Chattarati Articles in Arts

Back Row Film Series Concludes With ‘Truck Farm’

2011-09-14T14:30:00Z

Trailer for ‘Truck Farm.’wickedelicate

Arts & Education Council:

"How do you grow your own food in the city if you ain’t got no land?" NYC-based filmmaker Ian Cheney's solution was to plant seeds directly in the bed of his grandfather's old pickup truck. True, you don’t usually think "1986 Dodge Ram" when you think “green vehicle," but Cheney's truck with ripe rows of arugula, lettuce, broccoli, herbs, tomatoes and habaneros thriving right in its flatbed, is definitely an exception. His Truck Farm even has its own CSA plan!
Screening tomorrow night at Greenspaces, the whimsical, 50-minute documentary Truck Farm will inspire a new, improved way of thinking about how we get our food in the concrete jungle. Through a quirky series of musical, lyric-accompanied, video shorts ("The recession was upon me, my health was slipping away. I decided what I needed, was more vegetables everyday."), the film uses humor to explore creative solutions to urban farming — from rooftops to barges to porches and more. Come see the film and experience the launch of Chattanooga's own truck farm!

The Back Row Film Series screening of Truck Farm will be at Greenspaces on Thursday, Sept. 15, at 6 p.m.

Like (9) | Comments | Email | Facebook | Twitter

Terrence Malick’s Shining ‘Tree of Life’

2011-08-05T09:15:00Z

Promotional Still via Fox Searchlight

Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain star in ‘The Tree of Life,’ a new film written and directed by Terrence Malick.

You don’t see a film like Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life very often. In fact, you rarely see a film by Terrence Malick at all. Odds are if you’ve seen any of his other films on the small screen you may have been puzzled by the allure they hold for critics and devotees. They are lavish affairs — intensely image-driven, poetic, reflective and finely edited masterpieces that have a way of polarizing their audiences, a way of either opening eyes in wonder or closing them in sleep. As one critic has said, Malick’s films don’t have fans: they have disciples, partisans and fanatics.

Much of The Tree of Life is set in suburban Waco, Texas, in the 1950s, where we see the O’Brien family navigate the paths of Nature, represented by The Father (an aging Brad Pitt), and Grace, The Mother (a luminous Jessica Chastain). Three sons come from this marriage, and the film’s primary focus is on the eldest, Jack, played in the past by newcomer Hunter McCracken and in the present by Sean Penn.

The Tree of Life begins with a prelude composed of fragments of family life for the O’Briens, a kind of Cliffs Notes introduction to the whole. In characteristically Malick-ian voiceover, The Mother explains the ways of Nature and Grace as we see crystalline vignettes of the O’Brien family story set to John Tavener’s rich, gothic Funeral Canticle. “Grace doesn’t try to please itself,” Mrs. O’Brien says. “It accepts being slighted, forgotten, disliked. Nature only wants to please itself and get others to please it too. It finds reason to be unhappy when all the world is shining around it.”

This conflict is visible in the O’Brien family dynamic. The Father, a failed musician turned engineer, insists on being called "sir" by his sons; his touch makes them recoil. The Mother, always wise, loving and gentle, is subdued under the weight of her husband’s pride and arrogance. One of the film’s most joyous sequences commences when her husband leaves on a business trip and she and her sons are free to run, to enjoy each other and the world shining around them to the soaring strings of Smetana’s Moldau.

For all his faults, there are jarring shreds of goodness in Mr. O’Brien. The war inside of him is imputed to his son Jack, and the boy carries the weight of the Nature-Grace clash like a burden on his back even into his adult years where we see him as a wealthy, emotionally drained architect trapped in corporate skyscrapers of glass and concrete. The Tree of Life pictures the genesis, development and majestic resolution of this struggle. Most affecting are the first flickerings of sexual awakening and the guilt it entails for Jack, his cold treatment of his gentle young brother who takes after their mother in the way of Grace, and a beautiful sequence that juxtaposes his bedtime prayers — “Help me not to sass my dad. Help me not to tell lies. Help me to be thankful for what I got.” — with the ineffable petitions trapped in his mind — “I want to know who you are. I want to see what you see.”

This is a film of remembered moments, and Malick captures the fleeting passage of memory with the same precision that Federico Fellini captured the logic of dreams. Some of the vignettes last for only seconds, and some supporting characters only appear in prolonged flashes. Malick’s camera sweeps, swings and soars with total freedom around, over and under his characters and through outdoor landscapes and indoor sets meticulously designed by longtime Malick collaborator Jack Fisk. Emmanuel Lubezki’s cinematography is bathed in nothing but pure, natural light, his finest work in a stately oeuvre of beautiful films. The soundtrack is charged with the holy, employing the finest sacred choral works of Preisner, Berlioz, and Tavener. It should come as no surprise that Malick elicits searing, heart-wrenching performances from all of his actors, with whom we never fail to feel a deep intimacy. Even the minutest bit parts seem essential.

Since Badlands, Terrence Malick has been unveiling his philosophy of human existence through showing the natural world and all of its own glories through his eyes. The Tree of Life offers a kind of climax to that philosophy. After the death of a son, the O’Brien family cries out to God with questions of why. As Malick focuses on Mrs. O’Brien, his camera follows her through the woods at dusk as she directs her questions to the heavens. “Lord, did you know?” she asks as Malick pans upward to a vast expanse of trees and sky. “Who are we to you? Answer me. We cry to you. My soul, my son. Hear us.”

The answer comes in the form a 20-minute sequence in which Malick pictures the creation of the world. From the gradual growth of the cosmos to the age of the dinosaurs to the present day, Malick has plotted a meticulous display of the origin of everything. This sequence figures into the film's epigraph, a quote from the mouth of God as communicated to the biblical character of Job: “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation ... while the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" The immortal spirit of God, represented by a mysterious glimmering orange light against the darkness, appears at the film’s beginning, middle, and end: alpha, omega, and all the rest.

The question has been raised whether the final scenes of The Tree of Life, which I dare not detail here, hold together dramatically, emotionally and spiritually. I question it, but that does little to change the perfection that comes before, which is nothing less than a reinvention of the nuclear family drama. While many of the best films dealing with the same subject matter have striven to detail the spiritual dynamics of existence, The Tree of Life captures spirit in a manner altogether foreign to even the greatest American cinema.

It would seem as if we are living in the age of Terrence Malick. After making Badlands and Days of Heaven in the '70s, he took a 20-year hiatus from filmmaking. He returned with The Thin Red Line in 1998, The New World in 2005, and now, The Tree of Life. His next film is rumored to be finished already, and another is in the midst of principal photography right now. I can only hope that his clear and beautiful eyes — eyes that cause viewers to open their own to a world with “all things shining” — continue to serve audiences so well. Cinema, an art form that at its best teaches us how to see, is better because of him.

Like (35) | Comments (2) | Email | Facebook | Twitter

Artamajig: An Auction for ‘Found’ Work

2011-07-19T14:00:00Z

Arts & Education Council

‘Unearthed,’ watercolor/gauche by Maggie Vandewalle.

More than 57 local artists contributed pieces to the Arts & Education Council’s (AEC) fundraiser this year. Artamajig is the council’s only annual fundraiser and a popular local event that blends fine art and fine food.

Inspired by the "found" theme, local artists submitted everything from handcrafted jewelry to traditional oil paintings and funky sculptures. There are pastels, watercolors, photographs, textiles and mixed media pieces too. Attendees will see a working clock called Carnival Clock by Michael Wimmer and a "Jetsons/Flintstone dinnerware" set made of concrete and metal by Kem Alexander.

"There is truly something for every taste and budget," said Laurel Eldridge, AEC program director. "Also, many of the artists attend, so it’s a great opportunity to interact and ask questions about the work."

Along with fabulous original artwork, attendees will be treated to samples of Chef Daniel Lindley’s culinary expertise. A two-year James Beard Award semi-finalist, Lindley owns St. John’s Restaurant, St. John’s Meeting Place and Alleia. He’s nationally recognized for relying on local produce, meats and dairy for his creations. Link 41, Sequatchie Cove Farm and Niedlov’s Breadworks will contribute to the fare with wine pairings by Riverside Wine and Spirits and dessert by Whipped Cupcakes.

"We believe 2011 is one of the strongest shows yet," Eldridge said.

Susan Robinson, AEC executive director, said, "The fact that each piece of art has been created for this particular event makes the art in this auction even more special. It’s a wonderful opportunity to find unique pieces for your collection."

The AEC seeks to enrich the Chattanooga community through innovative arts experiences. Tickets for Artamajig are $75, and all proceeds from the auction go directly to funding the AEC’s community programs. Bids begin between $50 and $3,000. The auction begins promptly at 6 p.m., Thursday, July 21, at the Tanner Hill Gallery on south Broad Street. Dress is business casual, and tickets are limited, so reserve yours now by calling the AEC at (423)267-1218 or registering online at Artamajig.com.

Get a sneak preview of the artwork now on AEC’s Facebook page.

Like (13) | Comments | Email | Facebook | Twitter

Back Row: ‘On Coal River’

2011-07-14T09:00:00Z

Trailer for ‘On Coal River.’On Coal River

Back Row Film Series:

The Coal River Valley of southern West Virginia is an area of steep terrain and diverse biology, comprising some of the oldest mountains in the world. It is also an area containing vast amounts of coal – the fossil fuel that currently powers just under 50 percent of domestic electricity. Commercial mining began here in the 1850s and has continued through repeated cycles of boom and bust, mine wars and strikes, and the relentless march of mechanization.
On Coal River takes viewers on a gripping emotional journey into the Coal River Valley community -- surrounded by lush mountains and a looming toxic threat. The film follows a former coal miner and his neighbors in a David-and-Goliath struggle for the future of their valley, their children, and life as they know it.
After the film, the filmmakers Francine Cavanaugh and Adams Wood, will take the audience behind the scenes of documenting this inspiring and triumphant story of a possible clean energy future.

Like (44) | Comments | Email | Facebook | Twitter

Artists Wanted for Bluff View Installation

2011-07-05T14:00:00Z

From the inbox:

Public Art Chattanooga is pleased to announce a request for qualifications (RFQ) from artists or artist teams for the commission and installation of a work of public art at the Bluff View Overlook in Chattanooga, Tenn. The site is located in the heart of Chattanooga's picturesque Bluff View Art District at an overlook that is part of an award-winning 10-mile riverwalk.
Over the last 20 years, Chattanooga has experienced a major renaissance and is now nationally recognized as one of the most progressive and livable mid-sized cities in the United States. A large part of Chattanooga's success can be attributed to strong public and private partnerships, visionary leadership, citizen action and community involvement. The commissioned artwork should celebrate the spirit of reciprocity and capture the spirit of community, the power of perseverance, and the essence of integrity. Up to five finalists will be selected to develop concept proposals for this project. Each will be paid a $500 proposal fee. The project budget for the selected commission is $55,000. The commission is made possible by the generous support of the Lyndhurst Foundation.
Eligibility: This RFQ is open to all professional artists and artist teams over the age of 18, who currently reside in the United States.
Application Deadline: Applications must be received by (hand delivery, mail or electronically) August 1, 2011, 4:00 p.m. No exceptions. Complete details and an application can be downloaded online.
For more information, please contact Peggy Townsend, director, Public Art Chattanooga, at (423)643-6886 or publicartchattanooga1@gmail.com.

Like (7) | Comments (2) | Email | Facebook | Twitter

Give the Men Tobacco and Leave the Women Alone

2011-07-01T14:30:00Z

The most any writer can reasonably hope to gain for his troubles is a fair hearing in life and a little appreciation after he's gone. Ernest Hemingway achieved the rare feat of becoming the world's most famous novelist while he was still very much alive. For his trouble he received a Pulitzer Prize, the Nobel Prize for Literature, and at least one good pot shot from most of the literary lights of his day. William Faulkner attacked his simple, declarative sentences by saying "he has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary." Vladimir Nabokov dismissed his overtly "masculine" subject matter as nothing more than "deep" boy stories. Gore Vidal, who hated everyone, seemed unable to forgive Hemingway for the way he treated older writers who had helped him get his start, namely Sherwood Anderson and F. Scott Fitzgerald. As the 20th century drew to a close the P.C. brigade had added predictably and for good measure that he was a misogynist, a homophobe and a racist. By 1992, Hemingway was so deeply out of fashion that Frederick Busch of the New York Times felt the need to apologize for even admiring him, which he did in an unfortunate little article entitled, "Reading Hemingway Without Guilt."

One thing even his critics never discounted, however, was the enormous influence his style had on other writers. This was already apparent in 1954 when he was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature for "his mastery of the art of narrative ... and for the influence he has exerted on contemporary style." Fifty years after his suicide on July 2, 1961, at his home in Ketchum, Idaho, it is taken for granted that Hemingway did more to change the style of English prose than any writer of the 20th century.

Until recently, I found this preoccupation with Hemingway's style a bit off- putting. It seemed to imply a lack of substance — why else would all the focus be on his style? Thinking thus, I avoided him for the first several years of my reading life.

When I did finally decide to read Hemingway for myself, the first thing I noticed was that I didn't notice his style. What stood out to me was not his tough, terse prose or his repeated use of "and" in place of commas, rather it was just how deeply substantive he was.

My favorite Hemingway short story provides a good illustration. In "The Butterfly and the Tank," a man is killed in a crowded Madrid bar for playing a practical joke. This is the story, but it is not the point. The story begins, "On this evening I was walking home from the censorship office to the Florida Hotel and it was raining. So about halfway home I got sick of the rain and stopped into Chicote's for a quick one. It was the second winter of the shelling in the siege of Madrid and everything was short including tobacco and people's tempers and you were a little hungry all the time and would become suddenly and unreasonably irritated at things you could do nothing about such as the weather." Chicote's is crowded; full of smoke, singing, laughter, men in uniform and the smell of wet leather coats. As the singing grows louder, a civilian in a brown suit squirts a waiter with a flit gun. Everyone laughs except the waiter, who is indignant. Delighted with his success, the man squirts the waiter twice more, lightheartedly. By now the music is dying down and three men in uniform grab the man and rush him out into the street where you hear the smack of a fist hitting his mouth. Moments later the man comes back into the bar. "He had the flit gun again and as he pushed, wide eyed and white faced into the room he made one general, unaimed, challenging squirt, holding it toward the whole company." Almost immediately the man is pushed into a corner of the bar and shot.

When the narrator returns to Chicote's the next day the manager solemnly informs him that "in the flit gun ... he had eau de cologne. It was not a joke in such bad taste, you see?" As they ponder the previous night's events, we learn that the man had bought the flit gun and cologne to use for a joke at a wedding and had announced his intention. He had bought them across the street. There was a label on the cologne bottle with the address. The bottle was in the wash room and it was there he had filled the flit gun. He had come into Chicote's on account of the rain.

Eventually the manager, with his "relentless Spanish logic," concludes that it was really just gaiety and that no one should have taken offense. "Listen," said the manager, "How rare it is. His gaiety comes in contact with the seriousness of the war like a butterfly ... like a butterfly and a tank."

Speaking of his years teaching writing at the University of Iowa, the late Barry Hannah voiced the following complaint about the current state of American literature:

... Stories had simply become too small, they took such a low altitude. Take a couple, and then someone would acknowledge something in a Kroger parking lot about their relationship and he'd get back in his car and drive on. People were not going for much. They were going for very limited American realism, which is a bore to me. I really want stories that are rippers in the old sense. Tales of high danger, high adventure and high exploration. Tales that are as wonderful as frontier tales.

Much of what Hemingway's early critics said about him was true. He did use simple language. He did write tales about hunting, fishing, bullfighting and war, or "boy" stories if you prefer. And he did repay the kindness a few writers showed him early on with disrespect, if not outright cruelty. But I am almost certain Ernest Hemingway never had an epiphany in a Kroger parking lot. If he did, at least he thought enough of posterity not to try to turn it into literature. For that, if for nothing else, he deserves our admiration and respect, now more than ever.

Like (25) | Comments | Email | Facebook | Twitter

Public Art in Chattanooga

2011-06-29T12:30:00Z

Public Art Chattanooga has a Flickr page with several photo sets of art installations throughout the city. Most of the images include details about the sculpture, the artist and the date it first appeared in Chattanooga.

Via flickr.com

Like (6) | Comments | Email | Facebook | Twitter

Notes From the Field: Chatty Crafty

2011-06-28T09:30:00Z

Lauren Haynes

Though it got rained out two hours early, the second day of Chatty Crafty was an overall success.

Chatty Crafty went off with bang 10 a.m. on Sunday, only to be quickly extinguished by an early morning drizzle. Undeterred, vendors persevered and stood their ground on the green at Ross’s Landing until the sun decided to come out.

As for myself, after procrastinating due to work and other diversions, I finally made my way down to the independent craft show late in the afternoon with my mom and friend, Maranda. Clustered in front of Cold Stone Creamery, the 20-plus vendors were neatly arranged in starched white tents, selling a variety of handmade thises and thats.

This ain’t your grandma’s craft fair, but it is definitely your indie-crafter’s craft fair. Soaps, paper goods, recycled clothes and jewelry have been the mainstays both this year and last, when Chatty Crafty was at Renaissance Park.

While all the vendors are super awesome for doing what they do, I’d like to highlight a few that put a little extra love in my heart.

First up is Lets Be Friends from Asheville, N.C. The girl who runs Lets Be Friends must have nothing but cute inside her brain judging by the things she had for sale. Pretty, feminine monsters lounged casually on tables, while teddy bears dressed up as hipster dudes and stuffed Polaroid cameras mingled elsewhere. So good.

Keeping with the theme of otherworldly plush creatures, Mr. Sogs Handmade Creatures hails from Memphis, Tenn. Each of the creatures is made with a twin, and can be purchased individually or as a set. But who would want them to be alone?

One of the sharpest booths came from Frazier Avenue’s own Leo Handmade. John Hall and Bridget Miller were chilling hard in the booth because, obviously, what they had for sale would easily sell itself. Beautiful spread of jewelry and stellar handmade clothing by Astronette and Sans Souci, both made locally.

Another local favorite, although you may not know her by name, is Jessie Hunter, aka Mr. Other One. Her jewelry is often minis of everyday objects, such as beer cans, axes or envelopes, or plastic flowers, etc. She has been selling heavily at Collective Clothing and Leo, but you may not have known who she was. Here she is.

This one was my mom’s pick. In the Light Glassworks is Elise Ramsay, from Asheville, who blows her own glass bowls and ornaments, as well as smaller accessory pieces and jewelry. Also, Christmas present central.

These headbands are by 75Rabbit, a sweet lady from Asheville who made every single item in her heavily stocked booth. These headbands are adorable. I wonder if all these Ashevillians know each other. Anyway, I’d wear every one of these.

Look at these hand-cut and sewn character tees by Jules for Kids, who I’m 95 percent sure lives in Chattanooga. She additionally makes more traditional dresses for the pretty little girls, but my future daughter will be sporting Yoda (or something resembling him for trademark purposes). Couldn’t get over these shirts and also the onesies of similar style.

Let’s not forget our vendors! Holding it down all day for Velo Coffee was the lovely Kalli Lear, ready to serve up some wicked iced coffee or coffee soda. Thanks Velo!

Additionally, there was Mojo Burrito (pictured below), the Hot Chocolatier (can’t go wrong) and King of the Pops from Atlanta, Ga. — to die for, I had peach.

Fast forward to 4 p.m., and everyone on site ran around like ants trying to escape the quickly approaching torrents of rain. It rained out two hours early.

So, suffice it to say, the festival was an overall success once more. Apologies to the vendors for the rain, to anyone I left out, and regrets to anyone I didn’t get to see on day one. The good news is that Chatty Crafty is here to stay. Thanks Lynda and all the Chatty Crafty team for your hard work. We love it. Now, quickly, back to my long-forgotten hobby of knitting. See you next year Chatty Crafty!

Did you attend Chatty Crafty this weekend? Tell us some of your highlights.

Like (8) | Comments (2) | Email | Facebook | Twitter

Next for Back Row: ‘A Small Act’

2011-06-20T18:30:00Z

Trailer for ‘A Small Act.’ The film will be shown June 23 at CreateHere for the Back Row Film Series.Jennifer Arnold

Arts & Education Council:

How many times have you handed spare change to a total stranger? Or donated something toward a cause thousands of miles away? We never know which of our small actions make an impact. But what if one small act can change a life? What if that person goes on to change another life?
The documentary, A Small Act, reveals just how powerful a gesture of kindness and generosity can be, and that an education is perhaps the most generous gift of all.
About the Film
Chris Mburu was a child living in a village in Kenya when he first received a $15 scholarship from a Swedish woman named Hilde Back. Her humble but steady sponsorship put Chris through school and eventually launched him into Harvard Law, paving the way to his job as a United Nations attorney. Now in her eighties, Hilde meets Chris for the first time as he launches his own small act of benevolence: the Hilde Back Education Fund for the children of his village. Hilde's surprise at the potency of her long-ago gift is matched in scale by the young Kenyans' enormous drive to learn.
About the Speaker
Sam Davidson is co-founder and president of Cool People Care, an online resource aimed at encouraging people to take the necessary actions to change the world for the better. Since 2006, CPC has raised more than $100,000 for charities.
Sam has helped numerous nonprofit organizations design and launch new programs, including The Climate Project and Oasis Center, In 2010, he co-founded Proof, a company that specializes in branding and marketing services for nonprofits and entrepreneurs.
His books include New Day Revolution: How to Save the World in 24 Hours (which will be available for purchase at the June 23 event) and 50 Things Your Life Doesn’t Need, and Simplify Your Life: How to de-clutter and de-stress your way to happiness.

Like (9) | Comments | Email | Facebook | Twitter

She’s Crafty: Interview With Lynda Buckels

2011-06-13T11:30:00Z

Promotional

Lynda Buckels, one of the founders of Chatty Crafty, poses next to a wooden cutout of Miss Chatty. The craft show will be held June 25-26 at the Chattanooga Green near Ross’s Landing.

It's almost that time of year again. Time for Chattanooga's first and only indie/hipster/alternative craft show, Chatty Crafty. Indie designers from over 14 states will be importing the fruits of their respective creative labors to Ross's Landing a few weeks from now — Saturday, June 25, and Sunday, June 26, to be exact.

I recently spoke with the original chatty crafter, Lynda Buckels, one of the founders and forces behind the event.

Q: How did Chatty Crafty come into fruition, and why did you choose to come to Chattanooga?

A: I have been a vendor at DIY craft shows for many years, going as far away as St. Louis and as close to home as Atlanta. I have done many shows locally as well, but none fit the mold of the new trend of DIY indie shows. With the surge of handmade all over the country and Etsy bringing shopping handmade to our computer screens, it was time to bring the designers face to face with the Chattanooga shopper. I knew Chattanooga was ready for such a show, and we didn't have one so, well, I created one.

Q: How successful was the last (and also first) Chatty Crafty? What were your initial expectations?

A: We had a great turnout. Over 50 vendors from 14 states — coincidentally, this time we have vendors from 14 states again, but some new states represented — and had a nice full park of shoppers each day. My expectations weren't really anything. It was ignorant bliss last time around! It was very Andy Hardy, "Hey gang! Let's put on a show!" We did, and a love affair was born. I have never worked so hard in my life. Next to my children, I am most proud of Chatty Crafty. It is a professional passion unlike any other I have experienced.

Q: What prompted you to decide to come back this year?

A: It was always my plan to make this an annual show and eventually, a biannual event. I didn't really expect to jump in and do two shows during year No. 2, but so many asked for a summer event that I decided, why not? Let's do it!

When I began planning the summer event, I wanted to be more visible, to attract visitors to our city that just happened upon the event. That made the choice to move to the Chattanooga Green (the space in front of Cold Stone and Blue Plate) an obvious choice. We are now nestled between the aquarium and the baseball field and visible from two bridges. I feel this will give us some organic traffic.

Q: How do you select your vendors, and how many are slated for this year?

A: Selecting vendors is a long process. We want vendors that are fresh and new to Chattanooga, vendors that offer a product that they have designed themselves. All items must be handmade by the vendor.

And oh my, Miss Chatty loves all of her vendors! Of our original vendors, we have 22 returning to our event. We have 90 vendors from 14 states. Ranging from as far west as Texas, up to Wisconsin, and east to Massachusetts and dipping into Florida.

Q: Is there anything new or special this year that attendees can look forward to?

A: We have expanded our food offerings this year and have the following food: Mojo Burrito (returning vendor and sponsor of our event), Good Dog, Southern Burger Truck, Hot Chocolatier (sponsor), Velo Coffee (sponsor), Miller Lemonade, and new to our event, King of Pops from Atlanta. We are super excited to have King of Pops included.

All of our food selections are handcrafted like our crafts! We have fresh, local and whole foods available to shoppers.

In addition to an excellent market place, I want Chatty Crafty to be an event that serves our city and community in some way. We will always benefit organizations in some way. This year, because of the severe storms in April, all of our fundraising efforts will be in partnership with the Salvation Army and will benefit the needs of those still struggling from loss from the storms.

Q: How do you use Chatty Crafty to raise funds for these charities?

A: We have three distinct ways to raise funds:

Vending machines — think bubblegum, not drink — that will dispense donated items from our vendors and local merchants (coupons, handmade items, etc). These are a super fun idea, and six machines will be scattered throughout the event, each designated to a different part of storm relief work.

A Coca-Cola truck. The only Cokes sold in the park will be sold by Chatty Crafty, and the sale of those beverages will be donated to the Salvation Army to be used for the local storm victims.

Fun crafty DIY booths where children and adults can make their own crafts for a donation. One booth will be a pinback button booth where we will have markers, stickers, etc., for the shoppers to create their own button. The other booth will be a block printmaking station. Super easy, super fun crafty goodness.

The last fun feature of the event will be DIY photo stations. We will have some fun "face in a hole" stations created by local artist Matthew Dutton. Shoppers at the event can take their own photos and post them to our Facebook page. We will also have roving photogs taking photos of shoppers in these stations and around the park. Each photo will be posted online for folks to download a screen-res photo for free.

Keep an eye out for the wooden Miss Chatty at all your favorite local haunts, take a picture, and spread the word. For more information, or if you'd like to get involved, visit chattycrafty.com.

Like (13) | Comments (2) | Email | Facebook | Twitter