approach to the audience worked well as some guests felt it easy to describe their own heart-breaking personal stories in relation to the art. Then, back at the OFFCenter I was personally honored and humbled to treat my one-minute performance art piece titled "Stare Into the Mirror." Delilah commented that she "like the piece" and I was overwhelmed with joy. The 516 Arts / OFFCenter Art X Change was an experience I'll not soon forget. We laughed, cried, and hopefully looked again at ourselves. I could never have expected the Art X Change to have been such a surprise -- thank you to Delilah Montoya and Mary Lambert -- the OFFCenter Community Arts Studio & the 516 Arts.

FYI: Emerging Artist Meetings Every Thursday

Each Thursday from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., community artists gather together in an open meeting to present and discuss ideas for gallery shows, workshops, classes, and community art events. This meeting is the place to go if you are interested in getting more involved in developing OFFCenter's studio programs.

Call for Entries: SHELTER

An inquiry about where we live -- how it defines us and our relationship to our environment & each other.

All media welcome, BUT space is limited -- please call for more info.

Entry Deadline: Monday April 20, 2009

Artwork by Kathleen Schweizer

4th Annual Albuquirky House Tour May 2, 2009

Annual Fundraiser for OFFCenter

Saturday, May 2, 2009 from 1 to 4 pm

Cost: $25.00 per ticket

(Locations will be provided when you buy your ticket)

This is not your father’s house tour—unless your father owns 300 toothbrushes or has 500 pairs of shoes nailed to the telephone poles around his house…. these are genuine HOUSES, where creative, individual, unconventional people actually live. And they’re opening up their houses for one afternoon so you can enjoy their décor, interior design, personal zeitgeist.

Start the day, Saturday, May 2nd at 1 pm, by dropping by OFFCenter Community Arts Project where you can buy your tickets and get your map to three very unusual houses. (As always, at OFFCenter, you can stop to join us in some art making, and having a little snack.)

You’ll also be given the rules for a “quirky hunt”, where you’ll be eligible to win wonderful (need we say, quirky) prizes.

Then set out to see the houses; we call them “Shoes on a Telephone Pole”, “The Gate House”, “A True Collaboration: Art & Architecture”, and “A Home for Everyone”. You’ll see what we mean.

Return to “Home” at OffCenter by 4 pm. Bring your solutions to the “quirky hunt”, make some more art, enjoy the company… What a great day!

Get tickets: Call 505-247-1172 note: tickets can be mailed to you, or picked up the day of the House Tour at OFFCenter. Just remember to make OffCenter one of your stops on the tour.

Artists comment on first ArtXchange

OFFCenter's emerging artists recently participated in an artXchange with 516 Arts, just a couple of blocks away from the studio. Word is that we'll do this again in the future, perhaps several times a year, and/or whenever 516 launches a new show. It's good for the artists, good for the organizations, and good for the neighborhood. We'll be posting feedback from the event. Here's what Venae Warner had to say:

"When I received the notice that the 516 gallery was inviting us to an "Art X Change," I imagined trading my paltry work for some of their current and seasoned artist's work. I couldn't imagine it. But after reading further I realized that this event was a talk from the artist and curator Delilah Montoya, I was on board.

The show was aptly titled Chicana Bad Girls. When we arrived we were guided by a knowledgeable staff member from 516, where he illuminated the philosophies, motivations and techniques of most of the artists. After that Delilah Montoya discussed her vision for the show, her beautiful manipulated wall size photograph, and answered our various questions. Since most of us were artists, we were able to discuss the show from the artist's perspective.

This was free, entertaining, stimulating and educational. How fortunate for us that 516 has created this new venue. I definitely look forward to the next show."

More Jesse Reno Workshop Photos

Thanks Leighanna!

Photos of Jesse and the art he was creating at the workshops:

http://lklight.blogspot.com/2009/03/more-workshop-photos.html

Check out Leighanna's Jesse Reno Class Pictures

Jesse Reno is teaching at OFFCenter this weekend, down from Portland. Here's the link:

http://lklight.blogspot.com/2009/03/jesse-reno-workshop.html

Thanks Leighanna, keep 'em coming!