Homegrown Art Show was a success!

So this past Sunday, we put on the Homegrown Art Show at Mojo’s to benefit a local non-profit organization, Rainbow House. Rainbow House focuses on child abuse, neglect, and youth homelessness cases. Mojo’s has a nice outdoor grassy area under some big oak trees, so we had Lowe’s donate 4x8ft pieces of drywall to put up in a half moon shape for all the artists to display their work on. We dubbed it “CoMo’s first outdoor fine art gallery”.

We had 14 walls set up, a few tables for our jewelers, author, Dorraine Darden, and wheel-thrown ceramic artist, as well as an outdoor stage with local bands, face painter, silent auction, a blacksmith, photo booth, and Pepe’s Food Truck pulled up outside. It was a huge party, and the best day of my life, to say the least. KOMU even showed up to interview me! Oh yes, and Jerod from Best Ink (the current running season on Oxygen) displayed his work as well!

The only downfall was the rain, which decided to make an appearance a few hours into the show. We rushed everything inside and covered up the artists’ work so it wouldn’t get soaked.

Our Keltic band greeted us inside and got everyone up and dancing. Following them was LA MOVIDA  from here in Columbia, Mind at Large from Austin, The Thin Dimes from St. Louis, and our headliner, Mary and the Giant.

We ended up raising over $2,100 for the organization!

 

It all still kind of feels like a dream to me because I’ve been wanting to do something like this for so long, and it finally happened. I want to thank everyone who helped us out. Our sponsors: Lowe’s, Pizza Tree, Jimmy John’s, KOPN, & Schlafly. Our silent auction donators: Bluestem Missouri Crafts, Broadway Brewery, Missouri Theater, and Sparky’s Ice Cream. And, OF COURSE, my friends and family who came out, called me, supported, and cheered us on throughout the whole process–we did it!

 

You can check out a few photos from the event here: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B-3IS4slHfdicHFyS1dUMWlqa2c&usp=sharing

Photo booth photos are by Justin M Photo.

 

 

The Homegrown Art Show is catching on fire!

Hah, not really, but it is getting a lot of attention, which is kind of like fire. 

An idea that is so contagious, spreading like wild fire, can burn down walls between people, walls created by class, race, gender, age, interest, etc. This art show isn’t a world-changer or anything, but it’s changed my world, that’s for sure. 

To see and hear so many people wanting to get the word out about this event has literally made me beam with joy almost to the point of not being able to control it. I mean, every now and then, my toes start dancing, my fingers start tapping, and my whole body just wants to jump and down because this means that something that a few “kids” put together is really paying off… for everyone. 

I wanted to share a couple newspaper/magazine articles that have been published about this art show just because I’m so proud of it all. 

Amy Wilder, from the Tribune, wrote this one: http://www.columbiatribune.com/blogs/art_axis/homegrown-art-show-raises-money-for-rainbow-house/article_9ffece1a-b354-11e2-966c-001a4bcf6878.html

And, Anna Seaman, from Vox Magazine wrote this one: http://www.voxmagazine.com/stories/2013/05/02/local-artists-raise-money-rainbow-house/

 

Also, Mattie and I will be featured as guests on KOPN 89.5FM tonight at 7pm to talk in the Women’s Issues segment about the art show as well as issues related to being a female artist. 

Tune in, check out our articles, but most importantly, come out on Sunday to support Rainbow House! If you can’t make it but still want to donate, you can email HomegrownArtRH@gmail.com with a Paypal account! 

 

Who will be at the Homegrown Art Show?

Monterey Jazz Festival Tour 2013, Columbia, MO

So, last night I went with a couple friends to the Missouri Theater down on 9th St. here in Columbia. We have a good friend who’s a sound guy and an amazing drummer, and had plans to go see the Monterey Jazz Festival Tour where his favorite drummer, Lewis Nash, would be performing. This is presented by the local organization, “We Always Swing” Jazz Series.  I was in the mood to do something other than watch Tribeca Film Festival movies on Hulu at my apartment, so after discovering I had more than $25 in my bank account, I was all on board to go check out these notable Jazz musicians.

I mean, I’ve loved Jazz for a while now, but I am by no means a musician (I just hang out with a lot of them). This makes it difficult for me to engage in intelligent conversations about all the instrumental differences in the Jazz scene… I know there’s a piano, a sax, a trumpet, some drums, a bass player, and one soulful voice that can bring it all together. But that’s about it. I use my ears to learn, and what I’ve learned over the past few years about Jazz, is that it can electrify your entire body in just a few seconds in the most delicate way possible. I mean, if you love music, most genres can do this, but there’s something about the delay… the hang.. the indulgence each musician takes a second to appreciate while playing their instrument in a Jazz band that’s unlike most other genres.

Anyway, the specific musicians I’m talking about include… wait for it…. 

 

1. Dee Dee Bridgewater (vocals) 
2. Ambrose Akinmusire (trumpet) 
3. Chris Potter (saxophone) 
4. Benny Green (piano) 
5. Christian McBride (bass) 
6. Lewis Nash (drums) 

Quite honestly, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into before taking my seat right behind the sound booth. The second Dee Dee got on stage with Christian and started talking and singing, I knew I would have no problem being glued to my chair for the next three hours. My favorite, their cover of Thad Jones-A Child is Born. Holy mama. It was good. 

I won’t go on and on about all the various points throughout the show that I fell in love, but let’s just say it was over 10. I mean 10 times in three hours, that’s some emotional therapy right there. 

Anyway, check out these amazing musicians and go to see their tour if they come through your town! It will be worth it, I promise. 

Today, Mattie and I will be setting up a table at Artlandish Gallery for Artrageous Friday to promote for the Homegrown Art Show being held on Cinco de Mayo at Mojo’s here in CoMO. If you’re in the area, stop by and say hello! We will have cookies  

Sofia’s Blog

My Chilean sister has started writing! If you don’t speak Spanish, use your translator, and soak up some of her beautiful words. She has a lot of them  

HOMEGROWN ART SHOW

This is a video Kitchen Table Promotion filmed for us about the Homegrown Art Show! Check it out, share it with your friends, and SPREAD THE WORD! We’re only a few weeks away from our event!

Rainbow House, Columbia, Missouri

I did a little promo video for Rainbow House’s 2013 Masquerade Ball, and this is it! These kids are precisely the reason we’ve put in so much work to make the Homegrown Art Show a success. Please, spread the word, that on May 5th, we’re hosting Homegrown Art partnering with Rainbow House at Mojo’s (1013 Park Ave.) in Columbia, MO from 4pm until midnight. It’s a $5 minimum donation at the door. We will have all kinds of fun stuff, including a photo booth, face painter, live music outside, over 20 artists, a silent auction, and more music inside with Mind at Large, The Thin Dimes, and Mary & the Giant. Please come join us for the best Cinco de Mayo mid-Missouri has ever seen!