Posts Tagged ‘art after dark’
This week marks the fifth anniversary of what has become something of an institution here at Bambu Batu. Art After Dark in SLO takes place on the first Friday of each month, and shopkeepers and art-lovers alike have come to look forward to this monthly opportunity for mingling and moseying around San Luis Obispo’s charming, historic downtown district.
From 6-9 pm, most participating venues will host art openings that showcase artwork ranging from local oil paintings to international textiles, and everything in between. Small but cultured, San Luis Obispo boasts a flourishing community of artists, including world-class plein air specialists, award-winning jewelers, a growing cottage industry of crafters, an active and talented cadre of painters both abstract and representational, and all manner of sculptors and ceramicists. Alongside these diverse and abundant exhibits—around thirty each month—most galleries offer something else for which our region has earned an impressive reputation, glasses of fine wine.
In our unending effort to distinguish ourselves, Bambu Batu takes a unique approach to Art After Dark in SLO. As our wall space is already well filled with lovely art, scrolls and bamboo merchandise, we generally try to focus on other forms of art. Each month we feature a different line-up of local musical artists, from gypsy jazz ensembles to ambient DJs to singer-songwriter soloists (including Anthony Roselli in the photo above). Tonight (Oct. 2, 2015), our special guests include and handful of members from SLO county’s notorious bluegrass sensation, the Mother Cornshuckers.
As a spiritually oriented shop, we also take Art After Dark as an opportunity to showcase the metaphysical arts. Harry Farmer, the impresario of astrology on the Central Coast, participates on a semi regular basis, offering his most insightful readings of your planets based on decades of study and experience. Mary-Aiñe Curtis also offers her intuitive talents on alternating months, using Angel Cards to exercise her sensitive energy reading skills.
Finally, given this region’s saturation of grapes and wineries, we opt to offer another much loved but under-represented exemplar of the fermented arts: craft beer. Typically we pour suds from either Creekside Brewing Company (brewed and based directly across the street) or Figueroa Mountain Brewing (based in Santa Ynez and brewed in nearby Arroyo Grande). Beer and wine lovers alike appear to appreciate our bold efforts to diversify the palate.
Bambu Batu is proud to be a part of Art After Dark in SLO, and whenever possible we also include arts and crafts from local artisans, to brighten up the evening’s fare and give budding artists a chance to gain some exposure and display their works. And at last we can rejoice, that Bubblegum Alley is no longer San Luis Obispo’s greatest contribution to culture!
The elusive and illustrious See Canyon Ramblers are making a rare appearance in downtown SLO this Friday, Oct. 3, out of their Oceano cavern and straight onto center stage for Art After Dark at Bambu Batu. In addition to the toe-tapping tunes of this bluegrass fusion band (including a few members of the local “beergrass” sensation, the Mother Corn Shuckers), you can always expect a gregarious throng of art enthusiasts, bamboo lovers, new age revelers, and responsible beer consumers.
This month’s featured artist, Terri Tylman, creates vibrant, colorful images of tropical visions and local landscapes, using a very unusual technique with color-infused metal. Take advantage of this chance to meet the artist and see her work in person, because I’m having a hard time describing it in words!
Friday’s line-up also includes local astrologer Harry Farmer and intuitive angel card reader MaryAiñe Curtis, at your service to help you wrap your mind around your soul’s path and your cosmic destiny. If that’s not enough to bring the inner peace you seek, perhaps a cold beer from Creekside Brewing Company will do the trick. We always have a few varieties on hand, from the palest ale to the deepest darkest porter, and brewed so locally you can literally see their raw grains from here.
And chances are, you’re really going to want a cold drink come Friday night, because this weekend is supposed to get hot hot hot. I’m not saying it has anything to do with Climate Change, but possible triple digit temps as the worst drought in California history intensifies, and you can decide for yourself. And if you’re familiar with the Indian Summers for which the Central Coast is famous, you might even take the opportunity to pick up a nice, light-weight bamboo tank top to help get you through the season.
Whatever your needs may be, we hope you’ll join us for this next edition of Art After Dark, because we know it will put a smile on your face.
Halloween must be one of the year’s best holidays. Children and adults alike have an excuse to dress as the characters and creatures they most wish to embody, and go house-to-house in pursuit of treats. For the kids, candy is the reward of choice. For those over 21, a good cocktail helps celebrate the night of spirits. For Bambu Batu’s next Art After Dark Celebration on November 1 from 6-9pm, we will be holding hard alcohol tastings from Re:Find in Paso Robles. The evening will also feature astrology readings from celestial superstar Harry Farmer and Tarot card reading by Francesca, plus live music and prizes for the best costumes.
Re:Find Handcrafted Spirits from Paso Robles uses saignée, or the free-run juice from grapes removed prior to fermentation, to produce their vodka, gin, and brandy. The juice is triple distilled to create the highest small-production spirits. The company is the result of Alex and Monica Villicana’s efforts to promote sustainability through using an often ignored artisan product. While most gins and vodkas are made from grain and sometimes potatoes, grapes produce glycerol which are responsible for the “legs” found in wine. The unique base accounts for their unique flavor profiles as well as providing locavores a handcrafted option for their liquor cabinet.
For more information, or to find a location where Re:Find is sold, check out their website, call: 805.239.9456, or email: monica@refinddistillery.com. Tours and tastings are offered from 11:am to 5pm daily at their distillery located at 2725 Adelaida Road, Paso Robles, CA 93446.
For students and starving artists, it is difficult to find quality materials without breaking the bank. Not only can hunting for the perfect component for a project be an exercise in frustration, purchasing new items can also put a strain on both the planet and the wallet.
Established in 1976 to provide materials for art teachers in the San Francisco Public School system, SCRAP (Scrounger’s Center for Reusable Art Parts) is the Bay Area’s oldest creative reuse center. For over 30 years, the non-profit has supplied artists, educators, and scroungers with items rescued from their fate as landfill clutter. Currently residing in a warehouse provided by the SFUSD, SCRAP houses over 5,000 square feet of wood, metal, glass, fabric, images, plastic, beads, buttons, toys, and nearly anything you could possibly need to complete a masterpiece. In exchange for a place to store their “art parts” and hold workshops, the program donates its services to the community organizations, teachers, and parents working within the school district. Sustained by the money raised from selling materials, SCRAP is able to offer free item pickup, low-cost classes, and school field trips.
Aside from their work promoting arts and culture, SCRAP has also had a positive impact on the environment. By turning trash into treasure, the organization diverts over 200 tons of waste from the dump each year. Through “creative reuse“, artists transform the worthless into the wonderful, adding value and meaning to what was formerly seen as junk.
Start a SCRAP where you live, and take back your trash!
It’s medicinal! It’s decorative! It’s SUPERMAN! Actually, it’s art therapy. But it’s pretty cool. Art therapy is more than just painting or drawing. It is a way for anyone, young or old, to express themselves more openly and meaningfully than they might otherwise be able to. The basic idea is to provide a person the opportunity to channel his or her restlessness or negativity through the construction of something positive, with the belief that inside of everyone there dwells some unique potential for creativity. The benefits of art therapy are significant. When one creates, a sense of fulfillment, self actualization and empowerment are the result. And, as mentioned before, it is a useful tool for expression, more accessible to some than words. Art therapy is especially helpful with children, as they have a limited vocabulary and may not feel comfortable expressing themselves in words. One common exercise is to have rivaling siblings draw their own perfect museum, and what it would contain. This way, the therapist can find not only the source of their differences, but also what they may have in common, and build on that. Here in our home town, Andrea Kamm is an experienced artist and board certified family and couples therapist. She has worked in mental health for 25 years. She and her husband Bob are co-founders of the San Luis Relationship Institute, located at 1023 Nipomo Street. If you or someone you know is struggling with grief, anxiety, depression or any other form of mental or emotional hurdles, you may want to draw on the Kamms for guidance. Now that the holidays are over, I’m sure we could all use a little relief. I prefer retail therapy, personally. Come in and see us if you do too. Or join us for Art After Dark beginning in February, and get the best of both worlds.
