Dawn Doran

This past weekend was ARTSCAPE in Baltimore. I know I have mentioned it in various contexts. It is billed as the largest free public arts festival. I dunno if that is in the WORLD– but it was bigger and hotter than ever.  It can be hot and “normally” Summer in Baltimore, but you better bet when ARTSCAPE weekend rolls around, the weather will be only comparable to the firey furnaces of HELL.  I worked in a booth in the new DIY section with Ms. Erin the ceyeberfiber mama. I also sold a new thing for me– felted bracelets. Here’s our booth and a detail of what I am talking about.

They were very well received there.  Hope you like them.  I’ll be getting them up on Etsy at some point.

Working at ( or just attending) ARTSCAPE is to view an amazing cross section of humanity.  Working there, you get to experience it from 9am to 10pm, however.  I could tell you loads of funny stories.  Erin will remember all of the “BEST THINGS OVERHEARD AT ARTSCAPE”, my short story will be to tell you about the really really happy Mormon guys who came to play on Saturday.  They were gathered across from us at the cleaner/greener Baltimore booth and at some point found it a good idea to cheer for people when they threw something into the recycling bins.  Then they found it an AWESOME idea.  And they did it ALL DAY.  It was funny and crazy. And very very LOUD.  They would whoop and holler like they were an entire crowd of fans at a basketball game.  A really good one.  It was funny because people would be weirded out, but happy too.  So I think it worked.  Folks would take their stuff up there and tease them.  If a rascal threw something recyclable into the trash bin the would BOOOOOOO just as loudly, pick it out and put it in the right bin, and then whoop it up for themselves.  Such exuberance and persistence was  simply awesome.  A little nerve wracking after hours and hours of it… but it was totally for real, and that was just something.  I made a movie of it… but I bet you can imagine it just fine. 

So the other great thing about ARTSCAPE is that Jim’s art was there.  Remember?  He was awesome. The art was awesome.

It was a really good exhibit.  Here are 2 other of my favorites from the show–  You just have to love post-it art.  ( and there was the predictable napkin-scrawl art as well)

and

If you want to see this is all of it’s ocd splendor– you can check it out on my flickr page.  Click it to travel by flu powder there.  Don’t forget to say FLICKR!  If you zoom in you will see it is like a billion and one noodles.

I also liked this Birth of Venus.  I have a tattoo of the Botticelli version, and am always fond of the subject.

Part 2 in just a bit– “ARTSCAPE– GREAT ART THAT YOU CAN SIT ON!!!”