Summit of Awesome

Summit of Awesome is a three day event happening in DC this weekend dedicated to business seminars for artists and crafters, hands-on workshops, and the DC premier of the indie craft documentary, Handmade Nation. After interviewing Faythe and Courtney (the women behind the film) a few months ago, and having "met" (albeit virtually) several of the featured artists, I can't wait to finally see the film (click here to find out more about local screenings in your area). If you're not in the DC area this weekend, but are interested in developing your own creative business, don't miss the biz ladies series over on design*sponge for tons of great advice.

East Coasters, mark your calendars now for these great upcoming events to support your local crafters:

• Flower Mart [Baltimore]- May 1st and 2nd around the Washington Monument
• Squidfire Art Mart [Baltimore] - May 9th in Mount Vernon Square
• BUST Craftacular [Brooklyn] - May 17th
  
• Art Star Craft Bazaar [Philly] - May 30th and 30st
• Renegade Craft Fair [Brooklyn] - June 6th and 7th
• Pile of Craft [Baltimore] - June 20th
• Artscape [Baltimore] - July 17-19
  

Sidewalk Arts

We couldn't have asked for a better weekend to be in Savannah, GA. Beyond all the wonderful wedding festivities, there was plenty going on in town to keep up busy. One of the highlight's was definitely SCAD's [Savannah College of Art and Design] Sidewalk Arts Festival. Such a simple (and cheap!) concept, but a really great way to get people together. Both students and alumni were given small concrete squares in Forsyth Park to completely transform any way they pleased, with thousands looking over their shoulders as they worked. It was fun to see that a couple of the ones I photographed below were big winners!

Human vs. Machine

Only 4 more days until the best day in Baltimore: the Kinetic Sculpture Race. 15 miles around the city, across land, in the water, through sand and mud, it's human power at it's finest, all for the glory of the "most mediocre" finish. Start planning your costume now and see you on Saturday!

UPDATE: Official 2009 spectator guide is ready. Get it HERE, hot off the presses!

Boarding Pass - Christopher Bettig {The Mountain Label}

Today's edition of BOARDING PASS comes to us from Christopher Bettig, the talented illustrator behind The Mountain Label. Christopher and I bonded over France and Baltimore (he is a MICA graduate) when working on his sneak peek for design*sponge. In the process I came across his flickr albums and knew he'd be perfect for this column. His response was one of the most enthusiastic ever, so without future ado, a look into the way the travel side of The Mountain Label. {Thanks, CB!}

{me in Melbourne}

last trip taken:
for sort of work related I went to San Francisco for my show at Giant Robot, and for vacation I went to India with my girlfriend Cindy.

{Jodhpur, India}

{Udaipur, India}

next trip on deck:
I’m going to Charlottesville, VA for some work stuff in a week and not exactly sure where my next “fun” trip will be… Egypt, Belize, Sweden, Denmark, Vietnam, Scotland, South Africa, Tunisia, U.A.E., Greece… so many place I want to visit!

{Yudanaka, Japan}

one place you would go back to again and again:
Japan, but not Tokyo… I love the small mountain towns like Yudanaka. St Malo, France where I spent a lot of time as a child and Iceland are a very close second & third.
place you'd most likely recommend a friend go visit:
Melbourne, Australia is such a rad city, or Vancouver, Canada or Geneva, Switzerland.. I’d recommend every place to someone.

{India}

preferred method of transportation:
very tough call… I love being in airports and riding trains is so great too, but I’m going to have to say walking is the best. When you’re on foot you really get the vibe of the place you are visiting, you actually interact with it versus seeing it through a window.

{Salt Lake City, Utah}

place you've never been but dying to go: Antarctica.

{Jodhpur, India}

place you'd never go back:
Delhi. India was amazing and I loved Udaipur and Jodhpur so much but Delhi, especially Old Delhi, was horrible for so many reasons.

{Yudanaka, Japan forests [above] and forest inspired Converse design [below]}

most memorable trip:
Hiking up in the mountains of Japan in Yudanaka in the forests and listening to the natural hot spring rivers rushing by while snow monkeys walked around. Then walking back through the tiny town to the natural hot spring bath overlooking the river dividing the town and taking a long soak. OR… Cindy and I sitting on the roof of our hotel in Udaipur, India with a view of the lake and the 3 water palaces all illuminated while the call to prayer is sounding all around us at sunset. Then as it got dark the Diwali celebrations started and everyone was launching fireworks completely filling the night sky with crazy color until morning. Those are 2 of my favorite memories ever.

{Udaipur, India}

how do you prepare for a trip?
I don’t really. I just figure out where I’m landing and where I’m taking off from and the rest just falls into place.
how do you record your travels when you're traveling?
Mostly just photography and collecting small little things, like train tickets or flyers etc. I try and sketch some stuff but my trips are usually super packed with stuff to do and things I want to see that I just don’t have the time.

what is your favorite thing to photograph in a new place?
Everything, literally everything. I have 50+ photographs of doorbell buzzers from Brussels, Belgium.

{Brussels}
{Wyoming}

on an average, how many pictures to you take on a trip?
Over 1000 and it just keeps getting worse.what's in your "designer travel kit" ?
I have a Nikon D90 dslr, a Fuji E900 point and shoot, a Holga with a Polaroid back as well as my iPhone all to take pictures & video with. I haven’t been bringing the Holga recently because of it’s size and the scarcity of film. Then I always bring my Moleskine large sketchbook and pens, but I don’t use that as much as I’d like. I end up using the pocket in the sketchbook more then the actual sketchbook.

what do you do after a trip?
I label all the digital files and make sure they are in the exact order that I took them, keeping the continuity of the trip is really important to me, and I do the same with the photos Cindy has taken as well. I keep them in separate folders though, and then I back them all up on a dvd. Then I’ll pick some highlights and drop them on Flickr so my family and friends can see. Not very crafty, I don’t even print any out!

{Sydney Opera house}

how long after a trip does this happen?
Usually within 2-3 days of getting back. Sometimes I’ll start uploading to Flickr while I am still traveling.. but that’s usually just for trips within the US.

{Paris inspired print}

My dream is to set foot on every single continent, and my goal is to set foot in as many different countries and different landmasses as possible in my lifetime.

website: The Mountain Label
etsy shop: The Mountain Label
blog: The Mountain Label
on Flickr

Click here for ALL the past editions of Boarding Pass!

Happy Friday

A little Friday fun from Color Me Katie - a talented photographer and member of Improv Everywhere (remember the Welcome Back video?). Every post will seriously make you smile and remind you that it's the little things in life that are the best things in life :)
Eye-balling the city in unexpected places...
and shadow puppet wars....
and leaving paper butterflies for someone you don't know...
...and ladybugs [pins] to make someone smile...

or thought bubbles that make someone laugh....
and accessorizing the house with mini photo cut-outs. I LOVE IT!

More great ideas on her blog.


P.S. Check out Prêt à Voyager's feature over on how I blog over on Somewhere in Middle America.

Midnight Train to Georgia

Felice and I are hopping on a midnight train to Georgia after work tonight for a much anticipated wedding and visit to Lins, the third from our "triumvirate" of our study abroad Paris days. In honor of our adventures on the rails (about 12.5 hours), I thought it'd be fun to post this adorable Amtrak commercial. Savannah, here I come!

Views from Baltimore : American Brewery

If one thing can be said about Baltimore, it's that it gets a bad wrap. People tend to think Inner Harbor (tourist trap) and The Wire (crime and violence), but in between the obvious there are the Baltimore charms. In the rougher side of East Baltimore, not far from the Johns Hopkins medical campus there's one building that towers over the rest: the American Brewery. Built in 1887, it's definitely not how they make breweries these days (see below: it looks more like something out of a Ghostbusters movie). Despite being boarded up and looking in rough shape for over three decades, it was hard to miss on a drive down North Avenue, where you can only imagine what that part of the city was like in its prime. Now the brewery is about to take on its second life as home to the social services agency, Humanim. The non-profit based out of Columbia, Maryland is making a bold move, moving many of their offices from the suburbs into this newly renovated urban project in hopes of helping to revitalize the area and continue their mission (of which they plan on hiring directly from the surrounding community to work events). Last week I was lucky enough to tour the building and enjoy the views of Baltimore on a beautiful day of new beginnings. While the brewery is no longer, there are still reminders of what it once was, but also what it will be.

Rowhomes and cemetery in East Baltimore, one of the rougher areas in the city. Many homes are abandoned and boarded up.
View of downtown from brewery window.
Top tower of American Brewery (the highest point I shot from).
American Brewery today breathes new life and new beginnings.The state of the brewery before revitalization project - it stood empty for over 30 years, holes in roof and floors, and bird crap everywhere (I was also lucky enough to tour the building at that stage)! It's amazing what you can do with a great shell (note: the building looked even crappier in person than it does in this photo). Click here to see the brewery in it's heyday.

You can view my entire photo set (I recommend viewing "all sizes" for greater detail - hint: look for people sitting on stoops, a very Baltimore thing to do) right HERE, and click here for more interior shots of the (almost finished) building by my friend Allison who actually worked on the project, designed by Cho Benn Holback + Associates [architects]. If you want to learn more about the project and the history of the building, many articles are linked through here.

Paper Cut Paris

I'm convinced that there's something in my DNA where I can't be truly happy unless I make my way back to Paris every few years. My trip is still a month away, but this incredible paper cut map of Paris (still a work in progress) by Julie at Famille Summerbelle makes me wish I was jumping on a plane today! {Thanks, Jamie!}
p.s. on a completely unrelated note, today is Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry's!

Boarding Pass - Felice Cleveland

Today's edition of BOARDING PASS is an extra special one for me, because besides being an incredibly talented artist / printmaker / bookmaker / journal keeper / art educator (at my favorite place on earth), Felice Q. Cleveland also happens to be my best friend in the world and a constant inspiration. I still remember our first conversation as we sat on a stone wall in front of a beautiful French chateau during a visit of our study abroad program. For years we kept in touch through snail mail around the world to wherever the other was at (and we still do even though we live 10 blocks away). Several years ago, I was lucky enough to visit her for 10 days in Cameroon where she was a Peace Corps volunteer. Two years ago we traveled to Berlin together, this past fall to Austin, Texas, and on Thursday I've convinced her to take an overnight train down to Georgia with me. We often joke about making our own comic book, The Misadventures of Felice and Anne, but for now you'll just have to enjoy a look into how Felice travels. {Thanks, Felice!!}

last trip taken:

India (Mumbai, Bundi, Jaipur and Udaipur)

{This banglewalla was so sweet, kept calling me "sister" and reminded me that you put bangles on "two by two" and you must keep your hand loose! . . . Man making a brass pot [which I bought].}

next trip on deck:

Savannah, Georgia

one place you would go back to again and again:

Bundi, it is like a wonderful magical land and I totally fell in love with every part of it--the landscape enchanted me, the people befriended me and I could spend all day just wandering the streets (oh and the food!). I truly cannot say enough good things about Bundi although I am torn between wanting to shout Bundi's praises from the rooftops or to keep it a secret!

{montreal}

place you'd most likely recommend a friend go visit:

Montreal, Austin, Texas or Barcelona.

preferred method of transportation:

On foot--it is much easier to meet people on foot and also take everything in, but I like anything local--rickshaw, moto, train or pirogue!

place you've never been but dying to go:

Top on my list right now are Argentina, Turkey and Tunisia.

{india}

place you'd never go back:

The Dulles, Oregon. On a family vacation as a child our car broke down and we had to buy a new one there and arrived a few days late at our destination on the Oregon Coast. At the time it felt very traumatic and I don't have any really good memories of that place.

{austin, texas}

most memorable trip:

Probably last October/November when I had a reunion with two of my best friends in Austin, Texas. We had such a wonderful time--dio de los muertos festivities, tex-mex, vintage stores and in the end I met the love of my life!

{day of the dead: austin, texas}

how do you prepare for a trip?

I talk to a lot of people and do a fair amount of research. I really like reading books (fiction and non-fiction) and watching movies about or set in the destination of my trip. I make a lot of lists but try to plan the bare minimum so that I will be able to have flexibility and adventures when I arrive.

how do you record your travels when you're traveling?

Photographs and I try to keep up some sort of journal as well.

{LEFT: Yogi, short for Yogesh. We met while I was waiting for his friends shop to open. He was sitting outside. I waited with him and tried out some of my Hindi. He invited me to tea. The next day we had dinner at his restaurant (it is called "Cool Restaurant") while serving us whiskey not on the menu--it is illegal to serve alcohol in Udaipur. The last day we played poker, shared kulfi (like a milk and cardommom popsicle) and he bought me a shirt as a final souvenir. RIGHT: Oh, dear Gopal. We met when I used his one-computer internet cafe. He offered me chai and after my computer time we sat and talked about AVAM and our different work as artists. He showed me his paintings and I showed him my journal. Here he is contributing a small painting of Ganesh to my journal. [top left of journal below] }

what is your favorite thing to photograph in a new place?

Definitely people. I love the challenge of trying to catch people in their setting and then also taking photographs of all the characters I meet and encounter along the way. The runner-up is probably patterns though, I like to use them as an inspiration for drawings when I get home.

{Ranji's cooking class in Udiapur...Samosas for breakfast}

on an average, how many pictures to you take on a trip?

Totally depends--anywhere from 30-300!

what's in your "designer travel kit" ?

I have my little Canon SD750 which is small and has a wonderful battery-life. Also my Moleskine Cahier Pocket Squared Notebook in Kraft Brown is a must. Plus I have this little zip-lock with markers, glue-stick, tape, scissors and pens that I always have in my purse---that way I can jot something down or paste it in right away. I also like being able to take advantage of down-time (waiting for food at a restaurant, waiting for a train/bus/plane, etc.) to write down a story, do a little drawing or record some cultural or lingual fact.

what do you do after a trip? how long after a trip does this happen?

I try to get my photos up on Flickr pretty quickly as that is usually the best way to tell stories after traveling. I'll continue to work on my journal and of course go through the arduous process of unpacking and getting back into the "real life" routine. Mostly I just start thinking about where my next destination spot is!

{woodblock calendar inspired by Cameroon}

More from Felice on Flickr (including more journal pages).

Click HERE for more editions of Boarding Pass.