Hey! It's the Film Fest!

It's that time again folks-time for the Salt Lake City Film Festival! YAY! Tickets are on sale today. So hurry before they sell out! There are so many awesome films showing this year. Go out and grab yourself some! (Ten thousand points goes to those who can pick out where I am on the homepage....)

OR!

If you aren't in the SLC area and want to support the film fest (we would LOVE you for it!), take a gander at Kickstarter, where we are currently running a campaign to help with operating costs and all the crazy things that go in to making this happen every year. We've only got about 2 weeks left to reach our goal, or else we don't get anything! So if you or anyone you know wants to contribute to a great festival, forward this on!

love you!

GO HERE and HERE!

T-A!

Remember when I said I was going to do the Tracy Anderson 30 day boot camp? Well I have been. I think I'm on day 22 or so. To be honest, I've been modifying it to what works for me and my schedule. I have been taking ballet and doing some cardio at the gym too, but honestly it's what has been working for me. I have been eating more healthy (less treats! I love treats) and I've only missed about 4 days total so far. Pretty proud I am. Although I will be honest, I'm not sure if I've lost actual poundage. I know that I feel different, a lot better actually, and my technique in ballet class has gotten a lot better in a short amount of time. My clothes fit a little better (yay), which means I will be able to shop without that crappy feeling. You all know what I mean...
Yay for T-A.
I'll do the weigh in and let you know. But if it's gone up, well, then don't expect anything :)

What I wish I could eat

What I probably will eat. I don't feel like eating this.

5

So after baking away last week this is what the UAA art show got from me. I hear it was a success, and that people liked my stuff. It's the best compliment when emails come in saying they loved it! It's always hard to put yourself out there, but I can't even tell you how excited I am about doing Craft Lake City! I have several other projects in the works too. August is going to be the busiest month ever...

strawberry, lemon, cheesecake macaroons
chocolate and vanilla marshmallows

UAA/CLC art show!

If any of you are in the downtown area this Friday, there is going to be an opening reception from 6-9pm to kick off a month long show of local Craft Lake City participating artists. It will at the Utah Arts Alliance on Main Street. I was asked to provide some goodies for the reception. I'm super excited! Plus, you get to see some amazing artists that span a variety of mediums: jewelry, printmaking, furniture, crochet, clothing....! Go check it out. It's all month long!

UAA/CLC Press Release:

Local Artists Connect Art and Craft with Utah Arts Alliance Show
Craft Lake City artists will cross the fine line between art and craft with
month-long show and Connect event

June 29, 2011 – SALT LAKE CITY – A show at the Utah Arts Alliance will explore an age old question among quilters, seamstresses, jewelry-makers and potters. Where is the line between art and craft? Is a 100-year old quilt a work of art? Is silver-smithing or broom stick lace gallery-worthy?

In an attempt to respond to these questions with a resounding “yes,” artists from Craft Lake City, Salt Lake City’s (CLC) largest alternative craft festival, will fill the Utah Arts Alliance’s (UAA) Main Street Gallery at 127 South Main Street in Salt Lake City for an exhibit called “Art vs. Craft.” The show runs July 5 through July 30, 2011, with an opening reception on July 8.

“We are excited to welcome fourteen CLC crafters to show at the UAA,” says Michelle Stark, CLC artist coordinator and Art vs. Craft curator. “The show will include print makers Claire Taylor, Nancy Rivera and Travis Bone; repurposed painter Kat Martin, jewelers Steven May, Christine Fedora, Carrie Wakefield and LaLa West; clothing maker Trisha McBride; crochet-artists Anna West and Rachelle Smith; digital artist/screen printer Todd Powelson and furniture maker Keith McKeowan. Artisan food will be offered by Megan Whittaker.”

In addition, the Utah Arts Alliance is calling on other artists and crafters to participate in their fifth monthly Connect event, to take place during the Art vs. Craft reception. Connect invites members of the public to share their work between 7 and 9 p.m. on the second Friday of the month. An established artist in the community will comment on the night’s theme at 8 p.m.

This month’s Connect commentary will be offered by crafter and blogger – Anna West of ArtDuh.com and her partner, fine artist, Todd Powelson. The couple will share their interpretation of the line between art and craft, and explain how art and craft merged when they met and began a life together.

“There was a time when craft wasn’t on my visual radar,” says Todd Powelson, painter, digital fine artist and CLC vendor. “After starting my life with the queen of handcraft, I realized that cubism wasn’t just a Picasso technique, quilters have been using it for hundreds of years. And now I paint embroidery, robes, curtains and folk dancers just as often as I reproduce ancient Greek works like Laocoon. Perhaps the line will truly be crossed when I begin to use a glue gun regularly in my art work.”

The opening reception will be held July 8, 2011 from 6 to 9 p.m. CLC crafter’s work will hang on the gallery walls, sculptural works will take up the floor, and even hand-crafted food, like macaroons, will be served. Connect artists from the community are invited to bring their work at 7 p.m. Those who would like to participate in voting can be entered into a contest for a grant to be awarded by UAA in December.

###

About CLC

Craft Lake City will be held on Saturday, August 13, 2011 from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Gallivan Center in downtown Salt Lake City. The event is free and open to the public. It is an outdoor arts festival that will showcase 180 artists, specializing in handmade goods. Affordably priced items like silk-screened posters, reconstructed clothing, knitted items and jewelry will be available. The event is sponsored by the Gallivan Center and ArtDuh.com and hosted by SLUG Magazine. Last year’s event welcomed over 8,000 visitors. For more information or to fill out an application please visit www.craftlakecity.com and follow the event on Twitter at twitter.com/craftalkecity.

About UAA

The Utah Arts Alliance is a 501c3 non-profit arts organization. Its mission is to foster the arts in its many forms, to provide venues to facilitate the arts, to provide programming and support for arts and education, to provide a central organization committed to networking and support of Utah’s non-profit arts and educational groups and to provide support and services to Utah’s artists and students. The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday noon to 8 p.m.

TA-Retransformation part 1

It's Day 4....

So part of my retransformation for the summer is to get in shape. I know that everyone says this, especially women, but it's true. Part of my Me Makeover is to get back in shape, but better. I've always been active, mostly in dance, but the last year just got out of control apparently, and my butt went with it. I never thought of myself as the type that would ever do that, but seriously nobody is immune to it. Nobody! My exercise method of choice is usually ballet because it BY FAR does my body good compared to anything else. I've tried running, pilates, weight lifting (ew! did NOT work. Hello football player thighs. No joke) and anything you can think of at the gym. I just respond well to the lengthening and control that ballet provides. But for some reason it's gotten increasingly harder to make it to ballet class. It's only offered at certain times, and it can get expensive. So, I stumbled across Tracy Anderson some how. I don't remember where I saw her, but when you do you can't miss it. She's got a rockin body! After looking in to her stuff, I realized that maybe it would be something that could work for me. She offers a different approach to exercising which fits into a way I already know works for me, but I can do it at home. I purchased the 30-day method book (it's like boot camp) that comes with a dvd and decided to give it a shot. I thought it would be a nice intro to her stuff. Then if it works, try out something else. Well folks, I'm on day 4, and so far so good! Those exercises royally kick my butt. The cardio is dance cardio, which isn't hard for me because I've been dancing my whole life, but honestly, it just makes me laugh at myself. I can't take myself seriously when I do it because she's definitely different. She's gotten a lot of flack too. I say, just listen to your own body. You'll know if it's something that can work for you. For example, the diet plan. It seems minimal at times, but I know this: follow it as closely as you can, but also listen to yourself. If your body needs more then give it what it needs, just make it healthy. Every body is a little different, so make it work for you. I wasn't planning on starting the program this week so I haven't been following it. I've been eating my own healthy meals. But I do plan on trying it out next week.

Maybe if I'm brave I'll do before and after photos....eeek!