I also adopted a stray kitten last week. His name is Charlie. Or Peanut. Or Charlie Peanut.
Archive for the 'Uncategorized' Category
Photo by Baltimore City Paper
It’s taken me a while to find myself creatively since I’ve moved back to Baltimore. While I do have days where I miss Philadelphia with all my heart, I think this fall I have finally been able to find my little niche here. I’m proud and happy to be a part of some smaller talented co-ops and community groups, and it means so much to me to be able to make things and bounce ideas off other people who love making things.
That said, one of my favorite collectives, The Charm City Craft Mafia, has a big feature in this week’s City Paper, which is also the annual Holiday Guide. Martin Johnson did a great writeup about our group, what we do, and the madness that comes with being a crafter around the holidays.
Look at all of my books! *grin* I hadn’t ever seen Baltimore’s version of a citypaper holiday guide, so I just assumed it would be some other inky black and white photo, in a corner, with my other colleagues on the spread, so imagine my surprise while half asleep on the train, I opened up the CP and there I was… I can’t help feeling a bit self-conscious, but hey, I’m thrilled that the Craft Mafia (and hopefully my Etsy shop, hint hint nudge nudge) will have some good hits as a result of the article. Here’s to digging in my heels and gettin’ comfortable in Baltimore.
You can complete that sentence.
Thank you SO SO SO much to everyone who was able to make it out for the Charm City Craft Mafia’s Holiday Heap! I had a ton of fun and was thrilled at the great response to my books. I’m working on lots more in order to re-stock my inventory and to bring you more goodies. check out our flickr pool to see just a few shots of the crazy fun day. I am also pleased to announce that I finally have my Etsy shop up and in running order.
Last season I did a few sales over email/this website, but I decided to hop over to Etsy for a number of reasons: 1) It’s been difficult for me to keep this website updated regularly, and I didn’t want to send potential customers to an inactive blog 2) Etsy streamlines their templates with paypal and other invoice functions so well and 3) I’m happy to be a part of a great crafter network. I love having a personal site, but it’s hard to get exposure from here when you can barely manage to update the blog, you know?
So, if you’re on Etsy, check out my shop, favorite me (and I’ll get you back, of course), refer your friends to me, etc. Stay tuned for more news, and if things ever calm down, I’ll work on keeping the other pages of this website updated too. imagine that!
So. I have a confession to make. I seem to only update this thing when I have something big in the works… mostly because I get so busy preparing for said Big Things that my website goes by the wayside. so sad.
I’ll try my darndest to turn over a new blogging leaf, though. I find inspiration in so many places, it’s a shame that it goes unshared. For now, I share with you the billions of things keeping me busy… I’ve been trying as hard as I can to get involved in my new community. It hasn’t been the easiest to do with the move, with the new job, with the less than ideal commute, but it’s working.
I’m a proud new member of the Charm City Craft Mafia, Baltimore’s own renegade craft collective. I and 12 other members hawk our awesome handmade goods around town and in craft shows across the nation. The Craft Mafia will be having its second annual Holiday Heap NEXT Saturday, November 15th, at St. John’s Church in Charles Village. The show will feature crafts and handmade goods from 50+ of the best crafters in Baltimore and beyond. Please check us out, and come by my table and say Hey!
That said, Phampersand Press is slowly getting off the ground. I decided to take advantage of the scarcity of bookmakers in Baltimore and am now focusing my crafty efforts on binding binding binding and not so much printing. It’s also important to note that my “studio” is still my living room, and the lack of equipment and access to solvents and washout (I don’t even have a proper bathtub or garden hose, unfortunately) are less of a hindrance and even more incentive to keep making books. I’m still trying to get the hang of the business side of things (tax paperwork, resale ID’s, I don’t know!) so for now, I’ve set up shop at Etsy. Won’t you come have a look?
Other projects in the background include The Hexagon, a collective gallery/music space located near the Station North neighborhood and Locus Magazine, a semi-annual art publication based here in Baltimore. Never a shortage of things to do, not at all.
Today finds me 1) moping around home, nursing a cold and 2) TOTALLY PUMPED ABOUT VOTING. DID YOU VOTE YET? PLEASE DO!
Mind that election coverage. I’m shakin’ in my boots, y’all! Well, no boots at home for me today. I’m shakin’ in my hoodie! More life updates to come soon, I promise.
Oh my goodness! Like many of my other internet endeavors, I’m not doing too well at keeping this one up. Since Phampersand Press last blogged (I promise to not refer to constantly refer to myself in the 3rd person), so much has happened! I’ve been selling my goodzzz, making more work, not updating this website, working my butt off as the exhibits preparator at Fleisher, preparing for 2 upcoming shows and… getting ready to move to Baltimore or DC to work for the Smithsonian!!!!!!
As some of you may know, I scored a great part time gig working for the Fleisher Art Memorial as the assistant to the Director of Exhibitions. I really love working there and have been learning so much. With our frequently rotating schedule of exhibitions, there is always lots of excitement going on. I’ve had the opportunity to meet and work with some very inspiring and talented artists from Philly. Most recently was our Challenge Exhibition, now finishing up its third installment. I could go on for pages and pages describing this thing, so I’ll let Roberta and Libby of Artblog tell you a bit about it.
I suppose this would be as good a segue as any to tell you about the newest professional chapter of my life. I’m moving soon! March, in fact! The process of finding a permanent, long-term, benefits-providing job has been long and stressful but I’m thrilled to announce that I will soon be a book conservator for the vast libraries at the Smithsonaian. If you care to hear a detailed play by play of the whole process, feel free to email. But I’ll just add that it came out of the blue, and I was adjusting quite well to life as an MFA grad, working multiple (though fulfilling) jobs, and appreciating any and all inspiration that came along the way. Admittedly, I am very sad to be leaving my close network of artist friends here in Philadelphia, but I won’t be that far, and I have a whole new world to explore. And if I keep on myself about updating this here blogging area, I’ll have even more to share.
This means that March will be my final Hurrah as a Philadelphia resident. (Who knows, I’d love to come back some day.) Thanks to Michelle Wilson and Robert Wuilfe and their commitment to Landmarks Contemporary Projects, I will have my very first solo exhibition opening the weekend before I plan to leave Philly! In conjunction with the Fibers Symposium coming here, two other fiber artists and I will be having our solo shows at the Powel House and the Physick House.
And then on THAT note, (aren’t these puddle-hops just funny?) I’ll be previewing a portion of my Powel House installation next week in Art Glut, at the My House Gallery (8th and Porter). Curated by Alex Gartelmann, this 40-50 person salon-style exhibition celebrates and questions the uh, bulge, of contemporary art in Philadelphia. Good on you, Alex, for organizing all of this. Art Glut opens on Friday, February 15th.
Also on Friday, February 15th, is the opening reception for our final installation of Challenge before the next round of jurying (I have been a busy bee). Come see new works by Judy Gelles, Erica Zoe Loustau, and Shelley Spector. Apologies for the administrative-slant of this update. Still no portfolio up, but I’m working on cleaning up things and adding to my contacts. More inspiration to come; just thought I ought to share news and all. Happy February, friends!
Hey there, friends. You may notice a bit of construction/piles of mortar and sloppiness around here. Please pardon the appearance as I venture into my crash course in css and html. Right now I’m working on getting all of the imagery up here, and then I’ll be able to focus on getting it all coded and lovely. Until then, I appreciate your patience and we’ll be in holiday business SOON!
I’m in the process of getting things ready for this season of holiday sales, and I’m very excited! Have at a preview:
Oh, and get ready for some upcoming fancy header stuff, with special thanks to my friend MM for explaining things to me in simple terms.
Michelle Wilson also opened her site-specific installation, Aftermath, at the Powel House this week. Wilson explores issues of surrogate responsibility and accountability, as well as social and political discomfort through the lens of an historic landmark. Aftermath runs until November 25th.
